The world was peaceful. At least that was how it appeared to Maho.
She couldn't hear the screams of her comrades. She couldn't hear the bangs and explosions as shells hit and bounced off their armor. She couldn't feel the tank rattle. All she could feel was how she was sinking. Sinking, deeper and deeper into the abyss.
She tried to fight it. She tried to get herself back to the surface. She tried desperately to regain control of herself. But no matter how hard she tried, she only sank further. Dark tendrils grasped at her from the abyss and embraced her as she was pulled down deeper. It was a calm and comforting embrace. Soothing and gentle as she sank and finally found herself at the bottom. She was too weak to resist, and could do nothing but watch as the tendrils bound her.
Her body was no longer hers. It was nothing more than a puppet, being moved according to the darkness' wishes. Her mind was foggy and empty, her thoughts thick like syrup, and as the dark tendrils' embrace soothed her further, she closed her eyes, giving in fully to the darkness.
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"MAKO!" she yelled across to the black-haired driver. "Turn 15 degrees to the right! That Matilda's about to fire!"
"I'm on it," the girl replied, and the tank jerked to the side, just in time to deflect the incoming shell.
"HANA! Return fire! Their left track is wide open!"
"Huh? But..."
"DO IT!" Maho practically screamed both up into the turret and over the internal radio, and after a second Hana did as instructed. The shot didn't hit quite right, and bounced off the front armor instead.
"DAMMIT!" Maho slammed a fist into the wall by her seat. "I thought I told you to take out their tracks!"
"Maho, what are you..." Saori yelled down to her, interrupting herself with a scream as another round hit the Panzer IV's armor.
"I'm saving our sorry asses!" Maho yelled back up. "In case you hadn't noticed, we're being slaughtered out there! The command tank is out of action, so you can either lead, follow, or get the hell out of my way" Maho didn't wait for a reply. "Team B and C, fall back through the ravine! I'll hold the rear and cover your escape!"
"Copy that Ankou! We're moving out," came the reply from Erwin. The Type 89 soon joined in. "Thanks Ankou, good luck! We're getting out of here!"
"Mako, back up 5 feet and turn me 60 degrees left. We're about to get one hell of a beating from the Churchill! Get ready to reverse on my command!" The tank moved as she wished it, and while it did, Maho turned back towards the turret. "Yukari!"
"Yes Commander?" she replied instantly.
"Get the gun reloaded! I need to be able to return fire five minutes ago!"
"Already done, Commander!"
"Well, at least someone knows what they're doing..." Maho muttered to herself, and waited.
"Maho, what are you doing? You're the radio operator, not the commander?!" Saori called down from her seat. "Mako, get us back in position, and stop listening to her. We've got enough chaos to deal with..."
"If you move this tank so much as a centimeter, I'll throw you out of the turret myself!" She counted the seconds in her head, and called out to Mako. "NOW!" A near ear-deafening bang could be heard as the Churchill's 75mm cannon fired, and the Panzer IV reversing put the front armor at just the right angle to get the shell to bounce. The impact still pushed them back a good meter. "Alright, I've done enough! Mako, get me out of here!"
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Dein Weg ist Mein Weg
FanfictionA terrible accident. A school on the brink of closing. A team with an impossible goal. The tale of a disgraced daughter from a great family, and a reluctant return to the sport she abandoned. It's a story you've been told before, but never like this...
