The Players Of The Game

February 17th

---

New I.S.C I+D Office, Rose Tower, Marunouchi, Tokyo

In the office, a strange scene could be seen if one looked in a certain direction. Investigator Brandon was in the office, and the other colleagues regarded him as a ghostly apparition, a sign of bad omen. Every time he showed up here instead of at the other lab, it meant that something big was going on with the higher-ups - the kind of event that usually resulted in hundreds of people being laid off in a department-wide cutback. So everyone was afraid for their jobs. Luckily for them, the busy investigator was concerned with an entirely different problem.

Brandon had been trying to cover up the major defeats he had suffered in recent days while trying to preemptively eliminate what he believed to be his rivals. Now, because of his failure, he had put them on alert and it would not be easy to find another opportunity to catch them off guard. Worse, he had now given his enemies a reason to scrutinize his activities, so he would have to spend time covering all his moves, which also meant delaying the research on the V.F.D. serum he had been assigned by Damien Riven himself. In addition, he now had to figure out what excuse to give Mr. Miyazaki in case Naichō had to intervene again. But as if his thoughts had summoned him, the phone rang at that very moment.

"Good morning, this is Mr. Brandon speaking"

"Oh, perfect, just the person I wanted to talk to."
"It's me again, Mr. Miyazaki."
"I wanted to talk to you about what happened two days ago, the attack on Mrs. Adelis' house."
"Weren't you supposed to do it quickly, cleanly and subtly?"
"May I know why I now have a photograph of such an event in the newspaper I hold in my hand?"
"May I ask how this journalist named Nozomi Yasuda managed to take pictures despite the police blockade?"

"I'm sorry, sir, several of the men I hired for the job failed at the moment of execution."
"I did not expect such a level of failure."
"As the supervisor in charge of checking their profiles, it is my fault for not finding the right people for the job."

"Yes, I can imagine it's quite a problem. You're lucky to have Mr. Damien Raven at your side, so I'll be brief."
"Is there anything we should worry about regarding our 'project'? Mr. Yoshida is nervous that the whereabouts of his money in all this might be discovered."

"No, there is no risk of a leak."
"I've taken precautions to hide the identities of those involved and any connection to the I.S.C."
"Good to see that being proactive has its advantages."
"As for the journalist, there's no problem there either. All she has is a routine news story, the typical 'gang shooting in an upscale neighborhood'."

"I don't think you understand the problem of this particular journalist."
"Since you're a foreigner, you may not know much about how things work here."
"This girl, Nozomi Yasuda, isn't your typical crime or news reporter."
"She specializes in in-depth investigations and publishes her reports about twice a month or so. She's someone who takes her job seriously."
"'If she's covering a live news story, it's not because she was the first to arrive to cover the breaking news.'"
"She was already there, investigating something else in the neighborhood, when she happened to run into your thugs, and then the police showed up."
"What do you think she'll do next?"
"She'll realize there's something more going on and dig even deeper."
"Her investigations are very thorough; somehow she always manages to get inside information on any subject."
"She's highly respected, so she can afford to take a month to break a single story and still keep her position at the newspaper."
"Making her disappear would only raise more questions, the kind of questions we don't want."
"Do you see the problem now?"

"Yes, sir, I understand perfectly."
"We will focus on protecting our operations even more and make sure that everything is well hidden."
"It will take some time, a few weeks, but when we're done, it will be impossible for people like Nozomi Yasuda to even find the main entrance."

"Is that all?"

"No, I'm just saying that for now to get the nosy journalist off my back."
"The real plan, the one that will get the police and Inspector Yamamoto off our backs, is different."
"We'll give them the scare of their lives, and we'll even pretend that the I.S.C. is also a victim of what happened."
"Don't worry, the project isn't in any danger, but one of our chemical component labs will be affected."
"Nothing important, really. They've already completed our last shipment."
"I'm sure you can use that to take the job away from the police again, just tell them something like it was foreign terrorists and now it's a national security issue and therefore Naichō's responsibility."
"After that, we'll have a free hand to investigate and test as much as we want."

"Hey, using them as a cover won't work forever. Once is believable, twice is suspicious, a third time and Yamamoto himself will walk through the door with his big revolver in his hand".
"But I'm always available for anything that bothers the old man."
"...."
"Very well, I'll leave the details to you, but don't make any more mistakes."

When the phone hung up, Brandon finally breathed a sigh of relief and took a moment to rest. He had successfully talked his way out of a rather tricky situation, though luckily for him, Mr. Miyazaki’s bosses were quite committed to the project that the I.S.C had offered them. When his brief moment of rest ended, a new girl entered his office. She brought him a few documents before she started speaking.

“The preparations are ready; the men who accepted the job are already on standby.”
“They managed to enter the country without going through immigration, and they are currently checking their equipment.”
“The explosives will be delivered in two hours.”

“Oh, perfect, finally some good news.”
“Prepare your things as well. The Arksuit armor is in the yellow crates; remember to remove any tags.”
“Keep it charged; that armor is your only ticket back.”
“Don’t let the police catch you, no matter what, at any cost.”

“Yes, sir, I’ll finish the preparations.”

“Oh, and one more thing, Akane.”
“The idea is to cause widespread panic, alright?”
“Make it flashy, make sure it’s a noticeable tragedy. We want the ISC’s name mentioned alongside the victims.”
“We need to be in the headlines for at least a week.”
“So do everything you can to achieve that. Pick a good time, maybe a bus full of tourists or something, I don’t know, be creative.”
“Our plan is simple to win; we just need to cause panic.”
“That’s all, you can go now, good luck.”

With that, the girl left the office to prepare for the next day, as a huge challenge awaited her, much more than anyone expected, especially for the girl.

 

---

Metropolitan Police HQ,  Chiyoda, Tokyo

Mr. Yamamoto was also sitting in his office, in front of him were several documents with the photos of the shooting two days ago at the house of his friend, Mrs. Adelis. According to the other detectives, no one could identify these people or connect them to any particular event. But the old man, looking at the photos, could clearly see that the equipment these men were using was the same kind of weapons used by the armed group in the harbor. There was no way to improve him, he knew the truth completely. These mercenaries had been used by the I.S.C. to achieve their goals, even if they had to kill someone as important as Adelis. However, luck was on her side, because according to the inspector, the girl in white seemed to be still awake and managed to stop them in time before they could do any damage. But they know that people who do not fear justice will attack a person as important as her without hesitation, which they would not do against someone like him and his granddaughter.

What was worse was that he now doubted his own subordinates since the agents of Naichō arrived for the first time to steal all his investigation, it was possible that two groups as dangerous as these would have arrived in Tokyo from nowhere and although all of them had been arrested, the police were not seriously looking for those culprits, it did not seem that they were investigating a problem so serious thoroughly. It will be that any of his colleagues were also helping the I.S.C. or the Naichō? Right now that even the superiors of the inspector reclaimed for use officers to monitor their granddaughter and decide that it does not belong to use police resources for personal use. So the only thing he could do was to trust that the girl in white would fulfill his word, even though he could not do much to help them.

Then one of the new detectives called at the door of the office, the rookie Adachi, he entered later and informed the old man who had managed to identify some of the terrorists they had been so busy with these days. It seemed that they had managed to identify two who were leaving Tokyo in a car heading east to the region of Gunma prefecture. This new detail fell like a bucket of cold water on Mr. Yamamoto, because now it would be a whole bureaucratic problem to coordinate the other police departments outside the city, because they would have to rely on the other offices to recognize the suspicious ones.

 

---

 Alliance Office Japan, US Army Akasaka Press Center, Minato, Tokyo.

I had already spent half a day and I was still busy with work, despite what I had tried to advance as much as possible yesterday, the conversion of Cesar with my granddaughters was so interesting that in the end it came out against me now. I had the idea of taking the twins to help in my cafeteria, but there's no time for that now, I'm going to work all day today and so tomorrow I'll have free time to take them there and maybe even make them a cake.

My bigger concern right now, as far as my work here is concerned, is the fact that the Empire seems to be several steps ahead of us. I thought that with the capture of their capital, that would be the end of it, but after what happened tonight, I have no doubt that they may be doing something that we cannot even imagine. But how do I tell the others that my suspicions, when I tell them that I have something like that I had an astral trip to another world where it seemed that maybe it was remotely possible that the Empire was dealing with a new doll model so dangerous. What is worse, I cannot let them know that I have two of them living in my house or that would lead me to more problems. Since Cesar came back, crazy things have been happening without a break.

I also have to submit cost reports for several projects, which will probably cause the Aliience to cut expenses even more now that they think they are safe. I will have to choose carefully which ones will be the most beneficial in the long run. It also seems that negotiations with the Japanese government have stalled at the moment because everyone is still waiting for what happened in Vienna. No one wants to make a move until the leaders talk about what they are going to do from now on.

Suddenly, the phone rang without me answering it, and a voice could be heard through it.

"Mrs. Adelis, Commander Phillips is here to talk to you," the girl on the other side mentioned, it was Xian, one of my employees who comes here from time to time to continue her real work here after school.

Oh shit!

He wanted to talk about the shooting in my house on February 15. The army believes that a policeman was the one who saved me, but the most likely thing is that he is thinking about putting guards in my house to protect me. I cannot let that happen. How would I explain to them the transparent angel and the goddess who can change shape and also I have two dolls or two of the machines that the army fear the most right now as my granddaughters now. Well, the best thing would be to face it head on and look for a way to get rid of him.

"Okay, let him pass, but let him know that I am short on time right now, so I hope it is short.

"All right."

Moments later, Commander Phillips walked in in his perfectly neat uniform, hat tucked under his arm, and closed the door with such force that I thought about charging him to fix it if it was broken. He was an older man than me, but unlike me, who would never have anything like oldness, he was beginning to see gray hair, though with the force with which he closed the door I thought he was angry, there was a slight smile on his face.

"I saw what happened at your house, I'm sorry you had to go through something so scary.
"If I had been there to help you, I have no doubt that we would have reached the person responsible for this immediately".
"But I think we were lucky that one of those useless cops finally came in handy for the first time."
"Maybe I'll give him a reward for saving someone so important to me."

Yes, there was that detail too. He thinks he has a chance to go out with me if he talks to me like that. If only he knew that it only took a few minutes that night for my husband to remind me why I loved him even in his afterlife. So I don't have the slightest intention of dating him. It was also thanks to my son, who managed in an impressive way to kill 4 armed people while he was wounded, which would have earned him at least a medal of honor, something that the commander in front of me is missing.

"Yes, it is a pity that my husband is not still alive, I am sure that he would have prevented all of this from happening without my even realizing it."

"That's exactly what I wanted to get to," the commander said.
"It was our carelessness to let you go free."
"That day my eyes were opened and I realized that you really need capable people around you."
"People who can protect you from any danger."

"What, are you thinking of getting down and just being a guard?"
"I think you're too old to even hold a gun."

"Unfortunately, you are right, my age is undoubtedly a great obstacle to returning to the great warrior I was in the past."
"Besides, someone in my position can't be bothered to do such tedious tasks."

"You know, most real warriors would be offended if they were told that they were incapable of holding a weapon.
"And Officer Yamamoto worked as an agent holding a rifle before he left the army, although he is even older than you."
"He's still working, too, and even gets into gunfights when he should be retired."

"Okay, but that is not the point"
"What I wanted to tell you is that I have taken the trouble to put together a team that can protect you in case something remotely similar happens."
"I have a list of people who are ready to act at any time as well as work as your bodyguards both at work and at home."

"Sorry, but that is not necessary.
"I have everything I need right now"

"But what are you saying, aren't you afraid that something similar will happen again?"
"You need someone to protect you, whether you like it or not"

"There is the difference, I am able to get people who are able to protect me for something more than a letter of recommendation from someone else, I need loyalty".
"And the people I have now are also people I can trust blindly."
"But I'm sure someone as used to disappointment as you won't be able to understand."

"You don't understand the situation!"
"I am the commander of this facility and the Yokota Air Base!"
"It is an order that you accept the guards I propose!"

"I think the one who doesn't understand the situation is you, Commander Phillips."
"I am helping with the cooperation between the different armies that make up the Alliance."
"If I think you are unfit for your position, your superiors will be happy to make a list of all the possible people who would be happy to take your position."
"I just need to make one call from this phone, and for the next week you will be looking for a job in a fast food chain when you return to the United States."
"Agreed?"

"But ma'am, I even managed to find someone who cares!"
"He's a war hero, he was just on his way after receiving a medal from the President."
"I can't just tell him to go back."

"How strange, because surely I can"

"It's Mr. Cedric!"
"He worked under your orders in the war, and you don't remember him?"
"It is thanks to him and his team that some of your plans were able to go ahead"
"That you don't trust him to be that capable?"

What the hell, how was he able to get someone like him? After the war, Cedric went to help his father with the farm, but I'm not sure if he would have given it up or if this stupid man was a plan. But one thing I'm sure of is that I'm not going to let him win on this issue.

 

---

Oberkommando Kriegsraum, Wolfsschanze, die Eichenwaldmeer

The Oberkommando was in full session. Several of the best generals who had managed to escape Vienna, consumed by the flames, were now looking at a map. Everyone was silent; none of them could believe the lines drawn on the paper - a plan to move the small army they had left, used in such an irrational, strange, and dangerous way, something that had never been in any book, something that no one wanted to be in charge of.

"This is madness, nonsense!"
"We barely escaped the Alliance! "
"Doing something like this will only end up destroying us and what little we have left!"
"This is nothing but a criminal waste of our resources!"
"We couldn't do it even when we had the advantage over the Alliance, doing it now is simply irresponsible."

"However, Mr. Claus von Stauffenber, this plan will achieve the primary objective without any problems."
"Since the defeat at Vienna, we owe it to our compatriots who stayed behind to make our escape possible."
"We must show that their sacrifice was not in vain, that their deaths had meaning."
"This plan is quite audacious, though I also recognize that it will be a titanic task indeed to carry it out."
"But even if the attack itself fails, the main mission will have been accomplished."
"To show the world that the Empire still lives!"
"That not one of their damned cities is beyond our reach."
"They will never sleep again without the fear of being next."
"If we succeed, the Alliance will have no choice but to lower its demands for the Empire's defeat."
"We will leave a better future for those left behind in Europe, trusting in our triumphant return."
"A message that the future will be better, even if our homes are in mourning now," replied Commander Greta Muller, believing in the cause.

"It's a hard and difficult decision, with pros and cons."
"But in the end, it is a decision for Supreme Commander Emil Bormann."
"Sir, we await your decision, whatever it may be; we will all support you to the best of our ability."
"We are all in this together," said Großadmiral Holtzendorff, trusting in his superior's abilities.

Emil Bormann, the supreme commander of the Imperial Exile Legion, studied the map again, the names of the key locations, the objectives, the timetable, the routes. In his mind he weighed the decisions, the costs and the rewards, wanted to check everything one last time.

" Strategiemeister Wilhelm von Weidenfeld,"
"In your report, you mentioned the possibility that it was the Alliance itself that infiltrated Stormheart Castle."
"How likely is that possibility?"

The old commander asked the young man across the table. Despite his youth, he had earned the respect of his fellow soldiers, but at that moment he was more focused on examining a photograph he held in his hand than on looking at the map. He tucked the photo into one of his pockets and stood up to answer his commander's question.

"Personally, my suspicions are high."
"The attack on the castle was carried out with extreme preparation."
"The chosen date, the time of the attack, the routes they took, the disabled security systems, the missing personnel the next day, the escape vehicle."
"The fact that they attacked on the very day I was supposed to leave the castle to come here."
"The enemy's plan was executed with extensive inside knowledge, a perfect intelligence job."
"Considering the type of place Aria is, the possibility of a local attack is low; they are trapped in a technological era similar to the pre-World War I era, and they do not have such sophistication."
"If it were a high noble house, considering our approval of Nediadisy with his personal seal at the entrance, and the same close position of the Garden of Love wall, it would be nothing less than suicide for the entire caste."
"In short, the population is not intelligent enough to carry out the theft, and those who are intelligent understand the gravity of the consequences of such an action."
"So we are looking for nothing less than a madman who no fears Nediadis at all, and a genius capable of preparing everything."
"Why do I think it was the Alliance? Because it bears the signature of the elite squadron I mentioned several times."
"Although the power of the Alliance is enormous, it is because they have raw numbers on their side."
"The truth is that their efficiency is much lower than ours due to the technological gap. Their soldiers are not as well trained as ours, but while we make one tank, they make twenty. While we make 4 torpedoes, they make 7 ships."
"This is still manageable thanks to our advances in equipment and weapons."
"However, I am sure that within their ranks there is this elite unit, a very different one, specialized in hunting us."
"The same group that wreaked havoc in Germany and Italy, the same group that showed up at our robbery in Oslo, the same group that infiltrated our last defense in the capital, the rumors of the White Demon."
"The DOLL robbery.
"A small, select group who know more about our activities than anyone else in the Alliance.
"They managed to document the portal in the parliament building before it was destroyed. Perhaps their doubts about our whereabouts are actually certainties."
"The attack on Stormheart Castle was their opportunity to take advantage of our mistake."
"......"
"'That's Adelis' style."

"I understand."
"....."
"What about those two stolen DOLLs?"
"What's the worst we can expect from that?" Emil Bormann asked again.

"They were two DOLL-EW-2X prototypes."
"They are the direct predecessors of the current model. I'm afraid they use the same architecture."
"Although the probability of them being replicated is close to non, the biggest threat is that they could research and develop countermeasures and what are the capabilities of the electronic warfare DOLL units."
"Adelis, in particular, is someone who could obtain such documentation and use it in future confrontations."
"The likelihood of them developing countermeasures and discovering weaknesses is high."
"The proposed mission depends heavily on our electronic warfare units succeeding in the first phase of the plan."
"This opportunity could be lost if it's delayed beyond the proposed date."

"Thank you, Vilhelm. Your observations are no doubt useful."
"Now about the plan."
"......."
"It seems we're in a situation of doing it now or losing the opportunity forever."
"......."
"The mission is very risky and the cost will undoubtedly be high."
"....."
"But sending a message to the world, and especially to our people, is much more important."
"To show that the indomitable spirit of the Empire is still alive."
"The mission will continue." The Supreme Commander said with a strong thump on the table.

The entire room remained in the same silence as before, for this was not a mission that anyone would appreciate, and Emil Bormann himself knew that. But against all odds, it was Vilhelm von Weidenfeld who raised his voice again.

"Sir, I would like to submit my voluntary candidacy for the leadership of the mission immediately," the young man said with a straight face, a symbol of confidence in his abilities.

Everyone in the room turned to look at him in surprise, but inwardly they were relieved that none of them would be taking his place. Emil Bormann, filled with curiosity, did what anyone would have done.

"May I ask the reason?"

"After reflecting on my own words, I realized that the likelihood of encountering this elite unit on this mission is quite high."
"I want to participate to gain first-hand experience with this highly skilled Alliance commander and learn more about her way of thinking."
"What I want is a duel with Adelis."

 

---

 

The old immortal magician saw without leaving her house, smiling to see that the world was still in her web as she wished.