Emi’s right foot is in a cast. She lays upright on the hospital bed looking over to the window which doesn’t even give her a good view of the skyline. All she can see is the other part of the multi-story hospital blocking her view. Tomio is sitting right beside her now that her family had left earlier.
”It’s a nice view isn’t it.” Tomio jokingly mentions as he watches her stare out the window from her bed.
”Oh, it’s just so perfect.” Emi jokes along too. “You know people pay thousands to get a view like this.”
”Intentionally or unintentionally?”
”Let’s just say I’m glad I’m still insured.” Emi laughs to herself.
”I’m glad to see your spirits are still up.”
”Oh hardly. It’s going to suck not being able to run in the mornings for a few weeks. I don’t know how I’m going to get around town anymore. Chiara and the others don’t have their licenses.”
”Well, I can give you a lift if you ever need it. You also have Kimberly and Ramirez too, with their little camper van.”
”Yeah, true.” Emi smiles and bites her lips. “You know, I really wish I had my VR headset right now. I could pass the time and be able to walk in VR. Even if it’s not real, it’ll feel real to walk again.” She sighs and shakes her head. “At least my disability is temporary. I can’t imagine how it might be for my little brother.”
”His accident was pretty bad wasn’t it?”
”He wasn’t the same ever since. But he’ll always be my little brother. I have to look out for him. Even if I’m away at Uni.” She checks the date on her phone. “Tomio, do you really think we can pull off another victory like last time?”
”In Mil-Sim Story?” Tomio leans back on his chair which is positioned next to Emi’s bed. “I’m not so sure. We both missed our chance to practice today.”
”I can only hope everyone is training fine without us for now. I’m not going to be doing track for quite a while so maybe I’ll have more time to be on Mil-Sim when I’m done with my homework and studies.”
”Are you implying this is some kind of good fate?”
”Hm...not really, Tomio. If I can’t do track next year, I’ll lose my sport scholarship. I would have to finance my studies with loans or something. I don’t want to do that.”
”Yeah, I know for a fact Rami and Kim both got screwed by loans when they went to college. Thankfully, I’m too stupid for college.”
”Oh come on, Tomio.” Emi smiles and pats Tomio’s shoulder. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You don’t think a Pizza boy can’t be smart? Your team’s wits won us the match last time. I couldn’t even wrangle my squad.”
”Ah...well...I appreciate your compliments...thanks.” Tomio voice almost cracks as he speaks from being so flustered but he collects his cool and asks Emi a serious question. “Say, how do you feel aobut your squad mates?”
”Is this supposed to be gossip between squad leaders?” Emi smugly grins.
”Of course, it can be something between us only.”
”Well in that case, it’s no secret that I appreciate my squad members a lot. Chiara’s my best friend. I want to see her be strong for me. I know she’s gone through a lot in high school but I would like to see her make a name for herself someday. Mil-Sim Story or in the music education. She’s like a sister to me.” Emi scrolls through her gallery on her phone and finds a selfie picture of the four of them in her car, right after leaving from the pizzeria that week. “Mai and Hikari are an odd match. Mai is so easy going and snarky, she gets on Hikari’s nerves. It’s a mystery how those two even befriended each other.” Emi and Tomio have a laugh with each other.
”They are something aren’t they, Emi?”
”Oh yeah, but Mai is objectively the smartest one in our group, even if she’s the most reckless. I just wish she wouldn’t be so stubborn sometimes. I’d imagine being so stingy with her gear is a result of her growing up in poverty. Hikari had mentioned to me how she never liked staying over at her trailer home. I’ve been told they were both cramped her little trailer home.”
”That explains a lot.” Tomio ponders for a moment. “But she’s awfully attached to her SKS rifle. It almost seems like an unhealthy obsession right?”
”That’s because Mai actually has that rifle back home. It’s just so happened to be her father’s favorite rifle too.”
”I didn’t think anyone would be so attached to a rifle like that.”
”Me neither, but Hikari told me how much she appreciates her own rifle, even in VR where you can get access to better gear. From what she told me, Mai’s father fought in Afghanistan when he was a young adult, shot the rifle over there and liked it so much, he bought one when he got back to the states. He taught Mai how to hunt and shoot with the rifle ever since she was a kid. She absolutely adored her father and he taught her how to stand up for herself and everything. That was until her father was summoned for the Iran conflict, and he never returned home since.”
”That must have been incredibly miserable for her.”
”I feel incredibly sorry for her, Tomio. I always thought my parents divorcing and fighting was bad enough but Mai’s gone through some hell of her own. She’s probably the strongest one in our little group. Brave too. She’s not afraid to share her emotions at least.”
Tomio’s eyes blink at that jab Emi made to herself but pretends to not think too much about it. “And Hikari?”
”She’s probably the only normal girl in our group!” Emi laughs. “And that’s despite the fact, she comes from a wealthy Japanese family. Yet somehow, despite going through the least hardships, Hikari has a good heart. She’s the best medic anyone could ever ask for in a squad. I’d honestly wish more rich people could be like her. I enjoy having her for company.”
”Is that so? Hm...but I guess I’m not surprised. She’s kind of like a normal version of Fio. I’ve been trying to convince her to come work alongside me at my restaurant lately, but she’s afraid of work.”
”I mean, does she really need to work if her family is wealthy too?” Emi asks Tomio.
”Not really, but it would be a good experience for to have. There’s no pressure with working alongside friends. Even Kimberly and Ramirez stop by every so often for their little concerts so all of the Longhorn Squad can be together and hang out.”
”So why doesn’t Fio accept the offer?”
”She afraid of going crazy if she starts working. She feels like she might lose a bit of her dignity and sanity if she starts working. The kind of work Rami does at the warehouse or Kimberly does as a music store clerk terrifies her. She’s afraid of becoming jaded like them.”
”They don’t come off as jaded to me, Tomio.”
”For the most part, they really aren’t. They are just older than the rest of us by a few years. But Kim and Rami have this idea of doing their own thing and being self reliant, even though they both have to work to survive, sometimes for long hours. They are always so busy with their jobs or their music, they make it a priority to appreciate the little time they have off sometimes.”
”It’s just like that in college. Although I don’t honestly feel like a responsible adult by going to class or doing track sessions. It just feels like a worse version of high school.”
”Ha! That’s exactly how Kimberly described her time in college.”
”Oh god, I hope that doesn’t mean I will drop out soon.”
”Nah, I don’t think you will, Emi. Kimberly never wanted to go to Uni in the first place.”
”If I have to be honest, I don’t think I would if it were optional, but my degree isn’t hard at all, so I might as well get my bachelors.”
”You’re not thinking of your future in Psychology?”
”I love helping people, Tomio. I just don’t know how I would feel to get paid to help people. Wouldn’t that make me corruptible?”
”Now, you’re starting to think like Fio. We are all so much alike aren’t we?”
”Ha. You bet we are.” Emi smiles at Tomio. “I really do miss them, Tomio. I can’t wait to get back into Mil-Sim Story and lead them all to victory!”
”You’re sure about that, Emi?”
”Even if we don’t win, I just hope we have fun together as a team. That’s all that matter’s right, Tomio?”
”This is so not fun at all!” Kimberly whines hiding behind the stall with the rest of Longhorn Squad as they receive incoming fire from JarPig Squad.
”Rami! We gotta move somewhere else! They are tearing our cover into shreds!” Fio shouts as she blind fires her P90 from cover.
”I’m trying to think right now! Wait!” Ramirez yells as he tries to look for somewhere else to find cover. All of the storefronts are closed or boarded up and there aren’t any stalls nearby to take cover. “Damn! There’s nowhere else to go. We’re going to have to hold our ground and push them back. We need Armadillo Squad.”
”I...I’ll try to call Armadillo Squad!” Fio shouts as bullets fly overhead. She picks up her radio and attempts to make communication. “This is Fio! We’re under heavy fire in the north and need….”
”Tesla's Wraith!” One of JarPig’s female member shouts as she throws something over the stall landing right behind Longhorn Squad’s position.
”Flashbang!” Kimberly quickly shields her eyes and the others follow suit.
”BANG!”
”Kimberly sighs in relief as the explosion didn’t seem to cause any physical damage to their team. “Phew. We dodged that one, team!”
”Uh...this isn’t good you all.” Fio looks at her P90’s optic and laser module. “My optic and laser are out.”
”What?!” Ramirez takes out his tactical tablet and notices the screen is completely black. He tries t to power on the tablet but nothing is happening.
”Our electrical equipment is completely dead!” Fio is in complete disarray. “All of my gizmos, my drones, they are useless! Useless!”
”EMP gernades…” Ramirez curses under his breath. “Everyone! We need to abandoned our cover right now! They are going to...”
”Hades’ Wall! Earth Splitter! Earth Splitter! Earth Splitter!” A swarm of grenades are thrown from JarPig squad at Longhorn Squad’s cover. Ramirez, Kimberly and Fio Scatter apart as they run from their cover and out into the open. A fragmentation grenade explodes next to Fio’s leg.
”AAAAH! They got me!” Fio screams through the chaos. “Don’t leave me behind! Kimberly! Ramirez!”
”Fio!” Kimberly has her back behind a boarded up storefront which she attempts to break down using her boot while under fire. She fire’s her MAT-49 submachine gun at JarPig Squad as they slowly move in unison, alternating between cover on their side. “When she manages to kick down one of the boards. She attempts to crawl into the space to take cover in the dark empty storefront. Across from her, Ramirez had ran to the opposite side of the mall and is firing his shotgun at the enemy, attempting to suppress them as he tries to make his way towards Fio to save her. He grabs her arms and tries to drag her back into what’s left the stall. He reaches into his first aid kit in his battle belt as he attempts to address Fio’s wounds. Suddenly another grenade is thrown over and reaches the two behind cover.
”I’m getting real sick of these grenades!” Ramirez shouts in frustration as he takes the cooked grenade and attempts to throw it back from cover. When his right hand reaches over the top of the cover, he feels a swift motion of a blade across his hand. He can see the grenade and his own hand flying across the mall floor before exploding nearby. “My…..my hand!” His heads up display starts to redden as he starts to bleed out. His vision starts to blur when he spots the scout who is now standing right there in front of him. He desperately attempts to fire his shotgun one last time using his left hand before the scout who looks like some cyberpunk ninja pulls out an HK USP, aims it at his head, and finishes Ramirez before he can fire his shotgun.
”Ramirez!!!!” Fio screams in agony as she watches her squad member taken out in front of her. Soon enough, the rest of JarPig Squad have her surrounded and have their rifles and pistols aimed down at her. The scout re-holsters his USP and Katana and points his Type 89 Assault Rifle at Fio as she lays there injured and crying.
”It’s over now.” The blonde hair guy with a headband and foam cosplay armor says wielding his Type 56 AK. “You’re our prisoner now.”
”Wow. We managed to wipe out an entire squad, just like that.” Trisha, a girl with a red hair, black steampunk jacket, yellow bandanna, navy blue cap, two holstered Jericho pistols and a Daewoo K2 rifle comments. “You really didn’t really put up a much of a fight.”
”That’s because you forgot to take out one more!” A voice from one of the abandoned storefronts calls out from. The boarded up entrance is smashed with an ax within a few seconds. Kimberly’s ragdoll is thrown out of the darkness within the outlet towards where Ramirez and Fio are laying. Fio watches in horror as four dark clad soldiers emerge from the darkness from the storefront. They all have their night vision goggles on which they raise up to their helmets once they are out in the open. Their leader is wearing a gothic dress and wields an AR-15 with a suppressor and a red dot optic of some sort.
”Asura! Wow! You were in there the whole time?!” The blonde squad leader questions in a surprised enthusiasm.
”I made it perfectly clear we would attack where they would least expected. My squad and I operate best in the dark. Of course, we had to come and finish the job your squad couldn’t complete. How pathetic.” The girl in the dark gothic dress scoffs. She walks up with the rest of her squad until her boots are standing in front of Fio’s face. She watches Asura lean over and pick up the radio that is on the ground, looks at it and then tosses it onto the floor as it were trash. “Did you really have to use your EMP grenades on them? Their radios are useless now. How am I supposed to breach into their communication lines if I can’t figure out their signal?!”
”They were going to call in reinforcements.” Kaz, the squad’s scout, mentioned.
”So? Is your squad incapable of handling that? Maybe if you didn’t dress up like a gay Naruto wannabe.”
”Your highness. Shouldn’t we interrogate their POW for the frequency while she’s still alive?” One of the soldiers in all black and a face mask suggests.
”There’s no point in bothering, Lucius. Look at her.” Asura’s eyes stare directly into Fio’s face. “She’s not going to give up anything to us. She’s probably feeling a lot of contempt against us. It’s a given. She not going to help us. She couldn’t even help her own squad mates.”
”So what are we going to do with her, your highness?” The shortest member asks. She’s a female with brown hair, and wears red contact lenses. Unlike the others, she wears a long sleeve shirt with a red and black pattern of bats and some kind of leather brace around her leg. “Are we just going to let her bleed out?”
”That’s incredibly lame.” The soldier with red hair and suspenders interjects. “I’d say we kill her on the spot.”
”Yeah...I have to agree too. I’m with Vlad on this one, Lilith.” Asura smirks at Fio.
”But wait! She’s our POW. You can’t just execute her! Our reputation and our credits will be...”
”Oh shut your mouth.” Asura snaps at Rena. “Maybe if you lost some weight and knew your place, you wouldn’t be treated like a walking storage unit for your squad.” Rena is absolutely offended by her comments and looks like she’s about to cry.
”Hey Asura, can we please cool it with the insults? There’s no need for hostilities between our squad like this.” Kael tries to defuse the situation poorly.
”You know our terms, Kael. We fight in my way, or you don’t bother fighting with us at all. You and your dorks more than welcome to skip out on the tournament. I can find plent of other squads that will take your place and do exactly what I want them to. We both agree we aren’t in this for the credits. We’re both trying to make a name for ourselves. In my case, not matter the cost.”
”…Fine…whatever you say, Asura.”
”That’s a good boy.” Asura focuses her attention on Fio who is on the floor.
”You’re going to pay for this….” Fio faintly mumbles at Asura.
”I know. But I'm above you, and you are on the floor like a roach. It’s about teaching you all a lesson.” She raises her boot over to Fio’s head. “And don’t worry, I’ll have some fun with Armadillo Squad too!”