by Max Barry

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DispatchAccountDrama

by The Royal Constitutional Regency of United Kingdom of Miotia-Candor. . 9 reads.

UKMC-Akima/Mashiro Arc Part 4

RRS Fenrir, Northern Meridian Sea, North-Eastern Meridian International Space elevator waters, Weather: Storm
“After a year of silence, so there’s finally some movement huh?”
Captain Trygg Grindsson muttered as he stared out to the burning horizon of the east, while trying to maintain balance.
“Captain! It’s been confirmed the smokes are coming from the three burning military craft of unknown origin.”
The first officer reported after rushing into the bridge from the deck.
“Prepare the rescu-”
Just when Trygg tried to order a rescue mission a massive explosion engulfed the three vessels, destroying what’s left of them.
“That’s must’ve been their ammunitions…”
The crew stood facing the bright burning horizon in the storm, praying to the dead.
As the lighting strikes on the RRS Fenrir, the brightness reveal the insignia of three snakes with an inverted apple on her hull.

Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong, Feng Dynasty
“What?.... But… fine…. I understand…… Alright... I’m hanging up.”
Akima hung up the long distance call from the 9th branch, and he accepted a certain request from them.
Opening the rusty window, a heavily packed nightless city that was created by a cultural experiment could be seen filled with people both going to work and heading home.
Double decker bus were so close that he could almost touch it if he reaches his hand out.
LED signs extends perpendicular from the structures as if the buildings themselves were dressed in beautiful clothes.
This multilayered city was Hong Kong.
Turning away from the window and closes the window before turning on the air conditioning with budget wind detector of a piece of tape tapped in through the ventilation.
Hijikata, Okita, and Graf of the STF-666 were playing Ultra Smash Bruh on their Intendo Witch outside in the living room, Tatiana watches them from the door as she lookouts for the unexpected.
On the bed, Inaban seems to have fallen asleep while reading a chinese fashion magazine.
Since when did she learnt to read that!?
Akima questions as he carefully covers Inaban with the blanket on the bed.
Rest well.
He puts the magazine onto the end table as he turns the lamp off. Leaving that area of the room in the dark.
Before he walked out, he took a look at Inaban. Her face was covered by her hair, resembling the ghost from The R*ng. Which startled him for a moment.
Brushing her hair to the side, her childish sleeping face could be seen.
...bruh.
Expected a graceful face like in the movies, reality could sometimes be disappointing.
Nevertheless, seeing her sleeping comfy like this calms him, everything is fine for the moment.
Suffered multiple fatal wound but still alive, this is certainly a miracle.
No… is this what they call godmodding in that certain roleplaying game?
Akima thought, before he started giggling from it.
“Oi! Commander Koutetsujou? What’s taking you so long? Certainly I don’t think a simple phone call would require you to turn off the lights with the admiral in the same room~?”
Hijikata called from the outside.
“Wwwwwwwwww”
Some weeb laughs Okita added on.
“Tsk- shut up and focus on your stupid games you guys!”
Akima replied nervously, blushed as he walked out of the bedroom closing the door.
Having to pretend to be asleep, Inaban heard everything.
“Idiot.”
She muttered, then went back to sleep with a smile.


Donghai, Feng
The Yuanhe Palace of Donghai was slightly uncomfortable. For one it was hastily cleaned and it’s interior smelled of dust. It was already a day and the Palace was still filled with the sound of unloading packs and luggage. A large Court, Imperial Family, and thousands of servants does have it’s disadvantages The Emperor thought. The entire capital had to be evacuated from Taijing after snow and ice suddenly descended. He looked up at the sound of rustling robes. “Your Highness, the researchers in the Palace of Science have detected strange energies in the East Feng Sea. They believe-” The Emperor was already standing and striding out of his quarters. “Prepare a carriage, I must see.”
****
“The energies were detected three hundred kilometres off Donghai’s coast, south-east. We believe that one of the stones are there.” The Head Researcher said as he kneeled within the temporary Palace of Science's main hall.
“A stone?” The Emperor said. “Where exactly is it?”
“Your Majesty, it appears to be nearby the floating island project cooperated by the Yotsubishi heavy industry from

United Kingdom of Miotia-Candor and a few Feng cooperation, TW-1.”
“You are saying the stones are on it?”
“We do not know, perhaps nearby, on top, or under.”
The Right Chancellor stood and bowed. "My Liege, we need to steal it. As time passes the forces become more unbalanced. Just yesterday the veil of night fell upon Donghai even though it was day. What would happen if more time passed? Who knows what would happen if more passed? We need to take matters into our own hands and return the stones ourselves!"
The Emperor nodded. "Send a message to the Lord Censor."
****
"Ooh, a task?" Lianxin said. "F*cking finally, the last thing we did was ages ago."
Three woman sat in a ornate room, they were in the temporary Palace of the Censorate, the spy agency of Feng Dynasty.
"Yes, message from the Head Censor. We are to retrieve a stone from the TW-1." Mingyu replied. "There is a opening party there, we can mix into the crowd. To get there we have to use the ferry service in Hong Kong."
"Hong Kong? Oh we have to cross Miotian territory."
"Well, we'll see. Meanwhile we have to get some Hanfu robes for formal occasions. No casual robes, it's for the party. Don't bring your best silks please? They'll most likely be ruined. If you do though, well I'm not paying for it"
"Aaww, I can't bring my trailing Silk dress?" said Zhengzhu. "Too bad, I wanted to go in a robe worthy of a concubine."
"Well" Mingyu nodded. "We have to start packing. Get some gear, we can hide it in our robes."

Hong Kong
"Hong Kong... has changed so much" Mingyu said as she stared around.
Large neon signs lit the paved roads, now shaking with the busy coming and going of cars. Lights lit the buildings, which there were those which remained built in the Hua style of wood and roofs which curved gracefully upwards towards the orange sunset sky. However many were modified buildings, glass, metal, and concrete showed in the traditional styles. On the ground, crowds of people came and went. Half wore the fashion of Feng's Hua race. Flowing robes and floor length skirts with wide sleeves, and long uncut hair tied into various styles. There were others though, who wore western clothing and began to cut their hair. In the distance the Yongming Palace, the Palace of Hong Kong, loomed.
The three ladies walked, gazing at the city. “Hong Kong, the city of light” Zhengzhu murmured “The union of tradition and modernity. Anyway, we really need to get to get to the terminal. How are we going there, taxi?” Seeing an available cab, they hailed.
“To the ferry terminal please” Lianxin said, lifting her skirts as she ducked through the taxi’s door.
****
The ferry terminal was as busy as the rest of the city. “Did you hear?” A nearby girl said to her friend. “There’s a business party in TW-1. There’s a cooperation from the

United Kingdom of Miotia-Candor called… Yotsubishi I think?” A short distance from them, Lianxin, Mingyu, and Zhengzhu hovered nearby, gazing at the terminal. There, they saw the ferry that headed to TW-1, and the guards checking the tickets. “Now, how on earth are we going to sneak aboard?” Mingyu asked. Lianxin was about to reply when the three all felt a tap on their shoulder. Startled, they quickly turned around.



Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal
Having lost the Ultra Smash Bruhs game, Okita was taken to stay behind to guard the hotel room while the others heads for the Ferry Terminal.
Holding onto a weird ticket machine Akima brought from the 3rd Branch, Hijikata asks Akima about it.
“So.. we’re going to invite ourselves into the Yotsubishi Heavy Industry’s artifical island with this?”
He asked, still inspecting on the device. It is identical to the ones in the supermarkets, the only difference was there was a sticker of the three snake insignia.
“The 11th branch is not going to be pleased…”
Graf commented as he drives their rental car.
Tatiana, as usual was already scanning through the streets of Sheung wan district.
After a series of traffic, the rental car was parked at the terminal, and the four got off.
“It reeks of fuel here.”
Hijikata complained as he covers his nose, following the group to the escalator.
Ascending the terminal mall, Tatiana notices three strange individuals in hanfu standing away from the emmigrantion entrance, she then points at them as she pulls oldman Graf’s sleeves.
“Huh? The three over there? What is it?”
He asked, not understanding what Tatiana wants to express.
“Those three has the same objective as us.”
Akima explained as he reads their foundation documented profiles from his Mpad, before anyone could response.
Carefreely, Akima walked over to the three girls in hanfu as the group followed.
“Now, how on earth are we going to sneak aboard?”


Akima, Graf and Hijikata tapped on the three’s shoulder.
“Yo.”
The moment Akima greet, the three spies tried to take out a pistol in response to that, however the three already had c98s pointing at them from behind.
“H-How who are you people!?”
One of them asked, surprised that their identity get exposed.
“Now let’s try not to make a scene here.”
Hijikata said casually, still pointing the pistol at them.
“”Miss. Lianxin, Mingyu, and...Chengchu?”
Akima tries to pronounce their names from his Mpad as Tatiana looks at the six in bruh moment
“It’s Zhengzhu.”
“Oops.”

After a series of explanations the tensions dropped real quick, the group of seven is currently having lunch at Wcdonalds inside the terminal.
“In other words, to save your friend, you want us to cooperate with your forces to steal the stone from the Yotsubishi corp….. And you’ll give us the stone after that..”
Lianxin summarized on the other side of the table, eating her fries.
“That’s ridiculous, using the stone would kill the user or turn them insane.”
Agent Mingyu explained, trying to convince the STF-666+ from using such dangerous items.
“Well, that has only been written in myths. We won’t know if we don’t try… right?”
Akima replied optimistically, on the inside, he is doubting it would end well using the stone.
“Th-... sigh… do what you like. But we are getting the stone in the end. The world is sick, and must treat it quickly.”
Mingyu gives up on convincing the group and sips on her cola.
Western food is weird. She thought.
“Well then here’s are the invitation letters for you three.”
Akima handed out the letters to the three ladies from the ticket machine.
“These are… real invitation letters? There’s even a barcode…”
Chengchu asked as she inspect the invitation letter.
“Yep. It’s the real thing.”
“How!?” x3
“That’s classified.”

After showing the invitations to the guards, the seven was allowed aboard the turbojet after showing their fake passports.
Tatiana wasn’t required to hold a letter due to her being underage and Graf as the guardian, or at least that’s the fake profile they’re going with.
“Now come to think of it, why is there a child with us?”
Lianxin asked Akima who was leading the group to the seats. Tatiana respond with a cold glare like a cat.
“She may looked like a child but she’s like fiv- I mean it’s classified.”
“...How can you expect us to trust you people if everything is classified…”
Lianxin replied in disappointment, sitting down on the seat.
“Well, at least I can assure you that everything we’ve told you people up till now is the truth.”
“That doesn’t help at all…”
While Graf and Hijikata were talking about the current Serpentuem-United Kingdom war, Tatiana stares out at the boundless ocean. But really, she is using the glass as a mirror to monitor the movement of the passenger cabin.

Many hours later.
Slipped between other passengers, the seven acted naturally to fit in with the atmosphere.
Three in Hanfu while the other four in suit.
Once stepping out of the ship, the colossus circular industrial floating platform TW-1 could be seen surrounded by a suspected-to-be-coast-guards vessels.
The other got off first while Graf helped Tatiana to get across the plank.
“Toyoda Motors, Zoni, Macrosoft… those big bois are all here…”
Hijikata muttered as representatives of other corporations walks toward the subway terminal after their invitation letters being checked.
“Well, here goes nothing.”
Akima whispered as he let the guard check their invitation letters.
After moments of tension the guard let them through onto the subway line that goes straight to the heart of the artificial island.

After the Yotsubishi president’s long boring speech the crowd was finally allowed to dine.
“What now?”
Mingyu asked Hijikata as she follows him, who went for food in the buffet.
“We wait, commander Koutetsujou said.”
He explained as he carefreely picks food from the buffet.
Meanwhile back at the main group at the side of the room, discussing about creating a distraction.
“So here’s this, and there’s that…..”
He continues to explain his plans as he hands out the night vision glasses manufactured by Yotsubishi, however, unexpectedly someone tapped on his shoulder.
“Hello there? And you’re...”
The guy with the circular glasses greeted.
No one in the group knew what to say, they were all about to be exposed.
“We’re with the Yotsubishi Tanabe Phrama.”
Akima lied as he took out a fake ID given to him by the 3rd Branch when he was sent to Inaritetsugen to investigate the outbreak of P5S1 virus back in March 2019.
“And you’re?”
Akima asked, putting up a fake smile.
“O-Oh,, I’m with the Future Foundation.”
He replied, showing his familiar looking ID.
Carefully inspecting on the details and material of the replicated ID, both sides knew, it was a fake. Both cards were issued on the same day, 15/03/2019, the day of the raid on abandon site 13 of the former Pure Gene Research Institution.
“You…” x2
They recognized each other.
Both of the pointed at each other, before Akima leads him away from the group with faked giggles and laughter, as if they knew each other well.
“What the hell are you here.”
The glasses guy asked quietly, making sure no one heard them.
“To get the damn stone, Edward.”
“You do know that is betraying the foundation’s ideals right?”
“Is saving the world not the foundation’s ideals?”
“...wha-”
“The stone’s absent from the damn temple is causing disasters all over the planet. Plus I need that thing. To save the Ina- the admiral.”
After hearing Akima’s explanation, Edward was quite surprised.
“But that’s still against regulation, and you know that?”
Edward insisted on Akima to abort his plan, however Akima straight up pulling out his c96 and pointed at Edward secretly.
“Look, she is running out of time, please.”
Akima insisted on staying on his plan, staring at Edward’s eye with determination.
“Alright, alright I get it. Put that thing down. What do you need?”
“A distraction.”

As Lanxin, Mingyu, Zhengzhu, Tatiana, and Graf approaches the western emergency exit that leads underground or underwater sector, Akima and Edward casually entered the broadcasting room with Edward’s worker ID.
The two knocked out the announcers before they could notice what was happening, moving the unconsciousness workers to the sides, the two nodded and smiled at each other.
A few clicks on the sound and light button was all it needed to suddenly turn off the lights of the grand hall.
Leaving the guests confused and scared for a moment as the securities were called by the Yotsubishi corp to leave their post in order to survalenice the area for anyone suspicious.
In total darkness, the five quietly entered the western emergency stairs ways that leads to the lower section of the central floating platform.
After confirming the group got into the stairway, Akima signals Edward to return the lights to the hall before they quickly leave the room.
“Are you sure you’ve hacked the security camera with fake footage?”
Akima asked nervously, as he follows Edward down the stairs back to the grand hall.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I did.”
Edward replied just as he stops before the door to the main hall. Akima signals Hijikata who is currently still eating at the main hall to distract the crowd from the eastern staircase.
Shortly after Hijikata received the message, he pretended he accidently tripped and threw food and its plate to the cold hard marble floor, creating attraction of attention.
Using this chance, the two carefully and quickly got out from the eastern stairway.
“Wait.”
Akima called for Edward just before he parts.
“What is it…”
Clearly annoyed, Edward replied Akima.
“This is a letter to the 11th branch director.”
He hands the classified letter to Edward, which surprised him again.
“Firstly you want to steal from the 11th branch and now you are delivering this for the 11th branch?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t get you people in the 3rd branch.”

Upon walking down the seemingly almost never ending stairway, a map of an inverted pyramid could be seen to be TW-1’s underwater facility, with a three snake with an invert apple insignia that is.
“So this is the 11th branch of the SSS foundation huh? The only facility with an inverted pyramid.”
Graf muttered as he follows Tatiana who is taking the lead with her implanted old layout of the facility. It may not be accurate, but it’s better than nothing.

TW-1 Central tower
The storm did not improve at all, lighting were striking nearby floating platforms as the party down in the grand hall goes on.
From the director’s office, Half of the massive industrial platform could be seen shining bright in the storm.
“In order words, the 1st branch wanted us to send an expedition to the land of the silent empire huh?”
11th branch and TW-1’s true diretor, Soua Lam, asked Edward, after having him to read it to her.
“It seems so, ma’am.”
“Very well. It’s certainly a good time, we’ll put those Tachikomas to test on the field. This will satisfy the Yotsubishi Heavy Industry wouldn't? They've always been begging for a field test.”
The director smirks as she turns her chair to the window, looking out at the horrifying storm.
“Yes.. ma’am…”
“Plus, it’ll be the perfect opportunity to show the URA how capable these tanks are, our economic support would increase too wouldn't it?”
“Yes.. but director, we’re talking about Serbatijan Empire that has gone silent for almost a year.”
“It doesn’t matter.. Edward.”
The Director responded, turning her chair back to Edward as a lighting engulfs the room into total white light.
“If it fails, we’ll just not use those records, since we are the ISP on this artificial platform. Anyway, contact the cargo ship RRS Graf Zeppelin, they should be around the Meridian space elevator after transfer Tungsten there. Have them meet up with FSS Tenjin, and receive the supplies from them.”

Read dispatch

Edokyuuria ruins, Edokyuuria Crater, New Senate Terminal
The superstructure still operates as the heart of the nation, despite its surroundings has been reduced to nothing more than melted buildings under the greater Edokyuuria pond. Powered by a dozens of massive cables from the outskirts of the former metropolis, a heart like structure could be seen from the air.
“We’ve successfully recaptured and arrest the 5th branch.”
One of the URA officers who still remained in the terminal after evacuation reported to Vice GC Victoria. “Good work, Cuteness is Justice.” She saluted.
“Cuteness is justice.” And the officer responded before leaving.
Who the hell came up with this motto anyway. Victoria thought as she walks and returns to the messy Grand Chancellor’s office.
And of course, the room was as lively as ever. While GC Mashiro drowned in the pile of work Victoria gave her, Else Schnorr of the Neo-Fascist Union and Nicola Lafrenz of the United Socialist Party were rather productive today. They were still competing on even the smallest things though, like kids.
Ignoring the two extremists cleaning up the place in competition to gain supporters within the government, Victoria walked over to Mashiro, hitting her with a folder.
“Wake up.”
Mashiro woke, rolled her head to the side lazily to face Victoria. “Is it lunch?”
At this point even Else and Nicola knew Mashiro screwed up, and quietly leaves the room, moving their competing area to the hallway, putting up their promotion poster on the way.
No one was sure what exactly happened inside the office, but legends has it Mashiro’s scream could be heard 90 floors below her office.

A few hours later, the door to Mashiro’s office were opened without a knock.
Military police Albert Lionheart and Sutsushi Rika followed thought to be dead former head of state Shinozaki into the room.
“Wha-”
Surprised by her appearance, Victoria was speechless. Mashiro slowly lifts her head from the trash can, seeing some legendary war hero, she thought she was in an afterlife.
“How are you still alive? Didn’t the media-”
“That was to protect my identity until every single one of the PGRI members are wiped off the map.”
Shinozaki replied in a cold manner, walking to the desk, sitting on it ask if she still in charge.
“How nostalgistic, so they’ve also recreated this room in the newbuilding.”
Looking around the office, it resembles her office in the old terminal that now sleep below this one, hundreds of meters under.
Victoria wasn’t sure what to say, knowing that the Shinozaki Era and Mashiro Era policies were very different, with the amount of security forces within the current capitol building, Shinozaki, SSS-053 herself can easily take out everyone in this isolated structure in the middle of the crater.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not here to cause trouble.”
Shinozaki said carefreely, turning her focus to the beautiful starry night outside.
“A world without light pollution is amazing Isn’t it? You can even see the entire milky way, chances like this are quiet rather don’t you think so?”
She continues to watch the night sky as the room fell into silence.
Albert Lionheart approaches Victoria, handing her the document on the Jonas Kuhn’s investigation, the man who assassinated Nicolae Danila, the president of Serpenteum and threw the two nation in this never ending madness.
“In the end, we couldn't find his motive. However, we found that his wife and child’s memory of their trip to Kjanu is replaced.”


Kanatoro ACRS, Candor, Twin Kingdom, United Kingdom
Edokyuuria Western New Residential District, Edokyuuria, Miotia, Twin Kingdom, United Kingdom

In a black suit instead of the maid uniform, Sutsushi ring the doorbell of the Jonas Kuhn’s family resident, the family of the man who started this war.
Albert Lionheart, her colleague and close friend since the end of the civil war, was looking around the surprisingly clean hallway of the apartment. The hallway was decorated as if it was a mansion.
Albert tried to touch the flowerpot just next to Kuhn resident’s door. He felt nothing, it was an illusion, holographic apartment. Everything here is an illusion, a low cost apartment with holographic displays.
The door was opened by Mrs Kuhn with a warm welcome.
“Hello, Mrs Kuhn. We’re the FBi- I meant the MP.”
Sutsushi shows her MP ID.
“We’re here to talk about your husband.”
Shocked and confused, Mrs Kuhn welcome the two MPs into her house, which are mostly holographic textures layered above actual plain furniture.
Her 9 years old daughter Mary, walked out of her room with curiosity as she look at Sutsushi and Albert.
Mrs Kuhn then told Mary to head back inside her room.
After the three settled down on the sofa, Sutsushi lead the conversation.
“I assume you heard the news?”
Placing a picture of a man shooting the president of Serpenteum
“Yes I’ve heard about it.”
Mrs Kuhn replied, picking up the picture.
“We have records of your family heading to Kja-”
Sutsushi explains but she was interrupted when Mary walked out of her room.
“Is this about father?”
Mary asked, holding onto a newspaper.
“Mary, go back to your room now.”
The mother ordered furiously.
“But I want to know.”
“Mar-”
“Mrs, I got this.”
Albert said.
“Sutsushi, you on going with your things, I’ll take it from here.”
Walking over to Mary.
“Your name is Mary isn’t it? You can call me Albert, why don’t we play over at the… ummm”
Albert realizes the holographic garden at the other end of the living room.
“Over there?”
The two then went to the garden, and Sutsuhi continues her questioning.
“Your family went to Etsuyoki, Kjanu during the super typhoon Sigmund, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Where was your husband when the typhoon struck Sigmund?”
Sutsushi, while she caught a glimpse of Mrs Kuhn’s IC chip series code, it was ending with 0991. Therefore, she is confirmed to have died in Etsuyoki during the typhoon and cloned by the Kjanuan government.
“What?”
“Where was Jonas Kuhn, when the typhoon struck?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. There’s only two of us. Me and Mary.”
Mrs Kuhn looked even more confused.
“No. We have video footage of MR Shinkansen of the three of you leaving the twin kingdom.”
Sutsuhi then shows the footage on her phone. Mrs Kuhn was shocked and confused.
“Miss… Sutsushi? This got to be CGI?”
“No. This is actual footage.”
“My husband died two years ago, and I don’t think that man who killed the president of Serpenteum is him..”
Mrs Kuhn said.
“Mrs Kuhn. May I ask you a simple question?”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember Etsuyoki having any protests or sorts?”
“No, why? It was lovely there.”
At this point, Sutsushi had figured it out. This replacement citizen or clone, 2333-8000-0991, her memory had been altered during her production. All she could recall were false memory.
“Thank you very much…”
Sutsushi thanked her as she packs her things, and ordered Albert to go.
Mary was slightly unhappy when her new friend had to leave, the two Khun said goodbye to the MPs and closed their door.
“0991 series memories had been altered.”
Sutsushi said coldly.
“They what.”
Albert respond in a surprised manner.
“According to Mrs Kuhn, Jonas Kuhn died two years ago, and the Kjanuan protests never happened in Etsuyoki….”
“We landed on a minefield eh?”
“Yea… this is a serious matter.”
Exiting the building, the two MPs walked over to Shinozaki’s car, locked. Thought to be dead former chancellor and a bio anomaly, Shinozaki was not in the car.
The sky suddenly turns dark as it starts to rain.
“Great.”
Shinozaki then showed up around the corner of the building, coming back with… sandwiches packing with Jezabelstien submarine logo.
“Since you two took so long, I went to SubsWay for food. I’ve got you some too.”
“...” x2
“What.”

“Well that’s unexpected.”
Victoria said as she reads the log again.
“Well, that’s one thing, another is there seems to have a massive outbreak of an unknown disease the serps called it Sanguis Oculus, also known as the Teardrop plague, it is currently spreading in the front- No Man’s Land.”
Albert reported, pointing out the content on the page.
“A place where it’s even far more deserted than the ‘concrete forests’...”
Mashiro muttered sadly, hugging onto a Miokea shark plushie.
“Since Inaban is somehow absucent, I’ve suggested to send the trash can drones to the frontline, and heavy artillery bombardment to the invading forces, that will reduce the chances of our forces be affected by the sickness. We can hold our ground, but they must advance. We’ll drain their military power with time.”
Shinozaki explained, turning her focus back into the room.
“Well, anyway, it’s been rather strange for sis- Inaban to lose contact for a period this long… do you people know anything about it?”
She asks, walking over to Victoria.
“... The truth is…”



Access Denied: Serp
Commander Tekhta has sent an expedition of 10 armed soldiers to the mysterious door found hidden East of Jurojin. After transporting the expedition via truck, they walked up to the door to find a keycode with a 20 digit password to enter.
“Man, they must have really valued whatever’s in here. Any idea what the password might be?”
None of Lieutenant Blaney’s men answered.
‘Let’s go with the obvious then…”
Blaney proceeded to type one 20 times in the keypad, to no success.
“ACCESS DENIED.”
“Fair enough. Vasile, arm the explosives pronto.”
A scrawny young man, the explosives expert Vasile, attached a few c4s to the door and backed up.
“3..2..1..”
The explosion was not particularly large, but was enough to blast the old door off.
The crew ventured into the dark interior with flashlights attached to their rifles. The interior lit up and the men found rust along the walls in a narrow corridor, leading to a wide, circular room.
“Lieutenant, you should take a look at this.”
Blaney walked over to Private Albu, to find him standing over a skeleton clad in old Miotian scientific uniform.
“How old is this body, Albu?”
“My estimates are telling me about 20 years, sir. We aren’t finding any munitions or the like yet.”
“Keep looking, this place looks more important than a munitions stash.”

Victory?
“FOR DANILA!”
The battlecry of the counterattack resonated through no man’s land as the Serpentean soldiers charged valiantly in pursuit of the fleeing Miotian men. Allied gunfire shot down the retreat by numbers before they finally jumped in their trenches, followed in moments by the Serpenteans.

Marius leaped thoughtlessly into a trench with a pistol in his right hand and a knife in his left. Mihai had been quite a bit behind him, and as such Marius was going to have to take on the enemy with his other fellow men. He went through the muddy trench shooting and stabbing soullessly until he heard a familiar whistle. The hostiles once again crawled out of the trenches, running to a backup position. Marius’ comrades stayed in the trench shooting after the fleeing troops while he searched for Mihai.

Sure enough, he found his friend alive and well, but he was kneeling, staring at his own bloody knife. He looked up to get a friendly hug from his new buddy. Mihai stuttered, then began talking.
“Danila… you know what the worst part is? In all this… It’s killing someone with your own hands, realizing I’ll live the rest of my life never knowing if they were a good person or not. How many children am I leaving orphaned? How many widows am i creating? How many bloodlines am I ending? I just…”
Mihai burst into tears, and Marius couldn’t help but join him. He had made it his own tactic in every battle he fought in to not think. To not feel. But seeing someone he had grown to like break down into sobbing broke his shell. The wails and moans of dying men and women didn’t make him feel any better.
Sure enough, however, the attack was an enormous triumph for Serpenteum. The most stiff resistance of the city of Ebisui had been torn apart in one night, and the rest of the defenses were now due to crumble. Extremely pyrrhic, but a victory nonetheless.



Somewhere in the underground ruins deep below Edokyuuria
At the center of a pitch black room a table was shower by white light. A meeting of a certain government department was taking place. Everyone in the room was wearing some sort of white mask that shows no emotion.
“Everyone, an intruder was detected in site 13, by the old PGRI console in their headquatar’s ruins.”
P5-7 announced coldly.
“Site 10? Where’s is that?”
P5-8 asked as she fixed her mask.
“According to the 20 year old console, it’s somewhere in this region.”
P5-7 took out a map and points to it.
“Isn’t that region currently occupied by the enemy forces?”
P5-8 asked showing a little concern as P5-2 leans over.
“I’m here to ask for permission on sending MTF Sphinx to eliminate both the threat of Serpenteum getting their hands on something, and recontain whatever is in there.”
P5-7 took out a proposal document and announced his plan, then he fixes his tie.
“Approved.” x9
“We don’t want another Inaritetsugen incident. Contain or elimite what’s left of it.”
P5-1 concluded, as he stamps an approval onto the document. ‘SSS’

Access Denied: Serp
Through the ruins of underground highway, abandoned rusting icbm storage, and unknown pre-war underground structures, the mobile task force Sphinx arrived at a dead end.
The team of seven planted explosives onto the wall of the dead end, and ignited it.
The explosion opened a hole into another hallway.
Turning on their heat sensor, the team of seven operatives: Sakamoto, kahito, Konan, Koudai, Hyuuga, Reiner, and their leader, Hans. Slowly advances into the hallway holding and aiming tight with their G36.
“I really don’t feel safe carrying weaponized organic mercury with me you know?”
Sakamoto said to Kahito as he looked at the ‘special ammo’ pack tied on his belt.
“Bear with it, we only get a single pack person.”
Hans told him, just as a faint screech of some sort of animal could be heard.
“You heard that?”
Konan asked as he looked up onto the ceiling, where the sources was from. It was probably floors above.
“Yes.”
Hans answered just as broke open the locked stairway.
“What was that?”
“Something that we all don’t feel like dealing with.”
Hans answered, then he opened the door with uncertainty. The stairway reeks of ammonia, the irons within the room were all extremely rusty for a place far from water and low concentration of oxygen.
“Great.”
Sakamoto commented as he look upward, nine more floors could be seen.
“That sound came from upstairs correct? Didn’t the serps came from the surface?”
He then asks, somewhat worrying for the enemy.
“...”
“Well.”



Access Granted: Serp

“What the hell is this place, sir?”
Lieutenant Blaney, Celtic-born leader of the scout group sent to investigate the remote underground bunker, was staring dumbfoundedly at his surroundings, unable to answer private Albu’s confused question. What he expected to be a munitions stash was turning out to be something far more mysterious, as the dusty interior revealed itself to be some sort of secret laboratory science experiments. The group found unidentified liquids with the labels torn, organs preserved in jars, and countless skeletons of the former occupants.
“Wait, I found something.”
The group stopped and turned to see Private Torescu crouching over one of the skeletons, searching it's uniform. He got up with a small device he found in a pocket.
“I think I just picked up a key of some sort.”
“Let me see it…”
As requested, Torescu handed the rectangular electronic to Blaney, who eyed it carefully.
“Whatever it is, this is for HQ to look at. Let’s not break it.”
The group kept searching the perimeter room by room until they stopped at a particularly spacious one with what appeared to be a large door to the side with no handle.
“Now what is…”
“Wait, sir, do you hear that?”
Lieutenant Blaney listened carefully, and sure enough he could hear some faint noise, and if he didn’t know better he would almost think it was something screaming…
“We will figure it out later. But what is this?”
They turned their attention to the door, which had some large words on it that had been worn away beyond recognition, aside from a blatant red warning: danger sign. A pedestal with a slot in the side sat in front of it, which appeared to be the form of entry. Blaney walked up to it slowly.
“Back up, team. Just in case.”
Blaney took out the device they had previously obtained and inserted it into the slot. Sure enough, a feminine robotic voice called out to them from a speaker.
“Access granted.”
.
.
.
Corpses of mice and insects could be seen laying on the floor as amonia and rotten smell rushed out the moment Blaney opened the door.
The interior was surprisingly, digustingly wet.


Access Granted(SSS Side)
The Sphinx division stopped, exhausted, the stairs that continues up were destroyed. Hans shines his flashlight onto the wall, they were in B14 of the abandoned PGRI facility.
Sakamoto then looks down at the abyss where they came from, B83.
“Thank god we were given these exoskeletons.”
Sakamoto said as he leans on the wall while their captain Hans and Kahito were figuring out the lock on the door that leads to the hallway. Konan turned over to Sakamoto who was leaning on the wall.
“The wall is disgusting why would you touch it?”
Minutes later, the door was opened by explosives.
“So you two gave up on the end huh?”
Sakamoto asked. Kahito and Hans advances into the hallway without a reply.
The hallway of this level even more disgusting than the last. Corpses of colonies of bugs and unidentified flesh were seen everywhere.
“Excuse me.”
Hyuuga walked to the side and vomited.
“This place is nasty.”
Kahito commented as scoped sample of the biomass on the floor and put it in a container.

Team continues down the hallway, as the smell gets worse until they reached a massive vault-like door that was clearly broken in.
Inside the room, there were shattered human-size biotanks that were covered with some sort of dead biomass. The rotten smell seems to be coming from this room.
The biomass seems to feeding off from whatever was in the tanks when it was alive, the masses were connected from one to another like a hive, extracting food sources from the biotanks.
The team puts on gas masks as they advances into the room with flash lights.
A massive PGRI and pre-war Imperial seal could be seen on the walls.
On the labels of in front of each biotanks, faded black and white picture could be seen along with documents scattered on the floor, covered in black liquid.
Kahito picked up these documents.
Each of these documents seems to be a documentation of people: Akemi Aokko, Matsumoto, Luka, Onigawara Himeko… etc.

Meanwhile Sakamoto walking around at the backend of the room discover an unusual placement of bookshelf. He then pushes it off the side.
An intact airlock-vault was there.
“Um guys?”

The airlock as opened by Koudai and Sakamoto by rotating the rusty handle as Kahito and the rest continues to check on the room. Koudai and Sakamoto entered the room without the team.

Kahito walked around carrying the documents, searching for hints or what happened here.
He then slipped onto something, something fabric like. Shining his flashlight on the object, it was.. apparently clothings and a shoe shoe of sort.
Why were there clothing and shoes laying on the ground?
He questioned as he got up as he looked around the surrounding floor.
Clothings pants, shoes, glasses alike were on the floor. No corpses of sort. The amount of patient robe was almost everywhere on the floor, only covered by the flesh hive.
Realizing this, Kahito quickly ran to one of the biomass covered and filled biotanks to conform his suspicion.

Meanwhile what Sakamoto and Koudai in the hidden vault room was another biotank. But this one, was filled with an unusual spiecemen, frozen. A young female humanoid that appears to have feline features could be seen unconscious in the biotank with equipments attached onto her.
Right arm, there was a bracelet labeled: PGRI-044-21
Koudai walked over to the office desk, where the skeleton of a scientist could be seen sitting on the chair. It was the first human corpse seen, and it was clear that he locked himself in here and committed sucided.
As Koudai checks on the corpse’s ID card, Sakamoto accidently touched on the dusted covered console, which triggered a program to melt the ice within the tank.
“What the hell did you do. That thing is biohazardous!”
Koudai turned over and found the biotank has been opened.
Right after the liquid has drained below the girl’s face, she started coughing, and eventually, opened her eyes, one blue, one yellow, both resemble the feline species.

Back in the main room, Kahito confirmed his suspicion. The bracelets he found on the floor, the numbers matches the documents and the biotank numbers. These were biotanks that the former Pure Gene Research Institution and Simon Mednelson used to hold humanoid experiments back in the early days of the United Kingdom.
According to the documents, these subjects were even earlier than the ‘Shinozaki Series’ the created SSS-053 and SSS-053-A. Possibility a failed project, and were replaced by the it.
However, the biomass that covered the the lab was another story.
The bracelets, clothing, accessories had been left on the floor untouched, and why wasn’t there a single human corpse found. Kahito concluded that they all have been either assimilated or consumed.

In the hidden vault with Sakamoto and Koudai, the girl who woke moments ago seems very, very confused and nervous and began to look around, as if she were a child search for her parents. Between the two soldiers, she caught a glimpse of the scientists skeleton who sucided.
She was staring straight at it without blinking, as tears began to flow from her eyes, she leaped between the two soldiers and got over to the skeleton.
She cried, hard.
That scientist must have been someone close to her, Sakamoto thought.
She tries to hug the skeleton but it falls apart as she hugs it, making her more depressed.
She calmed down after a while, and spoke in broken Candorian.
“Where? Himeko? Luka? Iffy? Aokko? Eva?....”
Without finishing it, she notices a door that leads to the main room, she quickly ran toward the gap between the wall and the heavy door. She slipped through the small gap as if she was as soft as a cushion.
“Did you see that!? She went through the bloody gap!”
Koudai said as he quickly followed and tried to open the vault that leads back to the main room.
Sakamoto quickly went over and helped.
Once it was opened.
The spiecemen was on her knees, in despair after seeing state of the room.
It was not the biomass, dried blood, nor smell that caused this, it was the status of the biotanks that once her friends were in. Now, they were filled with an unknown dead biomass.
As the other team member walked over to see what’s going on, the spiecemen notices a bracelet on the floor in front of her, written ‘PGRI-044-33:Akemi Aokko’. This caused her to completely breakdown. Her head was twitching when she turns her focus back at Sakamoto and Koudai, crying without blinking, in total despair.
Without any sign of warning she attacked Sakamoto, pushed him to the ground and took his pistol. Pointing at her own head, about to commit suicide after waking up going through all these. She pulled the trigger.
The pistol did not fire, she did not unlock the safety. Confused by this, she tried again and again, unable to fire, she put down the gun and sat on Sakamoto, staring at emptiness.
Hans, Kahito, Hyuuga and Konan rushed to the scene, and restricted the species men with handcuffs.


Access Granted(SSS Side)
Despite the fact flashlights being the only light source the Sphinx division has, the wet surface of the flesh covered hallway reflect the light and makes the expedition alittle easier practically, and uneasier mentally. Following Major Hans orders, operatives Kahito, Hyuuga, Konan, Koudai, Reiner, and Sakamoto continues to search for the clueless intruding Serpenteum forces in the abandoned PGRI facility in hopes of preventing a potential biological disaster.
With her hands restrained, the spiecemen slowly follows Sakamoto and Koudai the two who woke her from cold sleep. Holding onto the identity bracelet of what’s left her dear friends, she carefully avoiding unknown biomass on the ground, and stays close to the two.
Depressed and confused, waking up and found everyone she knew were assimilated by the mass, losing their individuality, leaving behind only their bracelet.
Looking at the bracelets in her hands, remembering the scenery she saw minutes ago.
Where those tanks were supposed to house her friends, until the doctors find a cure to their disease, they’ll be put into cold sleep.
That’s right. That’s what’s supposed to happen. Not this.
Everyone were just celebrating on Aokko’s birthday, even Dr. Reinhold was here.
It was the day before they were put into coldsleep, it was coincidentally Aokko’s birthday.
“He’s kind and caring, but he doesn’t come to the hospital very often. You know? He seems to be busy taking care of a child about the same age as us…. Huh? ..no she doesn’t have feline features like us, it must’ve been a different sickness. Her name?.... I believed it was… Zinosaki?” Luka explaining the mysterious doctor’s background in her memories of the party ‘yesterday’
“Oh, I want to meet her.” Aokko commented from the sofa. “There’s still time before the party, let’s find Dr. Reinhold! With me?” Aokko asked her, she was read a picture book on the beanbag.
From her memories they three agreed, and left the nursery room, in search of the doctor.
In the end they didn’t meet the girl, but they were successful in dragging the doctor in the party.
These memories were as clear as if they were yesterday.
That’s right… as if they were yesterday. They were yesterday.
And then, after Aokko’s birthday party….. Eh?
What was after the party?
She tries to remember, but it was all blank.
Confused and scared, she continues her attempts to remember.
“Promise to find me once you woke up”
Wasn’t sure whether it was a memory or a hallucination, but at that moment she did hear it from behind, perhaps a white figure.
She stopped turned around, it was the pitchblack hallway, nothing else.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
Operative Koudai asks as he turns around and shines the flashlight to the back. The entire group then stopped taking caution.
“Voice... “
She answered with her broken Candorian.
The Sphinx division stayed quiet for a while, only the sound of dropping liquids could be heard. Nothing more nothing less.
“She’s hallucinating.”
Major Hans commented and started moving again as the rest followed.
“Let’s go.”
Sakamoto said to the spiecemen who still stares into the darkness on the other side of the hallway.
It must’ve been a hallucination.
Looking onto the blood stained bracelet in her hands, she thought.
But… what if…
Ignoring her thoughts, she turned around continues to follow the group, she felt that there’s always a figure that stares at them in the dark.
The group soon finds themselves in front of a dead end, the end of the hallway which was supposed to be a gateway to the level’s lobby area was blocked by a living biomass, that seems to be pulsing.
“Ugh, this way is no good.”
Hyuuga said unpleasantly, trying to not throw up again.
“Judging from the map we saw on the wall earlier, I don’t think there’s another way.”
Konan added as he turns around and shines his flashlight to the way where they all came from.
“I guess It cannot be helped.”
Kahito muttered as he takes out a sharpoon, and stabbed it in the living biomass’s pulse. A jet of dark red substance hits Kahito’s helmet, then the ceiling. Dissolving the camouflage paint on his helmet.
“It’s corrosive! Get awa-”
Before Kahito could finish his warning the biomass healed itself, closing the wound and growing onto the sharpoon, assimilating it.
“How… horrifying, the rapid growth…”
Konan commented, horrified, backing off a bit. Hyuuga walks over to Kahito, checking on his helmet.
“Are you ok?”
She asked.
“I’m fine. The substance only dissolved the paint.”
Kahito replied as he turned over to the side shining onto biomass covered skeletons of scientists.
“Don’t let the active ones touches you. It seems to be similar to an invasive fung, except for the fact that it resembles an animal more than plants.”
He explains, following the source of the veins on the biomass covered corpses with his flashlight, leading back at the living biomass blocking the door.
Kahito looks at Major Hans, the two nodded at each other.
“We’ll burn it.”
Hans ordered as Kahito takes out a cartage of gasoline, pouring it onto the blob of flesh blocking the door.
“Everyone stand back.”
Hans ordered as the group hides behind a column, he then loads his rifle with incendiary round.
After making sure everyone is behind some sort of cover, he fired.
The specimen girl wasn’t sure what happened, but a warm bright light from that direction lit the hallway, somewhat pleasant after walking in pitch blackness for hours.
A humanoid figure watches them from the darkest end of the hallway before it dissolves into the mass when light reaches it.



Access Granted: Serp
“What the hell?”
Private Albu exclaimed as soon as they saw what was in the room. An unidentified substance was lining the floor and walls, causing every step to make a wet and mushy sound, and their eyes were wide at the sight of around a dozen skeletons littering the floor.
“What happened here?” Lieutenant Blaney whispered to himself, crouching over one of the skeletons, as his men covered their noses in disgust. The old skull had a bullet lodged inside of it, and the hand was still holding a rusty pistol. Upon further examination every skeleton in the room was more or less the same.
“What are you looking at, sir? We should get the hell out of here before we contract a disease if we haven’t already.” Private Torescu asked, gagging.
“Look at this, they had some sort of suicide pact. Something happened here.”
“No sh*t, sir. They were probably locked inside or something. Do you really want to join them? Let’s get the hell out already!”
“We are staying, that’s an order. Whatever this stuff is, it has to have a source.”
His men reluctantly obeyed, grumbling to themselves and occasionally vomiting over the nasty floor.
Holding tissues to their noses, they slowly walked through the rooms, the horrid smell growing more and more repugnant. At the end of their last hallway, lieutenant Blaney turned the handle of the end door, only to find that it’s stuck.
“Locked. Looks like the door hinges are rusty, we can break through with ease. 3..2..”
Just before he was about to push the door down, they heard a faint boom followed by a low growling noise coming from somewhere on the other side of the door.
“Oh hell no… We should turn ba-”
“Silence, private. Keep your guns ready. If something exploded, maybe there are survivors…”
“Good lord… you’ve gone mad. Do we really want to know what’s in there? Because I sure as hell don’t want to die in this place.”
Blaney ignored Albu’s complaint, and began the countdown again. “3...2...1…”
The door collapsed instantly.


Access Granted(Serpenteum Side)
As the lights from their flashlight shines into the room dark red liquid drips from the mushy flesh covered ceiling. Lowering their focus from the disguising ceiling, a pale humanoid figure could be seen staring at the wall, startling the team. Albu move slightly backward, wanting to leave.
Lieutenant Blaney and Private Korutsk focuses their lights onto the naked humanoid figure, judging from the back, it seems to be genderless.The mysterious humanoid kept staring at the wall, and the investigation team stood still. That was until the verteran Korutsk himself made the first move of approaching the figure. Slowly, and steadily stepping into the room. Entering it, he realizes the flesh that is covering the floor is different from those outside, it was fluid filled, and fresh, the more he approaches the humanoid figure the harder it was to lift his leg...the harder it was to lift his leg.
Something was clearly wrong, Korutsk looks down onto his shoes, it was already covered with veins like roots growing from the biomass. “What-”
Looking up again, facing the humanoid figure, which was still staring at the wall, no movement. Just when he begins trying to lift his legs out of the biomass, The humanoid fell flat onto the floor, dissolving to the flesh covered floor. Before Korutsk could react, liquid like biomass pours down and completely covers Korutsk before the internal muscle drags him to what else through the ventilation.
Blaney order the rest to open fire at the liquid-like biomass, however it hardens with each bullet piercing it.
“It- it’s not working at all!” Albu said in a cowardly voice, slowly retreating from the room. Just as Albu stepped outside the room, a rapid spear like harden mass pierced and stabbed him to the wall, starting to assimilate his body into a chunk of red mass from the wound slowly.
Shocked by the scene, Blaney ordered an immediate retreat from the area.
“Are we not going to save Albu!?”
Private Feroscu asks, as they retreat from the room. Looking at the state Albu is in, Blaney did not answer.
Without warning spears of the same type grew from Albu’s wound and targeted the team.
“Don’t let that touches you!”
Blaney shouted, dodging one of the incoming ones, while his helmet deflected another. Unexpectedly, the assimilated wound on Albu begins to fire these biospears on both sides of the exit, blocking their escape to the hallway. Private Toescu the cold hearted technician, fired at Albu who was still remain human at the time, direct hit to his upper pulse, losing pressure, the cage like biostructure soften as he cuts throw them with his knife. Ignoring Albu’s painful scream which clearly suggested his nervous systems were merged.
Completely speechless by Toescu’s cruel action, Blaney and Feroscu followed Toescu and escaped, hearing a vague and faint young girl’s voice from the room behind which they both depicted as hallucination.

Teardrop Plague
The dreaded new disease, Sanguis Oculus, has been spreading at an alarming rate. The military in the south has begun suffering extensive casualties. To make matters much worse, deserting soldiers trying to flee the fatal infection have inadvertently spread it into the countryside of Speriat. The Khonar government has been making extensive efforts to combat the spread of the disease, quarantining a few towns near Dainui and fully replacing a few trenches with fresh recruits to check all the former men there for the plague. A second national emergency has been declared at the same time, and the Community calls for medical help in finding the cure.

Access Granted: Serp

After speechlessly running back through the halls of the underground complex for around 15 minutes straight, the adrenaline of the men wore off and they collapsed in a relatively dry room breathing frantically. Lieutenant Blaney had been trained to be calm under pressure and he had seen battle many times before, but what he had witnessed in that moist, dark room was simply surreal. After catching his breath he realized they needed a plan.

“So…now that we are far away from whatever the hell that was, we need to decide on our next move. I don’t know what the hell happened to Albu and Korutsk, but I know Albu is still alive and I’m not letting him die in this place letting that thing do whatever it wants to him.”

Immediately, and to the shock of the others, private Feroscu finally talked.

“With all due respect sir, how do you plan on doing that? I don’t disagree that we need to stop that thing and save the others if we can, but these guns didn’t even dent it. If it was contained here by these corpses, maybe they had some weapons that could stop it. We can’t just walk back in there and expect to live.”

Blaney stood in shock for a moment at how calm and composed he sounded compared to the others, but he realized that he was right.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea, private. Have you seen a map or-”

“Sir, where’s Torescu?”

Blaney looked around the room, and to his horror, the explosives expert had disappeared. Before he could even call out Torescu’s name, he heard a speaker from a few rooms away: the entrance.

“Access granted. Backup door employed.”

The sound of a vault door confirmed their worst fears. Escape was no longer an option. They were locked in.



Edokyuuria ruins, Edokyuuria Crater, New Senate Terminal
Outside on the destroyed and melted exterior of the megastructure, Shinozaki approaches the transport helicopter, ignoring the words of those around her as heavy rain fall upon the massive crater at this silent night.
With determination, she steps onto the wet and reflecting landing pad. Nothing around other than the sound of waves hitting remaining ruined structure of the capitol that was destroyed during the last extraterrestrial war.
“Please wait a moment!”
MP officer Sutsushi Rika called as she follows Shinozaki into the heavy rain. Albert Lionheart, Victoria Achenbach, and Mashiro Fuyuki followed. Else Schnorr of the Neo-Fascist Union and Nicola Lafrenz of the United Socialist Party also followed the others.
“How do hell do you think I could sit tight when my sister and my acquaintance are missing!?” Shinozaki respond furiously.
“Please calm down, it’ll be a matter of time until we find her. We need you in the Senate Terminal during the current state of emergency! The government needs you! Former Chancellor Shinozaki Weiss Haru!”
Vice-GC Albert Lionheart shouted at the hooded Shinozaki waiting for the hatch of YAGR-N101 to lower.
“How many times do I have to say I’m not fitted to be a politician, Albert.”
Shinozaki respond as she accelerates toward the transport.
“By the foundation’s instruction, SSS-53, get away from the heli now.”
Vice-GC Victoria Achenbach ordered, in an instant the lights of surrounding section of the Senate terminal megastructure turned red.
Shinozaki turned around and glared at Victoria.
“Don’t you dare to stop me, old hag.”
Within a moment, a giant long spine skeleton-like sharp arms, four faced humanoid defensive mechanism rose from the lower floors.
“What the-”
Sutsutshi muttered, horrified by the scale of the mechanism.
“I see that your administration got some new toys, Mashiro.”
Shinozaki commented as the disturbing deformed humanoid defensive mechanism lights up a holographic halo above.
“Victoria! What are you doing!?”
Mashiro cried at her capable vice for the first time. Standing equally.
Surprised by Mashiro’s act, Victoria responded with a careful choice of vocabulary.
“I’m merely testing the Aragami prototypes on a potential Keter, your excellency Grand Chancellor.”
“There’s no need for-”
Before Mashiro could finish, the massive multi faced skeleton giant fired a thin beam weapon, and pierced through Shinozaki’s robe and the landing pad.
“This-”
Shinozaki muttered looking at the hole on her robe, then she quickly took out her c96 and quickly loaded explosive round onto it.
Aimed and fired at the many faces, slight glows on the rounds before exploding a meter before making contact with the target.
As the smoke and dust clears, a cracked frontal mask could be seen, no major damage.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Shinozaki mutters as the mechanism locks on to her with an anti-aircraft barrel.
“If we were to terminate you here, we’ll have one less of a rogue ex-bioweapons, won’t we-”
Victoria asks, before she could finish Mashiro rushed out to the platform under the terrible weather.
“What the- Mashiro get back here!”
Victoria shouted, taking a step out of the shelter from the heavy rain.
“It’s dangerous!”
Else shouted as she and Nicola tried but failed to prevent Mashiro from advancing any farther.
The AA on one of the mechanism’s many hands were loaded and fired.
Before both Shinozaki and the mechanism’s ATHENA ID recognition system could react, Mashiro was in front of Shinozaki, protecting her.
“Wha-”
Shinozaki muttered as she was covered by Mashiro’s shadows. The mechanism quickly advert the line of firing, however it was not quick enough to readjust the projectile’s vector.

Looking up to the megastructure that stretches into the stormy clouds as rain shower upon her face. She falls flat on the cold, wet platform, smiling.
The mechanism quickly went offline as the others from the building rushes over.
“Goddamnit, get the medical team up here right now!”
Else shouted at her SPs as they rushes back into the building to get help.

“Why are you smiling.”
Shinozaki asks the young head of state, as she held her in her arms. An AA single round has scratched on her torso creating a horrifying deep wound as blood drips and mixes with the rainwater on the landpad.
“Fu… fu… that’s because I did something useful for once…”
She replied smiling, it was a smile of achievement, holding back tears of pain.
“That’s one stupid thing to put your life on line to.”
Shinozaki replied as Victoria facepalmed over at the corner, reflecting on what she did.
“Besides, you’ll have no choice but to stay back here… right?”
Mashiro explains her thought, looking up at her office in the distance.
“How thoughtful of you, little mastermind.”
Shinozaki replied, impressed by her successor’s little plan.
The medical team reaches the landing pad and carefully put Mashiro on a wheeled stretcher.
“Oh… and remember to record MHK 2:00am -4:00am for me… gonna catch up on those shows when I get back...”
Smiling while she requested, Mashiro was taken away on the wheeled stretcher, still bleeding.

Entering the GC office once again. Shinozaki inspects the room more carefully. Despite the fact this isn’t the one she worked in, the interior design felt somehow nostalgic.
“So they’ve even recreated this place in this new megastructure of triumph…”
Albert and Sutsuhi kept quiet as they follow her.
Walking over to the office table, Shinozaki pushed off the messy piles of documents as she touches the surface of the wooden table.
The cold hard feeling of the surface of the wooden table reminded the fallen ones who were with her on her journey during her service as fuhrer chancellor a year ago.
The heart of all tragedies within this nation and the source of her suffering for the past 30 years, she is now standing on top of it once again, the axis that the united kingdom has also revolves around, this surviving rebuilt megastructure. The tower that has always been drowning those below under its pitch black shadow. The beginning of every tragedy, and they’ve rebuilt it.
“Tell me, Sutsushi, Albert, has anything changed between now and then?”
She asks the two young officers as she sat on the office desk.
“...-”
“Yes, things have changed.”
Sutsuhi answered before Albert could think of one.
“This place was the source of tragic genocide and suffering of millions. However, that was in the past, Shinozaki.”
Sutsushi explained, taking a breath.
“Whether or not this megastructure is a symbol of triumph, that was in the distance past you and your sister have burned and buried deep below where we stand. While this place may have built upon the previous, it is current a symbol of unity and safety…. While the ‘past’ may have been a [Harmony] based weapon of mass destruction, the ‘present’ is a defense mechanism that saves lives. Just look at the amount of civilian took refuge here.”
The young officer explained.
“In other words A gun doesn’t kill, but a person does?”
Shinozaki replied after carefully listening Sutsuhi. Taking off her hood, a half burnt face under partially white hair could be seen. Those were the scars she got when Mendelson pushed her into liquid nitrogen back during the internal administrative civil war.
Closing her eyes, covering her ears. Focusing her senses as SSS-053.
A faint mechanic heart beat could be heard deep deep underground.
“The heart of the nation, so it really exist.”
She muttered.
“Is there something wrong?”
Sutsuhi askes, not sure on what Shinozaki meant.
“Nothing. Anyway. What’s the situation on the Serpenteum front?”



Access Granted(SSS Side)
The destroyed door leads to a dark massive lobby and also an elevator shift. Just like the previous hallway, it is covered in roots like dried flesh and biomasses. The smell of rotten flesh were ever stronger than before. Holding onto her breath, operative Hyuuga still hasn’t gotten used to the strong smell unlike the rest of the Sphinx division.
Hans quickly took out the map, Kahito approaches to help with locating existing staircases to the upper floors.
The specimen girl started Looking around this once populated place, she notices the crayon drawings on the walls 20 years ago. Back in a simpler time, when they were scrolled by doctors for doing that, and chased down the hallway of the orphanage-hospital.
That drawing is now covered in rust and veins extended from the mass. So are the other chairs, plants, toys, and dolls.
“There should be a main staircase around here within this enclosed space.”
Hans said, then ordering the rest of the team to find it.
Left alone with her held together by the handcuffs. The girl wanders around the room as she inspected every memory of every detail left behind ever since from that day.
Walking up to the drawing on the wall. The drawing Aokko and Luka did when she first arrived here.
“It’s a welcoming gift.”
When the elevator door opens to the lobby, that was what Aokko said smiling, welcoming her to join the family here, she remembers it very clearly. It was a treasure within her memories.
Looking at the drawings she unconsciously slowly raising her hand and reaches for it.
Brushing off the dust and other unknown contents that covered it.
Accidently touching one of the tried biomass.
A faint sound of a girl’s singing could be heard for a moment, and something, a white figure seems to be standing at the corner of her sight.
Turning her focus toward the white figure, there was nothing, it was a hallucination.

“Konan, I think this is it.”
Sakamoto shines his flashlight at the dried biomass covered door, only a small portion of the exit sign were exposed.
“Well. let’s start by cutting the edges from the wall.”
Konan replied, then reported to Hans and the others, walking passes the rotten flesh covered chairs, toys and many other ruined furniture.

And again, a girl’s singing voice could be heard in the girl’s head as she touches the veins on the wall.
“Aokko?”

Suddenly an active spear of biomass broke through the ventilation and invaded the room.
“What the-”
Kahito mutters as he looks at the ever expanding masses from the ventilation.
“Permission to fire dimethylmercury rounds granted, fire at will.”
Hans announced as he loads the A² round magazine into his rifle. The others quickly followed, the procedure and fired.
The poisonous rounds landed and penetrated the approaching abomination.
“Now it’s only a matter of time until-”
Before Kahito could finish, the fleshy biomass disassembles itself, disposing of mercury poisoned parts. Those parts would then fall to the ground.
“That’s not enough, keep firing!”
Hans ordered, while the rest of the team fires and prevent the growth of the mass, Sakamoto and Kanon continues to cut open the door to the staircase.
“We can’t hold it back any longer!”
Kahito shouted, kept firing at the source of the invading biomass. Unexpected, Hyuuga’s rifle jammed.
“Eh?”
Before she realizes it, a presence of something of a certain mass and quick was behind her. The spiecemen girl held tight onto the ID bracelets and looks at the scenery horrified, unsure of what to do.
Hyuuga looks over to the girl, horrified by what’s about to happen herself.
“Hel-”
Her words fails to finish, a multilimb extension from the biomass quickly dragged her away to the ventilation.
Her painful screaming could no longer be heard the moment she was stuff inside it.
“Hyuuga!”
Kahito calls, but no response from the hanging body of her.
“What in the f-”
Konan muttered, but he was cut off when Sakamoto opens the door to the main case.
“It’s open! Everyone get in here!”
He shouted as he held the door open for the rest.
Just as Kahito, Konan, and Hans went inside, Sakamoto realizes the spiecemen girl was still standing there at the other end of the room, terrified.
“Forget the spiecemen!”
Kahito said, telling Sakamoto to close the door and retreat to the high floors.
“Tsk- What are you doing over there, kid!? Get over here!”
Sakamoto shouted, but there was no response from the girl. It was as if she passed out standing.
“Sakamoto, close the damn door!”
Kahito ordered.
Ignoring his supreior’s orders Sakamoto rushed out toward the girl as Konan provides him cover fire by poisoning and destroying the surrounding biological obstacles.
Just as Sakamoto reached within a meter of the girl, the rapid growth of a biomass that originated from the fallen operative’s body approaches the two rapidly.
“Wha-”
Konan muttered, totally caught off guard, he continues to fire at the approaching mass, but it didn’t decay nor disassemble from the mercury poison.
Knowing they have nowhere to run, Sakamoto embraces the girl, knowing it’s a useless attempts to protect her.
However the rapid spear of biomass was split just above the two, as if it there was an invisible field.
Didn’t waste a second, Sakamoto pickup the girl and ran for the staircases as the rest of the team provides him cover.
The rest closes the door immediately right after two went in, and blocks it with coffins they found under the stairs.
“This place isn’t safe, head up!.”
Hans ordered as the Sphinx division heads to the higher floors. Just the team reaches two floors above the door below has been breached.
“Take this!”
Kahito muttered as he threw a molotov he made earlier from the ingrecredienes in the abandoned labs.
The fire quickly spread onto the approaching biomass and started burning it from the surface tissue.
“It’s always fire that ensures the dark stays dead, well dead.”
He muttered as he catches up with the group.



(Feng)
Away at TW-1 (response to United Kingdom of Miotia-Candor)
As Consort Jin birthed her baby, Lianxin, Zhengzhu, and Mingyu followed Tatiana and Graf down an endless stairwell. The three Feng agents were wearing their evening robes, silken robes with wide sleeves that swept the ground and trailing skirts. Their hair was studded with jewelled combs and golden pins, and earrings adorned their ears. Mingyu yelped as her feet tangled within her robe, which were longer than the others, trailing two feet. "What did I say about not bringing full trailing robes?" Lianxin said as she helped Mingyu to her feet.
"It's the only formal robe in my wardrobe though...." She replied. "Why stairs though? Don't we have elevators these days"

Graf shrugged. "We did not design the structure."

After what Mingyu described to be an eternity, the group finally made their way to the end of the stairwell. Below was a plain room with four elevators, a dimly lit. Above each were numbers 1-4.

"So" Zhengzhu said. "Which one."

Graf looked around. "Now if I remember correctly, it was... that one" He pointed at the elevator with the number four written on a sign above it.

"Ooooh" Zhengzhu replied. "The unlucky number."

"Why is it unlucky?"

"Cause, mandarin pronunciation for four sounds like pronunciation for dead. 四 and 死. Was that done on purpose to further discourage people from using that elevator?"

"I don't know, perhaps it was coincidental. Anyways.... elevator number four never opens unless your press..." He went to the button panel to the right of elevator four and pressed the up and down buttons at the same time. The elevator opened, revealing it's interior. As the group filed in, Graf then pressed the yellow call for assistance button. "Wait what are you doi-" Lianxin said before the elevator began to descend.
"That's how to get down to the pyramid"
Lianxin raised her eyebrows. "Clever, the way to the facility hides in plain sight~"

For some time, the elevator continued to descend before it groaned to a stop.
It opened, revealing a well lit hall built from mostly metal. Serpentine pipes coiled on the ceiling while lights on servers flashed on and off.
"We're here"


SSS 11th branch, under TW-1/Yotsubishi Heavy Industry Eastern Branch
“Sense anything?”
Graf askes Tatiana who walked out of the elevator first.
“What?”
Zhengzhu askes, very confused. But she was told by Graf to be quiet as Tatiana listens with her eyes closed.
A faint, mechanical but rapid mechanical sound was getting closer and closer.
Its crawls were almost perfect in pattern of the next, making it difficult to identity from environmental mechanical sounds.
Tatiana opens her eyes, stares at the intersection in the distance.
“Aragami.”
She replied to the Graf, before the group could react, Tatiana had already taken out and assembled a shortened version of the wz 35 anti-tank rifle.
“What did she-”
Mingyu asked but she was interrupted when Tatiana fired with on knee down, not once, three times.
The shells reaches landed on a black and white masked slender mechanical humanoid on all four with sharp claws that had just crawled into the target range at an unbelievable speed. Piercing and destroying the white mask of the crawling android.
“A Ravager…. ”
Graf muttered as he leads the other three clueless fengese out of the elevator while Tatiana provides cover.
“What the hell are those things!?”
Mingyu askes, disgusted by the horrifying designs of those defense mechanisms.
“Those are the United Kingdom’s new toys to replace us.”
Graf answers, loading armor piercing rounds on his G36. Taking a look around, seeing another door perpendicular to the elevator shaft. He signals Tatiana the place to retreat to.
“Don’t let those things get close to your, they’ll literally turn you to sashimi without clean cuts.”
Graf explained to Zhengzhu as he leads the three to safety.
“What about the kid!? Are you just going to leave here there!?”
Lianxin askes Graf.
“Turn around and look at her.”
Graf replied without looking back.
Lianxin turned around and saw what the foundation so call anomalies.
Dodging the swinging knife like claws, Tatiana stabes and pulls a sharp shard of unknown material she had brought with her. Cutting open the crawling horror one by one, while her wounds heals.
“Just what is she…”
Lianxin askes.
“The protagonist of a tragedy.”
Graf answered vaguely leading the three out of the area, leaving Tatiana behind dealing with the mechanisms.

Walking passes the empty hallway, hiding from different classes of ‘Aragami’ the four takes a break at one of the storage rooms as Graf looks at the documents Akima provided.

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