After we finished our breakfast, we gathered up our gear and prepared to move out. Atago offered to show us the parts of the mountain she hadn't scouted yet in the hopes that we'd finally be able to make our way inside and shut off the fog, if not destroy this prison entirely.
"What about scaling up the rockface itself?" I asked as I buckled my ammo belt around my waist and shouldered my rifle.
Atago shook her head as she finished stowing the mess kit and made sure the campfire was completely extinguished. "Too smooth to really get a good grip."
"Damn," I sighed as I pondered our options further. "You know…now that we have three of us here, if we can't find a way in, we could always try to blow our way in."
Takao gave me a quizzical look. "With what?" she asked.
"Your eight-inch shells," I answered. "Well, yours or Atago's. I figure we could row back to one of the ships, grab a shell or two, bury it at the base of the mountain and detonate them with a grenade or something like that."
She ruminated on the idea for a moment before she shrugged. "I don't think it's likely that the explosion from a single shell would do enough damage to blow open a mountain, and the noise would certainly draw unwanted attention. However, given the lack of options, it's worth a try."
Atago mulled it over as well and nodded. "I hope it won't come to that, but if we have to, we have to. In the meantime, let's get a move on."
Takao and I both nodded and we all set off into the jungle once more.
Within a few hours, we found ourselves staring up at the massive stone monolith, still wreathed in its unearthly fog. I could see what Atago meant about the rockface, despite its craggy appearance from a distance, it was mostly smooth, and the few handholds were spaced too far apart for anyone to reach.
"Alright," I began, "Where haven't you been so far?"
"Over there, to the north," Atago pointed off to her left. "I hope Tester left a door open when she died, or at least, left a sign of one."
"I doubt she would be…gone…for very long," Takao added. "It's entirely plausible that she's obtained a new body and returned to the mountain."
"If she has, I'd rather run into her in there than out here," I stated, much to the confusion of the siblings.
"You would?" Takao asked, eyebrow raised.
"In there, she's got to worry about collateral damage, or at least, I hope she does. I doubt they have huge corridors meant for shipgirl duels in there. While we're still at a disadvantage, we know we can kill them with your swords, and the tighter confines gives us a hopefully better chance to use them." I sighed and looked up at the mountain. "Personally, I'm hoping this is all automated and Tester's still trying to get back to the Mirror Sea, but I somehow doubt we're that lucky."
"Excellent points," Takao concurred. "I prefer to make my own luck, however. Let's get going."
"Right behind you."
As we set off towards the mountain, scanning for both Sirens and ways inside, I drew close to Takao and lowered my voice to a whisper. "Your sister keeps saying 'ara ara'. What does that mean?"
Her cheeks flushed red and she quietly answered, "It…doesn't have a direct translation to English, but it is meant as a playful or teasing 'oh my!'"
"Seems harmless enough," I said, peering over at her. "So why are you blushing so hard?"
"I-it typically is used in a more…mature context."
For a second, I didn't understand what she meant, and then it clicked. "O-oh…" I stammered as I felt my cheeks start to burn as well. "I see." I cast a furtive glance back at Atago, who seemed to be inspecting the mountain, although I couldn't help but notice she had an ear cocked in our direction. "Then is she…?"
Takao emphatically shook her head. "She said she would let us see where this took us and wouldn't make a move." She chuckled and glanced over her shoulder herself. "But that doesn't mean she won't stop being a tease, it would seem."
"Guess not," I chuckled softly. "I-" Whatever I was going to say was lost as I caught sight of something at the base of the mountain. "...do you see that?"
Partially recessed in shadow by a large outcropping was a large rectangular hole that looked like it had been carved into the mountain. Takao followed my gaze, saw the entrance, and nodded. "I do." She quickly waved Atago over, and together, we all headed towards it.
As we got closer, we saw it was clearly a doorway, the sides too smooth and clean to be a natural formation. And once we fell beneath the shadow of the mountain and our eyes adjusted to the lower light, we could see a hallway stretching out into its depths.
"Well, looks like we found our way in," I softly stated as I unslung my rifle and snapped on the bayonet. "I'll take point. Unless either of you has experience with secret Siren lairs?" They both shook their heads and I gave them a wry grin. "Yeah, me neither."
"I am right behind you, Commander," Takao solemnly said, her hand on the hilt of her katana. "And I will not break my pledge to you."
"Your big sister will help keep you safe, too!" Atago happily chimed in.
While I still felt uneasy about going into an unknown situation with little firepower, their reassurances did wonders for my nerves. I steadied my grip, nodded to both of them, and together, we headed into the serpent's lair…
The base was a maze of corridors, seemingly with random twists and turns. I realized getting out of here in a hurry was going to be a huge problem, but with a little luck, if we managed to find the main control room, we should find some sort of map along with it. Finally, we came across the first door. It hissed open as we approached, causing us all to press against the walls in the mistaken belief that someone was exiting them. After a few awkward glances and nervous chuckles, we headed inside. I took point, rifle ready as I moved in.
While there weren't any Sirens or Pawns, there wasn't anything that looked like something we could use. Stacks upon stacks of humming machinery, all glowing with an ominous blue light.
"Anyone have any idea what these are?" I asked as I walked through the rows, hoping to catch a glimpse of a terminal or monitor.
"If I had to guess, I would say servers of some sort," Takao offered. "Or data storage."
"Impossible to tell without a way to access them," Atago added. "Do you see a console anywhere?"
"None," I said with a shake of my head as I lowered my rifle. "I'd give my right arm if I could have Ingraham or Saratoga here right now."
Takao peered around a corner and asked, "Why them?"
"They're my tech experts. They'd love to get their hands on a treasure trove like this."
Atago came around the corner with a knowing smile. "I think Yuubari would love to get this kind of access, too. Probably spend all day sorting through the data on one of these towers."
"Yeah," I sighed. "Unfortunately, they're not here and we don't have that kind of time. Let's keep moving."
We headed out to the main corridor and continued to explore the base. We found a few more rooms, although they were all more of the same as the one we found earlier. I was beginning to wonder if this entire level was just data storage until we came across a hallway with several large windows on the left-hand side. We quickly pressed ourselves against the corridor as I peeked around the first window to see what was on the other side. What I saw was very concerning.
Row after row of Siren fighters and bombers sat in a massive hangar beneath us, robotic arms traversing up and down their ranks, running what looked like readiness and maintenance checks. Fortunately, they all seemed to be in a powered-down state, but I'm sure that would change once we shut down the fog.
I leaned back and explained to Takao and Atago what I'd seen. "Looks like they've got two squadrons each of fighters and bombers in there. No sign of any Siren overseers yet, but they're going to make getting out of here really interesting."
"Maybe we should prioritize shutting down whatever's suppressing our riggings," Takao suggested. "Give us an edge up on firepower."
I gave her idea some thought, but in the end, I decided to stick with our original plan. "I'd like to get this fog shut off first. Hopefully, it's a two birds, one stone situation, but if we find the fog generator, and aren't discovered, we'll look for the rigging suspension after that. Assuming this base doesn't have a giant, helpful self-destruct button."
"So how are we going to get past this window?" Atago asked. "Is it safe to walk by?"
"I didn't see any Sirens, but I have no idea if they have any kind of monitoring set up in there. Let's just stay low and move quickly."
One by one, we crouch-ran past the windows, each of us waiting for an alarm or other noise to signal we'd been spotted. After Atago, who had taken up the rear, made it past the last window, we paused, then relaxed when that alarm never came.
We continued down the hallway and rounded a corner to find a large room just off to our right. Again, I took point as I slipped inside and quickly waved the two sisters in after me. "Ladies, I think we found what we were looking for…"
It appeared to be a massive control room, with various monitors and consoles scattered around the space. We each took a station and began searching for a way to shut off the fog, contact Washington and South Dakota, blow this place sky-high, or any combination thereof.
Takao was the first to find something and called out from her station. "I can shut down the fog from here!"
Atago was next. "And I found the way to remove the rigging suppressors!"
Meanwhile, I was still combing through the database, looking for anything that looked like a self-destruct command or a way to overload the reactor that powered this Mirror Sea. In the end, I found neither, but what I discovered was far more important and utterly terrifying.
"Nothing on my end, just a lot of logs from 'Observer', looks like she was the one who grabbed us and put us here," I announced over my shoulder. I heard footsteps behind me as they came to look over my shoulder. "Looks like she filed a few reports…doesn't say to who, sadly…"
When I tapped on the report to bring it up, a small hologram of Observer flickered to life above the console. Even in miniature, her smug grin, wide eyes, and constantly slithering tentacles unnerved me.
"We have successfully captured the Sakura vessels we'll be using for this experiment and are beginning to test their suitability. Once a specimen has been chosen, we will then procure the Commander and several Eagle Union kansen. The island has been set up, and the fog already in place. In the event that either kansen or human escape their vessel and make it to the island, we've set up a small cave that should offer sufficient shelter from the elements, and we've added a hot spring inside the cave to further entice any survivors to set up camp there. That should keep them away from the mountain at first and give Tester an excellent starting point to hunting them down if they make it off the ship."
The image flicked off, and we all glanced at each other before I finally spoke up. "Sounds like our theory was correct. They grabbed us and tried to set us up to kill each other. Also explains why that hot spring was mysteriously there. Let's see what the next log is…"
Again, Observer flickered back to life as she gave her report. "The first Sakura kansen, Atago, was unsuitable for our needs. Chances of her engaging in combat against the Commander are thirty-two percent. The second shipgirl, Takao, is much more promising, at seventy-nine percent. We have isolated Takao on the southern shore of the island and will keep the Eagle Union fleet on the northern shores, near Atago, when they arrive. When hostilities erupt, this will increase the chances of either side achieving decisive hits. We're also going to allow Washington, South Dakota, and Atago to awaken earlier than the Commander or Takao to increase their overall stress levels. This should assist in them being much more willing to open fire on one another."
Atago and I looked over at Takao to see how she was handling this sudden revelation. I have to admit, she hid it well. Her face was her usual stoic, impassive mask, but her eyes…her eyes told a different story. In those brown eyes of hers, I could see the pain and regret that was flowing through her.
"Hey, Atago, could you go check on the rigging suppressors for me, make sure they're ready to go down?" I asked in a soft, nonchalant voice. Atago nodded knowingly and patted her sister on her shoulder before she left to give us some space.
Takao placed her hand atop Atago's and watched her go for a moment, not saying anything until she was sure she was out of earshot. "C-Commander…Thomas…I…" she began, the raw emotion flooding her voice.
"Hey, hey," I soothed, taking her hand in mine. "It's okay."
"No, it's not," she hissed turning to face me, fear and pain and grief in her eyes. "They took us, abducted us, ran tests on us like we were animals. What else did they do to me? What did they take from me?"
I didn't have the words for her at first. I struggled to find them, to say something that would make the pain go away, that would reassure her she was still who she was. After a few long seconds of soul searching, I simply shrugged and answered. "I don't know what they took, what they did or might have done. But what I do know is that you are a strong, beautiful woman, and you are going to survive this. You've put your training to excellent use and I owe you my life. I wouldn't be here without your bravery and skill, and we are going to escape this, together. And once we've shown them you can't be stopped, no matter how foul their tricks, we're going to make them pay."
Takao nodded slowly but stayed quiet. I could see her turning the words over in her head, letting them sink in. Finally, she looked up at me, the resolve and determination blazing in her eyes. "Thank you, Thomas," she whispered.
"Anytime," I smiled softly back at her, giving her a brief hug. As I did, I felt her tense up and I immediately let go of her. "Sorry," I quickly apologized. "Too soon?"
"N-no," she stammered, looking away as her cheeks flushed once more. "Just…just unexpected." Her eyes nervously darted to me, then away again. "You…you can do it again if you want."
I smiled warmly and pulled her into a gentle embrace. This time she didn't tense up, instead, relaxing as she wrapped her arms around me in turn. After all the stress and uncertainty we'd been through, just having her in my arms felt like a massive weight off my shoulder had been listed, and I think Takao felt the same way. What was meant to be a brief hug turned into a somewhat longer embrace.
A little too long, apparently, as Atago chided us. "Time for romance later, as cute as you two are, we need to get out of here!"
Our blush deepened and we stepped back with a nervous chuckle. "You should probably get back to shutting off that fog," I said as I self-consciously rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm going to see if I can pull up a map on this thing, help us get out of here faster."
"R-right," Takao agreed, trying to keep her expression stoic as she headed back to her terminal. She almost succeeded.
I watched her go for a moment before I turned back to my own computer. Just as I was about to close out of the data logs, something caught my eye. It was simply labeled "Route", and it was dated the day I left on patrol with Washington and the others. Part of me brushed it off, dismissing it as Siren recon on the patrol route. But another part refused to let it go. I opened it, and what I found was utterly devastating.
At first, I thought it was a mistake, that I had been reading it wrong. This wasn't possible, it just couldn't be true! But it was. I checked and rechecked the text before my eyes. It was our route, alright, but it wasn't Siren reconnaissance as I'd thought. It was the patrol plan I had filed with Naval HQ right before I left. I recognized the codes attached to the message: they belonged to Naval HQ itself
"This…this isn't right," I muttered, still trying to will it out of existence. "This…can't…they…wouldn't…" Disbelief gave way to anger, a fury that slowly boiled over until I slammed my fists down on the terminal with an anguished cry of "You bastards!"
Takao was back at my side in an instant, looking at my screen, trying to determine the cause of my outburst. "What is it? What happened?"
"Naval HQ," I managed to rasp, my voice thick with emotion. "They betrayed us. Look."
I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders as Atago came up beside me, and glanced at her and Takao. The worried, empathetic look in their eyes helped steady me as I pointed at the screen. "That's the patrol route I filed before we left port. But see these codes at the end? We put them at the end of each transmission to authenticate that the message is legitimate. But those aren't the codes that I attached."
Takao glanced up at me, then back down at the screen. "So whose codes are they?"
"Naval HQ."
Silence filled the room until Takao spoke up again. "You mean to say Naval HQ directly transmitted the patrol route you submitted to the Sirens?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
We all looked at each other, then down at the glowing monitor. I felt one of Atago's hands lift from my shoulder, replaced shortly by Takao's. I glanced over at her to see a faint blush on her cheeks, but her attention was still focused on the screen.
"What do we do with this?" Atago finally asked.
"Save it, if we can. We've got a traitor in Naval HQ that we need to flush out."
A/N-Well, well, well, the plot thickens! Questions answered, but many more remain. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!
