YF gripped his armored vest through the shoulder straps on both sides, clenching his fists. It did little to calm his nerves as he imagined the different scenarios under which they would enter the Aoshima facility under construction in the valley below. From their vantage point the facility looked like a small and inconspicuous military outpost, with a wall that was not particularly high and two gates with a few guards each, one on the southwest side and one on the northeast side. He glanced from Minami, to Kigali, to Mizuno, and finally to Kawamata. They had gathered in a thick wooded area on the side of a mountain just outside the town of Ikusayama, and the last few groups of people had just arrived.
When YF looked around at Kawamata’s followers he was surprised to see that they were tidy and put together, donning decent equipment and cradling the latest weaponry. His mental picture of the guerillas was something more like a ragtag militia. But he should have known better; a disorganized group with poor equipment would not have given the government so much grief. YF also noticed for the first time that Kawamata’s face looked weary and aged. Many of the fighters looked past their prime as well, though all of them had a steely determination in their expression.
“There is only one objective, and that is to eliminate their reactor core,” said Kawamata. There was a low murmur of approval throughout the crowd. “Who’s up for the task?” she asked.
YF instantly raised his hand. “I will do it.”
Kawamata nodded.
“I will go with Mr. Sakai.”
“Me too.”
Kigali and Mizuno stepped up to the left and right of him.
Minami held up a hand to speak. “First we must go to the control room and shut down the reactor barrier. I suspect there is a stronger one around the facility as well. I would like Mr. Sakai, Mr. Mizuno, and Mr. Kigali to come with me there first. Afterward I will need to go to the command center to gather evidence on Blue Rose and Aoshima’s wrongdoings. Mr. Sakai and his team can proceed to the core after.”
“The moment the barrier comes down there will be multiple rounds of artillery strikes,” Kawamata said calmly as if she were explaining an item on a menu at a restaurant. “It’s safe to guess where you are going will be safe from that. It also goes without saying that you should not be moving around aboveground until I give a signal it is clear. Is that understood?”
YF shivered.
“Yes ma’am,” said Kigali.
“Good, move out.”
***
YF followed Minami’s lead as he moved through the trees, stepping lightly so as not to crack any stray branches. When the facility wall came into sight, Minami signaled for them to conceal themselves behind the trees. Two armored men were walking through the forest several paces from them.
Kigali gestured that he would take care of it. He raised his rifle and lined his scope toward the enemy. YF noticed there was something resembling a small harpoon on the end of his weapon. He shot at the first mercenary and waited for a click before shooting at the second, dropping both of them in the dirt. The four walked slowly to where the two men lay. When they arrived, YF could see that there were two spikes stuck into the back of their armor that had buried through the wearers’ skin. They were probably loaded with some sort of tranquilizer.
Minami shook his head in admiration. “Ardan technology. Amazing.”
“The control room is likely tracking their heart rates and movement,” said Kigali.
“They might not notice that quickly,” said Minami. “But we should get moving.”
The four continued to the now unprotected southeast wall. When they arrived they pressed against the concrete, waiting for Minami to speak.
“The barrier only raises if it detects movement over a certain speed,” Minami whispered.
“So how do we get over?” asked YF.
“We have to do it the old fashioned way, with rope.” Minami pulled out a rope with a long metal section on the end, wrapped in a foam-like substance. “I’ll toss this over and unsheath the hook. Then we climb.”
Kigali handed each of them a small disk. “This is a personal cloaking device. You will have about one minute before it turns off. There are no recharges.”
YF took the disk. “I’ll go last.”
Minami tossed the rope over the top and heard a soft click which must have been the hook latching into the wall. YF then watched as Minami, Kigali, and Mizuno each ascended, turning on their cloaking devices just as they reached the top and disappearing into the morning light. YF slung his rifle by the shoulder strap and grabbed onto the rope, planting the bottom of his boot onto the concrete surface and ascending carefully. He slowed his breathing as best he could to calm himself as the top of the wall drew ever nearer. Right before the edge he activated his cloaking device. YF then swung his leg over the top and scrambled up onto the ledge. He then stood up on top of the wall.
But from one end of the compound to the next, YF could not see where the others had gone. After ten seconds and still unable to find where they were, he grabbed the rope and rappelled down the wall, boots hitting the ground. YF picked the nearest door and made a dash for it — running straight into a mercenary and knocking him over.
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“Hey—”
YF heard a whizzing sound and a thunk, as a metal spike buried itself into the man’s armor and knocked him out. He looked up to see Kigali standing near a door further away, halfway concealed behind a wall and signaling for YF to drag the man’s body to the door. YF obliged, grabbing the man’s arm with both hands and hauling him to the door. He then scanned the latter’s wrist against the terminal and pushed the button, stepping into the complex just as the door closed. He looked down the hall and saw that there was a turn in the center toward where he had seen Kigali. YF continued and slipped past two mercenaries before making the turn and walking a few paces until he reached his destination. He pushed the button to open the door, revealing Kigali and Mizuno. YF looked down to see that the cloaking field had worn off of him.
“Where’s Minami?” YF asked.
“We don’t know,” Kigali whispered. “Let’s go for the barrier control center. If Minami didn’t find us by now he’s on his own.”
The three pressed against the sides of the small passageway, looking into the longer corridor until it was clear before coming out. Kigali led them down three flights of stairs and then opened the nearest room by pressing the button to swing the door open. YF looked over his shoulder. Inside were rows of people strapped firmly to metal beds by their neck, arms, wrists, legs, and ankles. Though YF was not surprised — and he could see that Mizuno was not either — the scene visibly shook Kigali.
“We need to find the control room and Minami,” said Mizuno gently as he pulled on Kigali’s arm.
An alarm started blaring overhead. “Warning, unauthorized personnel located in Wing 200…”
YF looked at the site map scrolling through a terminal on the wall. He frowned. “We’re not in Wing 200.”
“It’s Minami,” said Mizuno.
The three of them raised their weapons and filed out of the lab, going further northeast. They did not have to go far before they came across the ripped up, bloody bodies of mercenaries filling the pathway. Kigali retched, leaning against the nearest wall. Mizuno brushed past him and stepped over the bodies, following the trail of severed limbs, torsos, and abdomens until they arrived at a room at the end of multiple corridors. The heavy door guarding the room had been peeled down from the upper right corner like a piece of paper. Mizuno approached the door and then entered the room cautiously by stepping around it. YF followed behind him, lowering his weapon.
“More company,” said the man sitting at the desk inside. YF knew from the news and pictures that it was Hayashi Tohei.
“Minami and I were just discussing old times,” said Hayashi.
Minami turned to reveal his bloodshot, crazed eyes, scanning YF like a searchlight. Blood streamed down his mouth and hands. “It’s true I wasn’t entirely candid about my intentions,” said Minami in a warped, deep voice. “Though I cleared the way for you to complete your task for Kawamata. I hope that makes up for my deceit.”
YF looked from Hayashi to Minami before finally turning to Hayashi. “Why? Why…this?”
“For the nation—”
“No,” YF interrupted. “Why?” he repeated.
Hayashi opened his arms. “When Reina and Reika passed I was…inconsolable. I know your kind doesn’t look well upon us, but you must consider how few people we can trust, even from the moment we are born. The loss of people you can trust, in our circles, is equivalent to the loss of life itself.”
“The loss of Reina and your wife was a result of your pathetic narcissistic plans, Hayashi,” Minami corrected. “But what you did to my daughter was unforgivable—”
“Come now, Minami, if you hadn’t lost your position at the Met you would not be before me today. This is not about your daughter. You’re just as self absorbed as I am. Though it’s hard to avoid, when we all grow up lonely little kings in our fiefdoms,” said Hayashi. He looked up at YF. “You know Sakai-san, my Reina always liked you. Even from the early days. You might not remember but she met you long before Ueno-san and her became friends. You always had ideals beyond just yourself. She believed you had greatness in you, that you could easily outplay the hand you were dealt at birth.”
YF fingered his rifle trigger.
“Will you let our nation fall to our enemies, Sakai-san?” asked Hayashi. “Will you let my Reina’s work, her faith in you, disappear in vain?”
“Mr. Mizuno the barrier control is certainly in this room. Would you be so kind as to locate it and lower it?” asked Minami.
“Sakai-san,” Hayashi repeated.
“Give me the controls,” said YF, pointing his rifle at Minami.
Minami’s eyes widened.
YF fired a bolt at Minami’s feet, causing him to flinch.
“Give me the controls!” YF barked.
Hayashi smiled deeply. “We can fly out from the back with my ship.” He pressed a button under his desk.
YF pulled his gun off of Minami. “Now,” he said through the comm in his helmet.
The entire facility shook violently as the sound of artillery blasted overhead.
“I wouldn’t be too upset if I never heard the name Hayashi again,” said YF. He pointed his rifle at Hayashi Tohei. “You can be reunited with your Reina soon.”
“Do not take my vengeance from me, Mr. Sakai,” said Minami. “Find the safest way to get out for you and your friends. As for me, my watch has ended. Please leave me here with my old friend.”
YF lowered his gun as the chain of explosions continued above, shaking the ground on which they stood. He then stepped around the bent door and entered the hall. Just as Mizuno followed suit, the sound of screaming and flesh ripping filled the area. YF grabbed Kigali who was still standing there, dragging him down the corridor. “We need to find Hayashi’s ship,” said YF.
As soon as they turned again, they found at least a dozen people dressed in scrubs blocking their way, their sharp fangs dripping with saliva and hungry eyes staring at them. Kigali suddenly raised his weapon and pressed a button, the low blue glow switching to red. As the people charged toward them, Kigali fired multiple bolts in their direction, each one exploding on impact and splattering the walls with burnt flesh. He continued on in silence, shooting anyone that appeared within range of his weapon.
The three arrived at a large set of double doors, which opened to reveal a vast space in the center of the facility, with a ship resting in the middle. The area was quiet. Mizuno stepped through the opening and into the space, proceeding toward the ship with caution. A woman in scrubs suddenly dashed out from behind a tower of crates and unhinged her jaw, clamping down hard on Mizuno’s arm. Kigali pressed a button on his rifle until it glowed orange, shooting at the woman’s center of mass until she crumpled to the ground in a heap of body parts.
Mizuno looked down at his arm, and then up at YF. “Is there an antidote?”
“Yes,” said YF.
Mizuno smiled, then chuckled. “You were never very good at lying, Mr. Sakai.”
The doors from the other ends of the space opened up and more runners entered, searching with their eyes and noses wildly as if hunting for food.
“This extreme path never guaranteed a long life anyway,” said Mizuno. “I cannot keep my promise to you from earlier. So you will have to keep it yourself.”
“No!”
Kigali grabbed YF by wrapping his large arm around the latter’s torso, making a run for the ship. YF pulled on Kigali’s arm and gripped it as hard as he could to no avail.
“No no no! Mizuno!”
As the loading ramp for the ship lowered, YF could see Mizuno shooting at the hordes of runners before raising his gun as if in a salute before disappearing beneath a pile of the reaching, biting, tearing bodies.