"Edan's on his way to New York. The server we're looking for is in the U.N. building. He can handle it on his own. I need you and Jet to scout the front line. Chances are, Flame's been moved. Maybe someone knows something."
"Right," Jorcy said, seemingly to the empty air in front of him.
"If you find anything, let me know immediately."
"Will do," he said, then closed his fist, cutting off the communication link. Jet was standing nearby, scanning the horizon with a set of enhanced binoculars. They were standing on top of a mountain, with a clear view of the massive, rolling valley that contained the invisible Kingdom-dividing line.
After the Northern Army's advance, most of it was in ruins. They had pushed their front line almost clear across the valley, and they had shattered most of the South's defences. At the present moment, they were fortifying their positions – and soon, they would advance again, steadily progressing towards
"No luck on that server yet?" he asked, keeping his focus on the horizon.
"It's in New York. Edan's taking care of it. Kaida wants us to scout the front line, see if we find anything."
"Hmm..."
"You don't suppose Flame's been kept in that castle all this time?"
"I doubt that," Jet said, lowering his binoculars. "Too easy a target."
"Yeah, guess you're right. So where do we start?"
"If he's been moved, he would have been moved to a more secure area." He motioned to the new Northern front line.
"The Southern Army is basing itself in Ankarrah for now – that's only a few miles from here. I'd bet my bottom dollar that they'll try a concentrated counteroffensive. If they can punch through the North's defensive line, they can probably cause enough damage to stall the next wave. Enough time to prepare a better defence."
"So they obviously won't be keeping Flame anywhere near here. But why not the castle? It's basically the furthest point North possible. It's even further north than the Capital."
"Because further isn't safer. It's very far off to the west – and weak against a tactical strike. How do you think we got you out?" he asked with a grin.
"I thought you knocked and asked nicely."
"And that's why I don't pay you to think."
"You don't pay me at all!"
"Exactly," Jet said with a wink.
"Any luck?"
"What – you mean, have I successfully breached one of the most secure buildings this side of the Greenwich Meridian? I'm working on it."
"Just don't blow anything up, Edan."
"I'll try my damndest best, promise."
"So do you have any suggestions?" Jorcy asked, getting impatient.
"Apart from getting caught, yes. How's about we infiltrate the Northern capital?"
"Just walk in to 'Seriko?"
Jet shrugged. "Why not? If you can drop that whiteness of yours, we should be able to get in unnoticed."
"You just hate me cause I'm black," Jorcy taunted, as he set to work lowering his HEAV readiness.
"Blue works too," Jet said, stooping to collect his rifle. A beast of a weapon, modified to fire 0.776-caliber anti-armored-vehicle bullets. It was the kind of gun you didn't want to hear the bearer of say "Oops".
"I'll stash this in a nearby forest or something," he said, straightening up and looking at Jorcy.
Jorcy had returned to an almost-perfect Flamedramon blue. The dark grey tribal patterns weren't very noticeable, and the visor could be accounted for with some explanation.
They would be fine. Jet hopped off the plateau, and started making his way down the mountain. Jorcy soon followed, and Cyber wasn't far behind, either.
The truck had been moving over rough ground for a while now, and the constant shaking and banging dragged Flame out of his drug-induced sleep for a few seconds.
He was tied to a stretcher. All he could see was the tarpaulin ceiling of the truck. It looked a lot like a human military transport – and it would fit, given that he was just interrogated by humans.
The interrogation. In desperation, he had played his only valid card – and the humans had bought into it. It was done. Now, he only hoped it wouldn't bring this war to a disastrous end.
"It's in Moriseriko!"
Damian looked up from his work. Cindy strode into the room, accompanied by General Hawkins. She looked very happy – things were obviously going well.
"You mean the anchor, right?" Damian asked. She nodded.
"What a cheek Carver has. Placing an anchor right under our noses."
"The last place we'd have looked," Hawkins agreed.
"Damian," Cindy said. "The Moriseriko anchor is dormant, but an anchor's an anchor, so you should be able to find it. I would prefer it if you did."
"I'll get right on it. Shouldn't take too long, since I have Chelone's digital wave signature."
"Excellent. Hawkins, how are things on your front?"
"Most of my troops are through. I'm busy assembling a special ops squad to take over Chelone. It will all be ready by the time we have the location of the anchor."
"Okay. I think it would be better if you return to your troops. We'll pack up the operation here and join you on the plateau by the end of the day."
"Very well."
"Flame would have arrived by the time you get there," Cindy said. "Place him under light guard, somewhere near the outskirts of the camp."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Hawkins asked.
Cindy nodded. "We have what we need, so he's of no further use to us. His friends might try and rescue him again, and if he's located too deep in the camp, we could sustain too much damage."
"So we're basically handing him back?"
"Something like that. By the time the effects of the drugs and the nanobots wear off, we will have Chelone – and EVA – in our possession. He won't be an asset to his friends in any way."
"I see what you mean," Hawkins said. "I'll make sure it gets done."
"Groovy.", Cindy said with a smile.
"It's bigger than I expected," Jorcy said, staring up at the city skyline.
"No shit. It's a continental capital."
Moriseriko was huge. It served as the hub for trade activities across three continents. The Moriseriko dock was always busy, and held a reputation as the biggest, dirtiest, and most dangerous place to work.
Away from the docks, on almost the other side of the city, was the commerce center. A small cluster of skyscrapers that mainly held the administration functions of the larger trade organisations. And between them – and spead all around – a mass of streets, buildings, noise, lights, smells, confusion and bustling activity.
Most of the city was surrounded by a hundred-metre high wall – thirty meters thick – that used to be the primary defensive layer when Moriseriko was still an army fortress. It had only been broken through in two places – a main entrance, and a smaller exit that led to the mountains.
Jet and Jorcy were standing at the smaller entrance. A massive arch over a wide and busy road, clogged with carts, pedestrians, and a lot of shouting.
"What a place to hide an anchor," Jorcy said. Jet nodded.
"Come on – let's go. If there's anything out of place here, we should be able to spot it."
Jorcy nodded. As they walked off, making their way to the road, Cyber peeked out from behind a nearby tree. In the fading light, he was forced to squint to see them clearly.
He had learned that the anchor they were looking for was in Moriseriko. If they had come to secure it, it could prove problematic. He knew that the strike team was due to arrive in the early dawn hours.
Cyber decided to tail them, and report any suspicious activity. Springing the trap now wouldn't be a wise move, and they had plenty to accomplish before the next day was through.
Footer note thingamajig. I was planning on having a whole scene where Edan successfully infiltrates the UN, but I ditched it, choosing to give some more focus to Jet and Jorcy. It's part of a very tricky shift in the story, because I have no fcking clue what I'm doing.
Most authors have at least SOME idea where they're going. Not me. The next few chapters are going to be incredibly difficult to pull off, because I have to take so many factors into account, and warp them all into a very specific ending. I honestly don't see how I'm going to make it happen. And I don't think I can use surprise attacks again...
Anyhoo. On to teh futurez.