Level 5- RECURRING MIDBOSSES
Veritas Club Room, Thursday Evening
"Nelson-Sensei can't help us in a direct fight against Seminar unless they throw the first punch," Hare explained as the group of students gathered around one of Veritas's holographic plotting tables. On it was a map of the Millennium Tower, the park next to it, and several points of interest. "But that doesn't mean she isn't helping us. She's going to be doing the most important job that doesn't involve fighting."
"What's that?" Momoi asked.
"Distracting Yuuka."
At Hare's answer, a small chibi model of Nelson and Yuuka appeared in the park. "Not only will Sensei be distracting Yuuka, she's also made it clear when and where they'll be. We can plan around that."
"But how does this help us?" Midori asked, looking at the tower with a frown. "The Seminar floors are still going to be super well defended."
"You're right," Hare responded with a nod. "The topmost floors of the Tower are for Seminar's exclusive use. The only way to access these floors is by elevators controlled by fingerprint authorization, which is on an isolated network."
Aris could see Momoi's eyes spinning from the information overload. She checked her database for similar layouts to what the hacker was explaining. After a few seconds, her query came back with several hits and examples.
"Seminar's Citadel Is A Castle, And The Elevators Are The Drawbridges? The Guards All Have Their Own Code, So We Can Not Trick Them From Outside?" Aris asked her questions, hoping the simplified examples would help Momoi understand.
Hare pondered her examples for a moment before nodding. "You're on the right path, Arisu. So, our first order is to try to access the elevators. We need to force them into a situation where they need to install new panels."
"The Engineering Club helped build the elevators so we have the parts," Utaha explained. A hologram of an elevator control panel appeared before exploding to reveal several highlighted components. "We can modify them to accept your fingerprints. We just need to install them."
"How are we going to do that? Seminar's already on alert," Midori pointed out. Aris knew she could rely on her to point out potential issues.
Hare nodded in agreement. "Normally, they would limit their parts to their controlled spares once on alert. We would have to sneak it into their supply somehow."
"Oh, is this the part where you reveal something cool?" Momoi asked, her attention snapping back.
"You guessed it." Momoi smiled cheerfully at the praise. "Even though Sensei can't help us directly, she… left behind some contact details. No names, of course. But just some people who might be willing to help."
A profile appeared, suspended in midair. The profile picture was a stylized dolphin set over a large block X. The school, year, age, and club affiliations were all left blank. The only fields that were filled on the profile were the name and skills.
"What sort of codename is Ten?" Momoi muttered, staring at the name with her brow scrunched in thought.
Aris could understand Momoi's confusion. It wasn't exactly a name that said anything about the person. But maybe that lack of detail was on purpose. After all, on her list of skills was simply "Impersonation Training," "Identity Fabrication," and "Signal Interception." A few queries to her database all came up with the same result. Whoever Ten was, she had the skill set for a Spy class character.
Aris turned to Hare, cocking her head in curiosity. "How Will Ten Help Us?"
"She's going to get the panel in place. And maybe a bit more if we're lucky."
Millennium Tunnel Camera, Saturday Records
9:06:35: No vehicles recorded exiting tunnel. No vehicles recorded in tunnel. One new vehicle detected approaching tunnel. Engage Optical Sensor. Record found. Vehicle Make: Doyoda Pixel Panel Van. Registered Owner: Seminar Maintenance Club License: MIL180, Ke03-14.
9:07:15: No vehicles recorded exiting tunnel. No vehicles recorded in tunnel. One vehicle approaching tunnel. One new vehicle approaching tunnel. Engage Optical Sensor. Record found. Kaiser Corporation Delivery Model Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle. Registered Owner: Registration Exempt Vehicle. License: License Exempt Vehicle.
9:07:18: No vehicles recorded exiting tunnel. No vehicles recorded in tunnel. Two vehicles approaching tunnel.
9:07:45: No vehicles recorded exiting tunnel. One vehicle recorded in tunnel. One vehicle approaching tunnel.
9:07:46: No vehicles recorded exiting tunnel. Two vehicles recorded in tunnel. No vehicles approaching tunnel.
9:09:13: WARNING, POWER DEVIATION, RESETTING MONITORING SYSTEM
9:14:12: MONITORING SYSTEM RESET
9:14:18: One vehicle recorded exiting tunnel. No vehicles recorded in tunnel. No vehicles approaching tunnel. Warning: Vehicle Count Incorrect. Event Flagged for Millennium Security Review.
Veritas Club Room, Thursday Evening
Momoi stared at Hare incredulously. "She's just going to hijack a Seminar van?"
"Yes. Then she's going to take the modified panel and install it into Millennium Tower after we hack a drone to destroy it."
Hare's answer didn't help relieve that itching worry Momoi had over this. She could see why Nelson-Sensei wasn't able to help them directly. They would have to attack Seminar, no matter how quiet they wanted to be. But the absence of the even-keeled Teacher was making her nervous about this plan.
Midori, however, didn't seem to share her worries. Her sister was staring at the map with a thoughtful gaze and one hand cupping her chin. "So that'll get us up into the Seminar floors, but how are we going to get around the other defenses? They'll just engage these security shutters and lock us in."
Midori was right. Hacking their fingerprints into the system only tricked the automatic systems. C & C and Seminar could seal off the entire floor manually from the command center.
"We'll need to knock out the Seminar command center before our elevator arrives," Momoi said aloud. A chorus of nods rippled in response to her suggestion. "How are we going to do that, though? Is Ten going to sneak up there to bug the floor too?"
"We can only disable the elevators while they're in the lobby," Hare answered. "The drones on the top floor have shielding that keeps us from remotely accessing them. But we have a better way."
Utaha swiped on her smartphone, and a new overlay appeared, this time showing various ducts and pipes. "The Engineering Club helped Seminar renovate the top floors of the Millennium Tower. They installed a lot of security measures. However, there are many gaps and holes because those floors weren't originally designed to be secure." Several more items appeared on the hologram. A series of heat exchangers, coolers, and fans now glowed in bright blue. "Such as how all of those secure floors are still connected to the central air system."
"Oh!" Arisu cried, eyes shining. "Is This Like Metal Cog Solid? When You Sneak Into The Enemy Base Through The Vents?"
Utaha smiled and nodded. "That it is, Arisu. Large service robots maintain the central air system for Millennium Tower. Someone could theoretically climb and crawl through the vents to access the Seminar floors."
"And Sensei left us a contact?" Momoi guessed.
A new profile showed up on the hologram. Much like the last, most of the details were missing. The only thing visible was a simplified kitsune mask and a few skills. Momoi stared at two of them in particular. "Wait, what does 'Successfully Snuck Into Schale' mean? And where did Sensei find a Ninja?!"
Millennium Tower Seminar Control, Saturday: 18:46
Chaos reigned throughout the Seminar Control Room as the various staff present tried to regain control of the situation. The shouting and clamoring of voices echoed throughout the room as red emergency lighting bathed everything in an eerie glow.
"The main power's out!"
"Backup power isn't responding either; everything's on auxiliary power!"
"We're being jammed, we don't have any external comms!"
"Do we have any of the external cameras back?!"
"Wait, Yuuka's coming back up in the elevator!"
Akane observed the situation at hand, tracking the factors. With Yuuka locked out, that meant command and control over Seminar's floors fell to her. It was obvious that this was the attack that Himari had warned them about, and Nelson said was coming. Whether or not the Adult knew about it when she called Yuuka to meet was a different matter. However, that wasn't relevant at the moment.
"You," Akane pointed to the most recent speaker. The girl froze at the attention and pointed to herself, which Akane affirmed with a nod. "Are you sure that's Yuuka in the elevator?"
The girl turned back to her computer, looking over the readout and displays with a frown. "Well, we can't look inside because the power's out…"
That was extremely suspicious. The timing matched. If Yuuka ran back to the tower after the power went down, then she could possibly be in the elevator. Still, they needed to confirm who was in there. "What cameras do we still have? Do we have anything that covers the elevator entrance?"
"We have the cameras in the elevator landing," the staffer answered. "We'll be able to see who's inside once they get up here."
"Excellent," Akane said before directing her attention to another member of the staff. "Be prepared to engage the lockd-"
"…nin-nin"
It was quiet, barely audible over the din and clamor of the command room. But Akane heard it. Training and practice came together, and she drew Silent Solution as she spun around. The pistol coughed once, and a ventilation grate in the ceiling shattered as something inside fell with a heavy thud .
The room was silent as the air vent grate slowly collapsed from the damage and weight. Then concern gave way to confusion as a large stuffed toy fox fell through the opening. A single bullet hole was punched through the head. Akane muttered aloud, disbelief in her voice, "Wha-"
"Aha! My substitution technique was successful!" A young, cheerful voice interrupted, echoing from above Akane as somebody kicked the vent open. She tore the bolt back on her pistol and aimed up, only to lock eyes with a familiar white and red kitsune mask. However, the three fused bombs flying through the open grate was more alarming than the mask.
It was one or the other. The infiltrator would be problematic, but the bombs would be catastrophic. She wasn't familiar with the Hyakkiyako style of explosives, but she could identify a stick of dynamite when she saw it. The other students would have to deal with the infiltrator.
Silent Solution coughed once more, and a bullet severed the lit fuse of the first bomb. It coughed again. A second shot cut the second's fuse halfway. She could still make the third shot. But she wouldn't be able to hit the fuse; it was almost at the end. The best Akane could do was hit the cylindrical paper body and hope to minimize the damage.
Silent Soultion coughed one last time. The body of the explosive ruptured, but it did not explode. Instead, it scattered blinding white smoke and powder throughout the room. Akane quickly covered her face with her apron. The material would protect her lungs, but she couldn't work the bolt of her pistol like this, nor could she clear her watering eyes. A fact their foe was banking on as the bark of a submachinegun from the vent echoed throughout the room. The shots were accurate and set off the two paper cylinders next to her feet, filling the room with even more smoke and powder.
The sound of panic, coughing, and sneezing filled the room as a fourth, metallic cylinder fell next to her and emitted a pulse of electricity. As the room fell into darkness and her eyes ran with tears, Akane realized she had been made.
Millennium Tower Park, Saturday: 18:49
"Akane! Can you hear me?! I need you to unlock the override on the main doors!"
Yuuka's backup radio gurgled and sparked but failed to come up with a response. That meant the shells littering the park had to be some sort of signal jammer. The Engineering Club helped them set up the floors and their signalling hardware. These jammers should be tuned to all of Seminar's frequencies. That was probably why they didn't explode.
She didn't have a signal booster either, so she couldn't just brute force her messages through.
But Seminar had predicted this possibility. That's why they still had one final method of contacting the Seminar Floors. Yuuka ran over to the panels next to the doorframe. She knocked on several of them before hearing an echo behind one of them. She pushed down, and the aluminum cladding slid to the side to reveal a wired phone: The emergency hardline hooked right into Seminar's VOIP system.
She pulled off the handset and entered her executive code. A dial-up tone, and then-
She stared at the handset in shock and disgust. "What do you MEAN the line is busy?!"
Millennium Tower Seminar Server Room, Saturday: 18:45
The last guard fainted from terror, leaving the server room silent. Kayoko kept her pistol at the ready for a moment, nudging the unconscious guards with her foot. When none of them responded, she lowered the gun and moved to her next objective: the central server command console.
She should have known better when Nelson 'advised' her to expect a direct commission soon. And she especially should have been suspicious when the Teacher 'highly recommended' that she take the request. It definitely paid well, but she was expecting something a little less extreme. But she should have known this was coming ever since Nelson mentioned knowing Kayoko's past.
She reached the console moments later. It looked rather bland and ordinary compared to everything else. However, it matched the designs on the briefing. She reached into her pocket, retrieved the thumb drive provided by the Engineers, and plugged it in. A pop-up appeared on the screen asking if she was sure she wanted the server to run the program. She clicked "yes," and instantly, several windows launched.
"Nekomata here, the program's launched. Can you confirm?" Kayoko said into her radio.
There was a crackle. "Otose here. I confirm. Do you see the logo on the screen?"
Kayoko looked up. Where the Seminar logo once sat was the spray paint logo of Veritas. "I do."
"OK, good. Internal communications… climate controls… security systems… door controls… elevator controls. It's all here." Kayoko heard the sound of furious typing and mumbling before the speaking continued. "I think we have complete control for the next… 30 minutes. 45 if we're lucky."
"Understood. I'm moving to the next step." Kayoko answered before turning off the communicator. She could reactivate it once she was in the next spot. She paused as the sound of explosions echoed from elsewhere. It seems her partner finished her task slightly behind schedule. They'd have to regroup.
Kayoko grabbed a chair and, with a bit of effort, jumped back into the ventilation hatch in the ceiling. There were still a few more things before the plan was complete.
Millennium Tower Seminar Lobby, Saturday: 18:47
The elevator doors chimed as the doors opened. Midori slowly stuck her head out and glanced left to right. There were no guards, no alarms, and no emergency reinforced shutters.
It was as quiet as could be.
Just as planned.
"It's clear," she whispered. A chorus of whispered answers came from Yuzu, Momoi, and Arisu before the four of them moved into the lobby. She couldn't quite hear anything else, but that wasn't any reason to lower her guard.
"Yuzu, where do we go?"
The anxious president pulled up her phone and tapped away on it before looking back up at them. "U-um, w-we have to go down this hallway and then turn left at the fourth intersection. That'll get us to the hallway leading to the confiscated items vault…"
"OK, let's try to get there while they're distracted," Midori said before switching to her radio. "Hare-Senpai, how much longer do we have?"
The radio crackled as the shielding interfered with the connection. It left the voice on the other side heavily distorted, but Midori could still make out the response. "You have 33 minutes. They're still trying to push us out of the server, but we've still got a hold of all the target systems."
That was a little bit longer than they had planned, but still shorter than the best. "Where's everyone else?"
"Maki and Kotori left the dining room and locked Noa down. Nekomata and Kitsune are making their way to the backup servers. Cu-Sith, Ten, Utaha, and Hibiki are still waiting."
With Hare and Kotoma handling the comms and hacking, that meant most of them were in the fight. But they still didn't know where two of the last four members of the Maid Club were, and Akane might just start blowing things up.
"OK. Thanks, Hare-senpai," Midori said as she switched her radio off before turning back to the rest of her group. "We still have the advantage, but we need to move fast. How do we want to approach it?"
"I'll take the front!" Momoi said cheerfully with a smile.
Arisu nodded, readying her cannon. "I Will Be Second."
"I'll take the back," Midori finished before glancing at Yuzu. "Yuzu, you stay in the middle, OK? We need you to make sure we're going where we need to be."
"Y-yes!"
Everyone shuffled into their spots, and, once everyone was ready, Midori keyed the radio. "Hero raid team, we're rushing the vault!"
The four of them charged ahead, ignoring the quiet ding of the elevator behind them.
Millennium Tower Park, Saturday: 18:59
I watched as Yuuka smashed another jammer shell underfoot. The projectile was sturdy enough to survive the launch and impact. However, they were built lightly to avoid interfering with the jamming system. Which meant that they were rather vulnerable to being pulled out of the ground and stomped on. This was a weakness that Yuuka was more than willing to demonstrate again. She paused in her efforts, gulping down breaths.
"I know you were angling for this, but you could at least help me!" She growled as she wiped sweat off her brow and stared daggers at me.
I bent down, grabbed a shell, and crushed it in my hand. She continued to stare at me, waiting for me to do more. I met her gaze, expression schooled in practice impassiveness. Eventually, she looked away with a sigh.
"You're going to say that destroying one shell counts as helping, are you?"
"You certainly clue in quickly," I praised her with a bright smile. "Although, I must admit, I have no real knowledge of how many of these jammers you must destroy before their effect subsides."
"It can't be that much," she grumbled. She looked down at her phone forlornly, and her expression told me all I needed to know. She stomped to the next shell and, with a deep growl, ripped it out of the ground before dashing it against a nearby stone. The plastic casing shattered, sending its electronic guts spilling across the grass. She stared at the remains with anger as the blinking lights slowly died.
Then both of us froze. My communicator's earpiece crackled to life at the same time as Yuuka's. It seemed that destroying that shell weakened the jamming enough for our cells and short-range radios to work.
Both of us went for our phones at the same time and turned around for privacy. I already knew the answer calling Momoi would give me. However, I needed to give the impression I was doing my best to defuse the situation. My cell phone dialed once, twice, thrice. But it did give me time to listen in on the conversation behind me.
"Akane!" Yuuka shouted, "What's happening?!" A pause. "What-can you speak more clearly?! Do you have something over your mouth?" Another pause, and Yuuka's voice pitched up several octaves. "What do you mean they bombed the command room?!" The accountant growled in frustration. "They can't have hit everything, so get to the backup control room and wait for Noa!"
The sound of a phone being disconnected even as my call went to voicemail. I rapidly punched in the next number for Midori, even as a string of inelegant cursing echoed behind me. My phone rang and rang with no sign of answer, even as Yuuka spoke.
"Noa! Where are you?" A pause, and the sound of a hand meeting a face. "How did they trap you in a partition?!" Another pause, and a long-suffering sigh. "What do you mean they snuck in as catering staff?! Look, I'll get Akane to rescue you, so get ready to move to the backup!"
I could hear Yuuka hang up and a groan from behind. As I expected, my phone went right into voicemail again. A third call, for Alice from me and another student for Yuuka.
"Karin! Where is everyo-Yes, I know Akane's fallen out of contact-" Yuuka fell into a deep silence, listening to the other person as my phone continued to ring. "What do you mean you don't know where Asuna is?! Call he-Why is her phone on silent?! Whatever! Keep an eye out for intruders on Seminar's floors and shoot them on sight!"
A final voicemail response greeted me. I hung up before turning around with a helpless smile, even as Yuuka turned to glower at me.
"You," she hissed.
I nodded, my smile steady and bright. "Yes?"
Yuuka stared at me, meeting my eyes. I kept her gaze, steady and unyielding.
"Did you tell them to stop this madness?" She asked, the heat in her voice barely disguised.
"I tried, but I received no answer."
Our gazes remained locked, even as the sound of distant fighting echoed. Finally, Yuuka sighed and tugged at her hair in frustration. "I can't believe you. You really don't know what they're doing?"
"Of course," I answered easily. "I would need to report it if I was ever present for any criminal conspiracy. Being an officer of the General Student Council, I would need to quash such things."
"Rio's not going to like this," Yuuka said before turning her attention to another mortar shell.
I nodded, my smile dipping slightly. "She is free to discuss such issues with me directly."
Millennium Tower Seminar Floors, Saturday: 19:03
Momoi kept her rifle up as the four of them exited the corridor into a room. She glanced left to right, but the red light made for poor illumination. Shadows from the pillars filled the room, never mind the alcoves and furniture. Windows were on one wall, but the overcast night outside kept the room shadowed. But the shadows paled in comparison to what waited at the very far end of the room. Sitting across from their corridor was a large metal security door.
"Don't you think it's weird to call that a vault? It's not that impressive." Momoi mused aloud. Even though everyone made a big deal out of it, the security door didn't really look that special. It wasn't a normal door, but the plain steel door wouldn't have looked out of place in any medium-security situation. However, it was their target. Etched into the door were the words "Confiscated Goods."
Midori batted her head softly before answering with a soft hiss. "Of course it's not that impressive. We're literally in the middle of the Seminar Headquarters on top of a tower. There's no way they're getting a whole bank vault up here."
"I-is anyone else in there?" Yuzu asked, her voice softer than normal.
Momoi hummed in thought before shaking her head. "I don't think so. Arisu?"
"I Do Not Sense Anything Ahead," Arisu answered, the black-haired girl squinting and her head slowly panning from wall to wall. "I Think We Are Safe."
The four of them advanced into the room. The sound of sporadic gunfire and crackling echoed from elsewhere, but they were all distant. There was nobody protecting the vault with so many things happening. Exactly as planned. Momoi wasn't quite sure where Nelson found all these shady people, but it was working perfectly to their advantage.
Yuzu knelt down as they made it to the end of the room. The salmon-haired girl knelt down and unslung her backpack, pulling out a spider-like device. Momoi watched as Yuzu fumbled with the device for a few seconds before attaching it above the lock. As soon as she did, the device clamped down on the lock and began whirring.
"O-ok, the autopicker is working…" Yuzu muttered as she stared closely at a small LED screen. "It says it'll take… 5 minutes?"
That was good. Everything was going to plan. They'd get this door open, nab the Mirror, and fall back to the elevators before anything else happened.
All according to plan.
"Ah," Arisu suddenly intoned. Momoi turned to her, only to see the robot girl looking around with a slight frown. Arisu unslung her railgun, the weapon glowing as it powered up and casting their side of the room in a blue light.
"This Is the Part Where Something Bad Happens."
Everyone stared at her in stunned silence. Suddenly, Arisu spun to a corner of the room, her electricity crackling off the weapon as it cha-
"Too late~!"
A burst of fire stitched up the door. Yuzu jumped aside with a panicked cry as the first shot nearly hit her. Unfortunately, the rest of the rounds struck the autopicker. While hardy, the precision-machined device was not bulletproof. It shattered into a dozen components.
Momoi spun around, her rifle raised as Midori dropped and rolled to stabilize her own. But neither of them was as fast as Arisu. Arisu was steady and unflinching even as the bullets tore past her cheek. A bolt of blue tore through the darkness as the Sword of Light fired. The projectile still cratered the wall in its minimum charge.
But it still wasn't enough, as a shadowy figure leapt out of the way. They twisted and contorted in midair, returning with a burst of fire. Arisu spun the Sword of Light about, swapping her grip to swing the bulk of the weapon in front of her. The bullets bounced off the heavy casing of the railgun, ricocheting into the darkness.
But that gave Momoi and Midori enough time. With their attacker exposed, the two of them opened fire. The rhythmic beating of Midori's rifle joined the roar of Momoi's rapid fire. But despite being in the open, their opponent dived, weaved, and jumped out of the way of their fire. They were always twisting, spinning, and leaning out of the way of the incoming fire.
As they slid across the floor, their attacker's assault rifle chattered as they fired it one-handed. Sparks flew across the wall as the shots seemed to go wide, striking the wall next to Momoi.
"Ha!" Momoi shouted, smiling in vicious glee. "You missed!"
"Aha, did I~?"
Momoi blinked at the answer, then glanced up at the wall next to her. Right above and next to her was a fire extinguisher. There were several holes in the device, and it began to bulge ominously.
"Oh fuc-"
The fire extinguisher exploding cut Momoi's curse short. Momoi threw herself to the side to avoid the shrapnel, only for her feet to catch on the scattered remains of the autopicker. She stumbled, tripped, and fell into a roll. She groaned as she picked herself up, their attacker stepping out of the shadows.
Long beige hair tied with a blue ribbon, with sharp blue eyes looking at them with glee. She casually carried a bullpup assault rifle. However, more alarmingly, she was dressed in a skimpy maid outfit.
"Asuna?!" Midori shouted, panic creeping in her voice. "How did you know we'd be here?!"
Asuna shrugged with an unyielding, gleeful smile. "Dunno! I had a hunch something was up, so I just guessed what the real target was." She paused, and her smile seemed to grow. "And it looks like I was right! All that other stuff was just a distraction, wasn't it~?"
Momoi gulped. This wasn't part of the current plan. The attack was supposed to distract C & C while Momoi and her friends stole the Mirror System. Fighting any of C & C wasn't something they were planning to do right now. Without the autopicker, there was no way for them to quietly get the vault open.
The situation wasn't good.
But they still had to figure something out.
"Give it up," Momoi said as she pulled herself back onto her feet. "You might be strong, but we still outnumber you 4 to 1!"
Asuna hummed, the melodic noise at odds with the signs of violence around them. Then she shrugged and shook her head. "Naw, I don't think I'll do that." She raised her rifle, her smile growing to expose canines. "Besides, it's only 2 to 1."
"What?"
Momoi received her answer moments later as the window exploded and the pillar next to her shattered, followed by something in the floor exploding.
Millennium Tower Seminar Control, Saturday: 19:05
Akane coughed as she stepped through the newly created opening in the wall. Seminar staff spilled out behind her, coughing and clearing their eyes and throats as well.
"The method's regrettable, but I've escaped the Seminar Control Room." Akane paused as she looked back into the room. It was regrettable, but the demolition charges had destroyed the computers and furnishings inside the room. "We will need to upgrade the backup Control Room into the main Control Room though."
"It doesn't matter!" Yuuka answered, her voice clearer than before. "Get to Noa and make sure she gets there!"
"Of course, a maid should always ensure their master arrives safely."
Millennium Tower District Rooftop, Saturday: 19:05
Karin frowned as she racked Hawkeye's bolt. Seminar had put higher quality bulletproof glass than she expected. It still managed to deflect her shot even with the saboted armor-penetrating round. But she shattered the window, so she didn't need to waste the extra ammo.
"This is 02," Karin whispered into her mic. "The pip-squeaks are where I need them to be. Keep them pinned so I can finish them off."
The GDD and Veritas had come up with a solid plan, but their tricks would only work for so long. The longer this fight dragged on, the more C & C could reclaim control. All they needed to do was drag the fight long enough for Yuuka or Noa to reset the servers and defenses.
But there was still something she had to do. She brought her rifle up again, shouldering it as she stared down the scope once again. The black-haired one would have to go first. All it would take is a single armor-piercing bullet to the head. It was an excessive amount of force, but it would be strong enough to knock out anyone.
She didn't have time for a second shot if she missed. She held her breath, tuned out the world, and lined up the shot.
She was so concentrated on the shot that she failed to hear the door quietly open.
Millennium Tower Park, Saturday: 19:07
Yuuka growled as she smashed the last jammer shell. The plastic housing shattered and sent its internals scattering across the tile floor. She whipped out her phone and saw it was finally reconnected back to the Seminar mainframe.
"It was a clever plan," she muttered aloud as she quickly flicked through the options. "But I still have one last ace up my sleeve."
Veritas controlled almost all the networked systems. The passive countermeasures were slowly turning things back under Seminar control. But it would take too long. They also couldn't engage the active countermeasures without an executive in the backup control room. Without knowing who else was in the building, they were basically giving the victory to the coalition.
Even if Yuuka knew that something was up, she couldn't let Seminar appear weak. They had to be strong in front of the enemies of Millennium. They had to be strong in front of the other schools. They had to be strong in front of Nelson-Sensei. The Adult was right. She would rather not have to ask Nelson to help. So she had to do her best to repel the attack without it.
But there was one thing Veritas didn't know about.
The automated defenses were normally networked to ensure all the androids, automatons, and drones could coordinate. However, they could still function on a basic IFF and built-in combat procedures if they lost connection to the network. The only thing that Seminar needed to do was forcibly deactivate the defense system.
Normally, it would require a person to run up to the servers to shut down the defense system network. However, as a member of Seminar's executives, Yuuka could use the failsafe. She could trigger the emergency EMP attached to the security servers.
The emergency EMP was only accessible from Noa, Rio, and her phone. Veritas couldn't stop her from firing it. It would knock out the security doors, the security shutters, and the cameras at the same time. But then the defensive automaton would reboot in independent mode, and they could swarm the floors. There weren't many choices left.
Yuuka brought up the command screen on her phone. Her finger hesitated over the scanner, but only for a second. Then she pushed it down.
Veritas Club Room, Saturday: 19:08
"Uh oh." Kotoma's plain statement cut into Hare's notice. She looked away from her screens monitoring the district and turned to their signal intelligence officer. The bespectacled girl was furiously typing at the computer, leaning in to stare at the screen.
"What's wrong?" Hare asked Kotoma as she pushed her chair over to Kotoma's station.
Kotama paused her work to point at a section of her monitor. Hare squinted at the screen, putting down her Frenzy Max as she read the readout. "What does it mean that we lost the defense network?"
"I think they had killed their servers," Kotoma muttered. She brought up a different set of readings to show the passive sensors that they still had access to in the tower. Hare could see a massive spike in the electromagnetic spectrum. "They must have had an off-network EMP charge for this."
"What's this going to do to the pl-"
Several warnings popped up on the screen. Systems were suddenly shutting down. Hare quickly read them off. The door controls, security cameras, and sensors had just stopped working. But, most importantly…
"Defenses engaging in independent operation?!" Hare hissed as she pushed herself back to her station. She grabbed her headset and switched to the boosted channel. "Maki, Kotori, where are you?!"
"We just dodged Akane while she was freeing Noa and made it back to the elevators. What's up?" Maki answered, confusion clear in her voice.
"Good, keep running as fast as you can. Things are about to get hot up there." Hare closed the line and switched to another.
"Cu-sith, you have a few minutes before those drones come back online. What's your status?"
Millennium Tower Seminar Drone Bay 3, Saturday: 19:09
Shiroko blinked and looked throughout the room. The room was a mess with drone, automaton, and android parts scattered everywhere. This room easily had a fifth of all the automated weapons that Seminar had so helpfully left unattended for her to work with. It also helped that the Engineering Club had lent her the blueprints for Seminar's androids.
Shiroko couldn't match their ability to make new things. She wasn't a weapons designer, and she wasn't creative in that sense. But she was very confident in her ability to turn a pile of spare parts and scrap metal into something new. Something useful.
She turned her attention to the construct taking shape in the middle of the room. She was hoping to have another ten minutes to get all of the armor plating back on. It wasn't her best work, but at least she thought ahead to put the plates over the vital components early. There wasn't much else she could do with the time she had. She slapped the specially built IFF chip into the modified fire control system. The construct shuddered before its eyes flashed teal.
"Nn. I'm ready."
Millennium Tower District, Saturday: 19:10
A crackle rippled across the airwaves, echoing out for only those in the know. "This is Hare. Seminar's forcing us into Phase 4 ahead of schedule. Mercenaries, Hero Party, it's just you in there. We'll try our best to keep your escape open.
Millennium Tower Seminar Corridor, Saturday: 19:11
Noa ran alongside Akane as they sprinted towards the secondary command center. Combat automatons, ceiling turrets, and drones began to spill into the hallways as independent programming activated. The security doors retracted, ripping the barrier control their attacks had right out of their hands.
"Excellent. It seems Yuuka's managed to reclaim the servers," Akane said with a smile.
Noa nodded in agreement. "We're just a few hallways awa-"
Noa was cut off as Akane violently shoved her into a side hallway. Even as she stumbled out of the hallway, Akane flipped her heavily armored case in front of her as a shield. Purple rounds tore and ricocheted off the case, keeping Akane safe.
However, she couldn't say the same about the other staffers that had been with her. Noa peeked out the hallway behind them. The uniformed girls had turned around and were running away, screaming in panic.
"Noa," Akane said calmly as she drew her pistol. "It seems I have a guest to greet. You will need to make your own way."
Noa didn't need any further encouragement. She kept running as she recalled the next best route.
Millennium Tower District Rooftop, Saturday: 19:11
Karin bit down on a curse as turret fire splashed into the cover next to her. But there was no time to wait; she could hear a faint whistling coming from above her. She pushed herself forward and rolled behind an air conditioner, just in time for her previous point of cover to explode as a mortar shell struck it.
"I don't get it," Karin shouted above the roar of gunfire. "Why would you help those pipsqueaks? How does drawing the ire of us and Seminar benefit you?"
Utaha hummed in thought from her position behind the stairwell building. The purple-haired girl casually tapped her spanner against her chin in thought before answering. "Do friends need to benefit to help each other?"
"How foolish," Karin muttered. But the timing was right. Hibiki took at least 14 seconds to correct her shot, even with Veritas's aid. This "Thundergun" needed 6 seconds to cool between bursts and just finished shooting. With Hibiki's shot being 6 seconds ago, that left her a small window to take a shot.
And she was going to make it count.
Karin pushed herself out of cover, Hawkeye in her hands and at her hip. It wasn't ideal, but there wasn't time to aim properly. She squeezed the trigger and, rather than fight it, she let the force carry her backwards. The shot was slightly off center, tearing through the front plating of the Thundergun and knocking it down. But it was down. More importantly, she hit the ground and rolled back, shoving herself further back as the spot she was in a moment ago exploded.
But it wasn't an explosive shell that hit the roof this time. A thick, cloying smoke burst from the shell, rapidly spreading to envelope the roof. Karin instantly grabbed her apron and pulled it to her face.
"Is this the best plan that you have?" She asked aloud, her voice echoing across the roof. "This smoke won't last more than five minutes out here, and you can't stop me if you can't see me either. I'll be able to finish you and them off once it clears."
Karin got her answer almost instantly.
But she didn't recognize the bored voice that echoed from the smoke around her. "I don't need to see you to finish this."
Millennium Tower Seminar Vault, Saturday: 19:13
Something was wrong. Asuna wasn't sure how she knew that, but she got a feeling in her gut. Karin hadn't fired since her first shot. The alarms on the floor said that security should be up. However, it wasn't getting quieter. Instead, the sound of fighting was only getting louder. And Akane hadn't called to check in on her either.
Something was wrong.
But…
"Come on!" She shouted, her grin growing wider as she kicked a grenade back at Yuzu. "Show your senpai what you can do!"
The explosive never made it back as the crack of a bullet struck the explosive before it got halfway across the room. It detonated, the pressure forcing Momoi to abandon her attempt to flank Asuna. Meanwhile, the new girl slid in front of Yuzu to use her weapon as a shield rather than aiming it.
Even if her gut was telling her something was wrong, even if she should probably figure out why Karin had stopped firing, even if the fact the security doors were still open meant Akane and Noa still hadn't made it to the command center…
How could Asuna leave when stopping them was this much fun?
The room glowed blue as the new girl's weapon charged just enough to fire, filling the room with a familiar scent of ozone. One hit, and it'd be over. But Asuna was already in motion. She let her instincts guide her choice and kicked her foot forward. Seconds later, the black-haired heavy's cannon jerked as a large chunk of concrete slammed into its side. The weapon fired, missing her and blasting apart another pillar.
"Goal!" Asuna cheered before tossing the empty magazine in her rifle forward as she reloaded. It sailed ahead, skipped off the ground, and landed under Momoi's foot just as the pink twin stepped forward out of cover to open fire. The girl slid instantly on the piece of metal and fell back with a shout. It wasn't enough to hurt the girl seriously, but it was enough to buy Asuna the time to reload.
"How is she doing this?!" Midori shouted, confusion clear in her voice. "It's just one of her and four of us!"
Asuna laughed cheerfully as she leveled Surprise Party and squeezed the trigger. The twins scattered to evade the fire, while the black-haired girl flipped her cannon into a barricade to protect herself and Yuzu. A bullet struck the cannon in the right way and ricocheted to strike Midori in the ankle. The green-haired girl stumbled and fell flat onto her face before scrambling to avoid the rest of the burst.
"You know, Yuuka might have thought too little of you guys!" Asuna answered with a smile. "You guys are putting up more of a fight than some of the gangs I've cleaned up before!"
"Gee, thanks for the praise," Momoi grunted as she fired around the corner. Asuna wasn't sure if the pink twin would actually hit her, but the bullets were whistling too close for Asuna's preference. She skipped to the side, the magazine falling free from her rifle as she reloaded in midair.
"You're welcome," Asuna answered earnestly. "I wish I could take you with us! We could put you all into maid uniforms! It'll be fun, so just give up already!"
Asuna paused as the familiar scent of ozone filled the air. She flicked her rifle under her chest and fired. The recoil of the rifle slamming into her chest and stomach sucked like nothing else. However, her pain was rewarded as the bullets forced the black-haired girl to use her cannon as a shield.
"I Would Not Like That! We Cannot Be Maids; We Need to Win the Millennium Prize!" The new girl answered, even as her weapon continued to fill the room with an ominous blue glow.
That's what her gut was warning her about. Asuna had seen what that cannon could do. The second she left to figure out what was happening, they'd turn it on the door. But so long as she was here, she could make sure she dragged it out and kept the vault closed. She just needed everyone else to finish their fights.
"Well, I can't let that happen," Asuna answered honestly. "You're putting up a good fight, but the four of you aren't enou-"
"Hello!"
Asuna blinked in confusion as a voice echoed from the vent above her before it suddenly burst open.
Millennium Tower Seminar Fallback Point, Saturday: 19:14
"Stop!"
Noa skidded to a stop at the hissed warning before she could turn into the hallway. On the other side of the gap was one of the security staff with an SMG in her hands. Several empty magazines sat on the ground next to her, and, more concerningly, an unconscious security officer was next to her.
"What's wrong?" Noa pressed herself against the wall as she asked.
The girl pointed down the hallways, the last safe route to the backup control room. "Don't stick your head out. You still got your phone on you?"
"Of course."
"Use your front camera to look down the hall."
Noa pulled out her phone and followed the instructions, slowly edging her phone around the corner to get a look. It took a few minutes for the camera to adapt to the emergency lighting and focus, but as the image became clear, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.
"What is that?" She muttered aloud. It was a mishmash of parts. It had the treaded locomotion system of one of the assault rifle androids designed by the Engineering Club. However, the gimbaled arm that carried the assault rifle was missing. Instead, it has the torso of one Vulcan combat android and the armored SMG side wings of the wheeled Patrol androids fitted to the torso. The assault rifle replaced one of the two SMGs in the side wing, giving it a full range of attacks.
The entire assembly seemed rather crudely done. Several panels were missing, and wiring was visibly dangling from open holes in the chassis. But the damage to the hallway and unconscious officers strewn in the middle spoke of its efficiency.
The security officer shook her head with worry clear on her lips. "I have no clue. We were moving up to secure the entrance for you and the maid. Suddenly, this thing came out of nowhere and took most of us out."
This was proving to be a problem. The Engineering Club could do something like this, but Noa doubted they would create something like this. They were too proud of their ridiculous products to let any of them be less than perfect. The missing pieces and lack of refinement alone spoke of another person's hand.
But who else could have done it? It didn't match the profile of any other student in Millennium. That meant there was only one option left.
"There are outsiders involved," Noa declared. "The GDD somehow managed to hire mercenaries to help them. These unknowns are how they're throwing off all our plans."
Silence greeted her conclusion. Noa blinked in confusion and looked up to see the security officer frozen, one arm pointing down the corridor Noa came from. A footstep echoed in the empty hall, backed by the buzzing of quadcopter rotors. Noa followed the finger to see a girl in an unfamiliar uniform.
It was difficult to make out details in the lighting. However, she could see the blue balaclava pulled over their head with a black two embossed onto the forehead. A pair of grey wolf ears stuck out of the top of the article of cloth, twitching and shifting in the dark.
"Nn," the wolf-eared girl grunted into a bulky handheld radio. "Cu-Sith reporting in. I've located my target."
Noa didn't need further explanation. She drew her Secretary's Vote, the stock snapping back as she triggered the stock release. But she never got a chance to fire as a quadcopter tore out of the darkness and unleashed a burst of rockets at her.
Millennium Tower Seminar Corridor, Saturday: 19:15
Akane swung her explosive briefcase like a sledge, the heavy reinforced case screaming down at her opponent's foot. The cat-masked girl kicked back in time to avoid the ground-cracking strike. However, the girl managed to fire as she flew back, forcing Akane to whirl around behind the armored briefcase. The reinforced container absorbed the shots, but it kept her from drawing the explosives within to finish the fight.
But Akane was a Maid of C & C. She was always prepared for anything that could happen. Akane brought up Silent Solution and took aim. However, she wasn't aiming at the girl but at what was directly above her. The pistol coughed, and the sprinkler in the ceiling sparked. Seconds later, the fire suppression system triggered, and water immediately fell in torrential sheets.
However, the girl charged ahead rather than retreat. The suppressed pistol in their hand hissed and growled as another trio of shots struck Akane's case. However, rather than the body, they struck the latches holding it shut. Akane barely had the time to curse as the sticks of dynamite and fuses spilled onto the wet floor.
However, Akane didn't have the chance to salvage them as a sneaker-clad foot was screaming down towards her in an axe kick. Akane swatted the strike with her off hand and threw them against the wall. Her opponent bounced off the wall and fell to a clump with one hand in her hoodie pocket. Before she could recover, Akane stomped on her opponent's pistol and jammed Silent Solution into the forehead of her foe.
"It seems I have you in check," Akane said with a smile. "But I must admit, I wasn't expecting to encounter you like this again."
"I don't think we've met before." The girl said blandly, the familiar voice even and uncaring.
Akane laughed, the noise dampened by the falling water. "You should know better than to try that, Beleth."
The cat-masked girl stared at her for several heartbeats before her head dropped and she sighed a long-suffering sigh. "You know I'm not a part of the Intelligence Division anymore, Murokasa-san. Can't you call me by anything else?"
Akane laughed softly in the barely lit hall. "Well, you might not be part of the Division anymore, but I'm still a maid of Cleaning & Clearing on official business. You should address me by my codename: Zero-Three, the Beautiful Maid of Mystery."
She couldn't see Beleth's eye through the mask, but she could certainly feel the weight of the incredulous stare. Finally, the former spy responded, "I'm not calling you by that ridiculous title. You should know this."
"I know, but there was always something romantic about superspies fighting it out. Don't you miss that? The codenames, the secret missions, the duels in moonlight?"
"No, I don't."
The curt answer was exactly like how Akane remembered the former ace spy of Gehenna's Intelligence Division. The ruined hallway, the quiet cracks of suppressed pistols, and the struggles in the dark reminded her of all their previous meetings. It reminded her of the things they'd done to secure their school's tomorrows.
"Well, I certainly missed our meetings. But still, you've left quite a mess for me to deal with." Akane roughly curtsied, her pistol still level with Beleth's forehead as she grabbed her skirt with her left hand. "And I think it's time we finished this."
"Yeah, it's time we finished this," Beleth said before pulling her hand out of her pocket. In it was a single stun grenade that Akane didn't recognize, with the pin already pulled. It was already in the air by the time Akane realized what was about to happen.
There was no time to think. Akane squeezed the trigger to put a bullet into Beleth's head. However, the former spy was already in motion, diving and leaving her pistol under Akane's foot. The shot clipped the mask in the corner, shattering it and revealing one tightly squeezed shut eye. Akane could see the hearing protection earbuds in Beleth's ear. She worked the bolt back to try a second sho-
The stun grenade bounced off the ceiling and flew right into Akane's face. Then, her world turned white.
Veritas Club Room, Saturday: 19:16
Hare stared at her phone and the amount of time left they had before the security system would root out their hacking software. It was dropping quickly, even without active countermeasures engaged. They had maybe 20 more minutes left. She sighed, hoping for the best, and brought the radio up.
"Mercenaries, how is everything looking? Hero Party, how's everything looking? We don't have much time left."
Millennium Tower Seminar Fallback Point, Saturday 19:16
"Cu-Sith. All Seminar Executives accounted for," Shiroko said into her radio before opening the janitorial door. The secretary had managed to gun down her drone, but it bought Shiroko all the time she needed. All it took was for her to unpin one of Suzumi's flashbangs and toss it at the distracted guard and Secretary.
With a grunt, she tossed the unconscious, handcuffed executive into the janitorial door. She made sure the cellphone was within reach before closing the door. A tap of the secretary's badge locked the door. Then Shiroko slammed her rifle's buttstock on the digital card reader. The device sparked and failed, leaving the door permanently locked. They'll have to break down the door to get her out.
But Shiroko wasn't cruel. She just needed to make sure the secretary couldn't escape. So she made sure to tape the badge and handcuff keys to the door.
"Objective complete," Shiroko reported. She brought up her cell phone and opened the control app for her hastily built Android. In the center of the app was a big red button labeled Search and Destroy. "I'm unchaining the Chimera."
There was a weird chime when she pushed the button. However, what was more noticeable was the sound of the tracks whirring to life as her hastily built android went from defense to offense. That would cause a big enough distraction for everyone to get away. That was good, since she still had that catering cart to smuggle out of Millennium.
Millennium Tower Seminar Corridor, Saturday 19:16
"Nekomata reporting in. I've secured Maid 03," Kayoko said into her radio. "I'm exfiltrating from the area now."
"Really, you picked Nekomata?"
Kayoko bit back a sigh at the comment and turned to stare flatly at Akane. The maid simply smiled disarmingly in response. It wasn't like she could do much of anything else, thanks to the handcuffs locking her to a nearby pipe.
Still, Akane was without a care as she explained, "It wasn't the first thing I'd have picked for you."
Kayoko finally let free the sigh she was holding in. Hopefully tonight wasn't going to be a pattern. She'd given up that life of skullduggery and spycraft when she decided to follow Aru.
"I wasn't the one who picked it," Kayoko finally answered. "Now try not to be a nuisance."
Millennium Tower District Rooftop, Saturday: 19:16
Utaha peeked out from behind the stairwell. She'd heard the sound of Karin firing, but she strangely didn't hear any return fire from her backup. Now, all she could hear was the sound of someone coughing, crying, and trying to clear their nose. She wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting, but what greeted her was beyond her expectations.
Standing in the middle of the rooftop was a girl in a Millennium Seminar Maintenance coverall and gloves. She was carrying a spray can in each hand. Utaha couldn't make out any of her face though, thanks to the respiratory gear, goggles, and a hat. The only thing she could see of her assigned mercenary backup was a few strands of dark green hair peeking out of the hat.
However, the most surprising thing was the sight of Karin sprawled out on the ground in front of said girl. It didn't look like the black-haired sniper was unconscious though. Instead, she was crying up a mess of tears and snot. The reason for this became abundantly clear when the winds shifted towards Utaha.
"Did you pepper spray her?" Utaha asked incredulously, even as she grabbed a portable respirator and goggles from her tool bag.
"One second," the girl answered as she casually tossed the cans aside. With her hands free, she went to unclip the radio from her belt. "Ten here, Maid 02 is down. Tell the Boss Lady I expect to see the signed papers by tomorrow night."
Ten sighed as she clipped the radio back. "Yeah, I pepper sprayed her. It doesn't feel right to use my gun for mercenary work, so I thought pepper spray would be more humane. A sniper that can't see isn't a threat." The girl paused as she looked at Karin. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed as she scratched the back of her head helplessly. "It probably would have been nicer to just knock her out with a wrench, though. I forgot how much pepper spray sucks."
Utaha mentally added a note that Ten was possibly a psychopath, even as she nodded in faux-understanding. "You… bought something for her, right?"
"Of course," Ten answered, shooting Utaha some sort of look. She couldn't quite see anything thanks to the PPE the girl wore. Still, the coverall-wearing girl reached into her machinist tool pouch and pulled out a large white carton for the world to see.
"Milk?" Utaha asked.
Ten nodded. "Milk."
"Please," Karin started to say before pausing to cough. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Please don't tell me you onl-" Another coughing fit interrupted her. "Please tell me you bought neutralizer too."
"Nope," Ten said, popping the P. She tore the top off the milk carton with casual ease. "Sorry about your clothes and gun."
Utaha tried to ignore the inelegant blubbering from Karin as Ten informally dumped the entire two-liter carton over the maid and her gun. She had to update her notes on Nelson-sensei too. The Adult might be a stand-up person, but she knew some shady people willing to be much more ruthless.
Millennium Tower Seminar Vault, 19:16
Asuna didn't let the vent explosion just happen. She spun her assault rifle about and stitched a line of bullets up the ventilation shaft. A pained cry of "Ow!" rewarded her efforts as several of her shots connected.
But her shots weren't fast enough, as the vent continued to burst open. Several fist-sized cloth sacks and ceramic jars struck her and the ground around her. Asuna flinched, as she expected the worst.
Except nothing happened.
No, not nothing. Asuna took a closer look at the ground around her. Surrounding her now, for at least a 3-meter radius, was a large puddle of oil, caltrops, and glass marbles. She was pretty sure it was just olive oil, based on the sudden smell of grass.
She couldn't clear the growing puddle without a running start. But it was also far too slippery for her to try to run through. A more ruthless person would have aimed for something far more harmful. But she didn't have to guess why they chose this.
Her instincts screamed at her as the smell of ozone flooded the room, lightning tearing off the new girl's weapon and filling the room with blinding blue light. There wasn't any way for her to dodge this attack without hitting the oil and marble patch. Asuna smiled at the girls and tossed aside Surprise Party. She didn't need Akane nagging her about breaking it again. This way, she could at least avoid that pain in the neck.
"Aim away from the face, OK?"
And then the shining bright blue light filled her world.
AN: Oh hi. We're back in the saddle, with this chapter. I fell ill for a bit right after the break, so my buffer isn't quite as large as I would like. However, there is enough for me to start posting again! Unfortunately, it seems there will be another break in the future. Not to refill the buffer, but to deal with some stuff IRL. I'll be sure to announce it once it comes up.
You know you'd think that after all these chapters, I'd learn how to spell Millennium but I still misspelled it once here….
Thanks as always to my friend who beta reads this!