(no subject)
Ultraman Mebius
untitled work in progress
With a jerk from his hand, fabric ripped loose from his undershirt. Carefully, he wrapped it around his friend's leg, a grim expression on his face. He was capable of better medicine, but in this situation, what else was there to do but survive and hope? At this point, he may not even see the sun rise again.
"Just leave me here," his friend insisted through gritted teeth. Stubborn as usual.
Ignoring the plea, he turned to look through the trees surrounding them, but visibility was poor at this time of night (or was it early morning now?) and the best he could do was trust that the shadows were merely branches in the breeze. When nothing out of the ordinary caught his eye, and no unusual sound alerted him to another's presence, he turned back to face his injured friend, partner, and team member. A trained eye assessed George's state: a rather deep gash in his left leg that would require stitches and possibly physical therapy; clear mental fatigue (but then, at this point, they were all tired out); a rush of adrenaline and a great deal of anger.
"Teppei," his friend tried again. "Staying on the move is critical. If you leave me here, you can try to meet up with the others."
"We are not splitting up any more than we already have," he shot back. "Listen to me carefully. I realize you're angry - we all are. That is not a valid reason for being reckless, and you are smart enough to know that." The little light from the moon that managed to filter down through the canopy reflected off his eyes. Never had Teppei looked so nervous, so stressed, so primal.
The two sat close together, the thick forest serving as their temporary protection. They had to act soon, or risk being hunted down - already had George looked such a fate in the eye. Both minds worked to think of their next move. Perhaps chance to meet up with their remaining team members? Should they attempt a hit and run tactic? Was it more wise to favor cowardice and immediate survival, or to risk it in hopes that they can end this quickly? Their training had taught them attacks and strategies against giant monsters and scheming aliens that ravaged cities and peaceful countrysides, not fellow humans... not someone who was their equal in wit and appearance.
"Are you able to walk?" Teppei knew better, the doctor in him screaming to force George to rest and recover. He was well aware, however, that their situation called for putting such knowledge aside.
In response, George struggled to stand up, shakily at first, but quickly regained his balance; his composure soon followed, along with the realization that they couldn't succumb to fear or rage. He recalled their brief reconnaissance flight above the island before they were shot down - covered in dense forests and abandoned buildings, he had to admit it was a perfect location to strand someone on for a twisted game of cat and mouse.
"There's a small village nearby," he thought out loud, the top-down view of the island still clear in his mind. "We could move there for now, try to find shelter and supplies for the remainder of the night, and attempt to meet up with everyone in the morning."
Teppei thought through George's plan for half a second before standing up beside him and nodding.
"Sitting here and thinking of the ideal plan will get us killed. It's best to act while we can." Absentmindedly, he felt for his Memory Display in his jacket's front pocket. George's attempt to contact the others was what had gotten him locked onto and badly injured, so surely all radio waves and communication attempts were being strictly monitored. They'd have to do without calling their friends. To make matters worse, the thick canopy obstructing the moon meant they had no way to judge in what direction they were walking.
Trial, error, and a great deal of luck led them to the outskirts of the forest, and better visibility. Without the trees covering the night sky, the moon bathed the abandoned island in a comfortable, dim haze of blue and white. Not far from where they stood was a well and beyond that the village George had mentioned an hour or so earlier. The two made a run for a derelict house, closing the door behind them. Teppei moved to a solitary window on the far side of the room, peering out long enough to survey their immediate surroundings.
"I'd estimate we have about 5 more hours until sunrise," Teppei sighed, moving towards George, who had settled down beside a dusty bookcase. "I'll dig around this place for anything useful, then once we've confirmed we haven't been spotted, I'll move on to the other houses."
The trek through the remainder of the forest had clearly not helped, as George was drenched in sweat, his teeth clenched as he leaned his head back to look at the dark ceiling. Teppei joined him, a look of concern on his face.
"Don't risk it," George managed.
"We have no food or water, let alone medicine for your leg. --and what if the others ran into some trouble? We should be prepared." It was a futile argument. Teppei knew the best thing would be to tend to George and recover their stamina. Aware that he had already won, George kept silent and closed his eyes to fall into a restless sleep.
An obstinate bird screeched in the distance, bringing Marina to a halt. Every little sound could be a threat, and she couldn't allow herself to tune it out. Ever since they were shot out of the sky, she'd been on the run. Even worse, along the way she became separated from George. She could only hope he was okay. As for herself, Marina was used to taking care of things alone. Unlike Teppei and his nurses or George with his teammates, Marina was always independent.
Her ears trained on the gentle night sounds around her, she slowly made her way to the north, where she recalled the GunWinger falling into the thick forest. In the very least it'd be wise to meet up with someone to figure out their next move. What felt like hours passed in unbroken whispers of the wind through the trees and soft chirps from sleeping birds. Just as she was beginning to doubt her sense of direction, the trees thinned to reveal broken branches and shattered trunks. The GunWinger was ground to a halt not far from the forced clearing, scratched and smoking from the attack and subsequent impact.
"Ryuu!" she called hesitantly. "Ryuu?"
A lonely echo responded, but no hot-headed idiot. Had he moved on? Was he still with Teppei? Marina inspected the beaten up ship but discovered nothing else. Her fear getting the best of her, she pulled out her Memory Display and attempted contact.
"Ryuu, answer me. Where are you?" She received nothing but an eerie humming that she felt more than heard. A rustling sound to her left made her snap around, eyes wide and ears searching in the darkness. An animal? The wind? She took a step closer, her hand moving habitually down to hover above the gun holster. A silhouette stepped out from behind the ruined perimeter of the forest.
"Ryuu?"
A small chuckle reached Marina's ears. Not Ryuu. Her mind raced, pulling out her gun on instinct. It did her no good - the figure raced forward, knocking her down before she had a chance to react. Struggling to breathe underneath the sudden weight, Marina rolled to her side, throwing the person off and scrambling to her feet. In one swift movement, she brought the barrel of the Triger Shot to the person's head.
"Who are you?"
That same chuckle. Marina attempted to get a clear look at the figure's face, but it turned away from her.
"Do you know what you are doing?" It was a gruff, male voice, laced with anger and a history that Marina could only begin to speculate on.
"I'm protecting others," she responded.
"Are you sure? Perhaps you are the real threat."
A shot rang out and the person whirled around long enough for Marina to see pain and rage in his eyes. With surprising speed he recoiled and retreated into the darkness. The silence returned to the clearing and Marina placed her gun back into the holster.
"Marina?! Are you okay?"
She spun to see another person make his way out of the trees. He had a hand extended in greeting.
"Ryuu!" Relief seeped into her voice. "Where have you been? Where's Teppei?"
Mild frustration flitted across Ryuu's face as he approached Marina.
"When we crashed I figured we should inspect the immediate area, but along the way we were separated. Any of my tries to contact him, or you guys, have failed." He leaned against his torn up GunWinger, crossing his arms as he surveyed the night sky glittering above them.
"I lost track of George, too." She paused to gather her thoughts, not happy with the conclusion she had come to. "Ryuu, I don't think us being shot down was a coincidence." The events over the last day or so (though it felt like an eternity) replayed in her mind.
Ryuu sighed.
"I thought the same thing. That guy just now? Looks like we didn't finish the job last time."
The wind played with the branches like toys as the two teammates stood in silence.
She wasn't necessarily afraid of the dark, but she didn't exactly feel comfortable or safe either. On the upside, Konomi had the ever-reliable Captain Sakomizu with her, and if worse came to worse Miclas was ready and waiting in the bag draped across her shoulder. It was a good thing she was so used to running around with even the most energetic of little kids, too, because she would have guessed that the two of them had been walking for hours.
Persistent waves crashed against the cliff side, offsetting the nearly unbearable silence that enveloped the lonely island. If she looked hard enough, Konomi swore she saw lights from the mainland off on the horizon. As bad as their current situation was, she just knew that they'd get out of it safely - or so she kept telling herself. The rocky ledges spread around the island, a light grey in the moonlight. Captain Sakomizu had told her that they should try to find their original goal during their recon flight: a rather well-maintained warehouse near the southeast side of the island. So far they had no luck, and as the night drifted on so did her mind; back to the laughter of the children that she had to leave once more to protect them in ways they may never realize.
Captain Sakomizu slowed to a stop, peering at the border of trees a hundred feet away. Konomi turned to question if everything was okay but was silenced by a sharp gesture from the inspector general-turned-captain. She waited patiently, the roar of the ocean in the background of their quiet and so far uneventful mission.
"A shadow," Captain Sakomizu broke the silence after a couple of minutes, "but a very human-like one."
"Ryuu and the others?" she perked up slightly.
Sakomizu did not answer, instead continuing on their cliff side walk. "Let's try to find that warehouse. I have a feeling it's nearby."
Konomi pushed her glasses up farther on the bridge of her nose, taking one last look at the tree line before falling back into faraway but comfortingly familiar thoughts.
untitled work in progress
With a jerk from his hand, fabric ripped loose from his undershirt. Carefully, he wrapped it around his friend's leg, a grim expression on his face. He was capable of better medicine, but in this situation, what else was there to do but survive and hope? At this point, he may not even see the sun rise again.
"Just leave me here," his friend insisted through gritted teeth. Stubborn as usual.
Ignoring the plea, he turned to look through the trees surrounding them, but visibility was poor at this time of night (or was it early morning now?) and the best he could do was trust that the shadows were merely branches in the breeze. When nothing out of the ordinary caught his eye, and no unusual sound alerted him to another's presence, he turned back to face his injured friend, partner, and team member. A trained eye assessed George's state: a rather deep gash in his left leg that would require stitches and possibly physical therapy; clear mental fatigue (but then, at this point, they were all tired out); a rush of adrenaline and a great deal of anger.
"Teppei," his friend tried again. "Staying on the move is critical. If you leave me here, you can try to meet up with the others."
"We are not splitting up any more than we already have," he shot back. "Listen to me carefully. I realize you're angry - we all are. That is not a valid reason for being reckless, and you are smart enough to know that." The little light from the moon that managed to filter down through the canopy reflected off his eyes. Never had Teppei looked so nervous, so stressed, so primal.
The two sat close together, the thick forest serving as their temporary protection. They had to act soon, or risk being hunted down - already had George looked such a fate in the eye. Both minds worked to think of their next move. Perhaps chance to meet up with their remaining team members? Should they attempt a hit and run tactic? Was it more wise to favor cowardice and immediate survival, or to risk it in hopes that they can end this quickly? Their training had taught them attacks and strategies against giant monsters and scheming aliens that ravaged cities and peaceful countrysides, not fellow humans... not someone who was their equal in wit and appearance.
"Are you able to walk?" Teppei knew better, the doctor in him screaming to force George to rest and recover. He was well aware, however, that their situation called for putting such knowledge aside.
In response, George struggled to stand up, shakily at first, but quickly regained his balance; his composure soon followed, along with the realization that they couldn't succumb to fear or rage. He recalled their brief reconnaissance flight above the island before they were shot down - covered in dense forests and abandoned buildings, he had to admit it was a perfect location to strand someone on for a twisted game of cat and mouse.
"There's a small village nearby," he thought out loud, the top-down view of the island still clear in his mind. "We could move there for now, try to find shelter and supplies for the remainder of the night, and attempt to meet up with everyone in the morning."
Teppei thought through George's plan for half a second before standing up beside him and nodding.
"Sitting here and thinking of the ideal plan will get us killed. It's best to act while we can." Absentmindedly, he felt for his Memory Display in his jacket's front pocket. George's attempt to contact the others was what had gotten him locked onto and badly injured, so surely all radio waves and communication attempts were being strictly monitored. They'd have to do without calling their friends. To make matters worse, the thick canopy obstructing the moon meant they had no way to judge in what direction they were walking.
Trial, error, and a great deal of luck led them to the outskirts of the forest, and better visibility. Without the trees covering the night sky, the moon bathed the abandoned island in a comfortable, dim haze of blue and white. Not far from where they stood was a well and beyond that the village George had mentioned an hour or so earlier. The two made a run for a derelict house, closing the door behind them. Teppei moved to a solitary window on the far side of the room, peering out long enough to survey their immediate surroundings.
"I'd estimate we have about 5 more hours until sunrise," Teppei sighed, moving towards George, who had settled down beside a dusty bookcase. "I'll dig around this place for anything useful, then once we've confirmed we haven't been spotted, I'll move on to the other houses."
The trek through the remainder of the forest had clearly not helped, as George was drenched in sweat, his teeth clenched as he leaned his head back to look at the dark ceiling. Teppei joined him, a look of concern on his face.
"Don't risk it," George managed.
"We have no food or water, let alone medicine for your leg. --and what if the others ran into some trouble? We should be prepared." It was a futile argument. Teppei knew the best thing would be to tend to George and recover their stamina. Aware that he had already won, George kept silent and closed his eyes to fall into a restless sleep.
An obstinate bird screeched in the distance, bringing Marina to a halt. Every little sound could be a threat, and she couldn't allow herself to tune it out. Ever since they were shot out of the sky, she'd been on the run. Even worse, along the way she became separated from George. She could only hope he was okay. As for herself, Marina was used to taking care of things alone. Unlike Teppei and his nurses or George with his teammates, Marina was always independent.
Her ears trained on the gentle night sounds around her, she slowly made her way to the north, where she recalled the GunWinger falling into the thick forest. In the very least it'd be wise to meet up with someone to figure out their next move. What felt like hours passed in unbroken whispers of the wind through the trees and soft chirps from sleeping birds. Just as she was beginning to doubt her sense of direction, the trees thinned to reveal broken branches and shattered trunks. The GunWinger was ground to a halt not far from the forced clearing, scratched and smoking from the attack and subsequent impact.
"Ryuu!" she called hesitantly. "Ryuu?"
A lonely echo responded, but no hot-headed idiot. Had he moved on? Was he still with Teppei? Marina inspected the beaten up ship but discovered nothing else. Her fear getting the best of her, she pulled out her Memory Display and attempted contact.
"Ryuu, answer me. Where are you?" She received nothing but an eerie humming that she felt more than heard. A rustling sound to her left made her snap around, eyes wide and ears searching in the darkness. An animal? The wind? She took a step closer, her hand moving habitually down to hover above the gun holster. A silhouette stepped out from behind the ruined perimeter of the forest.
"Ryuu?"
A small chuckle reached Marina's ears. Not Ryuu. Her mind raced, pulling out her gun on instinct. It did her no good - the figure raced forward, knocking her down before she had a chance to react. Struggling to breathe underneath the sudden weight, Marina rolled to her side, throwing the person off and scrambling to her feet. In one swift movement, she brought the barrel of the Triger Shot to the person's head.
"Who are you?"
That same chuckle. Marina attempted to get a clear look at the figure's face, but it turned away from her.
"Do you know what you are doing?" It was a gruff, male voice, laced with anger and a history that Marina could only begin to speculate on.
"I'm protecting others," she responded.
"Are you sure? Perhaps you are the real threat."
A shot rang out and the person whirled around long enough for Marina to see pain and rage in his eyes. With surprising speed he recoiled and retreated into the darkness. The silence returned to the clearing and Marina placed her gun back into the holster.
"Marina?! Are you okay?"
She spun to see another person make his way out of the trees. He had a hand extended in greeting.
"Ryuu!" Relief seeped into her voice. "Where have you been? Where's Teppei?"
Mild frustration flitted across Ryuu's face as he approached Marina.
"When we crashed I figured we should inspect the immediate area, but along the way we were separated. Any of my tries to contact him, or you guys, have failed." He leaned against his torn up GunWinger, crossing his arms as he surveyed the night sky glittering above them.
"I lost track of George, too." She paused to gather her thoughts, not happy with the conclusion she had come to. "Ryuu, I don't think us being shot down was a coincidence." The events over the last day or so (though it felt like an eternity) replayed in her mind.
Ryuu sighed.
"I thought the same thing. That guy just now? Looks like we didn't finish the job last time."
The wind played with the branches like toys as the two teammates stood in silence.
She wasn't necessarily afraid of the dark, but she didn't exactly feel comfortable or safe either. On the upside, Konomi had the ever-reliable Captain Sakomizu with her, and if worse came to worse Miclas was ready and waiting in the bag draped across her shoulder. It was a good thing she was so used to running around with even the most energetic of little kids, too, because she would have guessed that the two of them had been walking for hours.
Persistent waves crashed against the cliff side, offsetting the nearly unbearable silence that enveloped the lonely island. If she looked hard enough, Konomi swore she saw lights from the mainland off on the horizon. As bad as their current situation was, she just knew that they'd get out of it safely - or so she kept telling herself. The rocky ledges spread around the island, a light grey in the moonlight. Captain Sakomizu had told her that they should try to find their original goal during their recon flight: a rather well-maintained warehouse near the southeast side of the island. So far they had no luck, and as the night drifted on so did her mind; back to the laughter of the children that she had to leave once more to protect them in ways they may never realize.
Captain Sakomizu slowed to a stop, peering at the border of trees a hundred feet away. Konomi turned to question if everything was okay but was silenced by a sharp gesture from the inspector general-turned-captain. She waited patiently, the roar of the ocean in the background of their quiet and so far uneventful mission.
"A shadow," Captain Sakomizu broke the silence after a couple of minutes, "but a very human-like one."
"Ryuu and the others?" she perked up slightly.
Sakomizu did not answer, instead continuing on their cliff side walk. "Let's try to find that warehouse. I have a feeling it's nearby."
Konomi pushed her glasses up farther on the bridge of her nose, taking one last look at the tree line before falling back into faraway but comfortingly familiar thoughts.