Panic. Pandemonium. Chaos. Disorder.
The Basillicom made those descriptions inadequate. A mad cyclone of officials carrying reports, and paperwork, and it was taking all I had to remain the eye of the storm. The calm at the center of the storm.
"I want a report on how the ASIC has affected corporate profits. If we're lucky, it could make them easier to negotiate with," a few people ran off, as that would be no small task. Especially now, as the ASIC was building up more power with each passing day. With Vert gone, it felt as if the floodgates has opened, as the ASIC was celebrating their victory. And make no mistake, it was a victory. Vert was gone, and Chika was, not taking it well. In one move, Leanbox's most experienced rulers were out of the picture.
Leaving me to pick up the slack. Which was technically my job as the CPU candidate in the first place, but I'd had minimal experience. Making this a true trial by fire. I flipped through a report, full of various distributing locations of pirated software that the ASIC sold, scowling. While having information on where these were distributed was nice, these were really just a smaller problem. When hit, the ASIC would take a loss, yes, but ultimately, they had more than plenty of fresh recruits, and with their production facilities intact, it would be a minor inconvenience.
As I closed it, another report slide over it. I looked up to find Cave, standing regal and proper, report in hand.
"Is this?" I asked, opening it and looking over the findings.
"We've managed to locate several production facilities, Ma'am," Cave said, looking down at me. "It might not be all of them, but we do believe we have all of their monster chip production sites as well."
"That is very good news," my smile had far too many teeth, but I was past the point of caring about such things. The ability to prove that the ASIC could transport monsters into the city, making them the party responsible for the Fenrir attack? That was the gold mine I'd been waiting for. And it couldn't have been better timed.
"I have officers ready to move in to arrest and break up the machinery as soon as you give the order," Cave said. It was a tempting offer. To go into tomorrow with a win under my belt. So, so tempting. But, I already had my win. The monster summoning tech was that win.
"Wait until tomorrow," I said, nodding.
"Tomorrow? Tomorrow morning? That's just a few hours away," Cave gave me a confused look.
"Tomorrow evening," I took special note of the locations where these types of chips were produced. "Did anyone get ahold of a specimen? Ideally unused? Or was it deemed too risky?"
"No, we did not," Cave said. "But tomorrow evening, Ma'am? Isn't that when your interview is?"
So I was going to have to do some work myself. "That's exactly why I want to wait. Striking during the interview, ideally, probably ten minutes afterward, would be best. Our agents will have a distraction, and one way or another, the media will have something good to talk about."
I wasn't planning on flubbing the interview. Far from it. Ideally, this would be a reinforcement of what I planned to do, backing my words with actions. But it was nice to have an insurance policy. But Cave getting this to me today simplified things. The fact that nobody outside of Vert and Chika, well, had seen my face and would be able to connect it to Green 'Sister' was a blessing. But given the state of affairs, anonymity had its fair share of disadvantages. Mostly in the fact that Leanbox didn't know me. Not like they knew Vert or Chika.
Yes, that gave me an advantage against the ASIC, as they had no idea what I would do or respond, but neither did the people of Leanbox. And that was the far bigger problem. The longer I kept up this unseen but heard act, the less faith people would have in my giving them a straight answer to start with. And right now, I simply couldn't afford to keep up the act. The costs were outweighing the benefits. I was going to have to address the nation.
But thanks to Cave? My anonymity would have some use after all. Green Sister was a decently known face by this point. But Hinum? A few people knew me, but not a whole lot. I certainly wouldn't be on any ASIC watch lists, either.
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"Who was that, Linda?" Linda sighed, taking a puff from her cigarette.
"Just some chick who wanted to mess stuff up. Wanted the really good, high-end stuff," she said, turning around to not let her boss see her rolling her eyes.
"Damnit, Linda! The tools have been snooping around as of late! We don't need to have our cover blown now!" Her boss snapped, clearly annoyed.
"And her messing around throws them off our scent. Besides, we got the Goddess already. What's the newly minted Candidate going to do? Cry about it?" Linda scowled, taking another puff of her cigarette. She'd heard the news at the same time everyone else did. With all four Goddesses gone, the ASIC had pretty much won already. Now was only a matter of wiping out the few candidates that remained. And she had the benefit of being in Leanbox. Which, up until recently, didn't have a CPU Candidate to take Green Hearts' place.
A complication to be sure, but she hadn't been seen in public since the Fenrir stunt. So clearly, she wasn't anything to worry about either. Given how Green Heart would have announced a sister for all the world to hear, this had to be recent.
A Candidate that was practically a newborn against the ASIC? Linda almost felt bad for them.
Almost.
"If this ends up biting us in the ass, I'll make sure to demote you," Linda's boss threatened, before leaving her to smoke in peace.
"Yeah right. As if that would ever happen."
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"That is, risky," Cave said, looking down at the disk in my hand. "Incredibly risky."
The thing is, she wasn't exactly wrong. Quite frankly, the move was bold and aggressive. A bit too aggressive, some might argue. But I needed something to put the ASIC on the back foot. Something to throw them off their balance while they were too busy celebrating their victory. The celebrations would distract them for a time, but that time was limited, and sooner rather than later, they would begin to push their advantage.
Quite frankly, if they hadn't committed the Fenrir attack, then I would be in a considerably worse position, as much as it pained me to say it. People were scared, as a monster of considerable strength had managed to be transported into the city itself. And quite frankly, I was going to do something disgusting. I was going to prey on that fear. The ASIC was the most likely party to be responsible, as they were the ones in possession of technology that could sneak monsters into Leanbox. And even if they weren't? A statement hadn't been made, one way or another. They had the tech, I had the proof they could make it.
People were afraid of another attack, and I was going to use that fear to tar and feather the ASIC. Was it gross, to make use of people's fear to manipulate them? Yes, yes it was. But tis hat fear, or more accurately, a solution to assuage those fears? I was going to capitalize on that. I needed people to be against the ASIC. Fear, alongside providing a solution to that problem.
Admittedly, this was a temporary solution to the problem at hand. Ruling through fear was far from ideal. I wanted the people of Leanbox to be safe, and happy, but to do that, I needed to cut the ASIC off at the knees. Cut off their recruitment, and cut off their support. An organization that orchestrated such an attack against Leanbox and her people would have a harder time getting support if such information came to light.
"I know. People are going to be scared, and I'm going to be playing off that fear," I scowled. "I'm going to have to talk a tightrope of getting people worked up, but not to the point where they panic."
"That, and you don't have the time to include such a radical change in your planned responses," Cave said, standing still. "Not to mention how much it would derail the plans of your address itself. It's far too late to edit and practice with a new script now."
"The script is an outline," I said. "It's there to keep me on track, and remind me of the points I want to talk about and cover."
That was how I preferred to give speeches, anyway. But tonight was the night that I'd be putting that particular set of skills to the test.
"Very well," Cave said, before pausing for a moment. "What monster did you put in that thing, anyway?"
"A flower, why?" Cave gave me a look I was more than willing to return. "What? I'm trying to show off that they're capable of using this tech to transport monsters into the city, not cause a panic."
"That is fair," Cave shook her head. "I still disagree with this grandstanding plan of yours. I think we should hit these facilities before your speech. It would give you a leg up going in. Especially now that you have your evidence."
That was a fair point. The only reason I didn't want a hit last night was because I wanted this demonstration. Sure, it was one thing to hear about such technology on the news, hear about it through reports. But to see its use in person? Live? That would have a considerably different impact. One harsher, and more visceral.
"How long would it take to get the police and guards back into position, then?" I asked. There wasn't any reason I could have my cake and eat it at this junction. Hell, I could even partake, if there was enough time to do so. Being willing to work directly with Leanbox's law enforcement could prove to be a boast as well.
"The soonest we can have enough people to hit all the locations would be about five o'clock, Ma'am," Cave said, as I looked towards the clock hanging off the wall. The interview was at seven. Two hours would normally be what I would consider a considerable amount of wiggle room, especially with the ability to fly. But the problem was I'd be dressing up. Something I normally wouldn't consider, but naturally, the skintight body armor wasn't exactly, ideal, for a formal address.
Which meant I had to wear a dress. Which wasn't ideal for me, as I'd never worn one before. A suit, yes, a few times. But dresses were foreign to me.
It was similar to one of the many dresses Vert owned, specifically, for Green Heart. The majority was white, a color easy to stain, but matched my armor. Unlike Verts, it had straps going over my shoulders, helping hold up the article of clothing. The lower half of the dress was a sold dark emerald, while a bow of lighter green contrasted it on my hips. A pair of light green ribbons rested further up. It came down to just above my ankles.
Which made it fairly conservative by Gamindustri standards, but given some of the outfits Vert had, I'd rather preserve my modesty. Especially given how the proportions between me and Green 'Sister' were considerably different. At least Vert had the advantage of having somewhat similar ones to Green Heart.
"What exactly are the odds of me being able to join the assault, even if temporarily?" I asked, curious.
"I suspect you will be busy making preparations. And I imagine having Green Sister retreat for those preparations would ultimately make for suboptimal optics," Cave said, as I let out a hiss. That was a fair point. I missed a perfectly good PR opportunity there, hadn't I? It was a mistake I could live with for the time being, but that was still a misstep I didn't want to make again. I could claim I wanted to use the interview as a distraction if asked about the matter.
Sure, I could afford the slip-up. Possibly. For the time being. But I wasn't going to be able to rely on the ASIC being overconfident forever. Or even much longer, at that. One way or another that would be ending tonight. Just had to make sure this punch counted for everything it was worth.
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"Welcoming, Green Sister!" a cue if there ever was one. A deep breath in, and I stepped out into the light of the set. My hair, though not put up, was nicely combed. When transformed, it was far too short to do much else with it, to be frank. My dress was immaculate, wrapped tightly around my frame. Even my eyes held a faint flicker of power.
The audience, if it could be considered that, muttered amongst themselves. I saw a few camera flashes as well, though not as many as I thought, joined by those with notepads. Most seemed largely uninterested, a few seemed outright concerned. That wasn't promising, but for the moment, there was little I could do on the matter.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Smiling and waving almost felt appropriate, but waving would be out of place, and wouldn't play off the crowd. But I did smile a slight bit, mostly towards the host.
"Thank you for having me," I said firmly, as took the seat offered to me. I tried to keep my posture firm, lacking slouching or fidgeting, but still imperfect. I wanted to create an image of someone strong, but still human and approachable.
"I'm a bit surprised that you haven't shown yourself sooner. You haven't been seen publicly since the Fenrir attack," she said, a clear opening to make an initial statement.
"Green Heart and I felt it would be best to let the situation settle before I revealed myself further. The Fenrir attack was a tragedy, one that does not deserve to be overshadowed by my arrival," I said, keeping my eyes firmly on her, but speaking to the audience. This was about Leanbox, and I wanted to make that clear. That the people were my primary concern in these matters, rather than myself.
Part of me wanted to tip my hand as well, right here, and right now. However, that would largely undercut the point I was trying to make. There would be time to circle back around, with a different angle.
"And I imagine present events have kept you quiet, indisposed," she said, a slight smile on her face. It took all the restraint I had to keep my eyes from narrowing. Just a quirk? Or was there something more going on here?
"Indeed. There has been no small bit of chaos as a result of Green Heart's, capture, on top of me assuming her regular duties," I said calmly. While I didn't like admitting it, the cat was out of the bag by this point, and everyone knew it. My being here was proof enough of that.
One of the few things I had going back and forth was what word I should use to describe the situation. Words had power, after all, and what words being used could have implications. Kidnapping is a word I would want to use, as the negative connotations suggested negative things about the ASIC. But at the same time, referring to Green Heart as a kid would also imply it was easy. And if she was easy to capture, what chance did her little sister have?
Thus, capture was ultimately decided upon. It had negative connotations and implied a type of struggle. A fight, at the very least.
"It must be a challenge, stepping in like that," she said, nodding slightly, as if expecting me to go on. "With you being so young and all."
"It can be a challenge," I said, ignoring the jab thrown my way. "However, challenges are meant to be overcome. It is part of what Leanbox requires of me, and I will carry such duties to the best of my ability."
"Right, of course," the woman seemed surprised by my answer, as a few heads in the crowd seemed more interested than they had been before. "I'm sure you don't mind me asking, as I don't think I'm the only one asking, when will retaliation against the ASIC start?"
Interesting. That was a bold question to ask. It was always going to be one that would be asked, but I figured they would wait longer before dropping that in my lap. I figured some more mundane questions would be asked. What my plans were to keep businesses afloat. Or how I would address the other nations. It hadn't been that long since my opening remarks.
But was I going to get a better opportunity to turn the hot potato into a live grenade?
"Retaliation for the capture of my sister, or the Fenrir attack?" At the end of my question, you could almost hear a pin drop. I had to try hard not to look smug. The expression on that woman's face was a thing of pure shock. "An operation to destroy the machines capable of making the devices that can transport monsters started about an hour ago. As well as the locations they're being stored in."
"That is quite the accusation," the woman said, eyes narrowing. "It seems convenient that the ASIC just so happens to have a device that can transport monsters that you are attempting to destroy."
"There is no attempt. We either succeed in destroying a weapon that can be used to do nothing but harm to Leanbox's Citizens, or we fail," I said bluntly. "And as for it being quite the accusation, I agree completely. Accusations such as the one I level can only be backed up by evidence, after all. Evidence I brought with me."
If her expression was telling before, it was even worse now. The blood drained from her face the moment I pulled out the disk, with the letters ASIC written across the back in dark bold colors.
The crowd of reporters was on the edge of their seats, but there was an air of unease about them. This was likely the first time they would have seen a monster in any serious capacity. In-person anyway.
"If this is insufficient proof, I'm more than willing to show what's trapped inside. I'll be able to deal with it rather easily," for the first time, I looked directly at the crowd, gagging their reaction. It was a simple flower. I could one-shot the thing at first level, not that they needed to know that tidbit of information.
However, out of the corner of my eye, I kept watch on the woman. She was moving her wrist as if she was trying to signal something. The one filming maybe? My eyes briefly flicked over to the person behind the camera. They were shaking their head at the woman. A clear answer.
No.
I suppose I would be owing Cave an apology. It seems she wasn't so paranoid after all. Which was strange. Didn't we vet her already, and she was at her absolute worst neutral position?
"Can you deal with it?" Someone in the crowd asked. "It might be best to have such a thing recorded. Unless it's too dangerous to be let out?"
Was it a challenge? An attempt to get me to make a misstep? If the one doing the interview was sympathetic to the ASIC, could there be more like-minded individuals in the crowd? A few people began nodding their agreement.
"It's not that impressive. As I'd rather not have a repeat of what happened the last time something dangerous got into the city," I said, my statement eliciting a few nervous chuckles.
With the single press of a button, the storage device began to break down, the physical material used to reconstruct the monster's body from something of pure code. The monster shaped like a flower blinked as if confused about where it was, and how it got there. Then it saw the crowd of people, opening its mouth to let out a screech.
That was as far as I let it get, however. An arrow formed in my hands, one I used to quickly skewer the monster. Its racket fell silent as its body dissolved into translucent sparkles. I dismissed the arrow returning to my seat, sitting prim and proper as if I hadn't turned the flower into a kabob.
"As I just demonstrated, this technology is dangerous, and we are presently dealing with all the production facilities within Leanbox, as well as any distribution centers," I said firmly.
"Yes, quiet," the woman pushed up her glasses, trying to get control of the situation. "Though why haven't there been any moves of this nature up until now?"
"Because up until now, we were unsure where the facilities producing this technology were located. Hitting one would simply lead to the ASIC realizing they have been compromised, and moving the surviving equipment to new locations, meaning any leads we may have had to their whereabouts become useless. This is much the same for simple distribution centers, except with even less payoff," I said. "It's worth more to make sure we hit everything at once, or, at least, as much as we possibly can, to remove such assets from the ASIC's hands."
In a sense, a decapitating strike. Though in truth, I doubt we got everything. The ASIC had a lot of hands in a lot of pies and had a fair share of tricks up its sleeve. And even if we did, there were three other nations for them to set up shop, meaning they could import more from their foreign branches. But I was already bouncing ideas off advisors on how to stop them from being able to do so, at least as much as Leanbox could.
"How exactly are you going to solve the ASIC problem!" I heard one of the reporters shout.
"The ASIC is not a simple problem to solve. There is no one easy fix that will deal with them. They will require multiple solutions working in tandem to address the originization as a whole, and it will take time as well," I answered honestly. "After all, the ASIC is one part criminal enterprise and one part cult. Both halves need to be addressed for there to be a solution, and both are very different problems to solve. Sorry if my answer is a bit vague, but that example is a single piece of the puzzle. It'll take a lot of hard work from everyone for the ASIC to be defeated."
"What about the other nations? Do you plan on helping them?" Another asked, the lady running the interview being drowned out by others. If she was an ASIC sympathizer, then good. Hopefully, the fact she messed up and couldn't hold the reins anymore would reflect badly on her and the rest of the ASIC. Still, that was not a question I was going to like answering. Oh, it was one I and my advisors had expected to come up, but the answer was not in my nature. But the answer, at least from an internal PR perspective, painted a damning picture.
I'd love to help the other nations of Gamindustri in their time of need. Frankly, we were stronger together than we would be apart. But the problem was, what did I have to spare? Our plate was full of problems, and as much as I'd love to directly help, that was something that would not play well internally.
"I'll give the same answer I expect the other Candidates will when asked the same question," I said, hoping to put things as diplomatically as possible. "We will give aid to other nations, if we can spare it."
I didn't like that answer, but sadly, Leanbox had too much on its plate. If we could get the situation under control, then I absolutely would love to try to help them fight off the ASIC as well. And while I would prefer that aid sent would result in aid returned in favor, there were no guarantees that would be the case. Which made the subject of aid at Leanbox's expense an even greater political landmine than it already was.
Aid didn't need to be returned exactly, as this was an all-hands-on-deck, the world might end situation, so I was going to have to do everything in my power to make sure my public answer didn't ruffle too many feathers abroad. We could scarcely afford it at the moment. But we also couldn't afford further internal issues, either.
"Why didn't you join the raid today, instead of coming here?" Another lady asked, further towards the back, raising her hand.
"I will not deny I was tempted to do just that," I started. "However, the raid is in more than capable hands, and while additional firepower I would be able to provide would be beneficial, it would likely prove unneeded. Given the closeness, after the information was revealed, I could only choose one, or the other. And while I would prefer action on a personal level, addressing the people in Leanbox in person is an overdue event. Ruling from behind papers and orders was only beginning to build up desiccant. After all, how could the people be sure I was who I claimed to be? I have heard your voice, and agree with the assessment made. It has been time for me to step forward and address Leanbox and her people in person."
"Is it possible that the ASIC will retaliate for tonight's raid?" Another reporter asked.
"It certainly is possible, yes. That is one of the many on the list of reasons we waited to make sure we could take out every production facility we could," I said honestly. "The ASIC used the Fenrir attack as a means of stoking fear among the population. Fear is a powerful tool in their arsenal, one that can be incredibly devastating. But it is one that can be limited. Using fear as a weapon only is effective so long as people remain afraid. Once they are not, it becomes clear that the only thing to fear, is fear itself."