Chapter 36: Dark tide (final)
I am a liar
I am a betrayer
I am someone who trampled upon the death of my friends and people who put their trust, their lives on me so that my goal can be achieved.
I am unfit to be called a hero, unfitted to become someone's hope.
I am cursed
My strength is my own and yet it is not. My will is my own ad yet it might not be as I believe.
What am I?
I wondered and I still am.
I am Shirogane Takeru and yet I am not, for there could be only one and only one Shirogane Takeru in a universe. The Shirogane Takeru in this universe should be long dead, and yet I am here. Shirogane Takeru is still here, alive, breathing and living.
An irregular, a quantum oddity and an existence that defies the very rule of physic was what I once was, a Casualty Conductor.
The existence that known as the Casualty Conductor has disappeared, I was told. Yet, I am still here, living and breathing.
What am I now? How is this current existence of mine different from the previous one?
I wondered, back then and now. But, it didn't matter. Who am I and what am I, it didn't matter much to me. What I need isn't a clue to my own identity. It has always been the total victory of us, mankind. It has always been the safety of my friends. It has always been the safety of my treasure.
My priority changed at some point. My reason and my will to fight crumbled at one point. But it hasn't changed one bit, my goal.
Thus, what I seek wasn't a clue to my own identity. It was strength.
I want to be strong, strong enough to uphold my ideal, strong enough to protect my treasure. I want to have a mental fortitude like that of Yuuko sensei, forever unwavering and unnerving toward all odd. I want a strength like that of Hayase, the kind of strength that could easily trample down any foe on my path and at the same time earn the absolute trust of my friends. I want a strength like that of Yuuhi and Meiya, the kind of strength that allow me to pursuit my goal single-mindedly until the end, the kind of strength that help me endured everything fate threw at me, no matter how bad it would be.
I don't have it, that kind of strength. But he does. Somehow, I was able to sense it, feel it and experience it.
Would it better if I reverted our role? I would become the beast and he will become me instead. Would it better that way?
I wondered, wondered and wondered and I still am.
Would I stop become me? What would he do when he become me? Could he reach my goal in my stead?
I don't know which one is the correct decision, whether it was to remain to be myself or give in to him.
I'm scare and conflicted even now.
Why did I who can easily hit the self detonating button with a single thought suddenly wavered at something like this? Did I really unafraid of my own death as I thought I was? Or was it his influence on me back then that drove me to that conclusion easily? Which one is the real me?
I wondered.
When did I lose sight of my own?
I wondered.
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"This is crazy"
Itto muttered with his chattering jaw as he tried to reload his emptied rifle with his shaking fingers. His palms were totally soaked in cold sweat, as much as his body. Tears of horrors and despair welled up in his eyes. His face was pale white, completely drained of blood.
Normally it would take less than 3.25 seconds for him to finish it, reloading an emptied rifle. It's the basic of the basic. Everyone can do that, anyone can do that easily once they managed to graduate from the military training school, if not outdo it by a far cry. Yet, the freshly new magazine stubbornly refused to enter the empty socket despite Itto's implore.
"This is crazy"
Luckily, nobody heard Itto's fear instilled voice or anyone noticed of his ceaseless trembling. Their attention was elsewhere. Their eyes were elsewhere and so were their ears.
"Grenade!"
Someone's scream from nearby echoed through Itto's ears as he still struggled with his reloading.
The deafening explosion resulted from the thrown grenade wasn't as loud as everyone's expected. Rather, it was pretty normal, plain even. Itto, too, didn't find it was anything as loud as he should expect from a grenade's explosion.
The reason to that phenomenon was because the fighting ground that the Lagoon Company fought on was already heavily intoxicated with a large variety of noise. The ceaseless sound of gunfire, the hoarse voice of the commander who barked out order, telling his man to maintain the high ground barricade upon the advancing enemies, the warcries of soldiers whose reality completely distorted by the absurdity that known as BETA, the crumbling noise of the collapsing infrastructure, the noise of explosion; they all echoed within a smelly cavern of 14 meter width.
Fire danced on the ground. Shadows waltzed on the wall. Glowing shells pierced through the air, some pierced through the flesh of the undying monsters while some merely ricocheted off the wall after leaving a trail of sparks.
The tunnel was badly ventilated, so thickly overwhelmed with the smell of gunpowder and sulphur that anyone could barely notice the rotten smell that belonged to the long abandoned sewer or the smell of mud or even the distinguished iron-like smell of blood.
'Lively', no, the word that should use in this situation would be 'chaotic', if not 'a complete mess'. Nobody would spare Itto a look or could possibly divert their attention away from the advancing undying army.
Yes, no matter pathetic it was, nobody would criticize Itto. They simply had no moment to spare for something like that. And if they did, nobody would make fun of how wet his pant was or how long it took for him to finish reloading his own gun. Nobody would, even if they realized Itto for what he was. Nobody would, for they all were in no better shape than Itto.
'Fresh troop', that was how the Lagoon 01, the commanding officer of this chaotic battlefield jokingly described Itto's unit. The word 'fresh' that the commander used however didn't have the meaning of 'in top form and ready for combat at all time'. The word 'fresh' here was a combine of sarcasm and a twisted sense of humour that pointed at the zero experience of the company at dealing with mankind's worst enemy the BETA while attempting to lighten the anxiety and fear in everyone's heart… Or perhaps, it didn't mean those as well. Was it derived from 'fresh' as in 'fresh fish on the board' itself? Nobody knew, not even the 35 year olds veteran commander himself.
Click
Finally, Itto's rifle emitted a small sound, a much welcome sound, notifying that he has finally managed to get the job done. Immediately, Itto's field of vision returned to where it should belong. His trembling body immediately acted like it should act 10 seconds ago, instantly mimicking those around him. He is a soldier even if he is but a 'fresh' one. The training he received in the training school wasn't all for nothing. The effort, the frustration, the sweat and blood that he expended through his hellish military training wasn't for nothing. Thus, 'it' has become secondary nature of him just like that of any soldier, the will to survive, the courage to pull the trigger, the determination to kill, the very definition of the word 'soldier'.
The gun barrel heated up and the gun muzzle spat fire. The rifle in Itto's arm shook violently as though it has a will of its own. Immediately, Itto's eardrums moaned in pain the instant he once again transformed to his secondary nature of a soldier, to kill or to be killed.
"This is the age of gun and gunpowder."
Whoever said that must be a big fat liar, Itto thought as his eyes fixed at his enemies.
No matter how many bullets he put into their bodies, they kept on advancing, whether it was a perfect headshot or whatnot. They kept on advancing without a hint of fear of being hurt or being killed. No matter how much of the crimson liquid that ran inside their bodies spew away, they didn't stop or at least slowed their march.
These things couldn't possibly exist.
…were what Itto deluded himself into in an attempt to distance himself from the horrified reality in front of him.
Superiority in firepower should be clearly tilting toward Itto's side. And yet, he didn't have a slightest impression that he could win.
The white one, 'weakest and puniest among the race of BETA' Itto was told, the Venator was already something beyond a man's common sense. With a built bigger than that of a heavy weight boxer, bulkier than that of an Alpha male gorilla and possibly heavier than a full grown polar bear, it was utterly incomprehensive to Itto as how they could be so fast despite such mass. No man could possibly survive in a melee against them, even if they are master class martial art experts or even the mightiest of the heavy weight boxers like that of Tyson or Ali. Itto can not imagine any mortal could come out victorious in a brawl against these white monsters. Even with gun on his hands, Itto didn't feel like he could win. What kind of substance that their skull and brain made of? Shouldn't a creature die instantly the moment a bullet was put in the space between their eyes? Shouldn't a creature die instantly the moment a bullet pierce through its cerebrum? How in the ninth hell that they could keep on rushing toward Itto with holes in their head like that? Why the fuck a soldier must waste almost one third of his rifle magazine on a single living creature? A single assault rifle shell can puncture a concrete wall of 2 centimetres like nothing. And yet, in this battlefield, they were rather ineffective against these monsters. It must be a bad dream. These things couldn't possibly exist.
The one painted in strives of white and green, slightly smaller than the Venator, yet a nightmare to any infantryman, the Barrus Naris or commonly known as the warrior class. Slender was the first impression of the creature the moment any man laid their eyes on them. But, they were more than just slender. With outgrown legs like that of cheetah's back legs and the head resembled that of an elephant, the Barrus Nares are the reapers on the battlefield.
Somewhere inside the darkness of this sewer, laid Itto's best friend. Nay, the description should be what remained of Itto's best friend.
A distance of roughly 6 meters disappeared in but an instant, lesser than 1.25 second. Guns spat fire, almost ineffective, an entire human spinal cord suddenly grew out of the-said-man's body the moment that trunk like limbs sank into his body with a series of sickening sounds.
A bitter liquid that was several folds worse than that of bitter melon overflew inside Itto's mouth in the next instance before he knew it. He was struck by an extreme sense of nauseating. Subsequently, something escaped Itto's vocal cord, thankfully it wasn't some sourly and smelly fluid or some half-digested food. A cry of despair, of anger, of lamentation and of vengeance was its characteristic. His eyes were blinded by his own tears and the flame that escaped his rifle after that.
By the time Itto regained his sanity, he was already dragged back to the rear somehow. Somehow, he still managed to stay alive, fighting and breathing.
But none of the above monsters was anything worse than the red one. From the top to the bottom, it was painted in crimson, like that of blood. Its built was much larger than that of the Venator, yet its agility rivalled that of the Barrus Naris. They could move a great speed, but it was their unequalled leaping power that was to fear. Their bodies were spider-like and they are definitely the worst nightmare to any infantryman. Thankfully, due to their sizes, they weren't able to manoeuvre well in these narrowed tunnels. But no matter how many bullets threw at them, they didn't stop or even slowing down. Their vitality was absurd. Their jaw was so strong that it could chew away the outer layer of a Panzer and theirs limps were so powerful that they could scavenged on a TSF. Any sane man could understand just how easily these monsters could put an end to their lives. The only things that ever managed to put an end to these things' miserable lives were grenades, RPGs and Lagoon 01's anti-material large calibre rifle.
They, the Lagoon Company had the advantage of high ground, yet they were slowly pushed back. They had the superiority in firepower, found themselves at the odds against the march of the undying army of the BETA.
Oda Nobunaga must be shocked if he was to witness this scene, for it was the exact opposite of the legendary battle of Nagashino where he defeated the famed cavalry of Takeda Katsuyori with arquebuses. Even the fool of Owari mustn't able to fathom how blood and flesh could possibly triumph over the might of gun. Yet, such was the absurdity of the BETA, the absurdity that has overwritten the code of modern warfare that mankind used 30 years ago.
Gunpowder and artilleries found themselves at odd against the might of the extraterrestrial life forms. Tanks were no longer the invincible crafts on the earth surface. Fighters and bombers can no longer dominate the sky to themselves. Cruisers and submarines no longer claimed the title of the kings of sea.
To fight the monsters that known as BETA, one need the strongest machine that mankind's ever crafted, a Tactical Surface Fighter.
If only… if only… if only Itto could pass his pilot aptitude test back then, if only he had the power of a Eishi like that of the famed genius Shirogane Takeru… perhaps thing would be different.
Itto inwardly told himself as he drown himself in his own vengeful war cry, pouring lead at the advancing monster army.
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Where am I? Why the world kept on shaking like this? Am I on a TSF?
"What's the fuck is the Lagoon's doing? They are totally let those bastard loose."
It's hot. My body is burning dried.
"Keep your whine to yourself 06, if you don't finish planting the C4 soon, we are screwed"
Whose voice is this?
"Quickly 06, they are coming"
Why is it so blurry? I totally can not see anything.
Suddenly, I realized that my left palm got a firm grasp onto something, unbelievably soft and yet at the same time unexpectedly strong it was. Cold, nay, cool like spring water it was. As though, hoping to ease my pain and relief me of this hellish fire this burned me alive, something cannot be describe by word seeped into my body by every second.
"Hang in there Shirogane"
A worried voice, full of maternal care, full of hope and sorrow rang through my ringing ears.
Whose voice is this?
"You will be fine, I promise"
Imposing and caring, can both qualities that should be standing on the opposite side of each other existed in a single sentence? Who is the owner of this malevolent voice?
I felt like crying and yet I couldn't. Tear could not well up. My body was heavy more than I ever expected. I barely found the strength to take a hold of that softness in my left palm.
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"0"
The count down came to an end.
Roughly forty meter away from the planted C4 area, still the Bravo Company could still feel the heat of the explosion and its blast.
The earth bellowed and shook as though waves in the ocean. The ceiling above cracked, dropping down dirt and rubble.
"That should do it"
Bravo 01 commended as he braved for the after shock.
"Phew, we shouldn't meet them for a while then…"
Bravo 03 cackled as she breathed a sigh of relief.
"We should be on the move. There is still another intersection with Tunnel 4 at A7. We have to reach there as quickly as possible."
In a calm and imposing voice, a woman who was shielding the unconscious figure of Shirogane Takeru on the sketcher with her own gave her advice.
"Aye, I agree sergeant. Guy, ready to move. 06, go forth and do your job"
Bravo 01 nodded his head in agreement as he ordered his subordinates.
"Aye, you are such a slave driver boss."
Bravo 06 wearily whined as he resumed his role as a scout.
Without wasting another second, the party began their march once again.
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"Curse it"
It's very rare for people to see Hayase in her current state. Extremely irritated was perhaps the only suitable vocabulary to describe it.
"Captain, should we attempt to collapse the sector A of tunnel 4 as well?"
"I'm thinking about it. It could possibly done… but the risk is big. We might cause a cave-in in tunnel 3 as well if we were to strike sector A from above. The deviation is only 10 centimetres; I don't want to risk it with the scale of our gunfire."
Isumi was actually mumbling to herself over the intercom rather than answered Hayase's question.
"What's about from the inside…"
Hayase lamented a what-if situation.
"Wait… that's it," In a thrilled voice, Isumi muttered through the intercom. "That's it, Hayase, you are a genius"
"Huh?"
The replied word escaped Hayase's mouth would earn her a title of 'muscle brain' if Shirogane Takeru was here, not that he would be brave enough to bestow that title on her publicly.
On Isumi's HUD was the 3D map of the city sewer.
"This is Valkyries 01 to HQ, requesting permission to…"
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Who win? Who lost? Yuuko herself? Shirogane? The BETA? People of the Fifth Plan?
It should have been a three way battle between Yuuko, Takeru and member of the Fifth Plan whereas Yuuko would come out triumph in the end. Or it should become something like that if not for Shirogane Takeru's gambit.
It has become much messier than it originally would, this farce of battle, neither Yuuko achieved the result she desired nor Takeru got what he wanted.
"Haruka, patch me directly to Isumi."
The mad scientist bit into her lips as she gave order to the elder Suzumiya after listening to Isumi's plan.
The members of busied CIC room could not shift their attention toward Yuuko for they were all just as busied as Haruka. Held back their curiosity and focus on their job was the course of action that everyone took.
Never people has saw Yuuko shred away her poker face façade as she was at this moment. And never they have seen the figure of the snow fairy in the CIC room either, as well as the presence of a mysterious red head whose military uniform was the same as the silver hair Lorelei, branded with the emblem of the Fourth Plan on shoulders.
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"Sector clear." Bravo 06 reported, giving the rescue team a go to continue their advance. "By the way boss, will they hit sector A or not? Another 300 meters, we would reach the A7 intersection. I don't want a 'Kaboom, KIA by friendly fire' in the first page of my career report."
"01 to 06, cut off the whine and you will become a perfect soldier. And by the way, it would appear as KIA on your first page even if you ever got a yourself a Kaboom, KIA by friendly fire"
Through the intercom, it's Bravo 01's turn to whine. The giggle sound immediately followed on the channel of the Bravo Company.
"Boss, that's impossible. Whining and babbling is the secret of a good scout, boss. How can I do my job as a scout without whining and babbling? Wouldn't my whining help everyone determine just how serious the situation is to everyone? Like… boss, this is going to be messy. When I said something like that, it meant it's not really that serious of a situation. And when I say… argggg, can you promise that I will be your son in law if we ever get though this boss? It meant the situation is very serious"
Bravo 06 theatrically complained over the intercom.
"How the fuck I can become your father in law if I am a single? And like hell that I would let you marry my daughter even if I had one. And why the hell can't you just fully describe the situation that you saw instead of whining?"
Bravo 01 inadvertently growled into the intercom.
Laughter immediately followed through the channel.
"Wait, boss. You never heard of that?" pay no intention to Bravo 01's complain, 06 asked.
"Heard of what?"
"Serious? You mean you never heard of that incident?"
"What incident?"
"The one that give me an A in the evaluation for scouting."
"Bullshit, when did you ever get an A? Your career profile recorded it was a B, it still sit on my working desk"
Whether he realized or not, Bravo 01 was already gotten himself dragged into Bravo 06's babbling.
It hasn't changed one bit, ever since the birth of the Bravo rescue team. Something just never changed. Members of the Bravo Company couldn't help but giggled in response to the usual squabble on their channel.
"That because you didn't know about that incident. It supposed to be an A if I knew the secret of scouting as I am now"
"Bullshit"
"Common, that's extremely heartless of a comment from you boss. Okay, let me regale the story of how I got …"
"Shut up for god sake 06, my head's hurt"
"Aye, that's what you said whenever I tried to tell you a serious story of my heroic past"
"When the hell you ever get serious for a moment 06? And the first serious story of your heroic past took three hours to finish. And it was a combination of some random shit if my memory served me fine."
"Aye boss, that's what drove me into improving myself to become someone fitting of your son in law, boss. As far as my memory served, nobody has ever seriously listened to that story of mine for three hours except you boss."
Laughter once again erupted on the channel as the commander of the Bravo Company bickered back and forth with his scout.
"Was it always like that, those two?"
Marimo asked Emi, the girl with call sign Bravo 05.
"It was already like this before I became a member of the team"
Trying to hold back her giggle, Emi replied as she casually shrugged her shoulders.
"Yes, sergeant Jinguuji. That's the question of the day. Ding ding! It's too bad that I don't have anything to give you at the moment as a prize. So, can I start calling you sister in law from this instead?"
"…"
"Can you stop that? You sound like a creep 06. And why the hell you want to call her your sister in law when you tried to make me your father in law?"
"Boss, the last time I asked about your little sister, I end up taking vacation in the military hospital for three months. Can you imagine how a three months vacation affected a workaholic like me boss?"
"Wait, you fell off the ridge on your own back then. I did nothing wrong. And you are always fooling around when it come to work. How the hell you are a workaholic?"
"C'mon, are you perhaps a birdbrain boss? It was clearly your fault"
"Insulting your superior, that's 200 push-up for you 06."
"Aye, that's what he said every single time we reached the conclusion that it was his fault everyone"
Laughter arose once again on the channel.
"Stop laughing like idiots already. Team, increase your pace if you have the energy to laugh"
"Aye, that's what he said, everyone"
"Shut up for a moment 06"
"Aye boss, but can you…"
"Shut up, please… for god sake, my head hurts"
"…that's the symptom of the famous brain-dead sickness boss. But don't worry too much into it or you will become bald quickly. And besides, I will take a good care of your daughter in your stead"
"That's it. I will kill you now"
"Wait, wait, wait a second, boss. You haven't answered my question yet. Are they gonna cause another cave-in in Sector A or not?"
"Why the hell you didn't get into that topic from the beginning?"
"That's because you kept playing the role of the straight man from the beginning"
"When did I ever play the role of a straight man?"
"Aye, that's what he said everyone"
The entire unit tried to contain their giggle the moment 06 asked.
It became increasingly hard for Marimo to pay all of her attention toward Takeru's condition with such comedian of a scout and the overly straightforward commander in this unit whether she wanted it or not.
"Boss, back to the topic, would they attempt the cave-in or not? It has been forever since I first asked this damn question."
"HQ said they already discarded it. The Lagoon team has already sent a unit to block the tunnel entrance. Our new retrieving area would be at the filtering area. A01 will pick us from there. They will tow the ceiling away and retrieve us with their TSFs."
"Wow, so does it mean that I can hitch a ride on their Shiranui? Does it also mean that my dream of piloting one of those state of art TSFs finally become true?"
"You don't even have a damn exo suit on and beside you totally flunked the aptitude test. Who would ever let you piloting one of those TSF?"
"Eh? Seriously? That's mean I can't?"
"For the starter, nobody said anything about letting you piloting the Shiranui."
"Ehhhh?"
"For god sake 06, stop your blabbing please. Concentrated on your job"
"Aye, boss. But answer my last question if you please. Has it ever appeared to you that you could possibly a bigger babbler than me boss?"
"Impossible"
"Aye, without a sliver of hesitation, everyone. An applaud if you please"
"Zip it, 06. Or I will do it for you"
"Aye aye, you are the boss. Your wish is my command. By the way…"
"Will you please keep it zipped unless you are asked to report the situation?"
"Boss, you already knew that I have contracted with a terminal sickness that I would immediately die if I stay silent for too long and yet you still give such order?"
"Was the reason you get the B for scouting evaluation test because you talked too much that you drove your drill Instructor crazy? Otherwise, I don't see how someone good at scouting as you failed to get an A."
"…are you perhaps actually a super smart person deep inside, boss?"
"Insulting your superior again, another 200 push up for you"
"Damn it, I refuse to believe that a person whose brain tissues are made out of muscle like you can be so smart at time."
"That's another 200 for you…"
"Everyone stop. Something smells!"
A single shout from 06 reverberated on the company's channel and the entire company froze.
"06, what's wrong?"
"It stinks. I also heard some noise. Something's not right. Boss, ask how is the Lagoon team doing with the tunnel entrance. I smelled a strange scent that doesn't belong here"
"Copied. Bravo 01 to Lagoon, what's of the status of the team that sent to block the tunnel entrance via sector A?"
…
"06, nothing on their end. They have already blocked it 11 minutes ago."
"... Everyone, please be readied. I think we may encounter some uninvited guests soon."
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"Bravo 01 said that they got companied," Kazama reported.
"…" Munakata's grim expression spoke her thought aloud.
"Isumi, your call," Hayase urged.
"Damn, this is all wrong." Isumi clicked her tongue and furrowed her brows.
This is totally messed up. How could the BETA pass through the blockage at Sector A unnoticed? Isumi has checked through the sewer map thoroughly before propose this plan of hers. How did something like this could possibly happen?
Impossible
If the BETA were to breakthrough by force, Isumi could understand it. How on the earth they pass through a blockage unnoticed? Unless…
"Damn it…"
A slight shudder ran down Isumi's back the moment the cursing word escape her mouth. A dark premonition circulated within her crafty mind regarding how such impossibility could have ever happened.
"Drastic situation call for drastic measurement... Hayase, get readied."
Isumi made the decision as she punched the hatch of her Shiranui's cockpit open.
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"HQ to Bravo 01, can you hear me. Bravo 01, report your status…"
"XO, the Lagoon too, lost contact with the Bravo Company"
An utter chaotic it was, the current state of the CIC room. CIC staffs were looking at their Base's XO, waiting for her command. Yet, the woman who boasted to have the greatest mind among the famed Kouzuki family remained silent, closing her eyes as if in deep thought. A dark and grim expression that totally was totally unfitted of Yuuko's stature spread on her face.
It's been lesser than 5 minutes after the Bravo Company reported their encounter with BETA straggler in their escape route. After receiving a series of shrieking voice via the channel, the transmission with the Bravo Company was served and the status of the rescue team became unknown.
"Have the Lagoon withdraw to the filtering dam via sector A immediately."
The most unlikely reply that everyone's expected from the genius Yuuko was delivered to everyone the moment the mad scientist opened her eyes.
"Professor Kouzuki…"
General Radhabinod stared at Yuuko with his widened eyes, utterly shocked as he didn't expect Yuuko would give such order. Her priority was clearly the missing member of the Valkyries and whatever the secrecy that hidden with him. He never expected that Yuuko would easily abandon both of her priorities like this.
"I know what I am doing, General."
Before the Yokohama Base's CO could finish his sentence, Yuuko cut in. Her marbles shone in a strange light, completely devoid of confusion or emotion.
She's up to something.
Radhabinod could only read that much from the expression of the mad scientist, nothing more, nothing less. He then recomposed himself, resuming his role in commanding the Armoured TSF team from the surface in assisting the Lagoon Company. This ain't anything for him to be worry. The woman whose heart made of steel hasn't lost it, her composure.
"Ah, Kagami… Your ribbon is a little bit crooked. Let me fix it for you"
…
'What the hell?' was the thought that everyone had.
Has their XO really lost her mind? People were waiting for her command. People are dying even at the moment. Yet, she paid attention on such stupid thing like that?
"Yashiro, you too. Let me fix your ribbon. Geez, you should pay more attention to your cloth if you are a girl."
…
She has totally lost it
The one and only Kouzuki Yuuko has gone mad. She was trying to run away from her reality. Everyone in the CIC room struggled to deny the reality unfolded to them.
Little that anyone knew what Yuuko's up to, save for four individuals in the room. Little that anyone know what kind of expression on Yuuko's face or how cold were her marbles through the two little girls' windows. And definitely, none of them has realized that Suzumiya Haruka, the person in charge of A01's command post was furiously working on something that was completely different to what everyone else in the CIC room was doing, including the note that 1st Lt. Elena secretly passed to Haruka.
From this moment, this battle no longer belonged to the entire Yokohama Base as a whole. It's now belonged to members of the Fourth Plan alone.
The holy mother of the fourth plan was anything but a runaway coward from her reality. The child of the third plan was anything but a mere Lorelei in weird bunny suit that appeared in everyone's eyes. Humanity's greatest hope that was the child of the Fourth Plan was anything but your average human being. The vanguard of the fourth plan that was carefully chosen by the holy mother of Alternative IV was anything but incompetent.
Up until now, everything about Alternative IV was an absolute secret and absolute mystery to everyone. Only a handful of people knew what was it about or the identity of people involved with it or the number of people involved with it, until a certain absurdity that known as Shirogane Takeru appeared and changed it. They remained in shadow whereas he stood in the sunlight. He attracted attention more than what he should. And such attention brought many new advantages and disadvantages to the Fourth Plan.
A glimpse of what members of ALTERNATIVE IV capable off was revealed to the world earlier than what Yuuko's planned. Identity of several selective members of ALTERNATIVE IV was leaked. Shirogane Takeru's identity as both a vanguard of the fourth plan and Yuuko's right hand was known to public.
Those mentioned change above came with both advantage and disadvantage. However, the disadvantages were so smartly exploited by Yuuko that it could hardly call disadvantages anymore.
The identity of Shirogane Takeru was one of those disadvantages and advantages. He who basked in sunlight and public attention was publicly believed to be one of the cogwheels of ALTERNATIVE IV. Little that people realized that he was never a cogwheel of Yuuko's plan to begin with. In reality, Shirogane Takeru is both a required condition for the chemical reaction to begin and a catalyst that speed up the whole reaction. He was not a part of the reaction itself. That's why, at the moment, without him Shirogane Takeru in the equation, ALTERNATIVE IV is now taken place in their original and purest form, shadow and secrecy.
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"Careful, careful. Slowly, another 50cm"
Bravo 01 ordered his team as they are vertically transporting the unconscious Shirogane Takeru via their newest escape route. Yes, vertically to the ground, not horizontally.
The rappelling ropes that connected to the sketcher were slowly loosened as per Bravo 01's command.
"That's good. 06, you can go down now"
Bravo 01 gave his order the moment he and his team disconnected the sketcher from the rappelling ropes and retrieved the unconscious boy.
Afterward, the last member of the Bravo Company descended and joined with his team members.
"Damn, I was so scare that I thought I would wet my own pant for a moment. Those bastards were like meters away from me." Bravo 06 complained the moment his feet touched the ground.
"Thanks god that you didn't. Otherwise, our head would be damn stink by now"
Bravo 01 replied.
"Seriously, why the hell they keep on follow us like that? I've never seen anything like this before." complained Bravo 06
"Neither do I," replied Marimo "It was as though they are attracted to this boy or something."
The entire rescue team entered a mutual silence, agreeing to what Marimo said. Even now, they could still hear those chilling echoes from the escape route they just used. Those BETA stragglers knew just the exact position of the Bravo team and they were clearly trying to force their way through the small tunnel that totally unfitted of their bulk.
It's only now that the rescue team could heave a sigh of relief after making a narrow escape from their worst adversary. If it wasn't for the two senior members of the rescue team and Marimo's quick thinking five minutes ago, the entire team should already become BETA's chew toys by now.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Conspiracy, you said?" A shocked voice was discharged through out tunnel 3 by Bravo 01 five minutes prior to now.
"Aye," Bravo 06, the scout master of the company reluctantly answered as he cocked the safety lock on his rifle, preparing for a fight in any minutes. "Otherwise, I don't see how those bastards could be here without any notice from the Lagoon."
"Impossible…"
Bravo 02, the two youngest members of the rescue team unbelievably muttered almost at the same time in response to the scout master's reply.
"Leave it for later, we should work out a new escape route immediately," Marimo promptly cut in as she rechecked the city sewer map. "We are currently in the water way of the city sewer and directly below us is the escape path of industrial waste. There should be a path somewhere around here that connect both tunnel so the company in charge could easily do their maintenance once problem occur."
"Good thinking Sergeant. Bravo 06, did you see one of those?"
"If we backtrack around 60 meters, there should be one. I remembered seeing a door of some sort on our way."
"Good, team move back. 06, come back with us."
"Nay, boss I still have some C4 in my pocket, sadly not nearly enough to cause another total cave in boss though. But they should be enough to slow down those bastards"
"Be hurried then if you don't want to become their chew toy"
"Copied"
"Team, since we don't know who to trust now, it's best that we should proceed to fake our transmission in order to not disclose our escape plan."
As though he suddenly remembered something, Bravo 01 ordered.
"That's a fucking amazing plan coming from you boss" Bravo 06's astounded voice theatrically resounded through the channel. Though, this time, nobody fell like they are in the mood to laugh.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"This is totally fucked up. I don't get it. What's that woman thinking?"
"…with this, we can only meet half of our objective"
"We won't able to claim target A at this rate"
"Didn't the two of you forget something? Master always reminds us that if we couldn't get a hand on something, it's better to destroy it rather than leave it to our enemies."
"But…master would be overjoyed if we could give him such a mighty gift"
"I know. But, we can't underestimate that woman… If we make a mistake here, we wouldn't able to make it back to master"
"…then we have no other choice right?"
"Right, if we can not claim it to ourselves, we just have to completely destroy it so that nobody can claim it"
The three shadows snickered.
"Lagoon 01 to Lagoon 12, regroup with us at the filtering area."
The transmission from the leader of the Lagoon cut in the conversation of the trio.
"Hey, pick it up"
"You do it. You make a mess out of it with all those gut. I don't want to touch something like that"
"What? All those years of training and you're scare of something like that?"
"I ain't scare of some gut. It's just disgusting and yucky to touch"
Around the trio was a nightmarish scene to any infantryman of the Lagoon company. Corpses of soldiers belong to the Lagoon unit that was sent to create blockage at Sector A scattered and submerged in the mud of the long abandoned sewer.
XXXXXX
Author note: Did I mess up everything? I think so… Something and someone took a wrong turn somewhere along this messed up plot. Whose side are they on, those 3 creeps? Target A… who or what is that? Whose side the 00 unit on? What's of the match between Yuuko and Takeru? It might take longer to explain them more than I've expected in my original plot. I could only hope that I didn't disappoint anyone with the way thing turned out.
Thanks for reading and supporting as always.