“Yes, I read you loud and clear,” Totoki said, responding to Gardener in the communications center. “Once we get there, switch over to a group audio call. And test the camera now, while we have the chance.”
“Keep your wits about you, Hieda.” Fokine turned to her from the seat in front of hers, making her jolt. “We couldn’t get the riot police in on this, so we have to be extra careful.”
The Electrocrime Investigations Bureau had a riot police unit for situations that required immediate response. It was smaller than the special forces the police used, and their gear was minimal, but they were still dependable. This time, however, Director Schlosser hadn’t approved their dispatch.
“The Saudi government must have applied pressure to stop it. Can’t have a political incident, right?”
“That’s just how it goes. This area isn’t even in our jurisdiction, so to speak.”
The group of vans and small trucks that their vehicle was a part of arrived at the residential area at the foot of the mountain. They found an empty plot that served as a parking lot and stopped there. The staff got out of the vans one by one and began unloading the small trucks with practiced motions.
Shortly after that, Echika and her squad began getting audio calls from the other team members deployed around the area.
“Everyone, you can hear me, yes?” Totoki called out. “Investigator Gardener, keep monitoring the situation from the communications center. Investigator Lin and Aide Wood, you cover the shopping mall. Next—” She gave instructions to each investigator. “Investigator Fokine, you check the watchtower.”
“Roger. Hieda, look after the chief, you hear?”
Fokine walked out of the parking lot first. Echika deployed a map of the area with her Your Forma and checked their surroundings. The local residential area spanned a few kilometers around them. Based on what the NGO staff said, the TFC fighters rarely patrolled this area, and the entry of immigrants was greatly restricted here. There were regulations forbidding them from speaking to the locals, but it did keep the public order relatively stable. The only exception was an old watchtower, or qasaba, in the area, since TFC operatives came to and from it every now and then.
“We’ll go around the residential area and look into the replacement device.” Totoki ended the call and turned to Echika. “If it’s real, it’s likely it’s in use by the locals.”
If the TFC was involved with the Alliance, they were likely plotting to use the thought manipulation system in the future. By identifying the replacement device that would be used as a conduit for this system, they’d be able to make a breakthrough in the investigation—the problem was that they simply had too little information.
“We don’t have any leads on the device, right?” Echika asked for confirmation. “Because if it’s complete, and it’s an invasive device like the Your Forma, then how are we supposed to see it?”
“We should probably assume it’s noninvasive. It conflicts with the idea of them using the thought manipulation system, but keep in mind that they reject the Your Forma on the grounds of it being used for business.”
She was right—since the thought manipulation system was still in testing stages, they shouldn’t let that narrow the breadth of their speculation.
Echika and Totoki linked up with the NGO staff. Young men and women were pushing box pallets full of supplies out of the parking lot. They were headed for a school that offered the local children a place to study while instilling them with TFC ideology. In other words, it was a place for brainwashing and indoctrination. Apparently, their teachers were TFC operatives.
“What is the TFC’s ideology, anyway?” Totoki asked. “Is it like what the luddites believe?”
“We don’t know all the details, but it has something to do with the dangers of the Your Forma,” an NGO member answered, while looking wearily around. “The children here have never seen a thread device before, and they’re taught to think it’s some kind of scary, dangerous fairy-tale monster.”
“But they have a substitute device, right?”
“Probably. We’re not in a position where they tell us too much…”
Most of the homes in the residential block were apartment buildings with uniform white exteriors, making them hard to tell apart. Echika could see pedestrians and locals chatting. They casually greeted the NGO staff. She snuck a glance at the backs of their necks, and sure enough, they had no connection ports.
Meanwhile, multiple reports arrived via a group call.
“This is Lin. We’ve infiltrated the shopping mall,” Investigator Lin whispered into the call. “No weapon production lines in sight, but it looks like they’re using this place as an armory.”
“You don’t see any biological weapon development facilities?” Totoki asked.
“Not at present, no. We’ll continue investigating.”
“I just arrived at the watchtower,” Fokine said. “No fighters in sight. I’m going inside.”
“Investigator Fokine, this is Gardener, speaking from the communications center. I have a message from Harold: ‘There might be some kind of alarm. Be careful when you enter.’”
Echika felt her breath catch. Harold had stayed behind in the communications center with Bigga and Gardener, where they were watching the camera feeds from the investigators in the field. Any footage deemed important was to be shared to Totoki’s Your Forma.
“Investigator Fokine,” Totoki said. “What does the interior of the watchtower look like?”
“There’s a wooden box about the size of a beer crate by the wall. There’s dozens of papers inside.” There was a brief pause. “They’re transaction reports. They’re exchanging weapons for grain.”
“Is there anything related to the substitute device or the biological weapons?”
“No, it’s just firearms and ammo. It might be enciphered…”
They climbed up a gently sloping hill, and their field of view instantly opened up. An aging school building with phytotrons built around it came into sight. They were much more primitive than the greenhouses Echika had seen in Farasha Island’s agricultural development areas. They stood against the backdrop of the desolate scenery and were all made of glass panes, through which Echika could see small children studying inside. A Slavic teacher was teaching them, likely a TFC fighter. As Totoki continued her exchange with Fokine, Echika asked an NGO member a question.
“Aren’t phytotrons really expensive?”
“Yes, I hear they were purchased by donations and volunteers from organizations like ours. The food shortage in the area is quite severe, so they want to begin cultivating wheat here, since it’s relatively unaffected by the weather and the changing of the seasons.”