Teleportation.
Translocation.
Transformation Matrix.
All words based on a broader concept. Move an object from one location to another instantaneously. Regardless of distance or impediment. A feat of magic. Or science. Achievable in the Current Era. The Previous Era explored this concept. What can be done can be replicated or rediscovered. Shifting information, shifting physical matter, perhaps one and the same at the smallest known level, is easily done.
Doing it discreetly is an altogether different task.
Anti-Entropy have used the X-10 experiment results to expand their understanding of Quantum mechanics and the Quantum Sea. Through this research they can phase out various mecha and then through 'observation' return them back to the physical world. This observation however creates ripples that are not only detectable but can be interfered with. Similar means and methodology of teleportation all leave tell-tale signals, marks and aftereffects. Even the vaunted Herrscher of the Void, with her unparalleled control of space-time, is detectable by those with powerful enough instrumentation or attunement to Honkai energy.
For all rules there is of course an exception. Everything touches the Imaginary Tree. For the Tree is both everywhere and nowhere. Standing outside of space-time, all universes are leaves upon vast branches. It reaches from the quantum to the galactic cluster. To travel directly to the Imaginary Tree requires great power and incomprehensible computational power. And for every rule there is of course an exception. Why look for a specific pin-point in all spacetime when you can entangle yourself with a pre-existing beacon? After all there are loci of power that connect directly from physical reality to the Imaginary Tree. In their inert form they are known as Herrscher Core. If one were creative and cunning enough, they could experiment with a Herrscher Core and determine how it might connect to the Imaginary Tree. Develop the means of entangling a device that translates not across the Quantum Sea but via the Imaginary Tree. An object that would leave no trace of the teleportation. After all, how does one detect the presence of something that travelled outside of spacetime, translating between two points without disturbing reality? Via a device capable of moving via the Tree of all worlds. Naming it RATATOSKR seems appropriate. An entry and exit power requiring minimal power and no complex computations.
Why discuss teleportation? Why discuss the Imaginary Tree? What do Herrscher Cores have to do with any of this? Simple. Imagine you needed to break into a secure facility. A location you had no information on. Even where it was located. You needed to be absolutely discreet. Well, you would use a tool that could entangle with a beacon. And then hand over the very thing your opponent desires.
Maybe we should paraphrase, "I fear the Herrscher's even when bearing gifts."
Two points on the Imaginary Tree were connected. No fancy flickers of light. No strange groaning followed by the appearance of a blue policeman's box. No gold limned void portal. One moment the air in the laboratory was empty. The next it was displaced by an invisible individual. Metamaterial clothing and innate ability bent all forms of electromagnetic wave around the intruder. If someone were able to piece the cloaking, they would have seen the infiltrator pocket a thin brass rod with silver circuitry. The infiltrator did a quick reconnoitre. A softly lit laboratory with all manner of scanning and examination equipment. The specialised shielding was a giveaway that this room was involved in Honkai energy research. Kept safely behind transparent aluminium plate windows were two Herrscher Cores. Ice. Gravity. Pale Blue. Earthy ochre. The backdoor to this place.
To the Serpent's Nest.
The infiltrator wasted no time. A rough map of the internal facility was activated and displayed via AR contact lenses. They waited beside the door until a researcher let themselves in, moving on silent feet through the gap before the door sealed shut. Security in this facility went beyond the concept of paranoia. Then again secrecy, security and paranoia were what had allowed this organisation to thrive and survive for thousands of years. To manipulate humanity from the shadows for their own deluded purposes. World Serpent were experts at information control and management. Cameras watched everywhere at all times. Passcodes, biometric scanners and two-factor authentication funnelled access to every location within the nest of vipers. The invisible infiltrator took this all into account. Careful to watch every door multiple times so that they might understand it's operational rotation before sneaking through with one of the researchers or agents. Long wide corridors lit in shades of pale yellow. Sleek modern design. Iconography on the walls all classical symbols of eternity and biology. A double helix. A caduceus. A crimson snake eating its own tail. The facility was a well-oiled machine, neatly arranged and managed.
Don't pay any attention to the occasional screams from those experiencing vivisection. Or the corpses in body-bags being moved for cremation.
An elevator door opened, a main access trunk the infiltrator had been seeking. Two researchers and a security guard entered. The infiltrator followed behind and jumped onto the elevator wall. Electromagnetically drew themselves onto the surface. Security was so tight that the elevators would take into account floor pressure displacement from the number of occupants. If the weight went beyond certain tolerances, then an alarm would be raised. Measures put in place to stop invisible infiltrators. Or at least those that could not adhere themselves to metal surfaces.
This was where the infiltrator would have to exercise patience. They needed someone to eventually head to the lowest level. They could not push the button themselves. They did not have fingerprint security clearance that was read through flesh or glove. How long before someone needed to reach that area was left to the fate or chance. The elevator ascended to the highest level, opening and permitting entry to a pair of familiar figures. One was an olive-skinned woman in a blue dress, white lab coat, heels and jackal mask. The other a taller individual in dark blue trousers, boots, tailored waistcoat and black shirt. Over the shirt they wore a curiously fashioned jacket, a hooded bolero with the cowl drawn low, the right sleeve missing, the left sleeve long and hand hidden beneath a glove.
The door hissed shut as the woman in the jackal mask pressed a floor button.
"The Serpent will see you soon," Jackal announced.
The hooded figure shrugged. Jackal gave them a side-long glance.
"You should be honoured. For the Serpent to permit you entry."
"You disagreed," a feminine voice replied.
There was something of an accent. A hint that English may not have been her first language.
Jackal's body language was uncomfortable.
"Is it truly loathe," the hooded woman asked, "To question the decisions of your god?"
"I am concerned with how trusting the Serpent is of you."
"So am I," the woman agreed. "Letting your enemy into your home is not a wise decision. Three times did you try to speak to me and three times I left nothing but corpses. On the fourth time I decided to deliver my message personally."
"You are going to refuse the Serpent again?"
"If Kaslana thinks he can intimidate me then I will grant him the chance to do so and fail."
The hooded woman shook their head.
"He isn't here right now."
Jackal lost her composure only for a moment. But it was enough. The hooded woman continued.
"That means he is speaking with Apocalypse. Two boys playing at being men."
"I have been instructed to give you every courtesy," Jackal replied.
"I am certain you have. A single warning to you, Cleo. Do not attempt anything. I know what you will try to do before you have even considered the possibility. I will level this facility if the whim strikes me. Kaslana knows I am only an observer unless provoked. Hence the invitation. Do not give me an excuse to transition from passive to active."
Jackal snorted.
"The Serpent explicitly instructed me to extend every courtesy to you. I would never insult his word."
The elevator came to a halt, doors hissing open and allowing Jackal to slip out a little too quickly.
"This way, Lady Atropis."
Atropis lingered for just a moment. Long enough for her bare arm, hidden behind her back, to make a simple gesture. A waggle of an index finger. Telling off a naughty child. They stepped out from the elevator, hand touching the button for the bottom level, the faintest flicker of gold sitting on the fingerpad, just before the doors hissed shut. In the silence the infiltrator waited patiently. A minute passed as the elevator descended deep into the earth. Finally, it reached the bottom level and hissed open. Gone was the modern look. In the depths of the earth the dimly lit corridors were of rough-hewn stone, damp with moisture and age. The infiltrator was agonisingly cautious with each footfall, making sure not to displace any of the puddles or water or make a single sound. On an assassin's feet they navigated the catacombs, finally arriving in a vast throne room. A tall stone throne lay against one wall, unfamiliar symbols etched into the stone. Sealed in a plinth to one side was a crackling greatsword. The heat radiating from it banished all moisture from the room. The infiltrator paid no interested. They followed the AR map in their vision to a particular point and discovered the stairwell so well hidden in shadows that it would not be discovered unless specifically point out. Some sort of camouflage that incorporated metamaterial and psychic obfuscation.
Down more and more stairs in the pitch-black darkness the infiltrator moved. They stopped when one thing changed. Nothing could be detected. The main base for World Serpent had been built behind multiple layers of security. It possessed EM shields to prevent outside detection. And prevent errant transmissions leaving the facility. Down here in the catacombs further layers of protection and shielding existed. Not to protect World Serpent. To protect an even older facility. In this gap between present and past only those in close proximity could detect anything. The shielding between the two an ironic mask. That included certain forms of teleportation that would normally be detectable to those above.
The infiltrator took out three small hexagon discs the size of their palm and placed them on the floor. A sensation, an inclination, was sent through the Core that lay within the Infiltrator.
- Several Days Earlier –
A large mahogany table dominated the room, high-backed chairs surrounding it all filled. Men and women of various ethnicities and ages sat watching the presentation from the newest director of ME Corp.
"Sales are up 12% on quarter. All contracts to date are either fulfilled or in process. Honkai radiation shielding systems have seen a 18% growth on year. We are ramping up production 15% on initial demand projections. Resources are being purchased from Australia and China to meet minerals and rare metals demand."
"Weapons sales?" Zelda Rothschild asked.
Mei looked to the senior woman and inclined her head.
"EM counter-measure and defence systems both. The new generation of Honkai energy dispersal weaponry compliments the shielding systems. We've seen significant demand spikes in SEA. 92% of countries in the region now boast the capability to defend against Honkai outbreaks up to 600 HW."
The directors all gave nods of approval. Mei pushed her glasses a little further up the bridge of her nose.
"My main concern is cross-territory sales. I have been approached insistently by businesses from the British-France territory, North Africa territory and North American territory."
"I'm aware of this," the North American director chimed in.
"The last thing I want to do is give the impression that I am muscling in on your financial territory." Mei's expression hardened. "But I also will not sit idle if business contracts are offered and I have supplies. I told you all before that my goal is to defeat the Honkai. If that means stepping on toes, I do not particularly care."
The North American director fixed Mei with a flinty look. He pursed his lips before speaking.
"You will respect territorial contracts and agreements."
Mei raised an eyebrow.
"11 incidents of attempted corporate espionage," Mei announced. "I have been unable to determine who these actors were representing. Each one of them has… died before being detained."
A wicked smile touched Mei's lips. She rested her head in the palm of her hand and looked right at the director.
"Unfortunately."
Sincerity. A dearth of it. Culpability. Absolute. Her gaze never left the man. Eventually he flinched.
"I have been shipping back the corpses to the families utilising my own budget. I am quite willing to start billing the right individuals if you like."
The threat was not lost on anyone. Mei's lavender eyes flickered across the board. Her statement was clear and nobody hear would be foolish enough to try again.
"If there is no other business, meeting is adjourned," Zelda announced.
The other directors winked out of existence. The hologram ended, Mei now seated at her office desk, Hanakawa standing patiently on one side, Kurikawa at the door as always. Hanakawa handed Mei tablet with more information to digest. Forward projections for ME Corp South East Asia. Deployments for Yurei staff. Research timelines. All of it involved but necessary to digest. One line caught her eye.
'First, I deal with the half-wits of ME Corp. Now I've sand getting in the gears of Yurei. I can see my day is going to become infinitely more complex within the next hour. I hope you're proud of the decisions your daughter can and will make, Oto-sama. Running an organisation is nearly as much fun as you made it out to be.'
"I want Dr Orr in my office in 20 minutes."
"I have him waiting outside."
A soft smile touched Mei's lips. As always Hanakawa anticipated and planned. The doctor entered moments later.
"I have Amarant on hold," Hanakawa whispered.
This time Mei had to struggle not to stare.
'Just how far ahead does this woman anticipate?'
The hologram of Information Broker flickered into existence. She looked tired. A cup of steaming coffee was grasped on both hands. She wiped sleep from her eyes, examining the room and its occupants
"It is far too early on my little corner of the planet, Dear Customer."
"If you drink your stimulant your mouth will be full and you won't be able to whine."
Amarant snorted and continued sipping at her beverage. If Dr Orr was surprised by the exchange, he didn't show it. The man had interacted enough with his employers by now to understand the curious relationship some of them had. As Mei continued reading Kurikawa left silently. The bodyguard's disappearance had Amarant glancing to Hanakawa and raising an eyebrow. The secretary's expression was blank. Which told Amarant that she had already guessed what was happening. Dr Orr waited patiently as Mei finished digesting the report.
"You are at a bottleneck?" Mei summarised.
"Not exactly."
"How exactly is not exactly?"
Dr Orr waved off the comment.
"We're progressing. The problem is that this is virgin territory for us. We are making ground on the Selene. However, it's not fast enough. If your own estimates for how many minutes to midnight we have left, then I'll have our final plans in place at quarter past 12."
Mei swore.
"What do you need?"
"Information. I understand your ethos, Mei, I really do. Respect it as well. What was done in the past failed so why rely upon it. The Selene project is different. We're trying to co-opt it and make it our own. We need information from the Previous Era. Anything and everything. The more we have the faster I can accelerate our end game."
Mei looked to Amarant
"What information can you get me on the Selene?"
"That depends if you want to barter with the big three. Anti-Entropy obviously know something. After all they sent the Selene battlecruiser to Far East Branch to begin with. But it won't be much. Schicksal won't know much. Otto of course knows everything but he is still pretending to be dead so we cannot barter with him. Even then I would not advise it. He is smart enough that showing even a little of our hand risks him putting it all together. And World Serpent… I trust even less than Otto. They would actively sabotage out efforts just to promote their own agenda."
"I disagree. I think we go ask World Serpent"
"What?"
Hanakawa tapped a few icons on her tablet. A small document appeared on Mei's own device. She read it over.
"Hanakawa I am so very thankful you are on our side," Mei whispered.
A soft knock on the door. Kurikawa entered followed by an unusual guest. A girl in grey robe and maroon trousers.
"I see the synchronisation between cores continues," Amarant observed softly, attention fixed on head of Yurei looked up at the girl.
"Aranea," she addressed her, "We have spoken a few times before. You possess an unusual ability. You can take control of Honkai beasts,"
The girl lifted her head to look Mei in the eye, long black hair spilling away from her face, the streaks of magenta giving the impression of blood interweaving through.
"Yes," she said in a cool voice.
There was something in that tone. Aranea was not timid or quiet. Nor was she bold or outgoing. It was something else. Something very unique to her. Fanaticism. Her voice, her tone, was one of utter conviction and confidence. What she said she believed to the fullest of her self-awareness.
"This is not a natural ability. It is something you acquired in the… Elysian Realm. One of the simulations."
"From one of the Flame Chasers," Aranea corrected.
Eyes danced over the notes again.
"These simulations. There were soldiers, artists, financiers and scientists, correct?"
"Yes."
"Do you believe the one you interacted with might know anything about advanced engineering? Mechanical constructions, quantum and interdimensional physics. Honkai energy research."
Aranea stood silently as she pondered the question.
"Dr Mobius was interested in biology. Genetics. Evolution. No."
"There were others however."
"Yes. I never met them. One was Su. And the other was Vill-V. Those who I spoke to said they were the greatest minds of Fire Moth."
Mei tapped a finger on her desk.
"If I cannot speak to DR MEI about the Selene then these people who worked beside her are our best opportunity."
"The Realm relies on interwoven elements of digital recreation, holographic replication and subtle psychic projection. I won't be much use this time."
"That works in my favour. I need you out here and watching matters in the real world. The attempts at infiltration are not going to stop. It is bad enough when my own business is aligned against me. The Big Three have also tried and I need to send back more corpses before they understand the message. Keep tabs on them and feed all relevant information back. I also need you advising Hanakawa in my absence."
"Your absence?"
"Who else can break into the lair of World Serpent?"
It took a few seconds for Amarant to put the pieces together. Amarant slapped her thigh and laughed.
"Always with a back-up plan, huh?"
"I learnt well from my father."
- The Day of the 5th Impact, the skies above Coral City -
The Herrscher of Thunder sat atop Kurikawa as the dragon flew high over the city. Two bloody Herrscher Cores were grasped in her hands. The woman looked down at the gems and the possibilities they held.
'Keeping them serves no purpose. World Serpent will simply pursue me until they reclaim them. I can slaughter most of their forces. But they will likely use leverage on Schicksal to garner their aid. And I cannot defeat Kevin as I currently am. What to do with these gems?'
The Herrscher considered her options rationally. Coldly. Ruthlessly. A final solution tickled the corner of her lips. It suited short and long-term objectives. Sooner or later she would need to bring the fight to World Serpent. But giving them exactly what they wanted for now. That was perfect. Too perfect. The Herrscher withdrew the small brassy rod with etched silvery circuitry from the garter on her thigh and injected a flicker of Honkai energy into the device. A compact holographic projection appeared on one side. The Herrscher pressed the rod against the Core of Gravity and activated the entanglement sequence. The Herrscher felt an echo in her core. The whisper of ethereal power leaking from the rod as it entangled a connection with the core, with the Imaginary Tree that lay beyond. In moments the innocuous rod had completed its task and was still again. The Herrscher of Thunder stowed away the device. Kurikawa read her Lady's need and dove through the bitterly cold mists towards the Schicksal forward base.
- Nagazora. Just after the reawakening of the Herrscher of Thunder –
The clouds had finally melted away. A cold starry sky stared down at the two camping outside the shopping mall. Amarant was on cooking duty. She still looked pale and sickly to Mei's eyes. And it had nothing to do with the injury she had somehow survived. More questions to be asked. Right now, Mei held two things in her hands. The soulium data storage core in one. The curious brass rod with silvery circuitry the other. The rod felt oddly warm to the touch. But not a heat generated by temperature. A queerness that defied rational explanation. The Herrscher rolled it between finger and thumb. There had been so much to consume in her father's files. Only the surface had been touched. Now was the time for Mei to think, plan and then act.
'I am going to find you one day, Oto-sama. I want answers. Real answers. My mother. The terrorists. Project MEI. And this strange object in my hand. It isn't Soulium. It isn't any material that could be reasonably defined by modern science. What inspired you to create this RATATOSKR and how were you able to do so? The files on it are… incomplete.'
"You hold a curious trinket," an accented female voice called from the darkness.
Mei held her nerve. She hadn't sensed the presence. The woman walked into the light of the campfire. Amarant gave an all too cheery wave.
"You are as foolish as ever, Lachesis," the stranger chastised.
Mei stowed away the objects and faced the newcomer.
"And you are?"
"A guest."
"What are you here for, guest?"
"As charming as ever. I'm here to talk about you, Raiden Mei. I wanted to talk about how you end the world."
Quantum Teleportation.
A field of expertise heavily explored and partially mastered by Anti-Entropy. Cocolia and her X-10 research project is often cited as the progenitor of much of Anti-Entropy's modern grasp of quantum mechanics and teleportation. This is only partially true. There was an incredibly talented researcher and Enforcer who took such knowledge in all new directions. The ability to effectively and stably teleport from fixed location to dynamic coordinates. This knowledge left when the Enforcer defected to Schicksal. This knowledge remained with the Enforcer, who kept it close at hand until they defected yet again after betrayal at the hands of Schicksal. Eventually the researcher joined Yurei along with the remains of the personnel from the Schicksal base they had all once served at.
Maryanne looked over the three people standing patiently on the hexagonal teleportation plates. Her bunker where they waited was located somewhere on planet Earth. Only three other people knew of its exact location and all were now dead.
"Raiden has to be as insane as they come," Maryanne muttered
A final guest waited in the bunker. The woman yet to be defined by Maryanne. Not human. Maybe zombie. Maybe Honkai beast. Or even pseudo-Herrscher. Kurikawa waited patiently. Arms behind her back. Body still except the shallowest of breathing. Eventually she stirred, eyes going vacant, brow furrowed.
"She is ready," the woman announced.
No questions. No explanations. Maryanne tapped the accept command and activated the quantum teleportation procedure. All three people on their pads flickered out of existence.
"I guess that is why we all follow her."
Four sets of footsteps echoed in the boundless darkness. A spot of light appeared in the distance. As they approached a presence seemed to project from the light. The four breached the darkness, a voice heralding their arrival.
"Oh, Kevin, Kevin."
The four looked upon a spacious area, one side dedicated to a war room, the other with a long lounge, smaller chairs and drinks lining the walls. A curious objected floated at the far end of the area.
"Aren't you a trouble maker."
The bubbly voice came from the couch. Seated upon it, hand tucked up under her chin in amusement, was a woman with long pink hair, blue eyes and pointed ears. Her clothing looked graceful yet cut of a style that was not seen in the Current Era. The four guests took in the unusual sight and their unusual host.
"Welcome to the Elysian Realm."