Léon: The Cat Killer

Heartbroken as she watched her ship inevitably contaminated with Originium, Puff twirled her platinum braid with her fingers, puffing out her cheeks as she looked at the 'Medic Operator' who was drawing up the route map.

Perhaps on the bridge where only they were, she, as the person in charge of the engineering section of the Security Bureau, could address the other party as... Agent Seventy-Seven.

"...My heart stops just thinking about the decontamination work the ship will have to do after this incident... Your agent wouldn't expect TDD to handle this expense alone, would he?"

"TDD?"

"Terra Dynasty Deformer... Terra's Fate Changer... Your superior is the kind of guy who keeps spouting lines like 'I'll change Terra's fate,' so I thought you'd have some basic reaction to the name of this ship."

Nana's reaction, which didn't involve getting up from the digital navigation station, seemed quite indifferent to Puff:

"That person is indeed very eccentric, sometimes making people feel very strange... So, when I briefed others on the mission before, was it because the name was too embarrassing?"

"Haha~ It's just because of the confidentiality agreement~"

"...I guess it's because the ship's name is too outrageous that they're embarrassed to say it."

"That's why I said it's a confidentiality clause!"

Taking a deep breath, Puff refocused her attention on the sailing route that Nana had drawn on the map.

"From the very beginning, TDD was designed to traverse natural disasters and launch surprise attacks. Although the alloy materials are all weight-reduced D32 alloy formulas... the overall hull defense is undoubtedly generations behind that of old-fashioned warships... so don't assume that the Black Steel and supply ships behind TDD can definitely pass through the routes that TDD can take."

"...Yes, I have considered that...but even so, I hope everyone is mentally prepared to lose the top deck and cabins...it would be best to be prepared in action as well...and please pass this message on to the other two ships."

Hearing Nana's reminder, Puff and the first mate exchanged a glance. After confirming that the first mate nodded elegantly while touching his glasses, Puff continued operating the intercity network:

"If possible, it's best not to make it as scary as you say... We're voluntarily entering a natural disaster zone, and the insurance company won't cover equipment losses during that time."

"The only thing I can guarantee is that there won't be any large active Originium crystals causing structural damage to the ship... First Officer, please reduce the speed to thirty knots, then turn the rudder to port by a quarter..."

"Understood, quarter-left helm—!"

With the Victorian-esque steering commands, Nana quickly sketched out the flight path. As the data link broadcasted in sync, the co-pilot in the control tower glanced at the white-haired first mate... while the old man looked at Puff in a consultative manner before nodding to the pilot, instructing him to obey the orders.

"...We're going around in circles...Number 77?"

"...Wait a minute...Can the main gun at the bow be used in a natural disaster?"

"That's possible... but you're just leading the way, why use the main gun?"

Seeing that Puff didn't seem to understand the disaster information she had sent—perhaps she had seen it but wasn't sensitive to the data on the concentration of Originium dust—Nana didn't blame her, so the girl began to explain:

"...This is indeed the planned route for the next leg of the journey, but the rate at which Originium is solidifying here may pose a threat to the two land-based ships that arrive later..."

"Ah...so using artillery to trigger it with external force here in advance...to make it start its active reaction and land prematurely? That's one way..."

Seeing that the captain had no objection, the first mate adjusted his glasses and asked: "Group..."

"So, you mean we'll be using active Originium shells... Also, Agent, firing the main gun requires a set of firing parameters. Please fill in the form with the desired detonation location as a reference point. However, please note that the main gun has a maximum elevation angle... Also, firing during a natural disaster may introduce contamination into the ship's hull..."

"Ah, there's more to clean up now... Anyway, get the weapons crew in place... As for the money for washing the ship, I'll apply for it from Lady Eternal Constant." Zero

Ignoring Puff's rambling, Nana quickly calculated the firing data in conjunction with the main gun parameters. After the first mate checked it, he began to repeat: One

"Yes, madam—weapons crew in position, main gun firing sequence initiated, main gun Originium shells in magazine, quantity one!"

In the dark wilderness, warships charging beneath a sea of ​​calamistic clouds raised their cannons, black crystals splashing sparks across their surfaces.

As the first mate steadily counted, Nana stopped looking at the information panel in front of her... *covers face*

The assassin raised her head, looking with her remaining eye at the closed window. The black mist at the corner of her eye burned like flames, her gaze piercing through the porthole and fixed on the flashing red light in the sky.

Although the assassin didn't possess the cat's power to directly confront natural disasters, she still wielded a sword equally capable of slicing through them.

Vehicle-sized Originium shells were transported via a loader and slowly entered the breech with the assistance of the artillery crew, who were wearing full-body exoskeletons… Firing data was input into the fire control computer, and the five-person crew—the helmsman and driver—worked together to adjust the output of the hovering device in coordination with the countdown. The first mate stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as straight as a pine tree on a snowy plain…

Like a giant sword, the ship, with the coordinated efforts of the crew, precisely 'slashed' towards the sky. (8)

“Fire—!”

PS: Waaaaaah, kitty

PS2: Rosemary in this story has received an epic buff... Cherish this little cat who casually throws things at people now. Right now she's throwing cars at natural disasters, but who knows what she'll throw at people with in the future.

PS3: End-of-month effort... Please vote!

The Mystery of Medic 2: 049 - 72 Hours to Go

The artillery fire illuminated a corner of the disaster area. Through special processing, the active Originium shells, which left no residue, intensified the Originium dust in this area.

The explosion in the sky ignited flames, and a bluish-green shockwave spread in all directions. Some of the Originium was directly shattered, and under the high-temperature impact and compression, they emitted a bright yellow and azure light that merged into a single patch in the sky... But dozens of seconds later, these bands of light, along with the bluish-green flames, were swallowed up by the black cataclysmic clouds.

It was as if the entire sky had never been lit.

Large swaths of crystal source stone rained down from the sky, and after the shockwaves that even the airships could feel swept by... the intensity of the natural disaster that had been pounding on the porthole armor was reduced somewhat.

Looking at Nana's calculations, Puff sat in the captain's seat and muttered to herself:

"Using active Originium shells to induce a localized escalation of natural disasters, reducing the amount of Originium dust in the air in the current area, and artificially creating a low-threat zone...?"

Scratching his head, Puff, though officially the captain of an experimental ship, was a member of the organization's engineering department, and his expression was serious.

"But in reality, because of the pure Originium component inside the shell, the increase in active Originium could significantly prolong the duration of the natural disaster... Compared to some imaginative guys who want to use low-energy synthetic jade to reduce the area damaged by the natural disaster... Number Seventy-Seven, you're doing the opposite."

Nana was completely baffled by the teasing about the cream puffs.

"...What I've done is at best an artificial version of Originium Rain... Using Originium Rain to reduce the area damaged by natural disasters? What kind of genius idea is that?"

"It's kind of an organization-related...fund-grabbing project...Although it's decades old, whenever the engineering department submits a project and it's criticized as 'out of touch,' the higher-ups always bring up this example in meetings to berate us...something like, 'You think you can stop natural disasters with human power?' and so on..."

Nana remained silent in response to the girl captain's words, since what they were doing now seemed no different from that reckless act.

But ultimately these are completely different things; at least Nana never expected that human beings could directly combat natural disasters.

Unlike in the past when magic was used to activate the inner energy of the Originium, now equipment is used to stimulate its internal energy. The idea of ​​using synthetic jade to absorb the Originium energy of natural disasters is a contradictory one from the very beginning.

Nana can understand why researchers want to create artificial 'safe zones'. As a processed component of Originium, Synthetic Jade does indeed possess the same physical properties as Originium, namely energy absorption and release...

However, once the cataclysm took shape, the Originium had already converted all its internal energy into physical potential energy... so there was no time to set up the synthetic jade device.

Thinking of this, Nana's eyes became slightly unfocused as she held the electronic drawing pen:

"I think... the person who proposed that project was probably caught in a dilemma: the equipment couldn't be installed once the natural disaster started, but installing the equipment wouldn't necessarily lead to another natural disaster... and the system for converting Originium energy probably also requires external support due to its energy consumption... Ultimately, what led this project to its current state... is probably the maintenance cost..."

"Hmm~ After all, the organization initially invested in this project because of its advertised 'reusable Originium energy'... If those guys who value cost-effectiveness in everything they do see you shooting Originium shells at thin air, they'll probably nag you about it for a long time during the meetings."

"...It's alright, I don't need to write my own report..."

And I don't need to attend the meeting myself... probably...

Seeing that the agent had fallen into an eerie silence, even pausing her drawing, Puff stopped talking about it.

While telling this newcomer, who is being favored by a certain agent, some organizational jokes is a form of social interaction for Puff... it seems that even a high-ranking agent will fall silent when the topic of reports comes up.

After taking a sip of coffee, Puff lowered her voice as she watched the constantly changing data on the control panel:

"Although the Eternal Constant side wants me to take care of you... please spare me the report part..."

"...I think I've heard this term before...What is 'eternal constant'?"

"You work under her, don't you know her organization's code name?"

Nana shook her head at the cream puff, her expression one of utter confusion... Isn't a manager just a manager?

After confirming that Nana wasn't joking, Puff took a deep breath and exclaimed:

"I see. So this is how the ICA head of the organization behaves. She's a perfect practitioner of mysticism... But since she didn't tell you, I can't say anything to you either. If you have any questions, just ask her."

"...In short, it's a code name like my Medic, right? As for the more specific reference and its underlying meaning...I'm not interested..."

As she spoke, Nana stopped drawing the route with her pen. The icon representing TDD on the drawing board was now close to the edge of the yellow and red areas, which meant that Miss Assassin had successfully led the Security Bureau ship through the outer edge of the natural disaster cloud.

"...Checkpoint two, confirmed...immediately proceeding to phase three."

"Confirmed... Number 77, are you ready?"

Nana, who had just stood up, was stopped. Puff still had that familiar expression of "I was asked by an acquaintance to take care of you," but the girl who was playing with her braids was no longer smiling. She was indeed talking about a very serious matter:

"...In the third stage...due to the proximity to the thunderstorm cloud anvil, even the Originium-resistant communication circuit cannot directly transmit route and real-time weather data to the two warships behind within the disaster area."

"To ensure communication, this ship will remain on the periphery of the disaster as a relay base station... If you want to continue fighting, you will have to travel to the center of the disaster in a small vehicle."

"At that time, the only people you can rely on are yourself, Blacksteel, and the volunteers from Rhodes Island... In contrast, three land-based ships, more than 10,000 military and civilian personnel, equipment and supplies worth tens of millions of LMD... and more than 140 officials, including two five-star generals, will all be on your shoulders..."

"...You didn't mention the million people in Tikkaron...are you implying they're already dead in the natural disaster?"

As she spoke, she put the Rhodes Island uniform jacket back on with Rhine Lab's exoskeleton suit. Nana's words left Puff speechless:

"...Of course not...It's just that, with the help of the mobile city, the government predicts that as long as the core urban area doesn't experience a fatal malfunction, the worst-case scenario for this natural disaster is that chaos will break out in the fourth district, and everyone there will die in the natural disaster and the infighting among the infected over resources...The maximum death toll is probably around 100,000...I know you're aiming for the fourth district, but what if neither the crisis contract nor the Colombian government's relief efforts were intended for the fourth district from the beginning?"

"...Then I definitely have to go..."

As she spoke, the assassin activated the 'experimental exoskeleton' sponsored by Rhine Labs. Silvery-white psychotransmitters flowed along the skeleton, and with the successful psycho-connection, it emitted a beige fluorescence characteristic of Rhine Labs.

"Whether it's tens of thousands of rescue workers or millions of victims... none of that matters to me. There's only one reason I'm going..."

Because Matilda was there.

Seeing Nana's insistence, Puff stopped trying to persuade her. The girl, who had tied her long platinum blonde hair into a ponytail, stepped down from the captain's seat and came to the agent's side. She picked up the Columbia Homeland Security Agency's anti-Originium communicator, plugged it into the exoskeleton's device interface, and adjusted it to the TDD band. Then, she put on a smile again.

"Although this ship does not have a chapel due to security requirements, as the captain, I accept your pre-departure prayer... At the same time, as this is the first Security Bureau mission, I want to emphasize your sense of teamwork."

"Your next actions will affect the lives of countless people... As everyone knows, following you into the natural disaster is actually embarking on a one-way road with no end in sight... Any error in intelligence will mean that they will face the catastrophic natural disaster head-on."

"Although we have made all the necessary preparations to combat interference, I still have to say that there is still a 60% chance that our communication will be one-way or even completely cut off. Given the capabilities of small vehicle-mounted equipment, you must be prepared for the possibility of a subsequent interruption of meteorological data and the possibility of a complete loss of contact with us."

"On behalf of the Engineering Department of the Security Bureau, I assure you that TDD will be responsible for all communication between you and the rear ships... However, in the following circumstances, I will prioritize the safety of the crew of this ship..."

Holding up three fingers, Puff's tone turned utterly cold:

"In a natural disaster, without a navigator, a ship could be stranded or even destroyed... Even a special-purpose ship like the TDD, which was designed to traverse natural disasters, I would only give you three days at most."

"This is the final countdown before you can restore communication if it is lost. It is also the limit that the three land-based messengers can currently sustain themselves on their own before the storm descends into complete chaos..."

"Although you might not be able to hear from the ship's side due to the lack of post-processing on vehicle-mounted equipment... the anti-jamming equipment has a disconnection notification... as long as the communication light is still on, it means someone on our side is listening, and our communication is not interrupted... and you'd better set up additional monitoring items for communication status on your agent terminal now... once our communication is interrupted for more than three days..."

Puff didn't say what she would do if there was no contact for more than three days... and Nana didn't care either.

The two walked silently to the TDD elevator, where the BPRS team and Rhodes Island operators, also dressed in Rhine Labs equipment, were already in position.

Unlike Nana, who had been working in the control tower, they had almost been forced to rest and get some sleep after their previous car chase... Except for Katie, Stewart, and Andrej, whose rest was of questionable effectiveness due to their lack of relevant training... The others were now wearing uniform gear and finally looked like a group when they stood together.

"...So this is the latest protective gear in the lab... It feels lighter and less cumbersome than the usual chemical protective gear..."

"Razer, you could just say we used to wear clothes that looked like barrels... I remember Jessica even had one so she could stay with us on the front lines~"

Carrying a large bag and already wearing a helmet, Jessica still made a hunching motion, the non-transparent, fully covered metal helmet completely obscuring the tearful cat-like expression... Nana, who was quite obsessed with confirming identities, was really not used to this kind of conversation, so recalling the exoskeleton's operating instructions, Nana adjusted Jessica's helmet mode.

As the liquid metal changed its configuration, the angular triangular helmet gradually became transparent at the visor, and Nana finally saw the unfortunate little cat's tearful expression again:

"To ensure visibility, everyone can switch their helmets to half-helmet mode... The system UI inside the helmet will automatically increase its brightness to supplement illumination... More importantly, in this unfamiliar environment, this will help us avoid miscommunication of commands..."

"The price of calling the wrong name at a critical moment could be as high as death... is that what you mean?"

In this way, after Franka taught Razer how to use this new high-tech gadget from Columbia, the people of Rhodes Island also verified and understood the additional functions of this exoskeleton equipment.

"...A shockwave device for breaching barriers...wave...processing...Captain, what is this system for?"

As Nana listened to Katie's question, she picked up the backpack that Puff had given her and glanced at the instruction manual displayed on the built-in projection screen:

"Rhine Lab's patented tool... is said to be an extension of the Originium Arts of its commander, Christine... The instruction manual says that it can change the density of an object to a certain extent... and during the activation of the Havoc System, personnel can even pass through walls like they pass through water?"

Skipping over the detailed explanations, Nana briefly described the effects of using the product.

But looking at the bright red warnings... such as "Please do not deactivate the shockwave during travel" and "Please do not allow activated shockwave devices to interfere with each other"... Nana glanced worriedly at Katie, who seemed curious about everything, and then her uneasy gaze shifted to Franka on Kurogane's side...

"Why are you looking at me? Hmm... I'm not planning to activate this... shockwave device, okay? No."

Silently staring at the big fox until her posture returned to normal, Nana felt a little lightheaded about the Havoc System that she had just locked with her captain's authority... Although it was supposed to be a rescue device, Nana felt that if it wasn't used properly, everyone would be killed by it in the natural disaster.

"The use of the Havoc System has many limitations... and its built-in medium also makes the number of uses and duration subtly limited... Most importantly, we don't yet know if this thing can work properly in the high concentration of Originium dust in the Cataclysm... and its quantity is also limited. Currently, it seems that each person carries a Havoc System that can be used three times... I'll lock it for now and wait until we conduct experiments in the Cataclysm to confirm that it can be used before opening it up to everyone..."

Looking at the people who were lining up in front of her, Nana glanced at the time. It was 10:35 p.m. local time in Colombia.

The ship has connected to the TDD intercity network, and the communication channel has been operational for four hours and twenty-five minutes.

Sponsored by Rhine Life, '—Exoskeleton,' Identification System activated... Total quantity ten.

Squad assignments complete:

Blacksteel International Volunteer Team: Franka, Razer, Jessica, Vanilla.

Rhode Island Pharmaceuticals Operations Reserve Team: Katie, Steward, Andreescher.

Rhodes Island Personnel Operations Team: Medic, Blaze, Sussurro.