Sword and Shield
Chapter 12: Egress Under Fire.
Egress 1. n. An exit or way out. 2. n. The process of exiting or leaving. 3. n. (astronomy) The end of the apparent transit of a small astronomical body over the disk of a larger one. 4. n. (military) The return to base from a mission objective.
27 March 2000, 05:15 hrs
Merida Island, South Pacific
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 Field Operations Base
Commander Sailor swore, an incessant stream of curses that left those that heard his rant wincing as they backed away from him. He stared at the glowing remains of the world's largest and most advanced submarine, nearly four hundred meters from bow to stern now just a glowing wreck.
"Sir?" A marine captain called out to him and he spun, still sputtering curses under his breath.
"What is it?" He stammered. His face still flushed with rage. To think I lost a ship in port, let alone the Toy Box. I'll be a complete laughing stock after this!
"Two of the Seabees reported that a pair dressed as marines set the self-destruct of the ship, and one of them claimed to be from Mithril."
"Do you have a description?" He asked, glaring at the NBC clad soldier.
"Umm…" The man just glanced down at his own clothing and Commander Sailor winced realizing that there was nothing to describe.
"Well find them! Question anyone trying to leave base! Understand!" He yelled.
"Yes sir!"
27 March 2000, 06:20 hrs
Russian Territorial Waters
Gulfstream Nineteen
While Sarah Miller busied herself in the small kitchenette in the plane Al's mind was focused entirely on flying the craft. Despite his admonishments to the contrary he found that piloting it was easily within his abilities. It's very much like the rapid deployment system, not to mention those wing pylon attachments but I can travel much further this way.
The passive sensor displays told of another concern as the plane approached the Kamchatka Peninsula. The territorial boundaries between Russia and would grow fuzzy shortly but for now they were firmly in Russian Airspace, but then they had little choice. The direct route and the only one that would take them to Tokyo with their limited fuel supply required a passage through their airspace, and the Russians were out in force. Already his sensors had picked up nearly a hundred different radar signals ranging from everything A-50 Awacs craft to MiG-31 Interceptors.
Two of which had just made a long turn to approach from the rear at a range of fifty kilometers. MiG-31 Foxhounds are infrared sensor equipped. Could they have detected us?
"Sarah." He called out. "Two Russian aircraft appear to be pursuing us now."
"What?" She called back from the kitchenette. "Is the ECS still on?"
"Affirmative, but it doesn't mask infrared emissions very well, as you well know!" The AI's steady voice increased in volume, the best it could do to convey urgency. "Could you hurry up and strap in, in-case I am required to take evasive action?"
"I am hurrying, as I have repeatedly been informed by the base mess sergeant, brewing coffee to keep us engineers awake is an art form!" Sarah muttered back.
Lacking internal cameras Al couldn't watch her work and if he had the capacity to shrug he would have. "I must question your priorities."
"Let's see, where's the sugar and creamer…" Sarah muttered.
"Contacts now at thirty kilometers, they'll be in infrared missile range in two minutes." Al stated blandly. "I suggest you get strapped in before then."
"Alright! No wonder Sagara always complained about you in his reports." Sarah muttered as she returned to the cockpit with a large mug filled with coffee. Scowling she glanced down at it. "I should have gotten a lid."
"I would suggest you do so, I have no intention of burning my passenger if I'm forced to take evasive action." Al stated.
27 March 2000, 06:27 hrs
Russian Territorial Waters
865th Interceptor Aviation Regiment (IAP), 11th Air Army
Sergei Amir glanced at his displays, the Infra-red search and track system marking the invisible contact plainly on his displays. He smirked somewhat. I always thought this system was a bit useless with Awacs in use now by NATO and our own country sneaking up on somebody is almost impossible.
Sergei flipped through the missile systems hanging from his airframe before settling on the R-73 Vympel missiles. Known as AA-11 Archer missiles by the NATO alliance each had greater range and maneuverability then the American AIM-9 but less range then the ASRAAM and less maneuverability then the new AIM-9X.
As the warbling tone of the infrared seeker caught in his headset Sergei took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder confirming his wingman's presence then he keyed the radio system. "Boscha five-one nebo, beginning transmission."
"Boscha control, nebo acknowledged."
Sergei tapped the radio controls switching over to the general aviation frequency and cleared his throat switching over to English. "Unknown aircraft this is Colonel Amir of the VVS, you have entered Soviet Airspace. You are ordered to divert to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, refusal to obey these instructions will result in us considering your intention hostile. Do you understand?"
A female voice crackled across the radio a second later. "Nuts!"
What the hell does that mean? Sergei thought as he centered the targeting reticle in his sights. "I repeat, you are to divert to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. You have thirty seconds to comply."
"They're throttling up." His wingman called out.
Sergei scowled as he glanced down at his controls. "Arm weapons."
27 March 2000, 06:30 hrs
Russian Territorial Waters
Gulfstream Nineteen
"No way in hell am I landing for some Soviet!" Sarah said as she strapped herself in as quickly as she can. "Not after what they did!"
"I understand." Al stated simply. "I suggest you tighten those straps as best you can, very severe maneuvers will be required to evade any launch. We are fortunate this craft is equipped with flare and chaff dispensers."
"You have ten seconds." A voice echoed across the radio and Sarah swallowed down a lump in her throat.
27 March 2000, 06:31 hrs
Russian Territorial Waters
865th Interceptor Aviation Regiment (IAP), 11th Air Army
"Time is up." Sergei stated flatly. "Boscha control, target refuses to divert."
"Acknowledged, you are rabotayu."
"Poshel." Sergei answered as he tightened his grip on the stick. "Pusk!"
An R-73 Vympel rocketed off its mount and hissed toward the invisible target, as it approached suddenly a barrage of flares flashed into existence and Sergei watched the target track dive downward. The infrared missile exploded amongst the flares harmlessly.
"Miss." Sergei called out as he rolled his plane over onto its back and dove in chase. "Continuing engagement."
26 March 2000, 12:35 hrs
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
White House Situation Room
In the situation room the National Security Advisor watched two MiG-31s give chase to some invisible craft. Already missiles had been caught on radar. He glanced over at the technician monitoring the situation. "Damn, it looks like the Russians found them."
"Yes sir. From the position it looks like the Gulfstream is en-route to Japan." The technician stated quickly.
"Mister President, we should alert the 35th Fighter Group at Misawa to go to combat readiness. If the Russians fail to catch them we'll have one more chance as they enter Japanese airspace." Sandy Berger, the National Security Advisor stated quickly.
Bill Clinton nodded. "Do it."
27 March 2000, 06:37 hrs
Russian Territorial Waters
Gulfstream Nineteen
Sarah screamed as the g-forces built up on her body and warning alarms echoed in the cockpit. Outside the glass the horizon tore past as she heard pops from the back of the plane. She fought to keep her eyes open as a missile hissed past the cockpit, its motor already burnt out leaving a smoking trail as it dipped toward the ocean and splashed against the water's surface.
What the hell is that popping sound? Are we hit, why isn't Al talking! Her mind yelled as the plane twisted and made a break turn. She gasped for air as the wall of force from the turn slammed into her chest as if an elephant had settled upon it.
The missile warnings stopped and she blinked away tears. "God, oh my God…"
"The hostile aircraft have ceased fire. I have detected four separate launches from each so they have likely expended their ammunition. The nearest reinforcements are three hundred kilometers away. We will be in Japanese air space before they can reach us." Al stated before pausing. "Sarah? Are you alright?"
"No… give me a minute." She wheezed as she leaned back in the seat. "Don't they have guns?"
"They do, however it would be exceedingly difficult to get a firing solution with a gun against a target with only an infrared signature." Al stated. "Ninety units of flares have been expended, only thirty units remain. Sarah, if we are intercepted by American units over Hokkaido I do not believe we have sufficient countermeasures to evade their attack."
"Fuck!" She said.
27 March 2000, 06:40 hrs
Russian Territorial Waters
865th Interceptor Aviation Regiment (IAP), 11th Air Army
"Who the hell is flying that thing?" Sergei asked quietly as he glanced at his fuel reserves and expended ordnance. "Eight launches, no hits?"
"They are quite good Comrade." His wingman answered quickly.
Sergei Amir nodded. "Boscha control, infrared guided weapons expended, unable to achieve lock with radar guided munitions. Requesting orders?"
"Continue pursuit, additional aircraft are diverting to your contact."
"Control, we'll be over the Kuril Islands by then… That's contested airspace." Sergei said quickly.
"Understood Comrade Colonel, we are contacting Moscow for additional information and updates on rules of engagement. Keep contact." The control answered quietly.
"Control, I'll be out of fuel by then as well!" Sergei growled.
27 March 2000, 06:43 hrs
Russian Territorial Waters
Gulfstream Nineteen
Sarah Miller swore as she watched the two fighters continue to shadow them on the displays before her. Her hands shook quietly as she glanced down at the GPS and satellite map. "Al, is there anywhere we can divert to? Someplace that'd be nice and quiet en-route where we could dump the plane?"
"Negative, up until Hokkaido the territory we are flying over is a possession of the Soviet Union. While the Kuril Islands are diplomatically contested by the government in Tokyo they are occupied by Soviet forces. Landing there would be… inadvisable."
"Damn it!" Sarah growled as she closed her eyes. I need help, but from who? She glanced at the satellite radio system and set her jaw. Maybe something's left of Mithril that can help. It's my only real chance.
She picked up the headset and set it to the emergency channel and wondered if anyone in the world would pick up the transmission she was about to bounce across a set of commercial satellites.
27 March 2000, 05:46 hrs
Merida Island, South Pacific
3 km from the Egress Point
Kurz walked just in front of and to the left of Mao, his hands tight around the M16A3 rifle while Melissa glanced over her shoulder at the base. A cloud of smoke rose from the site as well as multiple clouds of dust from a squadron of Humvees that rolled out of the base. Ahead a foot patrol of four marines trudged through the ash. As they approached the leader of the group stopped and glanced at their names and insignias.
"Wait… I don't remember you two being in our battalion." He stated as he came to a stop. "What unit are you with?"
"2nd Platoon, I Company, 3rd Battalion, we were sent here to help beef up security. It sounds like we're too late." Mao said.
"Really? I don't remember hearing anything about I Company getting sent here. Hey Gibs, weren't you in I Company till you transferred in last month?" The man said glancing at one of his compatriots.
"Yeah, but that guy wasn't our CO. Hell our Platoon Sergeant was Tod Krillin." The man answered.
"You sure?" The leader of the group asked.
Shit, this isn't good. Kurz thought to himself. "I just transferred in myself."
"Obviously, but Lt. James had another three months on the posting when I left." The private answered. Kurz glanced at Melissa who was studying the four marines, the NBC gear making it impossible to read their expressions or even guess at their appearance.
The patrol leader shook his head. "Shit, just give me a second to check your story." He pulled a radio from his pocket.
Two shots rang out and the man slumped to the ground as Melissa spun toward two of the other Marines her rifle already on her shoulder. Kurz, stunned almost as much by the shots lifted his own rifle to face the third hostile and fired, sending two rounds into the man's chest. Despite the ballistic plates he fell forward incapacitated as blood ran down the green camouflage of his uniform.
The other two marines fumbled with their rifles, as Melissa let loose with a burst of fully automatic fire that dropped one of them before spinning on her hip and dropping the other. As the man fell she ejected the magazine and shoved it into her belt before pulling out another one. "Come on Kurz, let's go! I'm sure the boys at base heard that!" She began to run and Kurz cursed his weakened state as he rushed to catch up.
Convalescence indeed… I just got out of the fucking hospital last month. Damn it Melissa! He huffed as he ran. Its two kilometers to the rendezvous! That's what, ten-fifteen minutes at a dead run?
27 March 2000, 05:50 hrs
Mithril Headquarters, Sydney, Australia
Communications Room
Tessa sat drumming her fingers nervously on the desk while Admiral Jerome Borda sat with an enormous mug of coffee on the table of the infamous American navy brew. Piles of change of ownership forms along with countless dossiers and corporate memos lay scattered around him. He'd been working non-stop besides a few quick naps since they arrived.
How can he sleep when we've got agents on a mission? Every time I tried I had nightmares when I was in command of the de Danaan. Since that 'Toy Box' is busted message there hasn't been any word from Kurz or Melissa.
She was clad in a loose T-shirt and khaki trousers that felt hot despite the morning hour and pulled down her TDD-1 cap tight over her head. Unlike many she'd worn while on Merida Island it was designed much like the caps she'd seen sported by naval captains from America or Britain. Mardukas had always worn one of his old ships, and now that she no longer captained the de Danaan she found that the cap was now a treasured reminder of better days.
It had gold stitching that displayed the silhouette of the Tuatha de Danaan along with the designation TDD-1, the ship's name, and both Cmdr. Madukas's name and her own under the silhouette.
Maybe I should add 'Toy Box' to the cap if I have another one special ordered, maybe then they'd know what it was. I got some strange looks from marine officers in America before we fled.
The satellite radio system suddenly lit up as an emergency transmission filtered in. She felt her stomach knot and grabbed the receiver nervously. Emergency frequency… could the Osprey have been shot down? What about Kurz or Melissa: after everything… to lose them now? She felt tears well up in her eyes as she heard a voice over the line and froze.
"This is Mithril Gulfstream Nineteen out of Alaska to any surviving Mithril Base or Outpost, please respond!" The note of panic in the girl's voice jogged Tessa out of her own thoughts as she bent over the microphone.
"Sarah?" She asked in surprise as the Admiral listened in. "Umm… this is Mithril Headquarters in Sydney. Gulfstream Nineteen, please report the nature of your emergency?"
"Tessa?" The sudden outcry of relief made Tessa blink in surprise as she heard a second muffled voice in the background. "Oh thank god, I thought maybe the Americans had caught you too… Listen I stole this jet and got out of Alaska with Al but the Russians are chasing me and I'm sure the Americans are out to get me! I need help!"
"Where are you?" Tessa asked quickly as she scrambled to pull out a map of the pacific.
"Two hours north-north-east of Tokyo, I was going to try and head for Haneda since I didn't know where to go. Sergeant Sagara lives in Tokyo right?" Sarah said quickly.
The Admiral grabbed a phone and quickly began dialing a number as Tessa glanced at the map. "So you're near the Kuril Islands right now?"
"Yeah, that sounds right." She said. "I don't know how to read this that well… Al's the one flying."
The steady voice of the AI cut into the transmission. "Headquarters, we have two MiG-31 Foxhounds currently shadowing us via their Infra-red Track and Scan systems. They tried to get us to divert to a Soviet airfield and opened fire when we refused. We're currently very low on countermeasures. We've also been detecting an American Awacs that's been tracking our pursuers so it's likely we will face additional resistance from American aircraft based in Japan."
"Alright, we'll come up with something, just hold on Sarah." Tessa said staring down at the map. Kuril Islands, about forty-five minutes out from Hokkaido. When will the Russians abandon pursuit and when will the Americans make their attempt. Would they really shoot down one of our planes over Japanese airspace?
27 March 2000, 07:00 hrs
Misawa Air Base, Japan
35th Fighter Group
At Misawa Air Force Base the briefing room for the United States 35th Fighter Wing two dozen pilots sat down before the base commander. Each already was clad in their G-suit and other field equipment. Most looked at each other nervously, uncertain as to what exactly they had been called here for. A year earlier the group had lent tactical air support to Mithril units attacking Amalgam in Tokyo itself. Nearly half the pilots that had sortied didn't make it back.
The base commander, General Douglas Warren glanced down at his notes and shook his head. He'd never expected a mission assignment like this one. "Alright boys, this mission comes straight from the Pentagon, so listen up."
Behind him a projector flashed to life and an image of a Gulfstream IV jet appeared decorated with the Mithril insignia on its tail. "Approximately six hours ago a young woman by the name of Sarah Miller blasted her way out of Mithril's Alaskan base destroying it with the self-destruction of one of the experimental AS prototypes on site as many of you saw on CNN this morning. For the last hour aircraft from the Soviet Union have raced to intercept the plane and apparently detected it near the Kuril Islands. We are to intercept the craft that the Russians are pursuing."
"Yokota Air Base is deploying three AWACS aircraft to support our search. Each is fitted with an advanced ECCS system, but even so the Pentagon isn't laying good odds on detecting this craft before it enters Japanese air space or even afterwards. You are to escort this craft and force it to land at either Yokota or here at Misawa so its pilot may be taken into protective custody. If the craft refuses to divert you are authorized to shoot it down."
One of the pilots raised his hand. "Sir, what about the JSDF?"
"This is an American operation and is to be considered classified, you are not to speak of it to your fellow pilots in the JSDF or to any unauthorized personnel with all the usual punishments for a breach of security protocol. Mission orders will originate from the AWACS codenamed Eagle Watch. The higher ups are quite insistent that we keep this operation in the dark from the Japanese to avoid a diplomatic incident, as far as the control tower is concerned this is a combat readiness drill and you'll only be following their instruction for taxi, takeoff, and landing."
The pilots glanced at each other nervously. It was an unusual set of orders that was sure. The general swallowed once before glancing back at his notes. "Samurais, Panthers, go bring this girl in."
27 March 2000, 06:07 hrs
Merida Island, South Pacific
150 meters to Egress Point
Melissa could hear the rotors of the Osprey as she ran, scrambling over the dusty surface of the island. At times the ground crunched under her feet like she'd jumped on a glass pane. The boom of .50 caliber rounds ripping through the air echoed in her ear drums and she could feel the shock wave from their passage beat upon her chest. Behind her she heard Kurz huffing and puffing.
Damn he's out of shape since he rejoined us. Guess being stitched back together by Russians will do that to you.
"Come on Kurz, almost there!" Melissa yelled as a flash from an Armor Piercing Incendiary projectile leapt up in front of her. Dazed and a bit stunned by the ringing concussion in her ears from three more .50caliber rounds whipping past she stumbled and fell onto the ground.
"Melissa!" Kurz yelled as he skidded to a shop beside her and wheeled back toward the Humvees in pursuit, his rifle settling on his shoulder. "Are you hit?"
"No! I just stumbled and…" Melissa rolled onto her back and glanced up at him. "Fuck!"
A single round rang out from M16 in his hands and the machine gun fire stopped. "Got the gunner." Without looking he reached down and offered her his hand.
Melissa grabbed it and let him pull her upright. "Let's keep…"
Red tracers hissed past as another Humvee opened fire with the M2 machine gun mounted atop its roof. Swearing in German Kurz lifted his rifle up and fired two quick rounds silencing the new threat.
"Let's go Kurz!" Melissa yelled running once again toward the egress point. "I can hear our ride."
"Did those guys have any weapons on that thing?" Kurz asked as he followed, still breathing heavily.
"I…"
Ahead the MV-22 Osprey appeared out of thin air as it disengaged ECS. The craft was hovering maybe half a meter off the ground with its boarding ramp lowered. They could see the crew chief standing at the top of the ramp behind an M2 Browning machine gun. As they ran it opened fire sending round after round at their pursuers.
"That answer your question?" Melissa yelled as she scrambled the last ten meters to the craft, ducking as friendly .50 caliber rounds whipped past her. She clambered aboard and dropped down on her back as Kurz ran inside. "The Mogadishu mile can kiss my fucking ass!"
The ramp began to close and the crew chief smirked at them. "Heard you needed a lift."
Kurz sat down beside Melissa and took a moment to catch his breath as she sat upright. "Damn right, now get us back to Sydney!"
27 March 2000, 06:10 hrs
Mithril Headquarters, Sydney, Australia
Communications Room
The radio crackled as another channel opened. "Sea Eagle to Opera House, we have Dao team aboard and are RTB. Hostile fire encountered during extraction. No casualties."
Tessa let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. That's one less problem to deal with. She smiled slightly as she keyed the transmit button. "Opera House acknowledges, hurry on home."
That done Tessa turned her attention back to the map of the Hokkaido area and her smile fell. Now to save Sarah… She swallowed down a lump in her throat. Damn it, the only member of Mithril in country there is… Sousuke.
"Tessa, have you got anything for me?" Sarah asked through the communications line.
Tessa shut her eyes and sighed. "Not yet."
Admiral Jerome Borda shook his head in irritation as he leaned back in his seat with a phone to his ear speaking quickly. "Listen, this is Admiral Jerome Borda of Mithril. I need to speak with the Minister of Foreign Affairs on an urgent matter."
"Please, please let them hear him out…" She muttered to herself. Damn bureaucracies, they're the same everywhere. Tessa swallowed back a lump in her throat. "We're working on it Sarah."
"Please hurry." Sarah said. "I'm still over the Kurils and there are more MiGs on the way according to Al."
Damn it. Who do we have in Japan? Anyone else? Tessa closed her eyes and realized she really only had one agent in place and he was already stretched to his limit.
I have no choice. She thought to herself as she picked up a phone and scowled in concentration trying to remember the number before turning to a contact book and praying it was listed inside.
27 March 2000, 07:12 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Room 404, Mansion K Apartments
Sousuke lay in bed and sighed, his gaze flicking down to Kaname who was lying with her head against his chest using him as a pillow. He'd turned off her alarm clock after the nightmare electing that she needed the rest more than waking up at a reasonable hour. Glancing at the morning light filtering through the heavy curtains he let out a sigh. Daylight? I slept in… I never sleep in. He hadn't intended to either, but the strange sense of peace that had engulfed him as he held her during the night had persisted into his sleep.
Now it was clearly the morning hours, far later than he normally woke. Glancing down at her again he puzzled over how to slip from her grasp without waking her, she looked so content and serene laying there. He ran a hand through her hair and smiled as her still sleeping form murmured contently from the contact.
She really is an angel. Albeit one that has no qualms with violence. Sousuke smirked to himself as he thought of an angelic halo round her head while she brandished her harisen. It was an amusing image, one of the few things he'd learned to appreciate recently. His smile fell when he saw his Glock 26 sitting on the nightstand beside her alarm clock and he felt his stomach knot.
Damn it. He thought to himself and glanced down at her sleeping form. How much does she have to go through? I tried so hard to protect her…
Still asleep Kaname murmured again and snuggled against him, a smile on her lips. Is she dreaming of happier things now? I hope so. Sousuke sighed and closed his eyes considering drifting back to sleep when another sound echoed in the apartment.
Deadened by the door he was sure Kaname couldn't hear it, but he could. It was the keening of her home phone. Sighing he glanced down at her and scowled. How do I answer without waking her up? Slowly he glanced around the room and spotted her Bonta-kun stuffed animal. Smiling slightly he picked it up and slid it between them and slowly slipped from her grasp. As he stood she hugged the doll to her chest and smiled dreamily.
Sleep well Kaname.
Smiling at the image of her in the bed he picked up his Glock 17 and padded out to the living area as the phone continued to ring. Sighing to himself he picked up the receiver. "Chidori Residence, Sagara Sousuke speaking."
His eyes nearly bulged from his sockets as a familiar and soft voice answered his. "Sagara-san, good I was hoping I would catch you."
Tessa!
"C-captain! I'm glad to hear from you, I was afraid you and the Admiral had been captured." Sousuke said.
"No, we're alright we'll be on our way to you pretty soon but that's not why I called." Tessa let out a sigh. "Have you seen the news yet?"
"No, I'm afraid you woke me up…" Sousuke ran a hand through his hair nervously.
"Oh, well… Sarah Miller is on the way to Japan with Al." Tessa said nervously.
"Understood, do you want me to meet her at the airport?" Sousuke asked.
"Not exactly." Tessa's voice sounded tense. "She's fleeing the United States military. It seems that they tried to force her to work for them. She reacted a bit severely…"
"Shit, Tessa I've got two CIA Operatives following me around, I don't want to…" His voice gave out as he closed his eyes. I don't want to leave Kaname alone without any guards. Sousuke closed his eyes and slowly sat down on the couch. "What is the situation?"
27 March 2000, 07:14 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Room 509, Lions Mansion Apartments
The CIA operative swore under his breath as he listened in on the headset. Fucking hell! We've been identified? He swallowed and glanced back at the computer that sat beside the surveillance equipment at the information request message he'd been working on. Who the hell is this Sagara Sousuke?
The woman on the line started to speak again and he furrowed his brow. "She stole a Mithril Gulfstream and self-destructed the ARX-8. That base is gone. Fortunately, they managed to evacuate everyone before it exploded…The Americans are scrambling to get her and the Russians are also hoping to nab her as well." She let out a long breath. "I have her radio communications frequency but, I'm uncertain if you have the equipment to contact her presently."
Another information request… who is this Captain? Clearly this guy is Mithril, and she must be as well. Plus there's that other name… Sarah Miller.
"I did, a year ago. What happened to the equipment I had left in the safe house when it was closed?" Sousuke said.
27 March 2000, 07:15 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
K Mansion Apartments, Room 404
Sousuke heard a hurried tapping on a laptop for a few minutes before Tessa answered. "It's in a warehouse in Tokyo. Here's the address… 429 Kaigan Dori. She's about two hours out right now, but she's getting low on fuel."
Sousuke repeated the address to himself to ensure he'd remember it before nodding. "Got it, I'll see if I can find a ride to the location. I'll get right on this Captain." With that done he hung up the receiver and leaned forward on the couch his brow furrowed in thought.
American doctrine tends to put a great deal of weight on avoiding civilian casualties, especially when such casualties would have diplomatic repercussions. Maybe I can keep them from acting on the opportunity if one of Kaname's friends is with her. But, I've got to hurry… I need to get to the warehouse and then to an airport, preferably Chofu. Haneda would be insane to land in with planes on her tail. He took a deep breath. "Shit!"
He closed his eyes and took another deep breath striving for calm before picking up the phone again and dialing Kyoko's number.
27 March 2000, 07:17 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Tokiwa Residence
Kyoko Tokiwa yawned as she padded over to the dresser in her bedroom. A collage of pictures was pinned to a board over the dresser surrounding a mirror with a calendar tacked in the corner. The happy faces of her friends from Jindai made a slight smile slip across her face as she checked her pigtails in the reflection.
Her phone rang. A default tone that represented an unknown number rang in her ears. Frowning slightly she picked it up and flicked it open. "Tokiwa here."
"Tokiwa, its Sagara…" There was a pause of hesitation. "I… I have a favor to ask you Kyoko."
"A… a favor?" Kyoko blinked in surprise as she leaned on the dresser and glanced at the pictures. "Sure, I'd always be willing to help you and Kana-chan."
"I need a ride, it's something of an emergency…" Sousuke said, his voice quivering somewhat. Kyoko blinked at the strange tone that was coming from him, it being so foreign to him.
What's happening?
"Is something wrong with Kana-chan?" Tokiwa asked as a sudden surge of fear ran through her veins like ice.
"No, nothing like that…" Sousuke answered immediately. "I… You remember I said I had friends in Alaska, well they'll be arriving in… an hour and a half or so." His voice hitched. "I'm supposed to meet them at the airport but I need to pick up some equipment from a Mithril warehouse first."
"Sousuke, what's going on?" Kyoko asked.
He took a deep breath. "Kyoko, I… I don't want to go into details. You… you've already been hurt once because of your involvement with Kaname." His voice hitched. "I'm so sorry…"
"Sousuke…" Kyoko sighed as she sat down on her bed.
"It… it makes it hard, what else I have to ask…" Sousuke's voice broke slightly. "I… I don't want to leave Kaname alone, could you… could you keep her company while I do this?"
"Of course I'd keep her company Sousuke…" Kyoko answered automatically. "She's my friend too."
"Thank you…" Sousuke said quietly.
"I'll call Ono-D. He's got a car now." Kyoko said quietly. "How is Kaname?"
"Still sleeping, I didn't want to disturb her."
He's still sweet. Kyoko thought with a slight smile. "Okay, I'll call Ono-D and see about that ride for you Sousuke."
She let out a sigh as she ended the call and started to skim through her contacts.
27 March 2000, 07:20 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Room 404, Mansion K Apartments
Sousuke sat alone in the now silent apartment and pulled a fresh set of clothes from his rucksack. As he finished changing the phone rang once again and he grabbed the receiver. "Sagara."
"Sousuke, Ono-D will be right over. He says it's no problem if you give him some money for gas." Kyoko laughed quietly.
Sousuke nodded. "Thank you, that's not a problem." He choked on his words after a moment. "I… I never apologized for what happened last year. I hope there wasn't any lasting damage."
"It wasn't your fault." Tokiwa's normally happy tone dropped to one that was a bit more subdued. She sighed. "You remember when we spied on Kaname at the park?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"That was fun, even if you were running around in a Bonta-kun." She laughed lightly. "I know the last year hasn't been easy on either of you. I don't know if I'll ever get the full story…"
Sousuke swallowed down a lump in his throat. Before he could stop himself the words began to stream out. "Kyoko, so much happened… I don't know how much you want to know. I've faced so much over the years, but the last year… the last year was the worst."
"I don't doubt it Sousuke." Kyoko said quickly. "If you or Kana-chan want to talk, know I'm willing to listen."
"Yes, I'll be sure to tell her. I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "I should have gotten her to leave before… before they came. We knew it was only a matter of time but I wanted to protect her, keep her out of my world." The words streamed out and Sousuke let himself feel pain for what had happened. "And it almost cost your life and… her…"
A memory rose up to the front of his mind, Kaname standing before him with a gun grasped in her hands, its barrel pointed straight toward him. His heart seized in his chest and he let out a gasp for air. Looking at the phone he realized his hands were shaking.
Kyoko was silent for a long time as Sousuke tried desperately to stem the tide of his grief, but like a tsunami it kept coming. "Her soul… I… I wish I could take it all back, make it right."
"Sousuke, you had no idea. You got her back, and if anything Shinji said after we left last night is true you might have saved the whole world." Kyoko's voice was now devoid of humor, a stiff honesty lay behind her words.
"I… I can't talk about it anymore. But thank you Kyoko, you're stronger than anyone suspects." Sousuke said.
Kyoko's voice lightened somewhat. "Not as strong as you or Kana-chan. Now, go give her a kiss before Ono-D gets there."
"I will. Thank you." Sousuke slowly hung up the phone and nodded. He stood up and walked back to the bedroom.
Kaname lay curled up in bed still hugging the Bonta-kun. Her dark blue-black hair shimmered slightly as he knelt over her. Smiling to himself he brushed away her bangs with a calloused hand and leaned down over her. Then he stopped. Chidori was whispering in her sleep. His sharp ears caught technical terms and descriptions from Arm Slaves, ultra-modern helicopters, and even the Lambda Driver. So that's why they call it whispers. Slowly he bent down and kissed her forehead and whispered. "I'll be back in a couple hours."
Flustered and nervous at having to leave Kaname alone even if just for a few minutes he picked up the Glock 17 from the nightstand and slipped it into his waistband. I hate this, I don't want to leave her… He swallowed thickly as he walked toward the door and pulled on his shoes.
After a few long minutes there was a knock at the door, peeking through the peep hole he spotted Ono-D then quickly opened it.
"Sagara, Kyoko said you needed a ride." His friend said with a slight smile. "Come on…"
Checking his Glock as he stepped out the door Sousuke and quietly closed the door behind him, forgetting the brand new phone he'd set beside the couch.
27 March 2000, 06:24 hrs
Merida Island, South Pacific
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 Field Operations Base
Commander Sailor stood in the command center of the base fuming, rattling three ball bearings in his hand as he scowled at the Marine Captain who reported the escape.
Mithril… those slimy bastards blew up their own ship rather than let us have it. That damn Testarossa, who would have thought someone as disarming in appearance and tone would be that damn petty! He swore again. "God damn it! Contact the USS Beleau Wood and ask them to scramble some harriers to catch these bastards!"
As if they'd find them… an Osprey with ECS!
27 March 2000, 07:30 hrs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building, Tokyo, Japan
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōhei Kōno
The Minister of Foreign Affairs walked through the doors of his office, a tired smile on his face as he nodded to his secretary before walking over to his desk. He was a veteran diplomat now after the years he'd served in the post. It was the second time he'd been tapped for the position by a Prime Minister, and experience meant something even in a position like this one.
"Minister, we've received a call from an Admiral Borda, he states it was quite urgent." His secretary said as his superior sat down in the desk and set his briefcase atop it.
"Jerome Borda?" He stated with a frown.
"Yes sir."
Damn, America is after his skin for being a part of Mithril… though I doubt merely talking with the man will spark a diplomatic incident, I must be careful. The politician sighed as he glanced at the phone. "Put him through… after the assistance Mithril gave us, it's the least we can do."
"Yes Minister." His secretary bowed slightly. "Should I have the morning briefing delayed?"
"Yes." He said quickly. "If there is something important amongst it I believe the Admiral would know of it."
His secretary bowed again and stepped out, after a moment the phone lit up and Minister Yōhei Kōno picked it up. "Admiral Borda?" He asked in English.
"Minister Kōno, I'm glad I was able to reach you." The admiral quickly replied. "You are aware of the current situation Mithril and its employees have found themselves."
"Yes, the American assault on your base in Alaska was quite the news. How badly is your organization hurt?" He asked.
"Minister, I'm afraid it no longer exists. Alaska was the lone base we had left…" Admiral Borda took a deep breath. "I trust that you are aware of the source of our military technology?"
"Yes, I take it the line is secured on your end?" The Prime Minister asked quickly, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.
"As secure as I can make it… one of our whispered managed to escape captivity in Alaska and stole a plane. She's looking for refuge from the Americans and Soviets."
"I see…" The Minister said quietly. "I am uncertain what assistance I can offer, our amicable relations to the United States are vital for our economic and national interests."
"I understand that Minister, but the whispered took those actions without my consultation. She's already en-route and will be entering your air space in a matter of minutes." The Admiral sighed. "I understand this puts you in a difficult position, but the young woman's life is in grave danger. Already we have word that American aircraft have launched from Misawa and she is currently being pursued by Soviet MiGs over the Kuril Islands. She won't be willing to surrender to either of them and if they shoot her down inside your airspace…"
Kōno's eyes widened slightly. "That would be a violation of our sovereignty, not to mention international law!"
"So, Minister Kōno… what are you going to do about it?" Admiral Borda asked pointedly.
Kōno scowled, he was indeed put in a difficult position. America's actions had been unpredictable, and relations with Russia were always tense but for their strategic partner to flagrantly disregard their sovereignty… Do they really think we are their lap dogs, that'd we'd let this stand if we knew of it? Plus Mithril has been as honorable an ally as we have ever had the A-21 Incident let alone the attack on Tokyo by Amalgam proved that. That the mercenary organization had taken upon the responsibility of protecting one of their citizens in secret, a whispered girl and tried to preserve the normalcy of her life spoke volumes. America had helped the group in their struggle against Amalgam and then turned upon them sensing an opportunity to plunder its secrets. Their motives were transparent. Like the Soviets and Americans had done when Germany fell in the Second World War, they had scrambled to grab all the secrets that had been left behind by the defeated power. Now they were doing the same with Mithril and Amalgam.
"Thank you for this information Admiral… I will be contacting the Director General of the Defense Agency and the Prime Minister. We cannot allow this blatant disregarding of our sovereignty to stand. What can you tell me of her aircraft?"
"It's a Gulfstream G. IV modified for Mithril service, so it has ECS, but already the Soviets found a way to ignore that advantage. Right now she's hoping to land in Tokyo, we have some assets that will meet her when she lands… if you have no objection." Admiral Borda stated.
"No objection, we'll discuss the status of your comrades in arms at a later date Admiral, but for now I have to get to work, the provocative nature of our allies actions take priority." The Foreign Minister stated. "Thank you again for your information."