Cold Cold Heart (Nonna, Girls und Panzer)

Running the Gauntlet...

After Jack had climbed into his tank and drove out of the shed he popped his had out of the hatch as Nonna pulled up next to him in an IS-2.

"Here's your mission..." She started bluntly "You are to drive out to pint 315 and return..."

"Thats doesn't seem so hard" Jack joked in reply as he looked over the small map she had handed him.

"While the rest of the team hunts you..." Nonna finished with a smile.

"Ah... Okay then..." Jack replied, feeling his face drop.

"Hope we don't give you too much trouble then~" Jack sung out as he ordered Vasili to move the tank forward.

Seeing his nonchalant reaction, Nonna scoffed and said angrily to herself, "I'll show you trouble..."

---Timeskip---

After his head start was finished, Jack was now pursued by Katyusha, Nonna and Pravda's whole Tankery team...

Despite this, Jack and his crew had not seen nor engaged their pursuers yet as they approached point 315. However, at the same time a blizzard had started, limiting visibility and thus navigation through the rugged terrain.

Jack chose to stand out of his commanders hatch with a pair of binoculars, searching for any tanks. While he searched, he began to calculate a route back through a network of canyons that he thought would provide cover for their escape.

Jack was soon interrupted however, as he spotted another T34 on a ridge between them and point 315.

"Borodin, load an armour piercing round!" Jack yelled.

"Yes Sir!"

"Anastasia, I want you to engage that tank when I give the word"

"You got it Jack~" Anastasia replied with a smile.

Jack watched the tank as the edged closer, waiting for the right time to strike.

He then got his opportunity, as the tank fired a shell which passed by him.

"Anastasia fire now!"

"Proshchay~" Anastasia mused as she fired.

The shell hit the tank just below the drivers vision port and soon a white flag popped up from the top of the tank.

As this happened the crew took the chance to congratulate each other and revel in the success of their first tank destroyed.

"Well done everyone! But we've still got a ways to go..." Jack announced as their tank passed through point 315 and began taking Jacks pre planned route back to the finish line, which was the Tankery sheds.

In all the excitement, Vasili increased the speed of the tank above what Jack had earlier instructed him to move at.

"Too fast Vasili, too fast. I've planned our route back through the canyons perfectly. Such and such a distance at such and such speed, if we don't keep to that, we'll get lost for sure in this blizzard." Jack reminded Vasili.

"Y-Yes sir, my apologies"

"Its alr-" Jack started before he was cut of by the sound of a large caliber gun firing, clipping the ground just in front of the tanks right track.

Jack stuck his head back up out of the tank to see Nonna's IS-2 sitting on a ridge behind them, along with three other tanks.

Before Jack could react, another shell from the IS-2 hit and went right through one of exterior fuel tanks on his tank.

"She's very persistent... I like that~" Jack mused with a smile as he tried to think of a way to escape the ambush.

Jack struggled to think of a solution, and the situation was made worse when more tanks appeared atop the canyon, surrounding Jack's tank on three sides.

Jack grimaced as each shot came devilishly close to the tank, glancing down at the map he had plotted a path on...

"Vasili! Increase to full speed now!"

"B-But Commander y-you said-"

"Do it now!" Jack yelled as he  rushed to adjust his calculations.

"We might not be able to see almost anything around us because of this blizzard, but with a map and a stopwatch I'd fly the Alps in a plane with no windows~" Jack mused, trying to lighten the mood.

"Are you sure about this commander?!" Anastasia yelled as the tank rocked violently from side to side.

"Not really~" Jack replied with a smile, glancing back at his map and stopwatch...

"Alright Vasili! Hard left now!"

"ok!"

The tank skidded on the slippery snow and slid around the sharp corner and onto a straight stretch of canyon which led right back to the Tankery sheds.

Since they had made this turn, the tanks that were firing at them could no longer see their target and thus began changing position...

"Argh! Follow them!" Nonna yelled as her IS-2 backed down off the canyons top.

She then leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes as a small smile formed on her lips, "He's better than I thought".

Jack then headed back to the Tankery sheds without incident, as the blizzard made it impossible for his pursuers to catch up to him.

---Timeskip---

Just as Jack and his crew arrived at their destination and got out of their tank, Nonna and the other Pravda tanks pulled up near them.

Jack helped Vasili out of his drivers seat with a smile, "See, I told you it would work!"

"Indeed you did" Vasili responded, "I'm proud to have you as my commander"

As Jack and Vasili finished this exchange, Anastasia got down from the tank. She saw Katyusha and Nonna heading towards them, and thought of a way to make a statement to the vice-commander...

Anastasia launched herself onto jack, almost pushing him over as she hugged him tightly, "We did it Jack~"

"Y-Yeah, I suppose we did"

Seeing this, Nonna stopped momentarily in her tracks as an angered expression covered her face. Katyusha then turned to Nonna, and gestured for her to keep walking. Nonna did so, but with a angered expression still on her face...

Jack softly reciprocated Anastasia's hug, but stopped when he saw Nonna and Katyusha approaching. He broke free from Anastasia's grasp (much to her dismay) and walked towards them with a smile.

"So, how did I do?"

"You did well, Katyusha thinks you're worthy to be a commander~" Katyusha said with a smile and a gentle nod.

"Your tactics were different to what I'm used to... But they were effective none the less" Nonna said with a ever so slight smile as she stepped closer to Jack, extending her hand towards him.

Jack took her hand and shook it firmly.

"You don't hate me anymore then?", Jack replied with a chuckle.

"I never hated you!" Nonna yelled as her face heated up, "But maybe I didn't treat you with as much respect as I should have... So I-I'm sorry" Nonna finished as she bowed her head.

"Hey it's no problem, respect is earned after all" Jack replied.

Nonna responded with a large smile, something Jack had never seen her do before, and something he was sure he wanted to see more of...