Revelations

[runmakitarun]

The light of the rising sun barely kisses the broken buildings of the city of Bahamut as Proto and Makita walk across the snow-covered streets. They pick their way across broken rubble, broken vehicles, and broken bodies in silence.

The station isn't far now and Makita glances over at Proto and jerks her head to suggest they approach from the east to keep the brightening dawn at their backs.

Comments

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Proto offers a business-like nod of confirmation.

They continue on towards the scene of the massacre, automatically keeping at least fifteen feet between themselves. Makita is on point with a light R-7 carbine at her hip, while Proto is at the rear and staggered to the left slightly. He's toting the much bulkier RKG-45 battle rifle, which sports a rocket launcher on the under-barrel rail instead of the RKG-41's grenade launcher.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

They move with the ease of long experience. With Proto watching her back Makita focuses her full attention on the way ahead of them. Her carbine is held lightly and kept ready for quick action if it's needed.

At Proto's nod she shifts direction slightly, moving to take cover behind the ancient shell of a krawl in the middle of the street before darting the rest of the way to the other side.

Once she's behind the corner of an old restaurant she lifts her weapon and scans the street, ready to cover Proto's own advance.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Proto follows at Makita's all clear signal, and takes up a position nearby. Not so close that they can both be taken out with one shot or one mine blast, but not so far away that he can't cover her next moves. They always work this way when they are together. Their training is so deeply ingrained now that it's habitual.

He pats his helmet to let his love know that he has the next area covered, and gestures for her to move forward.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita doesn't bother signaling her acknowledgment, she just moves forward from cover to cover as they circle around the station and begin their approach like the experienced team they are.

Suddenly Makita stiffens and her left fist jerks up to signal a halt. The snow indicates recent foot traffic, and her carbine snaps up into place as she kneels behind an especially large piece of rubble.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Reacting to the signal, Proto holds up at his current location. He's opposite and a little behind Makita, in the shelter of a derelict apartment building porch. He calmly drops to one knee, monitoring his side of the street, and waits for her report.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Long moments pass in silence as Makita listens for signs of anyone nearby. Then she peeks up over her cover to examine the tracks. They're all clumped together and they move in a straight line. Precisely what Makita and Proto aren't doing. It's unprofessional, and likely to get you killed.

She estimates how old the tracks are and her hands flash a quick series of signals back to Proto. They're about half an hour behind whoever left these tracks.

When Makita moves forward again her movements are looser, more fluid, and her lip curls up in an hungry grin. None of her people would move that sloppily. All the ones who did are dead.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Proto inspects the footprints as he brings up the rear. He thinks he can distinguish at least five different shoes sizes or brands beyond Makita's, and relays that information forward to her via his fingers when she next checks on him.

A little further on they pass a discarded cigarette butt next to the trail. Another telltale sign that this group are not properly disciplined, if indeed they have any formal training at all.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

In the early days of the war a group this sloppy had to be scavengers. The Reds were better than this. But as things continued to drag on the Reds stopped sending real soldiers to Bahamut. These days it was almost all cannon fodder.

Not that Makita cared one way or the other. Scavengers or Reds, either way they needed to die before they could do any more harm than they had already.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

As Makita and Proto move up towards the scene of yesterday's firefight, the group comes into view. The members can be quickly confirmed as scavengers, simply by the way they hold themselves. Scavengers are one of the last remaining criminal elements in Bahamut. They are men who make their way by scouring battlefields and trading their vital equipment hauls on to the Ngorkans at ridiculous barter rates. Cowardly scum, basically. Not fighters. Despite their hodge podge collection of weaponry, that much is immediately obvious.

Initially four of them can be seen in this narrow bottleneck of rubble piles and burnt out vehicles. They are all engaged in the business of picking over the partially snow-covered corpses of the fallen Red soldiers. And as such, they don't appear to be guarding or defending their position at all.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Again Makita's fist snaps up to signal a stop. She freezes in place and takes a few seconds to take stock of the situation. Then her fingers flash to signal Proto: Four hostiles visible. Unknown others in the area..

Carefully edging around behind a fallen concrete pillar she turns just enough to watch Proto. They're an experienced team and her positioning herself where she does signals her intentions to ambush from their left flank. Once she sees Proto's first moves she'll know what he's planning as well.

And then some scavengers will have a very bad day.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Proto sends back a silent thumb and forefinger circle of acknowledgment. He drops to his stomach and crawls to a position on the scavengers' right hand side. A diagonally slanted bank of crumbled masonry, twisted metal and ripped sandbags provides his cover, and from the crest of it his firing arc should nicely compliment Makita's, making escape virtually impossible for the rats ahead.

Before he exposes himself to the enemy, he shoots Makita a wink, then points to her. She should open fire when she's ready, and he will follow suit. Such is their mutual understanding that it's unnecessary for him to tell her to take the two men on the right, while he will take the two on the left. Those are just basic rules of ambush targeting.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita watches Proto settle into position and then counts silently to five. She lifts her carbine, exhales, and takes aim on the more distant of her two targets. The distance is short but that doesn't mean there's any reason not to aim at the harder target first.

Her finger curls back on the trigger and the sharp crack-crack-crack of a three round burst is a surprise even to her. It's just a much worse surprise for the scavengers as her target takes all three rounds in the chest and collapses.

Then, for one frozen moment, there is silence as the scavengers betray their lack of training. In the shock of the ambush only one of them dives immediately for cover. The two others stand there looking dazed.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Proto locks onto the one man that is heading for shelter and sends a barking salvo of heavy caliber shells at him.

BRAT-AT-AT-AT-TAT!

His rifle may not be as accurate as Makita's, but it packs far more punch. Thus, the one round that thuds into the target's rib cage is enough to end his life. In place of a cry of pain, a gurgling mixture of blood and saliva spew from his mouth, and he plunges headfirst into the snow.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita is already swinging her weapon to take down her second target. She doesn't need to look to know Proto's first is down and the second isn't far behind. As she takes aim and unleashes another burst of fire it doesn't occur to her to feel sorry for the poor bastards.

Once Proto takes out the fourth man there will be four cooling corpses on the ground and only one of them will have recognized that they were under attack.

"Good riddance," Makita snarls under her breath as blood sprays and the third man goes down.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Fatally riddled with bullets from Proto's RKG-45, the last visible man flies backwards into the snow drift that will prove to be his final resting place.

The young gunner doesn't relax yet though. He scans the surrounding area for any further threat, and catches a glimpse of movement in a third story window above the scene.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

The fifth member of the scavenger party was supposed to be on watch, but he was dozing negligently instead. The rattle of gunfire roused him in time to witness the clinical elimination of his comrades. And now it's payback time!

A more professional soldier might have been set up sniper-style, making it possible for him to pick off Makita and Proto without giving away his position. But this guy is an amateur, blinded by a primal need for vengeance. His face is contorted with rage as he moves into view and prepares to end the two 'Gorkan kids.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

"Ten o'clock high!" Proto shouts across to Makita.

It's the only warning she gets before her boy calmly unloads one of their precious rockets at the protagonist. There's a clunk and then a WHOOSHHHHH as the missile streaks away from the lower barrel of the assault rifle.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

The roar of the solid rocket motor echoes almost painfully in the confined space as the line of light and smoke flashes from Proto through the window in question. The man inside barely has time to look surprised before the rocket shoots inches past his face, scorching his hair, and slams into the ceiling behind him.

The detonation and resulting explosion fills the tiny, broken room and a broken body is blasted through the window. If the force of the blast and the shrapnel weren't enough to kill him, the three story fall onto broken concrete and steel rebar is sure to do the trick.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

The street fades into silence as Proto and Makita continue to scan for more hostiles. After about a minute Makita decides it's clear and turns to Proto with a laugh. "What is it with you and rockets?"

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Proto shrugs as he drops another missile into his gun and locks it in place.

"You tell me. You're the one who keeps necessitating my use of them."

Smirking, he stands and lifts his gun so the barrel rests against his shoulder.

"Besides, I think it's the right of every guy to use spectacular force when he's saving his girlfriend's buns. It's impressively macho, and earns him more smooches of gratitude."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

As he's speaking Makita moves out of cover and walks over to Proto. "You and your dirty mind," she teases, "Is that all you ever think of?"

Then she leans forward to kiss him.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

When she pulls back Proto is still smirking.

"You know it, pretty girl."

He strokes a crooked finger down her cheek.

"Maybe one day you'll save my ass. Then you'll be able to hit me with your own corny lines."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

She grabs his hand and tugs, "Come on. The firefight might have drawn attention. Let's find somewhere to hole up for a bit while we wait to see if anyone's coming to investigate."

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

"Good idea."

Proto nods his agreement and lets her lead the way to a nearby building—once a majestic corporate office tower, but now little more than a four story parking garage. The couple hunker down inside, out of sight from the street, but where they can keep an eye on the battlefield.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

They settle into silence as they look out over the ruined street. Makita's attention is focused on watching for anyone coming to investigate their less-than-silent firefight. Even with her mind focused on potential threats, there's a part of Makita that is simply grateful for Proto's presence.

The Reds have taken much from her, but not everything.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

While they wait, Proto pulls out a sorry-looking energy bar from a jacket pocket. Once the wrapper has been torn, he automatically offers the first bite to Makita. She needs it more than he does. Or she used to...

He's noticed that she doesn't looked quite as under-nourished anymore. And, as inexplicable as the change is, it's a very good thing.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita is absorbed in her study of the terrain so the wave of polite refusal she offers is absent. Still, food would be good. She reaches into her own pocket and pulls out the first thing that comes to hand.

The wrapper on the chocolate bar is fairly easy to peel back and she takes a bite with a soft smile of pleasure before offering the bar to Proto.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Proto's eyes widen in surprise. Chocolate is a pretty rare substance in Bahamut these days, and the brand looks like nothing he's ever seen before.

"Hey. Where did you get that?" he inquires.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

There's a sudden moment of stillness as Makita's hand freezes in midair and she turns to look at what she just offered. That... had been left in her pocket from her last chocolate party with Steph.

Milliways.

"Um..." her lip twists up in concentration as she tries to figure out how to answer that. "It's sort of a long story." Now that Proto's seen it of course, she knows she's going to have to tell him, and she doesn't expect the temporization to buy her more than a few seconds.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

An intrigued eyebrow arches.

"Good job we've got a long time right now then."

He leans back against a crumbling concrete stanchion, hands interlacing behind his head. This promises to be good, whatever the details are.

"Let's hear it then."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

She offers a small nod and takes a moment to organize her thoughts.

"A few months ago, in the middle of a firefight in the park, the one where we lost Timosha, Rita, and Old Katarina, something weird happened." Deaths are, sadly, the most reliable way to mark time in this war-torn city.

"I was diving for cover and instead of ending up in a ruined building I was... somewhere else (http://community.livejournal.com/milliways_bar/15349627.html). Like one of the Red gates, but... not."

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Furrows of bewilderment start to form across Proto's forehead.

"Okay," he says, trustingly.

"So... what was this other place?"

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"It was a bar. The people there call it 'Milliways'."

Makita tried her best to explain an utterly alien place to someone who had never seen it. She talked about food and friends and people who had no experience with war. She told Proto about the people who had taught her and challenged her, and in some ways healed her.

Steph, Mel, Goldie, Alex, Rapunzel, Plourr, Cait, Rachel.

It never crossed her mind that Proto might doubt her. He knew her well enough to know that she was perfectly serious and that no matter how odd her story might be, that it was true.

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

It's an incredible report, and it leaves Proto dumbfounded for the most part. He does believe it, every single word of it. That's why he's so speechless. What can you say in the wake of a tale like that?

"Wow, Maki. Just... wow. No wonder you kept it quiet."

Eventually he manages a more intelligent reply:

"These friends of yours. Have some of them been here once or twice, fighting with you?"

There have been a few unreported and unexplained Red kills recently, most notably a whole unit of Sorceress Special Ops and their bodyguards. And there have been a few other Red corpses found, slain by unorthodox methods and weaponry.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Makita's tone is soft and her nod is small. "A few times. When things were bad."

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

Proto has no problem with outsiders helping their cause at all. He nods back quietly, still trying to digest some of the other things she's revealed to him over the past little while.

After another lengthy pause, he asks:

"Can you take me to see this amazing place and meet these people?"

"I... I'd like to go there with you. To see it for myself. Not that I don't trust your word, but it sounds really neat."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita's smile is soft as she nods. Her voice is quiet, "I'd like that. You should meet some of the people and... it'd be nice to have some time to ourselves with no interruptions."

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

"It would," Proto agrees, smiling back at her.

"If, as you say, time stops here when the door closes behind you."

He reaches out and takes one of Makita's hands in his own.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Her fingers tighten around his and she draws his hand up to hold it against her cheek. "It's a promise then. Next time the door opens I'm going to find you so I can show you around."

"And so we can have some time together. I'll show you the bathtub."

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

"...You have a bathtub there. Really?"

Proto's eyes close wistfully. He can't remember the last time he washed in hot water, let alone bathed. And the prospect of relaxing in a tub without having to worry about the situation here is a divine one. Add his love into the mix, and it's beyond heavenly.

"Okay. You've got yourself a deal."

He leans forward and seals the agreement with a passionate kiss.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita leans into the kiss, which goes on for a while. Eventually, reluctantly, she pulls back. Her voice is warm as she turns to look back out at the street, "I guess we better do what we came here to do, huh?"

She slowly pushes herself to her feet and checks her weapon.

There'll be time to spend with Proto once she finds another door to Milliways.