Silence of the Apocalypse

Chapter 15: Cave-in

The sound of skipping echoed through the corridor, alarming all but one of its occupants. When she rounded the corner, she was met with 4 guns facing her; she gave a childish smile though, her own gun leveled between the eyes of the old soldiers.

"Drop the act, mini-soldier, or our deal is off." Armin's words took a second for Mikayla to process.

"'Deal'? What 'Deal?'"

To answer her question, the little tyke lowered her gun, and handed Armin what he'd wanted: a video camera, some rifle rounds, and some freshly baked bread from the store just out in the canyon. She smiled at him expectantly.

"Well geez, kid, I don't know what you want now." Armin's voice dripped with fun sarcasm. The girl giggled, her laughs echoing off the complex's walls.

"Oh!" He said. "You mean... this?"

From his jacket pocket, Armin had three things: a pair of binoculars, a walkie talkie box, and a case of Marshmello Peeps. The girl's eyes beamed, and she gladly grabbed her things, loading them into her backpack.

Armin knelt down beside her.

"You remember what to do, right?"
She nodded, and skipped gayly down the corridor without a care in the world.

"Alright, I'll ask it: What the hell is going on here? What are you planning, Armin?" Mikayla had doubt in her voice, much the same as the mercenaries there with them. She looked to them for an explanation, only to find blank stares in return.

"Prepping for battle," He said. "Look at this."

Armin untangled the video camera's cord, plugging it into the small projector overhead. It whirred to life, and a video began to play. It was three girls, playing outside the walls. No, only one now, as far as Mikayla could see. She skipped about the road, picking flowers for a bouquet. Then... She saw them. Close to 30 soldiers, all in ghillie suits, and armed with some nasty looking guns.

She watched the girl's actions from the backpack as she quickly won the hearts of the strangers in the grass. A man, perhaps their leader, had given her his hat. Armin paused the clip on the hat's emblem, and the soldiers gasped.

"So," he said. "The Senshi Rengo have come to pay us a visit. Right on schedule." A ghost of a smile came to Armin's face, but it disappeared as soon as it had appeared. Armin then produced his own walkie talkie, and voices came from all the different channels.
"Recon leader, standing by."
"Assault leader, standing by."
"Medic leader, standing by."
Adorable leader, sitting down."

The last radio-in seemed to be the little girl, and a fit of giggles erupted from the fourth channel. That certainly lightens the mood, Mikayla thought.

Armin's face turned serious.
"These soldiers are good, but they can be killed. We're going to flank them within our own walls, and get info from our dear ole commander here."

Mikayla watched the screen intently. Suddenly, the forest seemed to jump. The soldiers collapsed, except for one man: A broad-shouldered man, held at gunpoint by a small girl, flashing a grin as bright as the sun.

"General," Armin said. "Let's have a talk inside, okay?" The general seemed to hear him, as she saw him visibly shrug in defeat. The screen faded to a static snow as it powered down.

Armin nodded to the mercs, and said, "We've got a guest, friends."