"It's been hours, and all we got are a few words…." Theo felt discouraged after putting so much time and effort into the search. It started with him and Raiden, but the rest of the team joined later. There was no other way but to move in the mountains' direction if they wanted to make it on time.
"I'm telling you, this junk is too old, we are wasting our time…."Kurena, initially stocked about this riddle, became sick of it after a few hours. "Man, all this buzzing is giving me a headache, turn it off already…"
"No way, we are getting close, I can feel it."Theo went back into a trance-like state, obsessed with solving the mystery.
"We have the words 'hear', 'gone', institute', after', 'against', 'duty', 'message', 'contact', 'cooperate' and 'instructions'. It sounds like a public service announcement, maybe a recruitment tool. If the military had placed it for getting new conscripts it would make sense why it got such great range and battery life." Shin pitched his idea, eager to put the matter behind him. They had to check the voice cluster before rejoining with their main force, and he was in a strange hurry to do so.
"Give up Theo, we did all we could. Getting further in the Republic territory makes the signal weaker, so it is not on our way."Raiden said with a tired voice.
"Goddammit. When those noisy butterflies come back again, all the radio communication will be useless. This clear sky is a one-in-a-million opportunity, don't you get it?" The blonde boy kept going. "Please, just a tiny detour, one last time. I promise it'll be the end.
"No. We are not here on a vacation, the clear weather means the Legion will reappear soon. We don't have time for silly side quests." Their leader stated sternly.
"Cut him some slack, it's been a while since something piqued his curiosity. No wonder he insists on giving his all to solve this riddle." Anju did her best to mediate between the two sides, as she felt relieved seeing Theo so passionate about anything. For a long time, he could not find anything that truly interested him besides drawing, despite much free time in between the missions. The spark of passion, even if ignited by a pointless mystery, wasn't something she wanted to put out.
"Give him the last chance, but if he fails, all his candy rations are to be divided between us equally. Do you agree on that compensation?"Raiden put forward an offer.
"I promise." Theo responded with enthusiasm, ready to accept the cost.
"Free candy! I agree!" Kurena supported the initiative, with a super sugar craving in need of quenching.
"What do you say about that, Shin? We won't lose much time if we keep going forward, just a bit more east."With the plan having the backing of the four members of their five-person team, Shin finally sighed and gave in.
"So be it. But this is seriously the last time, if you don't find anything in three hours we are marching in a straight line to the destination." He agreed with reluctance.
"Sure thing boss! Now, everyone, time for a sharp turn to the right." The self-proclaimed chief detective of this mysterious venture exclaimed with a smirk.
Contrary to his hopes, not much more was heard in the first two hours. The next few deciphered words didn't contribute any clues, making the whole detour feel futile. As their Reginleifs marched in the Federacy's territory again, few abandoned villages were encountered, without anything remarkable in sight.
"Maybe it's time to admit the defeat? In such tempo, it'll take days, if not weeks to unscramble it all…" Kurena felt dejected, and the perspective of getting her sweets earlier sounded much better than pointless roaming around.
"I still have an hour left! That was the deal!" Theo stood his ground.
"He's right Kurena, no matter how stupid it is, we have to honor the promise." Shin wasn't thrilled about the lost time, but from a quick call with Lena, he knew the column had a half-day delay. The technical difficulties were quickly patched by the mechanics' team, but the people were bound to get tired from constant work. It was decided that a short stop for rest would be better than people collapsing in a crucial moment.
"I hate you Theo… give me my goodies…" The girl mumbled unhappy.
"Guys, do you hear it? The signal is getting stronger. I'm trying everything with the antenna, and it points to the direction of this village on the horizon." Theo shouted out excitedly, speeding up his machine.
"Surprisingly, I think you're right. I can hear some numbers and words that weren't there before." Raiden said in disbelief, that the fruitless search could amount to something.
When they arrived in the place that appeared to be a village from a distance, they quickly noticed something wasn't right. Most of the buildings looked like a copy and paste, with a high, metal fence surrounding the area. The old, torn-around tents belonged to the military, with their size and number suggesting an old army base. Signs of struggle were apparent, as half of the houses were riddled with bullet holes.
"What the fuck happened here…" The size of the damage took Theo by surprise. He did not expect to find the transmitting device in the middle of a shambles. It was a miracle any equipment survived here.
"Legion was particularly destructive, so unlike them. Usually, they ignore the civilian buildings when they are abandoned, that's why there are so many well-kept villages in their territory. Here all the structures look like they were a target." Anju felt uneasy in this cryptic place.
"If they were military, maybe they fought to the end. What were they defending tho, this village is way too small to be a strategic base..." Vice-captain wondered aloud.
The traces of destruction were old, maybe even from the beginning of the war. Border territories were the first to be affected by any combat, but this was clearly done by the Legion. Nature had reclaimed the whole area, with all kinds of weeds, bushes, and trees growing everywhere. The buildings were overgrown by ivy, concealing the abnormal location as a rural place from afar. The square in the center was least affected, as the whole plaza was covered by solid concrete, steadfast despite all the attacks it had endured.
"I'm going out, you guys can stay if you want to." Theo communicated nonchalantly.
"No chance in hell, we're going together." Raiden declared firmly, annoyed by his friend's lack of concern.
"We can all go, there is no Legion nearby, Fido can stay with our Reginleifs." Shin said while exiting his vehicle.
"Pi pi!" Fido responded to his Master, feeling included for the first time on this mission.
"Now then, what do we do? Is there any specific plan, head investigator?" Anju smiled at her friend when they met in the main square.
"I'm carrying the radio, when I find the best spot to listen I'll call you. In the meantime, you can check out those buildings and see if there is anything worth seeing." He commanded with pride, as no one believed he'd find anything before and he proved them wrong.
"Sure. This base looks interesting, we can spend the night here if you want. The convoy has a setback anyway." Shin offered as a token of an apology.
"But… does it mean only bland food for the rest of our trip… I was looking forward to you losing…" Kurena was sullen until Theo threw her a chocolate candy bar.
"Hold on to it, I won't give the rest! In return search this place properly." He turned around and focused on the signal while her eyes got wet.
"Thank you! My savior! I'll sweep the place thoroughly." She pledged with a salute.
After splitting up, Shin went inside one of the damaged houses. It was a mess, the personnel didn't seem to have evacuated, as all the documents, folders, and whiteboard were still in. When he glanced at a random, well-preserved page, he noticed a few things. The date on it was 2139, placing it at the start of the war. It was signed by the Colonel of the Giadian Empire, meaning this place was built long before the war had started. The content didn't tell him anything special, as it described the plan of using Legion for a multi-countries offensive. Another document, marked as top secret, mentioned that Zelene Birkenbaum's invention is ready and mass-produced in concealed locations, noting that communication with her had been impossible for two months. A few more papers contained information about Legion, but none were new. Just in case, he gathered all the documents and put them safely in one of their mobile storage. The task took him two hours, and as he had been eating his supper after clearing all the houses, the Para-RAID activated.
"Bingo guys, you've got to check it out. Meet me in the square in five."Theo exclaimed. They all headed to the meeting point, where their excited friend waved his arms.
"Surprise us, what is the big reveal?" Shin asked.
"I've got good news and bad news. But first, check it out!" He rushed them to follow him inside one of the buildings. "Here, look. You can't see it at first, but if you press this button, then this one…"
The rest was heard as a muttering to himself when he pushed the concrete plaques in random order.
"Fuck, it worked last time. Give me a sec." He returned to his trial-and-error approach, until the concrete floor budged, revealing the hidden metal hatch.
"It must weigh tons, no wonder it survived so long despite the attacks." Anju remarked, amazed at the elaborate mechanism preventing anyone from entering.
"I'd never crack it myself, but somebody must have been new here, as there was a card with simplified instructions. Look, it has even a little manhole drawn on it!" He showed them his findings while descending the ladder. When they all arrived at the bottom, there was a simple room with a large closet in the middle. The walls were covered in wires, that exited to who-knows-where, but all began from the weird wardrobe.
"Do you think it has any safeguards?" Kurena asked, unsure if entering the room was safe.
"To be honest, no idea. But with the battle that took place upstairs, if there had been anything made to explode from vibration, it would've long gone off." Shin assumed logically.
"The device must be inside, let's take a look." The silver-haired girl bravely took the first step and carefully opened the closet. Inside was a big military radio, an entirely different model than the one they had been carrying. The rest of the space was occupied by two enormous rectangles, probably batteries, and a weird flat-screened device attached.
"The battery is low or the device is worn out, but I think we'll be able to decipher most of it. If you help me load it into Fido's luggage, I'll try to repair it fully in the Republic with better tools." Theo looked exhilarated, gaining another puzzle to solve. It took them a few repeats, but they managed to piece it together in a semi-coherent message:
Iteration 39892
If you hear this message, #######bly wrong.
I'm ############ from the Imperial Institute of ##########pment
This device ########## completing ###### mission.
It is a saf############ against Legion's interception or #######
Chosen Imperial Family Ser##############cial code every day,
to delay activating this message for a year
they ################ forcibly
LACK OF CONTACT ######### MEANS FAILURE OR A CATASTROPHIC EVENT
It is imperative for you ######## safety of Giadian Empire or ########## on you
Contact Imperial Family immediately for further instructions
If you ############# go to the Marques #########
Glory to the Great Empire
I sincerely hope no one ever hears it.
May 13th Republic Year 368 (Stellar Year 2149)
104 days until the Legion's Large-Scale Offensive
Days were passing peacefully, but the axe hanging over their heads gave no signal of how many such remained. During their last deliberation they unequivocally decided, it was time for action. Risk had to be taken to obtain the explosives, which had to be delivered long before the attack began. In the nonviolent Republic, there was no easy way to gain such an item, no matter how hard they tried. Finally, Lena and Annette had decided, it was the moment to count on luck and try some old fashion theft. The initial step was equally the easiest and the most difficult for Lena, as she had once again to prepare for the date. A captivating baby blue dress, fluttering with every step thanks to the wide flared bottom was lent to her by her friend. The knee-length dress on shoulder straps, complemented with the large straw hat, was not meant to be seductive this time but to keep her companion's guard lowered. As she has chosen strategically, that the next date with her fiance was inside one of his factories, she mustered all her effort to look as innocently as possible. After all, stealing the access card was not an easy feat, especially for an awful liar like Lena.
"Am I boring you, Love?" The tall, freshly shaven man asked with a polite smile. His father was much stricter when it came to his public image, so he forced his son to keep up an appearance for the engagement. Of course, it didn't prevent his nightly club visits or crooked company, but in public, he held up surprisingly well. There was no sign of the bawdy drunk she had met at the beginning, but she knew from his raunchy letters and gifts that it was just a facade.
"Not at all Nicolas, please, continue. I'm deeply moved to see those… drones…. during their production stage. I feel like I'll soon contribute a lot to society when all those Milizé's warehouses soon getting their first deliveries." Lena responded with faked enthusiasm, but what the man had been saying for the past hour was absolute crap. He made up most of the 'facts' as they spoke, with stories about how he supposedly had invented many of the parts used in combat. Sure, it was true that he gained his engineering degree before the war had started, but according to all the available information, it was all paid for by his father. The Republic was corrupt long before the conflict broke out, so this kind of practice was not unheard of. The girl tried her best not to roll her eyes at the nonsense he was spewing, but it was increasingly hard the longer this date went on.
"I'm getting a little hungry, would you mind showing me the cafeteria?" She tried her best to sound natural, but there was no telling on his face if it had worked.
"Dear, it is not befitting for us to eat with common workers, I will take you to the best restaurant at the plaza." He gestured her to the exit, but Lena had not yet completed the primary mission.
"I i-insist. My father always emphasized that how the lowest people on the social ladder are treated shows the true nature of the place!" She made up an excuse, hoping it would sound believable. In her heart, she knew that those people were the Eighty-Six and the Republic had already failed and proved to be a heartless, hypocritical place.
"If you say so, my Love." Nicholas smiled, but his eyes remained cold. Lena had no idea what the man was thinking about, but during all their meetings he had not asked about any of her bizarre actions. She didn't know if she should feel grateful or relieved, but thanks to that, all of their plans could move forward.
When they arrived at the cafeteria all of the workers looked worn out, but not neglected or malnourished. She knew it wasn't a well-paying job, but some of the people in the outer sectors of the Republic had no luck despite being an Alba. As their families were not wealthy, all the mundane and tedious jobs were pushed upon them.
While Nicolas was talking to the head chef, Lena had used an opportunity, and 'accidentally' bumped into one of the workers, taking his previously spotted card. The girl felt extremely apologetic but knew, that the ends justify the means. The survival of this worker and all the other citizens meant more than a scolding he'd probably receive. Satisfied with her catch, she gracefully joined her fiance for a lavish dinner prepared especially for them. The meeting ended without a fuss, so in the late evening, it was time to put the bold scheme into action.
"Annette, I'm at the entrance, did you take over the security cameras?" Lena asked through the resonance. She was dressed in all black, with her spare clothes waiting for her in the getaway vehicle a few alleys away.
"I'm in, but try not to get detected. I wish we had a spare uniform, to bypass those stunts. Do you see your target?" Annette said in a seemingly unemotional voice, but in reality, she was sitting on pins and needles. It was her first time acting like a 'Handler' for anyone, so she took her role very seriously.
"Phew, no one noticed the window I've left open. If there was a draft it could have evaded, but it looks closed." Lena pulled up on a tree to the first floor's female bathroom and entered through the loophole she created. Luckily it was not locked, as she had gotten into the hallway without a problem. She counted the doors and the fifth on the left was the men's changing room. During the boring date, she tried her best to map out the whole factory in her head and so far it had been correct.
"Now the hardest part. We still have no idea where they store bombs and landmines. Are you sure the security guard won't find it suspicious if you open every door?" This was the biggest flaw in their plan, as Nicolas told her about explosives being stored there, but did not elaborate on that or show her where.
"I'll be okay, I have the blueprint of all the floors roughly figured out. I contemplated the possible locations, and the most probable is the basement in the left sector. The area is secluded, and if it blew up, only the parking lot would suffer the damage. If it were me, I'd place it there." Lena explained while putting on the male work attire. She pulled out the fake beard she had brought and put it on her, making sure Annette's masterful makeup wasn't damaged. With her hair hidden under the hardhat, she could now pass as a twenty-something petite young man, if she remained in the dim lighting and focused on making her voice deeper.
"I wish I could've seen you in the full disguise. Like a real-life spy…"Annette laughed.
"S-shut up. If everything goes according to the plan, nobody will see it. Ever." She felt embarrassed by the ordeal, but no better idea came to mind. Of course, nothing went as scheduled, as one floor later she was stopped by the security.
"Young man, what are you doing outside your plant? Give me your I.D. card now." The intimidating man said hoarsely, making her hair strand on the end.
"H-here you go, sir. I've got a medical emergency, and was told to go that way." Lena gave her all in faking a male voice, but it still had a ring like a guy who had just been hit with puberty. The person she had decided to rob had similar features to her disguise, so she had hoped the dark hallway would do the rest.
"All checks out, but I have no idea why they headed you here. The nurse's office is in the adjacent building, but you can take the underground shortcut, I'll show you." The guard didn't notice the sigh of relief that escaped Lena's mouth and took her to the elevator. She observed the code the man had inputted into the door and noted it in her mind.
"T-thank you, sir, but I don't want to hinder you. If you don't mind, would you tell me the directions from here?" Lena tried to shake off the guard, as getting to the nurse's office would inevitably burn her cover.
"How polite these youngsters are. The hour of the patrol is indeed approaching… But you'll need to exit that building outside on the way back, as you can't get here with your clearance. Don't worry though, all the doors are opened from the inside if you click the button on the sidewall." The polite man mentioned casually, without a single care in the world. His first impression was fearsome, but after a quick chat, he turned out to be pretty laid back. It was possible, as in the safe Republic of San Magnolia, who in the right mind would try to rob a military production plant? Those Feldreẞ were useless to all the civilians, who had no idea how to use them, and the human firearms were made in a different facility. For the past couple of years, the security job was only for show. After explaining the directions he bid her farewell with a pat on the back, which momentarily took her breath away.
"Annette, why didn't you warn me about him coming?" Lena burst out with frustration.
"Sorry, I've mixed up the cameras. It won't happen again, I promise."Annette said apologetically, with shame that she had messed up. If the guard was any different, Lena could've been in a ton of trouble.
The rest of the heist proceeded surprisingly smoothly, even more than it should be. The storage was secured by the code, but the combination picked up from the guard opened it smoothly. Following the pain-in-the-ass search of the cart, as Lena discovered the materials were much heavier than anticipated, she loaded it to the brim with explosives. There was no question that the theft would be discovered shortly after, but she had no other option than to take the risk of being a suspect and proving her feigned innocence. Covering the loot with the tarpaulin didn't make it look less suspicious, but the time was running out. She took the route recommended by the security and exited the building with the card. Annette continuously took care of all the cameras capable of capturing the theft. Getting to the getaway vehicle was no easy task, but she had managed to do it by herself. After disposing of her disguise she left the car hidden for her accomplices, and under cover of darkness, she returned seemingly undetected to her house.