LIGHTNOVELONLINE 9 – Into the Storm
I felt doubt in my best friend when I reached out for her: the confident posture seemed to shift, hunched slightly into her shoulders, as if to fend off some sort of rejection. I gave a soft smile and stepped closer, my voice gentle but firm.
"You'll be the essential asset to team Isokaze, I mean that." I leaned forward and laid my hand on her arm, feeling the latent warmth beneath her sleeve. "We stick together, whatever happens."
Her lips shook into a smile, her signature smirking now replaced with something much more delicate. One tear escaped and rolled along her cheek; she brushed it away, embarrassed. "Thank you, Fusō," she whispered with a barely audible voice.
"You're welcome," I said, releasing my reassuring squeeze on her arm.
The next hour was training in the academy's open yard, spurring one another harder than usual. The air was filled with the clangs of the swords and rhythmic thudding of footsteps, but my mind still swam back to Isokaze. She wasn't being herself today; she was perturbed by something; though she tried concealing her perturbation, her eyes betrayed her.
Suddenly, we were cut off. A voice hailed us, sharp and urgent. "Fusō, Isokaze!"
We both turned to see another shipgirl coming towards us, her stride quick. Her eyes were hard, professional. "Someone special wants to see you both in private," she said, in a manner that refused questions.
Isokaze and I looked at each other, our faces scrunched in confusion. I hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright," I said. What choice did we have?.
A car was waiting for us outside of the academy, its windows tinted so no one could see inside. Getting in, it felt like something was off. Isokaze stared out the window, lost to her thoughts. The city flashed by, but something about this whole excursion felt wrong.
"Where are we going?" I asked the shipgirl sitting in the front passenger seat.
She didn't face her back. "You don't need to know," she said briefly, her voice cold. "We'll be there shortly."
My response didn't agree too well with me, but I said nothing more, turning to exchange a look with Isokaze. She shrugged, apparently just as perplexed as I was. Minutes passed in uncomfortable silence, with the tension in that car thickening, it seemed, with every second.
After what felt like an eternity, the car finally slowed, pulling up to a building that I didn't recognize. It was large, imposing, with an air of importance that immediately made me uneasy. The stone exterior was meticulously polished, and armed guards stood at every entrance, their sharp eyes watching us as we stepped out of the car. I glanced around, taking in the size of the place. It wasn't just any building-this was headquarters of some sort, constructed for people with real power.
"Why here?" I muttered, but didn't get to say anything else because several men in black suits emerged and stepped forward, gesturing for us to follow. Their faces were expressionless, not a flicker of emotion crossing their visages.
The very long, dimly lit hallway, with every step I made, showed upon ominous echoes that surrounded me. And at some distance, there was a faint humming of machinery. It really felt like we were being led to the heart of something so much greater than we had anticipated. Really, my heart pounded within my chest while a sense of dread built up with each passing moment.
We finally stopped in front of a large door with a brass plate that read "Commander Rachel." I shot another nervous glance to Isokaze. Why would the commander want to see us-two cadets-without any warning?
The men in black stepped aside, and I took a deep breath before pushing the door open. In we went, and if I was to be proven right, Commander Rachel stood behind her desk, back to us as she stared out of the window. There was tension in the air in no more time, and instinctively, I found myself bowing my head. So did Isokaze.
"Welcome, Fusō and Isokaze," the commander grated out, words sharp, almost impatient. She turned to face us, eyes that seemed to pierce the air. "I suppose you haven't heard the news yet?"
I swallowed nervously. "What news?" I asked, trying to get above a mouse-like squeak.
Commander Rachel's eyes narrowed. "There have been sightings of the Black Armada."
The room seemed to grow colder on the mention of that name. Isokaze went rigid beside me, and I could feel my own pulse quicken. We'd been hearing the whispers of the Black Armada for weeks, the rumors coursing like wildfire through the cadets. But none had confirmed it… until then.
"They have been on the move lately," the commander proceeded, her eyes still not leaving ours. "But we do not have much information about them. That is why I summoned you here. I need to know whether you are ready to assist us. You two have been under observation for quite a while, and by the way you perform. you are the ideal ships for this mission."
I blinked, my head racing to catch up. "Us?" I echoed, turning to glance at Isokaze-who also looked about as shocked as I did. "But we're only cadets-"
The commander cut me off with a raise of her hand. "You may be cadets, but you're also exceptional. And we can't afford to wait. The Black Armada is something that we can't afford to ignore.
There was a very long silence as Isokaze and I digested her words. My mind was racing back, trying to recall every little thing I had ever heard about this phantom fleet. Who were they? What was the purpose? Why were we chosen for this?
Finally, I nodded. "We'll do whatever we can to help," I said, though my voice wasn't as sure as it sounded.
Isokaze nodded beside me. "We're ready."
Commander Rachel's stern look broke for a second. "You aren't going to be going in blind," she assured us. "You will have backup from several aircraft carriers and ships coming from our fleet, but you must be under your guard. We can't take any chances whatsoever, especially if you run into the fog.
Her warning hung heavy and foreboding in the air. I breathed hard, willing myself to push the rising anxiety back down. There was no going back now.
We turned to leave, and that was when the commander and her officers did something to take me by surprise: they bowed to us. It was a little gesture, but it meant everything to me. I turned to Isokaze, who looked just about as startled.
The mission weighing heavily on our minds, like a thick fog, as we walked back toward the car. I turned to Isokaze, "Was that a good idea?" I asked low in my voice.
Isokaze faltered; her head hung in shame. "I'm not sure.I just want to be a help to someone."
I nodded slowly. "I agree. Let's talk more when we get back to the dorms.
She gave me a little, uncertain nod; we laughed nervously as we got back into the car. The ride back proved much different: now we talked about anything and everything-our training, silly memories, the most random of things we could think of. Laughing felt good, even if it was only momentary reprieve from the heavy mantle of responsibility hanging on us.
But no matter how hard we tried to distract ourselves, this unsettled feeling remained in my chest. There was a stench in the air; it was that unshakeable feeling that this mission would change everything.