Story Reader / Main Story / 21 Spiral of Chronos / Story
Earth, 02:30 p.m.
Aboard a transportation craft that's making its way through the stratosphere.
The ground gradually sharpens into view as the aircraft descends through the clouds, leaving a trail in its wake.
Seen from above through the clouds, the deserted city, looking like a mirage from the Golden Age, seems to be buzzing with hustle and bustle.
Also sharpening into view as the aircraft nears the ground are countless faults—faults left in the wake of the earthquake that struck this place, tearing through the ground amongst the gray forest of buildings.
To this planet, the faults are but the proof of a plate in motion—to humans, however, they are proof of a disaster.
Around the faults are what remains of the buildings that once stood there— some of which have given way from years of disuse and the earthquake, while others are marred with burn marks and bullet holes of all sizes.
Commandant, our original location of landing is far more damaged than previously imagined. We'll be touching down ahead of schedule.
Roger that.
Ready to descend, switched to manual control.
The aircraft starts descending amidst the roar of engines. No stranger to the turbulence that comes with a descent, you lower your head to review the particulars of the mission.
An hour ago.
According to the reports that came in, violent earthquakes have been observed across all regions over the last two months.
We are, however, unable to conduct an overall evaluation of the damage caused by the earthquakes due to the limited availability of sensors at Babylonia... To complicate the issue, many of the earthquakes occurred at locations in proximity to conservation areas.
Right, and according to current reports, the distribution of the last several earthquakes... is abnormal, to say the least.
Geologically speaking, the plates these affected areas are on aren't exactly active—none of them is situated in or around a seismic zone. Theoretically, these areas are supposed to be at a much lower risk of geological disasters.
Which is why we chose to establish conversation areas in these areas in the first place.
Celica superimposes the affected areas from the holographic map on the geological map.
Exactly. And...
Post-earthquake, they found an average 2.3% increase in the virus concentration across all affected areas.
Raising her head to look at you, Celica gives you a knowing nod.
Post-earthquake, there was an average 2.3% increase in the virus concentration across all affected areas.
We can't draw an effective conclusion based on this data.
What we do know is that the recent earthquakes have severely hindered construction efforts in the conservation areas, as a great number of buildings and energy facilities suffered damage.
Many from Engineering Force have been sent down to assist with recovery efforts, but we need part of them to stay behind on the Moon to help with the reconstruction of the base. To that end, we are assigning a great chunk of missions to Task Force squads.
We're short-handed here... for certain reasons.
With hesitation, Celica lowers her head as she opens up the electronic file she holds in her hand.
Since we're still working on reestablishing communication with the ground, we need a Task Force squad to go down to look into the situation—and that, Gray Raven, is your mission this time.
You are to rendezvous with the squad that's stationed there, and you are to help them investigate the damage inflicted by the earthquakes, repair damaged equipment, and determine what caused the concentration of Punishing to rise post-earthquake.
The squad will fill you all in on the particulars when you get there.
As Celica taps away on her terminal, details of the mission start showing up on yours. Going through the list of participants, you notice that Lee is still missing.
Any questions about the mission?
Celica looks up at you from everything that's waiting for her to deal with. She appears somewhat tired but still makes an effort to handle the situation as patiently and carefully as she can.
You don't think you'd end up anywhere different than you did before bringing up Lee again now.
Safe trip and best of luck.
Commandant, we're here.
Coming to your senses as Liv speaks to you, you realize that the aircraft is now parked squarely on the ground.
Checking the map and seeing that the number of Corrupted and Hetero-Creatures around you is within a safe limit, you give Lucia the green light to open the aircraft's door.
Setting foot on the ground, you feel light-headed for a split second—as a non-existent tiny crack stems out of the asphalt you're stepping on and shakes you to the core with a tremble from the depths of Earth itself.
It felt like a heartbeat—one that came and went so fast that it almost seemed like an illusion.
Commandant?
Seeing you stop in your tracks, Liv walks up to you and casts you a worried glance. You let her know that you're fine as you shake your head and straighten yourself up.
That was a neurological stimulation just now, and you guess it was probably a side effect from the aircraft speeding up with reverse thrust. You didn't see it coming when it hit you just now, but you aren't going to let it happen again.
We can't travel by the transportation craft going forward. I've reached out to a nearby team and they'll be here in 15 minutes with a smaller vehicle.
Roger that.
All these... did the earthquakes cause this?
Lucia hasn't let her guard down for a single second along the way, while Liv has been analyzing the fissures and concentration levels of Punishing on the way with a recorder and marking them all down on the holographic map.
Since the Battle of Copperfield Aquarium came to an end, the perceived threat from Hetero-Creatures has been waning with the Red Tide ebbing.
Be it Hetero-Creatures or Punishing polymers, they stopped showing up in the truckload like they used to, and the crimson splotches on the satellite map disappeared as though they never existed in the first place.
The Parliament was relieved knowing that a full-fledged clash using all its Omega Weapons was temporarily avoided. At the same time, the lunar base's reconstruction has been faster than ever, and the research of specialized frames has been making headway thanks to the new information.
And with everything looking so positive for the time being, humans have been spared a moment to breathe.
Every single victory has made its way to the people in no time, rekindling their hope.
Is this peacefulness a sign of hope, or just a temporary calm before the storm?
You, however, have never been able to shake off the uneasy feeling in your mind. You are no stranger to what's been happening, and the earthquakes have done nothing but unsettle you even more.
Flustered, you've promised yourself that you'll let go of nothing you come across here—and that you'll prepare yourself for anything that might happen, so your team won't have to face it alone again.
Commandant...? Are you feeling okay?
Slowing down, Lucia casts you a worried look.
It hits you now that your face is heavy with a frown.
"Take it easy. This is just a recon mission," you tell yourself, as it occurs to you that this is the second time your team is checking on you since the mission began.
I see you're almost fully recovered, Commandant... but it never hurts to be careful.
No doubt about that, Commandant, but I just want you to know that I'll keep an eye out for you anyway.
Ha. Yeah, right.
Says Lucia with a frown on her face, which is something you know she normally wouldn't do.
I just thought that's something Lee would say if he was around.
Says Lucia with a straight face—before her expression grows heavy.
That indeed sounds like something he would say.
Liv nods in agreement, but her expression soon breaks into a complex smile.
That's Lee for you—he might come across as sounding like a bitter person who doesn't care, but we all know for a fact that he's the exact opposite of that.
That's Lee for you—he might come across as sounding like a bitter person who doesn't care, but we all know for a fact that he's the exact opposite of that.
And... he'd always put everything on his own shoulders.
I know, right... Lee doesn't really talk about what he likes and doesn't like. Not even now.
Liv and Lucia have read you like an open book.
Never outspoken, Lee has been supporting Gray Raven in his own way. He is absent from a lot of the missions the team has been sent on these days because of all the adaptation tests he needs to go to, but he never misses a beat when it comes to routine work.
Before the team heads out for a battle, you can always count on Lee to send you a detailed analysis of the locale and the enemy to be fought. Also, Lee never fails to fine-tune the exoskeletons and weapons at the base with meticulous care so they're battle-ready.
You know that you can basically count on him to get everything done.
God only knows when we'll all be out on a mission together again...
True. I mean, they spill no beans about their research on the new specialized frame, and I'm sure Commandant doesn't know much more than we do.
You stop cold when your terminal starts ringing with a connection request.
It's from the squad of Engineering Force stationed around the conservation area.
Try... switching to a different cha...
There we go! Hey, can you hear me?
A few buzzing noises later, you hear a cheerful voice coming from your terminal.
Oh wow! Support Force here. We just confirmed your location and will be there in no time!
Ten minutes later, a small vehicle with the World Government's logo sharpens into view, veering wildly around all the collapsed buildings and faults with astounding dexterity.
You seem to recognize the wildness with which the vehicle is being operated.
The vehicle speeds down this way as you guess the identity of the driver.
Yo!
Swerving the vehicle to a stop with the same astounding dexterity and parking it squarely by the roadside, the driver pops her head out of the window.
Been a while, Commandant.
Hop on already. We'll go through the particulars as we go.
Contrary to how she drove coming down, Bridget now drives the vehicle steadily toward the conservation area.
Also sitting in the vehicle is a Construct from the Engineering Force. As Bridget drives, the Construct goes over the particulars of the mission with her.
...Commandant [player name], Lucia, and Liv... We have all three of you confirmed.
We collected this data on our way here.
Received with thanks.
Sitting next to you, Liv and Lucia send the Construct their data.
This is going to come in handy. Thank you so much.
Thanks. We knew we could always count on Gray Raven.
Not so good.
We didn't end up with any casualties from the earthquakes because we got everyone evacuated in time, but a big part of the conservation area's basic infrastructure came down because of the earthquakes. We're now trying to bring power back with the backup power system.
Some of the communication towers got ruined, too. Engineering Force is working at top speed trying to bring them back up, and we should see the connection in this zone up and running tomorrow.
We don't know if there will be aftershocks, though. The only thing we can say about the earthquakes at this point is that they hit at random times.
You guys are a godsend, Gray Raven, because we're short-handed as of now.
A commandant came down this morning with some Constructs. I'm guessing they put the squad together ad hoc, and they're on a mission now around the conservation area. Things there are way worse, and they even picked up traces of Corrupted.
We'd have asked Babylonia to send more hands down... but things aren't looking exactly peaceful with Task Force these days either, no?
Defectors.
Having been quiet this whole time, the Construct of Engineering Force suddenly breaks her silence and chimes in. As you glance at the rearview mirror, you can feel her vigilant gaze fixed upon you.
(Sigh)
Bridget takes off her sunglasses and lets out a sigh.
The Parliament has been trying to keep everyone in the dark, but the whole thing is an open secret now.
We're suddenly seeing a bunch of defecting Constructs these days, and a lot of the squads with defecting Constructs got put on hold for missions and put under investigation at Babylonia.
Celica's heavy face from back then makes sense now.
You look over at Liv, whose face is just as heavy now.
They aren't allowed to come down to Earth for missions until the higher-ups get to the bottom of the situation. A lot of the squads that get sent down these days are scraped together, and people are finding it difficult to work with one another.
Task Force has all its intel shared among its members and possesses the most lethal of weapons, making it vulnerable to even the least bit of mistrust and suspicion among its members.
Rumor has it that a defecting Construct showed up at a base on Earth with an Ascendant and killed everyone there.
My friend is still in the lock-up because of that one certain Construct.
Bridget pats the Construct on the shoulder.
There is nothing wrong with getting yourself ready for what's coming your way, but there are things that are simply above our paygrade.
So, I'm only seeing three of you here. What happened to this other guy called Lee?
I see. Been a while since I last saw him.
You last fought alongside Lee at the beach, in the battle where everyone's life was at stake. After the battle, you never really had a chance to talk to Lee—except once.
Coming back to Babylonia from a surface mission one day, you saw Lee in the lounge.
He was sitting in front of a desk. His always worn jacket was placed neatly aside, revealing the part of his frame without bio-skin.
Lee was fixing his right arm, whose mechanical structure was exposed. With a tool in his hand, he was making meticulous adjustments to the mechanical parts in his arm.
All the while, however, Lee was doing so with a face so straight that one wouldn't have been blamed for thinking that he was just picking apart some machine.
...
Are you just going to keep standing there?
Lee snapped at you, all the while carrying on with what he had been doing. You decided to continue the conversation.
I'm just fixing my frame—well, this would be the human equivalent of treating an open wound. I do it on a regular basis and never experienced a M.I.N.D. deviation.
It's from one of the missions from before. It's nothing serious, and I just thought I'd take this opportunity to fine-tune the output structure.
...I'm just more comfortable here.
And I don't want to make people do for me what I can just do for myself.
You don't remember seeing Lee pay many visits to the Maintenance Department at the Star of Life, but it doesn't mean he never gets hurt.
He has always been seen alone, and people who don't know him might find him aloof.
But people who do know him know that he is just used to putting the burden on his own shoulders.
Lee carried on with work without looking up, filling the room with the clinks and clanks of metal parts.
Not really.
This is your lounge.
Lee seemed lost for words with a frown.
Just ask whatever questions you have.
I believe I sent you a report every time there was a test.
After the Battle of Copperfield Aquarium and with your insistence, Hassen agreed to the idea of sending you a progress report along with updates on the frame every time there was an adaptation test.
Hassen, however, had refused to provide you updates on anything else, saying, "This frame does not require M.I.N.D. connection with the commandant at the moment."
Except the reports didn't really clear your doubts.
As if he was hiding something.
One question at a time. I've only got one mouth to do all the talking.
Now, about the "sudden M.I.N.D. overload"... I don't know what's causing it, but it hasn't affected the frame or its battle performance.
Everything about the new frame is within normal standards.
And there's nothing off about me.
Well... if you don't ever bring it up to Lee, he'll just put all the load on himself and solve it all before people even know there were problems.
And if you ask me what we've done for him... well, I can hardly think of anything.
He always has everything planned out. I might be Gray Raven's captain, but I often find myself relying on his judgment.
I seem to always think that he's just going to finish everything I ask him to do—which he actually does, except it just never hits me that Lee might need help himself... He just never brings it up.
...And that is Lee for you—he always meets the problem head-on. He is always quiet, yet you all know you can count on him.
...
I'm sure you will.
Lee's frown let up with a faint smile on his face.
Totally saw that coming.
But don't sweat it. I'll be fine.
I'm worried about you, Lee, both as a friend and your commandant—you remember having said this to Lee.
Lee, however, looked away from you in what seemed like temporary bewilderment. You waved your hand at him to get his attention.
...Right, of course.
If there's anything I need your help with...
Lee stopped in his tracks and looked up at you with a straight face.
I'll let you know.
Said Lee, except you didn't know if he was just saying it to make you feel better.
With that, everyone falls silent, as the vehicle carries you through the locked facilities. Before long you arrive at the conservation area.
The damaged buildings have been temporarily reinforced, and members of Engineering Force are bustling about. When some of them pass by, they nod in greeting to Bridget, and she reciprocates with nods.
Our temporary base is right over there. Let me take you there first.
Captain!
Right then, a Construct from Engineering Force rushes over.
There you are! Here, you need to have a look at these data!
Take it easy. What is it?
Bridget takes the monitoring device from the Construct and starts going through the data.
The geomagnetic storm peaked again just now...
And it's the highest we've seen over the past two days...
When was the last time we saw a peak?
When the second aftershock hit...
Right when the Construct finishes his sentence, a deafening rumble fills the air.
And with it, the ground starts trembling.
