It was a couple hours later, after the news had basically confirmed the initial assessment and the number of dead had stopped climbing, that Miss Walker appeared in the middle of the parlor, looking tired and much more frazzled than they had ever seen her.
James put down his phone, which he had used to speak with his grandparents to ensure they were all right - they were, luckily, having been home and immediately headed to the basement for shelter when the explosions started.
“Miss! Is everything all right?” Maria asked, hand extended as if to help the masked woman, who waved her off, sighing tiredly.
“It’s been a while since a clusterfuck of these proportions happened. We were lucky that so many teams were already prepared to intervene because of our operation, so we were able to stop a few of the most dangerous attacks and rescued all those who did not die on the spot.”
Her tone was relatively casual, considering what she was saying, but her eyes betrayed her weariness.
“Is the attack over?” James cut to the heart of the question. Frustration had mounted as they were forced to stay inside the well-defended HQ while ordinary people suffered. He was aware that they wouldn’t be able to do much more than the experienced teams already working on it and that after the confrontation with the Radiant Guild, no member of Team 0 was in the right condition to fight against terrorists. Still, the sensation of being useless and cooped up remained.
“As far as we can tell, we got them all. One of their teams managed to escape using a space-time skill, but we caught the remaining ones.” Miss Walker revealed, her hand reaching into the shadows and coming back out with a fluffy towel, which she used to dab at her exposed face, cleaning some of the soot and ash.
“They managed to destroy a good part of their immediate targets - the accumulated resources meant for the refugees - but most of the actual infrastructure, which was meant to be destroyed in the second wave of attacks, withstood the damage pretty well.” The woman continued.
James had little doubt that the critical hubs would be well defended despite the unpreparedness. Dungeons, for all the danger they brought along, also provided incredibly tough materials, which could be used to craft hardy infrastructure. No simple bomb was going to bring down any of the new skyscrapers.
The problem, of course, is the number of dead that still come along with such an attack. Our buildings and bridges might be tougher, but our people are not. Not the average ones, at least.
“There were a few casualties in the fights, but our preparedness was key. We overwhelmed them swiftly, and from there, they could only fight defensively. Once we had cornered them in a few abandoned warehouses, it was over.”
They all listened like gold was spilling from her hidden lips. The hours spent watching TV anchors speculate about how long it might take to clear the city of terrorists and what the eventual reaction might be had made them all starving for accurate information, and nothing could beat a direct account from someone who had participated in the operations.
“Do you think it would have been different if we had not conducted our operation tonight?” Daniel asked curiously.
Miss Walker hummed in assent. “Without a doubt. Only one of their teams was good enough to get to their escape points once we found them, but if we had to wait for a full muster… Well, many more would have escaped. Especially since Madam Helper was forbidden from taking the field.”
A collective intake of breath made her huff in laughter. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying she couldn’t take part in the operation at all. Just that she was contained to tracking and rescue efforts.”
“Did they believe she would be too destructive?” James queried, though he already knew the answer. Madam Helper was an extremely powerful S-rank Awakener who had her residence in the State, though no one knew exactly where. She was a common sight at charity events and galas, where celebrities mixed with powerful Awakeners seamlessly.
For all her glamour and elegance on the red carpet, however, the woman was known to be highly destructive. Her Talent was speculated to be a form of matter disintegration, and he could see how having her bulldoze through the city in search of the terrorists might have led to more damage than what the attacks had already done.
No one doubted her power. But more than one journalist and pundit, when asked, had confessed that they didn’t think her intervention would be a good idea. At least until they had the bastards cornered. Then everyone agreed that her particular brand of help might be very useful.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Miss Walker snorted in response to his question. “Yeah, and I can tell you she did not like that one bit. The woman was exuding enough power to level a city block. Still, she did her job. Her ability can be surprisingly useful in finding and rescuing trapped people.”
James thought about the few videos that were still online, which showed the results of her passing, and shuddered. Houses simply ceased to exist if she wanted to. Entire buildings were gone in an instant, as if they had never been there.
Narrowing the focus down, he supposed Madam Helper might be a successful rescuer. She’d be able to remove anything in her path to get to the trapped person, possibly holding the rest of the building from falling down with her will alone.
“So you got them all but one team? Got as in captured or as in killed?” Daniel’s question might have been a bit too morbid, but it was also an important one. If at least some of the terrorists had been taken alive, after all, they might be able to learn more about the reasons behind the attacks.
James wasn’t one to fall into baseless conspiracies, but even he had to admit that this seemed just too cartoonishly evil and stupid. He wanted more answers, and the only way they’d get them was if someone from the KLF started talking.
Miss Walker paused, her gaze slightly distant, as if recalling the night's events. "Most were killed. Their level of fanaticism was such that they preferred to take their own lives rather than be captured. But we did manage to apprehend a few. Interrogations are underway.”
Maria leaned forward, concern evident in her eyes. "Why would they go to such lengths? What could possibly drive them to such extremes for what we know is only supplies to civilians, no matter what they publicly claim?”
Miss Walker exhaled slowly. "Ideology, misinformation, desperation... it's hard to pinpoint a single reason. But what is clear is that this wasn't just a simple act of terror. There's a bigger picture here, and it's disturbing.”
James frowned at that. He himself had some doubts, but the teacher seemed to imply that she knew something specific, or at least had a theory. "What do you mean?”
The masked woman hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “I’m not saying that they had inside help, but the level of access they had to set up all the attacks should not have been possible. Not without a significant increase in their covert action ability, which nothing points to.”
Daniel's face turned ashen. "Are you suggesting there might be a powerful country behind them?”
Miss Walker nodded gravely "It's a possibility we cannot ignore. The swiftness with which they executed their plans, bypassing several security measures... It's unsettling. I don’t want to boast, but the KLF is incapable of blindsiding us like this. Not alone. I know they are not liked by anyone, but there are a few that could stomach working with them if it means weakening us.”
Silence settled in the room, the gravity of the revelation weighing heavily on them all. The idea that some country was using the KLF as a patsy to attack the US was a chilling thought. The implications were even worse.
I might have been a bit too hasty in my interpretation earlier.
Lauren, who had been silent throughout the discussion, finally spoke up, her voice soft yet edged with determination. "If that's true, then we're not just dealing with a group of terrorists. And this is not just a punitive action, like what they usually do around the world. This might be a plot to draw the US into a conflict.”
Miss Walker nodded in agreement. "It's a terrifying thought, but we must consider all possibilities. The stakes are too high for us to ignore any leads.”
James leaned forward, his brow furrowed in thought. "Is there any evidence to back this theory? Any intelligence or intercepted communications that could shed light on this?”
The masked woman hesitated for a moment, her eyes scanning each member of the team. “Nothing one hundred percent certain, but I can tell you I’m not the only one with doubts. Everyone who participated in the reclaiming of the land after the Apocalypse can tell you that their coordination was not that of bumfuck hickeys from nowhere. They had real training.”
Maria's eyes widened. "Why hasn't this been shared with the public? People have a right to know if there's a larger threat looming.”
Even now, the anchor on the TV was directing the discussion around the attacks and their consequences. Still, no one seemed to consider that their reaction was exactly what the organizers wanted.
Miss Walker sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's a delicate situation. Releasing such information without concrete evidence could lead to panic, not to mention diplomatic tensions if we point fingers at the wrong nation.”
Ezekiel chimed in “I also imagine that revealing what we know could tip off our adversaries, making it harder to gather more concrete evidence. If we publicly state that we suspect someone beyond the KLF, they’ll do their best to hide their traces.” That gained a nod of approval from their teacher.
Daniel looked pensive. "So we're caught in a catch-22. We can't act without more evidence, but gathering that evidence puts us at risk.”
James frowned, deep in thought. “These are all speculations about the how. But there’s also the question of why. Why would a powerful nation use the KLF as a proxy to attack us? What do they stand to gain?”
Miss Walker leaned back, her eyes distant. "That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? It could be anything from geopolitical maneuvering to diverting attention from their own internal issues. Or perhaps they want to test our defenses and response capabilities. I know at least China would love to get their hands on some real numbers about our S-rank forces. If we send them off in a rampage, they might gather enough information to start developing specific counters.”
The weight of the situation hung heavily in the room. Each team member was lost in their own thoughts, contemplating the larger implications of the night's events.
After a few moments of silence, Lauren broke the quiet. "What's our next move? How do we proceed from here?”
Miss Walker let out a startled laugh. “Oh, you are not going to do anything at all about it. This is above even my pay grade, it’s certainly not something you kids need to get involved in.”
Seeing their put off expressions, she added. “Listen, this is a matter of national security on a level not seen in years. If my suspicions turn out to be correct - and I really should not have shared them without thinking about it first - this might be the most serious incident since the opening of the S-rank dungeon in Northern Mexico. You have your G-rank exam to think about and once you’ve passed that, the climb to E-rank. Once you get to your second Awakening, we might start talking about this more.”
No matter what kind of needling they tried to employ, their teacher remained steadfast in her decision until finally, they agreed to table the matter, even though they were all terribly curious.
I’m not going to let this go so easily. But first, I need to pass this stupid exam.