“Sorry about what happened with Chiara.” Tomio apologizes to Emi just outside of Flint’s gun shop. They are both standing on the porch, talking in private. “Seems like she had a lot going on in her mind we weren’t aware of.”
“I think I just have a bad habit of maintaining friendships. You remember what happened between us back in middle school.” Emi sighs heavily. “It feels awful that I’m going to replace her position in our squad real soon. It’s not going to be the same without her.”
“I’d like to think she’ll return to you someday.” Tomio says with some optimism in his tone. He leans over the porch, looking out into the sunset across from them. “I mean, we don’t have any hard feelings anymore...the two of us. You stopped speaking to me all those years ago and now here we are, together again just like we were when we were kids.”
“That was mostly my fault, Tomio.” Emi shakes her head. “I don’t know if what happened to Chiara was my fault. Was that something I could have prevented?”
Tomio taps his fingers on the wooden railing, pondering about Chiara’s situation. “Maybe it was never in your hands to begin with, Emi. Chiara seemed like she was always troubled with her confidence.”
“She was bullied in high school.” Emi recalls. “That’s how I met her. I got myself in trouble by defending her. She was constantly taken advantage of by our classmates and her parents who especially had high academic expectations for her.” She leans her head down to look at the gravel parking space in front of the store. “Her parents wanted her to go into medicine, but she hated the idea. She was very passionate about music, Tomio. It was like her escape from all this hell she has to deal with. I wanted to be there for her when her parents couldn’t. I worry about her, Tomio.”
“I get that you feel that way Emi. I wish I had a solution to help you with Chiara.” He repositions himself and sits on the railing. “Wow, this railing is sturdy. If I was any heavier, I’d probably break it.”
“Yeah. You would have fallen on your ass if you were 10 pounds heavier.” Emi smirks and chuckles.
“Oh we’re doing this again?!” Tomio laughs out loud. “I swear, I’m not 10 pounds below breaking this railing. If I were overweight, you wouldn’t think I was good looking?!”
“Don’t kid yourself Tomio.” Emi sighs playfully. “Good looking? Really?”
“Hey Emi…” Tomio’s voice gets more serious, now that he’s lifted Emi’s spirits with his bad humor. “What if you just talk to Chiara outright? Like just walk up and ask her directly what’s going on.”
“I’m afraid of her response.” Emi notes bluntly. “I wouldn’t want to fracture whatever good will we have left. It’s bad enough I have someone probing into her life for me.”
“Isn’t that something you can handle, Emi. You’re emotionally strong.”
“Not with Chiara.”
“If anyone can reach her, it’s you, Emi. You’re stronger than you think.” Tomio suggests. “Either that, or just give her some space.”
“I’m supposed to be a Psychologist. How can I fix other people’s problems when I can even fix my own?”
“You’re a freshman, Chiara. Freshmen don’t know anything. Doesn’t matter if it’s middle school freshmen, high school freshmen or whatever.” Tomio clarifies further “You all are still in your first semester of college. It’s only been like a few months. I don’t think anyone has adapted to the lifestyle. Especially not Chiara. So cut yourself some slack.” He places his hand on Emi’s shoulder. “You have a lot in your mind, don’t stress yourself out like Chiara. Stay the course and keep your hopes up as best as you can.”
“Thanks, Tomio. At the very least, our friendship is still good all these years later. You were able to forgive me.”
“Only after I shot you with my revolver.” Tomio jokingly remarked. “Back when you lost against my squad in that match. But that makes us even now, right?”
“Hah. I guess so, Tomio.” Emi smiles softly.
“So, who’s the new recruit for Armadillo Squad?”
“Ashley. She’s from the track team and we’re both in the same major. She’s a better athlete than I am. But she’s a good friend and real chill too. I think the girls will like her. Oh and there’s also Vicky. She’s a bit of an eccentric girl. She’s smaller than Mai if you can believe but she’s going out of her way to help me out with the situation with Chiara and with the squad because apparently she plays this game too.” Emi shrugs, “I just don’t see it in her to like this sort of violent gaming."
“Nice, you’re already building up Armadillo Squad beyond just four members. Looks like I might have to do the same too. You spoke to Marcus about it?”
“Yeah. He said that he can work on something to bring in more recruits to our squad. We can have them go on missions while we aren’t around and bring some revenue into our team and base. It’s not going to be easy considering we’re an unknown team at the moment.”
“Figured, but looking around locally was a good choice I think.” Tomio nods his head approvingly. “Don’t be surprised if I steal the idea and do the same for my squad. I think Fio knows a few players in her circle who would be interested. Ramirez told me about his car mechanic who might be a gamer too. She apparently plays racing sims or something like that.” He looks down at his digital Casio watch which has been faithfully modeled in the game. “I’m going to call it a night. We’ll meet again on Friday afternoon. We can have our squad run an exercise to get some experience and some credits.”
“Same as usual. Hopefully our squads will be in good shape by then. I’m going to have a little extra time to myself to get things running smoothly thanks to my injury. I’ve already sent some messages to Zander and Bernadette to see if they can help us out on Friday. I spoke to Markus already and he mentioned he has an idea to help drive up recruitment for our team.”
“So we really are going to run our own PMC together huh?”
“Our equipment and credits are restrictive to our chance of winning the next match in the tournament.” Emi states it bluntly. “We’re just playing catch up and I don’t know if that’s enough. Maybe if we win this next match, Chiara might have a change of heart and rejoin the team. I’m hoping at least…”
“It’s just like I said, Emi. If you really have to, talk to her. Don’t be afraid of her or her reaction. Just be honest and upfront about how you feel and if she chooses her own path, you’re going to have to respect her choice even if it hurts.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Tomio. I really needed to talk to you today. I’m glad I did.”
“I’ll do what I can. Emi. If there’s anything troubling you, just let me know. I hope Chiara will return to the squad soon. Everyone at Longhorn Squad respected her skills too.” He gets back on his feet and logs off, leaving Emi by herself for a moment. She’s still waiting on Hikari and Ashley who are inside, getting her equipment picked out.
“I wouldn’t even bother.” Mai’s southern voice interjects from the opposite side of the store. Mai walks up to the front of the store and joins Emi by sitting on the railing too. “Chiara quit on her own terms. If she wants to act stupid, let her. Maybe she just has to learn the hard way to understand that we always cared about her.” She crosses her arms and sighs. “I’ve already accepted that Chiara is gone. If she wants to come back to the team, that would be great, but I don’t want her demoralizing us when things get tough. We don’t need that in our lives right now.”
“Damn, that’s really harsh, Mai.” Emi commented. “I know she acted like an emotional brat to us that Sunday but it’s not like she’s like that for no reason. She had a lot in her mind.”
“I don’t live for drama either way.” Mai shakes her head. “Save it for the theater kids.”
“What about theater kids?” A sweet and curious voice calls from behind Mai. She turns around and sees a short dorky brunette girl with round glasses, dressed in their coyote brown fatigues, a plate carrier with shotgun shells, and black biking shorts.
“What in tarnation! Where did you come from?”
The short brunette girl laughs to herself, covering her mouth before speaking. “I’m Vicky. Emi and Hikari invited me to join Armadillo Squad alongside her friend Ashley” She then speaks to Emi. “Good news, Squad Leader! I also invited some guys who were interested in joining your squad! They should be online in a few minutes.”
“No way!” Mai looks back at Emi. “You really pulled off a miracle didn’t you? How on earth did you manage to find new members so quickly?”
Emi is just as surprised as Mai, blinking at her before shaking her head with a smirk. “I barely did anything. I was going to have my friend Ashley be a replacement for Chiara and then the next thing, Vicky did all the recruiting herself.” She starts to address Vicky directly. “I had no idea you knew other players who were open to joining too.” Emi scratches her head. “Looks like this is going to be more of a handful than I thought.”
Mai jumps off the railing to stand in front of Vicky. She looks down at her from just a few inches above her. “Wow, you’re incredibly short. I never thought I’d tell that to anyone.”
“Well, I am five feet tall….well maybe four eleven….I think. I haven’t checked my height lately.” Vicky looks up to Mai with a smile. “But good things come in small packages, am I right?”
“I’m not complaining.” Mai smirks. “Looks like I’m not the hobbit of the group anymore. Hikari is going to stop height shaming me for now. Haha!” She presents herself proudly before speaking to Emi. “See, I’m liking the way things are going right now. We went from losing a beloved member to growing our squad in just a few days.”
“You must be Mai. Emi told me you’re a mechanical engineering student, correct?”
“You betcha.” Mai speaks with pride. “It’s one of the most demanding majors in college. I don’t get enough sleep, not enough free time, I’m broke as shit, but passing my exams and labs makes me feel like it’s going to be so worth it in the end. I’ll be the first in my family to not be in the military or in poverty! I’m going to be making six figures and hardly spending it.”
“That’s incredible, Mai!” Vicky adjusted her glasses and glanced at Mai. “Are you interested in a specific field of mechanical engineering?”
“Weapon design actually!” Mai proudly admits. “I want to make guns to save lives and that are fun to shoot. Weapon design isn’t the science of making killing machines as most people think. It’s about precision, innovation, and ensuring people have something they can put their trust into. It can also be a bit of an art form in itself.”
“That’s incredibly unique. It’s not often women go into weapon design like you do. I’m just a humble theater arts major. I get graded on being dramatic. Our school has a play coming up at the end of the semester. You’re welcome to see me and Chiara perform at the university performing arts auditorium soon.”
“Hold up! You and Chiara?” Mai blinks her eyes with realization. “You know Chiara too?”
“Actually, I’m spying on her on Emi’s behalf.” When Vicky admits this, Emi looks off to the side feeling a bit guilty. “But I’m also trying to befriend her for my sake. Chiara seems smart but she’s going through a lot from what I can concur.”
“By any chance, she’ll stop acting like a sad scene girl?”
Vicky smiles and shrugs her shoulders. “I can’t make guarantees but I’ll do my best. It would be nice for her to return to her old friends.”
Mai crossed her arms, processing that bit of information. "I see. Well, good luck with that because I don’t feel optimistic about it. If you can get her to stop sulking and actually enjoy herself without being shy or spergy about it, I might have to start respecting theater kids a little more." Her last comment gets a chuckle out of Vicky.
The door to the gun store swings open with the little bell chiming as it opens. Hikari walks out with a particularly giant blonde girl in Mai’s perspective. Her height alone is enough to impress Mai. She’s even taller than Emi! The blonde girl in question is dressed in very simple fatigues, coyote brown cargo pants in the same color as the girl’s uniform and gear. Her pants are stuffed into white puttees similar to how Mai rocks her pants which are stuffed into black hiking boots. Her pants are held up by a nylon battle belt with some pouches for a radio, a holster for a pistol, and a flash bang pouch. She’s not wearing a tunic like the rest of the team, opting instead to go with a white tank top and a brown Chi-com chest rig with mechanic’s gloves on her hands. Mai frowns when she spots the rifle she’s welding.
“An AK-74? Oh come on!” Mai pouts with her arms crossed even closer to her own chest. “Why did you have to go with Hikari’s round instead of 7.62?”
“Oh...well, Flint said this was a good beginner rifle.” Ashley responds back humbly. “He also mentioned that my magazines are compatible with Hikari’s AN-94 so I thought that was nice bonus too.”
“Maybe if you weren’t so bent on sticking to your Type 56 SKS, you could join the Hikari Five Four Five Club, Mai.” Hikari smugly grins at Mai. “You don’t even have to get a Kalash. Flint has a 2nd generation Galil Ace that takes the same caliber and magazines.”
Mai scoffed, shifting her weight as she looked between Hikari and Ashley. “As if I would get an IWI. No thank you! I’m on Team Seven Six Two! SKS sisters only!”
“Yeah, and you’re the only member.” Hikari retorts back to Mai.
“It takes a special kind of player to be in Team Seven Six Two!”
“Yeah, the ones who use outdated cartridges.” Hikari flops her hair behind her ear in a dismissive fashion. From what Flint told me, 7.62x39 is only effective at 400 meters and that’s just being generous. It’s probably half that!”
Mai gasped, putting a hand over her chest as if Hikari had just insulted her entire bloodline. "How dare you! I’ll have you know that 7.62x39 has excellent barrier penetration and is way better at dealing with cover than your knock off 5.56 round!”
“Says the girl with a Chinese knock off a Russian design!”
“The Type 56 is distinct from the original SKS!”
“Oh really? Please educate me, Mai!”
Vicky watched the two go at it with an amused smile, adjusting her glasses as Mai and Hikari bickered back and forth about firearms in what is probably the dorkiest debate she had ever witnessed in her life. “Wow. You two are amusing to watch. You both would give theater majors a run for their money.” She looks over to Ashley who’s just there watching them argue with a blank expression. “They kind of act like an old married couple huh?”
Ashley nods approvingly before speaking to Emi. “Are….are they always like this?”
Emi sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I’m afraid so. They can go on for hours if you let them. Welcome to the team.”
Ashley considered this for a moment, then gave a small nod. "So it seems."
Mai and Hikari are still bickering, unaware of the scene they are making. "My Type 56 SKS has a rich history, and it served in conflicts all over the world! Unlike your over engineered abomination that needs special care and fancy two-round burst mechanics. I don’t even know of a recent conflict where the AN-94 seriously served."
“Your SKS is so outdated, you had to opt in for an aftermarket stock with those ugly twenty round magazines!”
“You bought me this stock kit, Hikari!”
Vicky couldn't hold back a laugh at that. Despite the back-and-forth between Hikari and Mai, neither seemed genuinely upset. If anything, they seemed to be having fun, even if it was at each other's expense. She turned to Emi and Ashley. "Yeah, I’m liking this team already. We’re going to have so much fun, aren’t we Ashley?"
“Oh no doubt about that….hm?” Ashley turns to see an old Ford Crown Victoria pulling up in front of Flint’s gun store. Hikari and Mai stop bickering as the patrol car parks in the parking lot.
“Oh crap, it’s the fuss.” Mai says as she backs off from Hikari. “Did….did Flint call the cops on us for making a scene?”
“Nope. It was me!” Vicky says nonchalantly, smiling. “And it’s not because of you two. He’s here to join the squad.”
“Y...You mean a guy?!” Hikari says surprised and partially excited.
“Look alive, Hikari! This is our chance!” Mai and Hikari dust themselves off and try to look as presentable as possible when the patrol car door opens. Two doors actually open with two different sorts of guys stepping out. One of them is an older male, probably in his mid-20s, dressed in a sand toned button up shirt and khaki pants. He has medium length blonde hair, and is quite tall, even next to his patrol vehicle. His eyes are covered by a pair of aviator shades. He has an unidentified pistol in his holster but it looks fairly modern. The other guy is a lot younger looking, about the same age as the Armadillo girls. He has short messy brown hair and is already wearing a male variant of the Armadillo Squad uniform with black cargo pants. He is unarmed and comes out from the passenger side of the vehicle. The taller male walks up to the front of the porch, not saying anything at first. He looks around at the girls on the porch, his hands by his waist, as if he’s silently judging the group before him. The other guy just stands behind him by the parking lot, waiting awkwardly with his hands in his pocket. The authoritative guy lowers his sunglasses slightly down, his blue eyes piercing at the girls who look at him in awe. He finally speaks, in a deep voice with a douchebaggy slant to his speech.
“Sesh…you have some explaining to do, Vicky.” He says smirking. “This looks to me like a Girl’s Scout retreat than a competitive Mil-Sim team. Who’s in charge around here?”
Emi steps forward and stands in front of the man. “That would be me. I’m Emi, this is my Armadillo Squad.”
“Cute.” He lowers his glasses off his face and places them in between his shirt’s collar. “I’m Trevor Boone. Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger.” He shakes Emi’s hand and lets go. “I’m going to be honest here, y’all don’t look like a capable bunch to me. Well, you’re in luck, you have a real life officer of the law here to bring some professionalism to your, larp group.”
“Emi appears irritated by Trevor’s comments but Vicky steps in to ease the tension. “Don’t worry about Trevor. He likes to talk big, but he’s honestly a proficient and reliable squad member.”
“She ain’t lying.” He places both his hands on his hips again. “Vicky and I had matches together and we had never lost a single one in casual matches.” He whistles back at the guy standing behind him in the parking lot. “And especially our squad leader who isn’t even up here to say hello? What’s the matter with you kid? Get up here and introduce yourself to these fine ladies!”
He walks around Trevor, stopping within a distance between Emi. “Well, you can probably tell I’m not as bombastic as my squad mate here.” His voice is surprisingly mellow and easy going compared to Trevor. He nods his head before introducing himself. “I’m Joshua Fellows. Trevor, Vicky and I play matches from time to time, but I heard your squad is doing some ambitious stuff and participating in this season’s tournament. Vicky suggested you were looking into some new members.”
“Don’t just stand there silly!” Vicky walks towards him and pushes him towards Emi. “Shake her hand! Be formal! Nobody will take you seriously as a politician if you can’t even shake anyone’s hand.”
“The pipsqueak is right, Josh. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to a girl.” Trevor humorously remarks. Emi offers a hand to Joshua which he shakes with uncertainty.
“There’s no need for formalities here in Armadillo Squad. We’re still a fairly new squad. It’s good to meet you, Joshua. What was that talk about being a politician.”
“Oh. Right.” He lets go of Emi’s hand. “Vicky and I are both Sophomores in our university. So we all go to the same school with the exception of Trevor. I’m studying political science so...I’m hoping to start some sort of political career when I’m out of college.”
Vicky chimes in enthusiastically, “Joshua’s being humble, but he’s actually really knowledgeable about politics and he’s a pretty good squad leader from the games we played. He’s leadership material, even if he doesn’t always believe in himself.”
“Yep. Has the brains, but just doesn’t have the spine.” Trevor jokes casually. “Perhaps being in this….Armadillo Squad of yours, will shape him up into a man anyone can respect.”
“That’s rich coming from you.” Joshua mutters under his breath.
“I am the law, I have to be respected.” Trevor smirks. “So basically, the three of us have already gone through training and got our feet wet on the battlefield.”
“We just never done anything competitive yet, but we can do what we can to help you out. Maybe even fill in a role as a substitute for whatever reason.” Vicky elaborates. “Think of us as your second Armadillo Squad.”
“So I suppose that makes me the only one that’s inexperienced.” Ashley comments.
“Looks like you got a lot of catching up to do, Valkyrie.” Trevor walks to the back of his cruiser to open his trunk. “Get over here, Josh. We’re going to show these girls what we are packing!”
“Jeez, do you have to make everything into an innuendo, Trevor.”
“Yes.” Trevor pulls out a FN SCAR 17 from his trunk of his cruiser. It’s cerakoted in a factory coyote brown color and has a variable optic scope, similar to what Tomio had on his FN FAL. Joshua takes out his primary rifle which has a classic futuristic look. Another Fabrique National weapon: F2000 bullpup assault rifle. “This baby is a FN SCAR 17. It’s expensive, and hits like a drunk driver behind a truck. This variable scope allows me to acquire targets from medium to long ranges. I am a designated marksman so I can pull a hit on criminal scum before they can see me.” He lowers his rifle back into the trunk and pats his holster. “And if things get up close in personal, well first off, there’s only two types of close encounters. One that requires a condom, and the other requires a standard issue sidearm. My SIG P320 is a special edition that only certain law enforcement agencies are gifted for playing the game. Just one of the few perks of serving and protecting.”
“You have a P320 too?” Hikari noted. She takes it out from her holster. “That’s neat. I got a Flux Raider kit too.”
“Damn, girl.” Trevor whistles. “That’s one of them Gucci ricer pistols.” Well now I know where to get spare mags in case you get wasted in a match.
“I wouldn’t count on it.” Hikari chuckles. “But it’s good to know that I have multiple squad mates to trade magazines with...unlike some people.” She elbows Mai in the shoulder, causing her to pout and cross her arms.”
Joshua clears his throat before speaking next. He holds his rifle up between his hands. This is my FN F2000. It’s a bullpup rifle from the early 2000s, but I think it still looks like a sci-fi gun. I have a EOTech Holographic sight with a magnifier optic to help at longer ranges. It’s really handy at close ranges but the barrel is long enough to shoot at longer distances thanks to the bullpup design. It can also take standard NATO mags and fires 5.56mm ammo.”
“So in other words…” Emi interjects. “You can use my M4A1 magazines.”
“Of course. That’s the beauty of modernization and standardization. Though I don't think it’ll take polymer mags, As for my sidearm, I have a FN Five-Seven. It’s a fairly low recoil handgun and I think it does the job well enough as my backup.”
“A little wimpy for my tastes.” Trevor shrugs. “But the kid is accurate with it at the range with his dorky toys, that’s for sure.”
“Dude, seriously, cut it out.” Joshua responds irritatingly.
“That’s a pretty nice choice, Joshua.” Mai comments. “I do like the look of the F2000, myself. It’s unique, and looks like the Assault Rifle from Halo.”
“Yes! Exactly! You get it right?!” He is enthused by Mai’s acceptance of his firearms of choice.
“It’s a very unique rifle. That’s for sure. The AR platform is a good platform but it’s kind of all over the place and so unoriginal...no offense Emi.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mai.” Emi nods. “You’re more enthusiastic about firearms than I am, but I will admit, I do like my M4A1.”
“So...what’s your arsenal?” Joshua asks, Mai.
“It’s rather pathetic actually.” Hikari teases.
“Nah ah...but yeah, I use a Type 56 SKS with a modified Tapco stock and 20 round detachable box magazines. Heresy I know, but I broke my original stock in a practice match so I’m using a substitute stock for now. I also have a High Point C9. It’s my beater pistol so I’m not going to cry about it getting damaged like my SKS. It was dirty cheap and work well enough.”
“Oh I know all about those High Points!” Trevor noted. “We would always see them in evidence lockers all the time. Criminals buy them because they are dirt cheap and use them temporarily before throwing them away. You know there’s a newer model of the C9 that’s double stack and modernized right?”
“Oh yeah, The YC9.” Mai says approvingly. “But it’s priced at a point where you’re better off getting a better handgun for slightly more credits. I’m too cheap to upgrade.”
“Seems like you work within your means. I respect that.”
“Thanks, Joshua. You don’t seem so bad for a political science major.” Mai smiles.
“Oh...I didn’t bring my SPAS 12 with me.” Vicky chuckles to herself. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you what I can do when we’re at the training grounds. I have a very specific way of fighting as I probably told you.”
“She’s a pacifist.” Trevor notes to Emi. “Vicky doesn’t carry lethal shells in her shotgun except for drones.”
“That’s because drones don’t have a soul, or aren’t sentient.”
“What about NPCs?” Emi asks curiously.
“I think they have simulated souls so I wouldn’t see why it would be right to kill them if they aren’t physical.”
“Aren’t they just ones and zeros at the molecular level, figuratively speaking?” Ashley asks.
“Perhaps, but it’s not going to stop me from practicing what I preach. Online or offline. I’m a girl of principle.”
“Then what good are you if you can’t take out the enemy like the rest of us?” Mai questions Vicky directly. “You can’t just tickle the enemy until they surrender.”
“No, but my bean bag shells can incapacitate bad guys to disarm them and capture them. That way they are out of the fight and have a long life ahead of them to rethink their life choices!” Vicky speaks enthusiastically. “And as you probably know, capturing enemies alive gives you extra credits to your match earnings over outright killing them.”
“Her fighting style has been quite useful to us as our breacher.” Joshua mentions to Mai. “She also has a shield to protect us from smaller caliber fire. I can guarantee she won’t let you down.”
“Thanks, Joshua!” Vicky grins widely. “See. I’m not totally useless in this game. I think all three of us in addition to Ashley would make a great addition to your squad.”
“We’re more than happy to have you aboard.” Emi speaks approvingly. “Let’s see how you all do in the training grounds.” She speaks to Ashley specifically. “And don’t worry. Drill Sergeant Perry will be hard on you, but the obstacle course and kill house won’t be anything you can’t handle. Everyone here passed with flying colors.”
“That’s encouraging to hear.” Ashley slings her rifle over her shoulder. “So. I guess I better get started then.”