Author's Notes: Another chapter is up and like I said, I will finish Time Index. I'm still busy but I managed to cram in typing time wherever i could. Anyway, I gotta rush so I can't talk much now. Hope you enjoy the read. Thanks for reviewing.
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Chapter 13: The Untraceables
"No." Index refused.
Touma gave a sigh. Here they are again with this problem. Index was refusing his leave for the Federation of Russia. Now, he and Yori have to solve this problem, again.
Yori offered "I'm sure you enjoyed the one week buffet, am I right?" Index nodded. "How about I offer you free another week?"
This time, Index rejected the offer. "No, I will not be turned away from Touma's safety because of food!" This time, she looked resolute even against the offer that once broke her resolve.
Yori contemplated another plan. If the offer doesn't work, make it more lucrative. "Then how about I offer you a full month instead?" That was four times the duration of free unlimited food. That was four times the pleasure of being full. Four times longer she won't be hungry. Four times long she can enjoy the culinary arts of the world. Index's eyes were glittered with temptation. Clearly within the girl, two sides were fighting one another. They were Mr Yes and Mrs No. Index started to reply when
Ding
Yori opened his eyes. The public address system spoke. "We are reaching the airport shortly, please buckle your seat belts and raise your seats to the default position." Yori opened the window beside him. The sun was bright afternoon and the city of Samara below. We're here.
"Welcome to Russia, enjoy your stay." The customs officer smiled as she returned Touma his passport. Unable to comprehend English, he simply smiled back and walked past the security gate and clear of airport security. Touma was no longer dressed in his school clothes. Instead, he is in the same clothes he once wore during his first undercover work. The black shirt and brown jacket was a bit wrinkled from the long hours of travel. He did ditch the skull necklace though, it just isn't for him.
Yori, Kuroko and Misaka cleared their customs without trouble as well. Yori was dressed in his all black combo. Kuroko wore a lacy white shirt and black skirt of knee's height while Misaka had a casual but alluring brown flowered shirt and blue jeans. They met up, walking side by side. Kuroko asked "What's the next part of your plan?" Yori had been doing some arrangements prior to their arrival, necessary ones.
Yori explained the rest of his plans. "I've arranged for a guide and transport. He'll settle all our needs. Stay close." They can't afford to be separated in this security tight and people crowded airport. It would cause a hassle and waste time. They retrieved their luggage, relatively light for three days of clothing at best. They walked out into the main area where tour guides, family or friends wait. "Keep an eye for a sign for us."
"You mean that one." Misaka pointed directly ahead. There it was with Yori's name within the crowd.
Yori blinked. "Yeah." With several strides, they met the guide. "Good evening Mr Aleksi." Yori spoke in American English.
"Good evening to you, Mr Yori Tamotsu." His English was deep, clearly Russian his native language. He saw their young age and this time spoke in similarly deep Japanese. "Young brave ladies and gentlemen on a journey, how rare to see such a thing. He gestured at the door. "Now follow me, I have your transport ready outside." He then gestured at Misaka's and Kuroko's luggage. "If you kindly may."
Kuroko nodded and he swooped both bags into his hands and began leading the way. Misaka whispered in satisfaction. "He's quite a gentleman."
"Maybe, but it's not the same as to Onee Sama." Kuroko replied.
Beyond the doors of the airport is their transport, a Volga Siber. It was painted in silver. It was stylish and classy, certainly not a cheap car. The sun outside was shrouded lightly by the clouds. The winds breezed lightly, making the trees dance gently. Touma asked. "Where did you get all this money?" Seriously, Yori has a real lot of money for a student.
Yori entered his bag into the back. "My dad while a warrior at heart is also an economist in mind. He made some profitable investments. I earned a lot as well from my black past. Crime pays until you're dead at least. It's enough to last me for a long time." The doors closed, they began the drive with Aleksi on the wheel. Yori asked Aleksi. "Where will we be staying?"
"You will be staying at the Renaissance hotel. It is one of our finest hotels here in Samara." Yori smiled to that. The Siber began entering the deeper parts of the city. As they traveled, Aleksi explained the sights and sounds of Samara. From history to culture, he preached with perfect detail and good charisma. There was never a boring moment. The streets were plentiful of people, more adults unlike Academy city whose population comprises mostly of students. Samara wasn't as technologically advanced as Academy City but it looked distinct and beautiful in its own way. Perhaps... it could be peaceful as well. Touma wouldn't mind staying in a city like this. It certainly beats all the misfortune and crazy things he gets himself into.
After what was a good hour journey, they reached the Mariott Renaissance hotel. It was simply magnificent. The white marbles is shining from polished. The lights are bright, displaying grandeur of the already shiny marble. The place is cool but not too cold. The artworks and metals are beaming in their own fashion. All that on Yori's expense.
After dealing with checking in, Aleksi handed them two keycards. "You may enter your rooms while the bellboys will carry your luggage in."
Misaka snatched a card. "Great! I could use a bath." She raced for the elevators.
"I'll join you too!" Kuroko chased after her roommate.
Touma frowned while Yori shook his head. Yori mentioned. "Girl relationships are something I had never successfully studied."
"You got that right."
Aleksi chuckled. "I'm sure in time you will understand. Now you should unpack and rest. I will be waiting for you here in the lobby after two hours." Yori nodded as the guide left probably for a coffee break. The two boys now head for the elevators for a short break before whatever they need to do here begin.
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"Have you heard?"
"Da, they are here."
"I've already done the necessary steps. They won't bother us tonight."
"Good, now what about the prisoner?"
"She is rattled but not yet broken. Shall I bring forward the schedule?"
"Da, do it as soon as possible."
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Their rooms were of class indeed. Their beds are king sized. Chairs and a table fit a corner. A television and mini fridge with cabinets tucked away at the other. A balcony was the end of the room, open for wind to enter. The toilet is shiny, sparkling as though it was never been used. Now in their suite, the luggage already there in wait, Yori whistled at the speed of the bellboys. They certainly are faster than the elevator. Yori opened his case. Its inside was untouched, packed like how he wanted it to. He pulled out a small box from the bottom of the case which he opened for his two guns and short sword.
Touma commented. "I'm surprised it actually got in." Security checks were very stringent at the airport.
"I had the parts removed for Speagle and Devil's Trigger. They're just pretty casings right now. As for Death Blade...it's an antique." That was clear enough. He closed the luggage bag and put it into his deflated hip pack. "Alright, I'm heading out."
"Where are you going?" Touma asked from the comfortable bed. Their guide will be meeting them in two hours. It's not even close to ten minutes.
"I couldn't slip in the other stuff I need, can I? I'll need to reconstruct these twins as well." He opened the door.
"How are you going to find this stuff? Just curious." Yori couldn't speak Russian either and their guide definitely should not be involved in this type of a deal.
Yori smirked. "It's easy when you know the types to look for." He left the room, the door automatically closing itself.
"You are not coming in here!" Misaka slammed the bathroom door shut. She sighed. Honestly, what's with her perverted senses? She could never understand about that of was fortunate that Kuroko didn't actually attempt to teleport into the bathroom. Now, she'll just take a nice bath to put her mind at ease.
She heard Kuroko as she slipped into the full bathtub. "I'm going out to take a look around." The door opened and closed. Now, Misaka is left to her thoughts. She felt worried all of a sudden. Her sister is somewhere around here in Samara, in pain. She's probably cold and hungry too. Misaka 10032 informed that they're awaiting her arrival. Where are they? The door opened again. "Back so soon Kuroko?" The door closed without answer. It can't be cleaning service can it? She got out and wrapped herself with a towel. "Who is it?" She called again. The door burst open as a hand stretched in with a gun.
Touma was on the bed, watching the television which words just do not make any sense to him when he heard a large jolt of electricity. The lights flickered before stabilizing. It was clearly Misaka's doing. Is something wrong? They were in enemy territory of sorts. He got up and out of his room for Misaka and Kuroko's just opposite. The door was unlocked, the electronic lock burned out, told by the smell of smoke. He entered the room. "Misaka!" On the floor was an assailant in a black hoodie garbs. Beyond that was Misaka, wrapped in a towel. She is dripping wet drop by drop and she is very unhappy with his entrance. She is very unhappy.
"GET OUT!"
Touma obliged with the door shutting behind him immediately. A pause before the door opened, rolling assailant out of the room before the door shut again. Touma studied the assailant, just who is he? He appears to be a regular looking guy, older than them but certainly not more than twenty. Those Mafia were tipped off so early. They had just arrived and already they were being targeted. Certainly their network is keeping up with them. Now, who is the source? He turned to new footsteps to see Kuroko and Yori together. They both look really serious.
The intruder was coming to when Yori smacked the face with his foot. "Grab your things. We're leaving, now." He didn't explain further as he entered the room. Touma followed while Kuroko entered her room with a zap. A minute later, fully dressed with things at hand, the four walked briskly for the elevator. Yori had also retrieved the man's pistol for safekeeping.
Kuroko explained their part of the situation. "Our guide's been murdered. I found him stuffed at a dumpster outside." What was she doing there in the first place? Still, it's not worth the time to ask about it now.
"Now where are we heading to?" Touma asked. They both seem to have a plan already in their minds.
Yori answered. "Anywhere secret and safe, our arrival isn't welcomed." They reached the elevators when they heard loud footsteps. It is a lot of footsteps. "I think we better hurry."
"They'll catch us at the ground floor." Misaka noted. They are certainly prepared, very prepared.
"Then we'll have to teleport out of here."
"I can't teleport him." Kuroko said as she gestured at Touma. Yori grit his teeth lightly, this is getting a bit more troublesome.
Misaka put her bag down. "We'll have to fight our way out then."
Yori handed Touma his bag. "I have a better idea. I'll distract them while you find somewhere safe for us."
"Are you crazy?" Kuroko mentioned. The footsteps are getting much closer. Yori, unarmed except for a short sword and a pistol with a single magazine worth of ammunition against a good number of people and probably armed to the teeth.
Yori hissed. "Whatever your mission is here, we can't draw attention!" If they did, it certainly will complicate things. An elevator door opened. Yori forcibly pushed the two girls into it. He looked at Touma. "You take care of them, big boy. I'll see you all whenever I can." Touma nodded and simply entered the elevator. The door closed and the elevator began its way down. Yori started running into the hallway. He heard yelling in Russian behind him. They're on to him, they are his predators. Now which way shall he go? Stairs, yeah.
He barged through the emergency stairs and flew down the steps. He was at the 20th floor. It would take some time even if he is fast. Perhaps he can take a shortcut. He got out of the stairway at the 17th floor. Things will be quite a ruckus! He ran back towards the elevators. With the elevators around the corner, two men sprung from the other end of corridor down his path. They were armed with silenced submachine guns. AK-74s, nasty. He wielded the first assailant's suppressed M9 pistol and fired two un-aimed shots. It kept them back a little as Yori reached the elevators.
The door was already open for some reason. He couldn't care less and entered the empty lift. He hit the close button before leaping up, his foot sticking hard at the rear corners of the lift. Bullets struck through the door as Yori pulled the top grate open. Luckily, the shots were too low and Yori pulled himself out of the lift. Now on top, he took a leap into the dimly lit abyss. Seventeen floors is a long way down. Yori accelerated time and stabbed his sword into the wall. It cut into the metal, making sparks as it slowed him down. He kicked himself from the wall, landing himself on one of the stationary elevators.
By his guess, he had another six floors to go. He took another leap and landed using a similar fashion. At the bottom of the elevator shaft, he climbed the neatly placed maintenance ladder. This must be the basement. Then, it's just a simple matter of hitting the stairs and leaving the hotel. He started to run for the stairs when silver popped out from the left junction. He hit, falling to the floor and things went black.
"Are you okay?"
"We must move…."
Yori felt rather than saw his own body being dragged as he woke up. His head hurt quite a bit, particularly his face. In front was two people hunkered down behind machines, spraying lethal bullets at something. Slightly behind there plopped against the wall was a man had his head shot gathered from the bloodstain on the wall. He couldn't hear anything as he was being lifted up to his feet. He turned around to see another person in black garbs, a balaclava with goggles as headgear. He couldn't tell anything about the person with such stuff on. All he knew that it was a she from the monotone voice. "We must leave immediately."
"Alright, lead the way."
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"Is it essential to proceed with the mission this way?"
"There are no available disguises suitable other than this."
"This feels….ridiculous."
"I think it's cute."
"…."
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"I got nothing." Kuroko closed her cell phone. They are now in a public park, acting as tourists enjoying the view. They were more like lost tourists instead. Escaping the hotel was clean and they met no resistance.
"Nothing on mine either." Touma closed his phone as well. They've been trying to contact Yori but there's no signal, nothing. Could it be he's underground at the moment? Or is his phone broken? Is he even alive? They don't know and that's what is worrisome.
"This is getting problematic by the minute." Misaka shook her head in disbelief. Now without a guide, lost and unable to speak Russian, getting anywhere sensible isn't easy. It's highly doubtful you'd find Japanese capable speakers around at this place at this very moment. They have another problem too, money. Unable to communicate means no access to banks or any financial institution whatsoever. No money means it's hard to get what they need or to get around this city. She then suggested an idea. "Let's go to the Japan consulate, we can at least get things done from there." Then she hit another problem, where is it in Samara?
"That won't be necessary." A voice spoke in Japanese behind them. The three turned to see a human sized brown bear with big black bulb eyes. Misaka felt a sweat spurt from her forehead. "Follow me. I will bring you to your friend." Does it mean Yori?
"How do we know it isn't a trap?" Kuroko was extremely suspicious. Despite being in the land where the language isn't known to them, it pays to be cautious in enemy territory.
The bear answered. "He says your school should really change those short skirts." The girls felt a vein pop. Touma just looked on at the spectacle. It's him alright. Kuroko accepted the bear's word as genuine. It turned around. "Please follow. It is not far." Why does it sound so familiar to Kuroko? Touma already knew the answer.
They followed the odd bear across the park. The journey was quiet, but certainly not without attention. People gaped at them time to time. Kids somehow were scared of the bear. The youth would just laugh at it. The bear gave no response to those reactions. It simply led them to one of the nearby residential zones. The houses were modest, built for the common middle class in mind. The bear led them to one of the two storey houses which are bunched up together, wall to wall. It walked up the steps and the door automatically opened. They entered and see Yori lying on his elbow on a sofa watching Japanese television. He turned over his shoulder. "Yo."
Zap
"Ow."
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"Now just tell me, who are all of you?" Kuroko asked. At one end of a long green checkered table is the group of Misaka, Touma, Kuroko and Yori. At the other end is eight people of similar height, dressed in pure black garbs and balaclavas excepting one big bear.
"We are the Untracables. We know what you are looking for." The leader's voice was muffled by the thick balaclava.
Yori commented. "You mean untraceable like wearing stuff that stands out like that Pedobear suit?" The bear must have been insulted for it went out of the kitchen to whatever upstairs. Ouch.
"Enough of that." Kuroko berated him. "So tell me, what are we exactly looking for?" Define their understanding of yourself and you can analyze the truth. Know your enemy, allies and your own self and you will win a thousand battles.
"Information regarding the firearms smuggling operation into Academy City." They got it right on the dot.
"And what are you asking from us?" Kuroko requested the demands.
"We have…a friend in need of assistance. She is captured by those involved in the operations you are looking to uncover. I offer cooperation to take them down in order to save one of our own."
"What's the catch?" Kuroko was again very cautious.
"There is no catch. We get our friend out and you get what you want."
"Why do you need us to free your friend if you are clearly aware of our intentions here?" That suggested good intelligence and good intelligence used effectively in an operation can generate very positive results.
"Currently, they are aware of our existence and are on high alert. Additional help from the right source of firepower is best on the safe side." They certainly had a point.
"That's fine by me." Yori flipped his pistols, revealing the empty stocks. "Do you have spare parts for Desert Eagles? I need these fixed."
One of them opened the door down to the basement. "We have an armoury in here. You may look for your necessary materials there." Yori hopped off his chair and went down. Kuroko rolled her eyes and agreed to the terms. The lot of twelve followed after Yori down the basement. Down here, it was very clean, an orange lamp hanging above just by a thin wire. Green boxes of different sizes were arranged neatly and separately with different colour tags.
Yori opened a case of medium size. He pulled out the weapon inside. "M4A1 Carbine." He pulled the firing chamber and inspected it. "A classic, well maintained." He put it back for the largest lone box. He hefted the heavy sniper rifle. "M82 Special applications scoped rifle….powerful stuff." He put it back while the rest just looked on with Yori in his treasure hunting. He opened one of the few smaller boxes, finding what he wanted. "Wulala." His hands became a blur, the sound of clicks being an indicator of action. Three seconds later and Yori was done with his pistols outstretched. He was very very satisfied. Kuroko rolled her eyes to that. "When do we start?"
"Tonight."
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Outside, it was turning dark as night started to fall. Lights were turning on in anticipation. Yori and Kuroko were down in the armory, rearming. Misaka and Touma were upstairs with the rest of the Untraceables. Misaka gave a sigh. It was a tiring trip, a good long nine hours. Now, they are having some refreshments of tea and small cakes. "What's with the bear suit?"
Misaka 14735, now out of the bear suit said hesitantly. "It was necessary considering available materials." She didn't look happy for wearing that suit. Yori even insulted her, calling her a Pedobear. It certainly would sting for a while.
"So, tell me how is she doing?" The Level 5 asked.
"She is fine but…" MISAKA 14730 trailed off, apparently receiving new developments. "The circumstances are changed, Misaka reports."
"What happened?" Touma asked.
"They've just started torturing MISAKA 14731, in an accelerated rate. Misaka informs the regretful information."
Misaka banged her fist against the table. "Then let's go save her!" Touma was angry as well, ready to charge at a moment's notice.
"MISAKA 14731 advises otherwise. They want information about us and 14731 believe she can buy enough time for the operation to continue as scheduled. Additionally, operating at this time will attract a lot of attention of indigenous population, resulting in high collateral damage, Misaka reports." That kept the two in check.
Misaka grit her teeth as her fists tightened. She was angry. The clock now read 6.07 P.M. They just have to wait for several more hours before they can start. How long can MISAKA Imouto 14731 last before breaking apart? She won't let them get away, not after what they're doing right now. Once she gets her hands on them, they will pay.
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"Six, are you ready?"
"Winds clear and I'm in position. Scope is ready to fire, six reports."
"Guard on the roof, engage when ready, operation begins."
"Firing."
Down below, Touma could hear the gun atop the roof fired in its suppressed form. It wasn't booming loud but it wasn't that quiet either. It was like a firecracker. Across the street, he couldn't see its effect that dark in the night. It was close to midnight. The results were only heard by the leader of this little band of Untraceables. "Proceed with the front guards." A few moments and the order came. "Enter the building."
The thirteen of them left the small alley they were in. They crossed the dark empty streets. The target building was a big exquisite home, clearly not meant for just a family. The door was now unguarded with the rest of the path up to the doorway unlit.
Yori pulled something from his pocket before handing it to Touma. It was hard to see but from the shape he could feel it to be a pistol. "It's a USP.45. You'll need it."
Touma was extremely reluctant to hold such a weapon. "I'm not going to kill people!"
His answer was met with a shrug. "Keep it anyway if you're not going to kill, at least aim for the arms or legs or even just force them back." The nine untraceables lined up against the door, clearly well trained.
The leader gave a nod, the cut for one of them to plant a device at the rich polished door knob. They hid by the door as the lock exploded in a small boom. The door lock now in bits, they entered. "We're in."