4
The evening streets were lit with neon. Melting into the bustling crowds, Iska’s unit walked through the business district.
“This is finally going to be what decides it…” Commander Mismis had a grim look in her eyes. She had changed out of her battle uniform and donned a cute dress. “There are ten members of the spy group remaining. There are the four of us and another unit of six.”
“And the other unit is also carrying out the same plan.”
Next to her was Iska, in a plain shirt. Jhin was walking behind him in a similar outfit, and Nene had changed into a skirt that emphasized her youth. They were perfectly disguised. From an objective standpoint, they were indistinguishable from any other group of teenagers in the business district.
“It’s a good thing you don’t look your age, boss. You look the youngest out of all of us.”
“Jhin, I don’t just look young. I’m twenty-two, so I am young. Anyway, we need to get out of the business district. We’ll go straight to the Imperial base.”
She plowed straight ahead.
Then she pulled a comm out of her pocket.
“This is Commander Mismis of Unit 907. How is it going?”
“This is Commander Wien of Unit 871, Division II. We’re also making progress through the business district.”
They received a reply through the comm. The spy group had broken up into two teams and were heading for the base from the right and the left.
“We’ve dressed up as office workers who just finished a day on the job. We’re in suits.”
“Looks like things are going according to plan.”
“That’s right. And we made copies of documents from companies that do business with the Imperial forces. Our cover story is that we’re about to go in for a meeting with the Imperial forces’ general affairs manager.”
“Well, if you’ve gone that far…”
“Yup. That should get us through the front gate, at least.”
They were acting like real spies. If they couldn’t actually sneak in, then their only option was to try to waltz right through the front doors of the base.
“So the goal is the entrance, right?”
“That’s right. If any of us puts a hand on the door, then the spies all win.”
“I see. Then we’ll make sure to be the decoys for you!”
Mismis’s unit was in charge of making a commotion by pretending to be civilians near the wall of the base. Commander Wien’s group of six were most likely to be successful.
“Let’s do the best we can, Commander Wien!”
“Ha-ha-ha! Leave it to us, Commander Mismis,” Wien said, acting like this would be the easiest thing in the world.
However, Commander Mismis started to get anxious when she heard the confidence in his reply.
“B-but Commander Nagra’s entire team was wiped out just a few days ago. If you go in with the same attitude they did…”
“Nagra’s team was wiped out because they made the mistake of trying to brute-force their way in. Our plan is foolproof.”
“…I see.”
“That’s right. And we’re up against Commander Pilie, after all. An elite unit like ours wouldn’t lose to a girl like her.”
“Uh-huh…”
This conversation gave her a feeling of déjà vu. Iska and the others could still vividly recall how Commander Nagra’s pride had led to his unit being wiped out.
“Please be careful!”
“Ha-ha-ha. You worry too much, Commander Mismis. With us dressed up as company employees like this, even God himself couldn’t—”
Just then, Wien’s voice was replaced by static.
“Huh? Commander Wien?”
“I-impossible!”
They heard panic on the other side of the comm.
“They’re jamming the comm?!”
“Ha-ha-ha! You were too naive, Commander Wien! And you too, Mismis!”
A voice that sounded just as childish as Mismis’s came over the speakers of the business district.
“We already knew that you ten spies would try to attack tonight!”
“Commander Pilie?!”
She’d tapped Commander Wien’s comm.
“This can’t be! We only nailed down the details of the plan here. We met in this district and had our briefing while pretending to be office workers. There’s no way you could have figured us out!”
“And that’s what makes you naive. I knew about the location of the café where you held your planning meeting this whole time.”
“What?!”
“Take a closer look around you.”
There was a murmur.
Everyone in the crowd around them stopped and turned toward Unit 907.
“They’re all Imperial detectives I hired. I had all of them pretend to be regular citizens and tail you the entire time.”
“You hired all these people?! Just how big is your budget…?”
“Ah-ha-ha-ha! Did you forget that my family owns a conglomerate?”
Commander Pilie smiled as though she’d already won.
“If I take out the entire spy group here, my reputation at headquarters will soar. If it’s for boosting my prestige, I don’t mind spending a little cash!”
“Th-that’s underhanded! Who would allow you to spend that much money so extravagantly?!”
“In war, a budget speaks volumes. Now, capture them, Defense Team A!”
They heard an explosion on the other side of the comm followed by the sounds of what seemed like death screams.
“Gaaaaah!”
“Commander Wien?!”
“…”
There was no reply.
“C-Commander…Commander?!” Mismis’s forlorn cry rang out.
Then, the other commander’s final, demoralizing message came through.
“…I’m sorry, Commander Mismis.”
“Commander Wien?”
“It seems this is where we say goodbye. We need to drop out of the operation now, but you all keep going. Good luck!”
“Commander Wien?!”
The comm cut off.
After being captured in the business district, the six members of his team must have been taken to the base.
“Ha-ha. We didn’t even let them get to the base before capturing them. We caught them on their way there to prevent anyone on the spy team from infiltrating us!” Commander Pilie gloated as though she’d already won. “All right, Mismis, this is when we settle things. We’ll leave only the four of you for a fair fight.”
“How is this fair, P?!”
“My wits were what brought me this victory!”
“I think money is what bought it for you!”
She’d overwhelmed them not only by relying on her budget from headquarters but also by using her vast amount of personal wealth.
Anything goes, it seemed.
“All right, Defense Team B! Capture Mismis!”
They heard the loud thudding of military boots. Tons of heavily equipped Imperial soldiers filed out of the alleys, surrounding Iska’s unit one after another. There were twenty people—no, more than thirty.
“Run, Commander! They’re going to surround us!”
“Uh, uh-huh!”
They dashed as fast as they could through the business district. Naturally, they ran toward the Imperial base, where Commander Pilie was waiting.
“Iska, they’re approaching from the front, too!”
“Guh! Nene! Let’s escape through that small alleyway!”
It was so narrow, only one person could get through at once. A large crowd wouldn’t be able to follow them, so as long as they hid, no one would be able to find them.
“Haah…haah… I-isn’t this unfair? We’ve only got four people, but they’ve got hundreds!”
“Shh, Commander. They’ll hear you.”
Commander Mismis hid by the wall as Nene checked their surroundings.
“From now on, it’s hide-and-seek. We’ll just lie low until the defense team starts getting impatient—”
“Hey, wait,” Jhin whispered. He stared in the direction of the narrow alley they had come from.
“I heard something.”
“What? What did you hear, Jhin?”
“A dog barking.”
This wasn’t a cute little yelp, either. It was the cry of a large, ferocious dog—the kind that would growl and bare its teeth.
“They’ve caught their scent!”
Suddenly, a light shined into the alley they were all hiding in. Then they saw a soldier holding not a gun but the leash of a large military canine.
“They’re using hounds?!”
“Hey, wait a sec! That’s going way too far across the line now!”
Now even Jhin was rushing to get away. There was a military hound after them, after all. No matter where they hid, it would track them if it caught the slightest scent.
“Ahhh?!”
“Nene?!”
“M-my skirt!”
Two dogs had latched on to the hem of Nene’s skirt. Her long, slender thighs peeked out from underneath as she pulled it up to shake them off.
“Ahh! Don’t look!” Her face was turning redder and redder. “Waaah! I’m not supposed to be the one who’s embarrassed like this! That’s Commander Mismis’s role!”
“What’s that supposed to mean, Nene?!”
“Urgh… I really liked this skirt, too…!”
Nene tore through her own skirt with the knife she always carried on her person. Then she ran from the dogs, which were still clinging to the fabric. The entire unit started running through the backstreets again.
“Iska, what do we do?!” Commander Mismis looked behind her. “At this rate, we won’t be able to get away! We’ll be surrounded before we even get to the base.”
“Let’s split up.”
There was no time to hesitate. Iska pointed at a corner as he made the split-second decision. They could either go straight or turn the corner.
“Jhin and I will run straight. You two sneak around the corner and make a break for it.”
“Are you sure, Iska?!”
“Worry about yourself first. Get going, boss, Nene!” Jhin started things off by breaking into a sprint.
Iska followed him. After a beat, Commander Mismis and Nene ran around the corner. However…
““Oh no!”” Jhin and Iska both yelled at the same time.
The hounds and the soldiers of the canine unit had turned the corner and followed the two women instead.
“They’re going after Commander Mismis first!”
“Iska, we’re going to operate on our own. Run!”
They could only hope that the rest of their unit would make it out safely. Praying that they would meet Nene and Commander Mismis again later, Iska ran from the alleys back into the business district.
“Found you!”
“Guh! We ran right back into them!”
Imperial soldiers resumed their pursuit. However, Iska and Jhin were faster.
“Jhin, they’re slow runners.”
“Their equipment is weighing them down. We’re dressed lightly, so they won’t be able to follow us if we keep running.”
Then something flew right in front of Jhin’s nose. As it rushed by, they realized it was a rubber bullet—the kind used to suppress riots—that had barely grazed him. That was forces-issued ammunition.
“They’ve even got a sniper unit?!” Jhin blanched and shuddered. “They must be on the roof. So the defense team led us into a spot where the snipers would have a good view.”
“Jhin, this way!”
They ran in the shadows of the buildings.
Behind them, the heavily armed defense team continued to give chase. At the same time, military snipers aimed at them from the buildings above.
“This is harder than our usual training!”
“Damn it! How complicated are they going to make this?!”
They headed to the north of the district. Finally, they saw the buildings peter out.
Once they’d cleared the hill, they would get to the base.
“There they are! It’s the spy group!” They heard soldiers from behind.
“Sniper unit, aim, Alice—”
“Wait, Alice?!” Iska reflexively turned back when he heard that name. The Ice Calamity Witch Aliceliese. She was the second princess of the Nebulis Sovereignty and Iska’s rival in the battlefield. “Alice can’t be here, can she?!”
“Iska, don’t stop!”
When he heard Jhin, he came back to his senses.
The Ice Calamity Witch Aliceliese wasn’t there when Iska had looked. Instead, he saw an Imperial sniper holding a gun.
“That’s not the same Alice!”
They scrambled up the hill. The Imperial base came faintly into view, illuminated by spotlights that were always on.
“Iska, Jhin!”
“Nene?! You made it out okay?”
Nene and Commander Mismis were running up the hill, too. Iska was relieved that they were fine, but then he heard the vehement howl of hounds behind them.
“Ah?! We worked so hard to shake them off, but the canine unit is still behind us!”
“Nene, hurry!”
The four of them reunited. Once they ran up the hill, they found that the automatic doors were closing on them.
“The doors!”
“Jump!”
They tumbled in, slipping through the gap in the entrance to infiltrate the base.
“All right! Everyone, if we touch that door, we win!” Mismis took a step forward.
“Wait, boss!” Jhin grabbed Mismis’s hand to stop her.
“Wh-what’s wrong, Jhin…?”
“Look closer. There are unnatural mounds all over the lawn.”
“What?”
“Let me show you what they are.” Jhin picked up a pebble and threw it onto the lawn.
Blip.
They heard a soft electrical sound.
Whoom! The lawn exploded, sending up a gigantic shower of dirt.
“L-land mines?!”
“They’re buried all over the place. If you run straight ahead, you’ll definitely step on one.”
“Ha-ha-ha.” They heard a familiar voice echo throughout the base’s speakers. “Great job making it this far after overcoming all those trials. No wonder you’re my archnemesis, Mismis.”
It was the leader of the defense team, Pilie. She was likely watching them from afar through a surveillance camera.
“But the party’s over. You’ll be blown to beautiful pieces here.”
Whoooom…
They felt something move as a gigantic shadow descended over the back of the base.
“I’m making a personal appearance for the grand finale.”
“That’s a tank!”
It was the Imperial army’s UTV-70X model tank. It was equipped with a heavy machine gun that could riddle a building with holes within seconds and an automobile combat defense system.
“Well, Mismis.” Pilie’s voice blared from the tank. Needless to say, she had to be the person driving it. “We’ll settle this the customary way!”
“How is pitting a tank against humans customary?!”
“In war, the battle is over before the fighting even begins. The real thrill of the battle is thoroughly preparing yourself.”
“Then what about our ‘customary’ battle?”
“I just want to win!”
“Now you admit it?!”
“En guarde!”
The tank began to move without another word. The gigantic caterpillar track started to turn, trampling the lawn as the vehicle charged forward.
“Whoa! It’s heading straight for us, Iska!”
“What are you going to try to do to us when we’re unarmed?! Do something, Commander!”
“I can’t do anything!”
“All we can do is run!”
They all did just that and sprinted as fast as they could. There was no way that unarmed humans could win against a cutting-edge tank.
“This is bad, Commander. There’s a wall in front of us. We’re cornered!”
“Are we done for?!”
The unit gathered at the dead end. Pilie was approaching them in her tank.
“All right, just accept defeat. This is definitive proof of the difference between us.”
“You mean the difference between humans and a tank?!”
“That works, too. As long as I win—”
Click.
They heard the sound of the tank rolling over something as it approached.
Bip, bip, bip.
A familiar electrical sound rang out.
“Oh?” Pilie seemed confused.
Iska and the others stared at the tank. It was sitting right on top of a mound of dirt containing something they’d already encountered.
“C’mon…”
“P, you didn’t…”
They had a bad feeling about this.
The tank hadn’t just rolled over one land mine. All four caterpillar tracks were right on top of separate mounds.
“H-how could this happen?! I rolled right on top of the land mines I set up myself!”
“I knew it!”
“What are you doing, P?!”
“Why’d you get yourself caught in your own trap?! Run, they’re going to explode!”
Iska and the rest of his team dashed off as fast as they could.
“W-wait a second! Don’t leave me here! Uh, ah, noooo!”
Then they exploded, and spectacularly at that.
Leaving only a sad wail in her wake, Commander Pilie and her tank went flying into the air.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login