Lemon turned to face him, a faint smile playing on her lips, but her eyes were devoid of warmth.
"Well, well, Axel. I wanted to ask you a few things about the Growsaver, but where have you been hiding?"
"Sorry about that," Axel replied, scratching the back of his head. "Had some questions for Vindel. Got caught up finishing the mission report first."
"Questions, huh?" Lemon's tone was light, but her gaze sharpened.
Figuring he'd better smooth things over, Axel handed her a stack of documents. They were notes he'd prepared alongside the report for Vindel—observations about piloting the Growsaver, along with suggestions for improvements.
"Here, take a look at these. Maybe they'll put you in a better mood. And if they do, I've got something else that might make you even happier."
"Oh?" Lemon's curiosity piqued as she skimmed the papers, her eyes flicking back to him. "What's that?"
She read the documents with one hand, responding with the other—a dexterity that reminded Axel of Vindel's knack for multitasking.
"You know about the Tesla Institute, right?"
"The Tesla Reich Institute? Of course I do," Lemon said, arching an eyebrow. "I mean, who doesn't? Even non-scientists have heard of it."
Fair point. With flashy creations like the Grungust and a director who loved the spotlight, the institute was practically a household name.
"I heard a rumor," Axel continued, leaning in slightly. "They're working on something interesting over there."
"Interesting how?" Lemon's voice held a spark of intrigue.
"Word is, they're developing a device for spatial teleportation."
"Teleportation?" Lemon's brow furrowed. "Like what the Inspectors used? I thought they took all their tech with them when they pulled out. Destroyed anything they couldn't carry, too, from what I've heard."
"Maybe. It's just a rumor, mind you. But the twist is, this isn't based on Inspector tech. It's Tesla's own design."
Lemon's eyes widened slightly. "That's… impressive, to say the least."
Got her. Axel suppressed a grin.
"Thought you'd think so. Doesn't it remind you a bit of the Timeflow Engine? That controls time; this controls space. Pretty neat, right?"
"Interesting," Lemon mused, her tone thoughtful. "I'm not sure if it'd help with Timeflow Engine research, but spatial teleportation on its own is worth looking into."
As expected, the idea of teleportation tech had hooked her. Now it was just a matter of steering her toward Tesla Institute. Easier said than done for someone like Axel, who wasn't exactly a silver-tongued negotiator. Still, Shadow-Mirror had plenty of politically savvy commanders who could handle the heavy lifting.
"If you're interested, why not ask Vindel to send you to Tesla as a research collaborator? The Growsaver's tweaks are mostly sorted, and if anything comes up, you can always guide your team remotely."
Lemon tilted her head, her expression shifting to one of curiosity mixed with suspicion. "Maybe. But why are you pushing this so hard?"
Her question caught him off guard, but Axel kept his cool. Truth be told, sending Lemon to Tesla wasn't just about her curiosity—it was about boosting Shadow-Mirror's firepower. "As the Special Operations captain, I see the value in teleportation tech. If we could use it freely, we'd cut travel time to nothing. Plus, we could pull off surprise attacks like the Inspectors did."
Of course, perfecting that tech might only happen after they'd crossed to the other world. Or maybe, in this world where the original timeline was already breaking apart, Lemon's genius could accelerate things. If she managed to crack teleportation before Shadow-Mirror's rebellion, it could tip the scales toward success.
But that was a big "if." In the original story, the Zweizergain's System XN, with its Aguieus core, wasn't completed until Shadow-Mirror tapped into the expertise of Eagret Fef, Agila Setme, and Cuerbo Cero at Earth Cradle, plus tech scavenged from Isurugi Industries. Even for someone as brilliant as Lemon, pulling it off alone was a tall order.
"Well then, I'll talk to Vindel," Lemon said, her voice decisive.
"Good luck convincing him," Axel replied with a grin.
"What, you're not going to help?" she teased.
"You're better with words than I am."
With a casual wave, Axel headed out of the hangar. He'd stoked Lemon's curiosity enough—she'd take it from here.
"Phew…" A yawn escaped him. After a grueling mission and diving straight into paperwork, he hadn't had a moment to breathe. Time for a nap.
"Lieutenant Axel? Lieutenant Axel?"
"Hm…?"
A persistent knocking roused him. What was that noise? Stretching on his bed, Axel heard the voice again from beyond the door.
"Lieutenant Axel, may I come in?"
"Yeah, sure, come on in."
Still in his uniform from the nap, he didn't bother changing, just sat on the edge of the bed. A glance at the room's clock showed 6:28 PM. He'd slept for about two hours.
"Sorry to disturb your rest," said the visitor, a familiar communications operator from the base. Her face was etched with concern.
"What's up?" Axel asked, eyeing her expression.
"There's a call for you, sir."
"A call?"
"Yes, sir. It's… a condolence call."
"A condolence call?" Axel's voice sharpened. "Who?"
"It's from Raji Montoya, from the Timeflow Institute."
Axel froze. Raji? At first, the name didn't compute. Then it clicked—the Excellence team. Of course. This had to be about Dr. Rom Montoya's death.
A condolence call from Raji meant someone at the Timeflow Institute had passed. But the main cast—Raul, Fiona, Mizuho, Raji—were protagonists, unlikely to die this early. Dr. Rom Montoya, Raji's father, on the other hand, was already dead by the time the original story began.
"Lieutenant Axel?"
"Yeah, I'm coming." With a quick nod, he headed for the private comms room.
Rom's death at this point was unexpected. Axel had assumed there'd be a year or two before it happened, given Raul and the others' ages. At nineteen himself, Axel figured Raul's team, four years younger, were around fifteen—middle or high school age. Could kids that young really push the Excellence project forward without Rom? Raji's logic and Mizuho's engineering skills were impressive, but this was a tall order.
Reaching the comms room, Axel thanked the operator, who stepped outside to give him privacy.
"Hello, Axel," Raji's face appeared on the monitor.
"Hey, been a while. So, about this condolence call?"
"Yes. My father passed away in an accident."
Raji's voice was steady, but Axel could sense the effort it took to keep his emotions in check.
"Got it. I'll be at the funeral. When is it?"
"Next Tuesday."
Three days from now, since today was Saturday. He'd need to ask Vindel for leave. Plus, this was a chance to discuss the Excellence project. With Dr. Montoya, the only adult researcher, gone, the team—four teenagers—would have to carry on. Funding would likely get tighter, too. To outsiders, they were just kids.
"Guess that might speed up the Excellence project," Axel muttered to himself. With funds tight, they'd need results fast. Even with Shadow-Mirror's support, Vindel wasn't exactly swimming in cash.
Sighing, Axel headed off to negotiate his leave with Vindel.