[FIC] Whispered Reign (pt. 6)
Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 4:42 pm
Alright, here's the 6th part. Sorry it took so long. I was erm... busy with school and stuff. You see, the semester just started and I... was... caught... up.. with... work... Alright! Alright! I got lazy... There, I confess. *gets zapped by lightning* 
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Whispered Reign: Part 6
November 5th, 0657 Hours (Japan Standard Time)
Choufu-Shi, Tokyo, Japan
Kaname stood on the ground floor of her apartment building, all dressed up and ready for school. It was Friday, the last day of school for this week. Next week, they would get their final year exam results. The thought of it brought mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement. But something still tugged at her.
Would Sousuke survive the exams? After all, he was always away on his missions; could he truly concentrate on making it through the exams. Then again, he did revise every text book and revision book he could get his hands on the week before the exams began. ‘One would have won half the battle is he is fully prepared’ was his excuse for not sleeping a wink for three days in a row.
She had to teach him about the importance of proper sleeping pattern. He didn’t understand until she spoke in militaristic terms: ‘Even rest is a weapon. Two hours of sleep can make all the difference in the battlefield. I’m sure you should know that, Mr. Specialist.’
Surely those preparations would be enough. Sousuke was pretty sharp; he usually did quite well in his science and mathematic subjects. The only problem would be his kanji and literature. Kaname reassured herself that if Sousuke did fail those subjects, he can still graduate. There was absolutely nothing to worry about.
What if the school would not allow him to graduate- not because of his grades but because his absence rate was very high. What then? Would Mithril just pull him for good like the last time? Then Tessa would have her way with him, that little brat!
The more she thought about it, the more she felt uneasy. As much as she trusted Sousuke’s determination to guard her, doubts began to creep into her mind. Maybe this mission was a ploy to pull Sousuke away. Away from his mission here in Tokyo. Away from her. They knew that he would never leave willingly. Hence, they devised this so he wouldn’t have a choice.
She calmed herself. Mithril wasn’t that mean; their sense of justice would not allow them to do such a despicable act. Maybe she was just being paranoid. No. Maybe wasn’t good enough. She needed confirmation.
She peeked at her watch. It was still early; she could go to Sousuke’s apartment if she wanted to. It wasn’t a long walk from her apartment anyway. She checked in her bag to see if she had that key Sousuke gave her in case of emergency. She pulled out a ring of keys and searched for copy of Sousuke’s apartment door key. She found it and held it to her chest.
‘He did specifically say during emergencies and this isn’t exactly an emergency. Well, it was close enough!’
She huffed a ‘Hmphh’ and stomped her foot before setting off to Sousuke’s apartment.
She fitted the key in and with a ‘click’, the door unlocked and she pushed it open with care. Who knows? That damn otaku might have tied the doorknob to a grenade pin or something stupid like that. It was only typical of him. However, it was perfectly safe to enter, at least for the time being. If she had been more meticulous, she would have caught sight of the hair that fell gently to the floor when she opened the door.
It was the young soldier’s way of tracking movement in or out of his apartment. Any material thin enough to put in between the door was adequate, for instance a torn piece of paper. But a hair would be harder to spot by an untrained eye and was most professionals’ choice besides high-tech gear like motion sensors.
Closing the door behind her, she looked around the apartment. Nothing was missing; the furniture and equipments were still in place unlike the last time- he only left her CDs sitting alone on the bare floor.
This was a good sign. If Sousuke was pulled out, the clean-up crew would have moved everything out of his apartment already. Since they are still here, that would mean that Sousuke would return. It would also mean that made a fuss over nothing. Well, at least Sousuke won’t be here to see it.
She noticed her CDs that she borrowed him a few days earlier on a table next to the CD player. She walked over, picked up the one on the top of the stack and reviewed the title. It was the latest album by Michael Learns To Rock. The cover featured a serene landscape blanketed by lush green grass, a dirt road stretching into the horizon and a clump of coniferous trees.
Could Sousuke’s current mission commence in such a place? She chuckled quietly to herself- The serenity wouldn’t last for very long then, would it? Sousuke and that Arbalest would probably just stomp all over the place and ruin the scenery.
Somehow, thinking of the Arbalest got her worried. She cursed herself for taking things so lightly. In the Arbalest was where Sousuke fought for his life and the life of others. And if anything should go afoul, the Arbalest may be Sousuke’s resting place, his coffin, and she would lose him forever.
Shaking the thought out of her head, she fed the CD into the tray and played a track. Her eyes settled on a framed photo. It was the only photo Sousuke had which was of his squad in Afghanistan. She picked up the photo and moved her fingers over the picture of Sousuke wishing she could caress his face right then.
Maybe. When he gets back. Just maybe.
She missed him. Even though she tried to deny that, she felt a need to see his familiar face or at least hear his voice.
An idea came across her head- she could just give him a call. But what if he’s on the mission at the moment? Would she be interfering and put him in more peril. Well, she doubted that he would be carrying his cell phone at times where it would expose him.
“Just do it, Kaname” she told herself.
But if she did call, what signal would she be sending to Sousuke? She would need an excuse. She could ask him if he will make it back to collect his results or should she do it for him. Yes, that was a good excuse.
She picked up the phone and dialed Sousuke’s cell phone number and waited for him to pick up. Her heart was racing for reasons unknown to her. As soon as the receiving party answered the call, she spoke almost too soon.
“Er. Sousuke?”
“Hello? Chidori?” It was good to hear his voice once again.
“Are… you on a mission right now?”
“Err… no. Is there something wrong?”
Kaname smiled. He was so predictable. She knew it was going to be something like: Is there a problem? or What is the emergency? or something like that.
“No… no. Nothing’s wrong. So, does that mean that you’re free to speak now?”
“I see… Yes, I’m free to talk now.” She could hear Kurz voice saying something to Sousuke before Sousuke added, “Err… Hold on, Chidori.”
No doubt that Kurz was being his usual playful self. So, she waited patiently for him to reply.
“Yes, Chidori. I’m back. There was something you wanted to speak to me about?”
“It’s not really anything. Err… When are you coming back?” She knew she sounded like a mouse when she said that but she couldn’t help it. Would Sousuke have noticed that?
“I do not know. If all goes well, probably tomorrow evening. Why?”
This would be a good time to test her excuse. “Well, um… Our exam results will be out next week. I just wanted to know if you could make it back by then.”
“Oh, I believe so. You’re stammering a lot.” She could hear the concern in his voice.
Oh, no. He was able to see through her excuse. Damn. Why was she so nervous!? Let’s just stick to the story and see what happens.
Kaname tried to laugh it off but because she was so very tense, it sounded all wrong. “I was distracted by the music.”
“Hmm… I’ve noticed that. Are… you… in my apartment?”
Wow. How does he know? Did he have a surveillance device installed?
Kaname looked around her not sure what she was seeking. Maybe a camera on the ceiling or hidden in the dark corners. Clearly she would not find any- Sousuke was a specialist. If those devices were so easily found, it wouldn’t be up to Sousuke’s standard.
“Eh! How’d you figure that out?”
“The CD you’re playing now- I borrowed it from you a few days ago.”
She’d forgotten that the CD was still playing. What a simple solution. And here she was thinking about secret spy gadgets and the likes.
“Did I? Umm… yes. I just wanted to check if the CD is with you.” She tried to laugh again but still it didn’t sound natural. She silently reminded herself not to do that again.
“Chidori?”
She had been silent for quite a long time and Sousuke was wondering if something was bothering her. Her spirit came back in full swing all of a sudden.
“And to check if you’ve run away like the LAST time!”
“Chidori, I promised to return. I will.” His voice was reassuring.
She blushed at his last remark. It was best if she just ended the call right then. She was half-afraid that she would melt if Sousuke said anymore. Besides, it was time for her to leave for school anyway.
“Well…, I have to go to school now. Bye.” And she hung up.
Quickly, she switched off the CD player, left the apartment, locked the door and skipped her way to the elevator, feeling as light as a feather. No, lighter. As if she was flying...
************
************
“Urzu 3 and 6 will attack from the sea. Urzu 6 will provide cover fire for Urzu 3 to surface. Once Urzu 3 is on land, he’ll bombard this location with Javelin missiles. Urzu 1, 2 and 7 will launch an air attack,” the mature voice of Kalinin’s proposed while he pointed on the map.
“Yes, it is an excellent plan.” Cmdr. Mardukas backed up his strategy.
“Then it is as you say, Kalinin san.”
Kalinin was about to inform the SRTs to gather for a briefing when Second Lieutenant Lemming exclaimed with a near-panicky voice that the situation on the U.S. base was going out of their expectations.
“Captain! The U.S. Special Forces has begun their assault!”
“What!? Bring it up on the screen.”
Lemming flipped a switch and instantly the battle scene was projected onto the big screen.
The U.S. forces were attacking head on with ten M9s trying to overwhelm the invading forces. A fierce battle was ensuing over the monitors with no sign of either force having the upper hand. But that was because the Venom had not entered the battle yet.
“BAKA!! They have no chance against the Venom.” That was from the Commander surprisingly. The Captain just watched the fight as if she was witnessing a horrific incident. She knew that the Venom would mercilessly destroy every ASes and judging by how Amalgam works, they would not even allow the U.S. a humiliating retreat.
The Venom moved. Tessa looked away. They had no audio- Tessa would not have heard the 57mm cannons firing away.
“The… the terrorists. They’re… retreating,” Lemming said with much effort and disbelieve.
Tessa opened her eyes to look again. The camera swiveled to show five or more ASes staying at a distance away from the heat sniping with the 57 mm cannons. Even the Venom was having trouble dodging the incoming sniper fire. Using its advanced hydraulics systems, it was jumping and ducking while its Lambda Driver was kept busy deflecting shots it cannot evade.
“Wow. The U.S. must have known that they would have to swarm the Venom to chase it away,” Tessa said in amazement.
“And the pilot of the Venom must be very inexperienced. Or the U.S. would have lost sooner or later if the terrorists had held their ground.”
Tessa looked over at Kalinin. He had a serious look on his face. Kalinin could feel a foreboding threat but he couldn’t quite place it. The terrorists had retreated to the shore and disappeared into the waves dragging a couple of cargo containers holding their foot soldiers and their armored vehicles. They left none behind save for the dead, not like the style of Amalgam. These men were not cowards.
“Well, looks like we’ll have to use our diplomatic ties to secure the Vice Admiral. Although, I honestly didn’t think that the U.S. would make it. Let’s just hope they don’t try to trick any information out of the Vice Admiral.” Mardukas said with a sigh.
“The Vice Admiral is a member of the Board of Directors. I’m sure he will not divulge any information regarding Mithril.” Tessa said with relieve not needing to send her men into battle, especially Sousuke.
“Captain. There’s a call on Line 6.” Lemming was waiting for Tessa’s reply.
“Patch the line through.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Admiral Borda appeared before the screen. “I was told the situation had been resolved without our intervention?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good. We’ll work on securing the Vice Admiral. And one more thing, since you are not any mission, can you return to our facility on the Solomon Island? The Board of Directors is insisting on a meeting to discuss the recent attacks.”
“Why do we need to return to Australia?”
“Because they want to meet face to face. Our lines have been intercepted lately by some hacker attacks and an online meeting is no longer secure. Even this line has undergone many security protocols. But the meeting must take place.”
“Face… to face? Isn’t that a little risky?”
“That’s why we need the presence of TDD-1 for support. We have plenty of ASes on guard there but the TDD-1 is just as precaution. So, can you do that?”
“Affirmative, Sir.”
“Good. I’ll upload the coordinates now.” And the line was cut off.
Tessa commanded Lemming to set a course for the coordinates given and dropped into her seat, exhausted.
“You should get some rest, Captain.”
“Thank you, Mardukas san. I think I’ll do just that.”
************
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An AS was lifted by a crane from the sea and onto shore. Another AS was lifted in the same fashion. Then, a cargo container followed by another AS.
A man sat alone on the hand of a kneeling AS.
“Brother, the U.S. came there first. Mithril did not show up. I retreated as planned. Damn, the boy is lucky.”
“Well, it happens. Don’t worry about it. We must not forget our main purpose. Killing the boy is merely a bonus.”
“Hold on, bother.” Holding a hand over the receiver, Jaafar stood and called to another soldier.
“Remove the head gear and the shoulder guard. We don’t need it to look like the Codarl M anymore.” He pointed towards his AS.
“Sorry, brother. I just ordered a soldier to remove the ornaments.”
“No need to. My men have intercepted a message: Mithril’s top executives are having a secret meeting. This is our good chance to pit Mithril and Amalgam against each other. Then without Mithril or Amalgam to stop us, the world will belong to the Whispereds.”
Jaafar shook his finger to the soldier and send him away. “Will it be well-guarded?”
“Yes, even the TDD-1 will be providing support. But you shouldn’t have any problems. The other Ghosts have not exposed themselves. I’m sure even Mithril’s ECCS could not pick up an AS on ECS mode while the Ghosts are underwater.”
“Alright, that sounds like a good plan. How do you plan to extract us?”
“I already have three Globe-master on route to your position. Bring only the Ghosts. I will have some other Shadows wait for you there.”
“By the way, brother, we lost some men back there.”
“Yes, well, make a list of those who were lost. We will compensate their family for their sacrifice.”
“And brother, while I’m in Brazil, do you want a souvenir?” He grinned.
“Hahaha… Bring back a football. Well, anyway, good luck.”
“I don’t need luck. I have a customized Ghost, remember? Bye.” He ended the call and went to round up some of his pilots. They could not afford to rest yet.
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Whispered Reign: Part 6
November 5th, 0657 Hours (Japan Standard Time)
Choufu-Shi, Tokyo, Japan
Kaname stood on the ground floor of her apartment building, all dressed up and ready for school. It was Friday, the last day of school for this week. Next week, they would get their final year exam results. The thought of it brought mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement. But something still tugged at her.
Would Sousuke survive the exams? After all, he was always away on his missions; could he truly concentrate on making it through the exams. Then again, he did revise every text book and revision book he could get his hands on the week before the exams began. ‘One would have won half the battle is he is fully prepared’ was his excuse for not sleeping a wink for three days in a row.
She had to teach him about the importance of proper sleeping pattern. He didn’t understand until she spoke in militaristic terms: ‘Even rest is a weapon. Two hours of sleep can make all the difference in the battlefield. I’m sure you should know that, Mr. Specialist.’
Surely those preparations would be enough. Sousuke was pretty sharp; he usually did quite well in his science and mathematic subjects. The only problem would be his kanji and literature. Kaname reassured herself that if Sousuke did fail those subjects, he can still graduate. There was absolutely nothing to worry about.
What if the school would not allow him to graduate- not because of his grades but because his absence rate was very high. What then? Would Mithril just pull him for good like the last time? Then Tessa would have her way with him, that little brat!
The more she thought about it, the more she felt uneasy. As much as she trusted Sousuke’s determination to guard her, doubts began to creep into her mind. Maybe this mission was a ploy to pull Sousuke away. Away from his mission here in Tokyo. Away from her. They knew that he would never leave willingly. Hence, they devised this so he wouldn’t have a choice.
She calmed herself. Mithril wasn’t that mean; their sense of justice would not allow them to do such a despicable act. Maybe she was just being paranoid. No. Maybe wasn’t good enough. She needed confirmation.
She peeked at her watch. It was still early; she could go to Sousuke’s apartment if she wanted to. It wasn’t a long walk from her apartment anyway. She checked in her bag to see if she had that key Sousuke gave her in case of emergency. She pulled out a ring of keys and searched for copy of Sousuke’s apartment door key. She found it and held it to her chest.
‘He did specifically say during emergencies and this isn’t exactly an emergency. Well, it was close enough!’
She huffed a ‘Hmphh’ and stomped her foot before setting off to Sousuke’s apartment.
She fitted the key in and with a ‘click’, the door unlocked and she pushed it open with care. Who knows? That damn otaku might have tied the doorknob to a grenade pin or something stupid like that. It was only typical of him. However, it was perfectly safe to enter, at least for the time being. If she had been more meticulous, she would have caught sight of the hair that fell gently to the floor when she opened the door.
It was the young soldier’s way of tracking movement in or out of his apartment. Any material thin enough to put in between the door was adequate, for instance a torn piece of paper. But a hair would be harder to spot by an untrained eye and was most professionals’ choice besides high-tech gear like motion sensors.
Closing the door behind her, she looked around the apartment. Nothing was missing; the furniture and equipments were still in place unlike the last time- he only left her CDs sitting alone on the bare floor.
This was a good sign. If Sousuke was pulled out, the clean-up crew would have moved everything out of his apartment already. Since they are still here, that would mean that Sousuke would return. It would also mean that made a fuss over nothing. Well, at least Sousuke won’t be here to see it.
She noticed her CDs that she borrowed him a few days earlier on a table next to the CD player. She walked over, picked up the one on the top of the stack and reviewed the title. It was the latest album by Michael Learns To Rock. The cover featured a serene landscape blanketed by lush green grass, a dirt road stretching into the horizon and a clump of coniferous trees.
Could Sousuke’s current mission commence in such a place? She chuckled quietly to herself- The serenity wouldn’t last for very long then, would it? Sousuke and that Arbalest would probably just stomp all over the place and ruin the scenery.
Somehow, thinking of the Arbalest got her worried. She cursed herself for taking things so lightly. In the Arbalest was where Sousuke fought for his life and the life of others. And if anything should go afoul, the Arbalest may be Sousuke’s resting place, his coffin, and she would lose him forever.
Shaking the thought out of her head, she fed the CD into the tray and played a track. Her eyes settled on a framed photo. It was the only photo Sousuke had which was of his squad in Afghanistan. She picked up the photo and moved her fingers over the picture of Sousuke wishing she could caress his face right then.
Maybe. When he gets back. Just maybe.
She missed him. Even though she tried to deny that, she felt a need to see his familiar face or at least hear his voice.
An idea came across her head- she could just give him a call. But what if he’s on the mission at the moment? Would she be interfering and put him in more peril. Well, she doubted that he would be carrying his cell phone at times where it would expose him.
“Just do it, Kaname” she told herself.
But if she did call, what signal would she be sending to Sousuke? She would need an excuse. She could ask him if he will make it back to collect his results or should she do it for him. Yes, that was a good excuse.
She picked up the phone and dialed Sousuke’s cell phone number and waited for him to pick up. Her heart was racing for reasons unknown to her. As soon as the receiving party answered the call, she spoke almost too soon.
“Er. Sousuke?”
“Hello? Chidori?” It was good to hear his voice once again.
“Are… you on a mission right now?”
“Err… no. Is there something wrong?”
Kaname smiled. He was so predictable. She knew it was going to be something like: Is there a problem? or What is the emergency? or something like that.
“No… no. Nothing’s wrong. So, does that mean that you’re free to speak now?”
“I see… Yes, I’m free to talk now.” She could hear Kurz voice saying something to Sousuke before Sousuke added, “Err… Hold on, Chidori.”
No doubt that Kurz was being his usual playful self. So, she waited patiently for him to reply.
“Yes, Chidori. I’m back. There was something you wanted to speak to me about?”
“It’s not really anything. Err… When are you coming back?” She knew she sounded like a mouse when she said that but she couldn’t help it. Would Sousuke have noticed that?
“I do not know. If all goes well, probably tomorrow evening. Why?”
This would be a good time to test her excuse. “Well, um… Our exam results will be out next week. I just wanted to know if you could make it back by then.”
“Oh, I believe so. You’re stammering a lot.” She could hear the concern in his voice.
Oh, no. He was able to see through her excuse. Damn. Why was she so nervous!? Let’s just stick to the story and see what happens.
Kaname tried to laugh it off but because she was so very tense, it sounded all wrong. “I was distracted by the music.”
“Hmm… I’ve noticed that. Are… you… in my apartment?”
Wow. How does he know? Did he have a surveillance device installed?
Kaname looked around her not sure what she was seeking. Maybe a camera on the ceiling or hidden in the dark corners. Clearly she would not find any- Sousuke was a specialist. If those devices were so easily found, it wouldn’t be up to Sousuke’s standard.
“Eh! How’d you figure that out?”
“The CD you’re playing now- I borrowed it from you a few days ago.”
She’d forgotten that the CD was still playing. What a simple solution. And here she was thinking about secret spy gadgets and the likes.
“Did I? Umm… yes. I just wanted to check if the CD is with you.” She tried to laugh again but still it didn’t sound natural. She silently reminded herself not to do that again.
“Chidori?”
She had been silent for quite a long time and Sousuke was wondering if something was bothering her. Her spirit came back in full swing all of a sudden.
“And to check if you’ve run away like the LAST time!”
“Chidori, I promised to return. I will.” His voice was reassuring.
She blushed at his last remark. It was best if she just ended the call right then. She was half-afraid that she would melt if Sousuke said anymore. Besides, it was time for her to leave for school anyway.
“Well…, I have to go to school now. Bye.” And she hung up.
Quickly, she switched off the CD player, left the apartment, locked the door and skipped her way to the elevator, feeling as light as a feather. No, lighter. As if she was flying...
************
************
“Urzu 3 and 6 will attack from the sea. Urzu 6 will provide cover fire for Urzu 3 to surface. Once Urzu 3 is on land, he’ll bombard this location with Javelin missiles. Urzu 1, 2 and 7 will launch an air attack,” the mature voice of Kalinin’s proposed while he pointed on the map.
“Yes, it is an excellent plan.” Cmdr. Mardukas backed up his strategy.
“Then it is as you say, Kalinin san.”
Kalinin was about to inform the SRTs to gather for a briefing when Second Lieutenant Lemming exclaimed with a near-panicky voice that the situation on the U.S. base was going out of their expectations.
“Captain! The U.S. Special Forces has begun their assault!”
“What!? Bring it up on the screen.”
Lemming flipped a switch and instantly the battle scene was projected onto the big screen.
The U.S. forces were attacking head on with ten M9s trying to overwhelm the invading forces. A fierce battle was ensuing over the monitors with no sign of either force having the upper hand. But that was because the Venom had not entered the battle yet.
“BAKA!! They have no chance against the Venom.” That was from the Commander surprisingly. The Captain just watched the fight as if she was witnessing a horrific incident. She knew that the Venom would mercilessly destroy every ASes and judging by how Amalgam works, they would not even allow the U.S. a humiliating retreat.
The Venom moved. Tessa looked away. They had no audio- Tessa would not have heard the 57mm cannons firing away.
“The… the terrorists. They’re… retreating,” Lemming said with much effort and disbelieve.
Tessa opened her eyes to look again. The camera swiveled to show five or more ASes staying at a distance away from the heat sniping with the 57 mm cannons. Even the Venom was having trouble dodging the incoming sniper fire. Using its advanced hydraulics systems, it was jumping and ducking while its Lambda Driver was kept busy deflecting shots it cannot evade.
“Wow. The U.S. must have known that they would have to swarm the Venom to chase it away,” Tessa said in amazement.
“And the pilot of the Venom must be very inexperienced. Or the U.S. would have lost sooner or later if the terrorists had held their ground.”
Tessa looked over at Kalinin. He had a serious look on his face. Kalinin could feel a foreboding threat but he couldn’t quite place it. The terrorists had retreated to the shore and disappeared into the waves dragging a couple of cargo containers holding their foot soldiers and their armored vehicles. They left none behind save for the dead, not like the style of Amalgam. These men were not cowards.
“Well, looks like we’ll have to use our diplomatic ties to secure the Vice Admiral. Although, I honestly didn’t think that the U.S. would make it. Let’s just hope they don’t try to trick any information out of the Vice Admiral.” Mardukas said with a sigh.
“The Vice Admiral is a member of the Board of Directors. I’m sure he will not divulge any information regarding Mithril.” Tessa said with relieve not needing to send her men into battle, especially Sousuke.
“Captain. There’s a call on Line 6.” Lemming was waiting for Tessa’s reply.
“Patch the line through.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Admiral Borda appeared before the screen. “I was told the situation had been resolved without our intervention?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good. We’ll work on securing the Vice Admiral. And one more thing, since you are not any mission, can you return to our facility on the Solomon Island? The Board of Directors is insisting on a meeting to discuss the recent attacks.”
“Why do we need to return to Australia?”
“Because they want to meet face to face. Our lines have been intercepted lately by some hacker attacks and an online meeting is no longer secure. Even this line has undergone many security protocols. But the meeting must take place.”
“Face… to face? Isn’t that a little risky?”
“That’s why we need the presence of TDD-1 for support. We have plenty of ASes on guard there but the TDD-1 is just as precaution. So, can you do that?”
“Affirmative, Sir.”
“Good. I’ll upload the coordinates now.” And the line was cut off.
Tessa commanded Lemming to set a course for the coordinates given and dropped into her seat, exhausted.
“You should get some rest, Captain.”
“Thank you, Mardukas san. I think I’ll do just that.”
************
************
An AS was lifted by a crane from the sea and onto shore. Another AS was lifted in the same fashion. Then, a cargo container followed by another AS.
A man sat alone on the hand of a kneeling AS.
“Brother, the U.S. came there first. Mithril did not show up. I retreated as planned. Damn, the boy is lucky.”
“Well, it happens. Don’t worry about it. We must not forget our main purpose. Killing the boy is merely a bonus.”
“Hold on, bother.” Holding a hand over the receiver, Jaafar stood and called to another soldier.
“Remove the head gear and the shoulder guard. We don’t need it to look like the Codarl M anymore.” He pointed towards his AS.
“Sorry, brother. I just ordered a soldier to remove the ornaments.”
“No need to. My men have intercepted a message: Mithril’s top executives are having a secret meeting. This is our good chance to pit Mithril and Amalgam against each other. Then without Mithril or Amalgam to stop us, the world will belong to the Whispereds.”
Jaafar shook his finger to the soldier and send him away. “Will it be well-guarded?”
“Yes, even the TDD-1 will be providing support. But you shouldn’t have any problems. The other Ghosts have not exposed themselves. I’m sure even Mithril’s ECCS could not pick up an AS on ECS mode while the Ghosts are underwater.”
“Alright, that sounds like a good plan. How do you plan to extract us?”
“I already have three Globe-master on route to your position. Bring only the Ghosts. I will have some other Shadows wait for you there.”
“By the way, brother, we lost some men back there.”
“Yes, well, make a list of those who were lost. We will compensate their family for their sacrifice.”
“And brother, while I’m in Brazil, do you want a souvenir?” He grinned.
“Hahaha… Bring back a football. Well, anyway, good luck.”
“I don’t need luck. I have a customized Ghost, remember? Bye.” He ended the call and went to round up some of his pilots. They could not afford to rest yet.
What was that?