Author Notes: ヾ(´＿`○) Recently, every time I try to cure my sickness, it just keeps on getting worst.
TN: –Update(01/24/2019) Changed River to Pond.
—- Arakawa Miki Point of View —-
In the central headquarters of Hakone Base, a search team consisting of 25 people under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Claire Dauntless who are aboard a XC-03 Transport Aircraft was shot down. The group are searching hard for the missing Kouki who is in Russia. It’s been 18 hours since the hotel in Russia was attacked by the terrorist organization called ‘New World’…. We are unable to pin point the location of Kouki and Senior Lieutenant Anton Volkkievich, who is acting as his escort.
Since it’s the Senior Lieutenant, he probably managed to let Kouki escape alone and find a way to go for the Finnish Border, however there is no trace of him in Finland as well as any word that he arrive at Noah’s safe house.
“We are in a bind…”
Mentally exhausted, I said that as I sit in the commander chair. If Kouki was captured by New World, they should have made some statements to Noah but it has been 18 hours and there is nothing. Kouki must have found a place to hide… or he is already dead── I was starting to think about the worst possible situation when Shuichi-san who was sitting next to me started to talk.
“Miki, we are able to contact the Russian Troops surrounding the hotel and learned about the weapons the enemy are using”
“Tell me in detail. We need to know the opponent’s equipment if we are to dispatch our own units”
“They are using an unknown new type of power suit, which seems to be somewhat similar to a 6th Generation. The heavy infantry are using a reinforced skeleton with optical camouflage capability. It was also confirmed that they have a.s.sault Type VSTOL Aircraft that resembles ours and it is possible that they are equipped with directional EMP weapons.”
“Are you kidding me!?”
I know that my husband is saying the truth but I still blurt those words without thinking. Since it is an unknown power suit, it was probably something that they develop themselves. It means that they were able produce enough numbers to provide on each of their soldiers. Even the directional EMP weapons, Noah developed something similar but it is still at prototype stage and not yet usable for actual combat. If everything Shuichi-san saying is true then that means New World has the same technical and financial capabilities as Noah.
“This looks pretty bad, did you learn anything about Dr. Sandra Zelenskaya?”
“Aa, we received data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It’s actually surprising, it was a top secret information of their security department that they intend to never go out in public. As expected, they are also starting to get impatient. Anyway, they probably like to lighten our mood against them with this”
Ironically, the Russian Government is plagued due to their own action. I received the doc.u.ments that Shuichi-san handed over and looked into it. I finally understood the words of Kouki earlier during their meeting when he said “same level of genius as my mother”.
Born on March 15, 2060. She is 2 years older than I am. At 12 years old, she graduated top of her cla.s.s in Moscow State University. Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Artificial Life and even got PhD in Quantum Physics. Her original theory is the Reincarnation of Life… When she announced “The Theory of Soul Reincarnation”, she was expelled from a major conference and all registration about it was deleted in 2088. At that time, she was responsible for the top secret project known as “Project Alice”. After that, she did her own research behind the world’s shadow. Also, there is another doc.u.ment together with it but──
“The mathematical equation attached to this doc.u.ment seems to be a conjecture of quantum physics theory. The method on how the theory was approach is slightly different from how Kouki did it but if you study it side by side, it will reach the same conclusion. There is also a doc.u.ment for a new design of powersuit that uses artificial muscle and a new type of power reactor. Shuichi-san…, this is unbelievable. This is basically the idea and theory for the Type-0 Powersuit that we are currently researching”
“…you can’t be serious? that means…”
“Yeah, ‘same level of genius as my mother’? That is an understatement and it is not even funny, Dr. Sandra Zelenskaya is without a doubt── a genuine ‘Genius’ which is at the same level as Kouki”
To have 2 geniuses who can shake the foundation of the current modern age, what kind of joke is that. If she… if Dr. Zelenskaya had people around her who could understand her before, I wonder how this world could have change.
Being chased out and treated as crazy without anyone trying to understand. A genius who created the terrorist organization called ‘New World’ for her revenge. If their past was the other way around, it is possible that Kouki might have been on her situation instead.
“Miki-san, President Shumsky of Russia is on the hotline”
Elis-san, who is my personal adjutant, made a report without changing her expression while I was in a whirlpool of thoughts. She is also uncertain about her sister’s safety and it is obviously taking an emotional toll on her but when I told her to take a rest in her room, she said that she wants to remain in this place and will carry out her duties. She believed that we will find her sister safe.
“Please display him on my screen”
An elderly man with poor complexion appears on the terminal installed on my desk. Recently, there are no summons from United Nations which cause less opportunities to talk with the president of Russia directly but there is no doubt that the person reflected in my terminal is President Shumsky himself.
“Long time no see, Joshi”
“Long time no see, Mister President.”
The last 18 hours must have burned him out. Confirmation request if Kouki is safe from each country was being received non-stop together with Inspection Request to check if they violate Arakawa Treaty. On top of that, the act of terrorism is still on-going in the capital of his country. There is no doubt, his political career is over. After the conclusion of this case, I’m sure that he will pa.s.s his resignation.
“I am ashamed that your son was caught up in a terrorist attack during his sightseeing here in Russia. Currently, we have completely surrounded the hotel and will make sure to suppress the terrorists while ensuring the safety of the hostages. In addition, we are also conducting a sweeping strategy to wipe out the terrorist group──”
“Spare me the pretentious talk. What we demand is a visual confirmation on the safety of Kouki and the flight crew members under Lieutenant Colonel Claire Dauntless. Under Arakawa Treaty, the EU Union, US Marine Corps, Russian Pacific Fleet and the UN’s Army 6th Division have been ordered to DEFCON 2. I think you know already that military action under the Arakawa Treaty give me full authority in decision-making, however, if your country is not showing sincerity then I might need to make a difficult decision” (TN:The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. military. It increases in severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match varying military situations. DEFCON 2 means that armed forces should be ready to deploy and engage in less than 6 hours)
“…Joshi, no, Arakawa-san, I cannot do anything more than this anymore. Our navy is headed to the place where your Transport Aircraft was shot down, we can certainly tell you any information in a few hours about it but we really have no information about your son. Did he really not contact you?”
“He has not. Mister President said that you cannot do anything anymore but did you look through all the surveillance cameras in the city?”
“Of course. We confirmed that he jumps into the pond with a power suit from the hotel and walked into an alley 150 meters away from it. From there, we lost track of him”
Such a stupid thing cannot happen, that kid is certainly smart but he was not trained as a soldier who can break through an enemy or like a spy who can completely erase his trace. The only thing that can keep him safe is his personal terminal but without it, he is just a helpless 15 year old child. So, what is going on here?
“I apologize for interrupting your conversation but the Chief of Convention against Transnational Organized Crime of United Nation has contacted us and said that it is urgent”
“If you have any new information, please let us know. I will notify other country not to engage in any military action for now. I also want to avoid in triggering a major war just because of this rescue operation”
“I understand. Thank You”
The communication ended and the screen became black, after a while a red-haired woman who was wearing a UN staff uniform was shown next. The woman who had a very nervous expression place some doc.u.ments on her desk when she saw me on the screen and started to greet me.
“Wa, Nice to meet you. I am Stabinger of the Illegal Arms Trade Prevention Team” (TN: The ‘Wa’ is a panicked voice. You know, like ‘uhm’ or those filler before the actual words when you are really nervous)
“Nice to meet you, I am Arakawa. I heard you have an urgent news?”
“Wa, Yes. Recently, here in Russia, we are tracking money from a weapon merchant, Vladimir Striarov. We are gathering information about his customers to submit to the international court as evidence. During the information gathering… uhm, about an hour ago, we got information about a weapon deal with a tremendous amount of money involved. That is why, we search the customer information using the credit card used and it turns out it belongs to the personal account of Arakawa Kouki” (TN: Wow, we are getting a lot of names in this chapter. My head cannot keep up. I need to make a note)
“The account of Kouki is with the International Bank. If he wants to transfer credits of more than $1 million he needs to personally authenticate it using a special certification machine. If he is kidnapped or being threaten, the machine will detect the abnormality of pulse and blood pressure and the authentication will show it… if it is at least an hour ago, then it is safe to say that the credits where moved by his own free will”
“Yes. That is why the staff here hacked into the terminal of Striarov to get information about the purchased weapons. Should we send the data to you?”
“Please send it immediately!! And you say your name was Stabinger? I will send a formal letter from myself and Noah at a later date to United Nation expressing our grat.i.tude for your cooperation”
“Eh, T-Thank you very much. Well then, please excuse me”
Thank goodness… Really, thank goodness. I do not know the detailed situation yet but for the time being, I know that he is safe. It seems he found a way to hide himself but I wonder how he did it? However, I wonder why he made a contact with a weapon merchant? If he just need something to protect himself, then he can just pay cash to the merchant to buy whatever he wants.
While thinking about such a thing, a data was sent into my personal terminal by Stabinger-san. Apparently, the same doc.u.ment was sent to Shiuichi-san. He quickly check the contents with a curious face but soon his complexion changed and let out a loud voice.
“That idiot!! Is he planning to start a war in a city!? Miki, Kouki bought old fashioned weapons that works against EMP. He even have an anti-tank guns without guidance system for a whole platoon… No, wait… He bought sh.e.l.ls for a Howitzer but did not buy the Howitzer itself. I see, He will use those as IED. That means he plans for guerrilla warfare using improvised explosives” (TN: Howitzer is an artillery gun for firing sh.e.l.ls on high trajectories at low velocities. IED is a simple bomb made and used by unofficial or unauthorized forces)
I was surprised on Shuichi-san’s words so I display the doc.u.ment in my terminal in a panic. What written in there are enough equipment to do urban combat in a short while. There are 30 old-fashioned automatic rifles and 5 sub-machine guns which were once used by the Russian army 100 years ago for nuclear attack, a Helicopter that uses vacuum tubes instead of semiconductors, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, a backpack-type flamethrower that uses gelatinized gasoline, Howitzer sh.e.l.ls, Battle Helmets which are not used for a very long time due to Reinforced Exoskeleton. Modern Military Official who will see this list will no doubt say that it is a list of antiques. (TN: Gelatinized Gasoline are gasoline treated with a thickening agent; used in napalm bombs and flamethrowers. Also known as Gasoline Gel, Jellied Gasoline or Thickened Fuel.)
“Shuichi-san, is it possible to destroy a power suit using the equipment listed in this doc.u.ment?”
“It is impossible to destroy powersuits using those but it is possible to disable them. When attacking a powersuit’s exhaust using a flame thrower, it can cause the limiter to overheat. Same with the anti-tank mine, if you remodel the mine and have projectiles all over it, once it explodes the projectiles can pierce through the weaker joints. There is no way that this is Kouki’s idea. Only someone who is experienced in unconventional warfare can think of something like this. If possible, I do not want to fight against such kind of opponents”
There is only one fighting force of a single platoon who have experience in unconventional warfare, who is in Russia and has the possibility to side with Kouki. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Intelligence Bureau’s External Special Operation Unit, ‘Chern.o.bog’. Even Claire-san was not able to verify if they really exist and Senior Lieutenant Anton did not provide us with any information. The strongest unit in Chern.o.bog which is known as the strongest when it comes to unconventional warfare is called ‘Serp’.
The word means ‘Scythe’ in Russia and it is rea.s.suring to know that they are on our side. Yoshi, Noah’s course of action is now decided. Perhaps, Kouki are giving those weapons to Serp and decided to hold out by means of guerrilla warfare while waiting for reinforcements. That means, we need to locate the location where that child did his credit transaction──
“Miki-san! We receive communication from Kouki-kun in a regular line”
“Please transfer the communication to the secured line immediately”
“W-well, he said not to do that and he wants to contact you as it is”
What the heck is he saying!? If you use a regular line, it may reveal your location to New World. Why won’t you transfer to the secured line? I was looking at the screen while suppressing my feelings of anxiety. Kouki who looks like a bit tired was reflected on the screen. I was relieved for a while but I became nervous again when I see the figures of the people around him. Probably the people here in this room who are looking at the same screen feels the same.
“Kouki! You are safe. Who are those armed people? Don’t tell me they are members of New World?”
“Aa~ It’s true that they almost look like an old-generation terrorists because they are wearing Balaclava”
What do you mean by ‘almost’? They ‘exactly’ look like terrorists. They are wearing old-fashioned camouflage clothes and helmets while automatic rifles are hanging from their shoulders. They looks like anti-government guerrillas in the early 2000s that I saw from doc.u.mentary films. Does that mean Kouki is their hostage?
“They are former colleagues of Anton-san. They are people from Chern.o.bog. Ma~ some of them belongs to the Espionage unit too. They are cooperating with me, and we are currently in old Moscow”
“Wait, Ko-chan! You are in the regular line, you know that there is a possibility of New World listening to this line”
“I do not mind, rather it was on purpose. Aa~ Captain Yurya, please”
Kouki called out to a woman soldier who is next to him, she show a map on the screen and point to a specific location with her finger. Kouki’s atmosphere suddenly changed from gentle to serious. I have seen this expression before── It was the same face he did when he was listening to the strategy in mega float when Alice was kidnapped. Yes, it is his face when he decided into something.
“To Dr. Sandra Zelenskaya, I’m sure that you are watching this video. You must be frustrated when I escape the hotel? However, I will give you a chance. I am in the old Moscow City, I do not know if you want to catch or kill me but whatever it is, you need need to meet me.
However, I think that it stupid to spare my time to a foolish researcher who believes in the occult such as reincarnation or soul. That’s why I am just going to wait here and let you or your men come here. In exchange, I’d like you to release 3 people who you captured in the hotel. Those are Anton Volkkievich, Yakov Tarkovsky and Yuri Pamfilova. If those 3 people are already dead then this conversation is invalid and I will immediately leave this place. If they are alive, release them near Bechet Pond in the old city. (TN: I’m not sure what ベケト池(Be-ke-to chi) is, had a hard time figuring it out so I give up and look at the Light novel. However, when I try to search Bechet Lake in google I came up with nothing. Does Bechet Lake even exist? Thanks to ‘lockrud’ for answering my ignorant question)
The time of their release is the time that I will try to leave this place, that is also your chance to try and capture me. I will wait for your reply in less than 2 hours, how you will contact me… try to think of a way by yourself, even if you are a fool I’m pretty sure you can think of something right? That is all”
Kouki who said everything that he wanted to say in an arrogant tone cut off the communication. Looks like, this is the reason why he tried to contact us. I was stunned by his action which cause me to only stare at the black screen. After a while, I recover and gave instructions throughout the whole headquarters. The att.i.tude of that child, he is absolutely planning something. For now, all I can do is to prepare the full force of Noah and figure out every detail on the location where Kouki is to prepare as reinforcements.
Other than that, I need to contact each country who is a member of Arakawa Treaty and ask for Russia’s cooperation… As always, that child is in the middle of trouble but I believe that he will get the best possible result just like always. Looks like I will be very busy──
Author Notes: This is enough for now. Stabinger-san was able to improve their situation.(・ω・`)
What do you think will happen on the next one… I had a lot of plot ready that involves Alice Project. Look forward to it!!
By the way:
Chern.o.bog(チェルノボグ) = Shinigami(死神)
Serp(スィエールプ) = Scythe(鎌)
Chern.o.bog combat unit, Serp = Scythe of the Shinigami (Scythe of the Grimm Reaper)
Isn’t it cool? (｀・ω・´)