Chapter 20
Kai
"I hope we're not too late." Said Kai as he drove the jeep with Erika in tow. Behind them was an APC filled with GM Troopers and Merc. Erika just frowned before responding.
"It really depends on who she's facing." Said Erika as Kai drove, her dark red hair flowing past her shoulders as Kai drove, a testament to how fast he was going. It would have made her look beautiful and attractive if the situation right now wasn't so bleak. Right now, Kai couldn't give two fucks about the attractiveness of a woman. A friend of his was in danger and he wasn't going to lose focus on that. "I highly doubt that she's spared though, Kai. If it truly is the Titans behind this, I doubt they'll leave her alive unless it suits their agenda." Although Kai knew that those two scenarios are the most likely to occur, he held hope that Hepner was alright and safe. He won't fail her like he did Miharu three years ago. He refused to.
"I know, Erika, but I'm not going to give up on Hepner." Said Kai as he kept on driving. "If Hepner is alive, we're getting her out of there, even if it's a trap. If she's dead, then we're going to for sure avenge her." Erika just stayed silent as Kai drove. While she respected and admired his dedication to his friends, she feared that trait of his will be his downfall.
"Not like it won't be yours with Monica was in danger." Said Erika's consciousness as it reared it's head into Erika's thoughts. Erika scowled, but couldn't deny what her consciousness said.
Ever since they left the Federation base, Erika was thinking about what Kai said to her. About reacting differently if she was actually put into a situation she claimed she knew what she would do. Would she put her home over her little sister? The sole remaining member of her family? It was a question that left her wondering on what she would actually do. And it left her scared.
Fortunately, she didn't have to deal on it for too long as Kai yelled out something and caught her attention. Upon seeing what caught his attention, Erika's eyes widened in shock.
Their destination, an old, abandoned warehouse, was a fiery wreck. The smoke from the fires could be seen miles away.
"What the hell happened?" Asked Kai as he drove faster towards the warehouse, wondering what the hell happened there. Upon arriving, they soon were approached by several Federation soldiers. No doubt they were here on Lombard's orders.
"What the hell happened here?" Asked Erika one of the soldiers as she, Kai, and Merc got out of their jeep.
"We don't know. The place was already burning when we arrived." Said the soldier as looked at Erika and Kai. "We contacted HQ about this and they're sending the nearest firefighters here now." Though Kai was relieved to hear that, he was still panicking. Hepner was suppose to be here and if she was in the warehouse.
"Was there any screams coming from the warehouse when you arrived?" Asked Kai as he looked at the soldier. "We know for a fact that a friend and local soldier here traveled to this location. Did you spot a young girl with red head while coming here? Or if anyone was leaving with her?"
"That's a negative." Said the soldier. "By the time we got here, the fire had already started. Our AI informed us that the fire was only just started when we arrived, but we didn't spot anyone here. If anyone was here, they covered their tracks well." Kai was annoyed to hear that as that didn't give him much to work with. Before he could say anything, the sounds of several firetrucks came crashing into his ears as several firetrucks came racing towards the burning warehouse. Stopping near Kai and the Federation soldiers, the firefighters went to work. As they fired their firehouses towards the fire, Kai wondered where Hepner was and if she was still alive.
Meanwhile
Miasma
"Yes, I'm positive sir. By the time that Kai Shiden figures out the paper trail that I left behind, it'll be too late. Even if he chooses to tell both Side 3's remaining leaders and Admiral Kowen, the casualties will be too significant for Kai to prevent this operation's primary goals. Even if he does, I have a backup plan that is currently being sent to all other media outlets throughout the Earth Sphere." Said Miasma as he rode in the back of a black and white truck, talking to Jamitov via a laptop made specifically for Minovsky particles in mind. Expensive, but money matters little to the Titans, especially when this operation succeeds.
"Good." Said Jamitov, satisfied with the report. "When the Titans go into power, I'll be sure that you will have a good position within as a result of all this. After all, because of you, the Titans will be in a position to lead the Earth Federation to glory."
"Thank you, sir." Said Miasma before ending the call. Once he did, he began making calculations on what will happen. The calculations were very pleasing to the AI. Very pleasing.
Few minutes later
Kai Shiden
It took a while but the fire was extinguished, allowing the Federation soldiers to storm the place and try to uncover what evidence they can find amongst the wreckage of the warehouse. Another few minutes passed and they came out of the warehouse with only a few items, one of which was the burned corpse of someone on a stretcher given to them by the firefighters.
"Damn. Poor girl." Said Merc as he began examining the corpse while the other soldiers were bringing out items from the warehouse. "Body is clearly female, but it's so burned that I can't identify who it is. Fortunately, her blood is still around. I'll get the forensic boys to do a DNA test in order to figure who this was." Merc then noticed the look of sadness and reluctance acceptance on Kai's face as he looked at the body. It didn't take much for the AI to figure out why this is. "Hey, it isn't confirmed yet that Hepner is dead. Why don't we wait until forensics confirm the identity of the body before we jump to conclusions?"
"Yeah." Said Kai with some reluctance. "Okay." Merc looked at Kai in sympathy at that. Before he could say anything, Erika spoke up.
"Guys, we found something that may help us." Said Erika as she came towards them with a flash drive. It looked burned, but it seemed like it was still salvageable. "We found this amongst the burned remains of the warehouse. It seems it's the only thing that survived the fire." Kai took the flash drive and felt it, noticing how intact it was.
"Seems kind of odd this is so intact." Said Kai, noticing that it was military-grade hard drive. "Then again, it's military tech. Has to be pretty tough in the first place."
"And it gives us hard evidence on who is responsible for all this." Said Merc as he eyed the flash drive. "That drive is only available to special forces units, and it has a symbol that I can make out on it. It's the symbol of the Titans." Upon hearing that, Kai sighed while Erika narrowed her eyes.
"Why am I not surprised?" Asked Kai rhetorically as he looked at the drive. "Well, at least we can confirm to Kowen and Lombard that the Titans are behind this."
"Agreed." Said Merc as he looked at the drive. "Taxpayer money at the works here. Drive is still workable. I can collect the data, but I need a working computer to do it. This body doesn't have a USB port, unfortunately." Kai just nodded at that before taking the drive from Erika.
"Let's get back to the base." Said Kai as he walked towards their jeep. "There's nothing here left for us I think. And we probably need to decipher this thing now." Erika looked back at the Federation soldiers as they finished salvaging what they could, which was just a bunch of useless junk from what Erika could see. Nothing of value for them.
"Yeah, you're right on that." Said Erika as she walked with Kai with Merc following, eager to get away from all this. As Kai drove away from the site, he thought of Hepner and Miharu. Two girls that he knew personally. Two girls that he promised to help out with their problems, yet he failed them utterly. Tightening his hold on the driving wheel, Kai couldn't help but think of Amuro and how he succeeded where he failed. He protected Chan and most of the White Base crew from harm, yet he couldn't protect two chicks from danger. One of whom he made a promise to help and protect. God, he was pathetic.
"At the very least, I give you what I did for Miharu, Hepner." Thought Kai as he drove. "Justice."
Later
Federation garrison base
"Well, if we weren't sure this thing was Titans, we can be sure now." Said Merc as he tried to decode the hard drive to little success. "Damn thing is loaded with such high security that it's taking me awhile to hack. I've called in some backup, but even with assistance, we're having a hard time cracking this thing. Damn thing is hardened against AIs, it seems." Lombard hummed at that before speaking. After returning back to the main Federation garrison base, the trio reported to Lombard what they found and now they were trying to decrypt the flash drive they found.
"Then it must be the Titans." Said Lombard with no small amount of reluctance. "No other organization would have the funding or authorization to have such advanced equipment. And neither Londo Bell and E.C.O.A.S. have the motive or reasoning to sabotage their own work. *Sighs in frustration* If I had the authority right now, I would order the detainment of the leaders of the Titans and bring them in for questioning, but…"
"You can't because of a lack of solid evidence." Finished Kai as he looked at Lombard, who just sighed before nodding in confirmation.
"Not only that, but the Titans have special privileges and authority given to them by the Federation council. Jamitov and his closets advisors supersede my authority, and they can easily deny my orders and authority without even trying. In fact, they can easily have me stripped of my rank and have me locked up in a Federation prison for trying to have them detained." Said Lombard with no small amount of reluctance and frustration.
"So we need solid, irrefutable proof before we can make a move on them." Said Kai, looking at Lombard, who just nodded.
"Indeed. I hope that flash drive of yours can provide that. Otherwise, I fear that they'll actually succeed with whatever they intend to do with these attacks that they've orchestrated." Said Lombard, causing both Erika and Kai to nod in agreement.
"How long until you can decrypt this, Merc?" Asked Erika, looking at the AI as he worked hard to decrypt the flash drive.
"I have honestly no idea." Said Merc. "This is some pretty good hardware. Probably take a few more hours at best. I'll let you guys know once we get this thing fully decrypted. Until then, get some rest. We got a whole day ahead of us tomorrow." Lombard had to agree and thus left to get some rest with Erika and Kai doing the same as well. After separating from Lombard, Kai sighed as he and Erika walked towards his room. Sensing something was wrong, Erika asked Kai if something was wrong.
"It's Hepner, Erika." Said Kai with a solemn look on his face. "She's likely dead and I can't help but feel that I'm responsible for it." Erika sighed at this. Normally she would have been stern and told Kai that Hepner made a mistake and paid for it with her life, but after her talk with Kai last night, she felt that he didn't deserve it. Trying to be nicer than usual, Erika spoke up.
"Kai, it wasn't your fault. Hepner was just…following her heart and her ideals." Said Erika, causing Kai to look at her in surprise. "Even though I heavily disagree with it, she died doing what she thought was right and trying to give justice to those innocents that died to the Titans' attempts to gain power. It's just like what my sisters did during the One Year War, only for nobler intentions." Seeing that she was struggling to say more nice things, Kai sighed before placing a hand on Erika's shoulder, making her look at him.
"You don't need to say more." Said Kai with a sad smile. "I get the gist. I appreciate what you're trying to do, Erika, but you don't need to do it if you're not comfortable with doing it." Erika sighed at that.
"But I…want to." Said Erika, causing Kai to raise an eyebrow while adopting an amused look on his face. "You…been good to me despite how I've treated you since coming to Side 3. It's…it's been a while since I've encountered anyone so charitable since Lombard took me in along with my little sister." Upon hearing that, Kai looked at Erika in surprise.
"Lombard is your…adopted father?" Asked Kai, not expecting this at all. From what he's seen, the two never displayed any affection for one another beyond simple professionalism. To hear this was a shock to Kai.
"Yes." Said Erika with a sigh. It was meant to be a secret, but she was confident that Kai can keep his mouth shut. "Sometime after the Federation began occupying Side 3 on account of the treaty of Varik, I went to the Federation garrison and tried to apply for a job or, at least someone to take me and my sister in. The Federation soldiers were, of course, not exactly sympathetic and denied me with jeers and insults. One of them even picked me up and tossed me out into some nearby mud." She remembered that day and cursed. She had just cleaned those clothes of hers for that day. "I remember being so mad at that soldier, that I gathered some mud and threw it at him, only for it to hit Lombard, who was coming over to investigate what was going on."
"You serious?" Asked Kai with a blinking eye, amusement filling him, if only a little. "You threw mud at him, and he still took you in with your sister?"
"Yes." Said Erika. "To my surprise, he didn't react with rage or disbelief. He just looked at me as I was in the mud, covered head to toe with it. I think he saw something in my eyes because he came into the mud pile and helped me out. He then took me to his quarters to freshen up and eat a good meal." Kai looked at Erika as she remembered that day with a smile. How it went from a bad day to one of the best she had in a while. "When he asked why I was at the Federation garrison, I explained to him my situation and how I hoped I get something from the Federation personal. Perhaps a job or a place to stay along with my baby sister. To my surprise, Lombard offered to take me in along with my sister. Not only that, but he actually adopted me and Monica. We became his adopted daughters." Kai just stayed silent as he processed this.
"That's…that's quite a lot to take in." Said Kai with a smile. "Lombard's a cooler guy than I thought he was."
"Yes." Said Erika as she placed her hands behind her back. "He is a very charitable man. A respectable one that deserves to be of a higher rank than he is now. In return, I became a member of the Side 3 militia and became one of the Federation trusted informants. Despite appearances, the Side 3 militia has a bunch of hardliners that wish a return to the old Principality of Zeon. So, it's difficult to have trusted people within the militia, especially amongst young and impressionable people." Kai nodded at that, now seeing why Erika was chosen with Hepner to be part of his security detail, despite being so young. Because Lombard trusted her to keep Kai safe. Yet he also was confident that she was mature and old enough to be out on such a dangerous assignment in certain locations in Side 3. Such trust was something Kai didn't expect and he found himself wondering how Lombard could give her such a dangerous assignment. It must have been clear on his face because Erika clarified why she was on the assignment.
"I volunteered for it." Said Erika. "Lombard tried to get me out of it, worried for my safety, but he gave in when I told him that I wanted to repay the Federation, specifically him for all he did for me, and that's to keep you safe, even if I don't like what you're doing for Side 3. But, then again, there are plenty of people in Side 3 that don't deserve the fate that's been laid upon them by their parents or the adults before them. Right?" Kai couldn't help but smile.
"Right." Said Kai. People tended to forget, but he wasn't doing this for the people that started the One Year War or those that helped let it drag on, though he did have some sympathy for some, depending on context. He was doing this for the people that were forced to suffer the consequences of the One Year War, despite being innocent and having no part in the grand choices involved in the War, like Operation British and the Solar Ray system at A Baoa Qu. He knew that innocents will always get punished or hurt during and after a war, but that didn't mean he had to like it. That's why he became a reporter. To help lessen the pain and misery inflicted on innocent people. And, much as some part of him hated to admit, some people in Side 3 were innocent and he had to help them out whenever and however he can, even if he has a grudge against Side 3 for all the death they incurred in the One Year War.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at Erika and smiled.
"Thanks for the origin story." Said Kai with his trademark smile. "It really helped detract from Hepner's death, if only a little." Erika smiled at that.
"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you." Said Erika, causing Kai to chuckle.
"I'll keep that in mind." Said Kai before speaking about Hepner and her killers. "If the Titans are truly responsible for her death, I'll make sure that I get justice for her as well as justice for all the other innocent people they've hurt in their crazy bid for more power." Erika nodded at that, smile now gone.
"It's what you can do for them after they're gone." Said Erika. "That and honoring their memory by fulfilling their dying wish. Which I, no doubt, think it's ensuring her nation isn't suffering anymore from Federation abuse." Kai looked at Erika before nodding in agreement.
"C'mon, let's get some rest." Said Kai as he started moving with Erika in tow. "Wouldn't want to be sleepy tomorrow, right?" Erika just scoffed before following Kai.
The next day
Morning
"Just one more barrier and…we're done!" Yelled Merc as he and four of his fellow AIs, all in GM trooper platforms, were finished with decrypting the flash drive.
"It had impressive defenses. Its defenses must have been done by another AI and one more advanced than any of us." Said one of the AIs with Merc as he was examining the contents of the flash drive.
"Then it stands to reason that the Titans special task group is involved in the attack on the capitol building." Said a second AI. "Federation high command must be informed along with Admiral Kowen."
"Agreed, unfortunately, Admiral Kowen and Commodore Lombard iare busy with a meeting with high command at this very moment concerning recent events. It would be illogical to interrupt their meeting unless we have more evidence against the Titans." Said the first AI before any of the others could speak, Merc let out an audible yell.
"Oh fuck!" Yelled Merc as he saw what the Titans final plan was. "Shit! Get me contact with Kowen and Lombard right now! We got a code black situation! A really big code black situation!"Merc then left the room he was in and began running towards Kai's room along with Erika's, his heavy frame and weight causing damage to the floor. Not that he cared because in a few short hours, a lot of people were going to die, and he was absolutely sure that there was nothing they can do but save as many as they could.
