Chapter 2: The Assignment
Glancing at his phone one last time to check the coordinates, Jonathan nodded to himself as he looked around the street.
Alright, this should be the place.
He'd been directed to, of all things, a deserted back road in one of the….less frequented districts in The Ark, to the point that the coach driver had done a double take when he'd heard the stop Jonathan had wanted to get off at.
"A…Are you sure you want to go there, pal? No one's been to that part of the district in ages!"
Even with it being the closest stop, it had taken a full 30 minutes of walking to get him here.
Guess that explains why there's almost no one here.
Slowly, he began proceeding down the deserted street. Jonathan's hand instinctively began drifting to his sidearm the further he walked, the stench of mould and dank, crumbling brickwork reaching his nostrils. This all felt way too suspicious.
I swear, if this turns out to be a trap or a prank…
He couldn't discount that last one, especially since Andersen's last 'prank' had put Shifty on the front lines of the war. All by herself, no less!
Granted, she HAD handled herself just fine. Disturbingly so, actually…
Continuing to walk on and nearing the end of the street, Jonathan found nothing but increasingly dilapidated buildings.
God this is going to be some impromptu test, isn't it? Keep the skills sharp or something like that.
A ping from his phone caught his attention. It was a Blabla chat from Andersen.
"I see that you've arrived. The passphrase is "To secure the future of mankind", someone will be there to fetch you shortly."
Passphrase?
Well, at least it was more contact, so it seemed like he was in the right place. Guess he should wait here after all.
Sighing to himself, Jonathan began pacing back and forth up and down the street. Might as well take the opportunity to keep fit, after all.
Still, nothing on specifics as of yet. Maybe there'll be more to come? Guess I'll have to wait and find out.
Slowly but surely, as his pacing continued, one minute turned to five. Then ten.
Then, before he'd even realised it, a whole twenty.
By now, his feet were starting to twinge a little, his breath getting just a bit deeper.
Still nothing, huh?
Just 10 more minutes. I'll wait for 10 more minutes and if no one else shows up, I'll go ho-
He barely finished the thought before the sound of cocking weapons reached his ears.
Shivers ran up his spine, his heart began thumping in his chest and his hand grasped his sidearm firmly.
"Halt." A female voice barked.
Jonathan felt cold metal pressing against his neck…metal which was unmistakably the barrel of a shotgun.
"State your name and purpose here, immediately." The same voice instructed.
Willing himself to calm down, Jonathan spoke up.
"I'm Commander Jonathan of the Counters Special Commandos team, here on assignment from Deputy Commander-In-Chief Andersen." He said, twisting one hand to point to his badge. "I have the proper identification right here."
One of the people accosting him moved around to the front, revealing herself to be a Product 23 Nikke, and peered at the ID card for a few moments, her expression lightening all the while.
"Is he telling the truth?" The other voice, whom Jonathan presumed was a Nikke as well, asked.
"Yes, the ID card is genuine, so he is a Commander after all. However…" P23's expression shifted back to a neutral frown. "We still need proper identification. What is your purpose here, Commander?"
"Purpose? I just said, I'm here to meet Deputy Commander-In-Chief Andersen." Jonathan said.
"Negative." P23's frown shifted to a stern scowl. "If you cannot identify yourself properly, then I must ask you to leave, Commander."
What? What do they mean "Identify yourself"? Isn't this good eno-
Ah.
The message from Andersen flashed into his mind.
"The passphrase is "To secure the future of mankind"."
"I'm here to…secure the future of mankind." He said, slowly.
For a few moments, the Nikkes didn't move, simply glancing between him and themselves.
Eventually, however, they raised their weapons and bowed their heads.
"Apologies sir, please come this way."
The two MP Nikkes, the other one being a P8, turned about face and began walking down the road, leaving Jonathan following along behind.
"Are you taking me to Andersen?" He asked.
"Yes, sir." P8 replied.
After a few seconds of walking, P23 veered off to the right and approached the door of a run-down house, while P8 took up a guard position and began to scan the street.
Opening the door, P23 looked back at Jonathan and indicated the corridor it led to.
"Here you go, sir. Take the second door on the left. We'll be waiting out here." With that, P23 moved to stand at the other side of the door.
Nodding to them, Jonathan moved forward and stepped into the corridor. Pulling the door shut behind him, he began walking down the corridor, his face scrunching up at the smells all around him.
Ugh…guess no one's lived here in years. Why this place for a meeting?
I guess it must be a really sensitive mission to warrant this sort of secrecy, instead of meeting in the Ark command centre like usual.
So engrossed was he in his thoughts that Jonathan almost walked right past the door he needed, prompting a quick about face, a little embarrassment and a relief that he was currently alone.
Reaching for the knob, he paused for a moment to take a breath.
Okay, time to find out what this is all about.
He knocked on the door.
"Commander Andersen, sir? It's Commander Jonathan, reporting as requested." He called.
"Ah, Commander. Glad to see that you've made it here. Come in." Came Andersen's reply.
Pulling open the door and stepping inside, Jonathan had to squint to see three chairs arranged around a table, two on the left and one on the right, thanks to there being no windows and the light from the single bulb being quite dim.
He was surprised to find Ingrid there as well, the Elysion CEO sitting on the left chair beside Andersen while Andersen was seated on the right. As he caught sight of Jonathan proper, he calmly indicated the single chair.
"Please have a seat, Commander."
Still a little confused, Jonathan complied, shuffling over and sitting in the chair, trying not to cringe too hard as he felt how crusty and dusty it had gotten from the years of neglect.
"So, what's this about sir? Must be important if it's priority alpha and we're meeting, well…" Jonathan indicated their surroundings. "Are you sure we couldn't have met at the command centre, like always?"
"Unfortunately, yes. This mission's sensitivity demands a certain level of privacy." Andersen said, tenting his fingers in his lap. "Privacy that we can't have in the command centre, especially with all the surveillance and patrolling Nikkes from all three companies."
"And believe me, this is not something we can risk Syuen getting wind of. Lord knows what that brat would do to try and screw this up for the sake of her ego." Ingrid grumbled, crossing her arms and blowing out a hot breath. "So yes, we're meeting like this."
Can't argue with that, really. Trying to have Matis swipe the Heretic Fragments for her on that joint op was bad enough. For an alpha priority mission, we can't afford to let her intervene. Jonathan thought.
"And what about this mission is so sensitive, sir?" He asked.
"The fact that it involves your…new friends from the surface."
Ah.
They don't want to be found, by the Raptures or The Ark. Given how Dorothy and Johan are about The Ark…
And there's Syuen and Burningum to consider. She'd probably just try to barge in there and make demands, and he'd dispatch Triangle, Perilous Siege or someone else to try and bring back some of their tech.
…or one of Inherit. Maybe even Johan. Lord knows I could've really used cybernetics like his.
"I see. So, what's the mission, sir?"
"Generally speaking, I'd like for you to foster better cooperation with Eden, and secure humanity's future in doing so. You already have a connection with them, if what you've told me about this "Nihilister" is right, so you're the best bet we've got. Thankfully, we have a way to do both at the same time." Andersen explained.
"But before we get to specifics, I'm sure you must be a little confused still, so I'd like to explain why we've decided to pursue this agenda."
Jonathan nodded, pleasantly surprised.
"Yeah, that would really help."
Not like him to be quite so open, but I'll gladly take it.
Lacing his hands together, the Deputy Commander-In-Chief sat back in his chair, while Ingrid leaned forward and cleared her throat.
"It's about those schematics of Eden tech you sent us. Quite frankly, they're potential game changers. It's been three months and M.M.R are barely halfway through the first prototype. This 'Cecil' woman you mentioned, the one behind all their technology, I won't sugarcoat it…she's a prodigy by anyone's standards.
"We need more people like her in The Ark, in the companies' science divisions. Nothing I've seen, even from Missilis, comes close to what this 'Eden' seems to have at their disposal. If we had some like her on our side, our technology would be at least a decade or two ahead by now."
Ingrid sighed, sitting back in her chair after she'd finished, nodding to Andersen. Andersen looked to her for a moment, then back to Jonathan.
"And for me, well…I see an opportunity here. To help begin bridging the gap between humans and Nikkes within The Ark.
"But to make real headway in that, we need more Commanders like you. More Commanders who treat Nikkes better than disposable weapons. Our battle to reclaim the surface would be far easier with Commanders who value their Nikkes properly. Who have the same kind of camaraderie that you have with the Counters team."
"I'm…well, I'm flattered sir, but…shouldn't the real change start with the military academy?" Jonathan asked. "They're the ones who teach new Commanders how to do their jobs."
"Yes, we've thought of that, too. Unfortunately, that will be quite a bit harder to alter, what with how deeply ingrained our current practices and academy tuition have become. That, too, is where you come in." Andersen admitted, before continuing.
"Changing the academy's curriculum will almost certainly be slow going, at least normally. But providing the proper role models for the next generation of trainees to look up to will let us speed it up, they'll be far more willing to accept the revised curriculum I and other Commanders-In-Chief will be devising, focusing far more on proper battle tactics and exploitable weaknesses in the Rapture models we've encountered, if they have experienced graduate Commanders advising them to focus on that as well. Nothing gets a cadet more eager than giving him an idol to emulate, and we intend to provide just that."
"With my help?"
"With your help." Ingrid confirmed. "You can't tell me you've not noticed the effect you have on other Commanders."
Blinking and looking at the ground, Jonathan nodded to himself.
Who was it that told m-...oh yeah, Teddy!
#1 role model in the military academy already, according to him. Mmmm…I guess I can see where Andersen and Ingrid are coming from.
"You complete a few missions and you're already the best role model for 'em, apparently." He muttered.
"Give yourself more credit than that, Commander." Andersen said, offering a slight smile. "You and your team helping to neutralise a Heretic, recover Rapture technology and destroy one of their largest underground facilities is a lot more impressive than just 'completing a few missions'.
Whether you know it or not, you're an inspiration to the next generation. And in order to better our future chances against the Raptures, we need to take full advantage of that. If you're willing, of course."
A chance to really help in the war? To stop all those other Commanders from dying? All those other Nikkes from being thrown away like they're expendable?
A chance to start fixing things between us, before it's too late?
Before people like her try to start another civil war. Try to burn everything down just for payback.
His fingers tightened and his eyes squeezed shut as he remembered Crow's smug grin. The agony of the bullet.
The helplessness of being faced with three renegade Nikkes all alone, his own team incapacitated.
I shouldn't have put faith in them, they were rotten apples from the start…but the system we have didn't help things at all.
But I can help change that, right? That's what this is for.
To stop there being any more Crows.
…or any more Marians.
"Thank you…for the bandage."
"I want to stay with you! Do you not like me any more, Commander?"
I hope you're okay, wherever you are.
Taking a deep breath, Jonathan opened his eyes and matched Andersen's gaze with his own.
"Of course, sir. Just tell me what you need." Jonathan smiled and nodded.
"Very well then." Andersen smiled back. "It's…a bit unconventional of an objective, but I have faith that you'll see it through."
"Whatever it is, I'll take care of it." He promised. "So what's the objective?"
"I need you to continue your bloodline."
…
What?
"...u-um…buh?" He spluttered, his entire train of thought crashing and burning right on the spot.
"Specifically, with Cecil." Andersen continued, as if he'd not just said something utterly outrageous.
"W-...uh…h-hold on a minute pl-" Jonathan tried to interrupt.
"Yes. Her intelligence and your charisma are far too invaluable to let die out. The Ark- no, humanity needs more like you." Ingrid cut him off, looking nonplussed herself at the turn the conversation had taken.
"A-And you think the best way to get more people like me is to try and get me into a relationship?!" Jonathan finally found his voice, his face turning quite red.
"Of course it is. You live a dangerous life….far more dangerous than most Ark Commanders, precisely because you've survived so long." Andersen replied. "Almost dying in a transport crash, almost getting killed by Chatterbox, buried under a mountain slide, impaled by a Heretic…need I go on?"
"No, I get it."
"Excellent. Well then, you can begin immedia-"
"Wait wait waitwait, h-hold on! Can I just h-have some time to think this over? This…this is a big step for anyone to make!" Jonathan pleaded, his head still spinning.
Th-this has to be some sort of prank, right? There's no way that-
"What happened to your prior conviction?" Andersen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I-I-I thought this was going to be some sort of diplomatic mission to Eden, m-maybe joint missions, not…this!"
"It is a diplomatic mission, of sorts, so think of it like that."
"B-But this is completely different! I…I-I n-need some time to think about this, sir!"
"All right then, I suppose I can grant you that."
W- really? It was that easy?
Pushing himself up from his chair, Andersen put his cap on and nodded to the others.
"Well, if that's all, I have a meeting to get to. Take some time to think things over, Commander. I have faith that you'll make the right decision."
With that, he pulled open the door and strode out into the corridor, quickly vanishing from sight and leaving behind a thoroughly confused subordinate and sighing CEO.
After a few moments, Ingrid got up and dusted herself off, directing a sympathetic gaze at Jonathan.
"I understand this is a rather unconventional situation, but I'd advise you not to take too long."
"Um…what? Why not?"
"My predecessor told me that Andersen can be rather…insistent when it comes to matters like this."
The mere fact that Ingrid looked uncomfortable as she left only made Jonathan all the more nervous. He licked his lips and took a steady breath, trying to reassure himself.
There's no way it'll be that bad.
Right?