Back at the Japanese Club room, Aiden could not help but feel frustrated by the immaturity of Heide who went down to Rose's level and further escalated the situation unnecessarily. Not only did she painted Min and the MGs as the instigator of the infighting within her organization, but she also effectively removed the only thing that was keeping the AGs at bay, putting everyone around him in danger of getting hurt.
"God damn it Heide!" Aiden said as he subtly clenched his teeth.
"Fujiyoshi! Lock the door now!" Jazz quickly ordered as Fujiyoshi immediately complied.
"I need to get out of here!" Aiden announced before walking towards the door.
"Kobayashi-Kaichou! Kiken desu! Oyamete kudasai! (President Kobayashi! It's dangerous! Please stop!)" Jazz pleaded as Aiden passed by her.
"The AGs and the other students will be after me, I need to move away from all of you, if not, there's a chance everyone here will get caught up in this mess and end up getting hurt" Aiden countered.
"But you can't go out there by yourself! You'll be easily overwhelmed!" Jazz argued.
"My job as Student Council President is to ensure the safety of all the students under my care. My job as the Japanese Club President is to ensure the safety of all my club members, and I intend on carrying out both, that's why I need to go now before I end up compromising everyone in this room" Aiden responded.
"Then let me at least help you get away from the building safely" Jazz volunteered, internally surprising Aiden, and shocking the other club members in the room.
"Fukukaichou! Dame desu yo! (Vice President! Please don't!)" one of the club members called out.
"He's right, Jazz. You need to stay here and watch our club members in my stead, if we both end up getting hurt out there, our club will be leaderless for a while" Aiden said as he agreed with the club member.
"I cannot in good conscience let you go out there by yourself! The Japanese Club's pride is at stake here, if I allow our Club President, and more importantly the Student Council President go out there by himself knowing full well what could happen, it'll be a dereliction of my duty to protect you as your Vice President and your constituent, I'll go even if it's just me" Jazz stubbornly argued.
"I'll go too" Fujiyoshi said as he held onto the doorknob, surprising everyone.
"Fujiyoshi-kun made? (Fujiyoshi too?)" another Club member reacted.
"Zettai dame! Fujiyoshi-kun wa koko ni matteiru, sore wa meirei da! (Definitely not! Fujiyoshi, you will wait here, that's an order!)" Aiden responded quickly.
"Moushiwakearimasen ga okotowarimasu! (I apologize, but I refuse!)" Fujiyoshi insisted, going as far as disobeying Aiden's direct orders which surprised everyone in the room.
"Nani? (What?)" Aiden reacted, not expecting Fujiyoshi to put himself in harm's way and disobey his order.
"Ore mo Kobayashi-Kaichou ga mamorimatain da! Douka ikasasetekudasai! Onegaiitashimasu, Kaichou! (I also like to protect President Kobayashi! Please let me go! Please Mr. President!)" Fujiyoshi pressed.
"Kimi wa koukan ryuugakusei da! Kega attara sore wa kono Daigaku no sekinin da! Wakaru ka? Sore ga okotta baai, jibunjishin yurushimasen! (You're an International Exchange Student! If you get hurt, it'll be the university's responsibility! Do you understand that? If that happens, I won't be able to forgive myself!)" Aiden countered, concerned about Fujiyoshi's safety.
"Saiaku o kakugo shiteiru! (I'm prepared for the worst!)" Fujiyoshi replied with determination.
"Naze da!? (Why!?)" Aiden asked, unable to understand why Fujiyoshi would go out of his way to help protect him, even though they haven't known each other that long.
"Like what the Vice President said, I also see it as a dereliction of my duty to protect you as a Japanese Club member and your constituent" Fujiyoshi explained as Aiden was left speechless.
"I'll allow it. But stay close to me at all times!" Jazz suddenly interjected after seeing his determination in wanting to help out Aiden.
"Jazz! Do you understand the situation right now!?" Aiden exclaimed.
"I'm fully aware, that's exactly why Fujiyoshi and I are volunteering to escort you to safety!" Jazz replied, her eyes brimming with determination, "We'll go even if you don't want us to!".
"Why do you always have to be so stubborn!?" Aiden replied in a frustrated voice.
"As you know, a subordinate learns for her superior" Jazz retorted earning her a quick scoff from Aiden.
"If you're that dug in, there's no point in arguing about this now. We're only wasting time at this point, and I rather start moving before they know I'm here and this place gets surrounded" Aiden responded as he reluctantly allowed Jazz and Fujiyoshi to escort him out of the building.
Before they could continue further with their discussion another report from WNN's Shirley Lee started, "MJU Wolves! We're getting an urgent message from the Student Council Vice President Grace Manalo advising all students not taking part on the rush to remain indoors and clear the quad as a large number of students, mostly identified as AGs are congregating in that area since this was the last known location where President Kobayashi was spotted. We've also received report from the ROTC's Public Relations Officer that all their active ROTC companies will be deployed throughout the university per Cadet-Colonel Belarmino's orders in order to ensure the student's safety and security".
As Shirley was announcing the message from Grace and the ROTC, three chimes rang out from the PA speaker before a university-wide announcement was made, "Attention to all students, faculty, and staff! Please stay away from the quad if all possible, an imminent rush is about to happen! If you are located in any of the academic buildings within the area please stay indoors. If you're currently in the quad, please clear the area and seek shelter immediately!" the announcement said before another three chimes rang out indicating the end of the announcement.
"It sounds like it's starting to get messy outside" Aiden said after hearing the announcement.
"Okay, here's the plan. After we leave this room, we'll try and breakout on the other side of the building, on the opposite side of the quad. From there I'll make my way to the nearest gate. Once I exit the building, you and Fujiyoshi are to return here and wait for an all-clear announcement" Aiden explained his plan.
"Trying to leave the university huh? That would make sense, if you're no longer on campus, that would remove the entire reason for this rush, and would allow the ROTC to quickly get the situation under control" Jazz surmised as Aiden nodded.
"We need to move fast once we leave this room, no doubt the students in the hallway would spread the word to everyone on campus once they see me. We won't have much time and room to maneuver if that happens since everyone will surround this building" Aiden said as he looked at Jazz and Fujiyoshi.
"Fujiyoshi, check the hallway if it's clear" Jazz instructed as Fujiyoshi slightly opened the door, a handful of students running down the corridor in either direction.
"All of you will stay here, lock the door after we leave, and only open it for Jazz and Fujiyoshi when they return, is that understood?" Aiden said as he looked at the other club members who all nodded.
"Are we clear Fujiyoshi-kun?" Jazz asked before another group of students passed the room.
Back at the 1st and 2nd ROTC Companies' Barracks, Cadet-Captain Francisco took the Nirvana team to the locker rooms so they can suit up for their deployment. The all-black equipment that they were using were an Improved Outer Tactical Vest, fingerless combat gloves, knee pads, elbow pads, tactical military mask, and a tactical throat mic.
"This is going to be your first Rush Level Black deployment, your performance today will decide whether or not the Nirvana team is worthy enough to be President Kobayashi's personal guards" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as the Nirvana team opened their lockers.
"Do we know where President Kobayashi is?" Cadet-Captain Kim asked as he suited up.
"Both ROTC Intelligence and the Student Council is currently working on that, they'll advise once they have a fix on his position. Until then, we'll be joining our main unit and await further deployment orders" Cadet-Captain Francisco said.
"So much for being rarely used" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo commented as he suited up.
"Believe it or not, Rush Level Black is rarely used, it just so happens the Nirvana team came at the worst time possible" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied.
"Ssibal-saekki! What kind of university allows these rushes to exist!" Cadet-Lieutenant Shin complained.
"There have been discussions about entirely removing these rushes, but there's a strong opposition from the majority of the students since it is a unique part of the student culture here, and you can probably say that it's already a tradition dating back from the early days of this university" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied, the vexation on Cadet-Lieutenant Shin's face visible.
"So, what's with the mask? I don't think this is standard issue for a deployment like this" Cadet-Captain Kim asked as he held the black tactical mask up.
"This team will be using the masks to cover our faces, while it is not standard issue, we do use these when we do combat drills using the airsoft guns and paintball guns" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied.
"Given what happened at the quad earlier, it would be a bad idea to show the Nirvana team's faces with all those students out there. If we end up in the same situation earlier, we will be the ones needing help instead of us providing the help. If that happens we'll end up leaving President Kobayashi vulnerable" Cadet-Captain Francisco argued as the Nirvana team made an awkward facial expression as they were reminded of the incident that morning which left their pride, honor, image, and reputation bruised.
"Good point" Cadet-Captain Kim said as he wore the mask over his face.
"For the duration of this operation my callsign will be Q1, Cadet-Captain Kim will be N1, Cadet-Lieutenant Shin will be N2, and Cadet-Lieutenant Heo will be N3. We will also be joined by Cadet-Sergeant Cruz and Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad who are already standing by outside and tapped into the same radio frequency, they will be N4 and N5 respectively. Radio check on my mark" Cadet-Captain Francisco said.
"Q1 to Nirvana team, check in" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed in.
"N1 standing by", "N2 standing by", "N3 standing by", N4 standing by", "N5 standing by".
"Alright Nirvana team, we'll rendezvous in front of the barracks then we'll head to the rally point to get an overview of the deployment plan" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed before she and the Nirvana team left the locker rooms to meet with Cadet-Sergeant Cruz and Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad outside the barracks.
When they stepped outside the barracks, the Nirvana team were left at awe when they saw columns upon columns of cadets heading towards the staging areas close to the gates, as the entirety of the MJU ROTC prepared for a university-wide deployment. After rendezvousing with Cadet-Sergeant Cruz and Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad, the Nirvana team made their way to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ROTC Companies' staging area located at the entrance closest to the quad.
When they arrived at the designated staging area, Cadet-Major Del Rosario, Cadet-Major Montanillo, and Cadet-Captain Torio were in front of the entire 1st – 4th ROTC Companies, all the cadets present standing at attention. Cadet-Captain Francisco along with the Nirvana team walked in front of the entire formation as the cadets up front followed them with their eyes. As Cadet-Captain Francisco walked up to Cadet-Major Del Rosario, she removed her tactical mask before rendering a salute, the Nirvana team saluting as well, but left their masks on.
"Ma'am, Cadet-Captain Francisco and the Nirvana team reporting for duty" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as she lowered her arm.
"I do hope the Nirvana team steps up their game, I don't need a repeat of this morning's performance. This is the real deal, if you fail again, our Student Commander in Chief will certainly end up getting hurt, the volume of students currently gathered and heading towards the quad is estimated to be two to three times larger than the number of students this morning since there are more students that are already finished with their classes, what's more, some of the students are done for the day, so a lot more of them" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she looked at the tallest person behind Cadet-Captain Francisco.
"What are our orders, ma'am?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked.
"Once all of the ROTC Companies are gathered and in position, Cadet-Colonel Belarmino will immediately order the deployment of the entirety of the ROTC minus our reserves. The 1st – 4th will be deployed at the center of the quad so that we'll be able to quickly head to President Kobayashi's position if he's located. The 5th – 14th will also be deployed to the quad to reign in the students converging in the area; meanwhile the 15th and 16th will be deployed around the Administration Building; the 17th and 18th at the vicinity of the International House; the 19th and 20th at the vicinity of the Student Center; the 21st and 23rd outside the ROTC Quarter; the 23rd will remain at the Intelligence Division's Situation Center and will provide real time updates and information as it comes; the 24th will have a field tent set up by the gates, and the 25th will remain on standby inside the ROTC Quarter; Cadet-Colonel Belarmino will be commanding the entire brigade from the Central Command Center" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she briefed Cadet-Captain Francisco on the ROTC deployment.
"Once outside the ROTC Quarter, the Nirvana team will break away from the main formation and proceed behind the student lines and find a secure area where you will remain on standby until either the Student Council or the Intelligence Division find a fix on President Kobayashi. Once we find him, the Nirvana team will proceed to his location, and escort him to either the Administration Building or the Student Center, whichever is closer to where his location is" Cadet-Major Del Rosario continued.
"This operation will utilize four radio channels. The first will be the main communication channel from Central Command; the second will be from the Intelligence Division; the third will be from the Student Council Office; and lastly from the Nirvana team. Your unit will have to carry a manpack radio to be able to receive the different radio frequencies" Cadet-Major Del Rosario added before Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad to grab a manpack radio – a backpack which carries a multi-frequency radio that can receive several radio transmissions simultaneously from different frequency.
"In addition Cadet-Captain Francisco, I'll be temporarily assigning you Cadet-Lieutenant Ryuzei Suzuki, and Cadet-Sergeant Mayu Tanaka from the 17th & 18th ROTC Company. Cadet-Corporal Jane Domingo from the 28th Medical Detachment of the 5th & 6th ROTC Company will be joining you as well" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as Cadet-Sergeant Cruz subtly reacted at the fact that her rival for Min will be joining them.
"Once you find a secure location, Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki, Cadet-Sergeant Tanaka, and Cadet-Corporal Domingo will rendezvous with you" Cadet-Major Del Rosario added as Cadet-Captain Francisco rendered a salute before Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad returned with a backpack on containing the manpack radio.
Back at the Humanities Building, Aiden, Jazz, and Fujiyoshi were able to sneak out of the Japanese Club room without being noticed by the students roaming the hallways. As they moved silently, Aiden could not help but feel nervous for the safety of Jazz and Fujiyoshi, who, unlike his Praetorian Guards, are not trained to be able to protect him in case of a sudden rush, or evasive and rapid movements in tight and enclosed areas like the hallway they were at.
Additionally, with the WiFi and the cellular signals still slowed due to the large volume of traffic caused by the students on campus, there was no way he could call for assistance from either the Student Council or Cadet-Major Del Rosario. Although he still has the radio he had with him earlier, it was too risky to use since it could attract nearby students, and with them being in the basement of the Humanities building, any kind of sound would easily echo throughout the hallway. It would be the same if he radioed for help while in the Japanese Club room, as the ROTC's movement towards the Humanities Building would be like advertising to everyone in the university where he currently is.
"Where's the nearest exit Jazz?" Aiden whispered as they quietly moved down the hallway, crouching.
"We need to get to the other side of the basement. There's an elevator there that would lead up to the ground floor, close to the entrance facing the other side of the quad" Jazz whispered back as they reach a corner, Aiden slowly peeking on the other side to make sure the coast was clear before continuing.
As they were about to come out of the corner, a group of four students wearing a black and blue armband suddenly appeared from another hallway – AG members. One of them holding a handheld radio which was receiving other transmissions from different other radios, "This is team 32, no sign of Aiden so far".
"Shit, AG members on the hallway" Aiden whispered as he quickly backtracked and hid at the corner.
"Why do they have radios? They are always really serious when it comes to you" Jazz whispered back.
"I knew the AGs were organized, but not this organized, damn it Heide!" Aiden whispered.
"Why does it feel like you're being hunted down like a fugitive" Fujiyoshi whispered.
"The AGs are really obsessed with Aiden, and taking any kind of photos, videos, or getting information about him is considered an achievement and an honor, even a single strand of hair from Aiden's head is considered priceless. That's how you go up the ranks in their organization, and a higher rank comes with progressively increasing rewards, perks, status, and privileges – and that is their greatest motivator" Jazz explained as Aiden observed the AG squad on the other side of the hallway.
"Approaching or even interacting with Aiden other than school related subjects was forbidden for any members of the AGs, but now that Heide removed that restriction, he's become fair game for every one of their members" Jazz further explained.
"President Kobayashi might end up being bald then" Fujiyoshi joked as Jazz quickly covered her mouth, while Aiden subtly gave him a death stare.
"Fujiyoshi's unwarranted joke aside, we may have to double back and find another route to that elevator" Aiden whispered, "I don't think this AG team would be moving any time soon".
"The only other way for us to get there is through the basement lobby where the staircase and elevators are located. It'll probably be crowded there by now" Jazz whispered back.
"So we're basically trapped?" Fujiyoshi exclaimed.
"We could use the faculty and staff corridor, it's situated between this hallway where the AGs are and the basement lobby and could get us on the other side past that AG squad. But I don't think we can just use it since it's keycard access only" Jazz explained as something clicked in Aiden's mind.
"We might be able to use it, where is it at?" Aiden asked.
"Just down the hallway here, it's not that far" Jazz replied.
"Let's head there before anyone notices us" Aiden suggested as Jazz and Fujiyoshi nodded their heads.
As they were about to move, the door directly across from them suddenly opened and female student holding a stack of papers came out. Aiden, Jazz, and Fujiyoshi froze in place, but was quickly relieved when the student failed to notice them, it was only after the student took a step that she noticed them, after one of the papers in her pile fell on the floor.
When the female student saw Aiden, she suddenly let out a loud scream, reminiscent to how Zeke from the Anime Attack on Titan would scream when turning people into Titans, "Aideeeeeeeeen!" the student cried as her voice echoed in the entire hallway.
Jazz and Fujiyoshi's face were horrified as the student cried out Aiden's name. Aiden remained stoic and calm but clicked his tongue in response to the female student compromising their location. At the same time multiple footsteps can be heard getting closer from the hallway where the AG team were.
"Run!" Aiden called out as he, Jazz, and Fujiyoshi raced to the faculty and staff corridor.
As they were running, Aiden took out his WolfCard and radio from his back pack, intending to call for help now that they've been compromised. Since their position was blown, it'll only be a matter of time before more students start flooding the Humanities Building – Jazz and Fujiyoshi's safety in Aiden's mind.
Aiden quickly turned the radio on, and almost immediately the radio transmissions of the ROTC started coming out of the speakers.
"Attention! To anyone in this frequency, this Aiden Kobayashi! Repeat this is Aiden Kobayashi! Currently in the Humanities Building basement, position compromised! I repeat position compromised! Multiple students bearing down on my position. Requesting immediate assistance! I repeat requesting immediate assistance! This is Aiden Kobayashi, over and out!" Aiden radioed in as they reached the double doors to the faculty and staff corridor.
The AG team that they were trying to avoid were running towards them from one side, and another group of students coming from the other side of the hallway. Jazz and Fujiyoshi suddenly felt the terror of being swamped by the students as Aiden took out his WolfCard and quickly swiped it on the card reader, which immediately opened the locked doors.
"Ho-how did you do that Aiden?" Jazz said, surprised that Aiden was able to open the doors..
"I have special access privileges around the university, that's how" Aiden responded as they entered, placing his WolfCard back in his backpack, while holding onto the radio.
"Th-that's really cool!" Fujiyoshi added, bent over trying to catch his breath.
"Are you guys going to be okay?" Aiden asked as he looked at Jazz and Fujiyoshi.
"We're fine, I'm surprised you're not out of breathe like us" Jazz continued as she placed her hand on her chest, trying to normalize her breathing.
"I'm used to this already. I've been doing this for a while now, so I don't easily run out of breathe like that" Aiden responded, the radio only able to make static noise – a sign that they were in an area that doesn't have any good signal reception.
"Just give us a few seconds, and we'll be good to go" Fujiyoshi said as he tried to catch his breath, while he was trying to normalize his breathing, the students outside the double doors started banging on the door, trying to get in.
"Or not" Fujiyoshi said before they started running towards the other side of the corridor.
Meanwhile back at the ROTC Quarter, Aiden's sudden radio transmission was heard by everyone in the Central Command Center, the Intelligence Division's Situation Center, the Radio Operators of the ROTC Companies, individual cadets who were carrying a radio, and the Student Council room.
Cadet-Major Del Rosario, Cadet-Major Montanillo, Cadet-Captain Torio, Cadet-Captain Francisco, and the Nirvana team also heard the radio transmission from the handheld radio that Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad has clipped on his belt.
"President Kobayashi?" Cadet-Major Montanillo said in a puzzled tone as Cadet-Captain Francisco quickly donned her tactical mask on before she and the Nirvana Squad moved out even without orders.
"1st through 4th Companies!!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario called out in a loud voice as the entire company clicked their heels in unison, making a thunderous thud.
"Prepare to move out! Head towards the Humanities Building and create a defensive perimeter! Do not let any more students and AGs congregate in the area! We must cover the Nirvana team until they can safely recover President Kobayashi and escort him to a safe location!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario ordered as the entire 1st through 4th Companies replied in unison, "Yes Ma'am!" before moving out.
"Bu-but ma'am, we haven't received orders from Central Command to deploy!" Cadet-Major Montanillo protested as Cadet-Major Del Rosario started walking towards the gate.
"Fuck orders!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she kept walking.
"You heard her Alexis, fuck orders" Cadet-Captain Torio smiled as he patted Cadet-Major Montanillo's shoulders before following Cadet-Major Del Rosario. Cadet-Major Montanillo playfully scoffed as he shook his head before following after them.
At the same time, inside the Central Command Center, Cadet-Colonel Belarmino was currently discussing with the other senior officers in the room about the legitimacy of the radio transmission, as there was no way to confirm that it was really President Kobayashi that radioed in for assistance, and since they can no longer contact him due to the area where Aiden is, they were debating whether it's a ruse by the AGs to deceive them or it was a legitimate order from their Student Commander in Chief. As they were discussing this, a Cadet-Lieutenant approached Cadet-Colonel Belarmino and informed him that the 1st through 4th ROTC Companies and the Nirvana team has already deployed to the Humanities Building.
"It seems like that was really President Kobayashi" one of the Cadet-Majors in the room said.
"I agree. Cadet-Major Del Rosario would know right away if that was really President Kobayashi or not since she has worked with him for a while now. Since she's deployed the Presidential Guards Company as well as the Nirvana team, it's safe to say that the radio transmission is legitimate" another Cadet-Major interjected as the other officers nodded their heads.
Just as Cadet-Colonel Montanillo was about to respond to the other officers, another Cadet-Lieutenant approached and informed him that Cadet-Major Del Mundo has verified with Vice President Manalo that the radio transmission did come from President Kobayashi, and that the Student Council has requested that the ROTC deploy all available personnel to make sure that the area is secured, and the students congregating there is brought under control.
"I guess there's your confirmation sir, if you were not satisfied with Cadet-Major Del Rosario's preemptive decision to deploy both the Presidential Guards Company and President Kobayashi's Personal Guard Unit" one of the other Cadet-Major chimed in as Cadet-Colonel Belarmino nodded his head.
"Deploy all units to their assigned positions! Inform the 5th through 14th to assist Cadet-Major Del Rosario's advance to the Humanities Building! Tell all the company commanders to move quickly to their positions" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino quickly ordered in a booming voice as the cadets manning the consoles started issuing deployment orders to all the ROTC Companies in the staging area.
Upon receiving the deployment orders, the entire ROTC Companies clicked their heels in unison, creating a loud boom within the ROTC Quarter that can be heard as far as the quad. When the Presidential Guards Company heard this, they picked up their pace and soon encountered a large student formation a couple of yards from the gates of the ROTC Quarter.
"Attention all units, this is Cadet-Major Del Rosario, assume Spear Formation! The 3rd and 4th Companies will break student formations and pave the way for the 1st and 2nd until we reach the Humanities Building!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario ordered through her radio as the 3rd and 4th ROTC Companies broke from their column formations and began moving the students to the side, forming a barricade, and creating an opening for the 1st and 2nd ROTC Companies who switched their formation from column to a large moving spear, breaking through the students gathered in the quad as they pushed through towards their objective.
Meanwhile, the Nirvana team under the command of Cadet-Captain Francisco managed to sneak behind the student lines and positioned themselves close to the Humanities Building, awaiting for their additional reinforcements before pushing inside their objective to locate and secure President Kobayashi and escort him to the nearest designated safe zone.
Back at the Humanities Building, Aiden, Jazz, and Fujiyoshi managed to reach the other end of the faculty and staff corridor. Aiden was trying to listen whether or not there was any movement on the other side of the door before opening it, lest they walk into hordes of students and end up being cornered.
"Is it clear?" Jazz asked as Aiden removed his ear from the door.
"I don't hear anything" Aiden responded as his radio was still emanating static.
"Maybe we should just go for it?" Fujiyoshi suggested.
"Isn't it too risky?" Jazz countered.
"It's going to be a whole lot riskier if we stay here and the students block both exits. It'll be harder for the ROTC to help us if that's the case. Our only option now is to break out of here and get to a point where I can re-establish contact with the ROTC so I can relay our exact position" Aiden suggested.
"I guess it's now or never" Jazz said, sweat rolling down her forehead.
"On my mark.. 3.. 2.. 1.. Go!" Aiden counted down before pushing the door open. As soon as they opened the door, another group of students from the other end of the hallway spotted them and gave chase. Aiden, Jazz, and Fujiyoshi went towards the other direction as they try to move away from the new group of students going after them.
After running for a few meters, the radio started receiving transmissions again from the outside – although the connection was still breaking – and Aiden was able to hear that the ROTC was currently deploying and is headed to the Humanities Building to secure the outside perimeter.
"To anyone in this frequency, this is Aiden Kobayashi, does anyone copy? Over" Aiden radioed again.
"Pre.. dent.. Ko.. Yashi.. Thi.. Cadet.. rmino.. Wha.. rrent.. tus.. er!" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino radioed back, but his response was not being clearly transmitted given their location.
"Cadet-Colonel Belarmino, you're breaking up! Come in, over!" Aiden called in again.
"dent.. Ba.. shi.. You.. eaking.. up.. ay.. gain.. ver!" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino responded , but his message kept cutting off.
"Damn it!" Aiden said before radioing in again, "Cadet-Colonel Belarmino I can't get a clear transmission! We are currently heading towards the south side of the building, we have a group of students on our six, request immediate assistance, repeat, request immediate assis-".
Before Aiden could finished his radio transmission, a female student wearing a black and blue armband suddenly ran into him from an adjacent hallway which Aiden failed to notice as he was too distracted radioing in for help. The impact invertedly pushed Aiden to the wall, slightly hitting his head and dropping his handheld radio as the female student fell straight to the floor.
When Jazz, and Fujiyoshi heard a loud thud they both stopped running and quickly turned towards Aiden. After realizing what happened, they quickly ran back to get Aiden away from the female student before the other students could catch up to him and corner him in such a vulnerable position.
"Shit.." Aiden whispered has he gently pressed his hand on his head, feeling somewhat discombobulated by the impact. After a few seconds, he turned towards the female student.
"Hey.. Are you alright.." Aiden called out to as he slowly walked towards her to make sure she was okay, but before he could get closer, Jazz and Fujiyoshi came up from behind and quickly pulled him away.
"President Kobayashi! We need to get out of here! We have more students coming!" Jazz said in a frantic tone as she pulled Aiden way from the female student.
As they ran off, Aiden looked back and saw that the female student was up on her feet again and started chasing them as if nothing happened before another group of students emerged from the hallway where the female student came from, merging with the group of students that were originally chasing after them when they emerged from the Faculty and Staff Corridor.
"This feels like a zombie movie!" Fujiyoshi commented as they ran from the larger group of students.
"No kidding! Did you see how hard that student fell on the floor!? She got up as if nothing happened!" Jazz added as she glanced at Aiden, who looked like he was a bit out of it.
"Are you okay?" Jazz followed up, as she looked at Aiden with a concerned look at her face.
"I'll be fine, but I lost the radio when that student ran into me" Aiden responded.
"I'm sure the ROTC heard your last message, the priority now is to get you out of here " Jazz responded.
When they reached the end of the hallway, they turned to another hallway to their left, and finally saw the elevator at the other end of where they were. When they reached the halfway point, another group of students suddenly emerged from the staircase on the left-hand side. Their appearance took Aiden, Jazz, and Fujiyoshi by surprise, causing the three of them to swerve towards the wall and fall on the floor – the near miss caused the new group of students to trip, hit the wall, and ended up piling on top of each other.
A few minutes earlier, the Nirvana Squad which was the closest ROTC unit from the Humanities Building, were able to clearly pick up Aiden's radio transmission, listening in on the exchange between Aiden and Cadet-Colonel Belarmino, the latter unable to clearly hear the transmission due to the distance.
"Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad, contact Central Command and tell them that President Kobayashi is requesting immediate assistance and is currently heading towards the south side of the Humanities Building. Request permission for immediate deployment to secure the target" Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered.
"Nirvana Squad to Central Command! We've picked up President Kobayashi's transmission and-"
As Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad was radioing in to Central Command he was interrupted by the sound of a collision and a loud thud, which abruptly ended Aiden's transmission before it was replaced by a constant stream of radio static. Cadet-Captain Francisco quickly took the radio clipped on Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad's belt before radioing back to Aiden.
"President Kobayashi, this is Cadet-Captain Francisco, how copy, over!" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed back, however, the only response she was getting was radio static, "President Kobayashi! Please respond!"
"Nirvana Squad to Central Command - Urgent! Be advised! We just lost the transmission from President Kobayashi! Situation unknown! Requesting permission to immediately enter the Humanities Building to evac target, over!" Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad radioed in.
"Central Command copies, Nirvana Squad. Your orders are to wait until the reinforcement team led by Cadet-Lieutenant Ryuzei Suzuki rendezvous with you before proceeding to target – ETA 60 seconds, over!" the controller radioed back.
"Intelligence Division Situation Center to Nirvana Squad, we have live visual from the aerial surveillance drone in the area of operations. Be advised, we're detecting a large number of students, calculated to be around 150 – 300 bearing down on your position from the south west, and another group of students from the west calculated to be around 300 – 500 bearing down on the target area – ETA to the Humanities Building 10 minutes! Over!"
"Central Command to Nirvana Squad, the 11th – 14th ROTC Companies have been redirected to delay the incoming students from the west. We're currently redirecting the 21st and 22nd ROTC companies to delay the students coming from the south west. Also be advised Nirvana squad, we just received reports that Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki's team has just been bogged down by a large concentration of students 200 meters from your position, recalculated ETA for their arrival is 5 minutes, over!" the controller reported.
After hearing the reports coming from both Central Command and the Intelligence Division, Cadet-Captain Francisco quickly grabbed the manpack radio's handset from Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad before radioing back to Central Command, urgency written all over her facial expression.
"Cadet-Captain Francisco to Central Command, request immediate deployment to target area. ETA for reinforcing team is too long, we won't be able to get to President Kobayashi in time at this rate, over!" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed in.
After hearing the words "won't be able to get to.." Cadet-Captain Kim's hand started shaking, a reaction that Cadet-Lieutenant Shin and Cadet-Lieutenant Heo noticed.
"Hyun-woo, you need to get a hold of yourself. Don't do anything rash" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo whispered as Cadet-Lieutenant Shin placed her hand on Cadet-Captain Kim's shoulder.
"Try not to remember that Hyung, the Student President will be okay" Cadet-Lieutenant Shin said as she slightly gripped Cadet-Captain Kim's shoulder.
"Cadet-Captain Francisco, the is Cadet-Colonel Belarmino, your request is denied! We don't know the situation inside the Humanities Building, if you go in now without reinforcements, your team might get overwhelmed and risk being unable to assist President Kobayashi. All of our units are bogged down in other areas and the Nirvana Squad is the closest unit that we have to assist. The 1st – 4th is trying to break through the student formation in front of the Humanities Building, but it will take time before they can fully secure the outer perimeter of the target building, over!" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino responded.
"Sir, I beg you recon-" Cadet-Captain Francisco was responding back before being interrupted by Cadet-Lieutenant Heo and Cadet-Lieutenant Shin calling out to Cadet-Captain Kim who started running towards the Humanities Building.
"Cadet-Captain Kim! Wait!" Cadet-Captain Francisco called out, "Shit!" she continued before throwing the handset on the ground.
"Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad, Cadet-Sergeant Cruz, stay here and wait for Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki's team, then rendezvous with us inside the Humanities Building. I'm heading in with Cadet-Lieutenant Heo and Cadet-Lieutenant Shin" Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered.
"Cadet-Lieutenant Shin, Cadet-Lieutenant Heo! You two with me! Let's move!" Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered before the three of them ran after Cadet-Captain Kim.
Back in the Humanities Building, Aiden, Jazz, and Fujiyoshi slowly got up from the floor as the students that ended up piling on top of each other groaned in pain, unable to get up due to the suddenness of the impact on the wall and the pileup that followed.
"Aiden! Are you okay?" Jazz asked as she and Fujiyoshi helped Aiden up.
"I'm good, what about you guys?" Aiden responded as he looked at Jazz and Fujiyoshi.
"No need to worry about us, we're fine. But we do need to get you to the elevator, once you're safely away, Fujiyoshi and I will head back to the club room" Jazz said as he pulled on Aiden's arm to lead him towards the elevator.
Aiden couldn't help but look at the students on the floor, although he wanted to check up on them, he knows he couldn't stay there for long since the other students after him would come barreling towards them, putting both Jazz and Fujiyoshi's safety on the line.
"They'll be fine Aiden" Jazz suddenly said as Aiden looked at her, "I know you want to help them, but we need to prioritize you safety" she continued before Aiden reluctantly followed Jazz and Fujiyoshi.
As they started running again towards the elevator, the large group of students they were running from were able to gain ground, albeit was slowed down significantly by the students who piled-up on the floor, who essentially blocked the hallway.
"We're almost there!" Jazz said as they got closer to their destination.
Before they could reach the elevator, a lone student came out of the second stairwell to the left, catching Aiden, Jazz, and Fujiyoshi by surprise, this time they weren't able to swerve towards the wall as they were all too distracted by the elevator.
When the student ran towards them, she accidentally ran into Fujiyoshi, causing them to fall on the floor, "Fujiyoshi-kun!" Jazz called out.
"Are you okay!?" Aiden asked as he quickly pulled Fujiyoshi from the floor.
"Yeah. I'm sorry Aiden" Fujiyoshi responded before Jazz called out to the two of them as she ran towards the elevator. When Jazz reached the elevator, she pressed the button in quick successions to call down the elevator, but since it was coming from the top floor of the building, it was going down slower than usual – Aiden and Fujiyoshi finally able to catch up with her a few seconds later.
"We're trapped!" Jazz said as she kept pushing the button.
"What about this door here?" Aiden asked after noticing the emergency stairwell, which had yellow tapes covering it with the words "Caution! Out of Order" written on it, "Shit!".
"Wha-what about the hallway there!?" Fujiyoshi pointed to the other hallway across the door with tapes.
"That's a dead end! It leads to the freight elevator, but they always leave the elevator on the ground floor, and there's no console here to call it down" Jazz replied in a panicked tone.
"Damn it, we're trapped" Aiden thought to himself as he turned around and looked at the students that were coming for him, it felt like everything slowed down around him after his fear of putting those around him in danger was slowly coming true.
Aiden looked at Fujiyoshi who is standing next to him and saw his horrified expression, before looking at Jazz who also has the same expression as she continued to press the button to call down the elevator. Not wanting to see them get hurt, Aiden softly pushed Fujiyoshi towards Jazz, and positioned himself in front of them to protect them from the student that ran into Fujiyoshi, as well as the larger group behind her.
As Aiden waited for the inevitable, he slightly turned his head to one side to look at Jazz and Fujiyoshi and could see in the corner of his eye that they were calling out to him, but with his sense of time slowed, their calls became inaudible, the movement of their mouths and their horrified expressions the only thing he could see – a sight that only strengthened his resolve to make sure they won't get hurt.
As the female neared, his mind suddenly flashed the moments he spent with Min. It's as if he was about to meet his end, a comical notion which made Aiden lightly scoff. As the student got closer, he bent his knees like he was about to receive a volleyball serve, preparing to take the full brunt of the approaching student to protect Jazz and Fujiyoshi.
When the student was about to glomp him, the door that was taped up suddenly opened and a tall figure quickly exited, grabbing the student in front of Aiden before doing a quick spin, and throwing the student back a couple of feet, "President Kobayashi, are you hurt!?" the person in front of him asked, his shoulder slightly going up and down as they caught their breath – Aiden's sense of time returning to normal.
Aiden wasn't able to respond to the question asked of him, as he was feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline, and at the same time, there was a sense of relief that someone came to their aid. The uniform that the person in front of him was wearing gave away that he was ROTC, but Aiden wasn't able to recognize him.
A few seconds later, three more ROTC Cadets emerged from the emergency exit, one of them removing their mask and revealing herself to be Cadet-Captain Francisco, her and the other Cadets' uniform looked disorderly and battered up – a sign that they encountered the other students top side.
"President Kobayashi! Are you okay!?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked as the two cadets aided the person who saved Aiden keep the students back.
"Impeccable timing" Aiden replied before Cadet-Captain Francisco pressed on her tactical throat mic.
"All stations! All stations! This is Cadet-Captain Francisco, we've found the target, repeat we've found the target, will initiate immediate evac from area, over!" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed in.
"This is Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki! We've rendezvous with Cadet-Sergeants Cruz and Trinidad, heading to your position now ma'am – ETA 2 minutes, over!" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki radioed back as Cadet-Captain Kim, Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, and Cadet-Lieutenant Shin held back the students.
"Can we get out through here?" Aiden asked as he looked at the stairwell they just came out of.
"Negative, there are also students waiting at the exit, we had to block the door to prevent them from following us down here" Cadet-Captain Francisco said before she noticed Jazz and Fujiyoshi.
"Who are you two!?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked as she looked at Jazz and Fujiyoshi, putting her left arm in front of Aiden.
"Calm down Cadet-Captain Francisco, this is Jazz Salazar the Vice President of the Japanese Club, and Fujiyoshi Sakamoto, a member of the Japanese Club and an International Exchange Student. They were trying to escort me outside before we got trapped here" Aiden explained, his face was stoic like usual, but was internally shaken as Cadet-Captain Francisco apologized before pressing on her tactical throat mic.
"Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki, we need immediate evac for President Kobayashi plus two, how copy, over!" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed in.
"Roger Cadet-Captain Francisco, evac for President Kobayashi plus two, Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki copies all – ETA 90 seconds, over and out!" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki radioed back.
"Cadet-Captain Francisco! We have more students converging towards our location, we won't be able to hold them back for long at this rate!" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo reported as they tried their best to hold the students and keep them from getting to Aiden.
"Is there a way we can get Jazz and Fujiyoshi out of here first?" Aiden asked.
"I strongly suggest against that option, sir. If we let them go by themselves, there's a risk that they'll get trampled by the AGs and the other students" Cadet-Captain Francisco countered.
"What's the situation outside?" Aiden asked.
"Not good. The building is almost completely surrounded, though most of the students are concentrated at the quad side of the building. We also have reports about students at the back side of the Humanities Building, but it's not as concentrated as the entrance" Cadet-Captain Francisco reported.
"We do have an additional squad coming to assist, I just hope we can hold these students until then" Cadet-Captain Francisco added as she and Aiden looked at the Cadets trying to hold back the students.
"Why is this elevator taking forever!?" Jazz cried in frustration.
"Ssibal-saekki!!!!" Cadet-Lieutenant Shin cried out as she struggled to hold back the growing number of students, "Cadet-Captain Francisco, we can't hold them forever!" she added before Fujiyoshi ran up to them and started helping with keeping the students at bay.
"What are you doing Fujiyoshi!?" Aiden asked before Jazz joined them.
"Jazz!? What do you guys think you're doing!?" Aiden asked again.
"We're keeping our promise to protect you! You need to get in that elevator once it arrives!" Jazz groaned as she helped Cadet-Lieutenant Shin block the students.
"We'll be fine! What's important is you get out of here unharmed!" Fujiyoshi added.
"Why…" Aiden whispered as Cadet-Captain Francisco also helped out.
"President Kobayashi, sir. Please board that elevator once it gets here, I'll contact the rest of the Nirvana Squad to meet with you and escort you to the safe zone" Cadet-Captain Francisco said.
"Nirvana Squad?" Aiden asked.
"Long story! Cadet-Major Del Rosario and I will brief you at a later time, but right now we need to get you out of here as quickly as possible before we're completely overrun!" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied just before a strong push came from the crowd of students, causing Jazz and Cadet-Lieutenant Shin's section to collapse, allowing some of the students to break through.
"Shit! Break formation! Protect President Kobayashi!" Cadet-Captain Francisco called out as she pulled Fujiyoshi backwards, while Cadet-Lieutenant Francisco helped Jazz up and pulled her back before Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, Cadet-Captain Kim, and Cadet-Captain Francisco pulled back just in front of Aiden.
After pulling back for a few meters, they once again re-established a wall to protect Aiden, with Cadet-Captain Francisco, Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, Fujiyoshi, Cadet-Lieutenant Shin, and Jazz forming the barrier in that order as Cadet-Captain Kim stood beside Aiden, placing his arm in front of him.
As the students once again tried to break through, someone in the crowd threw an Aiden light stick which inadvertently went towards Aiden's direction. When Cadet-Captain Francisco and Jazz noticed this, they immediately turned towards Aiden to warn him, but before they could say anything, Cadet-Captain Kim wrapped his arms around Aiden as he turned his back towards the light stick, which ended up hitting the back of his head, causing his mask to fall off.
The scene quickly triggered Cadet-Captain Francisco and Jazz's inner Fujoshi when they saw what was happening in front of them. What really got them was how handsome and cute Cadet-Captain Kim looked as his mask fell off, as well as Aiden who looked like a cute and defenseless puppy being protected – their height difference made it more adorable than it should, considering the chaos happening around them.
The distraction allowed one of the students to inadvertently slap Cadet-Captain Francisco in the mouth, while another student accidentally elbowed Jazz on the forehead, both moaned in pain, and caused the both of them to fall on their backs at the same time. Luckily Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, Cadet-Lieutenant Shin, and Fujiyoshi were able to fill in the gaps before any students could break through again.
"Are you okay President Kobayashi?" Cadet-Captain Kim asked in a soft voice, his arms still around Aiden, holding him firmly, but not too tightly.
Aiden nodded, his face flushed, unsure what to do after being embraced by a guy he literally just met, which reminded him of the times when Min made his moves on him.
"We're fine too, thank you for asking" Jazz interjected as she rubbed her forehead.
"How long do you plan on embracing President Kobayashi, Cadet-Captain Kim?" Cadet-Captain Francisco said in a muffled voice as she covered her slapped mouth, the students in the background squealing.
"Hyun-woo! Stop sexually harassing the Student Council President and give us a hand!" Cadet-Lieutenant Heo groaned as some of the students got pictures and videos of Aiden being embraced.
When Aiden fully realized what was happening, he quickly pulled off from Cadet-Captain Kim before softly pushing him away, the subtle embarrassment in Aiden's face can almost visibly seen.
Both Cadet-Captain Francisco and Jazz bit their lips as they accidentally looked at each other, the moment they made eye-contact they quickly realized that they were both a Fujoshi, and that the reason that they were both hit in the face was because they got distracted by the same thing.
Aiden quickly walked towards Jazz and helped her get up from the floor, Cadet-Captain Kim did the same for Cadet-Captain Francisco before getting his tactical mask. As he grabbed his mask from the floor, Aiden was able to get a good look at Cadet-Captain Kim's face before donning the mask on. The sight caused him to suddenly remember Min – the very last person he wanted to remember given the severity and seriousness of the situation that they were currently in.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the elevator finally dinged, and the doors quickly opened. When Cadet-Captain Francisco noticed this, she quickly ordered Cadet-Captain Kim to take Fujiyoshi's position and pull him off from the front as she walked up towards Cadet-Lieutenant Heo's position to help him.
"We'll hold them off here President Kobayashi! Take those two with you and go!" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as Fujiyoshi ran towards the elevator to hold the doors open.
"You need to go President Kobayashi, we'll help out the ROTC, and then we'll leave with them later on" Jazz said as she pulled Aiden towards the elevator.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine" Fujiyoshi said smiling before Aiden looked at Cadet-Captain Francisco and the rest of her team struggling to keep the students at bay.
"I can't.." Aiden responded as he looked at Jazz and Fujiyoshi who were caught off guard with his reply.
"What do you mea-" Jazz responded before Aiden pushed her towards the elevator, Fujiyoshi who quickly reacted, caught Jazz before the two of them fell inside. Aiden quickly pressed the 5F button in the elevator console before stepping away from the elevator doors.
As Jazz and Fujiyoshi got up, the elevator doors closed, the last thing they saw was Aiden mouthing the words, "Thank you" before walking towards Cadet-Captain Francisco and her team, keeping true to the promise of protecting his constituents and club members.
"How long before reinforcements arrive?" Aiden asked, in his more commanding voice as he approached from behind Cadet-Captain Francisco and the others.
"Wh-what are you still doing here President Kobayashi!?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked in a surprised tone as she looked towards Aiden, realizing that he evacuated Jazz and Fujiyoshi first.
Before Cadet-Captain Francisco could respond, a radio transmission suddenly came through her earpiece, "Cadet-Captain Francisco!"
"Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki!?" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed back, their voices close to being drowned out by the squeals and commotion around them.
"Yes ma'am! We brought some tactical shields, we'll help push the students back so you can move to our position with President Kobayashi!" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki responded while Cadet-Lieutenant Tanaka, Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad, Cadet-Sergeant Cruz, and Cadet-Corporal Domingo, pushed the students back.
"How were you able to get down here? All other entrances are blocked" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked.
"Ma'am, there's a freight elevator at the end of this hallway, although the control consoles for the elevator were only accessible through the ground floor. It's standing by right now to evac President Kobayashi plus the two others" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki explained.
"Plus two have been evacuated via a different elevator! We still have President Kobayashi here, we need to get him to that freight elevator!" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied.
"You're only a few meters from us, if we can push these students back and make a small opening at the corner, we could get President Kobayashi out!" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki said.
"Alright Nirvana team! We only have a few more meters until the hallway, let's put your backs into it!" Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered as they used their remaining strength to push the students back inch by inch, while Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki's team pushed the students back from their side.
After giving it their all, the Nirvana Team was able to push back the students past the corner of the hallway they were on and the hallway where Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki's team is, creating a small opening which Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad occupied before pushing back the students from that spot.
When another opening was created behind Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad, Cadet-Lieutenant Tanaka squeezed through carrying his clear tactical shield and four extra shields, placing them behind the Nirvana team before taking Cadet-Captain Francisco's spot, who then grabbed a shield before taking Cadet-Lieutenant Heo's place, who also grabbed a shield before taking Cadet-Lieutenant Shin's spot, who also grabbed a shield before taking Cadet-Captain Kim's spot.
"Cadet-Captain Kim! Go! Take President Kobayashi to the freight elevator now!" Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered before Cadet-Captain Kim pulled Aiden by the arm, squeezing through the small opening behind Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad. As they were going through the opening, one of the students was able to get her arm between the tactical shields and managed to scratch Aiden's right cheek.
"Ah!!" Aiden softly moaned as Cadet-Captain Kim pushed the student's arm away, before quickly pulling the younger boy in the other hallway.
"Cadet-Captain Kim, report!" Cadet-Captain Francisco called out after hearing Aiden moan in pain.
"President Kobayashi's been scratched on the face!" Cadet-Captain Kim reported.
"How bad!?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked.
"Light scratch ma'am!" Cadet-Captain Kim replied
"Get him fixed up and take him to that freight elevator!" Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered.
"WILCO!" Cadet-Captain Kim responded.
"Domingo! Give Cadet-Captain Kim some first aid kit!" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki ordered.
"Apologies sir, I can't move right now!" Cadet-Corporal Domingo replied.
"I got it! Where's your medical kit Cadet-Corporal?" Cadet-Captain Kim asked.
"Butt pack sir!" Cadet-Corporal Domingo replied as she pushed back on the students in front of her.
"Copy that!" Cadet-Captain Kim replied, running towards Cadet-Corporal Domingo, and opening her butt pack, retrieving an alcohol prep pad and a band aid before heading back to Aiden.
"Are you okay President Kobayashi!?" Cadet-Captain Kim asked as he looked at Aiden's cheek that was scratched, which has started bleeding.
"I'm fine. It's just a scratch" Aiden replied, wiping the blood on his cheek with the back of his hand.
"Let me at least take care of it" Cadet-Captain Kim said as he took his tactical mask off. His supple, soft-looking baby face distracted Aiden, enough to unconsciously allow someone to violate his personal space.
"Let's see" Cadet-Captain Kim softly said as he gently cleaned the wound with the alcohol prep pad before putting the band aid on Aiden's cheek. After taking care of the scratch, he then took Aiden's hand and cleaned off the blood that got on it.
"Done!" Cadet-Captain Kim called out before securing his mask on his belt, "We're moving out now!"
"What about you Cadet-Captain Francisco?" Aiden called out after Cadet-Captain Kim put the band aid on.
"We'll regroup and pull back once you're safely out of the building, we'll hold them here, please go and board the elevator this time, President Kobayashi!" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied as Aiden hesitated.
"We need to go now, President Kobayashi" Cadet-Captain Kim insisted.
"Keep safe Cadet-Captain Francisco, and the rest of you as well!" Aiden said before he reluctantly left.
As Cadet-Captain Kim and Aiden headed to the freight elevator, Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered Cadet-Lieutenant Shin to peel off and head to the freight elevator hallway, followed by Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, herself, and then Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki – allowing them to regroup on the same hallway.
Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad, Cadet-Lieutenant Tanaka, Cadet-Sergeant Cruz, and Cadet-Corporal Domingo in that order maintaining their positions as they held the students back.
"I'm glad we made it in time" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki commented.
"I'm glad you brought the tactical shields with you, that made things a whole lot easier" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied as Cadet-Lieutenant Heo and Cadet-Lieutenant Shin panted.
"It's almost over, once we safely get President Kobayashi out, we'll regroup with Cadet-Major Del Rosario and the rest of the 1st – 4tt outside. You did good today Cadet-Lieutenant Heo, Cadet-Lieutenant Shin" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as she commended the Nirvana team's efforts.
"Ma'am! The students are pushing back hard! We won't be able to hold them for long!" Cadet-Lieutenant Tanaka reported.
"Cadet-Captain Kim! What's your ETA on President Kobayashi's evac, over!" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed in using her tactical throat mic.
"Approaching the freight elevator now! ETA 30 seconds, over" Cadet-Captain Kim radioed back.
"Copy that, will hold position until then, Plea--" Cadet-Captain radioed back before the students broke through Cadet-Corporal Domingo's position, pushing her back and the rest of the squad.
"Damn it!" Cadet-Captain Francisco said as she and her team were forced against the wall as they watched helplessly while the students rushed in huge numbers towards Aiden and Cadet-Captain Kim's position.
"Cadet-Captain Kim! Be advised, barrier has collapsed, your position is compromised! Evacuated President Kobayashi now! Will send retrieval team for him, over!" Cadet-Captain Francisco radioed with urgency.
"Where does that freight elevator go to!?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked.
"It leads straight to the receiving dock behind the Humanities Building" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki replied.
"Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad! Inform Central Command of the situation, have them send a retrieval team for when President Kobayashi arrives at the receiving dock, we can't leave him unprotected outside this building of all places!" Cadet-Captain Francisco ordered as Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad complied.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the hallway, Aiden and Cadet-Captain Kim could hear the approaching footsteps, accompanied by scattered squeals.
"What's happening!?" Aiden asked as he looked at Cadet-Captain Kim.
"Cadet-Captain Francisco's team has been overrun, I need to get you out of here!" Cadet-Captain Kim responded as Aiden was internally paralyzed. Anxiety taking a hold of him, not knowing if everyone who stayed behind was alright.
"What's their status!?" Aiden asked in a commanding voice.
"I'm sure they're fine, but I really need to get you out of here before those students get here! I won't be able to protect you by myself" Cadet-Captain Kim said as he pulled Aiden towards the elevator before pushing him in, causing the younger boy to fall on the elevator floor.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Aiden cried out.
"There should be a retrieval team waiting for you when you get up there. They'll take you to the nearest safe zone as soon as possible" Cadet-Captain Kim said before pressing the GF button, shocking Aiden when he realized the Cadet-Captain Kim was planning on staying behind.
"I need for you to get to safety… I can't fail my mission… Not again.. Not this time…" Cadet-Captain Kim whispered as Aiden's eyes widened, unable to bring himself to allow any more people to get left behind and get hurt because of him.
"Wa-wait!" Aiden called out as he tried to attempt and pull Cadet-Captain Kim inside, but by the time he got up, the doors completely shut, and the elevator started going up. The last thing Aiden saw was Cadet-Captain Kim trying to block the elevator doors from the outside as the students charged towards him.