Story Reader / Main Story / 15 The Last Spark / Story
Earth, two hours after Cerberus' mission is abruptly terminated.
Canines prefer to move in packs. Once separated, their survivability and strength are greatly diminished.
Right now, Kurono is treating Cerberus as if they are real dogs.
Worried that they would make a mess together or collude with one another, Kurono has separated the three Cerberus members for interrogation after setting up the quarantine zone.
Crossing her arms, Vera does not change her response regardless of how the interrogator questions her.
I told you, we don't know who our mindless attacker is.
It called itself "Voodoo", and it kept mumbling about a guy named Vonnegut. It first attacked the Ascendant Roland before coming after us.
That's all I got. Ask me however you want, but that's all I can tell you... What else are you expecting? A lecture on its behavior pattern? How the hell would I know what the Punishing Virus has done to it?
Based on the mission logs, you had disengaged the remote connection for a time not long after the mission began.
Your tracks deviated from your planned route quite extensively afterward.
Hah.
Vera sneers.
Planned route? What on earth is that? Our mission was to investigate what appeared to be Luna's M.I.N.D. activities and locate her.
If there was a planned route, why the hell would we need to "locate" her?
Vera narrows her eyes.
Cerberus accepted your assignment due to the Chief Commander's order, but that window closes when the mission ends.
Now that you've terminated our mission—our mission has ended, so you have no authority over us anymore, given the terms of our arrangement. We don't even have to sit here and get grilled by you.
Understand this—we're staying here listening to your macho crap because we're in a "good mood," not because we're afraid. I know your type, so don't think for a second that your scare tactics will work on us.
The hostility in her voice has all the Kurono soldiers raise their weapons.
The red-haired Construct stands amidst them proudly like a rose above its thorns. She has shown no signs of aggression; her fingertips have not even moved an inch toward the hilt by her waist.
Still, the threat she poses just standing there can nonetheless make one shiver with fear.
The redheaded Death...
Someone whispers.
Vera tilts her head toward whoever muttered her old nickname. She grins from ear to ear, almost in a teasing way.
Ha! I haven't heard that name in a very long time. How "nostalgic"...
Vera raises her hand, and all the soldiers hold their breaths just from this one simple motion.
Everyone is expecting her to draw her sword, but she does not. Instead, she slides a finger across her neck in front of the soldiers tauntingly.
Do you want me to cut you down?
Her tone is cold, unlike her expression.
The Kurono Constructs interrogating her take a look at each other.
This conversation is going nowhere. Continuing any further will only fan the flame.
A Kurono soldier in charge steps forward.
We have a grasp on the situation, more or less. A transport craft will pick you up soon. You'll have to make a detailed report back on Babylonia.
I want to see my team.
Our report shows that a member of your team, designation BPH-22, has shown abnormal fluctuation in her M.I.N.D. during the operation. This might be connected to the hostile force's abilities.
We'll need to quarantine her in isolation and inspect her frame. Before we can confirm she is stable, we cannot end our observation in case something goes wrong.
Given that all three of you have come into contact with a new enemy type, we cannot eliminate the possibility that you are all potential risks.
Each of you will be retrieved separately, and you will regain your freedom after we make sure everything checks out.
Right as he finishes speaking, a blade that cuts metal like butter has already slid across his cheek.
No one can react in time. The female Construct is so fast that no one caught the moment she drew her blade. Despite being a Support-type Construct, her movement is as swift as an Attacker.
By the time vital fluid drips down the soldier's cheek to his shoulder, the Kurono Constructs around Vera aim their guns at her as if they have just been snapped awake.
With their fingers on the triggers, they are prepared to fire.
Vera's blade does not shift a bit.
As I've mentioned, don't attempt to treat us the way you treat Gray Raven. No one understands you more than I do—your bogus claims might work on those birdies, but you aren't fooling me. I know what you're planning.
Lower your weapon, BPN-13. I repeat, lower your weapon, BPN-13.
Unfazed, Vera just stares at him.
At the same time, No. 21's beast-like growl can be heard dozens of feet away from them on the other end of the quarantine zone.
I... want to see my captain.
Do not... come near me.
Her growls spread to Vera's end sporadically. It is then followed by loud clashes and Noctis' yelling immediately afterward.
Hey! I have no idea what any of your words mean! I said I wanted to see my boss, do you hear me?
Oh? You're trying to stop me, is that it?
It seems that Kurono has given her teammates the same speech.
Vera's furrowed brows relax.
Vera turns out to be the "calmest" one of them all—this thought makes her chuckle.
But then—
A voice in her ear stops her from smiling.
This is not a voice her audio module picks up from the surroundings. This is a message directly transmitted to her audio-visual module.
Encrypted channel connection identification confirmed. Mission ID: 961211. Data transmitted to Construct BPN-13's data bank.
O (Your location)
X (Destination: 4.63 km away)
Two sets of coordinates appear on Vera's visual module. One of them points to a location fairly far away, while the other is less than five kilometers away from where she is.
A field not far away from the outskirts of the town.
As the captain of the Task Force directly under the Chief Commander, Vera has an encrypted communication channel with Nikola, who owns the only key.
Hounds are tools that help the hunter hunt. She needs not ask nor think—her only duty when an objective arrives is to make haste to the destination, retrieve the object, and bring it back to the target location.
This is an order only she can hear, coordinates only she can see... a solo mission for Vera and Vera only.
She understands immediately.
She sheaths her blade and makes a circle with her thumb and index finger, placing it next to her lips, and she whistles. The sound penetrates and echoes throughout the quarantine zone.
Captain...
No. 21 has her back arched like a trapped beast, her body tense, growling, ready to strike the surrounding Kurono troop any second.
Upon hearing Vera's whistle, however, she slowly puts down her hands, lowering her head like a tamed puppy.
I... will listen.
This is a signal Cerberus rarely uses. Seldom would people on the battlefield use such a loud and obvious signal.
In fact, it does not entail any strategy at all. Cerberus never thinks about tactics or plans... this signal of theirs is simply used to issue a simple command—
Sit. Good doggy.
Cerberus is often ruthless on the field. Left unchecked, they will kill nonstop, usually resulting in matters getting out of hand.
This is why Vera has designed this signal to command them to stop. If anything, it is more akin to a leash that holds back the rabid dogs.
Noctis also hears her whistle from where he is.
He hisses before throwing the Kurono soldier in his grasp aside.
Why won't you let us act?! What are you doing, Vera?!
The transport crafts carrying No. 21 and Noctis have departed.
Seeing them flying away, Vera turns her gaze to the rest of the soldiers casually.
The soldier behind her pokes her with the muzzle of his gun, urging her to enter her transport craft.
But in a flash of an eye, Vera spins around and slashes his gun in half.
Who knows how long it'll take if I do this by the book? If you're assigning me this operation, it's only fair that I get to call the shots on how I execute it.
A breeze blows past your face. It carries the earthy smell of fresh soil.
Your nose scrunches. You might be imagining it, but ever since you connected with the pale, beast-like Construct, your sense of smell seems to have enhanced.
You are smelling the scent of dirt freshly watered.
This is not a scent you would smell on Babylonia, a metal-plated fortress.
Confused, you suddenly find the Constructs outside the blast-resistant glass raising their weapons.
But you have not done anything this time. Curiously, they are not aiming at you either. Instead...
—First, you hear a loud crash.
You hear a piercing "SLASH" after that. The sound of the flesh and bones of the metal box housing you being slit.
An opening appears on the black box around you. Bright light immediately floods in.
Within the blinding light, you see a burst of violent red.
Your eyes have adjusted to the dark for so long that they are not prepared for this burst of brightness. Your vision and mind go blank for a second.
In that brief moment, that rosy red rushes to your side like a gush of wind.
Slippery like a fish and quick like lightning, she swings her blade unceasingly. The cold hue of her blade blossoms into a blooming flower in the air.
A strike immediately follows another. Her move is so fast that her blade leaves behind a continuous trail of light.
Everywhere this flash of thunderbolt touches, a Kurono soldier falls. But her blade does not stop as it slashes across the room—
Toward the person bounded on a chair—none other than you!
The stream of wind it carries reaches you before its blade.
You close your eyes subconsciously, expecting the pain to hit, but it does not. Instead, you hear a loud "CLANG!", the sound of metal hitting metal.
Slowly you open your eyes, your vision finally adjusting to the brightness.
The first thing you see is the iron chain attached to your legs cut into two. Then you notice the blade that separates it is still pinned in front of you.
The blade wielder's force is so strong that its point is buried deep into the ground. The sword is still rattling, its hum lingering in the air.
You follow the sword and look up... and you find a familiar figure standing before you.
You cannot help yourself but utter her name.
Vera, facing away from the light, stands there, the corner of her mouth gently raised.
Hello there, Gray Raven Commandant. It's been a while.
Her tone is calm as if you are greeting after running into each other on a lazy afternoon.
—As long as you can ignore the unconscious Kurono Constructs under her feet.
Her tone soon shifts back to the aggressive hostility you are familiar with.
What's wrong? Did I make you piss your pants?
Before you can answer, she is already tossing the Constructs outside the opening one by one with a sneer.
A hound on a mission does not relax until all her objectives are fulfilled.
Having "emptied" the room, Vera pauses for a second.
Slowly she turns her head toward you, seemingly about to answer your question.
But then, the loud crackling of engines in the distance causes her expression to shift drastically. She stops smiling.
Sometimes it's amazing how dense you are.
She walks toward you as she speaks. Swiftly she retrieves the blade nailed to the ground before cutting open another metal wall of the room.
You find the cabin of a transport craft on the other side of the opening.
You look back at the forest bathed under moonlight outside the walls. The branches of the trees rattle in the wind.
Babylonia would never waste that many resources on green spaces, not to mention simulating natural wind.
Everything you are seeing points to one fact—
You are on Earth.
But why?
You were on Babylonia before the remote connection. How are you inside a transport craft on Earth all of a sudden?
Instantly, the sense of dissonance you have been ignoring finally adds up.
The perplexing remote connection that took longer than usual.
The fact that Rebecca was contacting you with comms after your first face-to-face meeting.
And the intermittent quakes beneath your feet.
Noticing your look of epiphany, Vera shows you a look of disgust.
Only now do you notice it? Come on, Gray Raven Commandant.
You have been transported to Earth since your first remote connection.
They have replicated the dark room they caged you on this transport craft to create the illusion that you were not moved.
I've taken down most of the Kurono Constructs on my way here, but their reinforcement will arrive soon.
Go close the rear door. I've only torn apart this room, not the craft itself.
I'm going to fly the plane now. Time to bolt.
With that, she steps inside the cockpit, no longer communicating with you.
The red-haired Construct has been blazing around you like a fire. Only until she disappears from your side that you can finally smell the scent of crossing swords she has left behind.
The door to the study opens.
All Collins does is raise his eyebrows.
Despite his guest arriving unprompted, Collins knows that his address is only known to a selected few, accessible to fewer. He is not worried about his safety. Someone who can arrive safely must be one of his.
Indeed. It is Rebecca at his door.
Her chest rises and falls from her heavy breaths, her usually elegant appearance slightly unkempt. It is apparent that she was in a hurry and unable to bother with how she looked.
This is unusual for Rebecca. Someone like her cares for how she presents herself.
Unless things are so dire that she cannot afford to do so.
Collins straightens himself while Rebecca has already arrived before him, her high heel shoes clicking.
What was that you got from the Chief Commander? The Gray Raven Commandant just got rescued by the Cerberus captain! Your plan to sneak the commandant away has backfired!
Collins pauses for a second before he starts laughing.
Ahahaha... I can't believe it! Nicky actually did it...
Stupefied, Rebecca stares at the man before her, who laughs so hard he almost runs out of breath, and she stands there, confused.
At least our socialite here has stopped pretending to be neutral.
Rebecca instantly understands that he is mocking how she has been playing both sides.
She takes another deep breath and continues.
The only good news is that we have detained the other two Cerberus members. One of them was connected with the commandant for a long period of time, and her M.I.N.D. showed unusual activities during the mission.
As long as we retrieve her and analyze her M.I.N.D., our mission is not a total failure... Why the hell are you not nervous at all?!
Collins answers her with a question.
What was the objective of this operation?
This time, it is Rebecca who pauses.
The objective? She ponders. On the surface, it was to utilize the Gray Raven Commandant to investigate what appeared to be Luna's M.I.N.D. activities and locate her.
That was what she thought as well, in the beginning.
But things apparently are not what they seem. Collins promised to return the Gray Raven Commandant to the Parliament, yet he tried to move the commandant behind their back, meaning he wanted to hold on to this asset.
Kurono is not known for leniency. Rebecca even thought that Collins would come up with more ways to counter the Parliament after the mission.
The reason he has his eyes on the Gray Raven Commandant is simply that the commandant has the potential to connect to an agent without getting their consciousness corrupted.
Of course the Parliament would not believe him, but what is done is done. There is nothing they could do.
Having organized her thoughts, Rebecca almost thinks that the whole operation was set up to test and capture the Gray Raven Commandant.
We were trying to track down the agent "Luna."
Having said it out loud, a slight hint of inconsistency rings in the back of her mind.
She knows very well that all Collins has cared about is that agent. Everything that has driven him so far is connected to the agent.
The reason he has his eyes on the Gray Raven Commandant is simply that the commandant has the potential to connect to an agent without a corrupted consciousness.
But she suddenly realizes one thing—
She has the priority wrong.
As important as that commandant is, Collins still cares about the agent more. But, right now, he is ready to move heaven and earth just to keep the commandant in his grasp...
Sure, the more cards they hold in their hand, the better. But if they had to pick one over the other, they would have chosen the agent.
And yet, Collins is in no hurry to track down Luna, the agent, even when her M.I.N.D. activity was discovered in that town. All they did was send a squad to the surface to investigate.
Almost as if he cares not about finding the agent and instead the commandant's ability to "sniff out" an agent's tracks.
That cannot be right—the agent's whereabouts should be the most important thing, unless... Unless—
Suddenly, Rebecca connects the dots.
She raises her head, frightened, and looks at the smirking Collins. His smile is still comical, but she can see the vileness behind it.
Have you figured it out, our dear socialite?
She tries to speak, and that is when she discovers her throat is dry from her realization.
I chose to tell you the truth in the past because, personally, I believed you.
Well, not that I believed you not to reveal our secrets to the Parliament. I believed that it wouldn't matter even if you did.
Collins repeats to her their past conversation, word-for-word.
As for the rest, don't think about it. Just keep up your appearance and play your part as the one that dances between Kurono and the Parliament. It'll be beneficial to both of us.
Rebecca nods tentatively.
Collins sighs.
I knew Nicky had something planned. I just wasn't expecting him to burn this bridge of ours to get what he wants.
This makes me even more curious. Doing so means they've gotten what they wanted, something so important that they think it's okay to mess with us.
What is it, Nicky? Does it have something to do with that intel?
Collins is mumbling to himself while simultaneously looking like he is talking to Nikola across time and space.
Rebecca, finally having her voice back, interrupts him abruptly.
Then what is your... our next move?
Track the transport craft. Intercept it if we can, let them go if we can't.
We're just going to let them leave?
Say you have the key to a treasure chest but not its location, and out of nowhere, someone shows up with its location but not the key...
Why be selfish and hold onto the key?
Collins stands up and straightens the collars of his shirt, preparing to head out.
Before he leaves, he looks back at Rebecca.
And when they unlock the treasure chest and bring it back, we'll just... take it. Yeah?
Your message is recorded. It'll be delivered alongside the supplies during the routine airdrop.
But we don't have a forward operating base there. Dropping supplies at entirely new coordinates could catch "some" people's attention. I've tried to conceal it with other operations as much as possible.
Thank you, Celica.
Instead of joking about overtime pay like she usually does, Celica just looks tired.
Rather, everyone in the conference room looks tired.
Go rest, Celica.
Celica opens her mouth, wanting to say she is fine.
But seeing Hassen's look, she instead says nothing, departing the room quietly, leaving Hassen and Nikola by themselves.
Transferring Cerberus has caused Murray's suspicion already. He was the one who retrieved the first part of that intel. Knowing him, he must have had a backup made. Aren't you worried that he'd give it to Kurono?
He's a smart kid. He knows what's okay and what isn't.
He won't take risks for something nonbeneficial. He's a merchant, not a dishonorable traitor.
Nikola frowns.
I hope you're right.
