Chapter 59: Preparing For The Battle Ahead

"You will stay locked up here for now. Your meals will be delivered three times a day. Once I finish the collars you can move around more freely." Ai said. She had brought the three men a different route so that they would not run into Kuri and Ayase. She did not want them anywhere near the two girls in case they were to take them hostage. She would rather not kill her two students just because they were taken by these men. She, of course, would not hesitate to pull the trigger. Her life was still more important. 

"Alright thank you." Eiji was the first to reply before walking into the room. He did not want to cause any issues that would hinder his future progress with this girl. Although his thoughts were not that of love, it was still an interest and he wanted to make the girl in front of him his woman in the future. He felt if he stayed by her side he would see more to this shitty new world than he would if he were to find some whore, who would sell themself for food and water. Like the girls back at the base. Although he was not all that old yet, only two years older than Ai, he was at that age of being interested in girls. His interest in Ai stemmed from watching her movements when she was entering the base. But after meeting her face to face and seeing how she handled things, he found her even more interesting than before. 

After locking the three up, Ai and Mai went back to the main area of the base and sat at a table. "Ai are we really going to keep them here?" Mai asked.

"We have no choice. From what I can tell they were not lying when they spoke of leaving their old place. But the men in the trees were scouts, that is for sure. So we can not let our guards down. If we end up having to fight those men who are ex-soldiers I will have you stay behind those three during battle. If any of the three shoot me, kill them all, and run away with Kuri and Ayase." Ai knew she was really chancing it. She just hoped her ability to judge people was not wrong.

"Hopefully, it does not come down to that..." Mai said, lowering her head slightly. She then asked: " What do you think our chances are if the three men do as they say and help us fend off these men?" 

"Mmm… with the advantage of home turf we are looking at fifty, fifty. If the people are as what that Eiji guy said and are ex-soldiers it will be a tough fight. But I think we can pull through as long as we do not make any mistakes." Ai replied. She would never say for certain if they would win but as long as they played to their advantage then they had a chance to defend this base.

"Let's hope we win." Mai said as she finished her cup of water. 

That night Ai and Mai, along with the two younger girls went to work hiding the traps in the base. They had dressed all in black to keep themselves from being visible to the naked eye, this included their faces as well. They smeared black paint over their faces in order to blend in even better. The cloudy sky kept the moon from illuminating the area making it very dark out, making them even more less visible than before. One could not see more than a few meters ahead of them when their eyes adjusted to the darkness but the girls used night vision goggles to see what they were doing. 

The Kuri and Ayase only kept guard by the main entrance. Their job was to see if they spotted anyone or anything trying to enter the base. Ai and Mai did all the work fixing the traps so that they were well hidden from the naked eye, even if it was daylight. After almost four hours of work, the girls finally retreated back inside. They went back downstairs and gathered in a small meeting room. 

"We laid out the traps in these locations, so we will need to memorize this map. Tomorrow Mai and I will go out into the woods and place some automated turrets. I will rig them to explode if anyone tries to tamper with them or remove them. While I am working, you will need to cover me Mai. You girls will need to do the morning and afternoon feeding of our prisoners. As always, Kuri does the feeding while Ayase stands back ready to run for help." The prison doors had a tray system set up which allowed one to put a plate on the inside of a drawer. When closed and pushed in the other wide could then open the door on their side to take the plate out. It was a perfectly safe way for the girls to help with the prisoners. 

The next day Ai and Mai exited the base on the opposite side, not facing the forest. They made sure they used an area that was not visible from the forest in order to keep out of sight of any watching eyes. "Mai when we get to the tree line we will need to go slow. Remember any sound we make will draw these guys' attention. This is why I am carrying everything." 

"Don't worry I will do my best to walk softly. If spotted should I open fire or duck for cover?" Mai asked.

"Just open fire, we have silencers on our Howa's today. But stay as low as possible and tight up against the trees. We have the advantage of our short stature." Ai said as she glanced around the large rock they were taking cover behind. She had planned to move through the far end of the forest towards the area she had seen the men who were supposedly chasing after Eiji and his friends the day before. After getting a nod from Mai. Ai made a few hand signs and the two moved out into the woods.

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