« Boss ! I have something. » launched the man as he looked at an address on his laptop screen.
« What is it ? » answered the "Boss".
« I made a list of the possible hotels, and I tried to take as much info on large reservations by hacking on their servers. And only one of them has been entirely filled in one reservation. »
« You did good. We now have a target. Where is it exactly ? »
« In the dix-huitième arrondissement, literally right next to Montmartre. I've noted the address. »
« Everyone ! We are going there ! To your vehicles ! » yelled the leader with his naturally powerful voice.
Instantly, all the ones that were in the room grabbed the equipment that they had prepared and rushed out. Waiting for them inside the barren hall of the abandoned factory were a black van and two old SUVs. At the same time, they were large enough to contain the entire group and their weapons and discreet enough to not attract attention.
As bags were thrown inside the trunks, the three engines started to roar. But before getting inside one of the SUVs, the leader turned around and looked at all the young men that were following him.
« Men ! You all know what we are going to do. You are probably asking yourself why we are not following our original plans, and why we are throwing ourselves into the unknown. You are probably starting to be scared. But do not fear, and believe. Believe in me, believe in your brothers, believe in your weapons and believe in our goal. Some are not going to return, but in the end the gates of eternal salvation will open to us all. Are you with me ? »
A roar came back to him. He muttered a small sentence in another language as a way to give luck to everyone and, after a last look at his men, he entered the car.
The three vehicles left the building and entered the road that was going through the empty industrial area.
This day had started like any other in the last months. Waking up, going to the cafeteria for the breakfast, working on the tasks given to the prisoners, spending the free time available outside. The same movements are slowly becoming reflexes, like the one of the golems, soulless monsters of clay that are the slaves of the mages that created them.
But there is also the same looks coming from the other side of the metal fence that separate us from the prisoners of this world. Their eyes are always full of a sentiment similar to disgust, especially towards the non-humans. For them, we are freaks of nature that shouldn't exist apart from books. But we are here, and we are judged for that. Despite being treated well by the guards, I somehow still feel ashamed, humiliated.
At noon, while we were eating our lunch, I noticed a small agitation between the guards. Something important was going to happen, and I needed to know what it was.
It turned out that some Imperials citizens were going to appear in front of members of the French Parliament, and everyone could see it thanks to the device they call Television. When I asked for the time of this meeting, I found that it was going to take place during a break time shared by almost all prisoners. So, using the small authority I had left as a General, I ordered that all the prisoners not having any task at that time had to watch it on the television of the break room.
We were all waiting for several minutes when the first images appeared on the screen. At first, there was just a room full of men and women from this world, but shortly after a group entered. I still have trouble describing the group and how absurd it looked like.
The first one was a young student of the Lindon school of Magecraft that showed little to no emotion when she was questioned. Then, there was an Elf dressed in clothes from this world. After that was a dark figure that a lot noble officers, including me, recognized immediately.
The Apostle of Emroy, Her Holiness Rory Mercury in person came there to say what she was thinking about the behavior of the NATO soldiers in our world. I vaguely remember the religious ceremony where I saw her once, but I never forgot how she looked and acted. When she said that a small group of twelve soldiers of the "Task Force" successfully managed to make the mighty Fire Dragon flee by making it losing an arm, one part of me couldn't believe it while another one thought the exact opposite. I had witnessed a part of the power used by "modern" armies, and I could totally imagine one of their rifle being powerful enough to at least hurt those kinds of monster.
I was the only one to recognize the last man to enter.
I still remember perfectly how he yelled at me that day, how we looked in each other's eyes just before the chaos of battle engulfed us both. When he was appearing in some part of the screen, I just couldn't look away from him. It was personal. But deep down in my heart, I have respect for him. I was completely at his mercy when he knocked me out, but he still let me live another day. I may be a prisoner of war, but at least I am alive. On his chest was a shining medal, and I knew that he got it thanks to what he did that day. And he probably deserve it.
This world actually has laws for war. And they are not coming from any deity, but men that gathered around a table and decided that certain weapons must not be used and the non-fighter be spared.
I know the names of some generals that would have trouble understanding why a nation would restrict his military might for such a mere reason that is the greater good. But here, it's globally accepted as facts, the world revolving around trading with your neighbor if you need his resources instead of invading him, spreading hate amongst peoples.
I still have to fully understand some of the most important notions like globalization, consumerism or socialism, but as of now, even if I don't know when I'll be freed from this prison and return to Sadera, I can assure that this world changed me.
Extract of Lucius Co Palesti's diary, written in his cell of Fleury-Mérogis, December 1st 2016
Paris, Assemblée Nationale, December 1st 2016, 1630 hours Paris Time
« This is Gilbert. The scapegoat has left the Temple. I repeat. The scapegoat has left the Temple. »
« Understood Gilbert. I'm starting the walk. »
Bonisseur whispered those last words in his hidden radio before turning around to face the waiting group, all dressed with civilian clothes.
When Bonisseur had proposed his plan to his higher ups, even he thought that concealing the soldiers and the refugees in the constant flow of tourists was a little too ambitious. But the idea was still approved and the precautions were taken. It was a comical sight that the one of middle agers trying for the first time modern clothing, and Bonisseur even had a thought for the two soldiers that had to do the exact same thing but with a princess and her aide de camp.
The soldiers had brought their personal clothes. Anthony was wearing a heavy and warm black windbreaker, Johann was going with a really heavy sweater of a famous clothing brand while Jordan and Daniella both brought tan down jackets. Tuka had taken off the suit she was wearing during the summon and put back the white sweater on. The only addition made to the clothes that had been given to her before crossing the Gate was a black Peruvian beanie given to her by Anthony. Even if it was partially to warm her head, the main reason to why such a beanie was to hide her ears. Lelei had on her a simple white winter coat and a white beanie on to hide another very recognizable element, her natural light blue hair.
Lastly, there was Rory. And the soldiers couldn't help but smile at the irony of the Apostle of the god of war Emroy, maybe one of the most powerful being in combat ever, being given a jacket made for children. But the ones task to go buy the clothes had chosen something that looked like adult but in a really small size.
In the end, apart from the giant axe covered by a large white fabric sheet and Lelei's staff, the group that was in front of Bonisseur was looking almost exactly like any group of tourist visiting Paris.
« Perfect, he launched. The bus just left the front court and every journalist is after it. We are all clear, so let's go. »
Without any word spoken, the agent led the soldiers and refugees through the corridors of the office part of the Assemblée, sometime passing in front of an employee either too busy with his task or not recognizing them with the outfit change.
When the two glass doors of the office building entry hall opened automatically in front of them, the three girls truly made their first steps in the world where every single soldier of the FORSO was coming from. There wasn't politics anymore. Now was the time for real life.
Following the instructions given by the man in the black coat, they started to walk down the Parisian streets. There were bystanders, walking, driving, and living their lives completely oblivious to the fact that just a few meters away from them were people literally coming from another world.
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a triangular intersection between the street they were in and a larger one with trees covering the sidewalks. In the pavement was what felt like a gaping hole. Stairs leading under the city, down inside the earth. Next to it was a large sign with a map of the entire city. Lelei stopped in front of it and started to examine this map. As she expected, Paris was the largest city she had ever saw.
« I never asked, but how many people live in Paris ? » she said with the same emotionless voice as she turned back towards the rest of the group.
« Huh… I don't know… Maybe two millions just for Paris in itself… And like ten millions if you count the suburbs… » answered Anthony as he looked down the staircase of the subway station entry.
The memories from that day of August were still engraved in his memory, and despite him not trying to think about it, they were still reappearing from time to time. Sometimes he was just hearing the words launched by the enemy general, sometimes he was seeing the faces of the scared policemen. But this day, what came to his mind was that encounter in the corridors of the Franklin D. Roosevelt subway station, situated just under the Champs-Elysées roundabout. The same image flow of blood and civilian corpses were appearing, and his eyes started to stare into the distance, empty.
« Hey, you with us ? » asked Daniella, poking her Lieutenant's shoulder after a few seconds of an awkward silence.
Anthony shook his head like to shake off the memories before looking at the British.
« Yeah… I was just… thinking about something… » he said.
« Are… Are we really going down there ? »
This time the question came from Rory. What surprised everyone was the emotion coming with it.
It was like fear, or something really close to it. It was almost like she was scared to go underground.
« Yes we are, Miss. » replied Bonisseur like he didn't cared.
She took a deep breath like to swallow her pride and started to walk down the stairs with the rest of the group.
« It's here. » said the man, his look quickly switching between the screen of the laptop put on his knees and the old looking building.
« Are you sure ? We only have on shot at this, and you perfectly know it. »
Behind the wheel, the leader kept his tone calm as he has always done.
« Yes, I'm sure. The suites of the hotel are on the last floor, and the whole building is probably full of armed guards. But I noticed that this last floor is separated from the building next to it only by a wall. It is probably our way in. »
The leader took a few seconds to look at the facades of the two building. Both were old haussmannian buildings that could only be differentiated from each other by the large signs showing the hotel's entrance.
« Perfect, he muttered before turning around to face the two that were on the back seats. You two, take the explosives we have prepared and plant them somewhere we will be able to enter. »
The two nodded and exited the SUV. One of them opened the trunk to grab a large and heavy sport bag. Trying to be the less suspicious possible, they entered the apartment building and called the elevator. Immediately, the doors opened and the stepped in. After the doors closed, the phone of the one not carrying the bag ringed.
« Ok, so when you'll reach the last floor, head to your right. According to the map I found, there is a maintenance closet which is right next to the suites. You should be able to plant the explosives here without attracting attention. Just remember, it is highly unstable so be really careful, and don't activate the detonator yet. »
Slowly, the lift stopped and the doors opened again, allowing the two men to get off. They turned right as they were told and started to look for the indicated closet. After a few seconds of walking, the two found themselves at the end of the corridor in front of a numberless door. Without much resistance, the lock broke, allowing the men to enter. Apart from some brooms and bottles of cleaning products stored on a shelf, it was empty.
In an instant, the sport bag was on the ground and his content was taken out. There was some jars filled with an unknown liquid, packs of a soft rubber-like material and several electronics boards. Slowly, the man that had been carrying the bag started to assemble the device as he practiced several times. His hand started to slightly shake under the effect of stress as he was connecting wires. Doing it with a fake one was one thing, but it was the real thing now.
As he slowly finished the last step of the preparation, he left a long sigh of satisfaction. But worry quickly returned as he realized something was missing.
« It should have beeped when I finished. » he muttered, comparing what he had just done with his training memories.
For him, everything was in the correct position, but there was undeniably something wrong.
He quickly passed through the list of possibilities, before finally identifying the most probable. There was a problem with the chemicals. After picking up one of the jars, he noticed that one of the cable linking it to the detonator was strangely looking. Here was his problem.
But as tried to fix it, the detonator started to beep. But it was not the small and discreet sound supposed to indicate that the device was planted. Instead, it was longer, and louder.
« Fuck ! he yelled as he was trying to get up. Run ! »
But before the other could even open the door, they were both engulfed by a fire ball.
Paris, Between Assemblée Nationale and Concorde subway stations, December 1st 2016, 1645 Paris Time
« And this allows you to get around the city with great speed thanks to a complex network of underground tunnels. »
The emotionless statement bounced on the wall of the almost empty subway car.
« I told you that our world is really different. But when you get used to it, nothing is really incredible. » simply stated Anthony as he looked around.
He was standing in the middle of the alley, his hand around one of the metal poles. Sitting next to him was Lelei, looking at the map of the subway hanging on one of the walls. Despite her face staying like it has always been, it clear that she was amazed by the technical achievement that digging such a high number of tunnels was.
In front of her were Trevis, looking boredly at her phone, and Bonisseur, his finger on next to his small earpiece like he was waiting for a transmission. A few meters away, Clark and Moltke were chatting with Tuka, answering the numerous questions the elf still had on her mind.
Lastly, standing behind the Lieutenant, was Rory. She was holding the covered handle of her halberd really tightly and was looking somewhat uneasy. Anthony didn't asked her why, thinking it was the rumbling and slight instability of the car that was making the apostle feeling like that.
Strangely, the group was alone in the car thanks to not being in a rush hour and probably some tricks Bonisseur had up his sleeve.
Suddenly, the Interior Security agent pressed a button on his concealed radio to answer a message he just received.
« This is Promeneur, we are arriving at Concorde. We are in the head car. »
A few seconds later, the underground train stopped near an almost empty platform. The door opened, allowing the passengers of the other cars to get in or out. But for the head one, only five people had been waiting and got in.
« So… How did it went ? » asked Anthony to his subordinates while the DGSI agent that was accompanying them started to whisper a report to Bonisseur.
« To be honest, answered Chaumond, the meeting went better than we expected. But convincing the two to enter the subway wasn't easy. Though in the end… »
The private didn't finish his sentence and simply turned his head in the direction of Marc.
The Caporal started holding with his right one of the metal pole of the car after he got in to keep balance in the moving vehicle. But he also had this same role for someone else.
Holding tightly to his left arm was Boses, the fear of the underground monster they were in on her face. But on Marc's, Anthony could only see the bright red of the Caporal's embarrassment induced blush.
The Lieutenant smirked and let at a small laugh.
« What ? » launched Marc, without a bit of shame in his voice.
« Nothing... Nothing… Just well played man… » Anthony continued to laugh as the train started to move again, forcing the blonde knight to tighten her grip even more.
Calm returned in the car as the subway continued his way down the dark tunnel. But before entering a relatively sharp turn, the train strongly braked without warning, causing those without support to loose balance.
Anthony felt in his back someone suddenly pressed against him, holding his sleeve to prevent them from falling.
It was Rory, the same uneasy look on her face. But this time, he noticed a drop of sweat running on her forehead. Now, the Lieutenant was really worried.
« Hey, you alright ? The subway scares you ? » he asked in French, knowing that he was understood by the Apostle.
« No… It is not that… I… Just don't like to go underground… »
To be honest, after almost one month of seeing her daily and hearing the refugees talk about her, he hadn't expected her to be scared by something. But apparently she was, and it was just by being under a few meters of ground.
« You… don't like being underground ? »
« No… It's the territory of Hardy… Goddess of the Underground, the realm of the dead… For the last two hundred years, she asked me the same question over and over again… I can't stand it… It's like I feel her presence… »
« And what did she asked you ? » asked Anthony, thinking about the fact that he was talking with someone involved in the god drama you see in mythology.
« She wants me to marry her… »
Somewhat of an awkward silence fell inside the car.
« So… You are harassed… By a god… That want you to marry him… But the god is actually a goddess… Did I understand everything ? » Chaumond asked.
The only answer he got from Rory was a small head nod.
« Great… » he sighed.
« And just why are you so close to me ? It is kind of embarrassing. » launched Anthony, his sleeve still being pulled by the Apostle.
« She… Does not like men… So maybe it will keep her away… »
The two French soldier shared a small amused look.
« So I'm basically being used as a deterrent, right ? »
« R… Right… »
« Well at least I'm useful… » laughed Anthony before realizing that Daniella had been watching them the whole time, probably without hearing Rory's word, and thus, without context.
The Lieutenant smiled to the medic as to tell her that everything was normal. She only answered by lightly shaking her head and returned to whatever was on her phone screen.
A few seconds later, the unknown DGSI agent finished his report to Bonisseur. The older of the two coated man stood up and made a step to arrive right next to Rory, Anthony and Chaumond.
« So, how did the bus worked out ? asked the private. Hope we didn't go through this mess for nothing. »
« It worked perfectly, answered Bonisseur with the voice of a successful man. Every single media is convinced that you were onboard and followed it at the complete opposite of where we are actually going. »
« Did you actually trained for this or is… » started to say Anthony before being interrupted by Rory pulling his sleeve again.
He turned his head and was about to ask what was going on, but stopped when he saw the Apostle's face. She was breathing heavily, and what was a simple drop of sweat a few minutes ago had like multiplied.
« I want… No… I need to go out… » she faltered like she was badly injured.
« Hey… There are two stations left, then we go off the train and rejoin the surface. Can you wait ? »
Now, he started to really worry. If she, out of all the people in the group, was like that, then whatever the problem is, it had to be taken seriously.
« No… I can't take it anymore… Hurry up… »
Those last word convinced Anthony. Seeing how fast her state deteriorated and the time remaining before arriving at their destination, he could think of one thing to help the suffering Apostle.
« Prochain arrêt : Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. Vérifiez que vous n'oubliez rien derrière vous. Next stop : Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. Please check that you don't forget something behind you. » announced a soft voice through small speakers, indicating they were arriving at the next station.
« Alright… I'm getting off here with Rory… I know where the hotel is, so don't worry about me. » launched the Lieutenant as he felt the train slowing down to stop.
« What ? No you are not ! replied Bonisseur violently. We have a plan to follow… »
But the agent's words weren't heard as Anthony stepped on the platform as soon as the car doors opened, the Apostle still holding his sleeve.
« Who loves me, follows me. » launched Anthony with somewhat of a laugh.
And apparently, the five soldiers that was with him and the other two refugees were loving him, as they quickly joined him on the platform. Bonisseur muttered a swear word before making a hand sign to his subordinate.
« Plus we are not technically here, do we ? » launched the Lieutenant as another nail in the coffin.
The corridors of the subway station were almost completely empty as the group was taking the direction of the exit. After each flight of stairs making them closer to the surface, Anthony could sense Rory feeling better.
But, after crossing the gates indicating the point of no return, Bonisseur received a transmission.
And apparently, what he was told wasn't good.
But the agent made another hand sign, telling them to continue without him.
No one asked a question as the rest of the group walked up the last stairs and stepped on the paved sidewalk.
As soon as her two feet were on the ground, Rory let go of Anthony's sleeve and started to stretch, her two arms pointed towards the sky in a giant V shape.
« You feeling better ? » asked Anthony as he observed her return to what was for him "the normal Rory".
« The air is filthy but it's a thousand times better than being underground. » she giggled back, giving a final proof of everything being back to normal.
« Well you kind off get used to it after a while. It's not like it's unbreathable or some… » started Jordan, who grew up in the polluted air of one of the United States biggest cities, but stopped in the middle of his sentence as he saw Bonisseur quickly joining them.
In his eyes, everyone understood that something bad happened.
« What's going on ? » questioned Chaumond.
« There was an explosion at our hotel ! Apparently, it was too big to be just a gas leak or an accident… »
« Wait… Which hotel ? The fake one or the one we are going to ? »
« The real one ! » simply stated the agent, making a heavy silence fall on the group.
« Fuck ! barked angrily Daniella. What are we doing now ? »
« I don't know… We don't have another place ready for you… »
As agitation started to appear in the group of soldiers, the refugees and the two nobles watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes.
« Lelei, do you understand what they are saying ? » asked Tuka, the beanie still on her head.
« It seems that there has been an incident at the inn we are going to, calmly answered the young mage, and now they can't decide what we should do. »
« Oh… An incident you said ? »
« Yes. They say it was probably intentional. »
« Does that mean that someone is acting against us ? »
This question came from the princess that had remained silent during the whole subway ride.
« No, your Highness. Apart from a select few, nobody knows you are here. If the one that made this are looking for this group, then it is probably for the three of us. »
Again, silence returned on the group. Those seconds of calm finally allowed Anthony to find out where they were. In the urge of getting Rory out of the Subway, he hadn't payed attention to the sign indicating their position in the city.
They had exited the metro by an exit situated next to a stone building that was really familiar to Anthony.
« I think I might have the solution. » he launched towards Bonisseur and the rest of the group as he pulled out his phone and started to look through the contacts.
« What are you doing ? » returned Moltke, trying to heat up his hands by blowing inside them.
The German got no answer apart from seeing the Lieutenant putting his phone next to his ear.
« Allô ? Ouais, c'est moi… Ça va, Ça va… J'ai pas trop de temps donc dis-moi : t'es chez toi ?... Super, je suis à Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. J'arrive. A tout de suite. »
Anthony put back the phone in his coat pocket before turning around like a cliché action movie hero about to say a punchline.
« I found ourselves a solution. I know someone that lives a few blocks away. You can all trust him. Any objections ? »
The silence that came back to him was his negative answer.
« Well then… Let's go, gang. »
Following the Lieutenant, the group started to walk down another street that was different from the ones had walk down before taking the subway, despite having a similar feel.
« What is that building ? It looks like one of the temples in the Capital. » whispered Boses into the princess' ear.
« Indeed… It even has markings in the Elders' language. »
Lost between those grey buildings, the columns supporting the triangular roof of a large building front porch felt like a part of her home in this different world.
She had already asked several times why some buildings where looking that way, and the answer she got each time was the same.
There were built to look like Roman temples.
Roman was also a word really familiar to her. In the ruins of Elders' settlements, there was often the name of a powerful Empire that was dominating all the land known to the first humans that arrived in Falmart.
Roma.
The princess knew that there was link between the two worlds history. Maybe that the true origins of Humans are this world that was technically way ahead of the Empire. But to find out the truth, she'll have to look at the past of this world.
After a few minutes of leading the group through another set of streets, Anthony stopped in front of one building similar to all the other buildings of the neighborhood.
« It' here. » he said before pressing one of the intercom button.
After a short silence, the panel small speaker came to life.
« Hello… Who is this ? » asked a male voice.
« It's Hugh Mungus, answered the Lieutenant with a large smile on his face. No seriously it's Anhtony. Open the door. »
There was another second of silence before a click sound was heard coming from the heavy doors of the building.
Bonisseur and the other agent entered first to check if it was safe, their hands buried inside their winter coats as to grab a concealed gun, and the group followed.
« He lives in the apartment number fifty-four. It's on the fifth floor. »
The group quickly made his way up the stairs and into an empty corridor.
Again, Anthony led the group to a door and stopped in front of it before knocking.
The lack of answer made him smile as he put his hand on the door handle.
« Unlocked. Why is he so predictable ? » he sighed before stepping inside the apartment.
The entry door was giving on a small corridor, leading to a large living room.
« Come in, whispered Anthony as he took of his coat. Don't forget to close and lock the door. »
The rest of the group made its way inside and the two agents started looking for anything suspicious in the room.
« You know it's not polite to not greet his guests ? » the Lieutenant yelled like he wanted to talk with someone that wasn't in the room.
« The fuck are you talking about ? » launched the same male voice that through the intercom.
Suddenly, one of the doors that were all around the living room opened, revealing a man.
If his sudden appearance was a surprise for the group, seeing so much people in his living room was also a surprise for him.
« What the fuck… » he let out as him and the group were mutually observing each other.
He was wearing a black tee-shirt with the logo of an obscure metal band on it and sweat pants, making it obvious that he was nowhere near expecting such a visit.
« Huh… Who is this person ? » asked Pina, being somewhat uneasy with her first true contact with a normal inhabitant of this world.
« Well this person is my brother. »
There was again another silence that was only broke by Chaumond sighing.
« Why am I not surprised ? »
Thanks for reading the fifteenth chapter of Gate : Opération Marteau de Justice.
I'm actually amazed that I managed to write three 5k words chapters from a single anime episode. I know that some of you are really wanting to see the whole city exploration, but it should be coming next month. Now something I noticed while rewatching and rereading the source material for this part is that when Itami and the gang are in the Tokyo Subway, people are watching them but no one posts about it on the Internet. I tried to fix that little detail by saying that the subway is almost empty and that they wear different clothes, but in the end I don't really know if it makes more sense.
But now, it's time for the reviews.
First, I'd like to talk about the guest that pointed (with some violence) that some part of the last chapter could have been interpreted as "religions are gone". What I wanted to say was that there isn't a religion around saying that there are gothic lolitas with giant axes, but I realized that I could be easily misunderstood, so I edited the "were religions wrong the whole time?" to better show my views. Still, I haven't touched at Anthony's comment because it's suposed to be sarcasm. Hoping that this anonymous reviewer will read this and understand that I don't want to disrespect anyone's beliefs.
Celestia's Paladin - According to my quick search on Wikipedia, LCP is basically the French C-SPAN but with public fonds. And yes there will be an Hakone-like part, but making a lot more sense.
Apollonir - You see, I have already planned to switch the focus of the story later on, so it will not be only about the Recon Team.
Insanis Men - It's sure that someone arrives and says: "Hey, you believed that there was only one god ? Well it's actually bullshit and here's the proof", it's going to make some happy.
Mathiasosx - Thank you and welcome on the fantastic adventure that is me trying to do so some shit on the internet. It's sure that the British aren't playing a huge role, but I'll try to squeeze the soldier of her Majesty somewhere.