Angel Beats!

What We Die For

Chapter 36

Beginning of the End

It wasn't until recently that i learned of the existence of the headquarters of the Intelligence division. They had set up their main base of operations in the library, out of all places. The library was probably the most dangerous place to have any base in as it was right in the middle of the entire school. Mainly due to the increased amount of crazy activities the SSS2 members perform out of sheer boredom, the student council and disciplinary committee have stepped up their counter-measures and placed the SSS2 under heavy scrutiny.

In other words, any SSS2 member could be held up and questioned just for standing around. The diversion division was doing its best to make the student council turn the other way, but it wasn't that successful. SSS2 members were still being pulled aside and sent to a 'detention' block for ever small crime they make. With the decrease of Shadows came the increase of problems we have to deal with. As i was walking towards the library, i was stopped a total of three times by disciplinary members, demanding to know where i was going and what i was planning to do.

"I'm going to the library, is that such a bad thing?"

I glared at the latest NPC who dared to stand before me. The NPC seemed a little frightened, backing off from me.

"N-no... carry on."

I did not bother to say another word to him as i walked on. I reached the library shortly after and stepped inside. As expected, this place was crawling with NPCs, all going about their normal and usual routine. As for any sign of SSS2 members, there were none. Where did they all go?

"Ah, Kurogane. There you are."

I turn around and saw an NPC walking up to me. It wasn't unusual that the NPCs would know our names, since we were 'suppose' to be students here.

"I've been asked to pass you this."

The male student handed me a piece of paper before leaving. I looked at the piece of paper and it said on it was 'Aisle twenty one, fifth large red book from the left, Kakushita Mon(Hidden Gate)'. I did not know what that meant, but i guess i had to go look. I head further into the library, walking pass the aisles towards the back. I started to notice after the tenth aisle that there were no NPCs beyond that point. The entire back portion of the library was devoid of any movement, sound and life. The lights were dimmed considerably compared to the front portion. I reached the end of the library, the twentieth aisle. There was no aisle twenty one. I walked down the aisle, looking for any signs that would point me to a possible aisle twenty one.

The light overhead wasn't working properly, flickering its dim light in the overwhelming darkness. I noticed something odd about the wall of this back portion of the library. Unlike other walls in other rooms, the library was the only room that had multiple support columns as part of the wall. Most classrooms had two columns at most, some had no support columns at all. However this library had multiple columns for just one wall. At first i thought it was due to the size of the library, but then it did not seem to add up. The spacing between each column was about fifty centimetres in length, meaning there were about twenty columns for just this wall. Each column were painted in a different colour but in a certain order. Red, Blue, Green, then it goes back to red and repeats.

"... I see."

Now i get it. I walked all the way to the end and counted the columns from the left. The message was telling me to count the red columns from the left. That meant the fifteenth column, inversely the five column from the right. I walked over to that column and spotted a small book shelf tucked between that column and the one next to it. This was aisle twenty-one. I scanned the titles of the books and noticed that each book was named with rather interesting names.

"'Shizuna no Hebi (Calm Snake)', 'Raku no bakudan (Easy Bomb)', 'Yasumi mo nai hikikomori (Shut-in without rest)'. Odd."

I read the titles out loud, but found no book called 'Kakushita Mon'. Kakushita Mon, the hidden gate. It was hidden in more ways than one.

"... Hmm? 'Mienai taiyou (Unseen Sun)'?"

The Unseen Sun? Another odd book. But wait. Unseen. It could also mean 'hidden'. I look at the other books and found another book that caught my immediate attention.

"... 'Goemon (Name of legendary Japanese thief), Doraemon (Famous Cat anime/manga), Senmon (Subject Major), Goumon (Interrogation)'... That's a lot of 'mon' that are not related to each other in anyway."

I guess these two books are meant to be used. I reach out and pulled both books, but the books would only come out partially. Instead, i heard a click and the sound of gears as the entire book shelf raised itself off the ground, revealing a secret entrance. So this is where the intelligence division hides their base of operations. Looking around to make sure no one is watching me, i make my way inside, lowering my head to allow clearance. This tunnel was definitely built without height being a factor. What was also rather strange was that this tunnel seemed to go on for a long time.

I'm pretty sure that there was a classroom just behind that back wall of the library. So how could this tunnel exist? Separate space? Just what sort of science-fiction genre horror show did i step into? Best not to dwell on it too much. The tunnel soon ended and i found myself stepping into a large windowless hall that was filled with desks all neatly arrange and facing my direction, or rather the entrance. Shelves and filing cabinets lined the sides of the hall, each being filled by books and stacks of paper. The desks were also covered with documents and files. But there were two main problems with this place, and one very important fundamental problem.

First, the fundamental problem is where does this hall exist in the school? It cannot exist at all. But i should not be thinking about that. The more important issue at hand are the two problems. One, there isn't anyone here. The second is that everything looks to be in a mess. An attack? But how? I unholstered my pistol, turning the safety off and pulling the hammer back. I look towards the end of the hall where a small room was. Lights still coming out from that room, meaning there has to be someone still here. Of course, if they were under attack, they would have fled without leaving things settled. Looking around, i spotted that several desks had bullets markings. There definitely was a battle here.

Using the desks for cover, i slowly made my way towards the back of the hall. The deathly silence was helpful since the only noise i could hear were my own steps and breathing. Any out of the ordinary noise would alert me almost immediately. Reaching the end of the hall, i checked my back to make sure no one was behind me before checking the door of the small office. I could not hear anything from the inside. Checking the handle, i found it to be unlocked. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The small office was also in a mess, documents and files scattered all over the place. There's no one here, but there seems to be signs of a struggle. Where could the entire Intelligence division have gone to?

"... Wait a minute."

I stopped myself. If everyone had run away, why did that NPC give me that note to this entrance? Could it be that someone from the intelligence division had survived? But why direct me to here? I walk around the desk to search for more clues and there i found it. The filing cabinet in the office was slightly pushed out from the wall. Looking behind it, i spot a hole. Mustering all of the strength i could, i pulled the cabinet out from its position and took another look at the hole. Great. Another tunnel. I guess i have to go through here.

"... Nothing venture, nothing gain."

Or it could lead me straight to death. Which i would revive later on, but that would sure hurt. This tunnel was smaller in size than the last so i was forced to get on my knees and crawl through. However, just after i crawled in, my hand suddenly felt nothing. No ground. Eh?

"Oh shi-"

My momentum carried me forward and i tumbled straight down the sudden drop in the tunnel. Needless to say my terminal velocity descent was not the most graceful, nor was it the most quiet fall i have had. I'm pretty sure i had fallen a good ten metres before i crashed into something rather hard. But i didn't die.

"Ite-te-te-te..."

Sitting up while nursing the bruise on the back of my head, i looked around to see where i ended up. Apparently i fell into a second large hall, though this one seemed to be more high-tech, with giant computers all over the place. The walls were unlike the ones in the school, but rather they looked more like the walls of a carved out rock cave. Almost like Guild. Looking down, i noticed that i landed on some wooden crates that were filled with paper documents.

Picking up a piece, i saw that printed on the pieces of paper were information lists on the NPCs. From what time they wake up, to which routes they take to class. Everything was detailed in these documents, however it seemed that there are conflicting information. Most of these documents were stamped with a 'VOID' mark. Why void? It means these documents are invalid, right? These were quite important documents and yet to label them as invalid was slightly odd. The sound of footsteps alerted me.

I looked around for my pistol and found it lying half buried under some documents. I reached for it and got to my feet. Crouching low, i took cover behind one of the giant server machines. The footsteps were becoming louder as whoever was making those steps came closer and closer. Readying my pistol, i could hear my own heart beat beating louder and louder. Then, the footsteps stopped. Why did it stop? Maybe i should check. But if that person is just out there, and is an enemy, what should i do? Getting the element of surprise would be advantageous, that's for sure. On the count of three. One, two-

"Three!"

I turn around the corner, pointing my pistol at-

"... There's no one here?"

That can't be right. Where could they-

"Ahh!"

A sudden kick appeared from my blind spot to my left, knocking my pistol out of my hand and sent my hands up into the air. But using this momentum, i jumped back, drawing my second pistol and bringing it to my opponent who decided to make his appearance. A tall guy stepped out from the corner, silently observing me. Mainly because of the dimly lit room, i could hardly make out anything other than that. Was he an enemy? Or a friend?

"Who are you? Are you part of the SSS2?"

I demanded, steadying my aim at him.

"..."

He only stared in silence, and that was quite unnerving for me. The two of us stared at each other in silence, none of us making a single move. My eyes were slowly adjusting to dimness of the room, and i now noticed that he was wearing the SSS2 uniform. But why attack me? Well, technically, i was the one who draw my weapon first.

"... So, you are part of the SSS2. Where are the other members? Were you the one who sent me that note?"

I ask, still not quite able to trust him. Though i may be the one provoking, his lack of answers for my questions only made me even more suspicious. NPCs were not known to act outside their set boundaries, but who knows what could happen. It was for this type of reasoning that Yuki came to rely on me most of the time. I did not trust anything outright. I needed to collect facts and information before i make any judgement. In my past life, i would have accepted anything as it was. I wouldn't question anything given to me, nor try to pursue anything i wanted. A doll-like existence. An empty existence. But my time here and the experiences i've had while i had amnesia had changed me. It did not change me a lot, but it made me more wary and cautious of things.

"... Not able to answer?"

The man still did not move, nor say anything. This was getting nerve-wrecking.

"Okay, stop!"

A voice shouted out, making me turn. Stepping out from the shadows was a familiar face.

"Testarossa?"

I blinked a couple of times as the girl walked over to me. Testarossa Iris, the self-proclaimed 'super maniac stalker' of Takamachi Yukari.

"Kurogane, i would like it if you could put away your weapon. Pointing it at my boss is not a very good way to begin a peaceful conversation."

Iris narrowed her eyes at me. Her boss? That would mean... this guy is the mysterious leader of the intelligence division? I still felt slightly unsure, but i holstered my weapon. Iris picked up my other pistol and turned the safety back on before handing it to me.

"Try not to drop it again. There are a lot of sensitive equipment down here."

Iris warned. I looked over to the leader of the intelligence division, only to find that he disappeared.

"Don't worry about him. He tends to disappear from time to time. Anyway, it's good you got my message. We need your help. Follow me."

Iris led me down the cavern of computers towards the end where a large gathering of SSS2 members were. They were all arming themselves with guns and moving through documents. It seemed to me like there was going to be some large operation going to happen. Iris led me to a large table where several other members were mulling over one large map that had several scribbles and circles on it.

"Ah, Iris-chan, you're back. Is that the back-up?"

One of the members turned to look at me.

"This is Kurogane Kou."

"Ah, i've heard of you. Yuki's elite, right?"

I wouldn't really call myself that. Still, i needed to know what was going on.

"Yuki sent me here because your message was cut in the middle and you said there was some emergency. Care to fill me in before i help out with anything?"

I asked them. Most of them nodded in agreement, then turned to Iris, probably wanting her to explain.

"We may have uncovered where Tetsuya is."

Iris said, taking out a folder and handing it to me. Upon opening it, my eyes immediately spotted the photo that was clipped with the rest of the documents inside. The photo was indeed Tetsuya. But what was disturbing about the picture is that he was dressed in the uniform of the NPCs.

"... He's been converted?"

I asked, not liking this information one bit.

"We cannot confirm that. That picture was taken a few weeks ago by accident when one of our members dropped his camera, and we poured all of our resources into locating him. If he has been turned, he should be wondering around the school like a mindless zombie. However we have yet to find him, until yesterday. One of our members spotted him with several of NPCs heading for the student council room. As far as we know, NPCs don't just become student council members out of a blue. There is the elections that is held once a year, and we always keep track of who's in it and who isn't."

Iris pointed on the map at student complex B. The building that was right in the middle of the entire campus. Yuki had banned all members from entering that building recently due to the increased arrests made by the student council. That building was the heart of enemy territory and it would be foolish to let our members just to stroll in only to get captured.

"Just as we were going to prepare for an infiltration operation, NPCs suddenly came bursting through into our base. They managed to get five of our members while the rest of us escaped down here."

"NPCs? But how?"

This was weird. Not just 'normal' weird, but this was extremely weird in a very worryingly manner. NPCs able to act outside their boundaries?

"We're not sure. But because of it, we were forced to abandon the surface base and had to come down here. Recently, the NPCs have been acting extremely weird. They aren't acting the way they should be... rather they appear more..."

"Human?"

I finished Iris's sentence. She nodded, handing me two separate pieces of documents.

"These two reports are about the same NPC. They list his likes, his dislikes, his routes along the corridor, when he fall asleep and such."

"But they're both very different..."

"Exactly. The NPCs are changing, and we don't know why. We need to infiltrate school complex B to find out, as well as infiltrate the student council room. Any and all information we can gather must be extracted and brought back here."

"Thus this massive operation. Alright, i'll help."

There wasn't much i could do anyway.

"I should get Yuki-"

"No. Our leader isn't exactly wanting Yuki to know about this until he is absolutely sure."

Iris stopped me from calling Yuki. Well, i guess their leader has a point. That, and i also know that the leader of the intelligence division and Yuki often butt heads. I'm guessing he wants to 'shove it in her face' when the time comes.

"We're playing it safe, our leader doesn't want to lose any more members than we have to. This is the plan for Operation: Watchdog. Alpha team will infiltrate the dorm rooms of the student council members. Takakichi, you're leading this team."

Iris looked to one of members standing around the table.

"Understood. How much time do we have?"

"We have contacted the diversion division and they can give us a window of an hour. This is the file containing all known rooms of the council members. Best course of action is to hit every single room simultaneously. Spread your members carefully."

Iris warned, handing him a folder.

"Next is Beta team. Tomonori, you'll lead your team to infiltrate school complex B from the North side. Take the stairs to the second floor and secure it."

"Alright."

"Charlie team will be led by Terada. You will infiltrate the complex from the East end. Find the discipline committee room and get in to free our members."

"And if we face any opposition?"

"Take them out. We have fire clearance on any and all NPCs who stand in our way."

"Wha- wait a minute, Testarossa. Who gave such clearance?"

I asked. Firing on NPCs was always forbidden due to the consequences of what may happen. We would be enemies of this World and may cause unwanted disruptions.

"The NPCs are acting outside their boundaries, and if we don't take them out, they'll take us out. And i'm the one running this operation. Do you have a problem with that, Kurogane?"

Iris glared at me. Seeing as how she was giving off such a murderous aura, i guess i had to go with it.

"... Fine. So? Where am i at?"

"You're running with me. I'll be heading Delta team straight from the South point. We'll head straight for the third floor student council room. All of you, take light arms only. This is a 'get-in get-out' operation. No need trying to be heroes. Shoot only when necessary. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

The entire room shouted in unison.

"Good. We'll start at exactly 1800 hour. Time limit is one hour. Operation: Watchdog, start!"

The time was six in the evening. The loud sounds coming from the cafeteria and the track field signalled us to move out. Iris nodded to me and motioned the squad to move up. Getting up from our spot around the corner of the building, we stormed into the building. Iris's group consisted of twelve individuals, myself and Iris included. While others were armed with rifles and machine guns, i only had my pistols to rely on, since that was all i brought. Iris would have lent me one rifle, but the leader of the intelligence division had taken up the rest of the weapons together with the rest of the intelligence division to go out on another operation.

No one knows what the other operation is, but it certainly seemed dangerous if he was taking all of the heavy weaponry. However the light arms used in this operation suited us well. We were to get in, find any relevant data and get out. At this time, the number of students left were minimal. Majority of the discipline and student committee members should be out and making sure that the clubs are running smoothly and that no one loiters around needlessly. In other words, complex B should have the least number of NPCs left. But that did not mean there were none. Several students were still around, but we ignored them and moved on. They also ignored our actions, simply looking at us and probably thinking we were doing some sort of show.

We took the South staircase, running up to the third floor without pause. Iris stopped at the top of the stairs, peering around the corner to make sure no one was there, before signalling the others to move up. Four members took the lead and crouched low as they hurried towards the student council room. Taking up positions at the door, they signalled the rest of us. Iris acknowledged the signal and motioned us to move up. The rest of the squad hurried over. Taking up position behind the four, Iris nodded to the one closest to the door. Testing the knob lightly, he opened it and allowed two members to rush in before he went in himself. So far no gun shots. That's good. Iris motioned the rest of us to follow. Stepping inside the student council room, what we found was nothing out of the ordinary. Desks lined up like a conference table, shelves with books and files. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet.

"Alright, search everything. We don't need to be neat. Tear it all down if you have to. Minamoto, Saihara, two of you guard the entrance. Alert us to any changes in the hallway."

Iris issued orders and the the group went ahead with their jobs. Quite efficient for just being an intelligence unit. They were on par with Kyou's own personal assault unit in their efficiency. That was saying quite a bit. Kyou, being the leader of the main assault group in the Assault division, took in and personally trained a bunch of her very own elite members. Kind of like Yuki's chosen elites, but on a lower level. Yuki, after all, has first dibs on selection and if there is one thing the Queen of Fort does best, it is taking what she wants.

Yuki has a keen eye for who can be useful and who isn't, which is why she is in-charge of the recruits, and it is why the elites of Fort, Yuki's chosen, are considered the best of the best. Yuki most keeps her elites in Fort, occasionally letting us go to help other divisions. It could be said that we were sent out to 'keep an eye' on others. Watch dogs of Yuki. However... I did not swear any oath of loyalty to Yuki. I may be Yuki's closest, and well trusted friend, but there were certain things that Yuki did that just would not sit well with me. So i'm counting on this operation to find what it needs, and convince Yuki to take action rather than simply sitting back to wait for something to happen. I spotted something on one of the desk. Picking it up, i noticed that a map was attached. Some how, this map was looking extremely familiar.

'"Charile team to Delta team. Come in, Delta team."'

Iris's walkie-talkie suddenly shouted out.

"This is Delta team. Report."

'"We have freed our members, but found no disciplinary members. One of the captives said that the NPCs are planning to attack Big Site."'

"What?"

That struck me cold the moment i heard that. Big Site? I look at the map once more, and realized that this was the map of Big Site. I looked at the other pieces of documents and suddenly my heart stopped. Everything felt cold as my eyes came across this document.

"N-no... this can't be."

The document, including a picture, was a full report of Fudou Akira. The leader of Big Site.

"... Akira!"

Dropping the documents, i ran out of there before Iris could stop me. There was no way i could stop right now. Not Akira. Not him. I pressed the communications button on my watch, connecting me straight to Yuki.

'"Kou? What is it?"'

"Akira is in danger! You need to send reinforcements to Big Site!"

'"Huh? I don't get what you're talking about-"'

"There's no time! Just do it!"

'"... Fine. I'll send any available members to Big Site."'

I cut the transmission as i jumped the entire flight of stairs. Landing hard, i felt something crack, but did not care. I ran as hard as i could. There was no way i was going to let Big Site fall. No way i was going to lose Akira.