Terror Infinity Side B

Chapter 14, BTOOOM

Shuai... Wasn't thrilled with being forced to be the bait, but after being told that he would revive compensation and that I wanted him to be my comrade, he stopped looking at the world like it was going to end. It was unlikely that he would endanger us anyways, but I felt better afterwards.

Shin: So... What should I do? I need to come up with ideas to defeat the enemy, but first... I should speak with everyone.

I knew that I couldn't keep worrying about Shuai forever, but my own role in tomorrow's battle is far more dangerous and demanding then his own, but I couldn't let it go. Not to necessary talk to the others about battle tactics and ideas, but to learn where they all stand. Once the final unit of Btooom Soldiers and Btooom Commander arrive tomorrow, everyone here will all become my comrades in this final battle before Ryuta Sakamoto appears.

What I want to know more then their combat ability... Is what they all thought of the plan of forcing Shuai to take the role as bait. I knew where I stood on the matter, but since they will become my comrades tomorrow I was curious.

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I first went over and spoke to Misaki to begin my investigation, no I mean my talk about the Shuai subject. I began with Misaki since I hadn't had the time to talk to him 1 on 1 since this mission began and that he was oddly quite about the matter. Still, ge must have been fine with it in some capacity since he voted for the plan.

Misaki: So you want to know why I voted for Shuai being the bait?

Shin: Yes, if it isn't some big secret or anything. Along with Aqua you haven't interacted much with Shuai or the other newbies, so I was curious as to why you would go along with Saki? Was it just that you didn't care?

Misaki: ...

Misaki was unexpectedly quite and a minute later he finally spoke his reasons.

Misaki: Do you know how I helped Aqua fight the Btooom Soldiers and Commanders over the last three days?

Shin: No. I don't. What happened?

Misaki: Nothing. I wasn't able to, or better yet Aqua didn't need my help with defeating the enemy. We worked together to get our required Chips just like you and Hikari did, although she had her by the time we met up, but when they showed up I was of no use at all.

Then Misaki explained things from his point of view. In their first encounter with the enemy on Day 3, Aqua left Misaki behind to fight the Btooom Soldiers and Commander by herself. Just like I did, Aqua could feel the great danger they possessed and went to test their abilities alone, leaving Misaki behind. She knew that Misaki wasn't going to be much help in such a battle.

Then an hour later, coming back unharmed, yet clearly exhausted was Aqua. Her Adamantium claws, Nen and Werewolf enhancements allowed her to greatly out do her opponents. Where as I had trouble with their sturdy Sci-fi armor, Aqua's claws with or without Nen reinforcement could cut through them. At the the time, seeing the aftermath of the battle, a burned down jungle Misaki only thought that Aqua was incredible and didn't give much thought on how he wasn't helpful. The next day however he began to think differently.

On Day 4, Aqua went off alone again to fight the enemy ( I am kinda pissed he just kept letting her do that ) and half hour later she already came back after claiming victory. Misaki ( And I ) were impressed by this, but what drew his attention was that she wasn't alone. Aqua had brought back an heavily injured Btooom Soldier on her shoulders. He didn't have his BIM Launcher and his infinite BIM attachment was destroyed. She threw the enemy on the ground right before Misaki and told him to defeat him ( Are you Biscuit Kruger? ).

Aqua reasoning was that Misaki needed to gain experience fighting the enemy in case something ever happens to her. First, she would have him fight an injured Btooom Soldier who could no longer use BIM, but armored suit still gave enhanced strength above the average man. Misaki struggle at first, but won in the end.

Then on Day 5, earlier today, Aqua had Misaki do the same thing. She would defeat the enemy and bring back a Btooom Soldier with for Misaki to fight. This time, the enemy wasn't nearly as injured as before and still had the ability to use BIM. Aqua had thought Misaki would struggle with this level of difficulty And surprisingly this turned out not to be true. Misaki immediately avoided BIM attacks, struck the Btooom Soldier to cause him to fall over and placed his own BIM into the enemy's mouth, their only weakness and killing the now headless enemy.

It was later after this that they found three NPCs and met up with our group.

Shin: And so... Your reasoning for voting for this plan is?

Misaki: It felt shameful that Aqua had to force feed me combat experience, but you know, I am better for it and next time I will have the confidence to face one of them without Aqua looking after me. Aren't you and Hikari better off as well after fighting the very first unit of Btooom Soldiers and Btooom Commander? More then anyone else here you guys understand the threat of the enemy better then Saki and the others. I feel that it is better to know and experience first hand then to be taken care by others and staying hidden in safety.

Shin: So Shuai is...

Misaki: This is for his own good if he will be fighting alongside us in future missions. From what I have heard, Shuai has been relying on that Saki, Kampa and Zero to collect his required Chips. Someone like him who hides behind others... I can't and won't allow him to watch my back. As the saying says, ' Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime'. If Shuai can rely on himself, believe in his comrades and live, then he will become a man I, and who we all can trust with are lives.

Shin: And if he dies?

Misaki: ...Then he was never meant to become one of us. It is better if he leaves the team now then later.

Shin: ...

It was honestly surprising. Hearing what Misaki had to say just now just showed me how much he has matured. Not only can he face death head on, he is capable of looking at reality, using his head and can think about others. He has come a long way, and for the better from the guy I knew and H.OT.D who said doing inhuman things to survive was wrong. It was a little sad to see that, but... He was now a guy that I could leave my back to in tomorrow battle.

Shin: Hey, Misaki.

Misaki: What is it?

Shin: Tomorrow lets survive no matter what.

Misaki: ...Of course. And not just that either. Everyone seems to be counting on you the most for tomorrow, but it is going to be me who saves the day and defeats the most enemies. I can't allow you to keep outdoing me in both points and rewards.

Shin: You can try, but it is impossible. Not only am I the better looking male character here, I am also the MC. It is impossible for you too catch up to me in so many ways.

Misaki: Do you want to die!

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Hikari: Why did I vote to kill off Shuai?

Shin: ...No. I was asking you about why you agreed to a plan that used Shuai as bait. Don't kill him off already!

Hikari's reason is short, simple and all around justified. After Day 2's events, where no one other than me offered to go to her aid when she was hunted down by the enemy, Hikari doesn't see anyone other then Aqua, Misaki and me as comrades worth protecting.

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She has bonded with the others while I was unconscious and is grateful that they helped the two of us, but she can't get the memory of them not hesitating to abandon her after being marked by the Btooom Commander out of her mind.

Shin: I guess I really can't blame you can I, but I do hope you can get pass this for the sake of future missions. Holding onto a grudge, even if justified could lead to a bad mistake occurring later on.

Hikari: ...I'll try my best, but don't keep your hopes up. At the very least nothing will be resolved till the end of this mission.

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Kampa: My reason isn't very complex. I just don't trust Shuai. It's my assessment from my years as a mercenary.

Shin: As an mercenary?

Kampa then began to speak to me in a very serious tone of voice.

Kampa: That's right. We value unity in the mercenary’s creed. During battle, you put your back to your comrades. This is the basic trust and rule. But in order to achieve these two points, the other party must be someone you acknowledged and must not be a burden. Although he doesn't speak much, I think Zero is thinking the same thing. We live in a different environment than you normal civilian. We are more suited to survive in this dimension. To me, these missions are just regular mercenary missions. Saki did the right thing. She chose to have the majority of us live and successfully complete the mission. Shuai... doesn't make me feel that I could trust my back to him as he is now.

Shin: Then are you fine with me watching your back? Because I fought and defeated the enemy once, Saki is going to plan our attack with me in mind. Can you trust this 'Normal Civilian'?

Kamap: You don't have to worry about that. The fact that you risked your life to save a girl in need and created a miracle through your own power and determination, already makes you no longer your average civilian. Maybe not a soldier. Perhaps a warrior or hero... But whatever you are I know I can trust my back to you and I hope that you can do the same. As a mercenary, I have learned that the greatest key to success doesn't lie with physical or mental strength, but the combined power of reliable teammates by your side.

Shin: ...

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Zero: I don't trust or like Shuai. If he dies too bad and if he lives then he lives. Long as he can be useful let him be useful.

Shin: Is that all?

Zero: ...

How Short. I guess assassins are not much for talking things out.

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Aqua: As for me, I don't care either way. Using Shuai as bait or giving him no choice in the matter.

Aqua made it clear that she was completely detach from the situation. Not only wouldn't she be joining us in the attack tomorrow she didn't care if any of the newbies like Shuai died. I bet even if the the planned failed she still had the confidence to defeat any enemies left on the island all alone even if it left her weaker for the final battle.

Shin: So you really have no concerns about what is going on? You believe Saki is correct.

Saki: My problem isn't the groups decision, but how we all arrived to it. It could have been worse, but Saki deliberately lead us all to the conclusion that Shuai needed to be sacrificed. She said it was our best option, but there are no such thing as just one absolute right answer. Saki was planning ahead for the future and had determined that...

Shin: Shuai needed to be outed from the team?

Aqua: Exactly.

Shin: Do we need to be worried about our future dealings with her then? Like, does she want to take over the team and have anyone that gose against her expelled/killed?

Aqua: I don't think she is the type to go that far. For her she won't hesitate to get rid of anyone unnecessary, and lucky this is a pretty good team.

Aqua was certainly right about that.

TEAM JAPAN MEMBER LIST:

Shin - A one mission survivor who lucked into a lot of points his first mission. Has B rank reward S Rated One-eyed Ghoul genetic mutation and B rank Advance Level Ki Energy. Has also unlocked the First Stage of the Genetic Constraint.

Aqua - The JSDF navel officer, former Olympic swimming prospect and six time veteran of God's Mission Worlds. Possess an infinite ammo sci-fi gun, Nen/Aura and has the genetic mutations of Wolverine and a Werewolf, both at the B rank.

Hikari - A hacker genius wanted by multiple law enforcement agencies.

Misaki - Former biker gang leader who can fight and has automobile repair experience.

Saki - A military scientists who excels at analysis.

Kampa - A world ranked mercenary of many battlefields.

Zero - An assassin who specializes in long distance sniping.

And then there is Shuai...

Shin: Shuai is the odd man out, huh? If this was a slightly more normal team then he may have just fitted in with his knowledge of novel, new and old, but wait. Saki also abandoned Hikari to her fate when she was comprised the team.

Aqua: For that, I won't particularly blame her. When Hikari had that laptop she was an important asset to the team, but when you were being chased because of her it was the right call to leave her behind. If I was there things could have been different, but Saki is only human despite possessing vast knowledge. She could only do so much when confronted with the terrors of this world for the first time and I bet the situation may have pressured and altered her judgment as well. That is why I won't hold what happed against her... But just be more aware of what she says. Without you knowing it you and the others may be manipulated.

Shin: You won't be?

Aqua: I dealt with a person like Saki before and was burned by him, so I am more self-aware then you are.

Shin: I see. What happened to him?

Aqua: I made my way behind him and slit his throat during his second mission.

Shin: ...

Aqua: If it matters he was more of an emotionless, and cold hearted villain then Saki could ever be. Despite everything Saki is still a girl.

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Saki wasn't worth talking to since we all knew her stand point.

Saki saw her plan as their best chance at surviving this ordeal and that Shuai, the least useful member who has helped the least should be the bait. I suspected that she hasn't liked him from the very start, but a smart and logical women like her wouldn't purposely choose Shuai based on her feelings alone. Especially not when our lives hanged in the balance.

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Where do I myself stand... It is simple.

I know how important it is for a team to work together. And no one is absolutely useless. If that was true then I wouldn't have grown so much after just one and a half missions.

The reason why I tried to comfort Shuai is simple. It is because I want to get him into our group, to acknowledge our group. To the point that when he really got to a situation where he had to sacrifice himself to save the group, he will do it for the people he trusts. I know Saki's methods are perhaps right, but... if we all trust each other and face these horrors together we win over them. Saki and the others have their own ways and I have my way of fighting!

No matter what, we will all live and together at that, and as the main character... That is what I want my team to be like!

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Authors Note:

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