Magical Lyrical G-Squad
Chapter 5: Enemy Hands
Xx~~*~~xX
Wind howled past her ears, whipping her hair uncontrollably past her face, and her auto-barrier just barely protected her from the sudden and dramatic drop in temperature. At first, her plummet through Earth's lower atmosphere was quite uncontrolled, but she managed to at least even it out after a few moments.
Arisa didn't know exactly how fast she was falling, but based off what she had learned in school, it only took her about 15 seconds to hit the maximum velocity of about 55 meters a second. She had taken a breath shortly before being vacated from the plane and was now holding it; she also knew that trying to take a breath at this altitude and speed would be difficult, and thus focused on keeping conscious.
Another part of her mind reminded her that she had never been able to do any sort of magical flight, and also saw fit to inform her that her floater fields could have used more work.
[Well, as they say, it isn't the fall that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end,] she reflected wryly.
And then she felt, more than heard, something in the sky with her. She instinctively angled her body as the large object came up underneath her, matching her velocity, and ultimately landing her square in the rear seat of Vice's Storm Raider golem in hybrid mode; a cross between fighter and golem modes that allowed greater agility in the air.
“You're crazy, you know that?” Vice grumbled at her once the canopy closed, but with a note of respect in his voice.
Arisa helped herself to a large serving of fresh oxygen, as her body began to relax. “That's why I told you to hang around in stealth mode.” She paused. “You are in stealth mode, aren't you?”
“I don't think they detected me when I had the canopy open, but yes, we are invisible,” he replied, shifting Storm Raider back into fighter mode and taking off for the jumbo jet once more. “You were lucky; after flying far enough off to get out of their radar range, I engaged stealth mode to get back here as soon as I could. Damn near gave me a heart attack when I realized that was you tumbling through the air.”
Arisa smiled wryly, temporarily closing her eyes. “It wasn't my first choice, but I needed to get off the plane, and I had faith in you. I wouldn't have been able to do anything as a prisoner.”
She finally glanced down at the fabric like object in her hand, becoming conscious of the fact that she was still holding onto it. She briefly wondered where it came from, and then realized it had come off when her hand had grappled with that one agent's face, shortly before she was sucked out of the plane. But that still left one question: What the hell was it? It looked like some kind of hair net, but big enough to fit over a head. However, she didn't remember seeing him wearing something like this.
She opened up a holoscreen. “Chrono, I have something here that I need analyzed. Can you teleport it up to the
Ventek?”
“Right away, although you'll need Vice to drop back a bit from the plane so we can get a lock on it,” came the response.
She held out her hand, watching the strange netted mask disappear in a flash of white light, then returned her attention to the issue at hand. “What's the status of the squad?”
“Otto's hanging out off the coast, and the other two golems are being attached to the shuttle for transport,” he informed her, taking up a position to the rear of the plane again.
Arisa nodded, bringing up a map on her screen and tracing the route the South Korean President's plane was taking. Overlaying the known North Korean military locations, she felt she had a pretty good idea where the plane would eventually land. Thirty minutes later, her educated guess was vindicated as the plane touched down, but her overhead image of the area flickered wildly.
“Chrono, I'm getting some static in this area,” she reported, her brows knit together in concentration as she attempted to clean up the image. “Can you provide more accurate assessment from orbit?”
“We've been trying,” the Admiral admitted after a moment. “But the interference that prevented us from teleporting anyone out, has increased dramatically. We can't even get any communication through now, normal or telepathic.”
Arisa blew out an annoyed breath. “Figures. I'll have Vice land just outside the range of the interference, and proceed in on foot to recon. We'll need the shuttle to launch and deliver my golem, as well as Arf and hers as well. After I get a more accurate lay of the land, we'll break in and free everyone.”
“I'm afraid I'll have to countermand that plan, Captain,” came General Adams voice on the channel.
“Why?” Arisa demanded to know. “They have our people AND the South Korean president! We can easily and swiftly move in and rescue them without any casualties!”
“We have a bigger problem, Arisa-chan,” Suzuka warned, her voice deadly serious. “We received an anonymous note that if we attempt any kind of rescue, a nuclear weapon will be detonated in Seoul.”
Arisa felt her mouth go dry. “They aren't supposed to have progressed that far on their program....”
And even as the words left her lips, she realized the problem; Adams stated it anyway. “I think we are now aware that the North Koreans, or someone helping them, have capabilities we didn't think they possessed. I'm afraid we have to treat this as real, which is why I am dispatching Suzuka and Arf to Seoul to work with the authorities there to find the weapon.”
“The
Ventek can't find it?” Arisa wondered aloud.
“Concrete blocks any radiation output, so what better place to hide it then in jungle of concrete?” Chrono answered. “And there is similar magic jamming going on there as well. We're scanning the city, but it is difficult to sort out all the signal interference. Griffith is working with Lucino to narrow the focus.”
Even Arisa could see the issue now; it didn't matter if the weapon were relatively weak, the damage would still be severe. Not only to buildings and to people in the immediate vicinity, but the fallout would cause widespread sickness, panic, and fear. The economic damage would be even greater still.
“Then, at least let me recon,” Arisa requested, conceding defeat. “There is no harm in at least seeing what they are up to down there.”
There was a bit of silence on the line, before Adams came back on. “Permission granted, but recon only. Do not take any overt actions; do I make myself clear?”
Arisa let out a long breath. “Understood.”
x~~*~~x
Lindy's smile was warm and friendly as she accepted the cup of tea. “Oh, thank you!”
The young North Korean soldier that offered it to her, gave a short bow and walked away, giving no outward emotional signal. Lindy sniffed at the cup, and then waved her hand over the green liquid to cool it slightly.
As the door to the small room closed, she could see the hustle and bustle of activity in the large hanger beyond. She had already gathered that she had been taken inside some place large from her other senses, even though they had As the door to the small room closed, she could see the hustle and bustle of activity in the large hanger beyond. She had already gathered that she had been taken inside some place huge judging by her other senses, even though they had blindfolded her when she was escorted off the plane to begin the interrogation. She wasn't quite sure where she was, but that brief glimpse clued her in enough to know she was still on the surface, or close to it. The magical jamming signal was even stronger here; she could practically feel it, and it nearly gave her goosebumps.
The perpetually grumpy-looking General Ri Yong-ho sitting opposite her at the table, folded his hands. “Now, shall we get started?”
“I think so...” she started to say, and then a notion hit her. “Wait!”
Her sudden surprised command caught him off guard. “What?”
“What about the milk and sugar?” she inquired hopefully.
“...what? In green tea? Why would you...”
“Why wouldn't you?” she replied back innocently. “I can't have a good conversation without properly prepared tea. Surely you understand that in your culture?”
“But we don't...” he started to say, and then caught himself, as if realizing what he was about to argue. “Forget it. Bring her some milk and sugar.”
The same soldier promptly arrived a minute later bearing Lindy's desired items, for which she thanked him again. This time, the vaguest hints of a smile appeared on his lips.
“Now can we get started?” he asked in an irritated tone as she added her milk and sugar. “Our government demands that you immediately move your entire contingent to our sovereign soil and cease providing any assistance to other governments, especially South Korea. Doing so will constitute an act of war against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.”
“Hmm, I could use some chocolate, too,” Lindy stated after taking a sip of her tea.
“...excuse me?”
Lindy blushed lightly. “Don't women of your planet like sweets, too? Especially chocolate. I could really use some chocolate squares.”
General Yong-ho grumbled. “I don't think you understand your position here...”
“I understand you aren't being a very polite host,” Lindy countered a bit petulantly. “I was given to understand that government officials on your planet made a great effort to host diplomats. You're not a very good negotiator, either. You're supposed to offer something in return. And really, are a few chocolate squares too much to ask?”
The general grit his teeth, somehow managing to contain his anger, and gestured a soldier over. “Very well. See if you can find some chocolate for the woman.”
“Now, see, was that so hard?”
Ri slammed a folder of papers on the table. “Do not forget your place here! You've already lost a couple of your people.”
“Yes, I know,” Lindy stated while stirring her tea, enthusiasm draining out of her voice. “It's terrible!”
“Now, with that said, let us continue-”
Lindy coughed politely.
“What?
The jovial Admiral appeared confused. “Shouldn't we wait for the chocolate before continuing?”
This time, Ri couldn't hold back the growl.
x~~*~~x
The air was stifling hot inside her hiding place, and it didn't take more than a minute before it became hard to breathe and her vision started to swim. But once the door in the cargo hold was blown open, Miyuki saw her chance in the form of one of the cargo containers, calculating she had only moments before the change in pressure rendered her unconscious. It didn't take much to open it, although she had to do it while holding on to avoid being sucked out, like a few of the agents were. But by the time the emergency hatch was closed and the plane leveled out at a lower altitude to even out the pressure, Miyuki had safely tucked herself inside.
The real challenge, then was to meditate and lower her metabolism and oxygen intake while the pressure in the hold stabilized back to normal. The container held various fabrics, like blankets and sheets, useful for long trips when people on the plane would need to sleep or cover tables, so she was relatively certain they wouldn't need to be accessed by anyone on the plane at this time. She only needed to wait, and hope no one thought to check the unlatched container; she had to hope that guards would assume it had just come undone in the turmoil. She also knew she wouldn't have to wait long; based on where the plane was at her last check, they would be over North Korea by now, and thus close to landing somewhere.
But that still left her some time to think, and she found her thoughts drifting to Arisa; what had happened to her? Had she been sucked out of the plane? Was she recaptured? Did she manage to hide as well? She wasn't receiving any telepathic messages, but that could mean anything. One thing was for certain, though: if Arisa was out of action, then it was up to Miyuki to free Admiral Lindy and the South Korean hostages.
Her ears popping, followed by the rough shake, let her know that the plane was descending to land; but still, she waited. Long enough to ensure that the higher-ups had disembarked the plane, and that enough time had passed.
It was only then, that Miyuki popped the hatch of her container and got to work.
x~~*~~x
Although she was in a hurry, Suzuka maintained proper decorum and gave a short bow. “Thank you for allowing us to land.”
South Korean Minister of National Defense, Kwan-jin Kim, offered a hasty bow in return, although it was more of a head nod; he was trying not to stare. “We had been in contact with your people since the kidnapping incident, but I must confess, I was surprised to hear your request to land so suddenly. And that we couldn't detect your shuttle on approach.”
Both glanced sideways, as said shuttle was cooling off in the large hanger, the doors closing behind it. It had approached using stealth technology, rendering it invisible to both radar and the naked eye, so as to not tip off any observers that the Bureau was attempting to head to Seoul. Moving it into a hanger would keep it hidden from the prying eyes of any satellites.
“This way, we can talk inside,” Kwan-jin stated as the entourage began moving towards a doorway. “Although you didn't mention what this visit was about.”
Suzuka dug out a piece of paper and handed it to him. “I'll wait until we're inside for details, but here.”
The Minister was a hard man to read, given his stony expression. But as he scanned the paper, his face hardened even more. “You believe this to be true?”
“I don't think we can afford not to,” Suzuka replied as one of Kawn-jin's men held the door open. She entered, but paused as another made his discontent known.
“Um, is... that, coming inside, too?” another of Kawn-jin's men phrased delicately, indicating the big orange wolf.
Suzuka smiled. “Oh yes, she is very necessary. Think of her as a bomb-sniffing dog.” Her smile grew more mirthful at the discomfort Kawn-jin's entourage clearly felt. “And don't worry, she's house-trained.”
Arf let out an indignant snort.
x~~*~~x
“[I've received word that Suzuka and Arf had made contact with the South Korean government,]” came Vice's voice in her head from his position in a hidden Storm Raider, over a kilometer away.
“[Roger that,]” Arisa replied from her hiding place, having made the trek to as close a vantage point as possible.
She continued to scan the heavily fenced base in the distance, using her device as a form of binoculars. She had long since cataloged all the defenses and troop movements, and was now simply waiting, biding her time. In addition to mostly hidden anti-aircraft guns, there were several old tanks sitting just inside, and a large contingent of soldiers that routinely patrolled with dogs. Terra had long since identified the mines as well, which did make any approach on foot difficult, but wouldn't be a problem if she had her golem. However, that wasn't an option at the moment; it was still on the shuttle, which was now in a South Korean hanger.
“[General Adams wants me to remind you that you aren't supposed to take any action, other than recon,]” Vice told her, although his voice held a note of amusement.
“[Pzzzt, what was pzzzt that, I can't pppssht hear you,]” Arisa sent back.
She could hear the sigh in his voice. “[There's no static over a telepathic line, Captain, sorry!]”
Arisa smiled grimly, continuing to watch the activity in the base several hundred meters away. She had already located the grounded plane and several buildings, but there were several openings into the mountain side, and Arisa guessed that any hostages would have been taken there. The magical interference was higher now, preventing her from scanning inside the complex. She hoped Lucino was making progress on breaking through that, otherwise they'd be flying blind if she went in now.
“[What did he say on my idea?]” she asked, looking to pass the time more than anything else.
“[Putting up a dimensional barrier to block any signals?]” Vice clarified. “[Too risky at the moment. While it might prevent them from remote detonating the nuclear bomb from this location, we don't know if they have observers or alternate ways of detonation. They already have something they shouldn't, in the form of magical jamming. I agree with the General; until we know more, we can't underestimate our foe.]”
She figured as much, but she was coming up short on other ideas. Until the nuclear device was dealt with, she was stuck in a waiting game.
[Hurry it up, Suzuka!]
x~~*~~x
“We've given you access to all the shipping data in the past month as you requested,” Defense Minister Kim stated from behind his laptop.
“Thank you, General Kim,” Suzuka replied, glancing up from her own laptop and scanning the meeting room. Her eyes met Arf's in the corner, who nodded slightly, giving the signal that everything checked out so far.
Lucino had given the analysis on the item recovered by Arisa during the flight over. It was relatively easy to figure out; it was a type of crude device, a mask infused with transformation magic. Essentially, anyone could put it on and have the facial features of any other individual, which made two things now that existed on Earth that shouldn't be here. But it explained why and how the South Korean President's security detail had been infiltrated.
But, while they could be made to fool magical scanners (which was why Arisa's device didn't detect them), they wouldn't be able to fool Arf's nose. And right now, she had just given the signal that no one in the room was wearing one.
“Please, just call me Kwan,” he stated absently with a small smile. “It'll make things shorter and easier. Has your ship managed to locate the nuclear device?”
His easy dismissal of protocol caught her a bit off guard, but she recovered easily enough. “Not yet. Given that concrete blocks radiation, we may as well be looking for a small needle in a 600 square kilometer haystack. Although we have managed to eliminate some sectors, mostly the outlying districts. We're hoping to see what items of a certain size came in to South Korea, and were trucked overland to Seoul. A physical search of those locations would be our best bet.”
She didn't mention that the sole reason they had managed to narrow down the range, is because there were magical signal jammers in Seoul, too. It was hard to tell how many, or where they were, but there was a decent cloud of interference over the inner 300 square kilometers of the city. However, that was another reason Arf was present; her nose was 100 times more capable than a normal Earth dog's, and would be unaffected by the magical interference.
“I think we have the search teams set, and we're ready to move out,” Kwan stated. “We'll try to keep things subtle, so as to not alarm the populace, and not alert the North Koreans that we're searching for their device.” His head came up. “Your team is ready to move out, if you care to join them.”
Suzuka double-checked the data on her laptop, which was really her device, Whiskers, in laptop form., and then nodded. “Will do. Have you instituted checks?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “I'm double and triple checking everyone on staff and who will be on the teams, for double-agents. As you stated, I am also having their heads checked for those masks you mentioned.” He sighed. “While we are grateful for your assistance, we wish you'd tell us more about your plans for the rescue attempt.”
“I'm sorry, but we can't do that,” Suzuka stated regretfully, slowly shaking her head. “You'll just have to trust us. We can save everyone, but we need to find that bomb first.” She closed her laptop and stood. “I have the data on the search assignments; I suggest we get to work.”
Kawn looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. “I'll have my men escort you and your... animal to the city to begin the search. And may God be with us.”
Suzuka couldn't help but agree.
x~~*~~x
General Yong-ho Ri angrily slammed his hands on the table. “Enough!
Lindy paused in her tea-sipping, and blinked at him with an expression of puzzlement. “Is there something wrong?”
“You continue to play these innocent games, even after hearing our demands and knowing your position,” Yong-ho said, barely holding back a growl. “You give us your technology, and work with us, or you leave Earth. Defy us, and we'll kill the South Korean President, and detonate our warheads on Seoul.”
“Keeping them alive, is all that is keeping you and your regime alive,” Lindy responded cooly, letting him know that she was no fool. “Right now, the countries of Earth are betting this can be resolved diplomatically. Once you take military action, that aspect is off the table. Even you know that the US alone is capable of steamrolling your country. You'd lose everything.”
He didn't seem too taken aback, and instead smiled slightly, which made Lindy wonder what was going through his head. “We may not be able to kill the South Korean president just yet, but...”
He gestured, and two guards brought the South Korean President's head of security, Jin, forward and forced him to his knees, placing the barrel of a rifle against his head.
“But there are still many more people we have, and their lives are your head,” he threatened. “If we lose some of them, the world will not act, but will continue to try diplomacy. And in the end, if you give your technology to other countries, we will be left behind and find out country at an end, anyway, so we have nothing to lose. A snake in a corner has no choice but to strike.”
The Bureau Admiral studied the General for a moment, as well as the silent Jin, and placed her teacup down gently. “Well, I am not too opposed to negotiation, but I would need to speak with the person in charge.”
“Kim Jong Un is not available,” Yong-ho stated flatly. “You deal with me.”
Lindy half-smiled. “Not him. I meant the person who is truly in charge of your operation. This is an interesting show, but is ultimately pointless without the one pulling the strings here.”
Stunned, the General stared at her. “I told you, I am in charge here!”
“Come now, General, we both know that isn't true,” Lindy said, her eyes coming to rest on Jin. “It was the help of your overlords that enabled you to pull this off in the first place. And I doubt they'll tolerate you messing things up at this stage.”
Yong-ho began to sputter, but quickly went silent when Jin stood up and began to change. Lindy instantly recognized transformation magic, but what bothered her more were the implications; given the identity this person had assumed, did that mean they had control of both North and South Korea? But one more surprise was in store: “he” was becoming a “she.” Jin's change was completed quickly, now a beautiful woman with luxurious black and shiny hair, braided into a single pony tail that reached her waist. Even her outfit had shifted to a flowery silk kimono.
“Hae-soon...” Yong-ho breathed, obviously recognizing her, standing and backing away.
“You surprise me, Admiral Lindy Harleown of the Time Space Administration Bureau,” the woman stated politely, ignoring the General and taking his empty seat. “But you are right, and perhaps it is time for direct negotiations.”
Lindy raised an eyebrow.
x~~*~~x
Arisa bit her lip as she scanned the interior of the mountain base as best she could from her position. There had been no new change since, and none of the voices picked up through her device's sound amplification magic had given her any clue as to what was going on.
“[Any word from base yet?]” Arisa asked, impatience evident in her voice.
Vice must have picked up on it. “[None yet, but they'll deal with it. Waiting is always the hard part, I know. I've had to deal with it, in my line of work as a sniper.]”
“[I suppose you have, but I've never been very good at it,]” she confessed, then smiled fondly at remembering a memory. “[Did I tell you about the time Nanoha wouldn't tell me something, and I got all upset? I hate not knowing, and not being able to do something. Suzuka had considerably more patience.]”
She could almost detect the shrug in his voice. “[Most people are like that. But all we can do now is trust in our friends and comrades. Speaking of which, Otto is progressing overland on foot, and should be here in 30 minutes or so.]”
Arisa had no immediately reply, but it was good to know. Instead of having Otto waiting just off shore, Arisa had requested, and was granted, that Otto have the Ventek teleport her and her golem closer in shore. She was now making her way towards Vice's location, taking care not to be spotted. Having the cyborg and her golem that much closer, would mean less of a time lag when the command to start the rescue came down.
“[Do you-]”
But Arisa cut him off when her eyes were suddenly drawn to something. “[Hold on, I think... Miyuki!]”
She focused in her binoculars on the side of one of the buildings, currently cast in shadow. And on closer inspection, she could definitely make out the form of the swordswoman, still clad in slacks and sports bra, carefully sneaking through the shadows. From her position, it looked like she had come from the plane, and was taking a long way around the base, heading for one of the entrances into the mountain.
“[Is she alright?]” Vice questioned.
“[I think so, but I don't know how long she'll remain undetected,]” Arisa sent back, biting her lip.
She felt her insides do somersaults as Miyuki suddenly sprinted across the yard, expertly and nimbly avoiding the search lights and patrols, before finally leaping behind a stack of crates at the other end. It was only then that Arisa let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. However, her breathing was promptly put on hold again when a guard came around the corner of the large warehouse building Miyuki had just been in the shadow of. And he seemed to have some sort of dog on a leash, letting it lead as it sniffed along the way. There was no doubt in Arisa's mind now, that Miyuki would eventually be discovered.
Vice must have caught the mental breath. “[Everything okay?]”
“[No, I think Miyuki will be discovered soon,]” Arisa reported, and then made a decision. “[I'm going in. She'll need backup, and she needs to know about the nuclear bombs in Seoul.]”
“[General Adams said to recon only,]” Vice cautioned.
Arisa half-smiled, even though she knew he wouldn't see it. “[I am doing recon; I'll be finding out where inside Lindy and the other hostages are, for when we attack.]”
“[We can barely communicate now,]” Vice reminded her. “[If you go in, we'll lose contact totally. If I have any updates from Adams or Chrono, I won't be able to let you know. And if you're discovered, they may interpret that as a rescue and-]”
She shifted her barrier jacket into a fully black outfit that covered her from neck to toe in order to better blend in with the darkness. “[It's possible, but I doubt it. The message was delivered to our embassy, remember? They have no way of knowing that I would know. I'll just tell them I had a parachute. And from here on, it should be fairly obvious. Once Suzuka deals with those bombs, you and Otto will come in, guns blazing.]”
“[Arisa...]” he cautioned, using her name instead of rank, indicating his concern.
Arisa identified her path through the minefield, having Terra highlight the mines; it was the least-watched path, as she guessed the base commander figured no one would be stupid enough to go through it. “[I know, and thanks, Vice, in advance.]”
That seemed to catch him a bit off guard. “[In advance?]”
“[For when you rescue me,]” she replied with humor in her tone, and then sent one final message before the interference severed their link. “[I'm going in.]”
And then she was past the limit, and thus got no response; she was on her own.
x~~*~~x
She didn't quite know where she was going, but Miyuki guessed she needed to head down more levels. Or at least find some sort of control room or terminal to get a map of the place. It was a bit more dangerous to sneak around in an enclosed space, but she had no choice; there was no sign of Lindy or the other hostages in any of the buildings outside. That only left the complex in the mountain itself.
She paused before a corner, listening for the sound of footsteps, but detected something a little better instead: the sound of shower water running. That meant a locker room nearby, and thus lockers... which would contain uniforms. Up until this point, she was loathe to knock out a guard and take his uniform, since bodies were discovered eventually, or at least an alarm was raised when someone failed to report in.
But this could net her a disguise without a fuss. And there was an old tactic about infiltration; as long as you dressed the part and looked liked you belonged some place, and walked confidently enough, most people assumed you really did belong there.
She crept around the corner and followed her ears, finding the locker room easily enough. The initial part of the complex must have housed some barracks, but it also must have been between shifts, for there to be so little activity. She counted herself lucky and slipped in, staying out of sight of the lone soldier taking a shower on the side. Patiently, she hid behind the rows of lockers and waited until he finished and got dressed to leave, before slipping a pick out of her shoe and using it attack a lock.
And that's when her luck hit a snag.
“Hold it right there, missy,” came a male voice.
x~~*~~x
Surprisingly, it didn't take as long as they feared. Not only did Lucino manage to make some progress cutting through the interference for some scans, but Kwan was able to distribute a number of Geiger counters to his teams. And while there was a lot of data regarding shipping imports, the Ventek's computers were able to crunch through the information rapidly enough to narrow down likely locations.
Suzuka stepped off the helicopter and joined the small group at the construction site, approaching the security agent who appeared to be in charge. “Your group found it?”
He nodded and began to lead her into the half finished office complex. “It was well hidden in a large industrial-size furnace that was being installed into the base of the building. The insulation also functioned as shielding for the device, but we were able to detect trace amounts of leaking radiation when we got close enough.”
Suzuka glanced down at the counter in the man's hand as they descended the staircase into the basement. It had been relatively benign up until this point, but as they approached the large, canister-like unit surrounded by several more agents, the needle began to waver and the rate of clicks increased. Suzuka brought out her device, now in tablet mode, and hit a few buttons, scanning the interior.
“We haven't even attempted to open it up yet, given that it could be booby-trapped, but we have a bomb-squad en-route,” he stated, glancing curiously at the holographic screens popping up above and around her. “Impressive; can you see inside using... that?”
She half-smiled, opening some internal schematics. “Yes, now that I'm close enough. And it's a good thing you didn't open it up; the device is hard-wired into the furnace here, here, and here.” She pointed out the locations. “I think I can cut this open enough to get at it without triggering anything. Stand back.”
He nodded, gesturing to his men who also gave her some room, while Suzuka formed her right wrist blaster and had Whiskers alter the magic wave into a carving beam. For once, she was glad her magic level wasn't that high, in that she could only focus magic into a beam with the assistance of her wrist units. Displaying magic in front of Earth's populace was technically forbidden, unless it could be made to look like the effect of advanced technology, and Suzuka needed that advanced technology to make use of hers. This would look very similar to a laser cutting a hole to the men around her.
Adjusting the variables, she carefully shot a beam of magical energy into the furnace, slicing through the steel covering and internal layers easily enough, carving out a hole large enough for a human to crawl into. She was leery about doing anything bigger, just in case she missed something. When it was over, she climbed into the newly-created opening, and brought her cat goggles out to see in the darkness.
“I see it,” she called back.
“Can you disarm it?” the lead agent inquired hopefully. “Or do we need to transport it out?”
“Hold on,” she replied, crawling around the small space inside to get a look at the front of the device. “I just need to-”
Her insides suddenly ran cold; there was a timer on the front of the device, and it was counting down.
00:05...
00:04...
00:03...
x~~*~~x
Author's notes:
Not too much to say this time, other than I'm finding it fun to weave the Bureau into the tapestry of Earth. In case you hadn't guessed, this takes place in the recent past, as you can tell by the name drops (if you follow current world events regularly). Also, if you are familiar with Babylon 5, you probably noticed that I basically borrowed chameleon nets from that show, and used them here, but with transformation magic instead. I know, I know, if you are familiar with my fics, I tend to borrow Stargate ideas, but I liked Babylon 5, too.^^
Golem: Fenrir
Pilot: Arf
Based on: ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam (orange and black colors, similar to Andrew Waltfeld's)
Capabilities: Produced to excel on land battles, Fenrir is designed to mimic Arf's natural familiar abilities, and thus can transform from a standard bipedal form to a lupine mode. The latter enhanced agility and a lower profile, thus harder to target. Also, the four-legged mode supports a more stable firing platform, enabling stronger magic shots. Lastly, the claws and teeth allow the golem to deal damage while draining minimal power from the battery. The main weaponry consists of twin cannons, which attached themselves underneath the forearms in two-legged mode, but swivel up top in four-legged mode.
2012-08-06, 19:22
Author
