Chapter Fifteen - Monday III - 逆 AKA Reversed

It’s not the comfort of a luxurious bed, or the warmth of a hotel room, but it beats being alone or stuck in the camp, I guess, I thought, after opening my eyes as I laid in one of the beds in the simple metal building that had temporarily become home.

It had been a little while since I’d woken up first. The relative peace served as a golden opportunity for introspection and reflection and my mind wasted little time in busying itself with both.

I ruffled my hair while rising from my bed and continued to study the other bed, across the small room, where she laid; glasses off and hair gracefully flowing across her sheets.

Come to think of it, today marks two weeks since we met. I figured things would be interesting when you mentioned an adventure, but I definitely didn’t imagine anything along the lines of touring the island on a vigilante mission, facing off against a sinister multinational company or forming a deeper connection with sounds and being able to call on them for more than entertainment or ordinary communication purposes.

Speaking of deeper connections, I didn’t envision that we would become such good friends(?) either. I guess it helps that you’re pretty much impossible to intimidate and apparently have no inhibitions whatsoever, because most people back away or give up within the first week or so of being around me. That said, I guess whatever issues I’ve been carrying are no match for your stubborn positive or optimistic outlook. As much as I want to keep to myself, it’s pretty obvious that you refuse to let that happen, regardless of how much I actively or passively insist on doing so.

Though I wouldn’t even consider admitting it aloud; it did feel quite pleasant; knowing that she cared about me as much as she did. I probably didn’t deserve it, knowing that I was probably nowhere near close to capable of reciprocating, even if I tried to. The sentiments that I still lacked the confidence and certainty to say aloud continued;

I do appreciate what you’ve done and everything that you’ve been for me so far and will return the favour, once I know how to.

Hopefully there will be another day where I can honestly say or at least feel that I’ve made somebody happy and if there’s anybody that somebody should be, it’s you.

❀

As the waves repeatedly crashed and broke against the rocky shores nearby, kicking up sprays of seawater, a lone green-eyed woman sat cross-legged atop the metal building’s roof, occasionally looking up from her laptop.

The one rare occasion where I’m able to escape everybody and watch as the dark star-clad skies of the night get overtaken by the light blue and bright yellow in the distance.

Not that I can spend too much time spectating, as the encryption for the data storage on this laptop is pretty thorough. I say that as if I should be surprised that it’s got multiple layers of protection. I’ve figured out how to get past the first level, but I’m almost certain I’m up against a standard three-level encryption protocol.

Trying to figure out this puzzle and the other one that’s lying downstairs, which enjoys tormenting me at the worst of times; taking mental stimulation to new heights, we are.

Like yesterday; what was that? Was it really necessary to do all of that intimate stuff, to figure out how my fields work? Her ability works from visible light, so surely she’d know from simply watching them in action? Presuming she did it just for the sake of it or she just wanted to flirt, it shouldn’t have surprised me at all; she’s been like that ever since she showed up at my doorstep two weeks ago.

Two weeks? Almost a complete fortnight and I still haven’t given her any real thought; that does sound pretty bad, even for somebody with no prior relationship experience. Any third–person spectator would probably brand me a cold–hearted villain or something.

It’s hard to come to any reasonable conclusion with so many thoughts swirling around in my head like an intense whirlwind, throwing everything into a disconcerted mess.

My biggest concern is that I’m supposed to value lives and extend them as much as possible. Trying to square that core principle with being with a woman who remorselessly kills with minimal consideration for the value of a life is impossible. I have no idea how military field doctors do what they do…

I guess part of my nervousness about her is my own fault too. I complain in my head that I’m afraid she’ll one day turn whatever killer instinct she has on me when I haven’t really tried to understand or learn about her.

She wants me to give her an answer and insists that she only wants something mutual, so what happens if I turn her down? A literal dead end?

As if things weren’t complicated enough, there is definitely a more caring side to her as well, which is kind of sweet and definitely alluring; dangerous when combined with her look and how effectively she asserts herself at times.

If it were down to how my body reacts to her alone, I’d have fallen under her spell long ago. I guess it’s because I’m new to all of this, but having someone that beautiful gaze at you with eyes that pierce straight to your core especially while handling you with total conviction would surely leave anybody powerless to feel anything other than wanting to do whatever was necessary to please and keep them.

I really did miss out in my teens and early twenties; some experience from there would probably have been helpful right now. Oh well, it’s not like I can go back an—

‘Preparing to watch the sunrise, are you?’

Eek! Really!? Again with the breath softly caressing my ears in ways more pleasurable than I’d ever consider admitting aloud? Also, does your intimate mode ever turn off when you’re not busy killing people??? Ugh, how does one simple sentence set the inside of my head ablaze? ‘Yes. If you’re going to join me, could you please spare me the antics and just admire it quietly without any funny business? I’m still trying to access the protected data stores on this laptop,’ Tsubaki insisted, with a stern glare.

‘As you wish, Master,’ the black and purple-haired woman reluctantly conceded, as she crawled to the edge of the rooftop wearing a playful pouting expression. Oh, I’ll admire it alright, and I’ll also admire you, Miss Oblivious, who’s so lightly dressed and has her beautiful brown hair let down, free to elegantly ride the currents of the sea winds this fine morning.

❀

As the hangar changed colour slightly, with a patch of thick cloud shielding it from the brightly beaming sun lingering high above, inside, a black and pink-haired woman paused while crossing the floor. Huh? You’re about to head off? Just the two of you? I’m not jealous or anything, just a bit surprised.

‘Oh! Hey! We’re gonna go and take care of that shopping trip that we never got around to yesterday and also swing by a stockpile, to collect some free supplies. You’re coming along, right?’

‘Free supplies? What are you talking about?’

‘Those guys from yesterday; one of them used a GPS to figure out how to get to the comms tower, so I figured we’d swing by their starting point and see if there are any goodies that we can claim. We’ll be making multiple trips today,’ Renka explained.

‘Right. And you were planning to go by yourselves?’ Kasumi flatly quizzed.

‘Hey, don’t look at me like that,’ the captain nervously protested. ‘If we took you along, then Sensei would be left without anybody to stop her from getting abducted or something. If you’re coming, then go and get her, please. I never thought you’d be one to question me on something like that. You’re not wrong to be irritated though; I feel kinda bad for not looping you in like usual and just presuming that you’d be fine with it. So much for that declaration I made on the beach; I’m already letting myself down.

‘You’re not coming with us, Tsubaki-Sensei?’

‘Oh, um, I was hoping to continue this decryption mission that I’m on,’ the doctor replied, as she continued to rapidly tap the keys of the laptop and occasionally swipe the screen in a similarly enthusiastic manner.

‘Could you not work on it while we’re on the move?’

Since when were you so vocal? Normally your sentences are limited to one or two words when you talk to anybody other than your girlfriend. ‘I could, but whenever we all travel together, trouble seems inevitable.’

‘Wouldn’t you take that over being abducted, assaulted, or something else, though? Besides; that predatory cat of yours needs to be kept on a leash; seeing as she’s run head-first into danger for people she doesn’t even know, let alone someone she actually likes, right?’

‘What are you talking about? How do you even know that!?’ Tsubaki barked, her eyes sharply cutting away from the laptop screen.

With a condescending smile and subtle snicker, the towering lady replied, ‘You should try paying a bit more attention to her, Tsubaki-Sensei. You’re an intelligent woman; you should know better than anybody that the best route to expanding one’s horizons comes from research and discovery.’ I guess you’re what people sometimes call an airhead; get a grip.

Ugh, thank you for the low-blow. I really am my own worst enemy here. Wait!? Where are you going?? That doesn’t answer how you found out whatever it was you were just alluding to!

❀

A little more than half an hour later, the four women found themselves inspecting the dimly-lit insides of what appeared from the outside to be an ordinary shipping container.

‘Well, they were definitely organised; I can sort of see how they ended up in collaboration with those security consulting clowns,’ Hikari remarked, as her eyes panned the space. Chalkboard, seats, workbenches and all of their remaining equipment neatly arranged on shelves, racks and stowed away in containers.

‘These guys really weren’t messing around, were they? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, with the way that they happily turned to using a rocket launcher.’ If we had any ammo concerns then those have definitely been shooed away, Renka internally remarked, as she inspected the contents of a freshly-opened crate. ‘So, I have an idea for what we could do with those drone proposals.’

The rustling and shuffling that filled the shed ceased. Ah, I guess they’re all expecting an explanation? ‘There’s a 40mm grenade launcher and a general-purpose machine gun here along with corresponding ammo, which we could mount to the top of the drone that we’re planning to build. The MAG 60.20 will handle general threats and with a hundred rounds on a belt, she’ll be able to continually chug along for a good while, too. Well, that’s presuming the old thing doesn’t stop working, heh. If she gets overwhelmed, then the grenade launcher will take care of any unwelcome groups and an added bonus for Sensei is that she could theoretically fire tear gas, rather than HEAT ammo.’

‘Is that all we’re taking?’ Hikari quizzed, as she drew near to one of the racks stocked with MPXs, and a selection of larger firearms.

‘Probably, also I’m pretty sure you don’t need reminding, but try not to leave any fingerprints, please. I’m surprised the GSDF haven’t already turned this place over, which means that they’ll probably be here soon.’ I’m definitely taking one of those Ultimax MGs though; Mk8 package of the famed constant recoil weapon, with the Mk5 stock, hundred–round drum mags and RBS suppressors that they’ve got will look pretty nice in my growing collection. Seeing as we have the ammo, I might as well help myself to a BREN 2 BR while the opportunity is here…

‘Right, right. Isn’t it weird though? On the occasions where I faced off against them, CSS were fielding or transporting pretty new equipment and weapons, meanwhile, everybody that they affiliate with still mostly uses old-school stuff. Where is all of that new stuff heading to? Given that it’s somehow made its way inland, I highly doubt they’re in transit and due to be exported again in a hurry,’ Hikari suggested with a ponderous tone, having turned to the other three women.

Yeah; we’ll probably end up getting shot at with those same weapons, unless you took them out of the equation, though I’d fully expect them to have more supplies elsewhere.

‘Speaking of equipment, how did you get on with that gift Renka brought you yesterday?’

Huh? You’ve been almost silent up until today, and now you’re all about exposing pretty much any shortcoming of mine, obvious or concealed. ‘I still haven’t had any chance to analyse it under a microscope, thanks to the decryption process,’ Tsubaki reluctantly confirmed, with a frown. ‘I doubt I’ll be able to do much more beyond study it, because it’s shown no signs of life since Renka gave it to me and I don’t have any equipment to thoroughly dissect and interrogate its internals.’

‘Right.’

Hikari briefly fixed the tall woman with rose-coloured highlights with a condemning glare. Eh? What’s going on here? I thought you’re the quiet and stoic one in this group; when did you two get so conversational? Also, why is Tsubaki so much more reasonable with you and the captain than she is with me??

❀

‘Did something good happen, Tsubaki? Normally by now, you’d be at least half asleep, but right now you’re practically beaming brightly enough to distract me in the rear-view mirror.’

‘Well, despite the shopping trip taking us all the way to the verge of nightfall, I got loads of parts to play with, so I’m a pretty happy woman at the moment,’ the doctor gleefully responded.

‘Is that right? As if you don’t have me to play with…’ the black and purple-haired woman sulked, as she shifted her gaze from the rear-view mirror back onto the road ahead.

Yep; still on course for a disaster of some sort. Let’s just hope your problems don’t become an issue for dear Kasumi and I…

‘Oh, ho? I guess danger really does follow us wherever we go. Tsubaki, could you, um, shield the truck, please!?’

‘Huh?’

The rapturous chorus from a hail of ignition blasts erupted behind the truck.

‘What the?’ the doctor asked, with a subdued voice as she turned her head.

‘It looks like we’re being hunted, ladies.’

Why are you hanging out of the window? Tsubaki internally barked, glaring harshly, as she faced back towards the truck’s front.

‘Sooo, I can see there’s a lot of muzzle flashes in the mirror, but what’s actually going on back there?’

V-shaped formation; more biomimicry… ‘If the drones from yesterday were based on wasps, then these ones are based on a multitude of birds, it seems,’ Tsubaki nervously explained. ‘Where are you going!?’

‘Relax, Sensei. I’m pretty sure this is why your lover put roof rails on the truck. Uh, Kasumi, do you wanna join me for a hunting party on the load bed?’ Renka playfully invited, before hauling herself onto the truck’s roof.

Am I the only sane person here!? Zero hesitation to climb through the window, onto the roof and follow the clearly crazy captain.

‘Tsubaki-Sensei, could you please drop the protection from our weapons and the nearby working area? Also, do you have ear protection in there?’ Kasumi asked, as she shuffled and took up a seat in the truck’s load bed.

‘Yeah; we have a couple of pieces in here, thanks for asking.’

Seriously, when did those two get so close? It’s beginning to get under my skin a bit.

They’ve stopped firing? Renka assessed, as she took aim at the flying pursuers before repeatedly sending 9mm ammunition hurtling from her MP5SD’s suppressor exit, with a measured rhythm. ‘I fully expect they have a backup measure for when they run out of ammo, so don’t relax.’

‘Ah, yeah,’ the black and pink-haired woman calmly replied, as she stilled the front end of the G28 with a firmly-gripped, glove-clad left hand.

The air along the stretch of highway busied, with the cracks of sonic booms and the snaps of a quiet mechanism sending bullets streaming into the pack of drones.

Shit; they’re charging at us as well?

As the truck hurried along, the pair of women in the back continued to send the buzzing enemies hurriedly tumbling to the ground, one by one. Of course; now they’re mixing things up with their movement and making it much more difficult to land a shot. Well, at least there’s only a few of them left.

The remaining trio of erratic quadcopters continued to advance rapidly on the four women.

Another pop and snap from the pair whittled the enemy force down to one aggressor. ‘I’m out!’ Renka shouted, as she hurriedly drew her HK45T. ‘What the?’ It’s gone overhead?

Ugh, what was that blinding flash of light? The captain internally complained as she squinted.

‘Um, Hikari, why are we slowing down?’ Tsubaki tentatively queried.

‘It’s not my doing. If I had to guess, that bright flash of light was probably the visible effect of a concentrated electrical attack. Along with killing all the electrics in here, I’m guessing it also short-circuited the starter motor as well, because the key turns but there’s no sign of life at all from the en—’

‘Yes, thank you, car nerd. In case you haven’t noticed, we have another pack of them coming from up ahead, so maybe we should pull over before the truck runs out of momentum.’

‘We can take care of these ones as well, but do you think there’s anything you could do? To figure out where they keep coming from, Tsubaki-Sensei?’ a calm voice questioned, before the window behind the doctor’s head shook briefly.

‘Eek!’ ‘Oh, don’t scare me like that, please; the drones are bad enough. Also; where did you get that from?’ Uwah; it’s much bigger than the little one we used on Friday.

‘It crashed-landed on the roof after that little light show.’

‘Great! Well, not really, because we’re about to be shot at again, but, whatever, thanks,’ the doctor hurriedly answered, as she fumbled around through her side window, to receive the quadcopter offered to her. It’s still pretty hot as well; this doesn’t bode well for being able to use any of its components….

Huh? A clank on the roof? Oh; they must be doing that bipod thing again. ‘Before you get busy again, could you pass me a toolset, please?’

Another storm of bullets raged forth, towards the truck, as the small tool chest passed from a glove-clad hand, to a pair with light green nails at their fingertips. Meanwhile, snapping sounds returned from the load bed, as Renka replied to the airborne adversaries with a steady stream of 9mm bullets.

‘Welcome back,’ Renka quietly commented, as she briefly glanced at her shooting partner before she wrapped her hand back around the pistol grip of the G28 which stood up on the bipod atop the truck’s roof.

‘What do you think they’ll do when they run out of ammo this time?’ Kasumi quietly asked, while picking off the drones, with a calm rhythm of trigger pulls and supersonic cracks.

‘They’ll probably be targeting us, but let’s not try to find out,’ Renka replied, with a hushed voice. Though, judging from their lack of gunfire, I guess we’re about to, unless we can pick off the five still remaining.

As the remaining group of quadcopters sliced through the air with a burst of speed, following a mocking click from her MP5, Renka shouted, ‘I’m out!’

Within an instant, Kasumi quickly rose from her kneeling spot in the truck’s load bed and broadcast a C5 note, through a simple “ah”.

Uh oh; the truck’s trembling a bit, and in contrast, I’m starstruck, or awed by her splendour to the point where my body refuses to do anything other than keep me spectating. It looks even more impressive from this low angle as well. It’s not weird for me to fantasise what being under you in a bed would be like, surely? I mean, the cold and dominant presence combined with sheer destructive power and how beautifully it’s delivered; I doubt there’s anybody else who could so firmly capture my heart or lead my mind to naughty places the way that you do.

As the elegant note rang out and the amplified waves of sound rumbled the air, the flying foes turned haywire, flying incoherently in apparently random directions before tumbling through the air and clattering against the ground and rustling roadside bushes.

Great; everybody’s been having a blast and I’ve had nothing to do, aside from watch, Hikari internally sulked, as the scene fell relatively quiet; the sound of rustling trees and the occasional swoosh of a passing car becoming the only audible noises.

‘Aha!’

Imagine; even the resident wet blanket of the group is having more fun than me. Still, it’s nice to see you in a good mood and that adorable smile for once, I guess.

‘What’s up, Sensei?’

‘I think I’ve figured out where these drones are coming from. It’s a pretty rough approximation, because I don’t have the parts to build a full RF detector, but adapting my energy conversion field suggests that these drones are being controlled from the top of the mountain. That said, we should probably get moving, because there are probably more of them on their way.’

‘You heard the woman; let’s pack up and get up there!’ Renka exclaimed.

‘Um, be careful with loading up the cabin please; I’d hate for the seats and floor to get ruined within a week of having got her,’ Hikari pleaded, with an air of concern in her voice.

As the four women ascended the mountain, beneath the stars and the light of the thin crescent moon occasionally breaking through the rustling tree cover, Hikari pondered, Yep; this is why blades will forever remain my primary choice of weapon for heading into a mission. While everybody else is inconvenienced by bulky equipment, I’ve no such concern. That said, I do feel a bit bad, looking at one of us in particular. ‘Um, are you okay there, Tsubaki?’ she enquired, with a hushed voice.

‘I’m fine, thanks.’

Sure, and you I are happily on our way to getting married. ‘Yeah; your heavy breathing and falling behind definitely paint the textbook example of a woman full of vitality.’

Having finished her blunt remark, she drew close to the doctor and slung one of her arms over her own shoulders. Yep; the heaviness associated with fatigue is just what I expected. ‘You overcooked it on the field usage, didn’t you? I’m probably not going to be doing much until we get to the top, so you can lean on me until then. Maybe give the fields a rest until we’re under attack again as well,’ Hikari gently insisted.

After another five minutes of ascending the mountain with illumination provided mainly by swarms of tiny amber specs floating around between the trees, the quartet paused and disappeared from view. ‘We might still need the fields, have you got enough energy left?’ Hikari asked, with a nervous frown.

‘I’ll be fine,’ Tsubaki whimpered, with a forced smile.

Shortly after she made her attempt at consoling the other members of the group, the swishing of rapid projectiles, occasional cloud of dirt kicking up and dispersed fireflies surrounded the women, beneath the raspy din of a barrage of gunfire raging above the tree-line.

‘Um, Rose, sorry to bother you and ask, but do you think you could handle our flying friends, please? It looks like they don’t need visible light to see us.’

Heh; oh–so polite. I guess Tsubaki-Sensei isn’t totally onto a losing prospect, though you could try addressing me without using a snarky nickname…

‘You’ve already let rip once today, so now it’s my turn.’ Creating an infrared smokescreen would have been fun, but would probably lead to dear Kasumi having to carry me up the hill. I guess overheating a few CPUs, detonating a battery or two or melting rotor blades will have to do.

Within ten seconds of her decision, the trees rustled and another few seconds later, a quadcopter tumbled from a tree, closely followed by crash-landing on the forest floor. At a similar time, Renka raised her head slightly. Yep, and now they’re all dropping like flies. ‘Come on, let’s keep moving,’ the captain insisted, with a smile, as the last UAV harshly thumped into the forest floor.

It’s not as extravagant as a weaponised sound wave, but it’s effective at least.

After another almost twenty minutes and another two waves of hostile aerial adversaries, the quartet reached a point on the mountain where they paused at a tall concrete wall.

‘I guess I’m the scout now; I’ll see you girls inside,’ Hikari declared as she gracefully hauled herself atop the perimeter construction. Standing on her hands, she turned to face the other three before pressing herself off into a backflip. Her hi–top trainers softly landed on the tarmac beyond the perimeter, followed by quickly skittering across the brightly moonlit car park.

‘So, we’re just going to let her go in and savage everybody?’

‘Come on, Sensei; you’re almost out of energy, we’re also experiencing the toll of using our abilities a fair bit as well. Meanwhile, she seems perfectly fine. Do you see any better option? That and she’d probably sulk all the way back home if we didn’t let her loose at some point, heh.’

Tsubaki emitted a heavy sigh as she leaned against the concrete wall before sinking to the floor. Judging from the crackle of gunfire that’s now erupted in that big building, I can only assume that she’s having a whale of a time; please tell me we’re not following her into there…

Really?? Explosions as well? Is that really necessary?? Then again, I guess it might be if you’re having to face off against somebody that moves as quickly and lightly as she does…

Eh? It’s gone quiet? Well, it has been, um, twelve minutes now.

‘Still nothing on the radio, did she even bring one with her?’ Renka queried, before another few minutes of silence between the three women commenced.

‘At what point do we consider that she’s bee-’

‘Hey!!’ A voice gleefully exclaimed.

‘It will forever remain a mystery how you managed to tame her, Sensei,’ Renka quietly jested as she looked up at the black and purple-haired woman leaning out of a window and waving.

Tame her? Where did that delusion come from?? The doctor’s harsh glare drifted away from the captain and onto the large hexagon-themed building within the walls. Why are you in such a cheerful and casual mood?!? Tsubaki internally enquired.

‘There’s an underground garage, so we’ll RV down there, seeing as there’s nothing particularly useful in this outside car park. Also, I got something that I think you’ll enjoy Tsubaki!’ Hikari advised, finishing with a teasing smile.

At the edge of a dimly-lit underground complex, Hikari stood in a corridor, leaning with her back to the wall and the sole of one her high tops raised and resting flat against it. She held out a hand, palm away from her face. It’s been over two weeks; I should probably reapply it soo-,

There were more of those clowns? I can guess where the sonic cracks are coming from, but those duller loud blasts sound like shotgun shells.

‘Fuck! Aim for the head, Kasumi; that armour will resist pretty much anything we throw at it, but the visor’s a weak point, at least!’

‘You made some friends along the way?’ Hikari asked, as the trio hurried towards her, two of them sending a hail of 7.62 NATO rounds back down the corridor.

‘If; massive, a tank-ass guy with bomb–resistant armour, armed with a USAS-12.’

‘That sounds like fun,’ Hikari playfully remarked before scampering into the car park at the tail of the quartet. Yeah; from that brief glimpse I got, tank-ass is definitely right. Kudos to those three for not getting torn apart because we’re all definitely fucked if they get near to us. Come on; is there really nothing useful down here??

‘What exactly are you searching for?’ Tsubaki asked, her voice heavily tinged with irritation.

‘Something with four doors that’s either strong, good at off-roading or-, YES! We’re saved!!’

‘Why are you in such a good mood and smiling like that all of a sudden?? It’s just a stupid family car??’ Tsubaki snarled.

Almost in tears, Hikari explained, ‘It’s not just a stupid family car; it’s a Lancer Evo VII RS. A mid-sized, beautiful, old, Evo VII; rally drivers used to ride those babies for miles and it looks like it’s in great shape!’

‘You idiot! Stop messing around! How exactly does that help?!?’

Hikari retracted from the wheel arch, with jingling treasure in her hands, which she held in front of her chest, in a presenting fashion. ‘Pack your things away and get in. I’ll show you exactly how,’ she calmly insisted, with a teasing smile.

‘You heard her; let’s go, Sensei, before those tanks turn up and completely steamroll us.’

After a brief scramble, the other three women joined Hikari inside the white car. ‘Are you all strapped in? Also, we’ll need the field again, just for a bit, Tsubaki.’

The other three women nodded, before Hikari turned the key and the underground space erupted into life, filled with the light roar of the turbocharged inline-four.

‘Uwah; now I see why you were so giddy,’ Renka quietly remarked.

‘Please; you’ve not seen anything yet.’

After a few brief growls from the engine and exhaust, Hikari backed the car out from its parking space and swiftly headed toward the exit.

‘Are you trying to get us all killed??? Drive forward, you idiot!!’

The spectacle of bright flashes, rapidly spraying debris and the thunderous booming of shotgun shells threatened to compete with the roar of the raging turbocharged two litre engine and as the car drew near to the slowly-waddling aggressor, its nose swung around, painting a perfect semicircle, rapidly throwing the armoured man back in the direction he came from with a heavy strike on the front quarter panel before the car surged forward onto the exit ramp of the garage.

‘Whoo! Is that one of those fancy “J-turns”? I’ve never seen one of them done in real life, let alone been in a car that’s doing one!’ Renka excitedly exclaimed, with a bright smile.

‘Well, if you were upset that I got rid of the blue car, you’ll be happy to know that this is her long-standing direct rival. This particular model has always been a favourite of mine, but it’s very rare to find one for sale now, especially one that hasn’t been tastelessly modified or upgraded for rallying.’

So, I guess that means the car will replace me as the target of your desire then?

After darting away from the car park, for a few minutes the car sprinted down the narrow, winding mountain roads, hastily dashing from each sharp hairpin turn and harsh corner, occasionally offering Renka and Kasumi the opportunity to glance out at the valley which extended below.

‘Ehhh? What do we have here?’ Hikari quietly asked. I highly doubt an enemy would be driving something like that.

The engine and exhaust of the Lancer settled, as it approached another, crawling along the other lane, before both came to a rest, side by side.

‘Um, what are you doing?’

‘If you know, you know, Captain,’ Hikari teased, as she rolled down her window. Hmm; both women? ‘So, I guess that makes three fair ladies then?’

‘Heh, that’s cute,’ the driver of the other car remarked, casually glancing across at the amethyst-eyed woman.

Uwah; such a dark and commanding presence, even compared to Kasumi, she’s far more intimidating. That deep, powerful voice, dark grey eyes, long black hair and smart clothing essentially create the atmosphere of a stormy night, in sharp contrast to her friend(?) who’s got a peach theme going on and her braided brown hair reminds me more of a pleasant spring or summer’s day.

‘It’s a 432 as well?’ Hikari quizzed, with an approving smile. ‘My dad has a PGC-10; they both have the same engine, if I remember correctly.’

‘It looks like you’ve found yourself a kindred spirit,’ the passenger with peach eyes jested, with a playful smile.

‘Glad to see there are a few women about who haven’t forgotten about this island’s automotive heritage. Then again, you are driving an almost thirty-year-old relic. I’m guessing you dressed her up yourself? The CE28Ns are a nice touch.’

‘I just got her actually. That said, would you like to help us test her out with a run to the bottom?’

‘Oh ho? That’s a bold proposition. I admire your spirit though, so I’ll accept,’ the driver calmly informed.

Oof; she’s probably some fabled touge queen or something. There’s no way anybody could so confidently and calmly accept otherwise.

‘Don’t tell me you’re about to race them on these dangerous mountain roads?’ a voice whimpered from behind Hikari.

‘Well, we might still have pursuers, so, you know; two birds with one stone or whatever.’

‘Nice, let’s go!’ the glasses-wearing woman beside her excitedly encouraged. ‘With that little display you put on up there, I think you can take them,’ she quietly offered.

‘Alright then ladies, if you will,’ The Fairlady’s passenger with the braided ponytail announced. ‘Standard countdown to go.

‘Three…’ Both Hikari and her raven-haired counterpart gripped their steering wheels.

‘Two…’ murmurs from the inline-four and inline-six engines rolled beneath the woman’s voice.

‘One…’ a light rev and the flutter of a blow-off valve joined the soundtrack.

‘Go!’

With loud screeches from the tyres, both cars sped away; one with a rough growl and the other with a light roar as all passengers firmly pressed back into their seats.

That’s my girl; I’d expect nothing less from an all-wheel-drive, Hikari remarked, as she swiftly pulled the gear lever.

The raging growls and roars, rough tyre squeals and occasional exhaust pops brought the mountainside to life, as the pair of cars hurriedly weaved their way along the narrow roadway, both daring to run millimetres away from the inner banks and rock faces of the mountain on one hand and intimately flirting with the guardrails designed to prevent them from careering into the ravines below on the other.

As the speeding duet approached a hairpin, ‘That’s right, youngsters; there’s no escape for you up here’, the raven-haired driver of the Z432 quietly commented, as the front bumper of her car pulled desperately close to the rear of the four-door, whose blow–off valve fluttered and exhaust tip popped as it spat out a large ball of fire.

Yeah; just as I thought. After a few minutes of rapidly descending the mountain, nose to tail, Hikari gave a small conceding smile.

‘How are they able to pass us like that?’ Renka interrogated.

‘That car’s about 300 kilos lighter than what we have beneath us; it’s practically destined to delightfully dance down mountain routes like this. They won a lot of races throughout the seventies on tarmac and dirt, compared to this Evo, whose older sisters only won four World Rally Championship driver’s titles in a row in the late nineties. I’ll tell you more about it later; kinda busy here,’ Hikari distractedly explained as her right heel and toe continued to dance around on the two rightmost pedals in the footwell, while she carefully kicked down the left pedal and rocked the gear lever, to masterfully keep the car’s speed in check.

Alright! An open section; time to stop staring at that 432’s tail. Hikari internally resolved, as she commanded the Lancer Evo to dart forward and soon run alongside the Fairlady.

After another few minutes of speedy descent, led in alternating intervals by each car, both drivers found themselves side by side again. ‘Looks like there’s no more mountain pass left, huh?’ Hikari called across.

‘It would appear so,’ the grey-eyed driver coolly remarked.

‘Well, that was a lot of fun; thanks for the run. It felt kind of special to dance with an S20-powered machine while driving one of my childhood idols; I can probably die a happy woman now.’

‘Ha; that’s cute. Indeed, it was fun, so, thank you. I guess you’re heading east? We’ll be heading west, so you ladies take care of yourselves and try to stay out of trouble,’ the driver thanked and advised, with a small hint of a smile.

‘Thanks!’ Renka interjected, closely followed by a more measured acceptance, return of the wishes and warm smile from the black and purple-haired driver, before the Lancer briskly set off again, albeit in a less conspicuous manner than the downhill race.

‘Really? All of that wild driving and there’s no winner?’ Tsubaki sulkily questioned.

‘Unbeknownst to you, my dear Tsubaki, we’re all winners. The real victory is the fun experiences we had and the friends we made along the way,’ Hikari gaily concluded, with a warm smile.