The sun was setting over Grossaint.
Orange light bled across the broken skyline, catching on shattered glass, burnt-out towers, and the black silhouettes of alien ships hovering in the distance.
Himiko jumped out of the van. Her boots hit concrete.
The base stood ahead—if it could even be called a base.
Metal shields had been ripped from alien corpses and stolen from broken pods, then dragged into place by MEI soldiers. They formed jagged walls around the street, layered one behind another.
Crude.
Improvised.
Alive.
The shields hummed.
Forcefields flickered in pale blue sheets, bending the air around them.
Behind them, soldiers talked.
Some laughed.
Some passed around ration packs.
A few smiled at her as she passed.
"Captain Suzuki."
"Blossom."
"Good work out there."
She nodded back.
Smiled when she had to.
But something about it sat wrong in her chest.
Too many smiles.
Too many easy voices.
They were in the middle of a war.
So why did it feel like a break room?
Gunfire cracked in the distance.
A few soldiers glanced up.
Then went right back to talking.
Himiko's jaw tightened.
No.
She couldn't shake the uneasiness from her mind.
She found Harden near the centre of the base, standing over a fold-out map spread across the hood of an armoured car. Two soldiers waited beside him while a quartermaster flipped through a clipboard.
"Move the second squad to the north barricade," Harden said. "Keep eyes on the east road. If they push, we collapse inward."
"Yes, sir."
Without a second thought, the agents moved.
"And rations?" Harden asked.
The quartermaster sighed. "In store? A day. Maybe two if we stretch it."
"Delivery?"
"On the way."
"Good. Make sure water goes first. Food second."
The quartermaster nodded and walked off.
Harden turned.
His face softened slightly.
"Suzuki."
"Harden. You're looking alive."
"Oh yeah? You look better when you're not at the end of an alien pistol."
"Thanks," Himiko chuckled.
"Take it as a compliment, princess."
"Didn't feel like one."
He smiled.
Then the smile faded.
She stepped beside him and looked at the map.
"What's the situation?"
Harden tapped the university campus in the centre.
"We tracked the ones from the shelter. They pulled back here."
Grossaint University.
Himiko stared at the marked buildings.
Her stomach sank.
"They're… using it as a base?"
"Looks like it."
"Are there still students?"
"Still inside."
The words landed like a boulder.
Himiko looked up toward the distant campus.
Old colonial buildings. Glass lecture halls. Student accommodation blocks.
All of it caught behind enemy lines.
Harden continued.
"We've set up multiple forward bases around the perimeter. North, west, south. They're boxed in."
He tapped the centre of the map again.
"The problem is the campus is huge. Too many buildings. Too many blind spots. And they've got shielding technology we haven't fully figured out yet."
Himiko's hand drifted toward the hilt of her katana.
"And that bastard?"
Harden didn't ask who.
He knew.
The alien in the black coat. The boss.
The one who had stood over her.
Punched her to the ground.
Pointed a gun at her head like she was nothing.
Harden's expression darkened.
"Somewhere inside the base."
Her fingers tightened.
A convoy rumbled into the base.
Cheers erupted.
The two's eyes followed.
Three tanks rolled through the street, escorted by armoured MEI trucks. Their treads crushed glass and debris beneath them. Soldiers stepped aside.
"Here's the artillery."
The cheering grew louder.
Someone whistled.
Someone clapped the side of a tank as it passed.
Himiko didn't cheer.
Neither did Miko.
She stood a little way off, staring at the campus—quiet as she looked down at her feet, painting shapes on the floor.
Connie's red bandana hung around her neck, shifting slightly in the evening wind.
Kaoru noticed first.
He stepped beside her.
"You okay?"
Miko didn't answer straight away.
Her eyes strayed to the university.
Then she said,
"I want to ask Himiko something."
Kaoru glanced at Himiko—back at her.
"About what?"
She didn't respond.
Miko walked over.
Himiko looked at her.
"What is it?" Himiko took a step towards her.
Miko swallowed.
"I should go insi—"
"No."
Instant.
Sharp.
Miko blinked.
"You didn't even let me—"
"I know what you were going to say."
"I can go invisible—"
"No."
"I can sneak in, check for survivors—"
"No, I'm not letting you go in on your own."
Miko's mouth tightened.
"Himiko—"
"If something happens in there, no one can help you."
"It's not any safer out here."
"We don't know what's inside."
"That's why someone needs to look."
Himiko stepped closer.
"Not until we know it's safe."
Miko stared at her.
For a second, the noise of the base seemed to shrink.
The soldiers.
The tanks.
The distant gunfire.
All of it fading behind the look in Miko's eyes.
"I'll be in and out," Miko said. "I won't fight. I won't engage. I'll just look for survivors."
"No."
"Who else can?"
Himiko didn't answer.
Miko's voice rose.
"There are people in there. Students. People hiding under desks, inside cupboards, wherever they can fit. We need to help them."
Himiko took a deep breath—exhaled slowly.
She remained silent.
"So let me go."
"I said no."
Miko's fingers curled around the red bandana.
"You always rush in."
Himiko froze.
Miko's voice shook now, but she didn't stop.
"You don't give anyone else a chance."
Kaoru and Aiko looked at each other.
Himiko's throat tightened.
"Because…" Her voice came out quieter than she expected. "Because I know what I'm getting into."
Miko looked at her.
"No, you don't."
Silence.
The words hit harder than they should have.
Himiko opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Miko stepped closer.
"None of us do."
Her grip tightened around Connie's bandana.
"But I can do this."
Pause.
"Let me do it."
Himiko looked at the bandana.
Red fabric.
She traced the white paisley pattern.
Connie's.
Her chest ached.
Kaoru stepped in gently.
"Himiko."
She looked at him.
He smiled, but not like he was joking.
"Come on, let the girl prove herself."
Miko nodded quickly—stepped closer.
"If I stay here, I'm useless."
"You're not useless," Himiko said.
"I feel useless."
That shut her up.
Kaoru scratched the back of his head.
"She can literally go invisible. No one will know."
Aiko folded her arms.
"I hate to admit it, but nerd boy's got a point."
Kaoru pointed at her. "First of all, shut your mouth."
"Second of all, you're damn right I do."
Himiko closed her eyes.
Breathed in.
Out.
In and out.
Then opened them.
"Fine."
Miko's eyes widened.
"Thank—"
"But you listen to me." Himiko pointed at her. "In and out. You check what's happening, look for survivors, then come back. You do not engage. You do not play hero. You do not improvise."
Miko's grin spread wide.
Too wide.
"I promise, boss. Nothing crazy. In and out."
Himiko narrowed her eyes.
"I mean it."
"I know."
Miko looked at Kaoru with a smile—winked.
"Thanks."
Kaoru smiled.
"Don't mess it up, Invisigirl."
Miko rolled her eyes.
Then her body shimmered.
The red bandana vanished last.
Himiko stared at the space where she'd been.
Empty air.
She hated this.
But she trusted her.
Or maybe she just wanted to.
A burst of gunfire cracked against the shields.
The forcefield flashed.
A sharp metallic ring screamed through the base.
Soldiers ducked.
Some raised rifles.
Harden didn't even flinch.
"Relax!" he shouted. "Skirmish fire!"
Another volley struck the shields.
Blue light rippled across the barricade.
Himiko turned to him.
"Normal?"
"For the last hour, yeah." Harden watched the shield flicker. "They shoot. We shoot back. Then that's it."
"That's strange."
"Strange is the baseline today."
Himiko stepped closer to the shield line.
Another burst of alien fire hammered against the barrier.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Each impact left a bright ripple.
Uncomfortable. Like a bell struck inside her skull.
She stared through the blue distortion.
The campus sat ahead.
Dark-tinted windows.
Still buildings.
No movement.
Dead still.
Back at the academy, they'd taught skirmish tactics as pressure tools. Harass the line. Test defences. Distract from movement.
Distract.
That word dug into her.
If they weren't advancing…
What were they covering?
Her hand tightened around her sword.
Something's wrong.
Gunfire echoed across the courtyard—
through the walls—
into the classroom.
George slammed the door shut and shoved a desk against it.
Then another—
and another.
His chest rose violently with each breath.
Fast.
Loud.
Everyone stared at him.
Students rose from the floor.
From behind overturned tables,
beneath the windows,
against the walls.
Confusion plastered on each of their faces.
"What's going on?"
"Did something happen?"
"Are they coming?"
The girl near the door folded her arms.
"I told you. You shouldn't have gone out there."
George ignored her.
His hands shook against the desk.
A single bead of sweat rolled down his forehead—dripped onto the floor.
"We need to find a way out," he said.
The room went quiet.
Someone scoffed.
"Out there—?"
"We're safer here."
"No, we're not."
A guy in a hoodie stepped forward. "It's hell outside."
George turned to him.
"There's… something inside."
No one spoke.
Two students looked at each other.
Then…
click.
Small—metallic.
Everyone froze.
Click.
Click.
Clickclickclickclickclick.
Behind the walls.
George slowly turned toward the wall.
A thin black leg slipped through a crack near the skirting board.
Then another.
Then six more.
A metal spider crawled into the room.
Tiny.
Black.
Too smooth.
Its red eye blinked.
Then more followed.
Through the vents.
Through the ceiling cracks.
Under the door.
Dozens.
A girl screamed.
George's stomach dropped.
"Oh, shit."
The spiders moved at once.
But outside…
Everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
Himiko stood near the shield wall, staring at the campus.
The gunfire had stopped a while ago.
No shots.
No movement.
No alien silhouettes in the distance.
Just the dying light of sunset and the low hum of stolen shields.
Around her, the base had changed.
The smiles were thinner now; voices quieter.
Soldiers whispered in small groups, eyes drifting toward the university again and again.
Suspicion moved through the base like cold air.
A shout broke out near the supply truck.
Himiko turned.
One soldier stood in front of the quartermaster, arms spread.
"I'm asking for one drink."
The quartermaster pinched the bridge of his nose.
"And I'm saying no."
"We've got the campus surrounded. Tanks just arrived. Come on… Let's celebrate."
Himiko walked over.
The soldier saw her and straightened slightly.
Not enough.
"We're not drinking," she said.
He looked at her.
"With respect, Captain, everyone's been through hell. Morale matters."
"So does staying alive."
He gestured toward the tanks.
"With those here, this siege is basically over. They underestimated us."
Himiko stared at him.
The words bothered her.
Basically over.
Underestimated us.
Too easy.
Too comfortable.
"There are students inside that campus," she said. "Waiting for us. When they're safe… then we can relax."
His jaw shifted.
"But until then?"
Her voice hardened.
"Focus."
Silence.
Then the ground shook.
Not from gunfire.
Not from tanks.
Something heavier.
Himiko turned.
A low roar rolled across the sky.
Aiko appeared beside her, rifle in hand.
"Please tell me that's ours."
Kaoru joined them, eyes narrowed.
Harden's brows lowered.
Ships cut across the sunset.
Black shapes.
Fast.
Half a dozen.
They swept over the campus and angled down toward the streets surrounding the MEI base.
Harden shouted behind them.
"Positions!"
Soldiers scattered.
Boots slammed against concrete.
Rifles lifted.
The alien ships dropped low.
Hatches opened.
And soldiers poured out.
Not a few.
Not one squad.
Swarms.
They hit the ground in organised clusters, moving with terrifyingly rehearsed speed. Shields slammed into place—unfolded. Blue forcefields snapped alive.
Group after group.
Street after street.
North.
East.
South.
West.
Himiko's blood went cold.
They weren't trapped.
They hadn't been boxed in.
They had waited.
Let MEI settle.
Let them relax.
Let them believe the siege was theirs.
Then surrounded them.
Harden stepped beside her, face grim.
"…That skirmish fire—"
Himiko swallowed.
"A distraction," Himiko said.
Ahead, alien soldiers locked into defensive positions.
Behind them, more ships descended.
The MEI base stood in the middle of the street, stolen shields humming around it.
And beyond those shields—
an army.
Aiko lowered her voice.
"H-Himiko…?"
Himiko gripped the hilt of her katana tight.
Her hands were steady—
but her heart wasn't.
"Everyone ready."
Kaoru looked at her.
"For what?"
The alien shields lit up in unison.
Himiko stared at the circle closing around them.
"For them to stop playing with us."
Pause.
Then—
the alien shields flared.
The first shot hit.
And the world—
broke.