A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter this week, but I hope it's enjoyable all the same~

Halo

Chapter 12: Chase

''How much longer are we going to keep walking, Sensei?''

''Hm... another hour of searching at least. Then we'll call it quits for a bit and have some lunch before trying a different area.''

Mutsuki groaned lethargically; her exhaustion directly contrasting with her casual pace as she wandered down the street. Sensei smiled wryly at that and continued down the pavement, head on a swivel as he soaked in all the details he could, Kayoko and Aru doing the same with him. If anyone thought they were acting suspicious, they made no move to intervene.

The meeting with Yuuka and Noa had gone well, even if the two girls in question had reacted to the news grimly. Noa, the Vice-President of Seminar, had been very troubled by the news and Yuuka had been torn between outrage at the kidnappings or anxious nail-biting; her genius intellect no doubt cycling through all the possibilities available to her on how to react. He'd tried to blunt such a reaction, reminding her that if she made too many waves then it could tip their mysterious enemies off or worse make the student body panic, but even then she'd been stalwart in making security changes to the campus and surrounding city blocks, under the guise that it was because of a recent, unrelated hacker breach and they were simply tightening security ahead of one of their science fairs.

That taken care of and permission granted to access Millennium's resources if he truly needed them, Sensei led his three-man team into the western districts of the territory, scouring the land for any sign of Elysium.

No such luck, unfortunately. It was probably too much to hope for a neon sign pointing to their secret base.

Nonetheless they kept searching. It was simultaneously more and less difficult than other territories, in part because, unlike territories like Trinity, Millennium had much less natural land – instead housing a lot of dense city. This was good, as it meant they didn't have to trudge through overgrown forests or trek through mountainous terrain looking for a hidden door; the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack. It was also bad, as it meant they'd have to work through block after block of dense city, checking everything from alleyways to main streets to probably even the sewers if they got desperate enough, and even then it wasn't guaranteed; they could easily be hiding in the second floor of a grocery store or something. And while his authority carried him far, it didn't allow him to just search any old building.

Not even taking into considering that if they had hidden themselves in a regular building, they wouldn't hide their operations just being a locked door – it would be something smart, something that only people in the know would think to do. Pulling a book off the shelf to reveal a hidden staircase, tilting a painting to open a trapdoor; that sort of thing.

Sensei sighed quietly. The more he thought about it the more hopeless it seemed – so he simply resolved not to think about it. Gehenna had seemed like it would be a challenge too, and Hoshino's group had practically stumbled upon it, albeit by stalking two agents of Elysium. Still, no reason that couldn't happen again – which in part was why he had Hoshino's group also exploring Millennium. Partially to cover more ground and speed things up, but also partially in the hopes that they would magically stumble upon another secret base.

A silly notion, but he'd take whatever luck he could get at this point.

''Sensei.''

''Hm?'' Aru's voice drew him from his thoughts. ''What is it?''

The red-haired sniper walked by his side, fidgeting somewhat and looking like she'd rather not have spoken – but apparently managed to muster her confidence as she soon spoke. ''What is your relation to that Millennium girl? The one with purple hair?''

''Yuuka?'' Sensei quirked a brow before humming. ''Well, she used to be my secretary – she was one of the first students I met here, on my first day in Kivotos. Since I wasn't familiar with how things worked around here she stayed with me and walked me through the motions, helping me with taxes and other financial stuff. I eventually resigned her from the secretary position though as she had more than enough on her plate as it was, being Seminar's treasurer and having regular classes on top of all that.''

Aru eyed him for a moment. ''So you're... friends with her, then?''

''Mm. I'd consider us friends. Why?'' Sensei glanced over at the sniper – before a light smirk crossed his lips. ''Ah... you're jealous, I see.''

''W-What?! I'm n-not jealous!'' Aru stammered, immediately averting her eyes.

''Mm, I don't know, you seemed real jealous then Aru-chan~'' Mutsuki teased, smugly wiggling her brows.

Aru spluttered, looking to Kayoko for assistance... but the gothic girl just smiled and looked away. ''...you kinda did.''

The red-haired sniper melted into a mess of embarrassed spluttering; fingers pointing and gesturing blindly as she tried to figure out a way to explain away her question, a process hindered as Mutsuki continued teasing her.

Privately Sensei smiled at that. It was good to see her looking more like her usual self, rather than the pensive self she was earlier.

Even if it was a brief respite from her guilty thoughts, it was a respite nonetheless.

He was snapped out of his thoughts however as his phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. Startled, Sensei took a second to fumble in his pocket before withdrawing it, instantly suspicious the moment he saw an unfamiliar number on the caller ID. Nonetheless he answered and brought it to his ear, gesturing for the others to stop walking as he did so.

''Hello?'' Sensei spoke.

''Yo, Sensei.'' A certain languid voice came back. ''Nice weather today huh?''

''Kotama?'' Sensei blinked in surprise, then frowned. ''I don't remember giving you my number.''

''You didn't.'' She confirmed lightly. ''I just hacked your phone last time you dropped by. Was planning on spooking you when Halloween came around, but more important things came up. Oh, also, I heard you've got a small problem with some kidnappings?''

''How did you-''

''I've got Seminar tapped and heard everything.'' Kotama said in her usual tone, though he could detect traces of smugness in her tone. He got the impression she didn't get the chance to show off that often. ''And I heard the whole convo. Pretty scary stuff, that is.''

''That was confidential Kotama.'' Sensei scolded her.

A huff came from the other end of the call. ''I can keep a secret. Been doing that since I learned how to hack.''

Sensei only sighed at that. ''At this rate this'll become the most well-known secret in Kivotos.''

Kotama hummed from the other end, though he got the impression she was smiling. ''Probably. Say, how 'bout I make it up to you by giving you a helping hand? Free of charge.''

''I'll take all the help I can get, so sure.'' Sensei answered even as he looked at a passing pedestrian, lowering his voice to make sure he wasn't overheard. ''Why'd you call me anyway?''

''Hm? Oh, right. See I picked up some weird signals earlier today just outside Millennium territory and was tracking it for the last six hours, including when I was listening in on you and Noa talk about this mystery gang of kidnappers.'' Kotama explained.

Sensei frowned. ''What about it?''

''I lost it.'' Kotama said slowly, as if that had significance. ''A storm rolled in suddenly and it messed with the connection and I have no idea where it went.''

''A storm?'' Sensei frowned, eyeing the sky. Clear blue. ''There wasn't any bad weather scheduled for today.''

And he'd know that well. Considering that their opponents liked to strike when it was either raining or overcast he checked the weather reports in all the territories first thing in the morning before any of them left Schale to hunt for Elysium. There wasn't any bad weather today at all; it was sunny in most of Kivotos with the exception of Gehenna, which had overcast that spilled slightly into Trinity, but since the former was already cleared out of bases – that he was aware of at least – he was less concerned about them.

But a storm suddenly brewing just outside of Millennium?

Odd.

Very, very odd.

''There wasn't.'' Kotama confirmed, and he suspected she was as perturbed as he was. ''I mean, I know the Engineering Department tried making a weather-controlling device a decade ago, but from what I heard that was a total bust. At best it could make a localised weather field, but that was at best, like, in a diameter the size of the school grounds. Not bad, but I mean kinda useless considering how much energy it required.''

''Is it still in use?''

''Not really. I think they still keep it around just in case they need a sunny day for whatever reason, but it's probably collecting dust at the moment. And while it technically could make storms, they were tiny and couldn't really leave the area above the device.''

Sensei pursed his lips. ''...could this weird signal be responsible for the storm?''

''...I'd considered it. However the signal is mobile and high in the air, whereas the weather-controlling device was immobile and required a ton of energy – like, equivalent to a city block or more. For storms as dense as the one I'm seeing, probably equal to a good chunk of an industrial district. Taking into account the speed the signal is moving at, it'll reach the more populated areas n five to seven hours, depending on deviations in route – the sheer amount of energy needed for that would mean it'd be the size of a cargo plane, but the signal it was giving off was closer to a small drone.''

''Maybe it's an advanced sort of weather-controlling drone?'' He posited.

Kotama was silent for a second, and he got the impression if they were face-to-face she would've stared at him flatly. ''Sensei. There's only so much electricity you can compact into one space. There's no way a drone that small is carrying enough power to fuel the storm, even assuming it has the ability to.''

''Right.'' He nodded slightly, abashed. ''So we're assuming the storm is a natural one?''

''We'll have to run with that assumption, yeah.'' Kotama answered lightly. ''I won't rule out that it might've been started by another device – it's entirely possible someone saw the device on display years ago and copied the design or idea – but even then the drone shouldn't have enough electrical power to guide the storm, at least not to any reasonable degree.''

''Can you track the signal it emitted?''

''Right now? No. I lost it and assuming it's somewhere in the storm's range it'll be hard to make out between all the interference.'' Kotama answered. ''I'm keeping an eye out for it though and I'll let you know if I notice anything else out of the norm too.''

''Thanks. Keep me posted.'' When Kotama merely hummed an agreement he hung up, sliding his phone back into his pocket. ''See anything interesting, girls?''

''Nope.'' Mutsuki drawled, looking up from her gun – apparently having been checking it over out of sheer boredom. ''We ready to keep going?''

''Yeah. Let's check the alleyways on this street first...''

X-x-X

Hours passed, and unfortunately they were no closer to discovering Elysium's location than when they started.

The plus side was that they'd covered a good portion of the city between the seven of them, narrowing down the possible location somewhat. It wasn't nearly enough to be all of Millennium, not even a tenth, but it was a good start for an afternoon of work. The last few bases had taken days to locate; as happy as he'd be to locate them right off of the bat, he had to be realistic. It might take days, weeks, maybe even a month at worst – but for the sake of saving future victims, it had to be done.

For now though they had all gathered in a fast-food restaurant for dinner, planning on staying the night considering Kotama had yet to locate the signal again. More than that though the mysterious storm had finally reached Millennium proper; passing over the school and floating further into the city. It hadn't done much, just made the winds higher and the occasional rumble of thunder, but outside of that no rain had fallen. Yet.

Still, it stretched out a wide radius, akin to a true storm. If someone really had gotten their hands on some of Millennium's technology then they had clearly made some improvements to it since it's original construction.

Watching the storm through the window Sensei quietly pondered the storm. It developed just outside of the territory at the same time a mysterious signal was detected. What were the chances that it was the same drone that was taking the canisters of Mystic energy from the various bases? He hadn't mentioned it to Kotama so as not to tell her more than necessary, but the thought had lingered in the back of his mind and only grew more prominent the longer he thought about it.

If so... what were the chances that Elysium could make storms, or even just overcast skies happen every time they needed to kidnap students?

And more importantly, why was such bad weather seemingly always a requirement?

His pondering was interrupted however as Kayoko nudged him with an elbow, drawing his gaze back onto the table – their voices filtering back into his mind as he paid attention. From Hoshino munching on some chicken wings to Aru trying – and failing – to look elegant as she slurped some spicy noodles, to Nonomi wolfing down her third bowl of curry whilst Haruka quietly ate at her second – eating that much only because Nonomi had insisted she get more. It was almost heart-warming how much the two groups had come together over the last few weeks.

''Mm?'' Sensei quirked a brow at the gothic girl.

Wordlessly Kayoko just nudged his own half-finished plate, and so with a smile Sensei hummed back and continued eating his own dinner before it got cold, leaving Kayoko to continue munching on her nuggets.

Unfortunately before any of them could finish his phone rung. The buzzing tone was quiet but easily caught the attention of most of the table, and with good reason at this point.

Picking up he brought it to his ear. ''Hello?''

''Sensei.'' Kotama's voice came over the other end, her tone troubled. ''I've picked up the signal again. About five blocks from your location.''

''Is it still moving?'' He asked even as he looked at the others. He was privately pleased that, even though they hadn't been able to finish their dinner, none looked ready to protest – the ones near the edge of the seats already shuffling out so the others could get out too.

''No, it's still and- wait.'' There was a few moments of silence before Kotama spoke, the frown audible in her voice. ''It's gone. Just vanished.''

''It just vanished?'' Sensei repeated, frowning even as he shuffled out of his seat and stood up. ''Did you lose the signal again?''

''No, I had it. Usually if the storm messes with it the signal gets faint and disappears; this was like something directly interfered, like a solid object. Do these kidnappers you're hunting have any underground shelters?''

''...they do, yes.''

''Then the signal went there. That or it's inside a building with really thick walls.'' Kotama answered, the sound of keys clattering in the background at the same time. ''Keep me on the line and get there as fast as you can. I'll update you if I notice the signal changing location. Hare is on standby as well to help.''

''Hey Sensei.'' Hare greeted, her voice somewhat quietened by the distance – presumably sat across the room from Kotama.

''Hey.'' Sensei answered quickly, throwing his jacket on and buttoning it up. ''You girls ready?''

''Doesn't sound like we have a choice.'' Mutsuki sarcastically answered, though the way she hefted her machine gun up told she was ready as she could be.

Smiling in return Sensei led the group outside. It was dark out at this time of night, made worse by the heavy storm looming high above, the puffy grey clouds rolling slowly through the sky and spitting down the first drops of rain. He paid them no mind though, listening as Kotama gave him directions into his ear and guiding the students behind him down the route – all of said students already armed, of course.

Few were out and about to see them though. Whether due to the time of night or the rumbling storm few people walked the streets of Millennium. Though not unusual it added an uncomfortable emptiness to the air, their shoes hitting the pavement in concert with little else to break up the silence – and even as they passed from one street to the next nobody spoke, perhaps realising the gravity of the situation. Even if this signal turned out to be unrelated to Elysium, it had to be treated with utmost seriousness.

''Take a shortcut through the alleyway on your left.'' Kotama ordered over the phone.

Obeying without question Sensei obliged; pavement thinning and becoming more uneven as he trekked between two apartment buildings. Trash cans and bins lined the walls, one knocked over and forcing Mutsuki and Haruka to hop over it, but otherwise it was a straight line into the next street. Crossing it without bothering to look both ways Sensei scanned their surroundings, noting the gradual shift from commercial buildings into more industrial – shops and restaurants becoming replaced by workshops, a garage and a hardware store, amongst others like them. As he jogged into the next street they shifted further, the tops of warehouses visible behind the row of shops selling odds-and-ends.

And then he led his students into another alleyway, the firm pavement giving way to dirt – the rain falling firmly now, turning it a dark brown. That failed to truly capture his attention for more than a moment though as his gaze went further, drifting past the chain-link fence that surrounded the property just up ahead – to the white-walled warehouse bearing a very familiar logo.

One that belonged to Kaiser PMC.

''...Kotama, are you sure this is the place?'' Sensei intoned into the phone, leaning against the mouth of the alleyway just in case there was any cameras about – which, considering this was Kaiser PMC, there was definitely cameras about.

''Yep. Why? Something wrong?''

''...no. It's nothing. Just keep an eye out for the signal and call me back if you notice anything.'' Sensei remarked carefully. ''Talk to you soon.''

Without waiting for a reply he cut the call, turning his attention onto the six girls behind him. Aru, Mutsu and Haruka were stacked up right behind him whilst Nonomi and Kayoko hung back slightly, leaving Hoshino to crouch down by his side, prepared to bring her shield to bear the moment a threat presented itself. He smiled tightly at that and no words needed to be said for the message to be clear.

If Kotama's words were right, then the base was most likely within, or underneath a Kaiser PMC warehouse.

Belonging to the same organisation who made and created the cloaking technology that Elysium's agents used to kidnap students.

The connection didn't go unnoticed by any of them.

Instead Sensei flicked through his contacts, soon ending on a familiar fox profile picture before dialling. It took longer than usual to get through, making his brow quirk – but just when he was about to worry the storm was interfering with the connection, the call went through.

''Sensei? What is it?'' Shiroko picked up, her breathing light but noticeably paced.

''We've located the likely location of the next base. What about you? Are you currently fighting the Helmet Gang?'' Sensei guessed.

''No. Ayane noticed a weird signal whilst we were exploring the edges of the desert and we tracked it to a drone. Tall and cylindrical, painted yellow, though it might just be sand.'' The wolf-girl responded. ''We're currently following it on foot. It's not moving too fast so we're able to keep up with it.''

Sensei gripped his phone tighter. ''Which direction did it come from?''

''From out in the desert. Exact location, I can't be sure.'' Shiroko answered.

Sensei wasn't sure whether to cheer or curse. On one hand, this meant they'd narrowed down the location of the bases in Millennium and Abydos – the latter using the estimated trajectory of the drone, assuming it moved in a linear pattern. And if it was leaving a base... then it might well just lead them straight back to Elysium's main base. On the other hand, however, it also meant their forces were divided between two territories – and if they found where this drone went to, there was a real risk Elysium would also find them.

He trusted Shiroko's ability to lead the others in a fight.

Against a group that may or may not have access to Kaiser PMC's technology, and perhaps less scrupulous methods of fighting? The risk of all three of them getting kidnapped was nauseatingly high.

''...damn it.'' He hissed out, tapping his foot anxiously as he warred with himself. ''What's the weather like over there? Stormy?''

''No. It's a clear sky.''

Shiroko's words made his frown deepen. Were they two different types of drones? Or did it not use the same tech since Abydos didn't get much in the way of storms?

Whatever the reason the oddity bothered him on some level he couldn't fully describe, so pushed it out of his mind with some reluctance. ''Alright. Tail it then and see where it goes – but under no circumstances are you to attack any base, even if you get back-up from a passing group of students. The last thing I want is to lose all three of you.''

''We'll be careful Sensei.'' Though it was just an audio call he detected the smile in her words. ''Please stay safe as well.''

''Will do.'' He sighed. ''Over and out.''

Without further fanfare he ended the call, grimaced at his phone, then pocketed it. ''Alright, good news and bad news.''

''Good news first?'' Nonomi chirped, trying to be a ball of sunshine as always.

Sensei however just smiled tightly; the expression more of a grimace than anything else. ''Shiroko's team found another drone leaving the desert, presumably heading to an HQ. They'll tail it and hopefully not engage any enemy base while we figure out what's going on here.''

''So break in, kick some butt and go help out some friends.'' Hoshino smiled up at him. ''Just an everyday adventure, huh?''

''Don't we need a warrant to break in?'' Mutsuki idly asked even as she thumbed her bag of explosives.

''I'll handle the fall-out. Just worry about taking out everyone inside and finding out where this base is.'' Sensei answered seriously. ''Hoshino you're up front with Haruka; Mutsuki tag with them. Kayoko you're with me, Aru you hang back with us and take shots where you can, Nonomi you spray down anyone and anything that gets in our way. Everyone got it?''

A chorus of agreements came from the others, bringing a tight smile to Sensei's lips.

''Rin's gonna kill me for the bill for this one.'' He uttered even as he straightened up. ''Let's go!''

And to the clap of thunder looming ominously overhead, they charged upon the fenced-off warehouse – racing to get to the drone before it could escape.

[END]

A/N: Oh dear~ Hopefully nothing bad will happen~

See you next time in Chapter 13: High Calibre~