Prologue
Powdery snow fell upon the roof deck of a Yekaterinburg tenement. It fell on the brown shawl draped over the winter combat uniform of Captain Mumei Nanashi and upon the fiery wings of the gently-descending Phoenix, Kiara Takanashi. It also fell upon the myriad of corpses of MACV and Soviet soldiers who once called that roofdeck their joint headquarters.
The Phoenix landed on the snowy roof deck, melting the snow beneath her shoes and on her wings with latent heat. Mumei, on the other hand, pointed her M14 rifle at the mythical creature and watched her from behind the iron sights.
"I've heard about you." Mumei started, her breath fogging up before her eyes, "Kiara Takanashi. One of the five Myths who murdered Lady Knowledge. The Phoenix who was supposed to die in another world."
Kiara's brow furrowed. Bright red flames formed around her and coalesced into a buckler shield brimming with magical energy - magic from the Otherworld that claimed Mumei's beloved mentor.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, little bird, but I don't have plans of kicking the bucket anytime soon." She raised up her shield and roared, "But that doesn't mean I don't plan on defending myself either!"
Mumei frowned.
"I've been waiting for this moment." Mumei felt her trigger finger itch, "All this time, I thought that all the things Irys had been saying was some fairy tale she thought up. Something untrue. Something out of reach!" Her honey brown eyes started to shine gold, "But you're here - in this world. I can hurt you. I will hurt you. I can have my revenge!"
Mumei's harsh, delusional words made Kiara shudder. But what stuck out for her was the strange name that she mentioned.
"Irys?" Kiara raised her brow, "Who's that?"
"The lost soul who sealed your fate!" Mumei growled.
Suddenly, Mumei pulled the trigger and shot Kiara.
The Phoenix held her ground and blocked the shots with her buckler shield. And yet, Kiara's magic never coalesced to form a weapon of any kind. All she did was take cover behind the ruined equipment of the snow swept command post and block shots.
Mumei saw this and her eyes went deadpan.
"Why aren't you fighting back!?" The owl-girl demanded, showing Kiara with lead. She reloaded her weapon and cocked her gun anew, "Are you insulting me!? Show me the Phoenix fire that killed Lady Knowledge!"
"This is a residential building!" Kiara argued, shouting from behind cover, "Many people live here! I'm not about to raze so many people's homes just to sate your revenge!"
"Do you think that will make me show you any mercy!?" Mumei reached for her satchel and took out a grenade, "I've been denied the satisfaction for years! I will have my revenge whether you like it or not!"
Mumei lobbed the grenade at Kiara. A bead of sweat dripped down Kiara's face, but she promptly buried the grenade beneath her shield.
Boom!
The grenade went off and sent Kiara flying, but her shield blunted most of the blast.
Kiara spread out her fiery Phoenix wings to right herself, but Mumei continued her assault. The owl-girl peppered her again with a volley of gunfire, spraying her wildly with full-automatic. Once again, Kiara raised up her shield and sought shelter. Still, a handful of stray bullets tore through her wings before she could retract them.
The Phoenix's face went pale and winced in pain. This owl-girl was a bigger threat than she seemed. Kiara realized that this was no mere soldier - but someone who has challenged enemies greater than herself and managed to win.
"I don't want to fight you!" Kiara cried out from behind cover. She dissolved her wounded wings and offered parley, "I don't know what you've been told, but I'm from the Cover Corporation! We're on your side! You have to talk to your superiors and evacuate Yekaterinburg!"
"Why don't you tell them that yourself!?" Mumei lashed back, "Why do you have to go through me? Something tells me you're not telling me the whole story!"
Mumei reloaded her gun and assaulted Kiara's position. The Phoenix winced and eyed the battlefield. She quietly apologized to a dead Soviet soldier and pried the AK-47 assault rifle from his cold, dead hands.
Kiara cocked the AK and shot back at Mumei. This time, she forced the owl to take cover.
"I can't go to your authorities because I need to talk to people who I can trust!" Kiara warned, "Your world has been infiltrated deeply by the Ancient Ones!"
She fired disciplined three shot bursts, but Mumei answered with unhinged sprays of lead.
"I have no idea what these 'Ancient Ones' you're rambling about are, but we're waging war on The Manipulator." Mumei countered with displeasure, "And right now, I've got an itching feeling that you're with them !" Mumei drew the dagger of her mentor and affixed it to her rifle like a bayonet, "Kiara Takanashi. Calliope Mori. Amelia Watson. Ina'nis Ninomae. Gawr Gura. For the sake of this world - all of you must die!"
Mumei charged at Kiara. When she did, the owl-girl's shadow shifted behind her. A sinister, malicious presence lingered around her. Kiara poked her head out from cover and saw that presence.
She froze in fear.
This owl-girl wasn't trustworthy. Far from it.
Mumei carried the yoke of the Ancient Ones on her shoulders - but she didn't even seem to know it!
Mumei fired at Kiara, pinning her down in place. Then, she closed the distance and thrust her bayonet dagger at Kiara.
Kiara blocked the strike with her shield, but Mumei followed through and drove her shin into Kiara's stomach. It wasn't a regular punch either. While Mumei was strong for a human her size, the blow stung reverberated throughout Kiara's entire body and rattled her very soul.
What hit Kiara didn't feel like a fist.
The Phoenix gritted her teeth and slammed the butt of her AK into Mumei's face. Mumei staggered. Kiara pressed on and kicked Mumei back, sending her flying back-first into the snowy roof.
Kiara tossed away the AK and called forth her magical flames once more. Then, she willed those flames to form her radiant orange sword.
"Oh?" Mumei picked herself up from the ground. She coughed blood but wiped it from her lips without batting an eye, "Are you finally afraid of me?"
"I'm not afraid of you, little bird." Kiara corrected with a frown, "I'm afraid of your shadow!"
Mumei tilted her head, wondering what Kiara was going on about. However, when she did, she stumbled forward in the snow. A dizzy spell robbed Mumei of her balance. While the owl-girl picked herself up, her shadow shifted again and took shape. Large black wings wrapped around Mumei, spreading further than Kiara's own radiant wings. Then, one by one, yellow eyes opened between the black feathers.
Eleven eyes watched Kiara with curiosity - and amusement.
The eyes were looking through Kiara's very soul!
Suddenly, the watchful wings shot towards Kiara. The Phoenix hopped back, blocked the wings of her shield and slashed at them with her fiery sword.
The black wings bristled. The irises of the yellow eyes shook violently. Then, Mumei Nanashi screamed in agonizing pain.
"H-how!? How did you do that!?" Mumei's hands clawed at the snow, "What did you do to me, you treacherous murderer!"
With every ounce of Mumei's agony, the black, yellow-eyed wings behind her seemed to grow. The wings swarmed Kiara again, so she cut them down but took a step back with every swing. Each hit she landed made Mumei shriek like a banshee.
But in the midst of that struggle, something hand-like sprouted from one of the black wings. That hand grabbed a hold of the dagger affixed to the downed Mumei's rifle. Moments later, the wing struck Kiara again, but the hand drove the dagger underneath Kiara's shield and stabbed her.
"Urgk…!" Kiara growled.
Kiara swung her sword and chopped off the hand from the black wing. Then, she roared and pulled out the dagger from her wounded side.
"Give that back!" Mumei screamed, ignoring her injuries. She scrambled and reached for the bloody dagger in Kiara's hand, "That's mine - I earned it! That's all I have left!"
Watching Mumei made Kiara's heart ache. Even after the harsh words and the violent reception, she felt compassion for this owl-girl, this stranger drowning in suffering that she couldn't see. Beneath the facade of primal anger, she could tell that the owl-girl was hiding immense pain and sorrow. That pain and sorrow fed the watchful wings and they continued to grow more and more menacing.
Before Kiara knew it, Mumei's watchful, unseen wings cast dark shadows over her. Kiara's flaming sword seemed like a little candle in the midst of such darkness. The snow that fell around it became ash gray.
Just as the wings spanned the entire tenement roof deck, they disappeared into thin air and left Mumei writhing in pain on the dirty snow. The wings acted like a bird forcefully retreating back into its egg, startled by something beyond the horizon.
Kiara held her sword close to her heart.
Was this her chance?
The thrashing owl-girl was powerless before Kiara, contrasting the abomination hiding within her. Kiara hesitated. The sword trembled in her hand. Her eyes turned to the name patch on the owl-girl's combat uniform, hoping for a familiar name that she could spare.
'NANASHI' it read.
"You're not on the list." Kiara spoke with disappointment. She shook her head and pointed the tip of her blade to Mumei's heart, "I'm sorry, little bird - but this is what I have to do."
Before Kiara's blade could drop, the frigid Siberian air around her seemed to intensify. Her surroundings took on a peculiar blue hue. Then, an unfamiliar voice called out a familiar phrase.
"CAESURA!"
Kiara took a deep breath and held her fiery sword firmly. Just as she had expected, everything around her came grinding to a halt - frozen in time.
She was unamused.
In the corner of Kiara's eye a figure with long blue hair came rushing towards her, sprinting between the ashen snowflakes frozen in time. That figure wielded two ornate blades - a longsword like the minute-hand of a clock and a shortsword like the hour-hand.
This was the time-mage who froze the domain.
Kronii Ouro.
One of the names on Kiara's list.
Kiara blinked, but she stayed perfectly still as Kronii approached - pretending to be frozen in time. Then, as soon as Kronii pulled back her blades, Kiara stepped away.
"Huh!?" Kronii was shocked.
Her blue eyes turned to the small bracelet on the Phoenix's wrist that read 'Mori'. That bracelet emanated with time-magic - and so, the Phoenix moved freely in the time-frozen realm.
Kiara swung her sword completely unhindered. Her fiery orange blade clashed with Kronii's two swords.
"What did you do to Mumei!?" Kronii demanded.
Mumei? Kiara's eyes glanced at the downed owl-girl. Is that her name?
The Phoenix pointed to Mumei with her sword and claimed, "That girl is hiding something terrifying! Just now, she-!"
Kronii didn't give Kiara time to speak. She interrupted her with swings of her blades.
"Don't you touch her, you stupid bird!" Kronii cried, clashing blades with Kiara.
"But I…!" Kiara tried to reason with her.
Kronii would have none of it. The time-mage wedged herself in between Mumei and Kiara, slowly forcing the Phoenix back.
"I don't have time for this." Kiara lamented, "I have to tell the others!"
Kiara focused magic into her orange sword and its flame intensified. She swung her sword through the air and unleashed a towering wall of flame. Kronii relented and shielded herself from the intense light and heat.
With a frown painted on her lips, Kiara spread her wounded Phoenix wings and leapt off of the tenement roof.
Kronii's Caesura spell expired and the time-frozen world unfroze. But by then, the Phoenix was already miles away - out of reach.
"Damn it!" Kronii cursed. She kicked the melted snow where Kiara once stood. Then, she turned around and rushed towards the downed Mumei's side and knelt beside her, "Are you okay, MeiMei?"
Mumei was quiet for a moment, but she soon answered, "I've been better." She rubbed her shoulder, tending to the unusual phantom pain of Kiara's blade, "That Phoenix did something to me. Something's not right."
"I'm sorry I couldn't get her." Kronii apologized, "I came as fast as I could - but outside Yekaterinburg… in the Ural Mountains…!"
"We'll get her, Kronii." Mumei picked herself up from the snow and leaned on Kronii for support, "We'll get all of them." A shadow hung over her honey brown eyes and she cursed her foes, "Kiara Takanashi. Calliope Mori. Amelia Watson. Gawr Gura. Ina'nis Ninomae. All of them must die!"
Eleven
Run Through The Taiga
Seventy-Fifth Scene - The Nephilim Option
President Nixon and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev arrived in Yekaterinburg hours later with their respective delegations, but the leaders of the West and the East were met with a frigid, quiet reception. There were no crowds gathered at Yekaterinburg station or news media to broadcast their arrival to the world. Instead, they found Soviet and MACV soldiers building barricades and digging trenches around the small Soviet city. Tanks and armored personnel carriers were rolling through the streets and the air was charged with anxiety.
The only people who came to meet the two leaders were Colonel Omega and her Soviet counterpart from the KGB, both of whom were in full combat gear. Omega and the Soviet commissar ushered Nixon and Brezhnev into a fleet of limousines and escorted them to Ipavtiev House to the south of the train station, five minutes away.
"Ipatiev House!? Is this some kind of sick joke, Colonel!?" President Nixon lashed out, "Isn't that where they murdered the Romanovs? Tsar Nicholas II and his family?"
Brezhnev parroted a similar protest to the Soviet commissar in Russian.
"It was part of our original itinerary, Mr. President, but it's still a strategic location." Omega explained calmly, "It's a central, defensible location. Helicopters can land on the roof too, so you and Secretary Brezhnev will be evacuated from there to Koltsovo Airport. Air Force One is waiting for you there, sir. General Sparrowhawk is commanding our MACV forces from there too." She closed her gemlike eyes and clenched her mechanical fist, "The sooner we can get you out of Yekaterinburg, the better."
"What exactly are we being evacuated from?" Nixon asked, furrowing his brow.
Omega reached behind her and brought out a brown paper envelope. She handed it to Nixon and spoke, "Photos taken by our U-2 spy planes, sir. Rush-developed. You have to see it to believe it."
Nixon went through the images and shook his head.
"Horrors? Here?" The President turned to Omega, "This many too?"
"They appeared out of nowhere, spawning in the shadows of the Ural Mountains to the west. If your train had left Moscow any later, then the Horrors may have attacked you en route to Yekaterinburg." Omega answered with her professional timbre, "You are familiar with the Type D Horrors, yes?"
"General Sparrowhawk has briefed me about them." Nixon confirmed, flipping through the photographs, "But I haven't seen them like this. What are these things? Horses?"
Nixon pointed to one of the grainy photographs of a Type D Horror riding a skeletal steed.
"I would presume so. They also have more weapons than their scythes - but we can't identify them from the spy planes." Omega concurred, "Still, it's clear that they are adapting to the tundra of Yekaterinburg and the larger Sverdlovsk Oblast - and to our defenses." She brought out a small tactical map of the region and reported, "Captain Mumei Nanashi, my subordinate, coordinated with the Soviet forces in the area. We have a Soviet tank battalion and garrison units from all around the Oblast. More are on the way - but the mounted Type D's means we might not have time to wait for reinforcements."
"Will it be enough?" Brezhnev turned towards Omega now, speaking in heavily accented English, "Are we going to see another incident like in London - and in Vietnam?"
The Commissar, too, turned to Omega as well.
"MACV forces will join the Soviet forces in battle, Mr. General Secretary. We will provide as much air support as we can too." Omega replied, barely able to veil her frustration, "But Horrors are dangerous foes that we cannot afford to estimate. The horses are but one new innovation of theirs - who knows what else they have up their sleeve?" She closed her eyes and shook her head, "Plus, when the Horrors are led by malicious forces that know how to harness their potential…"
Omega's voice trailed off.
"Harness their potential?" Nixon deduced, "Is there a ringleader?"
"Yes sir." Omega confirmed, "Our recon teams have ID'ed a Miss Clover Gosling prowling through Yekaterinburg. She is the same ringleader of the Horrors in London." She turned to the two world leaders, "That is why I wish to make a request to the two of you, sirs."
Nixon and Brezhnev watched Omega in tense silence. Then, Omega made her request.
"Please give me authorization to deploy the SSS Initiative as our last resort. Irys' voice may be our key to victory today!"
Seventy-Sixth Scene - The Nature of Space
Inside the dilapidated Ipatiev House, Sana Tsukumu and Fauna Ceres were stuffed into a hastily-arranged conference room together with Irys, Bae and military officers from both sides of the Iron Curtain. Tactical maps of Yekaterinburg and the greater Sverdlovsk Oblast were spread out on the long table where the Imperial Russian Family ate their last meals. An air of tension hung there in that room - and the bloody history of that place only exasperated it.
When Colonel Omega arrived with Nixon and Brezhnev and announced that they were rolling out the SSS Initiative for the Defense of Yekaterinburg, the tension reached fever pitch. Everyone in the room turned towards Irys. The Nephilim seemed to shrink.
Once again, the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. Sana and Fauna watched Irys from across the table, pitying her for her seemingly never ending burden.
After the announcement, the President and the General Secretary were escorted to the Ipatiev House safe room along with Irys and Bae. Cabinet members and top-level military officials joined them. Sana and Fauna took this time to sneak out from the crowded room.
The two old friends slipped through the cracks in the sea of people and found their way into the small, fenced-off Ipatiev House garden. There, they found a snow-swept bench surrounded by bare-branched trees and dormant shrubs.
"This is one hell of a reunion, huh?" Sana joked and took her seat. The smile she wore was complex, but she smiled for Fauna nonetheless, "Not the one I would have wanted - not a fan of the location either - but it really is good to see you again."
"Yeah." Fauna agreed, sitting down beside Sana. She lowered her eyes to the tramped snow beneath her feet, "The last time we saw each other was at the graduation ceremony at the Occidental College." She joined her hands together and hummed, "Now, I'm the Keeper of Nature - and you're the Speaker of Space."
"I know right?" Sana's smile grew warmer, "I loved the Tenth Council as a kid. I never thought I'd be a part of the Eleventh." She leaned against Fauna's shoulder lovingly, "And I never thought I'd serve alongside my dear friend FauFau!"
"Me too, Sana-na." Fauna replied cordially, calling her as she used to do when they were still at the Occidental College. When that thought crossed Fauna's mind, however, her tone deflated, "I was really worried when your letters stopped arriving in London. I was worried that something happened to you in space." She looked up to the cloudy heavens and the powdery snow that continued to fall, "Turns out that my fears were true. Something did happen. Something bigger than us. Something bad."
"But I'm here now, FauFau. We're in the same place again. The same planet!" Sana started cheerfully, but her enthusiasm waned, "The thing is, things are a lot more precarious than I first thought. There's a lot of things that I want to catch up with you on, but we have to talk business first." Sana reached into her coat and brought out a peculiar white envelope with a triangle-shaped blue wax seal. She looked around and made sure no one was looking their way before she passed the letter to Fauna, "This message is for you."
"For me…?" Fauna took the letter cautiously. She opened it and read it under the shrouded light of the afternoon sun, "An opportunity of a lifetime - from the Cover Corporation." The Keeper of Nature paused and re-read its contents, "The Cover Corporation!?"
"Shh!" Sana shushed her old friend, "Keep it down, FauFau."
"But Sana, didn't Mumei and Kronii say they fought someone from the Cover Corporation just a few hours ago?" Fauna whispered, "It was all over the radio chatter. Word is that Cover might be in cahoots with Clover Gosling!"
"That can't be right." Sana insisted with absolute certainty, "I've fought Clover Gosling in space - in this place called the Infinite Library. Talents of the Cover Corp fought beside me." She turned towards Fauna and admitted, "I still have many reservations about Cover, but the people that I met at least are good folks."
"Really?" Fauna tested.
"Mhm!" Sana brought out a peculiar earpiece device - something smaller and more futuristic-looking than anything Fauna had seen before, "They contacted me through this device. Thanks to them, I survived two months here in the Siberian taiga! I don't see them as villains in the slightest."
Fauna stressed over Sana's words, but she leaned back into the bench.
"I've known you since college, Sana-na. You were nice to everyone, but it takes a lot to earn your trust." Fauna held the letter close to her heart, "I want to believe you and give these Cover Corp folks a chance, but I honestly don't know who I can trust right now." She lowered her head, "You know how Clover Gosling captured me? She made me do things that make me sick."
"I've heard about it from Mumei." Sana laid an arm over Fauna's shoulder and consoled her, "I'm sorry that she put you through all of that - and I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help you. I know how cruel and unhinged she can be."
Fauna shook her head, "No - you've had more than your fair share of trouble, Sana-na. If you say Cover Corp isn't all bad, then I'll believe you." Her golden eyes strayed away from Sana's, "But why do they have to be so hush-hush? The fate of the world is at stake here."
"It's complicated stuff - spy versus spy. I can't even wrap my head around it." Sana laughed uncomfortably. She held Fauna close to her and continued, "All I know is that I have to be careful about who to share this Cover Corp stuff with. You're the first person I've confided in, FauFau. If there's anyone in this world that I can trust, it's you!"
"Sana…" A small smile formed on Fauna's lips. "I appreciate that. This means a lot to me." She pocketed the letter and reassured her old friend, "I'll keep this secret between us for now and follow your lead."
"Thank you, FauFau."
The two old friends shared a moment of peaceful silence under the snow falling over Yekaterinburg. Fauna rested her head on Sana's broad shoulders and she thought about taking a short nap right there and then. However, the march of boots on the snow, the rattle of assault rifles and the screeching of tank treads made that moment of peace short-lived.
Seventy-Seventh Scene - Ears On The Walls, Eyes In The Skies
Moments later, the door to the garden swung open. Colonel Omega emerged and approached the bench. Fauna untangled herself from Sana and stood up to salute Omega. Sana followed suit, albeit clumsily.
Omega returned the gesture and spoke frankly.
"Speaker Sana Tsukumo. I know that we've only just met, but I hope that I can count on you and Keeper Ceres in the battle ahead of us."
"What about Irys and Bae?" Fauna asked with concern, "Aren't they coming with us too?"
"Representative Hakos and Irys will stay here at Ipatiev House with President Nixon and General Secretary Brezhnev." Omega replied, "If the Horrors try something funny, our VIP's need the best anti-Horror protection we've got."
"And what about Mumei - and Warden Ouro?" Sana followed up.
Omega's lips twisted with a small tinge of displeasure.
"They're securing a local TV station, GKTV-5, to broadcast Irys' performance through the SSS." The Colonel answered with a frown, "Their orders come from General Sparrowhawk directly. I don't have them on the horn."
Sana and Fauna looked at each other. The Keeper of Nature watched Sana, waiting for her answer. After a short pause, Sana took a deep breath and replied.
"I don't have my full powers anymore, madam Colonel." Sana started humbly, "But if you believe that I can help you turn the tides against the Horrors, then I will do my best."
"I have absolute faith in your abilities, Speaker Tsukumo. I know you will perform admirably too." Omega spoke earnestly. She paused. Then, she approached the two Council members and started to whisper, "There's also something else that I have to tell-"
Before Omega could say anything else, the Colonel's earpiece went off.
" Attention all MACV Units. This is General Sparrowhawk, callsign Spirit-In-The-Sky. The Horrors in the Ural Mountains are making their move. Report in, Eagle-11. Over. "
Spirit-In-The-Sky? I thought she was going to command the battle from Koltsovo?
Omega furrowed her brow and pressed on her earpiece.
"Eagle-11 reporting in, Spirit-In-The-Sky. Over."
" Prepare for the defense of Yekaterinburg immediately! I have prepared personnel and equipment for your command. They should be arriving at your position shortly. Over and out. "
The transmission ended. Omega looked up to the sky and saw American C-130 cargo planes flying over Yekaterinburg City. Multitudes of parachutes started to deploy in the cloudy sky, carrying the weight of heavy pallets. One of those pallets landed on a field outside Ipatiev House.
It was an American Sheridan light tank with its name painted prominently on the side. The same Sheridan light tank that Omega used in Vietnam.
' Maestro '
Omega eyed her old light tank. Then, she turned her eyes up to the sky. Sparrowhawk's AC-130 gunship flew alongside the cargo planes. She could sense Sparrowhawk's incredibly sharp eyes watching her.
Just how many steps ahead are you playing, madam General?
Sana and Fauna turned to the Colonel to check up on her. As soon as they did, Omega turned to them and revealed.
"Get ready for battle, you two. We're deploying immediately."
Seventy-Eighth Scene - Left In The Dark
On a hill at the outskirts of Yekaterinburg proper, the large, green-furred figure of the Guardian Spirit Nemu sat gracefully on the snow. Beside Nemu, Fauna Ceres rubbed the Guardian Spirit's fur while Sana Tsukumo stoked a small campfire. From that vantage point, the Speaker of Space, the Keeper of Nature and the Guardian Spirit watched the once snowcapped Ural Mountains to the west.
They watched Soviet heavy bomber planes fly overhead, dropping bombs all over the mountain range. Explosions went off in the distance as far as the eye could see, melting the snow.
However, instead of water flowing down the slope of the Urals, Sana and Fauna saw a flood - or rather, an avalanche of wretched creatures. Thousands upon thousands of Horrors of all shapes and sizes emerged from the Soviet firebombing campaign, shambling on towards Yekaterinburg and her defenders.
Those defenders dug in and prepared for the worst. Rows of advanced Soviet main battle tanks got into position. Machine gun nests were hastily set up and the labyrinthine network of trenches were dug in a hurry too. Then, American attack helicopters and Sparrowhawk's AC-130 gunship flew overhead to provide air support.
Dark clouds cast shadows over the tense battlefield. They made the afternoon scene seem like it was almost evening.
Under those harrowing shadows, the first of the Horrors got within range of the Soviet tanks. And so, the defenders of Yekaterinburg opened fire.
"So it begins." Fauna spoke cautiously. She rubbed Nemu's fur gently and watched the eruption of gunfire, cannon fire and explosions on the front lines.
"Shouldn't we help them?" Sana asked with concern, huddling close to Fauna and Nemu "I haven't seen a battle this big in my life - not even the movies!"
Moments later, Colonel Omega arrived in her Sheridan light tank, poking her head out from the cupola. A convoy of ten other Sheridan tanks accompanied her.
"The Soviet battle line can take care of itself, Speaker Tsukumo." Omega reassured. She pointed further out to the battlefield and reminded Sana, "Our job is to intercept the mounted Type D Horrors. Sheridan tanks are exceptionally fast and they pack quite a punch in a small package." She patted the turret of her Sheridan tank and insisted, "Between these tanks - and the powers of Nature and Space, we'll turn the tides on those riders."
"Fight cavalry with cavalry, basically." Fauna hummed.
"Exactly." Omega confirmed. "There's a good chance that they're gonna try to flank the defensive line - and a good chance that Clover Gosling would be with them when they do." She brought out her binoculars and scanned the battlefield for their targets, "And that's them. As expected."
The Colonel set aside her binoculars and pressed on her earpiece radio.
"Attention all MACV units. This is Eagle-11." Omega announced, "I have a visual on Clover Gosling in a Type D Horror cavalry formation approaching from the North-West of Point Alpha. Armored cavalry will engage the target as planned. Over."
Once Omega said this, the ten other Sheridan tanks rolled out into the fray. The AC-130 gunship also followed the mobile strike force.
Omega's own tank, however, stayed put.
"Madam Colonel?" Sana tilted her head curiously, "What about us? Aren't we supposed to go with them?"
"We'll catch up." Omega switched off her radio earpiece and watched the AC-130 fly further and further away, "But first, there's something that I have to tell the two of you." She hopped out of the cupola of her Sheridan tank and approached Sana and Fauna, "Before Sparrowhawk interrupted us. It's related to the discussion the two of you were having at the Ipatiev House garden earlier."
"You were listening in on us!?" Sana gasped.
"Trust me. I wasn't the only one listening. The walls have ears, after all." Omega flatly revealed, "I wish I didn't have to resort to such tactics, but this is one of the few times we can have absolute privacy." Her gem-like eyes glanced at Fauna, "Plus, since you've already told Keeper Ceres about your allegiance, Speaker Tsukumo, it's high time that I reveal mine to you."
The Colonel stepped out of earshot from her tank crew and laid her mechanical hand over her chest like she was swearing an oath.
"I, Colonel Omega Alpha, am a senior manager of the Cover Corporation. My colleagues have told me recently about what happened to you in the Infinite Library - and your encounter with our Talents there." She bowed her head and apologized, "On behalf of my entire company, I apologize for being unable to come in contact with you sooner, Speaker Tsukumo. We should have been able to coordinate with you months ago when you first arrived here in KW11 but have been unable to until now."
Sana blinked. Omega's apology bewildered her.
"What are you talking about, madam Colonel?" Sana asked, "Cover Corp has been in contact with me all this time, hasn't it?"
"... what did you say?" Omega staggered.
"I've been in contact with an agent of the Cover Corporation since I got here." Sana revealed. She showed the Cover Corp earpiece that she had shown to Fauna, "General Sparrowhawk is with the Cover Corporation too, right?"
Omega fell silent. Sweat started to form on Sana's brow.
"She… wasn't?" Sana's face went pale.
"How much did you tell her, Speaker Tsukumo?" Omega covered her terrified face, "How much did you tell her!?"
Sana covered her mouth. Tears started to form at the sides of her eyes.
"I-I thought that she was on my side…"
"Answer my question!" Omega demanded.
"Everything." Sana's lips twisted, "I told her everything I knew."
Epilogue
Cold Siberian wind blew through the campsite, chilling Sana, Fauna and Omega to the bone. Bitter agony was painted on Omega's face. On the other hand, Sana was on the verge of tears. Fauna, stuck in the middle, was at a loss for what she had to do.
Unfortunately for her, she wouldn't be given much time to think.
Up above the snow swept battlefield, the overcast sky suddenly cleared. For a moment, the afternoon sun peeked in through the rift that had formed in the clouds. However, that rift was suddenly sealed.
Fauna looked up to the sky. She urged the dejected Sana and Omega to do the same.
There, they found the culprit that blocked the sun and covered all of Yekaterinburg in harsh, night-like darkness. It was an amalgamation of living, writhing Horrors in the shape of a titanic sea creature.
The galactic orca that Sana saw in the Infinite Library.
"It followed me here." Sana lamented, falling down to her knees, "That's where all of these Horrors are coming from! I've doomed us all!"
"Not yet, Speaker Tsukumo." Omega snapped, "It's not over yet. Don't underestimate a Senior Manager of the Cover Corporation."
The Colonel took a deep breath and pressed on her earpiece.
"This is Eagle-11 calling Diva. Do you read me?"
" Yes, Eagle-11. This is Diva. "
Omega looked up to the galactic orca and growled, "Prepare to unleash the SSS."
" The SSS? But General Sparrowhawk hasn't…! "
"Screw General Sparrowhawk - I have an executive order from Nixon himself! Look up to the sky, Diva This is a national - no, planetary emergency!" Omega roared and looked up to the galactic orca in the covered heavens above. She held her mechanical arm and clenched her fist, "No more half measures. We're going whaling."
To Be Continued