The central headquarters of the Hakone base was alive with activity. Clare Dauntless was commanding a team searching for the twenty-five people who’d been aboard the downed XC-03 transport plane, as well as the team searching for Kouki in Russia, and the teams were hard at work.
It had been 18 hours since the attack on the hotel by the terrorist organization New World, and we were still unable to determine the whereabouts of Kouki and his bodyguard, Lieutenant Anton Bortkiewicz.
I expected the lieutenant to have somehow helped Kouki escape the hotel alone, telling him to head for the Finnish border. But Kouki certainly hadn’t reached the Finnish Noa safehouse, nor was there any sign of him in Finland.
“We’re out of options...” I muttered to myself as I sat in the commander’s chair.
If Kouki had been captured by New World, they would have made some sort of statement to Noa. We’ve heard nothing for 18 hours, so Kouki must have found a place to hide... or he’s already dead. With there being no new information, I was beginning to fear the worst.
Shuuichi was sitting beside me. “Miki, based on reports from the Russian force surrounding the Rivage Hotel, we’ve been able to determine what weapons the enemy are using.”
“Tell me everything we know,” I said immediately. “If we’re going to dispatch one of our own units, we need to know what sort of equipment the enemy has.”
“They’re using a new type of powered suit that appears to be a sixth-generation model, but it’s a model we’ve never seen before. Their infantry has optical camouflage and reinforced exoskeletons. They also have V/STOL assault aircraft very similar to ours. And they’re likely to be carrying directional EMP weapons.”
“That can’t be right!” I exclaimed.
I didn’t mean to suggest that I doubted my husband’s word, but if they had an unknown model of powered suit, that meant they’d developed it themselves. It also meant that they’d produced enough of them to be able to provide a suit like that to their soldiers.
Noa had made prototypes of directional EMP weapons, but we weren’t ready to use them in actual combat. If everything Shuuichi was saying was true, New World was on the same level as Noa in terms of technology and funding.
My adjutant, Elise, interrupted my thoughts. “Miki, President Shumsky is on the hotline,” she said without changing her expression.
The wellbeing of Elise’s younger sister Clare was in doubt, and that had to be taking some emotional toll on her. I’d suggested a while ago that she take a break, but Elise had declined and remained here to continue carrying out her duties, confident that we’d find her sister safe and well.
“Please display him on my screen,” I said.
The tired-looking face of an aging gentleman appeared on the terminal on my desk. I hadn’t been summoned by the United Nations for a while, so I’d had no other opportunities to speak with him directly, but I had no doubt the man I was looking at was President Shumsky himself.
“Long time no see, ma’am,” he said.
“A long time indeed, Mr. President.”
The last 18 hours had to have been pure hell for the president. He’d been the recipient of an endless stream of requests to ensure Kouki’s safety and to open an inquiry to investigate possible transgressions against the Arakawa Pact. Meanwhile, the terrorist attacks in his capital city were still ongoing.
Whatever happens, his political career is finished. I’m sure he’ll announce his resignation as soon as this is all over.
“Knowing that your son was caught up in a terrorist attack during his sightseeing here in Russia causes me great shame,” he said. “We have the hotel completely surrounded and we’re doing all we can to suppress this terrorist group and ensure the safety of their hostages. At the same time, we’ve started an operation to eradicate this terrorist group by targeting their very core. Rest assured—”
“The time for talk has passed,” I interrupted. “We want to see results. I want assurance that Kouki is safe, and the crew serving under Clare Dauntless must be located. The EU, the US Marine Corps, the Russian Pacific Fleet, and the UN Standing Army’s 6th Division have already been ordered to DEFCON 2 on the basis of the Arakawa Pact. I’m sure you’re aware that I have the authority to make any final decisions relating to military actions performed on the basis of the Arakawa Pact. If your nation fails to demonstrate its commitment, I may be forced to make a difficult decision.”
“Ma’am... Mrs. Arakawa, I assure you, we’re doing everything in our power. Our navy is headed to the area where your aircraft was shot down and they’ll be able to give us more information within the next few hours. However, there’s no possible way for us to determine the whereabouts of your son. You’re quite sure he’s made no attempt to contact you?”
“He has not. You said there’s no possible way, but I wonder whether you’ve checked all surveillance camera footage in the city?”
“Of course,” he assured me. “We determined that he escaped from the hotel by dropping into a river while in a powered suit. From there he walked to an alleyway 150 meters away where we lost track of him.”
Impossible. I know Kouki is smart, but he isn’t a soldier trained to break through enemy lines. Nor is he a spy who knows how to disappear or erase his tracks. The one thing keeping him safe was his personal terminal, and without it, he’s nothing more than a powerless 15-year-old boy. So what happened to him?
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation,” Elise broke in, “but the chief of the UN’s Transnational Organized Crime Organization wishes to speak with you. She says it’s urgent.”
“I’ll answer right away,” I said. “Mr. President, please contact me if there are any developments. For now, I’m instructing other nations not to engage in any military action. Personally, I fear that an extraction operation could lead to a major war, and that’s something I’d like to avoid.”
“Indeed. I’ll ensure we continue to do everything we can.”
The screen went dark for a moment as I ended the call, and then there appeared a red-haired woman in a United Nations uniform.
The woman on the screen placed some documents on the table in front of her and greeted me nervously. “P-Pleased to meet you. My name is Stabinger. I’m part of the Illegal Arms Trade Prevention Team of the Transnational Organized Crime Division.”
“Miki Arakawa. I’m told there’s urgent news?”
“Y-Yes. Recently, we’ve been tracking money to an arms dealer, Vladimir Stolyarov, in Russia. We gather information about his customers as evidence to present to the international court. Something happened an hour ago while we were doing this tracking. We noticed a trade made for an incredible sum of money. We searched through customer data for the credit card number and found that it belonged to the bank account of Kouki Arakawa.”
“Kouki’s account is with the international bank,” I said. “For him to transfer anything above a million dollars at once would require physical authentication. If he were kidnapped or being threatened, the authentication would show it, because his pulse and blood pressure would be abnormal. So at the very least, this means he was able to transfer money by his own free will an hour ago.”
“Exactly,” she confirmed. “S-So we hacked Stolyarov’s terminal and learned what weapons Kouki purchased. Should we send the data to you?”
“Please send it immediately! Did you say your name was Stabinger? It’ll take a day or two, but I’ll send the UN a formal letter from myself and Noa expressing my gratitude for the cooperation we’ve received.”
“Oh. Th-Thank you.”