Chapter 6c:  (Concluded)  The battle continues... 
 
	"This is HQ to any available units, we have mechs down at Nav Gamma,"
Craig said, muffling his voice.  He sat in the cockpit of his mech and
smiled he brought his weapon systems online.  "Bravo Cadet reports four
bogies on sight.  Bandits are hostile.  Repeat.  Bandits are hostile." 
	A-ko snapped out of her trance and looked to see what everyone had turned
to face.  The large mech was heading toward the battle and rather fast. 
Myles came to, he put on his spare glasses that he carryed with him since
the gym class incident and then looked at the mech as well.  _Here comes
the cavalry,_ he thought. 
	"HQ, this is Alpha Assault, I'm on my way," Craig said as he began his
targeting sequence.  "Bearing 0-2-5."  His computer flashed a warning; 
"ETA:  34 seconds."  Craig looked at his targeting computer and saw that
A-ko was in definite danger. 
	"Alpha Assault, this is Bravo Cadet!  I've got bandits all over me!  G-get
down here!" he said, muffled.  He removed his hand from his mouth and
contiued.  "Sit tight, Bravo three, I've got visual." 
	"Ah!  My hip actuator's out.  Targeting systems damaged.  I'm in bad
shape!" he said, muffled again.  Craig's computer flashed on another
warning;  "Enemy detected."  "There's two of 'em.  He's on the rise!" he
contiued.  The green mecha stood up and leaped towards Craig's mecha. 
	"Roger!  I've got 'em," he said.  Craig took aim at the mecha, the
computer came up with another message:  "Targeting completed."  Powering up
his PPC's, he let loose two blue-white blasts that totaled the green mecha.
 The blue mecha dropped A-ko and turned to fire on Craig. 
	"It's got a lock on me!  It's got a lock on me!" he yelled as a missile
collided with his cockpit.  Craig took aim at the mecha that fired on him
and opened fire again with what power remained in his PPC's.  The blue
mecha exploded into a firey heap.  Craig then turned his mech toward the
black mecha and opened fire with his mech's gattling machine gun.  Bullets
sprayed across the black mecha's armor, knocking some of its armaments off.
 After a few more minutes of firing, the computer came up with yet another
warning; "Warning!  Ammuntion level:  Critical!"  A few moments later, the
gattling gun stopped firing, there was no more ammo.  The computer flashed
another warning;  "Weapons depleted."  Craig put his hand over his mouth
again. 
	"Alpha Assault, this is HQ!  What is your situation?"  The black mecha
turned all of its weapons onto Craig's mech and then opened fire.  Craig
pulled the escape rod to eject him safely from his mecha.  The black mecha
opened fire as Craig flew free of his mecha.  The mech that he had worked
so hard on exploded into fire, sending Craig into the ground hard.  "Alpha
Assault, this is HQ!  What is your situation!  Please comply!"  Craig said
looking up at his burning mech.  "I'M DEAD, DAMMIT!" he yelled.  He watched
his mech for a moment longer until he realized that he had forgotten to
eject what was left of his fuel core, the mech was sure to blow
in...BOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!  The mech's explosion was fierce, sending everyone
into walls and Craig into the air and flying across campus. 
						* * * 
	Miss Ayumi sat back down in her chair and sighed.  She was bored.  She was
lonely.  She was bored and lonely.  She needed a man...and she wanted him
now.  <Sound like anyone I know?  Or maybe like to know?>  She then hiked
up her skirt and stuck her hand down into her panties.  She spread her
pubic lips and then stuck her index finger into herself.  She threw her
head back and moaned through her closed lips.  _Oooo!_ she thought.  She
then closed her eyes and continued to work herself into a sexual lather.  A
loud explosion quickly brought her back to her senses. 
	"Probably B-ko and A-ko fighting...again..." she sighed.  "Just like high
school."  She leaned back and continued to pleasure herself.  The large bay
window in her office caved, and then smashed inward as a body came flying
in and landed on the desk in front of her.  Miss Ayumi quickly pulled her
skirt back over herself and then buttoned her blouse.  She then looked at
the still body lying on the desk before her and smiled. 
	"Craig?" she asked, standed up.  She checked his pulse and looked at him. 
	When Craig came to, he thought he was in heaven.  The vision before him
was certainly of an angel.  Realizing who it was, his eyes went wide as he
jumped back and fell off the desk.  Miss Ayumi walked over and knelt next
to him.  Her violet eyes seemed to look right through him.  Miss Ayumi,
still caught up in the intimate moment that she had gotten herself into,
grabbed Craig and seductively kissed him. 
	"MISS AYUMI!" he shrieked, breaking her grip and stumbling back.  _I'm
dreaming this...that's it!  That explosion knocked me unconscious and I'm
dreaming... heehee..._  Miss Ayumi walked over and grabbed Craig by his
coat and pulled him up off the floor.  She then shoved him to the wall and
began to removed his coat, all the while kissing him. 
						* * * 
	_That other mecha did me the biggest favor!  Too bad it had to be
destroyed before it was taken out by the black one,_ A-ko thought, dodging
another attack from the black mecha.  A-ko charged forward toward the
mecha's ankle actuator and then leaped back as the mecha's blade sliced
into the ground.  As she ran from the blade, it followed her along the
ground.  A-ko leaped to the right, only to be tackled by a beam from the
mecha's plasma cannon.  A-ko lay on the ground, dazed.  The black mecha
raised its blade high and came crashing down.  A-ko rolled over onto her
back only to see the blade barrelling down on her at full force. 
	Barely a foot above her face, A-ko clasped her hands together, catching
the blade before it reached her.  She gritted her teeth trying to push the
blade back while the thrity foot mecha used all of its strength to push the
blade through her. 
	A loud crack echoed through the entire campus.  Stress lines began to form
around the mecha's forearm.  More cracking.  The black mecha's forearm
shattered, sending pieces of dure steel everywhere.  B-ko's eyes bulged
from her head.  She could not beleive what had happened.  A-ko threw the
mecha's arm, with the blade still attached, into the air.  She then jumped
up and caught the arm/blade in mid-air and aimed it at the black mecha as
it stumbled, trying to figure out what had just happened. 
	A-ko plunged the blade into the mecha and then guided it to slice all of
the way through the mecha, cutting it in half.  The black mecha blew up in
a furious explosion, knocking A-ko five feet into the ground and shattering
windows everywhere within a four kilometer radius. 
	When the dust cleared, A-ko leaped out of the crater that she was in, and
landed on her feet.  Breathing hard and still furious, she was now ready to
kill B-ko.  She looked to see her, but could not. 
	"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" she screamed.  "WHEN
I FIND YOU, I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!!"  A-ko yelled into the air,
clutching her fists at either side of herself.  Then there was only
silence.  The wind whipped through the open area in the campus where A-ko
stood among B-ko's demolished mechas, the remains of Craig's mech that had
saved her tail and the unconscious bodies of spectators everywhere.  A-ko
felt a chill and looked down.  "SHIT!" she yelled, covering herself.  "That
sword must've come closer than I thought." A-ko looked around to see that
everyone around her was, in fact, unconscious.  Unfortunately, B-ko and her
minions were no where to be found.  A-ko, still covering herself, ran into
the girls' dorm and made her way up the her room.  Mari had left, but C-ko
was standing before her with her hands on her hips, looking very ired. 
	"C-ko...I..." A-ko started. 
	"S'okay, A-ko," she interrupted, quietly.  "I realize now that with B-ko
around, you would never have been able to keep your promise.  I'm just glad
you tried."  A-ko dropped to her knees in front of her friend.  She was
shocked.  _Is C-ko getting more mature?_ she thought.  "Besides, life is
like a box of chocolates..."  _Nope._  A-ko smiled and tears began to run
down her cheeks. 
	"Oh, C-ko!  I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, embracing her friend.  C-ko
grinned and then buried her friend's face into her breasts.  A-ko then let
go, rather quickly and stood up as a knock sounded from the door.  _Oh,
poo..._ C-ko thought, frowning.  A-ko opened the door.  A pert, young
pink-haired girl handed A-ko a sheet of paper and then smiled. 
	"See you there," "Pink" said, walking away.  A-ko closed the door as she
read the sheet of paper.  A-ko smiled and ran into the bathroom.  The paper
landed on C-ko as her wide eyes followed it.  She then grabbed the paper
off her head and read it. 
						* * * 
	Myles walked out of the bathroom wearing his bath robe and a towel, drying
his hair.  Kei was leaning against the window sill looking out over the
rubble of what was once five thirty foot humanoid mechas and a bi-ped mech.
 He ran his fingers through his still-damp haid and sighed.  He kickstarted
the television and then plunked himself on his bed.  _If my bike's gonna be
a satellite dish, I may as well get used to it,_ he thought. 
	Kei and Myles both jumped back as the door to the room was kicked in. 
Craig stood before them wearing only his leather trench coat, a shredded
pair of blue jeans, a collar to what was his tee-shirt and a wide grin.  He
was breathing rather hard, but seemed to be alright.  _He wasnae in that
bad o' condition when I saw 'im before 'e was launched into the air,_ Myles
thought. 
	"What happened to ye, lad?" he asked, putting a supporting hand on his
friend's shoulder.  Craig turned to his friend so suddenly that it scared
Myles.  Craig then put his hands on his friend's shoulders and then shook
him good.  He smiled gratuitously and then looked his friend in the eyes. 
	"What is it, lad?  What happened?  Are ye alright?" 
	"Oh, you have no idea how alright I am!" 
	"Nani?" Myles and Kei asked in unison, looking at him perplexed. 
	"I BONED MISS AYUMI!!!" Craig boomed, excitedly.  Myles and Kei looked at
him for a moment and then looked at each other.  Kei then looked
suspiciously at Craig.  Myles began to laugh. 
	"Sure, lad.  And I'm the Irish Ambassador to the Earth Defense Force," he
laughed. 
	"Well, then, Mr. Ambassador, may I suggest that you shut up," Craig said,
flatly.  He thought his friend would be more open about such a thing. 
<Even if he *didn't* want it in the story!> 
	There was a knock behind them and Craig swung around.  A young man stood
there, handed Craig a sheet of paper and an envelope, and left.  Myles and
Kei looked over Craig's shoulder as he read the paper and then opened the
envelope.  In it was a couple thousand yen and a small note.  He read the
note and then turned to face his roommates.  They all grinned at each other
and in unison began to yell like a battle cry... 
 
-- 
 
Oni a.k.a. Greg Thompson <AkoMagami@usa.pipeline.com> 
 
Member, Red-Head Anime Girls Fan Club 
Co-Founder and High Priest of The Holy Order of A-ko 
            -----Folder of the Holy Fuku----- 
Co-author of Project A-ko:  The College Years