Alice In Borderland: Riptide (Season 2)

EPISODE NINE: BROKEN

A thrown blade lodges in the wall above your head, barely missing you as Ann grabs your hand and yanks you down to the dusty floor beside her.

"Thanks," you gasp breathlessly, your gaze meeting hers for barely a moment before flashing around to check on the others. Niragi and Takatora crouch behind a stack of loading crates, quite large and apparently containing military gear judging by the white stenciled labels. Niragi's thigh is bleeding where shrapnel caused by automatic gunfire clipped him, as is Takatora's left ear, a thin line of bright red trickling down his neck.

"Where's Aguni?" You shout across to them as the turrets begin firing again, your ears ringing and your own voice sounding both hollow and distant to yourself. Niragi ducks away as a bullet bounces off the crate above his head.

"He's trying to find a way to disable those turrets so we can get past them to the goal," he responds. He glances at the phone clutched in his hand. "He'd better hurry—there's only fifteen minutes left."

You bite you lip and search the path ahead as well as you're able, keeping out of sight of the turret sensors and squinting to shield your eyes from the bullets pinging off of nearly every surface. Dust and bits of rubber and concrete fly everywhere, obscuring your vision - but there! On the catwalk above the main turret, you catch a glimpse of Aguni, almost completely obscured in the shadows except for the horror-esque glow of the red emergency lights as they fade in and out. He's crouched, stealthily approaching the lone control pedestal for the three turrets blocking your way.

You can almost physically feel it as he grabs the control handles and presses the power buttons. The turrets shut down, and as the four of you creep out from behind the crates Aguni waves a pair of shining knives toward you with a single nod, which you return. Takatora gently takes Ann's arm without a word as Niragi slips his fingers through yours. He is no longer phased by your skintight outfit with its convenient holster for your agile and light leather armor plates. Not now, after several weeks have passed and it has proven how well it protects you.

Aguni opens the gate, chicken-wire and metal, and it opens with a loud, clanging creak. He ushers you all through, his expression ever-vigilant, and follows your group up the metal stairs. You pas through an abandoned barracks and out a back door into a courtyard, empty but for an upturned oil barrel with a single playing card on its surface, which Ann grabs and jams into her back pocket with a sneer of disgust.

As you all leave through the door cut into the high fencing around the courtyard, Ann turns a little green and presses a hand against her lips before suddenly dashing to the side and delicately vomiting into the weeds. Aguni helps steady her, holding one hand as she wipes her mouth with the back of another.

"Everything alright?" Niragi pops back around the fencing. Ann nods and joins the rest of you, Aguni's arm around her waist.

...*...

Upon you return to the resort, Ann hands you the card to place with the rest. ("Only four new ones in seven weeks, Boss. Is this really our life now?")

"We need to find Hatter," you say as you drop the card into the jar and replace it. "He knew more than he let on in the depiction of this world that I saw, even if he was crazy. Or is crazy—I guess we'll never know until we talk to him."

Aguni nods, exhaustion clear on his face. "Takatora and I will go look for him after we rest, though we've already explored much of Tokyo."

You tap a finger against your chin thoughtfully. "Search the Kabuki distract again. I seem to remember that he had a special place in his heart for that area."

Again, Aguni nods. In his arms, Ann slips slightly, and he props her up as her eyes drift closed.

"Takuma! Tatta!" He calls, and both young men hurry to his side. "You've both been studying under her tutelage, take her to her room and find out what's wrong with her."