Chapter Twenty-Five - Thursday Night IV - No Longer...

Oasis, noun - a pleasant place or period of time in the middle of something unpleasant or difficult (definition provided by Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 2023)

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As the stars glinted brightly against the undisturbed skies which had recently finished waving away all traces of direct sunlight, a Decuma grey Hilux crossed the strip of an seaside airfield.

The diesel engine fell silent and the pickup truck sat still, in a spot shaded from the white light offered by the large, perfectly-circular orb which dominated the sky and soaked most of the coastal region with gentle illumination. From the driver’s seat and door, emerged a woman who had black hair, with purple ends, a high side ponytail and a water lily placed next to the hairband. From the front passenger seat and door, a woman with brown hair, tied in a two-bun style, with dark green ribbons flowing from the tie point of each.

As the pair entered the hangar, the purple-schemed woman mockingly commented, ‘Oh, so you did manage to wake up in the end. We joked in the truck about how we genuinely thought you’d have skipped out on getting up today entirely.’

The woman at the counter turned her head up and away from facing the pot that she stirred, ‘Quiet, you. If you were in my position, you’d probably be the same.’

‘Right, right. I’m just messing with you, Cap.’ Her voice turning warmer, Hikari then asked, ‘How are you feeling, anyway?’

‘I’m getting there, slowly, thanks for asking. Still a bit lacking strength and energy, but better than yesterday at least. I reckon a couple more days should see me back to normal. You two did the shopping before visiting the Onsen, right?’

‘Yes, Captain; we got all of the remaining food and ingredients on our checklist beforehand. This bag is only one of many,’ Tsubaki replied, gently waving and ruffling the bag which hung from her right hand.

‘Cool; by the time that you’re done offloading, dinner should be ready.’

‘Nice. What are we having?’

Kasumi stepped back from the counter. Revealing herself, she informed ‘We’re all following your girlfriend tonight and having vegetarian-friendly Kitsune Udon.’

After five minutes had passed where each pair completed their task, all four reconvened in front of the large plane, which occupied the majority of the hangar’s open space.

The quartet sat cross-legged on the floor, with Hikari and Tsubaki opposite Kasumi and Renka and immediately set about using their chopsticks to empty the bowls of food.

‘For all the time that we’ve spent together, I don’t think we’ve had a single night where we’ve all had a chance to relax together, have we?’

‘Huh?’

‘Well, you two spent so long being awkward and when you did finally get together, I got shot not long afterwards, which kinda threw everything out of whack.’

‘Riiight. Where are you going with this?’ Hikari asked, gently setting her empty bowl on the ground and her pair of chopsticks neatly on top of it.

‘I thought that maybe we could spend a short while gazing at the stars and the moon, while it’s still peaceful,’ Renka wistfully replied, with a warm smile.

‘Aww, are you still trying to bring us all closer together to the extent where I’ll call you Renka-nee?’ Hikari playfully asked, with a teasing smile.

‘Eh? No. Is there something you want to confess, Kitten?’

The hangar momentarily fell silent, save for the fairly soothing swishing of the distant waves crashing against the rocky shores.

Tsubaki’s wrist bangle emitted two short beeps, drawing all of the women’s eyes to her.

Loud, heavy gunfire blasts rang out, while Tsubaki quickly retrieved her phone from the inner pocket of her overall skirt.

Who’s upset Subaru this time? the other three women wondered.

‘Intruders; judging from the ID logs, she found a swarm of gang/ organised crime faction members. As you might have guessed from the fact that she’s still shooting; there’s a lot of them.’

‘So much for stargazing. Clear up ladies and let’s keep an eye on our surroundings.’

The other three women nodded as they quickly rose to their feet.

Following another pair of chirps from her left wrist, Tsubaki lifted her phone from the lowered position that she allowed it to fall to. ‘Um, ladies, Sayaka says that we’re about to have a lot more company, from multiple directions.’

‘Shit. Kasumi, dear, could you help me with shutting the doors? Sensei, you and your digital friends are doing a good job, so keep it up. Kitten, could you please get a belt of Subaru’s ammo and make sure it’s in a place where you can easily help her out if need be. Depending on the scale of the incoming force, you’re welcome to blow off some steam, so long as you don’t interfere with Subaru. When we’re done with the door, we’ll study the situation from the roof. Understood?’

‘Yes, Captain!’

The ladies with orange and rose-coloured hair highlights rushed towards the hangar’s front doors and immediately pushed against each of them, rolling them towards the centre of the opening.

Near to the small slit left between the hangar’s front doors, Hikari set down a hundred-round belt, loaded with brass cases and sharp copper-coated bullets with black tips. After doing so, she immediately darted in the opposite direction of the steady crackle of .50 cal gunfire, leaving the hangar swiftly through the rear entrance door and vanishing from sight as soon as she emerged onto the moonlit paved areas which surrounded the building.

I count twenty or so. It’s been almost four whole days since I last used this thing; I can’t remember the last time that happened… The black and purple-haired woman drew her tanto from its resting place against her left thigh and sprinted toward the men dressed in street clothing who charged across the nearby fields. Model 17 and 19 pistols, as well as a couple of type-56 rifles. Some of these goons have armour as well, so I guess neck and up is the main order for tonight…

In under thirty seconds after departing from the hangar, the first trails of blood violently flew through the night air, following a quick and sharp arc of her dark grey blade across the throat of one of the men.

While his weapon softly landed in the grass, a group of the men that surrounded him flinched before freezing in place, staring with wide eyes at the man who tumbled to the floor with blood streaming from the slice on the side of his neck.

Like sitting ducks…

In quick succession, two of the rifle–carriers disrupted the quiet with spluttering and coughing up blood. Blood also sprayed from the side of each man’s neck, following the hastily-retracted blade that had been swiftly and forcefully sunk straight into them.

While the latest two casualties loosened their grips on their rifles and begun to clumsily stagger, the remaining men in the pack raised their handguns in two-handed grips and frantically panned, angrily cursing all the while.

Like a jaguar that sensed a large haul of ripe prey, Hikari lightly crept along the grass, stopping behind one of the heavily tattooed men.

She suddenly wrapped her hand around the man’s and guided it to point at the head of one of the others.

Her index finger nimbly weaved is way into the trigger guard and onto the trigger. With a bright pale-yellow flash, loud crack and accompanying fling of a spent 9mm case, one of the gang members apparently drilled a bullet into the skull of one of his colleagues.

Still haven’t learned that hesitation kills, have you?

Wasting no time, Hikari repeated the process and had the gang member send the bullet from another 9mm round racing straight into the head of another of the men gathered around her.

Shit!

She quickly dove and rolled away from the man.

Another bright flash briefly illuminated the area of field and a loud blast preceded the scene falling silent.

Uwah. Clipping your own guy without my assistance? Haven’t seen that in a while…

Within moments, the scene erupted into life, with various insults, irritated accusations and threats being slung in all directions as the remaining gang members all stood with their G17 and G19 handguns trained on each other.

Hikari rolled her eyes. Idiots.

Again, retrieving the purple-accented blade from the sheath on her left thigh, she rose to her feet and cautiously lurched towards the arguing group. Seeing as the moon’s out, time for a little show, I think…

She raised a leg and forcefully drove the sole of her hi-top shoe into the back of one of the men, causing him to stumble forward.

A flash of blinding white light lasting a few seconds forced all of the remaining goons to cower slightly or stagger, with their faces scrunched up in pained expressions.

Yeah; retinas don’t like violent exposure like that.

Amid highly aggravated moaning, groaning and the occasional wayward curse–flinging, the woman elegantly lifted her blade and like a tiger mauling a pack of prey with its claws, her tanto mercilessly slashed the throats of the struggling group at rapid pace.

She returned to view and knelt down beside the last man half sitting up in the grass, groaning and clutching at his upper right arm. With an unamused glare, the woman commented, ‘With the way that leg’s bleeding, I don’t think holding onto that arm’s gonna help much.’

‘Get fucked.’

Glaring menacing at the weakened man, ‘I’m sure my girlfriend’ll make that happen soon enough, but right now I want to know who sent you,’ Hikari coldly replied, tracing the sharp point of her grey titanium blade along the man’s torso, eventually coming to a halt, resting on the surface of a point on his thigh drenched dark red.

‘I bet you think you’re hot shit. I hope when they catch you, they give you and whatever bitch you—'

She sunk the blade into the limb, forcing an excruciated cry.

A rapid slice across the man’s throat abruptly warped his pained response, replacing his speech with wayward spluttering, ragged breathing and haphazard spurts of blood from the slice.

She may be annoying sometimes, but nobody calls her that. As a reward, I sliced shallower than normal, so that it’ll take you longer to bleed out.

Hikari wiped the tanto down, against an undisturbed garment of clothing belonging to one of the many men that littered the grassy area not far from the metal building.

Once the grey metal blade had been freed from all traces of blood, the black and purple-haired woman returned it to its home against her left thigh and quickly scampered back toward the metal building.

‘How’s Subaru doing?’ she queried, her high-top trainers almost inaudibly tapping the floor of the hangar.

‘Probably better than you, Kitten. She’s still got about sixty rounds left,’ the captain’s voice informed, through her earpiece.

‘So, um, our guests kinda died before I could find out who sent them, so I guess we’re watching for a bit longer?’

‘Not exactly. I sent Sayaka out to survey a wider radius and she’s just reported that we’re about to have more company. Judging from the video feed, they’ll be a bit trickier to deal with as well. They aren’t CSS, but they’re not too different from them either; similar vehicles and uniform.’

‘I guess we have a mid-distance run, rather than a sprint on our hands then…’ Hikari murmured.

‘I hope you rested well, Kitten,’ Renka playfully remarked.

‘Meh.’

Her voice returning to a more level tone, the captain suggested, ‘You can take a bit of a rest; Kasumi and I have a pretty good view of everywhere surrounding the hangar through the rifle scopes. We’ll lean more on Sensei, so all you’ll have to worry about is supporting Subaru.’

‘Thanks,’ Hikari gaily replied, as she knelt down to pick up the previously-deposited ammunition belt.

As her stray untied strands of brown or orange hair gently swayed in the night breeze, the captain assessed, as she peered down the 3-15x50 M5Xi scope of the G3A3 rifle which rested in her steady hands. Here we go; a six-car train of pickup trucks and SUVs. Sensei wasn’t kidding, they’ve got armoured guys on the load beds with RPGs and 9K333s as we—

Two heavy blasts in quick succession disrupted the captain’s studying.

‘Uwah,’ the captain waywardly mumbled. I take it Sensei included instructions for the AI to prioritise the biggest threats. I shouldn’t be surprised that she went for the rocket launcher first, but it’s still spectacular, combined with the fact that a single round is all she needed to turn that truck into a smoking mess. ‘Well, both of their rocket teams have been taken care of on this side,’ Renka commented as the plucky robot continued to unwaveringly send 12.7mm calibre rounds hurtling towards the new guests.

Meanwhile, her black and pink-haired partner sat on the peak of the roof’s opposite end, staring down the 3-20x50 PM II scope atop her G28 with her right eye.

With a few seconds between each pull of the trigger and the resultant large snap, smoke emissions and brass case being flung from the rifle’s ejection port, Kasumi calmly chimed in after sending 7.62 NATO rounds whizzing towards the pack which arrived from easterly directions, ‘No more rocket threats on my side either, though roughly twenty enemies still remain.’

After finishing her sentence, she returned her cheek to the adjustable pad of the buttstock and resumed cautiously swaying the long weapon with her right index finger delicately rested against its trigger, soon after, deftly edging it rearward and sending another round ripping through the night air, towards the surrounding fields and the face mask of an armed man approaching with a 433 assault rifle.

While Kasumi continued to methodically whittle down the forces approaching from the east, Renka continued to spectate the scene to the west, along the runway. It’s a good thing we invested in giving Subaru some armour; the HK45s, G17s and various MP5s won’t trouble her much, but the 433s, ARX 160s and SPAS-15s can leave a mark after a while if she’s not under Sensei’s protection…

She turned her attention to the more northern section of the runway and immediately flicked the fire selector, causing it to click while she pressed the rifle more firmly into her shoulder. Not ideal, TBH. She sharply pulled the trigger, prompting a sharp jolt and puffs of smoke from the flash hider and right-hand side of the rifle.

Amid the raging crackle of various calibres of gunfire being exchanged around the airfield, another large tower of grey smoke erupted and rose into the sky. That’s why you don’t play with grenades, folks. One thing I don’t like about the G3 although it’s a fine weapon; no sound suppression; thank goodness for hear–through protection… Following her initial shot, the captain proceeded to send a steady barrage of 7.62 NATO rounds zipping towards the groups of men retreating from the smouldering wreckage which vividly burned away not far from them.

In under a minute, the rattle of gunfire from the northern regions of the airfield fell silent. ‘Thanks, Subaru, for stealing my thunder,’ Renka remarked with playful irritation evident in her voice. Some of them survived the explosion? Before Sensei starts to have a meltdown, it’s probably best to put them out of their misery…

‘Clear!’

‘Clear,’ a calm voice responded.

‘All clear here,’ another voice replied, over the jingle of disintegrating belt links. ‘So, um, are we starting the clean-up now or waiting to see who else turns up?’

‘Uhh, retrieve anything that’s still functional, I guess, other than that, we’re waiting. We’ve seen small-time gangs and small paramilitary units, but not the obvious people yet and I doubt they’d miss the party…’

‘Got it.’

While the airfield returned to relative peace, aside from the sounds of fairly slowly rolling tyres against the concrete, Hikari rushed back and forth from the hangar, hauling a variety of pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles and the odd shotgun back from the stretch of paving and the nearby fields, where their locations were marked by lifeless bodies, laying sprinkled about the gently swaying greenery and slightly reddened paving.

‘Should I move the cars?

‘I don’t think you’ll have the time. Sayaka says that there’s an even bigger swarm approaching from the west, both north and south. The map I have here suggests, um… ten cars from either side, so probably eighty to a hundred or so incoming.’

‘There’s also an amphibious group sort-of arriving from the coast,’ Kasumi calmly advised, before pulling the trigger of her rifle and sending another bullet racing towards the water. They are thinning as we speak, though…

‘Anybody wanna bet that this’ll be the last of them?’ Renka playfully asked. After receiving only jeers in her earpieces, she replied, ‘Yeah; I don’t think so either; we’re still yet to see any gunships or side-shooters pop up yet and there’s usually at least one when these guys come calling. That said, if there’s a hundred plus enemies incoming, clearly, they’re not intent on live capture, so I’m gonna head down and finish off the plane’s avionics.

‘While that’s going on, I want you to start loading up all of the relatively small resources, Sensei. So far as protection goes, only worry about the hangar and your girlfriend, I know it’ll probably wear you down a good deal, but expect explosive weapons to be used.

‘Speaking of your girlfriend, if any more LSVs turn up with mounted guns, then feel free to have at them. Try to stick close to Subaru though; as much as I hate to admit it; she’s got the proficiency of all of us combined, that and she’ll probably need another belt soon.

‘Kasumi, dear, I don’t really need to say anything besides keep it up.’

‘Are we all clear?’

‘Yes, Captain!’

The brief relative quiet that had descended on the airfield lasted less than a couple of minutes, before the steady, heavy blasts and smoke puffs from the roaming converted skid-steer machine’s M2HB sparked the area back into life, closely followed by a deluge of dark grey late 2010s Patrol SUVs, some of which came to a rest before making much distance on the runway; the windscreens shattered at mid-height, toward the left.

Despite the measured stream of gunfire pouring from the muzzle of the robot’s mounted gun, large packs of men with grey uniforms, black vests, boots and face masks hurriedly emerged from the cars with P90 TRs and SCAR-SC rifles and scrambled to take cover against their rear bumpers (front quarter panels, for diagonally-placed cars).

The airfield filled with almighty concert consisting of single shots, bursts and fully automatic fire crackles of varying calibres as the incoming swarm attempted to fend off the robot which relentlessly sent 12.7x99mm ammunition menacingly streaking towards them.

Sorry, Subaru, but I can’t let you have all of the fun… Hikari playfully considered, as she returned to the hangar, and collected a captured 380mm barrel 433 assault rifle from the stockpile.

I will admit that we’d definitely be screwed without you though. The sight of one robot single-handedly suppressing such a large force by rapidly adjusting its targeting to ensure that no one group can consistently fire on her is almost hilarious. Dashing back outside, the black and purple-haired woman once again disappeared from view and sprinted toward the group which had congregated in a more northern position on the airfield.

I guess that answers the question of “Are their SUVs armoured?” then. Lying in a pool of blood next to a car that’s been quite clearly pierced like a piece of softwood by a metal drill bit is a pretty clear indicator. Heh, some of them are still trying to fight using Five-seveN sidearms after losing the use of an arm to Subaru’s anti-material ammo as well.

Almost admirable tenacity, I’ll admit. Hikari lifted the rifle, switching the fire selector one click back, from the setting with five red bullets, to the marking with only one. After setting the stock’s butt-pad against her left shoulder and peering through the digital panoramic sight with her left eye, one by one, she drilled 5.56 calibre bullets into the heads of the still cowering men who continued to waywardly attempt to take on the overpowering robot.

While the group on the south gradually dwindled, the blasts from the northern group quietened and died down at a brisk pace as the scampering woman efficiently picked off the armed men, whose aim remained fixed on the robot, despite the proximity of the cracks from the end of her assault rifle’s flash-hidden muzzle.

It took little more than four minutes for the airfield to once again fall quiet.

‘What a mess; cleaning this up is gonna be fun.’

‘You say that, but there’s another wave of them not far away, so if you’re going to make any preparations and resupply Subaru, now’s the time,’ Tsubaki advised, her voice strained.

‘You good, Hon?’ Hikari queried.

‘Yeah; just a bit busy lugging stuff is all. You?’

‘Better than the CSS clowns, that’s for sure, heh.’

‘Good to know somebody’s in good spirits; the one time that we have a good old grand-scale shootout and I have to be playing technician. The author is kinda a wet-wipe for having things pan out like this,’ the captain remarked, with a note of playful irritation and frustration in her voice.

‘Well, sorting out the plane is kinda an important job, so…’ Hikari’s voice warmed when she added, ‘Who knows; if you finish it up before everybody gets flatlined then maybe you can join in.’

‘I can’t tell if you’re teasing or trying to be comforting, Koneko.’

‘Maybe a bit of both, heh.’

As the tense quietness lingered around the moonlight-bathed airfield, the four women had reconvened inside the hangar, alive with rolling, clattering and knocking, as one green-eyed woman hauled crates and boxes onto the plane, via the rear loading door, while the captain continued to study and screw down wire terminals in various places along the plane’s length.

‘How are you holding up?’ Hikari asked, as she inspected the viewing window of a black thirty-round 5.56 NATO PMAG.

The woman with rose-coloured hair highlights pressing black-tipped cartridges into a G28 box magazine nearby calmly replied. ‘My right shoulder is starting to feel slightly worn from the recoil forces, but good otherwise, thank you.’

‘Um, Cap, your TPR wouldn’t happen to be in a usable condition right now, would it?’ Hikari loudly asked.

‘It is… Be sure to dial back the zoom on the scope though; it’s probably still on twenty-one times after last night.’

‘Got it.’

A few minutes later, the rolling of trolley wheels became the only evidence of activity within the hangar.

They’re all leaving their cars at the outer perimeter of the airfield? Atop the hangar, laying prone at the roof edge above the almost fully-shut front door, peering down the larger of the two sighting devices mounted on the G28, Kasumi advised, ‘No vehicles this time; I think they’re trying to use the grass to evade Subaru’s detection.’ They’ve paused as well, which is mildly alarming…

‘Subaru, advance to the Western fields, ple—,’ Hikari commanded, while scanning the runway and fields from beside the front of the hangar, through the TPR’s PM II High Power scope.

The airfield once again suddenly sprung into life, with a continuous barrage of .50 BMG blasts.

‘Um, does anyone have any idea why Subaru would be firing straight into the air, seemingly at random?’ Hikari nervously enquired.

‘Her interface says that she’s under attack, though the incident angle makes no sense to me,’ Tsubaki replied.

‘I can hear them; it’s another swarm of those na—,’ Kasumi attempted to explain, before sharply cutting off. A combined attack, to take Subaru out of the equation. Bombarding her with micro-drones as a distraction and then using all of the quietened rifles in the grass to tear her apart. I hoped to avoid having to do this, but I guess there’s no choice; here’s hoping it works…

Kasumi retreated from behind the G28 and stretched out a hand, toward the black case which sat not far from her on the corrugated metal surface.

‘She flicked open the pair of latches and retrieved the brass instrument which occupied the largest cavity within the internal padding.

She rose to her feet and attached a smaller piece of metal, with a “5C” marking into one end of the brass implement.

She lifted the complete assembly, with most of her right hand resting on top of the three large valves and her left stabilising the instrument from the other side.

After taking a deep breath, she set the mouth piece to her lips and commenced playing a bright melody, largely consisting of mid-higher notes.

‘Way to go, Kasumi,’ Renka quietly uttered, while screwing down a wiring terminal with a magnetic flat–head screwdriver. Now’s not the time to be getting excited, but it’s impossible not to hear what’s going on above and not smile in deep admiration; the trumpet sounds magnificent and the piece she’s chosen to play practically screams defiance and resistance…

After roughly twenty seconds of playing and delivering an earth-shaking performance, the black and pink-haired woman’s eyes focused into the fields on the other side of the tarmac strip. It looks like the rifles are out of the equation, but Subaru’s still firing wildly…

Less than ten seconds after the observation, the airfield once again fell quiet, save for the noticeable chorus of pained moaning coming from the grassy region which sat across from the hangar.

‘Bravo! Bravo! The main piece was exquisite, and I really love the little flourish that you graced us with at the end!’ Renka emphatically remarked.

‘Thank you.’

‘Well played, Rose, both the musical display and giving Subaru a helping hand.’

‘Judging from the lack of shooting and the abundance of CSS guys writhing in the grass on Sayaka’s video feed and Subaru no longer reporting a threat, I’d say you put on quite the spectacular performance, Kasumi. That didn’t take up too much of your energy, I hope?’

‘It took a bit, but nothing to be concerned about,’ Kasumi calmly confirmed.

‘I guess I’ll go clean up and check the damages on our dear robotic friend,’ Hikari cheerfully added, briskly setting off, onto the tarmac. One of the less-damaged Patrol SUVs from the second wave of enemies that stormed the airfield should be able to hold fifty or so SCAR-H rifles in the luggage area, right?... From having a team clean up my handiwork to doing it for somebody else; what a strange world...

While Hikari journeyed back and forth from the tailgate of the SUV, with piles of SCAR-H rifles in her hands, (along with using one of them and two twenty–round magazine reloads to ensure that everybody lying in the grass could never move, nor make sound again) Kasumi returned to the inside of the hangar, and immediately headed into the back of the plane, on her way to safely stow away the black case and its invaluable contents.

‘Just so you know, Sayaka’s camera wasn’t pointed in your direction when you weaponised your trumpet, so you’re gonna have to do it again at some point; full moon, starlit sky and all.’

‘Sure,’ Kasumi replied with a neutral tone, simple nod and light teasing smile.

‘That’s presuming we actually make it to see that “some point”. If things weren’t interesting enough for you already, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Sayaka’s reported another incoming pack is less than a kilometre away.’

‘Ugh, and I still have about five to ten minutes of work left here. Reset all of your equipment, Kitten and Kasumi; let me know what turns up.’

‘Gotcha,’ Hikari coolly replied, while tossing another bunch of rifles into the back of the car and while Kasumi responded with another nod. ‘I think Subaru’s on her last belt of ammo though, so we may have to think of a new strategy when she uses what little is left of it.

‘She can still use the less-lethal weapons, we should be okay, unless they have more of those tanks...’

‘Um, Captain, I have some bad news…’

‘Yes, Sensei?’

‘The incoming group has armed vehicles like the ones we stole and in the back of them, they’re carrying those “tanks”.

‘Shit. Subaru; once your primary ammunition is depleted, return to the hangar, please.’

While the black and purple-haired woman rushed the weapon-laden car to beside the “borrowed” helicopter that sat near the south face of the hangar, Kasumi returned to her observation post on the hangar’s roof, with her G28.

Within a minute of screeching the SUV to a halt and dashing back to her spot on the North-West corner of the hangar, with the TPR, Hikari studied the latest arrivals. Yep; it’s exactly as Tsubaki reported. Big, heavy bombproof armour and LSVs with mounted .50 cal turrets. ‘Here we go,’ she murmured.

‘I hope you’re doing okay for physical strength and energy, Tusbaki sensei.’ Kasumi offered, as she spectated on the robot as it once again livened up and slung its ammunition at the heads of the men who stood behind similar M2HB machine guns, mounted atop the buggy-like vehicles.

‘Heavy machine guns won’t be a problem, but the tanks are carrying pretty heavy stuff; USAS-12 auto shotguns, EVOLYS MGs and there are a couple of M32A1s in there as well… Actually, scratch that last bit; it looks like Subaru spent her last bit of ammunition on dealing with the explosive threat. You probably won’t believe me when I say it; but we have an even bigger problem on our hands…’

❀

‘Eh? So, that’s where you ended up?’

Lying on the upper platform of a lighthouse, a grey-eyed woman with long black hair, peered down the barrel of a 5-45x56 PM II High Power scope and studied a coastal airfield which looked like an intense battlefield, flooded with lifeless bodies and charred remains of vehicles, with a single aircraft hangar at the centre of the mayhem.

‘How long did you say it was? Three years since you last heard anything from her?’

‘That’s exactly correct. Of all the places that she could have ended up though; CSS wasn’t on my list of theories.’

‘So maybe it’s time we let the girls know that we’re around? Judging from their radio chatter, they’re a bit confused by her appearance though, which is mildly encouraging, but there’s still no telling what they’ll do.’

‘We’ll let them know who’s actually in control of the situation first. I’d rather have complete control of this scenario. Thankfully, those idiots don’t know when to quit and have realised one of the captain’s suspicions…’

‘Yeah; I see them too. I heard you took one out on Monday, so I guess I now have a chance to catch up to you, eh?’ The peach-eyed woman asked with a playful smile, while observing the airspace through the M7Xi 4-28x56 scope which sat atop her 7.62N rifle.

❀

‘The scary woman that works for Mr Satou?’ Renka blurted.

‘Yeah; also, we have another UH-1W followed by a pair of Hind-D gunships. We might have dealt with the ground explosive threat, but there’s sti—. Holy Mary, mother of…’

‘What’s going on??’ Renka questioned, with urgency clearly evident in her tone.

‘All three helicopters are down; taken out one by one it seems; non-explosive ammunition.’

‘Both of you; pull back. Now!’ Renka ordered, while hurrying to bolt down various cover and floor panels within the transport plane. ‘Sensei has left me the video feed and whatever it was that took out those helicopters is probably also what’s dealing with those tanks; i.e. Armour-piercing .50 BMG rounds. Your girlfriend is starting to look quite worse for wear, Kitten, so come back and assist with the packing up. You too, Kasumi. If you think you can manage it, then please bring me one of those EVOLYS GPMGs though, Kitten. No pressure, heh.’

‘Interesting strategy that you’ve gone for there, Captain Hibara. You are correct though; M2 API rounds are what I’ve been treating the CSS folks to. You need not worry too much though; if we wanted you dead, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.’

‘Huh??’

‘Where are your manners, young lady? That’s no way to greet the people sorting out your lack of firepower issue and ensuring that those helicopters didn’t ruin your night.’

‘Huh? How are you on this radio channel? I’ve watched the feed and you’ve done no such thing, so far as I can see.’

‘What you have been watching is my estranged sister, Ittō rikui. From beyond your observation, I have watched everything this evening, as far back as before the first group of street thugs arrive, through the scope atop this DSR-50. Momo is also here, with her 7.62N by the way and she’s seen it all too.’

‘Heyyy, how’s it going?’ Momo cheerfully greeted.

‘We can help you get out of the predicament that you’re in, with the cluttered runway and the siege that you’re currently under, but I need you to do one thing for me. You need to capture my sister, unharmed, mostly. If she gets a single lasting injury of any kind in the process, I will ensure that all four of you don’t emerge from that hangar alive.’

‘Understood,’ Renka replied, with an uneasy seriousness weighing down her voice.

‘Also, do not make her aware of your presence. Like me, she has control over local air pressure. In other words; if she spots you, she will most probably suffocate you, seeing as CSS are evidently well beyond the notion of capturing you girls alive.’

‘Understood.’

‘You needn’t worry too much about using your abilities though; Momo here will make sure that using them only costs a little bit of strength and energy.’

‘Understood.’

❀

Back in the dimly-lit hangar space, Renka signalled to both Kasumi and Tsubaki. Silently, she drew an index finger across her neck, pointed to the radio receiver attached to the breast pocket of her shirt and then used the same hand to imitate a snapping jaw.

Once the other two women had pressed corresponding buttons on their own receivers, Renka turned to Kasumi and commanded, ‘Get Kitten, please. Similarly, tell her to cut her mic, so that we can figure out a way to negotiate this mess.’ Lowering her voice, she quietly murmured, ‘It wouldn’t even be too bad if the hangar wasn’t getting rocked by HE grenades from that woman’s sister,’ as the hangar continually shuddered in response to the steady stream of loud explosive blasts raging outside.

With a silent nod, the black and pink-haired woman jogged toward the rear exit of the hangar, with her G28’s battle grip firmly in her right hand. After rapidly swinging the door, she immediately lifted the rifle to a position where she could survey the scene through the Micro T-1 reflex sight which sat atop the main telescopic unit. The “lighter” operators have dark grey masks, goggles and helmets as well? It took less than a second for her to pull the trigger and commence a short period of picking off the lightly-armoured CSS operators which had encircled the hangar’s rear with a steady rhythm of successive snaps and puffs of smoke from the end of her rifle’s suppressor. At least the snipers are still on our side; they’d almost certainly have stormed the hangar by now, if not for the high-power ammunition drilling through the thick armour suits. Despite all I’ve seen in the last few weeks, the sight of them being taken out by single hits right now is mildly unsettling…

After discreetly collecting and shepherding the black and purple-haired woman back to relatively safe and quiet space within the hangar, the four women reconvened inside the C-130. ‘So… Does anybody have any bright ideas for how we bag our new primary target without injuring her?’ Renka asked, devoid of her usual positive attitude and tone.

‘Umm, Rose, you wouldn’t happen to have any tranquiliser solution left?’

‘I have a bit, but no delivery ends to load it into.’

‘Never mind that; Tsubaki’s got a fresh syringe and she almost certainly can estimate the dosage least likely to cause problems, but still make her fairly easy to haul back here.’

‘Okay. I can also help you avoid getting choked, by nullifying the sound signature of your movement once the radio microphones are turned back on as well. Quiet as you are, she still might hear you approaching.’

‘Sounds like a plan, while that’s going on, could we maybe get the cars loaded?’

‘I’ve completely finished bolting back down the floor, so it should be fine. Sensei doesn’t drive and I still have a few side panels to bolt down, so I’ll leave the car storage to you, Kasumi, dear.’

‘Which ones are we taking?’

‘The Evo and the LSV. Although that one was an import from the UK, Hilux pickup trucks are pretty easy to come by. Well, that and Tsubaki’d probably hold it against me if I didn’t pick the more eco-friendly option,’ Hikari responded, with a nervous laugh as she finished.

‘Alright then; let’s get moving. Even if this isn’t the last wave of them, we at least will have some semblance of an escape route once we’re done with our current tasks,’ Renka invited, with a warmer tone and encouraging smile.

‘Yes, Captain!’ Tsubaki and Hikari synchronously replied, along with an acknowledging nod from Kasumi.

Once a small plastic syringe had been filled with the clear solution by the green-eyed member of the group, it passed from the doctor’s hand to Hikari’s and she instantly set off, quickly slipping out through the hangar’s rear exit.

Ugh; there’s still thirty or so of them left out here, again with SCAR-H rifles and some of them have picked up the USAS-12s and EVOLYS MGs as well. It’s a good thing the snipers are keeping them busy; almost all of them are dancing about, thanks to the warning shots from afar… ‘Um, Cap, how busy are you right now?’

‘What is it, Koneko?’

‘I don’t think I’ll be able to haul our target back without a massive struggle. I know you’ve been itching to give them a good kicking, so maybe if you take one of the rifles from the back of the SUV, you can disarm one of the GPMG-carriers and then use it to lay down suppressing fire for me?’

‘”Lay down” you say? What a humorous choice of words, heh. I’ll gladly take up your offer though, even if my muscles aren’t in the best of shape for moving while sending an extended wave of 7.62 NATO rounds at a bunch of armoured asshats.’

‘Cool, I’m waiting on the North-West corner of the hangar.’

‘Understood.’

A little more than a minute later, the bespectacled woman with an orange streak in her hair arrived, with a grey, 406mm barrel SCAR-H readied in her hands. A double-tap on the shoulder prompted Hikari to turn the pair invisible and they set off toward the pack of men and women, with the light tapping of their shoes against the concrete also quietening to a silence.

In little more than five seconds, Hikari had arrived at the group hurling ammunition at the metal building and also scrambling to take cover against the vehicles littering the runway.

Oof; she’s just as terrifying as her sister. There’s no doubt that she’s the alpha in this group with a gaze so fear-inspiring. That dark expression, combined with her pitch-black hair and chilling eyes are what I imagine the most intense of category five hurricanes would look like personified. If looks could kill, I’d almost certainly not still be breathing. I guess it’s do or die time; given that her neck is protected, I’ll have to try something else... Unflinchingly, she stuck the needle of the syringe into one of the raven-haired woman’s hamstrings and hastily pressed the protruding element which sat at her thumb, quickly draining the fluid from the small plastic container.

While the woman stuck more HE grenades into the slots of the rotating drum of her grenade launcher, the pace of her movement rapidly decreased.

Shit!

The black and purple-haired woman desperately lunged towards the collapsing woman and the HE capsule which fell from the loosened grip of her left hand.

Safe! Ugh; I hope to never have my heart set racing like that ever again. Off into the grass it goes….

After tossing the small device into the grass, Hikari’s attention immediately turned to a man collapsing following a violent impact and blood release from his head. Oh, heh; it looks like Cap’s about to have some fun...

‘No need to hide anymore, Kitten; I want them to know exactly what’s about to happen and that there’s no escape.’

‘That’s highly illogical, but it is such a you thing to say, heh. As you wish.’ Hikari playfully replied, as she eased away, hauling the tall woman over a shoulder.

Despite the fresh incoming barrage of battle rifle bullets, after quickly inspecting the fire selector and magazine pouch on the left–hand side of the large weapon, Renka lifted the GPMG so that the stock sat against her shoulder. With an irritated frown on her face, she internally commented, Thanks for the P80/1 ammo fuckwads, now here’s my personal response to what happened on Monday…

Watching on as she returned to the hangar, Hikari assessed. Uwah; she says she’s worn-down but still has enough strength to move and fire bursts from a machine gun with devastating accuracy. Both you and your girlfriend are clearly made from something different to the rest of us, Cap.

In under two minutes, the airfield once again fell silent and had no traces of any movement, aside from one woman, with a GPMG at her glittery orange–painted fingertips, exhaling considerable trails of white smoke from its ejector port and RBS suppressor. I’ll take an M32A1 and USAS-12 and add them to my growing collection, thank you…

‘Bravo, Ittō rikui. A fine display, I’ll admit, even if you did have assistance from your friends. Head back inside and get ready for take-off; you have a few minutes before the next round of CSS operators turn up. I’ll take care of the mess for you. It may sound a bit rough for a minute or so. I assure you; it’s nothing to worry about,’ a deep voice advised through her radio receiver.

‘Understood,’ Renka cheerfully replied, as she unsteadily dashed back toward the hangar with her weapon haul.

Once inside, she darted for the plane, to find Hikari restraining Satsuki’s sister, with zip-ties tightened around her hands and feet. ‘Target is secured, unharmed,’ the black and purple–haired woman confirmed.

‘Understood.’

Almost as soon as the words had departed from the women’s radio speakers, the hangar violently rumbled; battered from all sides by extremely violently winds, drawing the bewildered eyes of the four women inside to the roof and doors of the building.

No time to waste. The moment of truth has arrived and it’s now time to see if our bird can fly… Renka took a seat in the plane’s cockpit and after tinkering with a variety of switches and knobs, the plane shuddered as the motors whirred and then rumbled into life, along with the propeller blades. ‘Looks like we’re ready to make our stage exit, ladies,’ Renka confidently uttered, with a pleased smile on her face.

At the same time, the winds which enraptured the hangar and the surrounding airfield died down and the airfield once again returned to a relatively peaceful state, with the whirring and choppy sounds coming from the quartet of turboprop motors soon overtaking the crashing of the waves against the shore.

Kasumi and Hikari quickly slid the front doors of the hangar open, revealing the freshly–revived transport aircraft to the outside world.

Once the pair had returned to the plane and closed the entry door at its left-hand side, the chopping noise from the motors quickened and the large C-130 eased out from the hangar, onto the moonlight-soaked runway.

Following a minute or so of reversing, the rear landing gear wheels sat on a grassy patch at the north end of the paved strip.

‘We have you cleared as a commercial transport airliner with air traffic control, Captain, so you should be fine until you make it to international airspace at least,’ a deep voice advised, as the plane’s turboprop motors quickened from their fairly relaxed reversing speed.

‘Understood, thank you.’ So far, so good, but now for the real test. This runway is pretty much on the lower limit for the required take-off run distance this plane needs to get airborne, considering the load that it’s carrying…

The large aircraft lurched forward, and rapidly gathered pace as it proceeded down the runway, finally reaching speeds almost double that which Hikari’s Evo VII could achieve before the nose lifted into the air, closely followed by the tail, almost directly above the heads of the sniper duo perched on the lighthouse.

‘Until next time; Godspeed, ladies,’ Satsuki coolly remarked.

‘Next time?’

‘You and I both know that there’s always a next time, Captain.’

‘Would you care to tell us what your name is before then?’

‘I’m sure you’ll figure it out between yourselves in due course. Try not to get yourselves shot down before then.’

‘Good luck, ladies!’ Momo heartily cheered into her radio microphone.

‘Thanks, you two take care as well. Over and out.’

As the plane ascended further into the starry skies and soared along, with the full moon beaming brightly, Kasumi settled into a seat beside Renka in the cockpit.

‘You remember what I taught you, right?’ the captain questioned, with her eyes flitting between the flight deck and the open skies ahead of her.

‘Yes,’ she calmly replied, while slipping on a headset. ‘If you have a spare second or two, I think there’s something you might want to take a quick peek at,’ Kasumi added, her head facing back, into the cargo hold.

The captain glanced back briefly, before turning her attention forward, after fixing her gaze on one particular area for a few seconds. Sensei resting in Kitten’s lap; what a sight. Maybe my eyes are deceiving me, but I swear she looks pretty peaceful there as well. With a warm smile and delighted tone of voice, Renka remarked. ‘Be sure to get a photo of it, hehe. It took them a little while to figure it out, but it looks like they managed to find the same thing that we did.

‘As we depart from the relative hardships and struggles that led up to this point in space and time, sitting here beside you and seeing those two behind us, I can maybe say that all four of us are no longer in search of an oasis.’

❀

Afterword

If you've reached this point, then you are indeed looking at the end of the story, for now at least... There may be somebody thinking "surely they can't just fly off to a happy ending?" or "why wasn't the captured Ultimax 100, BREN 2 BR or USAS-12 used?", "where are the rest of the Japanese sports cars hiding?" and/ or "will Haruka not get a partner??". In response to questions like these, the answer can be found in the side series here on Honeyfeed (in the Women's' World Cup 2023 episode), the fruit of which will hopefully arrive in 2024, so stay tuned for that if you're in the mood for more obscure weapons, old sports cars and women taking convoluted and somewhat steamy routes to finding themselves a comfortable, loving relationship.

Speaking of; if you did enjoy this story, you can now read the side series without fear of any spoilers, though for the time being Satsuki and Momo's days before In Search Of An Oasis will be the mainstay.

All that remains are the thank-yous; thanks to Honeyfeed for providing this story a home in webnovel format. A big thanks goes to the friends who encouraged me to provide the central character a story. A big thanks also goes to the many Yuri/ GL/ WLW authors that provided countless heart-warming, tear-jerking and genuinely enjoyable reading experiences; hopefully this story isn't a total disgrace to the genre, heh. A huge thank you obviously goes to the four women at the heart of the story for being the biggest inspiration for getting me to finally cross writing a story off my bucket list; wherever you are and whatever trouble you're getting into, I hope it's all going according to plan and that this story does you all justice <3

Last but not least; thank you, dear reader for giving these women your time and attention. After all of the ups and downs, I hope you enjoyed following them around for the few weeks or so that made up this story :)