“good morning, Natalya, Miranda. seems you’re in a rush”
¤ rush is perhaps not the best term. But we may have found a way to get little girl more missiles
“well, that’s great news then”
+i-it’s not that simple because we spoke to the Sheridan council, and many other decommissioned tanks, and then there is the block-
“you’re getting ahead of yourself Miranda. Calm down, please. Can you give me a short version of this?”
 
Miranda starts another torrent of words, and is finally halted by Natalya
 
¤ Da. We have to drive, but in “non-militairy” vehicles and get missiles
“But those are pretty big missiles, arn’t they?”
+45 inches long, 6 inch diameter and about 60 pounds each!
“shit. They count all trucks and SUVs as militairy, don’t they?”
>yep. we’re going to need something more inconspicious if we’re going to get through the roadblocks
¤ we have scouted their vehicle hall, and found two suitable!
“just hang on a second here. We have to find a car, with a big enough trunk to carry the missiles internally, so they cant be seen through the windows, and not being an SUV because they are somehow “potentially military vehicles” now?”
>seems to be the case. i mean, a fleet of civilian 4x4s are apparently great for logistics
“and we still have to be able to outrun a normal truck that they may have taken in possession. So nothing too slow, and no Vans. But Natalya, you have found two cars that can do this?”
¤ Yes. Should we go see them now?
 
You think for a second
 
“done eating, Lily?”
>sure
 
You head off to the smaller garages. There is actually a lot of cars here, including one that looks painfully similar to your baby. Natalya walks over to a grey Wagon.
 
¤ this is first car, we have checked dimentions in boot space, missiles will fit in. We need a total of sixteen to fill the starship…
 
Miranda gets slightly nervous she said that
 
¤...so, eight in this will not be a problem
 
The car itself was a silver-gray Mercedes E500 Estate. Big 5 liter V8, over 300 horsepower. Made in the mid noughties, most likely. It even appears it’s been well taken care off.
 
“that’s… actually impressive. Never thought you’d find a car like this out here
¤ you will like next car, Anon! it’s a bit like the one you had when you met Lily!
Before the challen- augh, come on. In front of you, is the second car. It’s a FWD wagon from the mid nineties. It is painted in a very strange light yellow color, and has “Volvo” written in small letters in the front grille. Great...Actually, those five spoke rims… after a bit of looking around the car, it is revealed that it is in fact an 850R and is to everyone surprise not that much less powerful than the Mercedes, putting out 250hp.
 
“alright, we have two cars that… maybe are up to the task in hand, but im still not sure what the actual plan is”
 
Natalya explains that the plan of old was when the massed attack of sky-creatures came, these abandoned tanks would be freed with your help, and the ones that were combat capable was to be rushed to the battle. However, Natalya (who seems to have a big fondness with radios) has contacted this “council of Sheridans” that is basically an old scrapheap, since the army hs pretty much given up on them. But since they are officially in storage, there is still ammunition close by. The sad news Natalya got was that very few of them were actually ready for a fight. And not a single vehicle had a crew. So maybe they wouldn't mind us borrowing a few shillelaghs? Only way to find out is to ask
 
So, with the cars ticked off the list, you need a plan. But to make the perfect plan you need a good place to come up with a plan
 
You like this. A dark room located just under the infirmary, in the basement. And just by ooking at it, it's kinda obvious no one really goes here. a low, almost flickering light, a large map placed on the table, and lots of thought flying around. Lots of planning and working out solutions. And coffee. Feels like you’re a real operator
 
¤ Right, we are… Here.
 
Natalya places a tack on the north-west part of the map
 
>And we’re going over here
 
Lily mars the spot on the map with another tack
 
“right, that makes it… 250 miles or something like that?”
>please use kilometers, miles confuse me
“augh, about 400”
>okay, 400 if we use the interstate. Buuut, it’s bound to be littered with things we don't want to run into
+ So we can’t use the big roads?
“Well, yes we can, but only on certain parts. Sure the cars are faster than a humvee, but not faster than bullets, or helicopters”
 
A route is plotted. It will extend the distance to over 300 miles, but it should be a lot safer. However…
 
“Alright. So, all things considered, this is the best route?”
+ It will stay away from the bigger cities, go at a safe distance from the airport, and we will have some cover from the forest up here, right?
“right. But we still have to deal with the interstate crossing, and i can guarantee they will have a checkpoint there. And not like “oh, you’re driving a wagon, so no need to check you for stolen military equipment”. We will get caught if they check our cars
¤ So we can’t find another road?
“Not unless we want to get into another city, no”
+ This is unfair, they army doesn’t need the missiles anymore! I do!
“i’d love to see you try explain tank-girls to a private that has to stand and guard shit all night”
 
Just as you said “Tank-girls” all of them turned to you, and stared at you as if had insulted their ancestors and all, as a quire, screamed
 
DON’T CALL US THAT
 
Even if it appeared Lily wasn’t exactly happy with screaming at you, Natalya and Miranda were very displeased with the name given to them
 
“alright, sorry, but i’m still not sure what i should call… you”
 
¤ Perhaps your loved one will share that with you one day, but for now, we are only tank crews. Friends maybe. But we do not want any more attention than necessary drawn to ourselves
 
“Tankfu?” you think to yourself. It sounds really cute, but will result in you getting beaten to shit
 
>seriously, we still have to find a good route. We will get arrested if we go through the checkpoint, and i’m not really happy about driving through a large city with like.... 400.000 dollars worth of stolen army material
¤ This crossroad is the problem. If we can just get through that, we will be fine
>but we caaaaan’t! we’ve looked over this ten times, it’s either the crossroad or the city!
“fuck, those are both death sentences”
+ It can’t be that bad, can it?
“we are still civilians… augh, i am, at least. And we are stealing army equipment, obsolete or not. I’d guess we will get killed if we caught”
 
‘Stealing army equipment, huh?’
 
Fuck. You did not recognize the voice. You know your little pistol, you can turn around, get that up and ready to shoot within.... one and a half seconds. Maybe two on a bad day
 
‘Can i join?’
 
What? You still don't know who it is. The voice goes on
 
'It seems the intentions you have are of questionable legality. I would like to join'
 
"Oh. You"
 
The woman standing in the doorway looked like a shadow. Her hair had a light gray color. Her skin was supposed to be pale, but many parts where a horrible mic of black, red and orange. The wounds not covered up looked horrifying. It would have been hard to say what she looked like physically, since she was dressed in what appeared to be a bed sheet. She was supporting her weight mostly on right leg and her left arm, that held the door frame. Worst of all were her eyes. They were falling apart for lack of better term. Not only were they robbed of any and all color, giving a very strange ghostly impression, but her Iris' were actually breaking up, like a shattering glass.
 
'I overheard you discussion from upstairs from my room, and i'm not sure if i have much time left. Let me join, please'
 
Miranda looks scared. Natalya covers her mouth with her hands to conceal the fact it’s wide open. Lily is just frozen on the spot.
 
That has to be the woman who got thrown out of the T-30
 
“you kinda look like you can’t stand up by yourself”
 
She does not correct you, but rather shuts her eyes with force and bends her head down
 
‘Please just let me do something. I don’t even know if i will live a week. Maybe your machines can nurse me back to life, maybe i was doomed when the ammunition caught fire, and i just live on borrowed time. I just… I don’t want to go though the pearly gates in a bed with gray skin and a tube up my nose. Can i do something? anything?
 
“I’m not sure-”
>shush! Let me help you
 
Lily jumps off her stool and skips over to the woman, and dives in under her right arm, to help her walk
 
>come here, need anything, tell me and i’ll make him go and get it for you
 
Lily gives you a “shut you mouth or i’ll kick your teeth in” kind of a look. You remain silent.
 
>If you know the area well, you could help us. We have a route planned out, but we still need to get around this intersection. Think you know what we can do?
 
The tries to stand up to get a more over-head view of the map. Her legs won’t help her but Lily has reactions like a rattlesnake on crack, and quickly help her stand properly. There is something with the way she looks at the map, she doesn’t much look like she is looking at it, but rather feels it.
 
‘The path you have is good. Except the intersection of course. You just have to turn of the road-’
“Yes?”
 
The woman exhales heavily, and looks just a little ashamed.
 
‘Let me follow you and i’ll make sure you can get around the crossroads. I promise”
 
“There is a way to get around this?”
 
‘I swear’
 
“Well, suppose you’re in then. Not going tonight, but maybe in a few days. So, right now we have to make sure we do everything we can to help you, so if you need anything speak to…ask Lily and she will shout at me”
 
You almost squeeze laugh out of her, but it’s obvious it just causes her more pain, even if she does her best to conceal it
 
 
“But right now, we gona get you back into bed. If you need anything from water though a shoulder to cry on to drug-laced chocolate, speak to us, alright?”
 
'Starting tomorrow, i want food that doesn't come from tubes. But it's bedtime now i think'
 
You help her back up. She is in deep pain, yes but she wants to show as little as possible of it. She is reluctantly tucked in. You halt yourself at the door.
 
"by the way, never caught you name"
'does it matter anymore?'
"well, we have to call you something"
'tssk. Grey'
"Grey?'
'look at me'
 
Point, she is really just grey
 
"Alright, good night Grey"
 
It was late. It was fall now, the time of year when a hoodie was just enough to walk around in during the day, but really was too cold for the night, especially when windy. The trees once again turned yellow, orange and red to display to the entire world they were going into a four month long period of sleep. After leaving the building with the infirmary, The four of you walked through a base about to fall asleep. Many didn't have proper beds, especially grunts. They slept in big tents, or in half-shabby built shelters. Despite the higher status of the tank crews many were offered a bed and in rare cases, even a room, but most declined in favor of sleeping very close to the vehicle itself. The common thing was to dig a hole underneath it, and coat the inside with vegetation and a tarp with some other alterations and structure, this made a nice sleeping pit, using the tank as a roof, that could be rolled out of in a hurry. Since the Jagdtiger was now the hardest hitting vehicle here, you felt that it should be ready as soon as possible if it had to. But, since you didn't do much sleeping last night (which you blame entirely on Lily) you get back to the room you had before and a real bed. You open up one of the last cans of beer you have left, and stare into the endless night through the window. The came from somewhere out there, and as soon as humanity has located where from, the place was going to be drowned in nuclear fire. This thought made you a little happy.
 
>you know, during the war, sometimes i spend entire nights looking up at the sky
"was the sky different back then?"
>it looked just the same. But it sounded a lot different. i'm still afraid of the sound of big radial engines. They always brought death, and there was nothing you could do to protect yourself. Only hope he was going somewhere else
"sorry, i didn-"
>shush. Lets just sleep now, okay?
 
Even Lily seems to be lacking in the sleep department, and you both just get ready for the night and to actually sleeping. You've spent pretty much all nights since you met like this. Lily liked being held, embraced, and given attention. Maybe that was some kind of over-reaction to the loneliness earlier? Your mind runs away, and lands on Grey. She looked beyond wounded
 
>Anon, speak to me
"huh?"
>something isn't right, please talk to me
"how can you tell"
>again, heart rate and breathing, i can feel your heart through my back. it's too fast
"too fast for what?"
>if you would have thought about just me, you would be calm, because i am here, safe with you, well fed and healthy, but you're not calm
"i'm just worried i guess. Seeing what happened to Grey, how she turned all...
>i understand what you mean. That happens if the vehicle is destroyed. The closest thing i can liken it would be a humans soul, If you loose it, you're just a shell, without any real life force
"is she going to die?"
>we all are. But she has maybe a month. Besides, i feel that she's not you main cause for worries right now
"nope, you're right again. You are"
 
Lily rolls over to face you
 
"i just don't want to see you like that"
 
She actually smiles a little
 
"i don't want to bring this up, but if it ever comes to that, can you get... un-bound to the vehicle somehow?"
>un-bound huh, funny guy
 
She get rid of the hair that's been hanging down her face, and her expression changes to a more serious one
 
>in theory, yes it is technically possible.That would however remove any and all connections to the vehicle, turning into a lifeless hunk of steel, i'd start aging like anyone else would, and i would loose my-. Really, i would loose everything that made me special. And the process would be too long if it ever came to that
 
"you're always going to be special to me Lily. Always"
 
She is taken back. Her eyes widen. Her breathing almost stops
 
>i love you anon
 
You fall asleep in each others embrace