Disclaimer: I don't not own Sekirei or any Call of Duty references made.
Chapter One: Mole
CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia.
"Drone feed going live in 3, 2, 1."
"Drone feed live. We have eyes on target."
"HQ, Team 2, ETA to holding point 4 mins."
"HQ, Team 1, currently holding position aft of target, SOG 13 knots. We're set."
At those words the temperature in the operations room seemed to drop a few dozen degrees down, and the tension felt dense enough to cut with a knife. CIA Director Wendell Clement Hunt stared intensely at the drone feed on the central screen, silently wishing the navy's boys best of luck.
Same time, Somewhere in the South China Sea.
For all the speed and stealth afforded to them, rubber dinghy rides were never comfortable. The engines were noisy and they bounced way too much in the choppy sea, ensuring that you would never hit anything if you tried to shoot from them.
Though you'd probably be sick by the time you even thought about it.
The rain and strong winds definitely weren't helping.
This was what Petty Officer Corbin Barrett of Seal Team 6 thought about, as he eyed the gargantuan suspect cargo vessel in the distance before Lt. Drake Caydon's voice came over the comms.
"Alright ladies, we got one shot at this. In exactly 4 minutes that bomb planted by our CIA spooks is gonna go off, and make a big hole in the port side cargo hold. At the same time Team 2 is gonna provide close air support support and soften up their forces, before dropping off on the main deck to serve as a diversion. That's our ticket in."
"Our sources indicate the terminal with all the blueprints we need is hidden in the central control station. You each have storage drive. Once we get to that control room, we wait for Langley to give us the code. Once you get the blueprint, holler for extraction." There was a brief pause as the other members ran through the scenario in their heads.
"Hoo yah?" The field officer asked his men.
"Hoo yah." They replied unanimously.
"Team 1, this is HQ. One minute till operation start."
"Look alive people, this is it."
Despite how well equipped MBI security troopers looked on the outside, most of them were merely ex security guards. Some were wooed over by the better pay and benefits compared to old jobs. Others simply had no choice but to work for MBI as the company slowly bought up their previous slave masters and appropriated them for their own uses.
Hence it could be said, none of them knew how to handle a surprise bombing out in the middle of the ocean.
Or ever gone toe to toe with US special forces operatives.
A series of loud, deafening bangs and the whole ship was thrown into chaos as the explosion ripped the hull open, resulting in a hole about a foot and a half wide along the lower reaches of the port side.
"Crew expendable."
Damage control crews that rushed to try and isolate the damaged bulkhead were immediately picked off by a barrage of suppressed machine gun fire.
At the same time, the main deck came alive with the sound of helicopter rotors and minigun fire. The captain and bridge crew of the vessel barely had any time to register the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk flying towards them, before being peppered by a salvo of 7.62 rounds.
"Go! Go! Go!" Team two's squad leader shouted as he and his men abseiled down the guide ropes to the bridge, taking up positions once their boots touched the deck.
The MBI guards on the main deck had just managed to recover from their initial shock and managed to regroup behind various fixtures on the deck, making themselves harder targets to pick off. However, whatever fight they might have had in them died with the hiss of a suppressed Remington M24, and the thump of one of their number hitting the floor, dead.
"HQ, Team 2. Bridge clear"
"Roger, Team 1 is just outside the main control room. Proceed as planned."
"Roger that" The squad leader acknowledged on the comms before nodding his guy on the ship's electronics panel. "Team 1, standby. Going dark in 3, 2, 1."
A couple of MBI personal took cover behind a sealed hatch door, waiting for their assailants to burst in at any time. Sweat poured down their face, needless to say they were scared shitless. It sure as hell didn't help that the whole compartment suddenly went dark, leaving only the red night lights to illuminate the way.
They were shaken from their daze by a loud clank and the door creaked open, followed by a canister dropping into the compartment. The MBI guards didn't have any time to identify what was before it crackled loudly and filled the room in a shower of disorienting crackles and sparks.
They could only cover their ears and stagger around dazed before they were dropped by a salvo of silenced 9mm lead.
"HQ, Team One has reached the central control room." Lt. Caydon's announced on the intercom as the rest of the squad flooded the room.
"Copy that Team One, be advised 5 minutes to operation cut off time. Suggest you hurry with the transfer."
"Roger that, HQ." Caydon replied.
"You heard them, let's move people!" He waved his hand in a circle above his head, signaling his men to begin searching the compartment. They soon stumble upon a large server room, with a computer in the middle of it.
"HQ, you seeing this?"
"Affirm. Team 1, this is Langley, the blueprints are housed within the level 1 encryptions of that computer. The storage drive holds a bypass that will bring you to the code input. The code for that is: R, three, W, R, one, T, and three."
"R3WR1T3"
Lt. Caydon raised an eyebrow at the code that appeared on screen, but nodded to Barrett, his man on the computer, who quickly punched the codes into the keyboard, and as promised the appropriate screen showed up on the display.
"Well, looks like them spooks hit gold this time." He thought as his glanced through the plans on screen.
Once the plans were downloaded into the storage device they reported back. "HQ, Team One, blueprint secure, heading up to rondevu with Team Two for extraction."
"Affirmative, seahawk is en route to you now. Nice work."
"Right ladies, pack it up, we're going home."
A collective sigh of relief washed across the operations room as the last of the Seals were airlifted from the ship. Which was quickly followed by a wave of excited Wows and Woos as a couple of ship to ship missiles from an Arleigh Burke class destroyer hit the side of the cargo vessel, penetrating the hull and sinking it.
Director Wendell Hunt took the opportunity to wipe beads of sweat of his forehead that he hadn't realised were there till a few seconds ago. For someone who had been violently objecting the idea a few months ago, their latest handler had come through for them big time.
He'd needed to thank him personally soon.
MBI building, Central Tokyo, Japan
Calling the current MBI board meeting tense was probably the understatement of the century. No, tense doesn't even begin to describe it, Ichinomi Natsuo thought as he stood behind his boss. The company's charismatic, and arguably deranged head, Hiroto Minaka.
One of Natsuo's sekirei, Number 105, Benitsubasa, shifted uncomfortably beside him.
After publicly firing the CEO of MBI security, he had gone on a rather scaving rant about how the other components of his company were nothing short of "impotent fucks" in light of the recent sabotage and information leaks.
"How the fuck did people know we were selling an unproven product?!" He screamed. "How the fuck did they even get hold of those emails?" Minaka pointed a finger at middle aged man in a brown suit at the table, third from the left, prompting him to speak. He was the head of the PR office if Natsuo remembered correctly.
"Ya think that if you bribed a whole bunch of FDA officials, that you'd be a lot more fucking careful about covering your tracks?! Huh?!" Minaka said as he slapped his palm into his face. "And don't even get me started on the shipping incident last week! That shit has got the US Navy written all over it!"
"I bet those assholes have my blueprints now already!" The head of MBI screamed as he stalked up and down the board room. "Not that any of this would have happened, if word didn't get out there was an illegal pirate vessel out in the south china sea, with fucking MBI secrets on board!"
"So what is it?!" Minaka demanded, turning to face his pale faced board members.
"We… Don't know…" The PR head croaked, earning himself a jump scare as Minaka frustratedly slammed his hand on the table. He then pointed at the man beside him. This one was a little younger and wore a smart looking gray suit. The head of technology, if memory served.
The man cleared his throat.
"Whoever did this knew how we worked and where the loopholes are in the network." He said, not daring make eye contact. "We identified the source as internal but the trail ends there." The head of technology continued.
"We may have a mole in our midst."
The lively atmosphere in the room dropped as Minaka became deathly calm from hearing those words. A moment passed, before he nodded to himself while stroking his chin. There were murmurs of "I see…" And "So that's how you want to play it…"
The MBI head turned to Natsuo, his gaze behind his thick glasses cold and determined.
"See to it that this mole is found and the threat disposed off. The Disciplinary Squadron has all precedence over all assets of MBI. Effective immediately."
The Disciplinary Squadron's ashikabi nodded and smirked. "Of course." Minaka turned back to regard the board room.
"The rest of you, see that you take extra precautions in future exchanges, i don't need anymore mistakes." He said coldly. "Not when the second stage is drawing near."
"Dismissed."
"Man, that was scary." Benitsubasa exclaimed as she stepped out in tow behind her ashikabi.
"Really? I've seen him much angier though." Natsuo replied, flashing his sekirei a faint attempt at a reassuring smile.
Benitsubasa felt a skip in her heart and blush creep up her face all the same. Her mouth curled into a shit eating grin the moment her ashikabi turned back around.
"Maybe today's the day." She mused, surely no harm in trying anyways. Benitsubasa skipped a couple paces up to her ashikabi's side.
"Hey Natsuo, If you're not doing anything now… Maybe we could-" The red sekirei was cut off mid sentence by a mobile phone ringing. She gritted her teeth as she tried to restrain a violent outburst from her failed wooing attempt. Natsuo took no notice of her and took out his phone, checking the number.
His eyebrows furrowed when he saw who it was.
"Sorry Benitsubasa, maybe another time." He apologised to the pink haired girl. The sekirei only pouted in response. Natsuo laughed. "Oh come on, don't be like that." He smiled as he patted her on the shoulder.
"Fine." Benitsubasa sighed, relenting and waving Natsuo off as he left down the corridor in the opposite direction. "I know you're gay, but totally treating me like a kid…." She sighed
Once he was far enough from her, Natsuo answered the call.
"Virginia is nice this time of year, you should visit soon." A female voice stated.
"Birdcage." He replied.
"You are now on a secure line." The female voice stated, before a loud beep sounded followed by the click clack of a receiver being lifted off the telephone.
"You alone?" A male voice asked.
"Depends how long." Natsuo replied flatly in perfect english, casually glancing behind him to see if anyone was coming.
"I'll be quick then, i'm glad to report you came through as advertised. We managed to get hold of the blueprints. With any luck, we might have a case for the international court to press charges. Anything to report on your end?"
"They're already stepping security, we need to be a lot more careful about where we tread from now on." The ashikabi warned, continuing to walk down the corridor.
"I see, and the raid?"
"Will be proceeding as planned, but be advised the black one will on the case this time. It might not be as… Clean, this time around."
The was a pregnant pause, as if the man on the line was considering his informants words before he replied.
"We'll see about that. If anything happens, this conversation never occurred."
The line cut, and was replaced by a dull monotonous beep. Natsuo sighed as he placed his phone back in his pocket. "Things were going to get messy from here on out."
"You seem troubled, my ashikabi." A chilling voice spoke from behind him.
A voice he knew all too well.
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." He breathed deep, and turned to regard his demon.
"You need anything, Karasuba?" He said with his trademark unreadable smile.
CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia.
"Any progress?" Wendell asked, glancing over the shoulder of the chief computer engineer. Said man was pounding seemingly senseless lines of jargon furiously into the keyboard before slamming onto the enter key. He rubbed his hands with glee as the code compiled and the mystery blueprint files was laid bare on screen in front of him.
Though what exactly it was only left them with more questions than answers.
"What exactly are we looking at?" Wendell asked, his eyes skimming over the various details on screen.
The engineer took a moment to ponder the question before replying.
"No idea. Honestly from the lens, looks like some kind of focusing device, meant for a very high powered optical laser of some kind." He stated as he observed the schematics with his face barely 3 inches from the screen.
"Like some kind of alien death ray?" The CIA director offered with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. Like a death ray." The engineer confirmed before scratching his chin. He paused once he processed how ridiculous that notion sounded. "Is this guy forreal?!" He blurted out, scrunching his face as he turned to look up as his boss.
Wendell shrugged. "Guess when you have a crashed alien spaceship tucked away on your own private island, are mega rich and completely off your rocker, you tend have poor taste in hobbies."
He sighed.
Another otherwise inconclusive piece of evidence. At this rate, the international court of law would sooner believe it was going to rain Bud Light tomorrow, than believe the head of a leading Japanese conglomerate was plotting world domination with a death ray.
"Could really use a drink now actually."
The engineer only snorted in response.
Outside Izumo Inn, Central Tokyo, Japan.
"Dammit! I lost again..." A buxom blonde cursed between bated breaths, feeling crushed under the large bundle of groceries tied to her back. Her brunette and similarly burdened counterpart however felt no such fatigue, and smiled back at her.
"That was a good race Tsukiumi!" The brunette exclaimed, turning to the blonde and grabbing her hands in hers. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in tune with the large grin she wore on her face.
Tsukiumi sighed.
"Fine Musubi, you get to sit beside Minato again." She conceded and looked away, unable to take how much said sekirei's eye shone at the mention of their ashikabi. "I swear, i'm going to hit this girl someday." She grumbled internally.
"Ah, but don't give up Tsukiumi! You'll beat me someday!" Musubi enthusiastically encouraged her friend, raising a fist for further emphasis. One could swear there were flames roaring in the background as she struck her pose.
However she was also oblivious to how many raw nerves in Tsukiumi she just twitched by effectively rubbing the latter's defeat in her face.
"Ah i see!" Tsukiumi roared and crossed her arms. "You may have won the shopping race."
"But i'm still Minato's legal wife!" The water sekirei boasted, holding her head high as she started towards the gate of the quaint house that was the Izumo Inn.
"Ah! But Musubi is Minato's wife too!" Musubi wailed in protest, earning herself a death glare and a few more twitched nerves from Tsukiumi.
"Yep, definitely going to hit her."
The smiling demon's mouth curled into her signature cheshire grin.
"Just passing by after my medical review, but enough about me." Karasuba pressed her question again. "Something happened?" She inquired. "Or maybe, it's someone else vying for my ashikabi affection." The black sekirei covered her mouth in an exaggerated manner.
"Oh, whatever shall i do?" Karasuba cooed, holding her hands to her chest, she play-fainted. Though the only reaction that seemed to get out of Natsuo was an amused eye roll.
"Also, i didn't know you could speak english." The black sekirei recovered and resumed her probing, though this time her voice took a more stern tone. Her eyes too, had an acute iciness in the glare she held on him.
"Clerk, remember." Natsuo said, flashing his usual unreadable smile. "Occasionally, that involves translating documents."
"Oh, I see..." Her gaze narrowed and she raised an eyebrow, but later relaxed. Seemingly convinced, she let the topic go.
"Well, if that's all, i'll be going then." Natsuo said as he started back down the corridor.
"Oh? But surely you won't leave a lovely lady all by herself in this place will you?" Karasuba teased. "I mean, the hallways are so confusing. What if i get lost?" She pouted and gave him the puppy dog eyes, which given her reputation, would have been a sight to see.
"You're a big girl, i'm sure you'll be fine." Her ashikabi dismissed with a chuckle and waved her off.
"Aww, you're no fun." Karasuba chastised, smirking and narrowing her eyes as her ashikabi walked away.
"And you're definitely hiding something."
Author's note: Might just be me, but i've always found Natsuo probably the most interesting out of all the ashikabi's in the series. Maybe because we don't really see much of his true motivations throughout the series.
He just sort of appeared wherever convenient most of the time as a neutral shapeshifter character, which for me added a more mystery to his character.
This fic is really an attempt to put another spin on his character and try to justify his mysterious qualities and perhaps some of his actions throughout the canon series. That said, if you haven't guessed already, this is going to be as far from the canon storyline as possible.
Anyways, hope you liked it and hopefully i'll see you in the next one.