Exhausted... The only word that can describe my feeling right now. It is remarkably serene in Camp 7, enemy patrols have yet to discover our little camp in the forest. Recently the camp has seen a spike in the number of people coming. In short terms a refuge for those without a home. Similar to my little community in Babag, all types of people from carpenters, farmers, fishermen, musicians and even some teachers have come to the camp to seek protection and aid.
In the past week our squadron has made several missions to rescue people all around the island. Those who are wealthy enough to have a powerful radio can simply communicate with us through a designated frequency. Those without, have to send letters or send someone to tell us to help them. In most situations it is the latter, our Jeep named "Barrier Buster" by Corporal Claudio has received some personal modifications. It turns out being a specialist gives you a wide range of skills including mechanics. Specialist Basilio attaches armor to the front of the Jeep to protect it when we choose to ram checkpoints.
"This baby can ram through anything that isn't metal!" He says slapping the hood.
A unique face can now be seen in a tent doing some secretarial work, Makoto Namikawa. An Akuma we fought during my rescue of Emilia. She has a good grasp of English and is a reliable and hardworking woman. She hated having to serve the enemy army anyway, after an escape attempt we offered her two choices. Be returned to Japan and face humiliation for getting captured and deserting, or become a secretary and private of the Army. The first option was Lieutenant Bermejo's idea. In my opinion it was cruel and uncalled for, so I offered the second option to which she quickly agreed. "My life is now dedicated to you"
She is shorter than me, but not by much. My height is 5'8 she is maybe 5'6 or 5'7. She likes to wear the female Japanese army uniform. Her hair is a light shade of brown, she likes her hair to look like a lotus and spends much of her time styling it to match the patterns of various types of flowers. To be honest she is quite beautiful and a perfect hourglass body. She also has the ability to change her eye color, most likely a side effect of experimentation.
We got to know more about her as she revealed plenty of important information about Akuma. Akuma is the Japanese word for devil, a harsh name considering that most of them were innocent people. Drugs and genetic enhancements are done in a single laboratory kept hidden away in the mountains. Akuma blood depending on what drugs are used to enhance their abilities is highly poisonous and carcinogenic to normal humans. Contact with an Akuma's skin and body is fine, but people must stay away from their blood at all cost. Currently there are 15 Akuma in existence, 3 have been killed in previous invasions leaving 10 as we have already killed or captured 2.
Of the 10 Akuma 6 are normal humans who are drugged and trained to their limit. They are strong, skilled with weapons and fast, but in the end they are only human. Each one has their own ability depending on how the drugs and genetic enhancements react within the body. Makoto demonstrates her ability by increasing the durability of body parts by hardening. I watch as she stabs a knife hard into her wrist, the knife simply bends as it strikes leaving no scratches. She has seen Akuma who have abilities as simple as increasing their muscle mass and strength 10 fold and some who have abilities as unique as explosive blood. She explains how some have lost their minds and become wild animals whose only intention is to kill a target. Becoming an Akuma is a permanent change, it cannot be undone without killing the person. The most powerful Akuma is a man who goes by many different names though he is known to the public as Ichiro Nozumi, sadly that is all we know about him for now.
Specialist Basilio Libertad requests a meeting with me outside the tent. "What is the problem Specialist?"
"I have decoded a message from Central Command in Manila Sir. They say only you and I are allowed to be able to read this" He pulls out a sheet of paper with numerous edits and erasures "I apologize for the messiness, but I had to work fast Sir"
YOU ARE READING
A War Away
RomanceA star student, Agapito F. Villareal graduates College in Manila. His life was once boring and dull, destined to work as a teacher, a single man in the sea of people. While on a trip with a friend, he is introduced to a girl and falls in love. They...
