The Hinomoto Rebellion (26 page)

The Tiger’s blood froze in her veins as she ran the last few steps to the door. Above her head the remains of the camera sparked and flared. She gave the electronic lock a quick glance, then pulled back her fist and smashed the little plastic box into tiny bits. From one of the remaining wires, a red light changed to green. Andrea threw the door open and slipped in, allowing it to shut silently behind her.

She pushed herself against the wall next to the door and allowed her eyes to adjust to the flashing red light. Directly above her head was some sort of catwalk that went around the perimeter of the storage area as well as across the width of it in several places. In huge stacks all around were crates of every size, some spilled all the way to the bottoms of the catwalks. Directly to Andrea’s left she saw a large open space in front of the receiving doors that was surrounded on three sides by crates.

Voices were coming from that direction: voices of predators that had caught their prey. Andrea looked up at the catwalk, then started to climb the boxes to her left, heading for the catwalk.

The Aka Ryuu had run into a wall of crates with nowhere to go beyond them. They were trapped like fish in a net, each one looking around desperately for an escape as the strings drew tighter and the guards closed in.

“Well, look what we have here, boys. Some
ochiudo
scum!” taunted the head guard. The other members of the night watch gave chuckles as they continued closing in a half-circle around the wideeyed group of fighters.

The six guards shouldered their weapons, aiming the barrels at the gaping
ronin
. The Aka Ryuu moved closer together, as though seeking to become a more powerful force by simply closing proximity with one another. Roni had been pushed into the middle of the group, where she stood petrified with fear. Kanjou was in the front of the huddle, his arms out protectively in front of his comrades. He kept his eyes fixed on the guards as D and Aki grimaced from behind his arms. Fushi was on the other side of Roni behind him, keeping the girl in the center of the protective ring.

“I’m going to rush them,” Kanjou muttered to Aki and D, “You guys try to get Roni and Fushi out of here. Don’t look back.” He glanced at D, “And when you see Andrea again, tell her I’m sorry.”

The guns clicked into place as the guards grinned down at the intruders. “One!” shouted the commander.

 

“No way, Kanjou, we can’t just leave you here!” Aki growled as she spoke.

Above the group, Andrea walked to the edge of the tall stack of crates, peering down at the guards’ heads. She fished in to the pocket of her pants and pulled out one of the smoke bombs she’d found in the closet of the dojo. She raised her arm and prepared to hurl the small plaster ball down on the floor.

“Two!” The guards fingers tightened over their triggers.

Andrea hurled the smoke bomb between the guards and the Aka Ryuu. It exploded with a loud bang and a puff of smoke. As the armed men threw their arms up in surprise and the Aka Ryuu gasped, Andrea leaped down the tower of crates, heading behind the group of guards. She seized a sword from the top of one of the lower boxes, twirling it once in her hand to test the weight. Then, with a blue flash of light and a feral growl, she kicked the crate nearest her as hard as she could, sending it rocketing toward the guards.

The six guards turned, their eyes wide as a wooden crate flew at them. The group attempted to scatter, but two of them were too slow to make it clear of the box. One was hit in the chest, the other in his head. Both went to the ground in the wake of the crate, which smashed to bits upon hitting the floor and scattered broken wood and its contents everywhere. Ancient weaponry and bits of wood flew out of the smoke and scattered at the feet of the confused Aka Ryuu.

The smoke began to clear, showing two of the guards down on the ground, both bleeding on to the warehouse floor. Beyond them the other four men were getting up from where they had dove to get out of the way of the heavy projectile, groaning as they got to their feet and picked up their guns. The smoke blew out to the sides and cleared the rest of the way, framing Andrea as she stood just behind the armed men, a sword clutched in her hand as she glared. The majestic katana glinted in the crimson flashing light. The ornate golden tsuba sparkled dully in the inadequate light of the warehouse.

D’s eyes widened as Andrea came out of the shadows.
Oh my god... She came back!
His heart began pounding even harder in his chest as she came toward their attackers with the brilliant sword gripped in her hand.

From around the legs of the Aka Ryuu, Roni called out Andrea’s name. The group of rebels stood spell-bound. Most of them had expected to never see the silver-haired fighter again.

The scrambling guards had regained their bearings and were now bringing their weapons to face Andrea. The Aka Ryuu had been forgotten momentarily in the face of the
ronin
that was attacking them. “Fire!” yelled the captain, bringing his gun up to his shoulder.

The
ronin
did not hesitate. She ran forward, raising the blade and giving a terrible shout. In the blink of an eye she was out of the confined space of the crates and into the open receiving area. She swerved left, clipping the head guard with her shoulder before turning on his companions. The sword flashed in a ballet of silver and crimson as she effortlessly cut down two of the guards.

Andrea turned, the blood of the two men she’d just dispatched spraying onto her side and back as they hit the floor. She stood facing the two remaining guards– the leader and one lackey.

“Shoot her, dammit!” yelled the head guard, raising his firearm once more to his shoulder.

Andrea let out a terrible primal noise as she raised the sword and prepared to murder them. As she stepped forward, the second guard panicked and dropped to the floor.

His rifle was jarred in the impact with the hard concrete flooring, causing it to fire. The automatic barked five times, causing the remaining guard, the Aka Ryuu, and Andrea to dive to the floor.

Andrea found herself pulled out of her mindless rage. She crouched on the floor and gripped her arm to her chest. Her grip on the sword weakened, causing it to clatter out of her fingers and onto the floor. Her left arm and the side of her head were throbbing in pain. Horrified, she looked down at the arm she clenched to her chest.

Blood was flowing from it freely, dying her white tank top red. She put her right hand to her head and felt blood from where one of the misfired bullets had grazed her scalp. She realized with horror that she’d done exactly what she had said she’d never do.
I walked in to bullets for them...

The commanding guard stood and stepped toward Andrea, keeping his gun out in front of him. “
Ochiudo
bitch!” he cursed as he approached her.

Andrea looked up at him, her eyes focused on the black abyss of the barrel. She looked as though she had just woken from a dream and had no idea where she was or what she was doing. Blood trickled down the side of her face and seeped into the fabric of her tank top as the lead guard tightened his grip on the trigger.

Without warning, D suddenly rushed forward. He gave a battle cry as he leaped into the air and kicked the barrel of the gun, causing the guard to spin to the side. D raised his fist and smashed it into the back of the guard’s neck, sending him sprawling forward. The man hit an open crate and tumbled onward. Part of a bo had been sticking up from the box, and the forward momentum of the man shoved him onto it, impaling him through the neck. He let out a wet gurgle, twitched, and then was still.

By this time, the other guard had inched backwards across the floor and was nearly in the rows of crates. He was blubbering hysterically as he jumped to his feet and prepared to turn and run. Before he could make a retreat though, Aki leaped out from behind a crate and seized his head in her hands. With a quick jerk, the guard crumpled to the floor in a heap, his neck broken.

It took a few more seconds for any of the Aka Ryuu to move. The receiving area of the warehouse was covered with blood and bits of broken lumber. The red lights continued to flash, and the alarm still pierced through the air– seemingly louder than before. Andrea remained where she knelt on the floor, her arm clenched to her chest and her hair covering her face. D gazed at the body of the guard he had killed, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

Roni was the first to come out of her stupor, shoving her way through Kanjou, 26, and Fushi to run to Andrea’s side. “Andrea! Andrea!” the pigtailed girl called. She threw her arms around Andrea’s neck and burst into tears. “I knew you’d come back!”

Andrea didn’t move, not even to shove the girl away. Roni pulled back. “Andrea?” It was then that the little girl saw the blood pouring freely from Andrea’s arm. “Kanjou! Andrea’s hurt!”

Those words were all it took to unfreeze the Aka Ryuu. Kanjou began barking orders to grab the bags. D managed to pull himself out of his shock, moving from the spot where he stood and racing to help Andrea to her feet. Once they were regrouped, they fled out the door, vanishing into the night.

The door to the dilapidated temple flew open and the Aka Ryuu tumbled inside. Nikko rushed up the hallway, his tail wagging at the sight of them. The dog raced over to D and started happily licking his master’s face, but D gently pushed him aside with his one free arm. As he did so, Andrea pulled out of the grasp of his other arm and headed toward the dining area, crawling slowly across the floor with her arm clutched to her chest.

“Andrea...” D gasped.

 

“Keep Roni out of here,” she said, “Someone... go get a first aid kit.”

The Aka Ryuu were beginning to watch Andrea as she moved slowly toward the table. Roni stood to follow the silver-haired fighter, but Fushi grabbed her and picked her up. “Come on, Roni. Let’s go get the kit,” she said, heading down the hall before the pig-tailed girl could answer.

Andrea stopped inside the dining area and started to pull off her obi. “I need someone to hold me down,” she gasped as she began to wrap the blue fabric around her forearm, just above the weeping hole in her skin.

“What are you going to do?” asked Kanjou.

Andrea gasped as she spoke. “I have to get the bullet out... It won’t stop bleeding unless... I remove it. Kanjou, stand over me. Put your hands on my shoulders and ...don’t let me jump up,” She knotted the obi around her arm and looked out into the hall. Kanjou, 26, Aki, and D were staring at her as though she’d just sprouted another head or arm. “Help me!” the Tiger barked, her eyes filled with desperation.

Kanjou leaped to his feet and approached Andrea. D, 26, and Aki watched from the hallway as the tall brunette put his hands on Andrea’s shoulders. She put her injured arm down on the floor with her right knee on her wrist, shoved the obi between her teeth, and took a deep breath before she shoved her fingers into the wound.

26 nearly wretched as blood sprayed up from Andrea’s arm. The furred woman leaped to her feet and fled out the front door, a hand over her mouth. D and Aki watched, seemingly caught in a strange fascination with what was going on. Kanjou had to blink back tears as he held Andrea’s shoulders down. He wanted to let go and make her stop this, but he also knew that leaving the metal inside her would only cause complications. He steeled his resolve and continued to hold down her shoulders with all his might as she involuntarily bucked up from the floor.

Hot tears mingled with blood and sweat, causing Andrea’s icy blue eyes to burn. Her vision blurred as she dug into the wound. The edges of the world grew dark, but she forced the blackness back by sheer will. She clenched her jaw so tight around the end of her makeshift tourniquet that she was getting a headache. Her fingers were slippery, but she managed to seize the hard lump of metal inside her arm. She could feel the small puddle of blood pooling under her arm as she yanked on the bullet. When it didn’t budge, she let out a muffled scream around her obi. The cry of rage turned into one of pain as she jerked again on the malicious lump of metal, pulling it from her flesh so hard that it knocked Kanjou backwards onto the floor.