The Path He Chose
December 31, 2010
Oured Bay, Osea
Blaze's memory
---
"Heimeroth, this coming world has no place for people like us" Blaze said.
The two planes – ADF-01 and Su-47 – faced each other and began firing their guns. At the same time as the Berkut's gun rounds punched a hole through the Falken's COFFIN cockpit just inches from the head of its occupant, the latter plane's tracer rounds zipped past the incoming missiles and ripped through the cockpit of Heimeroth's craft, blood splattering in the canopy.
"It's done…"
Amidst the Falken's shuddering airframe, Blaze relaxed his grip on the control sticks.
"I'm sorry, Kei."
On the verge of missile impact, however, Falken's control sticks wrung themselves out of the pilot's weak grip. The aircraft's remaining engine began full burn, aligning the prototype fighter upwards and in such a way that the two missiles flew past the thinnest part of the plane's fuselage just behind the cockpit and in front of the air intakes. Time seemed to slow as Blaze watched the hexagonal panel of the ADF-01's COFFIN system displaying the two AIM-9X missiles passing so close he could hear the grinding noise of one missile grazing against the plane's stabilizer fin.
Having lost their target, the missiles slammed into each other a few meters away from the plane, sending shrapnel and shockwaves which repulsed the Falken. Because the left side of his body experienced positive G and the right, negative G during the entire duration of the maneuver, Blaze choked and coughed when the plane finally leveled out.
Despite having survived certain destruction, however, the Falken was in no excellent condition. The left front canard had bent, the left engine is dead and both wings were riddled with holes - the left from gunfire and the right from the earlier explosion. The multi-million dollar super plane was simultaneously dying and losing altitude.
Instinctively, Blaze gripped the control sticks again and nursed the aircraft as gently down as he could onto the water surface. Just as he touched down, a bright explosion in the northwest sky occurred. It brought a smile to the Razgriz lead's tired face only momentarily. He had expected to die, but his hands somehow refused to let him crash into the bay. Even the plane – in blatant objection to his death wish – was drifting east with the waves, refusing to sink. That was when he noticed a message "I want to live" blinking on blue LCD screen of the right console as well as realized that Lunaire – Falken's operating system/combat support AI– was much more than he originally thought.
"What do I do now?" he whispered, asking no one in particular while still looking that the words "I want to live"
"Live. . . That- isn't a bad desire" he said, before daring the question: "…How intelligent are you?"
"I'm incomplete. My time with you can help me grow" the words appeared in reply.
An average person would have been surprised by the response, but Blaze – exhausted from a nearly endless 48-hour flight- simply sighed. He ejected the cockpit's canopy, closed his eyes and relaxed. Several minutes passed as the sound of the waves, the warmth of the rising sun and the gentle sea breeze filled his senses.
"Will you help me?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes" Lunaire replied simply without need for further clarification on what 'help' referred to.
"You said the Gray Men were still strong and large in numbers" he thought, remembering Heimeroth's words. "But I will make sure every single one of you disappear"
August 28, 2015
Present Day
San Francine
Osea
Sandstone Galleria shopping centre underground car park
---
"wilhelm…Wilhelm" the female voice grew louder, "Blaze"
Wilhelm Schulz slowly opened his eyes. In the driver seat of his dark blue, original-model Fiat Panda, the 28 year old yawned. With the excess carbon dioxide exhaled, he looked at his digital wristwatch which read 0220 hrs.
"Still early, Lunaire. The meeting is not until 3 am" he said, glancing at a laptop on the passenger's seat to his left.
"You wanted me to keep track on Kei Nagase" the AI said through the earpiece the former pilot's wearing.
"Like always-wait, what happened?" he asked, noting something wrong.
"She is fine" Lunaire assured him. "She is the protective custody of the Usean Army"
"Explain"
"I will summarize the contents of Usean Army's preliminary report: Flight 413 went down over an hour ago on Usea's southern coastline. Except Kei Nagase, the remaining 475 passengers and crew - most of them Osean - perished. They were gunned down, including the two air marshals on duty. The two seemed to be targeted first as their sidearms were still holstered. Based on the sole survivor's account, at least 8 men went on a shooting spree. They then escaped after landing the plane. One of the shooters – identified as an Emmerian agent- was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head"
"Emmerian?"
"I took the liberty of infiltrating the Emmerian intelligence network and tapping into the heavy communication traffic among Osea, Usea and Emmeria"
"What have you found?"
"Emmeria claimed the agent was on undercover assignment with a suspected terrorist organization - United Front - operating within Estovakia. His mission was to gain their trust, supply Emmeria with intelligence regarding the organization's operations, and if possible, dismantle UF from within. He had gone dark since his last correspondence a week ago"
"So much for gaining trust. Now Emmeria's in a whole world of trouble"
"They have no proof linking UF to Estovakia, and the only fact that can be proven was the Emmerian agent's involvement in the massacre"
"Does the public know?"
"The Usean and Osean government are putting out a cover story: Flight 413 crashed due to unknown sources. There were no survivors"
"It seems Harling wants to talk things over first. What about the UF? Have they claimed responsibility?"
"No. But some details of the attack has been leaked on the Internet and to the media"
"Something doesn't feel right. The Space Center and now this – two major incidents within the span of two days. Unlike most terror organizations, the SDF and UF didn't publicly claim responsibility for their actions. Instead, there are these 'leaks'. There must be something else going on we aren't seeing, something bigger than the Gray Men. We have been hunting them for five years; they can't have the resources to orchestrate these attacks" he said, his voice increasingly agitated. "We even got the wrong man yesterday: Amansal wasn't responsible for the bomb in the Space Center. He was only a money handler, not a saboteur. If not for you taking control of the repair drone and relocating that bomb, the shuttle would have been gone. We got lucky, that's all"
"I'm sorry" the AI said.
"No, I'm not blaming you..." he breathed out.
"I keep forgetting Lunaire's an AI. Her speech pattern is becoming more and more humanlike, I feel like talking to an actual person. But… if it weren't for her presence, I would have gone mad years back"
Having calmed down, he reached towards the vehicle's back seat and rummaged through miscellaneous items such as M67 grenades, various types of ammo, gentlemen's magazines and empty water bottles in search of a bag of chips he purchase late last night at a nearby 7/11 store.
"Have you found anything more on Amansal?" he asked.
"Neucom Inc's involvement with the Space Center incident seems to end with him. The rest of the company leadership has no known relationship to his activities or to the Gray Men. I'm following other trails now"
"Good" Blaze said at the same time as he found the bag of chips.
"Wilhelm, such food is not nutritious. You need to keep better care of yourself" the AI said, looking at him through the laptop's video camera.
"MSG is My Super Good best friends forever" he said, attempting to make a joke out of the acronym of My Super Good.
After a few seconds pause, the AI monotonously said, "…a ha, ahahahaha"
"Ok, ok. Stop rubbing it in" he said.
"My study of your race led me to the conclusion that humans desire wealth. Yet you declined using the funds we siphoned off bank accounts of known criminals, and chose to live like this: eating instant food, receiving handouts at a homeless shelter, living in a car…"
"Not always in a car. Sometimes I spend the night at that homeless shelter-" he stopped upon realizing what he said didn't help his case. "I get what you are trying to say. But we cannot afford attracting unnecessary attention by using carelessly using those funds. We need them for equipment and manpower for use in missions. Besides, the money's all you. I did nothing to deserve that"
"Your well-being is essential to the success of our operations"
"Yeah, well . . . what about your General Resources hack-in?" he asked, switching the topic of conversation.
"I'm still trying to crack their security. It has been strengthened multiple folds since I last accessed their mainframe"
"General Resources was restructured from Grunder Industries, your creator. Could they have known how to detect you?" Blaze asked.
"I have wiped all records of Project Lunaire and my code now is almost completely different than it was 5 years ago. There's a 0.002 percent chance that they can replicate the project, and 0.01 percent they can deter my entry. Since I'm running sixteen other processes in parallel, the process will take longer. But I will get through eventual-"
"You found something?" he asked, noting Lunaire's incomplete sentence.
"Trent, Albert, an Osean computer programmer for Exaburn Technologies, a subsidiary of General Resources. Exaburn specializes in military software technology. Trent was the company's representative in the Peacemaker project and was present in the Space Center." she said at the same time as the man's picture appeared on the laptop monitor. "3 days ago, security cameras in the vicinity of the mass driver launch pad systematically outputted a pre-recorded footage for 2 hours. Being one of the lead engineers, Trent had access – and the expertise – to program the cameras for such a task"
"And with the facility blind, he planted those bombs" Blaze proposed.
"Starting from seven months ago, sums of money were wired to his bank accounts in various countries. And just last week, almost all were withdrawn"
"I assume the Space Defense Front is involved?"
"Possibly. In one transaction, funds were transferred from an account belonging to a Gray Men sympathizer who also had connections to the SDF. We terminated that man 4 months ago" Lunaire informed.
"It's always the money that gets these people"
"If had noticed the connection then, the incident in the Space Center could have been avoided" the AI said.
"No use saying that now. Where is this Trent?" he asked.
"Bank records, employment history, family connections, everything is either a decoy or a dead end. Trent disappeared completely after yesterday's incident. I'm still sorting through the data"
"He must either be dead or have some powerful friends" Blaze remarked. "Well, I suppose we have to see if this coming meeting will bear any fruit"
A few minutes later, Lunaire – while showing a CCTV feed of a camera at the underground parking lot's entrance – said, "A vehicle. One driver. Woman. No passengers"
"She's early" he said, glancing at his wrist watch again.
"Password confirmed. I'm opening the gate" Lunaire said.
As the silver-colored BMW 320i descended the ramp at the north end of the car park, Blaze checked the ammo to, and armed, his USP45. The silver M3 stopped 20 meters from the blue Panda. The former vehicle's driver then shut off the engines and turned on the internal lights to illuminate herself. In response, Blaze turned on the Panda's headlights to obstruct her view of him in the dark, deserted car park.
"Looks like Bishop gave her clear instruction on how I wanted this to go" Blaze said, glad that Bishop - one of his informants – did as told. "Still, where have I seen her before?"
"Plate number check and face recognition complete," Lunaire said after scanning the occupant of the M3, "Driver and owner of vehicle is Lahm, Helmine, Ose-"
"Who?" he interjected.
"Helmine Lahm-"
"Bishop said her name was Ophelia Len. Are you sure?" he interrupted again.
"I'm seeing her face through the camera installed in your glasses and cross-referenced her to various databases. Yes. I am sure" the AI said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Your abnormal speech pattern reveals you are familiar with the name, perhaps even known the person. Who is she?"
"…I knew one person by that name. A Belkan. She was my childhood friend, my only best friend for many years. We separated a year before I joined the OADF. Joseph Grunder later told me she died. I haven't heard of her name until now"
"This Helmine Lahm is Osean. 26 years old. A secretary at Exaburn Technologies"
"Exaburn? That was the company Trent worked for…Let's see what she has to offer. Might be information on Trent" he said.
"Wilhelm, she arrived earlier than scheduled and her name did not match up with the one provided by the contact. Those should be grounds enough for us to terminate this meeting. Don't let your past relationship lead you into a trap" warned the AI.
Although Lunaire's warning makes sense, Blaze really wanted to know the connection between the Helmine of his past to the one in front of him.
"You think this woman is an impostor?" Blaze asked.
"It is always a possibility"
"Was there anything suspicious about the car prior to it arriving here?" he asked.
"At 0216, the vehicle was first recorded on the city's CCTV exiting the M3 highway by the Toma Priela ramp. It proceeded straight here, making only traffic light stops"
"What about our surrounding area?"
"Nothing worth of notice" the AI replied.
"Then, there's little chance of things going wrong" the former pilot said.
"…Very well" Lunaire conceded.
With the approval of his companion, Blaze rolled down his window and said, "Get out of the car and take 10 steps towards me"
"I am not armed" the female driver said, complying.
Blaze watched as the woman – illuminated by the Panda's headlights – took the 10 steps, her hands high in the air. The man also exited his car and, using the Panda's door as a shield, aimed his weapon at her.
"Undress" he said.
After a moment's pause, she did as told and began stripping off her white blouse and form-fitting, knee-length black skirt.
"Her voice, her hair color, the resemblance is uncanny. Older, yes, but some much like her," he thought, observing her short brown hair and the green eyes within her pretty, makeup-less and emotionless face down to her slender neck and appropriately proportioned body and to her long legs underneath a pair skin-colored stockings.
"Put them back on" the man said after seeing no weapons on her.
"We need not worry about communication devices. We are underground. Radio signals can't penetrate this much concrete" Lunaire said.
He waited until the woman finished dressing before saying, "walk towards me slowly until I say otherwise"
She did as told, moving towards Blaze until she was 5 meters from the front of the Panda.
"Ophelia Len?" he asked.
"I apologize for the deception. I'm Helmine Lahm. Len was just cover name, for my own protection"
"Protection from what?"
"It is personal" she said, refusing to answer.
"What is this information you offered?"
"It's in a flash drive in my left pocket" she said, taking the object out upon Blaze's approval. "It's about Albert Trent"
"Of course. How convenient" Blaze thought. "I am not the police. Why do you assume I have any interest in that?"
"The law cannot touch men like Trent due to lack of concrete evidence, and if the legal system could, it would take too long to sort the matter out. You, on the other hand, have been particularly efficient in getting rid these sort of people. My employers wish to from a partnership against him and the Gray Men in general"
"What exactly is in the drive?"
"Everything we have about Trent, including a list of his past hiding locations as well as possible associates – both Gray Men or not - who might be sheltering him since his disappearance"
"Who do you work for?" he asked.
"Exaburn Technologies"
"What grievances do your employers have with Trent?"
"Peacemaker project was Exaburn's largest endeavor to date, but Trent - the company's senior engineer- disappeared after yesterday's attack on the Space Center. We can only assume he was complicit with the SDF and perhaps the Gray Men. My employers want justice"
"Justice, or a cover-up?" Blaze asked.
"…Both. My employers want this matter taken care of as soon as possible. Just like what had happened to Neucom when Amansal's identity was revealed, the effect on Exaburn's reputation will be even more devastating if the matter becomes public"
"The fate of Exaburn is none of my concern. What makes you think I want this partnership?" asked Blaze.
"If you weren't, you would not ask so many questions and I would already be dead" she replied.
The corner of Blaze's lips curved slightly in amusement to the woman's defiance. She reminded him of Nagase: bold even when she staring down the end of a gun.
"How did you know about me?"
"By following the trail of death you left behind. Our mutual contact Bishop took care of the rest"
"Are you saying you have proof that I did what you claimed?" he asked, confident that Lunaire has wiped all evidence, if any, of him carrying out his attacks.
"I was told they are unsubstantiated. I'm not sure" she conceded.
"You should be" Blaze warned, his voice low, "I can simply kill you right now for threatening me"
She tensed but remained silent. Because the Panda's headlights were blinding her and preventing her from recognizing Blaze, she stared at a point just above the blue car's roof.
"You seem awfully calm for an office secretary. Who are you, really?"
"Have you agreed to help us in this matter?" she asked.
"Depends on what your answer to my question is. Who are you?"
"Helmine Lahm. I'm a bodyguard for Gerald Edenburg, Chairman of Exaburn"
"Where were you and what were you doing at age 18?"
"What purpose do those questions serve?" she asked, and – due to Blaze's silence – answered: "I was attending Brunsens State University, West Osea"
"We were together at Sudentor when you were that age. Perhaps you are a different person, after all?"
"You said you were a bodyguard" the former pilot continued, "Since June 2011, international law prohibits civilian companies from any form of private security. Your job is illegal"
"From my point of view, you now have evidence that you can use against Exaburn"
"And like you said, it is unsubstantiated," Blaze said, "Even if I have a recording of your words, they can simply wipe records of you ever working for them. Should be easy for a high-profile software corporation. To them, you are just an expendable asset"
"Then where are we?" she finally asked after a few seconds of silence, a drop of sweat rolling down her left cheek.
"Is information the only thing your employers will provide?" he asked.
"Monetary compensation, and me"
"You?" he asked.
"Trent has possession of top-secret materials. I was tasked to retrieve or destroy it" she explained. "I'm trained in the use of various firearms and modern surveillance equipment. You would find me a useful asset"
"That should be enough questions. What do you think?" Blaze whispered.
"Her breathing, pulse and heart rate seem to support the honesty of her statements, but she could have been physically trained to hide lies. I would talk a look at the flash drive before deciding" Lunaire replied.
"Hand me the flash drive" the spectacled man said.
Catching the thumb-sized drive Lahm threw him, he inserted it in one of the USB ports of the laptop. Even if the drive was booby-trapped, it posed no threat to Lunaire since the AI in Blaze's notebook is just a dummy copy which functions as firewalls. The dummy is constantly connected to her core code - stored in a safe location - via the Internet. The laptop, an OS-based machine that the AI can inhabit, is just an effective interface Blaze used to communicate with her.
"Anything?" he asked the AI while keeping his eyes on Lahm.
A good couple dozen seconds passed before Lunaire – displaying a world map with dots marking Trent's possible locations - answered, "If the data in the drive are reliable, we now have a much higher chance of getting Trent. I recommend proceeding with this for the time being. But, it's your choice"
"I need to find out more on this woman, on her connection to the Helmine of my childhood" Blaze said.
"I predicted as much" the AI replied.
Blaze smiled slightly at Lunaire's support. But little did he know that the thumb drive contained much more information: data on a "Project Helmine" that the AI chose to hide from him.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews Drake, Yellow and the unnamed guy. ME2 coming out next week, yay.