I think I'll write all three. One for each route.
Here's the first:
- - - - - - -
LAKE
Keitaro climbed over the side of the roof and, adapting his camo accordingly, wall-crawled down the face of the building. He froze when he spotted a guard below him, and waited.
He was taking a cigarette break. Great. Oh, and now his buddy was joining him.
"Hey Pavlov..."
"Hey, Div! Great to see you! All's quiet, right?"
"Definitely..."
Screw this, Keitaro decided. He crawled down, just above them, before he reached down.
"So, see anything weird?"
"No, nothing... Gotta say, I'll be gald when I'm shipped out. Think that one guy, Firin, is looking at me weird."
"Well, when all the pussy on base is off-limits, you've gotta-"
THUNK! Keitaro let the two men drop to the ground, knocked out cold. He flipped down onto the ground himself, and switched his camo again.
"Remember, smoking's bad for you," he said. He rummaged a bit, and produced some flashbangs. "These will come in handy... Hmmm..." He took one of their rifles and examined it. He tapped his earpiece.
BREEP BREEP
"Shotakon, this is Ronin. I found a weapon. What is it?"
"Oh, that's a PP-2000. It's a Russian submachine gun, kind of their answer to the P90. Might be useful, especially with that silencer."
Keitaro frowned. He didn't really want to kill anyone, but... Well, better to be safe than sorry. "All right..." He snagged two spare clips, slid them into his pouches, and added the PP-2000 to his backpack. "I'm taking the lake route."
"Mind your surroundings at all times, Ronin. Miss Cat's senses are supposed to be very good, to say nothing of the other magic girls employed by this base," Athena advised.
"Other magic girls?" Ronin asked.
"Midas is looking through the records-It seems this same teacher's been putting a lot of her former students into this program. We're trying to find her but she's unusually difficult to locate," Athena said. "Just be careful."
Ronin nodded. "Roger." He set out over the snow, avoiding a spotlight cast from a tower on the wall ahead. Blending in with it, he climbed over it, and checked with his... HAITI-ATE for guards. Two were on top of the wall, walking and keeping an eye on things. Keitaro waited for them to pass, before he vaulted over the wall and jumped over the battlement.
"Huh?" One of the guards called.
"What?"
"Did you hear something?" The first guard asked. Keitaro crawled down, slowly, blended with the wall.
"What?"
The first guard sighed in disgust. "Take those earbuds out right now!"
"Sorry sir... No, I didn't hear anything..."
"You keep this up and I'll take that damn iPod away," he threatened.
"Oh come on sir!"
Leaving the two guards to argue, Keitaro blended with the snow, and set out across it. He zig-zagged, not following a regular course, all across the snow to minimize the chance of anyone watching to think his movements were those of a person.
Finally, he hit the treeline, and adjusted his camo to be darker as he headed into the shadows.
Okay... The lake is frozen, good... I'll just see where it's thickest and scoot across, Ronin thought. He engaged the HAITI-ATE, and caught sight of something... A bit unusual some distance from the lake. A strong heat source.
BREEP BREEP
"Yes Ronin?" Midas asked snootily.
"Midas, are there any hot springs around here?" Keitaro asked.
"Of course not, why?"
"Because I think I'm looking at one right now... Stand by," Keitaro replied. He got down and crawled, rather quickly, over the snow towards the heat source. He crawled underneath some bushes, and adjusted the HAITI-ATE to night vision.
No way... It was a hot spring... Surrounded by rocks, with hot, steaming water...
"Haaa!" A girl emerged from the water, and threw her head back with a laugh.
Keitaro's face went bright red. Oh boy... It figures...
She was Japanese, and like Sakaki, she was stacked and tall. Unlike Sakaki, she had short, spiky hair, tanned skin, and... Wolf ears?
"This is so great!" She enthused. She sniffed the air, and smirked.
"Mmmm... Do I have a peeper?" She asked.
"Yes, you do."
"GAH!" Keitaro shouted, as he was kicked out from under the bushes and sent into the hot spring. "CRAP!"
Keitaro managed to keep his cool under the water, and shot up to the surface, gasping for breath. Just in time for the hot girl with wolf ears to get behind him and put him in an arm and head lock. "URK!"
"Awww... Now really Cat, did you have to mess with my prey?" The girl pouted as she tightened her grip. Normally Keitaro would enjoy feeling a girl's breasts pressed against his back, but definitely not while getting choked. He wasn't into that kind of play.
Sakaki emerged from the shadows of the forest, eyes slightly narrowed.
"No Wolf..."
"You're all so determined to keep me from getting laid," Wolf pouted.
"Gurk!" Keitaro struggled, but Wolf kept the pressure on.
"Get his mask," Wolf said. Cat complied, and Keitaro grimaced even more as his face was exposed. Wolf looked over his shoulder and grinned.
"Awww... He's cute! Can't you let me have him, please?"
"We should report him to the General," Cat replied. Keitaro's eyes rolled back, and he slumped forward. Cat sighed.
"You made him pass out."
"Well you wouldn't let me just seduce him!" Wolf growled, letting her arm up off of Keitaro's neck. She turned him around and smirked, caressing his face. "You can go get the troops... I'll take care of-"
Keitaro's head fell back, and snapped forward. His HAITI-ATE had stayed on even without his mask, and he slammed his protected foreheard into Wolf's.
"AGH!" She cried.
"Thanks for the invitation, I'm really flattered, but I need to go!" Keitaro said, shoving Kagura away and jumping up onto the nearest rock. He turned his head and saw Cat leaping forward, jump-kicking, and barely managed to jump out of the way.
"Oooh... Oh no you don't," Wolf growled, rubbing her forehead. "You're not getting away from me that easily!"
Ronin kicked off another rock and landed on the far side of the spring. He took off at a run, and felt rather than heard Cat right on his heels. He sped up, and broke through onto the lake.
"W-Woah!" Keitaro cried, slipping and landing on his stomach. "OOF!" He slid fast, but he managed to get enough traction to get to his feet-Just in time to be knocked down again by Cat's kick. "ERK!"
"I do not wish to harm you," Cat said. "But you should surrender."
Keitaro got back to his feet, and shook his head. He took a deep breath, and produced his knife and his tranq gun.
"I don't surrender," he said flatly, assuming the fighting position that had been trained and practically beaten into him. Cat nodded, and assumed her own fighting position.
"I see... My name is Silent Cat. What is yours?"
"Ronin," Keitaro replied. Sakaki nodded.
"Very well..." She began walking to the right, and Keitaro walked to the left. They sized eachother up even as they got a feel for the "ground" under their feet.
"The ice is unstable," Cat said at last. Keitaro nodded.
"Yep... Want to fight somewhere else?"
"If you were so inclined-"
"HEEEYAAAAHHH!" Both turned to see Wolf jump up high, wielding a rocket launcher. "TAKE THIS!"
"Oh no!" Cat cried, as the rocket launcher went off. Keitaro shoved her out of the way as the rocket impacted, and exploded. KABOOM!
"AAAAHHHH!" Wolf cried, crashing one of the shattered pieces of ice. The entire lake's surface began to break apart, leaving Keitaro and Cat on different blocks of ice.
"Damnit," he muttered. Wolf surfaced, coughing loudly.
"Wolf..." Cat could only glare at Wolf, who looked bashful as she clung desperately to the block of ice.
"Sorry... HEY! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"
Keitaro leaped from one block of ice to another, using his ki grip to stay on them. "Hurph!" He landed hard on another block of ice, and looked over his shoulder as Wolf and Cat began to pursue him in a similar manner. "Grr...!"
Cat reached him first, lashing out with lightning speed as she punched him. Keitaro managed to deflect it, jumping away to another ice piece. Wolf jumped up, landing on top of him.
"GAH!" Keitaro spun around, sending them both into the icy water. SPLASH!
"MMRGLE!" Wolf cried, flailing about. He realized the shock of the cold water was making it hard for her to swim. He grabbed onto her and swam hard and fast, dragging her up to the surface.
"PWAH!" Wolf cried. Keitaro shoved her onto the nearest block of ice, before he pulled himself up too. He thanked the fact his suit was waterproof, to say nothing of it apparently keeping him warm. Cat landed nearby, unsure. Keitaro shook his head, and picked Wolf up in his arms.
"Here... She's freezing," he said, handing her over. Cat took her into her arms.
"So are you," she said. Wolf coughed and shivered.
"I'm fine," he said.
"What is your intention here, Ronin?" She asked.
"I'm just looking around for the UN," he said. "You do realize your boss is involved in some... Illegal things, right?"
"Such as?" Sakaki asked. Keitaro explained what he knew, Wolf and Cat listening.
"How do you expect us to believe you?" Cat asked at last.
Keitaro took a deep breath. "Because... The only way you'll stop me is by killing me," he said, looking right into her eyes. "And... You're not the kind of person to do that."
They stared at eachother for a few moments, before Cat nodded slowly.
"... You will not harm anyone inside?" She asked. Ronin shook his head.
"Not if I can help it."
"You will not harm anyone inside," she said. Ronin nodded.
"All right..." He turned and jumped over the last few pieces of ice, until he hit the shore. He adjusted his camo, and set off towards the fortress. Wolf shivered, and Cat turned to head for the hot springs.
"G-G-Geez, you're r-r-really going to l-let him in?" Wolf asked, teeth chattering. Cat nodded.
"He did save you..."
"I-I-I would've b-been f-f-fine..." Wolf licked her lips. "B-B-But I d-do like h-him..."
Sakaki's cheeks turned red. "I must admit... I like him too..."
- - - - - - -
Here's the first:
- - - - - - -
LAKE
Keitaro climbed over the side of the roof and, adapting his camo accordingly, wall-crawled down the face of the building. He froze when he spotted a guard below him, and waited.
He was taking a cigarette break. Great. Oh, and now his buddy was joining him.
"Hey Pavlov..."
"Hey, Div! Great to see you! All's quiet, right?"
"Definitely..."
Screw this, Keitaro decided. He crawled down, just above them, before he reached down.
"So, see anything weird?"
"No, nothing... Gotta say, I'll be gald when I'm shipped out. Think that one guy, Firin, is looking at me weird."
"Well, when all the pussy on base is off-limits, you've gotta-"
THUNK! Keitaro let the two men drop to the ground, knocked out cold. He flipped down onto the ground himself, and switched his camo again.
"Remember, smoking's bad for you," he said. He rummaged a bit, and produced some flashbangs. "These will come in handy... Hmmm..." He took one of their rifles and examined it. He tapped his earpiece.
BREEP BREEP
"Shotakon, this is Ronin. I found a weapon. What is it?"
"Oh, that's a PP-2000. It's a Russian submachine gun, kind of their answer to the P90. Might be useful, especially with that silencer."
Keitaro frowned. He didn't really want to kill anyone, but... Well, better to be safe than sorry. "All right..." He snagged two spare clips, slid them into his pouches, and added the PP-2000 to his backpack. "I'm taking the lake route."
"Mind your surroundings at all times, Ronin. Miss Cat's senses are supposed to be very good, to say nothing of the other magic girls employed by this base," Athena advised.
"Other magic girls?" Ronin asked.
"Midas is looking through the records-It seems this same teacher's been putting a lot of her former students into this program. We're trying to find her but she's unusually difficult to locate," Athena said. "Just be careful."
Ronin nodded. "Roger." He set out over the snow, avoiding a spotlight cast from a tower on the wall ahead. Blending in with it, he climbed over it, and checked with his... HAITI-ATE for guards. Two were on top of the wall, walking and keeping an eye on things. Keitaro waited for them to pass, before he vaulted over the wall and jumped over the battlement.
"Huh?" One of the guards called.
"What?"
"Did you hear something?" The first guard asked. Keitaro crawled down, slowly, blended with the wall.
"What?"
The first guard sighed in disgust. "Take those earbuds out right now!"
"Sorry sir... No, I didn't hear anything..."
"You keep this up and I'll take that damn iPod away," he threatened.
"Oh come on sir!"
Leaving the two guards to argue, Keitaro blended with the snow, and set out across it. He zig-zagged, not following a regular course, all across the snow to minimize the chance of anyone watching to think his movements were those of a person.
Finally, he hit the treeline, and adjusted his camo to be darker as he headed into the shadows.
Okay... The lake is frozen, good... I'll just see where it's thickest and scoot across, Ronin thought. He engaged the HAITI-ATE, and caught sight of something... A bit unusual some distance from the lake. A strong heat source.
BREEP BREEP
"Yes Ronin?" Midas asked snootily.
"Midas, are there any hot springs around here?" Keitaro asked.
"Of course not, why?"
"Because I think I'm looking at one right now... Stand by," Keitaro replied. He got down and crawled, rather quickly, over the snow towards the heat source. He crawled underneath some bushes, and adjusted the HAITI-ATE to night vision.
No way... It was a hot spring... Surrounded by rocks, with hot, steaming water...
"Haaa!" A girl emerged from the water, and threw her head back with a laugh.
Keitaro's face went bright red. Oh boy... It figures...
She was Japanese, and like Sakaki, she was stacked and tall. Unlike Sakaki, she had short, spiky hair, tanned skin, and... Wolf ears?
"This is so great!" She enthused. She sniffed the air, and smirked.
"Mmmm... Do I have a peeper?" She asked.
"Yes, you do."
"GAH!" Keitaro shouted, as he was kicked out from under the bushes and sent into the hot spring. "CRAP!"
Keitaro managed to keep his cool under the water, and shot up to the surface, gasping for breath. Just in time for the hot girl with wolf ears to get behind him and put him in an arm and head lock. "URK!"
"Awww... Now really Cat, did you have to mess with my prey?" The girl pouted as she tightened her grip. Normally Keitaro would enjoy feeling a girl's breasts pressed against his back, but definitely not while getting choked. He wasn't into that kind of play.
Sakaki emerged from the shadows of the forest, eyes slightly narrowed.
"No Wolf..."
"You're all so determined to keep me from getting laid," Wolf pouted.
"Gurk!" Keitaro struggled, but Wolf kept the pressure on.
"Get his mask," Wolf said. Cat complied, and Keitaro grimaced even more as his face was exposed. Wolf looked over his shoulder and grinned.
"Awww... He's cute! Can't you let me have him, please?"
"We should report him to the General," Cat replied. Keitaro's eyes rolled back, and he slumped forward. Cat sighed.
"You made him pass out."
"Well you wouldn't let me just seduce him!" Wolf growled, letting her arm up off of Keitaro's neck. She turned him around and smirked, caressing his face. "You can go get the troops... I'll take care of-"
Keitaro's head fell back, and snapped forward. His HAITI-ATE had stayed on even without his mask, and he slammed his protected foreheard into Wolf's.
"AGH!" She cried.
"Thanks for the invitation, I'm really flattered, but I need to go!" Keitaro said, shoving Kagura away and jumping up onto the nearest rock. He turned his head and saw Cat leaping forward, jump-kicking, and barely managed to jump out of the way.
"Oooh... Oh no you don't," Wolf growled, rubbing her forehead. "You're not getting away from me that easily!"
Ronin kicked off another rock and landed on the far side of the spring. He took off at a run, and felt rather than heard Cat right on his heels. He sped up, and broke through onto the lake.
"W-Woah!" Keitaro cried, slipping and landing on his stomach. "OOF!" He slid fast, but he managed to get enough traction to get to his feet-Just in time to be knocked down again by Cat's kick. "ERK!"
"I do not wish to harm you," Cat said. "But you should surrender."
Keitaro got back to his feet, and shook his head. He took a deep breath, and produced his knife and his tranq gun.
"I don't surrender," he said flatly, assuming the fighting position that had been trained and practically beaten into him. Cat nodded, and assumed her own fighting position.
"I see... My name is Silent Cat. What is yours?"
"Ronin," Keitaro replied. Sakaki nodded.
"Very well..." She began walking to the right, and Keitaro walked to the left. They sized eachother up even as they got a feel for the "ground" under their feet.
"The ice is unstable," Cat said at last. Keitaro nodded.
"Yep... Want to fight somewhere else?"
"If you were so inclined-"
"HEEEYAAAAHHH!" Both turned to see Wolf jump up high, wielding a rocket launcher. "TAKE THIS!"
"Oh no!" Cat cried, as the rocket launcher went off. Keitaro shoved her out of the way as the rocket impacted, and exploded. KABOOM!
"AAAAHHHH!" Wolf cried, crashing one of the shattered pieces of ice. The entire lake's surface began to break apart, leaving Keitaro and Cat on different blocks of ice.
"Damnit," he muttered. Wolf surfaced, coughing loudly.
"Wolf..." Cat could only glare at Wolf, who looked bashful as she clung desperately to the block of ice.
"Sorry... HEY! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"
Keitaro leaped from one block of ice to another, using his ki grip to stay on them. "Hurph!" He landed hard on another block of ice, and looked over his shoulder as Wolf and Cat began to pursue him in a similar manner. "Grr...!"
Cat reached him first, lashing out with lightning speed as she punched him. Keitaro managed to deflect it, jumping away to another ice piece. Wolf jumped up, landing on top of him.
"GAH!" Keitaro spun around, sending them both into the icy water. SPLASH!
"MMRGLE!" Wolf cried, flailing about. He realized the shock of the cold water was making it hard for her to swim. He grabbed onto her and swam hard and fast, dragging her up to the surface.
"PWAH!" Wolf cried. Keitaro shoved her onto the nearest block of ice, before he pulled himself up too. He thanked the fact his suit was waterproof, to say nothing of it apparently keeping him warm. Cat landed nearby, unsure. Keitaro shook his head, and picked Wolf up in his arms.
"Here... She's freezing," he said, handing her over. Cat took her into her arms.
"So are you," she said. Wolf coughed and shivered.
"I'm fine," he said.
"What is your intention here, Ronin?" She asked.
"I'm just looking around for the UN," he said. "You do realize your boss is involved in some... Illegal things, right?"
"Such as?" Sakaki asked. Keitaro explained what he knew, Wolf and Cat listening.
"How do you expect us to believe you?" Cat asked at last.
Keitaro took a deep breath. "Because... The only way you'll stop me is by killing me," he said, looking right into her eyes. "And... You're not the kind of person to do that."
They stared at eachother for a few moments, before Cat nodded slowly.
"... You will not harm anyone inside?" She asked. Ronin shook his head.
"Not if I can help it."
"You will not harm anyone inside," she said. Ronin nodded.
"All right..." He turned and jumped over the last few pieces of ice, until he hit the shore. He adjusted his camo, and set off towards the fortress. Wolf shivered, and Cat turned to head for the hot springs.
"G-G-Geez, you're r-r-really going to l-let him in?" Wolf asked, teeth chattering. Cat nodded.
"He did save you..."
"I-I-I would've b-been f-f-fine..." Wolf licked her lips. "B-B-But I d-do like h-him..."
Sakaki's cheeks turned red. "I must admit... I like him too..."
- - - - - - -
But, one thing bothers me and that is Kei's constant lack of knowledge about his gear. If they had time enough to train him for the job they would have enough time to show him his gear. If nothing else, the flight time before the drop would be spent on a gear check.