Note from GobHobblin: Sooo...(glances around sheepishly)...how's everyone been? Yeaaah...long absence...totally unexcused. Just let life get in the way and did nothing to address it. But...I'm back...yay?

June 28, 2024 – Temporary Command Post, Outskirts of the Evangelion Center, Tokyo-3

Whenever Aramaki found himself between rival agencies, there was always a great deal of tension and general bravado that needed to be sliced through to accomplish anything. Arriving at the command post outside the Evangelion Center's outer-marker, however, he was surprised to find that everyone was actually on the same page, and equally frustrated. If anything, everyone was incredibly happy just to have someone in charge.

He had never encountered such a situation before, and initially was unsure of what to make of it.

So he gathered his thoughts as he gazed at the slab in front of him, the table top displaying a map of the Evangelion Center's grounds before him. To his left stood Richard Sawara, a Hawaiian-Japanese man who was in charge of the CERT response. He was a dumpy looking man who had an impressive record as a member of three major metropolitan police agencies, the reason he was hired on as the CERT Director.

To Aramki's right stood Motoko Kusanagi, an attractive young woman who had clearly undergone heavy augmentation during her life. Aramaki was impressed upon meeting her; full bodied cyborgs were still rare birds. They either were like the Captain, and of a normal size, or massive machines. Surprisingly, not many people were eager to saw off healthy body parts to become cyborgs, so individuals like the Captain were greatly appreciated in the security forces. Kubota had also arrived, and stood across the table from Aramaki, looking weary. Aramaki sighed, and looked back at Sawara.

"I'm sorry, I'm still having trouble understanding this. So your orders are essentially to do nothing?"

"No," Sawara said in exasperation, which was not directed at Aramaki, "I've got constant calls from the Gehirn legal office demanding multiple updates and courses of action respective to each of their individual areas of concern. I have the Security Attache here insisting that I hold off until I receive further notice. I have the CERT team leaders in place and demanding to go in, I have the government's security offices insisting I hand over operational control to them, and I have a collective petition of Nerv leadership outside of Gehirn insisting we give the hostage taker's whatever is necessary to secure the release of the hostages and research materials inside…not always in that order, depending on who's asking." He smiled humorlessly.

Aramaki shrugged. "In essence, your orders are to do nothing, even if they aren't spelled out just so. Does Nerv not have any concept of operational seniority?"

"Of course it does. I've been arguing that the entire time, but it hasn't prevented the dozens of people with bigger paychecks than me telling me what to do. Every protocol that we have in place for dealing with this situation? They've thrown out the window. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that they were trying to sabotage our response."

"You may be right than you want to know," Aramaki said bluntly, and Sawara shrugged.

"I may be, and I may not be. I really don't care: my only concern is the hostages," he replied.

"A good thing to keep focused on," Kusanagi said, smirking. She turned to Aramaki. "We can probably play cloak-and-dagger later, Mr. Aramaki. What's our method of infiltration?"

Aramki stood up straight, scratching the back of his neck. She was right…one problem at a time. "That's the kind of question someone asks when they have an answer themselves," he said, and looked up at her. Her smirk became an almost feral grin.

"Oh, we have a few. Not that Mr. Kubota knows about any of it," she said, winking in his direction. Kubota waved indifferently.

"I already know you Spec-Ops types are a bunch of thieving, mercenary divas. I've lost track of the number of special items that have been written off as lost in classified ops," he replied gently.

"That hurts," Kusanagi said with mock innocence.

"So what did you borrow from your armory?" Aramaki asked, liking the younger woman despite her bravado.

"Type 2402 ThermOptic camouflage, for one," Kusangi said, and all three glanced at her with varying degrees of shock or confusion.

"ThermOptic camoflauge?" Sawara asked in confusion.

"A highly classified item that does NOT exist," Kubota snapped, no longer amused. Kusanagi gave him a baleful look.

"Really, if there was ever an appropriate use for it, this is the time," she said, "The ability to preposition an entry team without detection, then move them to optimal positions to eliminate the hostage takers, is perfect for this kind of camouflage ability."

"I thought that it was still in the test phases? That there were flaws with it?" Aramaki ventured.

"Thank our American friends at Sarif Industries," Kusangi replied, "They've been using them with their Rapid Reaction Forces for minor outbreaks or scouting missions. Good enough to fool the Others, at least."

"That would be of great use to us," Aramaki noted.

"As well as the Seburo Type 34s, with light load rounds," Kusanagi added. Sarawa made a coughing noise, and his expression was one that was impressed. Seburo was a topnotch weapons manufacturer for small arms, and the Type 34 was a marvel of a submachine gun. It was more of a compact, rapid fire rifle, as it took a full sized 5.56 NATO round. It also had an integrated silencer, considered one of the more effective ones in the market. Gunshots were still noisy…after all, they were gunshots…but the Type 34 silencer had gone a long way in reducing the decibels in each round fired.

The light load ammunition, however, would render those guns truly quiet. The powder within each of those rounds produced concussive forces with unique acoustic signatures…they were still loud, but in a way that rendered them easier to baffle and silence. In other words, some egghead somewhere had 'tuned' gunfire, and now silencers could truly make weapons silent.

"What kind of bullet do those rounds carry?" Aramaki asked.

"Hollow point with a resin interior. The shape of the resin will give it the punch to go through body armor, especially at close range, but it will shatter on entry. No 'through the hostage' shots," she said. "Can you imagine? Resin punching through body armor. What will they think of next?" It seemed lost on her that she was probably a greater technological marvel than a bullet design, and Aramaki raised an eyebrow at her priorities.

"You've got nothing for the cyborgs, though," Sarawa pointed out, "And I'm more worried about them than the hostage takers. Those are full bodied combat mechs."

Kusangi nodded. "I haven't worked the details on that yet, I'll admit. Our anti-cyborg weaponry is too bulky to infiltrate with, and we have no rounds for the 34s that will take them down. Besides, knocking them out will let them know we're coming. I don't want them to have any idea what's happening until we've secured the hostages.

"I was figuring we could bypass them, but I'm uncertain how we could do that best. I was hoping you might be able to enlighten us on a way to do so."

"That depends on getting access to the security grid, which we can't get," Sarawa admitted. "Unless…" He scratched his ear. "There are…maybe six or seven access points scattered around the grounds that we might be able to put a specialist on and access MAGI. I mean…we won't be able to immediately control the interior blast doors and corridors, but we can get an idea of what's going on."

"Why didn't you do this before?" Kubota asked.

"Couldn't risk it. The TO bots are patrolling where those access points are. If the camo that the Captain has is as good as she claims it is, though, we can get close enough to set up a remote terminal. We'll be able to then access MAGI from here at the CP, and coordinate an assault."

"Pick your specialists," Aramaki said, and then turned to Kusanagi, "Get them outfitted, and arrange to escort them to the access port of their choosing."

"Roger," they both said, leaving him and Kubota in the bustle of the command post. His friend circled the table, studying Aramaki.

"You're pondering things," Kubota chided. "You have that pondering look."

"They have to know that they are surrounded inside," Aramaki muttered, staring at the model. "How do they intend to escape?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You know that Golden Army line is a load of crock. Those men are there with the intent take something. But what and how? And how do they intend to leave when they get it?"

Kubota shrugged, crossing his arms. "I honestly didn't consider it. If they were who they said they were, a suicidal attempt to take hostages made sense. Looking at it as you say, however…well, how would you exit the building?"

"Same way you would. Redirect their attention elsewhere…" Aramaki began.

"…and go through the sewers," Kubota finished. "Assuming they have sewers. That or go through the top, but I see no way they can do so with us watching this closely."

"And we are watching the exit to the drainage tunnels beneath the Center, correct?"

"Of course," Kubota said. "We have the Coast Guard floating a pair of patrol boats at each exit." Kubota stood up suddenly, unnerved. "Unless…they plan a breakout." Aramaki nodded.

"Exactly. We've assumed we were looking at the whole of the team. There's an asset we are not seeing in play," Aramaki said. "Most likely at one of exits. Has there been any suspicious activity reported by the observation teams?"

"None, but I'll give them the heads up," Kubota added. Aramaki nodded, and continued to ponder the map. There were more pieces in play than seemed, but where were they?

Ah, well…one problem at a time.