Despite the fact that the room held very few physical objects, the ones it did have sat very close to my heart. There was once a keyboard in the corner that I would spend hours fiddling with, late into the night, using the patting of the rain as the percussion to my melodies. I watched movers now carrying everything away—even the sheets—into the MEI storage facility. Apart from the keyboard, which I asked them to ship to my new apartment.
I stood there, staring at the empty room while men moved boxes and furniture past me, heading out the door, returning for more. I stayed still, lost in thought. I've never lived in another country before. In fact, I've never even been to another country outside of Neppon. How am I supposed to learn the language?
My thinking session was cut short, as I heard a ringing from the desk to my left. It was my phone, so I picked it up to see who was calling. It was my dad.
Tap
"Hello, Dad?"
The voice was deep and assertive, yet it had all the warmth of a caring father. It was a voice I hadn't heard for a while. I made frequent calls to my mum to make sure she knew I was ok, as well as giving a falsified version of what was going on in my life. The same actions, but rather than, hey, I met my squad today and we went through a practice hostage extraction scenario, it was more like I met some new friends recently, and we went to an escape room. I was living a perfectly legal double life, and I felt horrible because of it.
"Himiko, how have you been? It's good to hear your voice again."
"I've been fine, how are you?"
"Good, good. Went fishing with Kensuke this morning, to get a break from your mother."
He broke into a deep laugh. I smiled.
"That's great, I went out with some colleagues last night."
"From the office? How's it going? Your mother said you were praised by your boss a couple weeks ago."
My smile faded as I swallowed. There was a moment of silence before I closed my eyes and bit my lip.
"Yeah, I'm a squad captain now."
"That's great. That's really great. I mean, for a woman of your age, that's incredible. I'm proud of you, Himiko."
I hated it. This wasn't how I wanted it to be. I ground my teeth.
"Thanks, Dad. Sorry, I've got to go... I'll call you back soon."
"See you soon, Himiko."
Tap
I stood in silence, looking down at the floor, eyes closed, tightly clenching the phone in my hand.
I opened my eyes again, staring at my room one last time.
Goodbye, my old room.
A couple of hours later, I was on the flight, sat beside Aiko, a small aisle separating us, and to my left were Nozomi and Kaoru—over by the window. Aiko begged to be seated by our window, and unfortunately, being their leader, I had to accept her wishes and let her get the view. But I don't care anyway, I thought, as I swirled my small flute of champagne, puckering my lips as I sipped the fizzy concoction.
I placed the glass down and pushed the button on the side, slowly leaning back. I looked to my left and nodded. Nozomi nodded back. Along the aisle, there were many suited figures to be seen, all MEI agents; it seems like they're bringing quite a few spec ops agents. It makes me wonder how many squads the Special Operations unit had.
The flight was long, but in this comfort, it wasn't long enough, and we finally arrived at the airport of the capital of Troisine, the port city of Groissaint. It was on the country's eastern coast, and we were on the opposite side of the vast ocean, separating home, with the country's western coast.
"Whoa, this place is amazing!"
Kaoru exclaimed, and indeed it was. As we walked through the front door, there was a large communal room, and to our right, there were—tucked into two opposite corners—two living room spaces with a door out to a balcony separating them. On the opposite side was the kitchen and dining room, with the dining table itself tucked into its own little alcove besides the kitchen's dividing walls. The place had a modern look, but its cream walls and dark wooden furnishings gave it a traditional nepponese look.
Straight ahead of us was the hallway leading to the bedrooms, each fitted with double beds, desks and en-suites—each with showers and baths. We were truly being treated. I will never stop questioning how this organisation receives so much funding.
"I call dibs on the big room"
"No, I'm having the big room."
Aiko and Kaoru began to butt heads. Nozomi had his hand placed on the back of his head, shaking it in disappointment. But I'm pretty sure they're all about the same size.
We soon managed to distribute the room situation out, and I was in the far-right corner room as you face towards the bedrooms, my door stood right at the very end, with Aiko, my neighbour, to the left.
I felt slimy from all the sitting in the plane as well as all the moving, so I knew it was time for a bath. I lie myself down in the bath, letting the hot, soapy water seep into every pore of my skin. I traced my eyes around the room. The square, tiled flooring, along with the marbled walls, gave it the clean look of a spa. I shifted my eyes to the ceiling, staring deep into the white paint.
So much has changed in the month or so after I joined MEI, since the attack on Rengappon, honestly. From a simple police officer to the captain of a special operations unit. How long are we going to stay in Groissaint, I wonder. Also, I don't want to jinx anything, but I wonder if the aliens will come back; the third attempt warded them off. I spent a couple of minutes longer in the tub before lifting myself out of it. The towel felt so soft, I could wrap myself up in it all night. But in the end, I eventually dried myself off and dressed in some comfy pyjamas I packed.
A couple of days passed of monotonous office work before we were finally called in to our first official operation. We headed off to the Special Operations facility. Passing through the quaint colonial architecture on our way to the outskirts of the city. It was less of a facility, like the one at home, which occupied a large warehouse and more of an outpost; there were storage warehouses for carrying military vehicles as well as landing pads for helicopters. As well as a building that houses the debriefing rooms and small training facilities, but the main training facility, like the one in Rengappon, which was in a different location, likewise with the research facility, which was also in another location.
It was more of an assembly hall than a briefing room. In rows and rows of chairs, in front of Mrs Isamu at the front, were a couple of other squads, much like ours, who were called up for this mission. It was like a tapestry of black and white suits. In front of us were Mrs Isamu and Dr Entenga
"Welcome, everyone, this is our first official operation, so listen up. The Groissaint research team has come across a building emitting a large amount of aethesium radiation. We want to get to the source of what's emitting this radiation, so you will escort the research team to the site. Each squad will be given a special job that I will assign you now."
She began to read out a bunch of squad names, followed by the specific job that they have been given, from patrol to scouting to guarding. She then called out our name.
"Suzuki squad. You are Dr Entenga and his science team's personal bodyguard. You will enter the site, alongside Dr Entenga, me and a team of scientists and ensure that their analysis of the site is successful."
"Everyone, to their posts."
I hated grocery day,
Two bags on either side of me, I walked the long road of the quiet suburb. Ever since the incident, I started walking home a different way. I feel invincible now, but still don't feel comfortable walking anywhere near that alleyway. And I don't want to go anywhere near it ever again. I felt a tingle in my chest thinking about it, until I find that bastard again.
The twilight, orange hue enveloped the suburban streets, painting the streets and buildings in a sheet of gold. It was pretty, but what was eerie was the lack of people on the streets. There was not a single person to be seen, no kids playing on the street, or the mothers of the kids chatting. No evening strolls, just silence.
I turned the corner, placing myself on the same street as my apartment, and I was now only a few meters away. Hypothetically, it should only take me a couple of minutes. But I was stopped. Despite being able to see my apartment block, there was a small police blockade, so I made my way to one of the officers to see what was going on.
"Hey, what the hell is this?"
"The road needs to remain clear. Please step away."
"What!? My house is right there, bruv."
I pointed to the small tower, meters in front of us, but he continued to look straight forward, unmoved by my statement, only smiling as he responded.
"Well, unfortunately, there's important business, bruv"
Just as I was about to drop my bags, the officers began to reorganise, shouting orders at each other.
"The convoy is here shortly, make room!"
The officer in front of me looked back at some vehicles in the distance, heading this way, before looking back at me.
"Sir, please step to the side for your own safety."
This seemed like serious business, so I followed his orders and stepped to the side. And as I did, the ground began to rumble, and the sound of roars from numerous engines began to get louder and louder, as the rumbles began to get more intense. Then I finally saw them; heavily armoured, black vans powered through the streets, one after another, on the side of them were the letters M.E.I. They were the guys who wanted to fight the aliens. Interesting. I continued to watch them as they progressed down the road, the rumbling continuing.
With this many bodies stuffed into it, the van was stuffy and very cramped. I was feeling a little claustrophobic and sweaty. I just wanted to strip out of all these layers. We were clad up in grey urban camo, full body suits, with black lightweight armour over the top of them; we actually looked like soldiers now.
In the van, my squad in the back—besides the door—and Dr Entenga, Mrs Isamu and five scientists at the front.
From beside me, Kaoru leaned in to whisper to me.
"Dude, our first op. This is crazy."
"No, our first op was getting Aiko out of the apartment."
Kaoru nudged me in the arm as he snickered. I smirked.
Mrs Isamu demanded all of our attention.
"Right, we're nearing the site. As soon as we stop, you'll take a vantage point, going room to room, noting anything suspicious. We'll be following behind."
"What if someone sneaks up behind? How about, Me, Aiko, and Kaoru take a vantage point, while you and Nozomi watch the rear, keeping a lookout while we enter the rooms?"
She smiled as she put her hand to her chin.
"That's a great point, Himiko... Fine, we'll do it your way."
I wanted to jump out of my seat in celebration. I felt a nudge from my left. I looked at Kaoru, who gave a congratulatory thumbs-up. I sent my own thumbs up back.
The rumbling of the vehicle stopped. We nodded at each other, and Ghost-Line Six raised their balaclavas to their noses, protecting our identity from any potential threats who seek retaliation. We stormed out of the back of the van, assuming formation. Kaoru, Aiko, and I were the arrowhead, with me as the point. The Scientists made up the stem, with Mrs Isamu and Nozomi as the base, watching our backs.
The site was a worn out, abandoned school, in a rundown part of town. The area was surrounded by MEI agents who were patrolling the area, looking for any suspicious activity. I felt nervous approach the building fearing the place would come crumbling down over us. My fears didn't ease as the creaks of floorboards echoed throughout the halls.
We slowly progressed through the dilapidated corridors, going from room to room. I had one hand on the hilt of my katana, the other on the handgun—firmly in my grasp. The constant creaks and squeaks had me on edge, causing me to constantly check my mirrors.
We approached another classroom. On either side of the door frames were Aiko and Kaoru. I was standing in front of the door, which I pushed slightly ajar to poke a small mirror through. I couldn't see anyone inside, but what I did see baffled me. We entered the room carefully, and the room was a sight to behold.
On the base floor, the very large classroom seemed normal; the debris that sprang across the floor was far from it, however. Furthermore. What was also far from normal was the state of the ceiling, and the ceiling above that, for above us were two floors of classrooms, completely exposed, having collapsed, leaving the debris that lay in front of us. Yet that was not even the end—no. In the centre of the room was what looked like a nest, made of wooden beams, furniture and drywall. It was nesting a large purple crystal, about the size of a human head. We decided that this was definitely the cause of the disturbance.
MEI agents began to fortify the school in numbers, and the science team set up a forward operating lab in the school assembly hall. The walls were made up of glossy wooden panels, coated in an amber finish. The floor had small courts painted on it; it must've doubled up as a sports hall as well. In the far side of the hall was a stage, with a raised platform in the centre of it and on the sides—on the second floor—was a balcony.
Squeak
In the centre of the room was a small tent that housed the crystal and scientists, who were clad in full-body protective gear. Surrounding the room were autonomous drones, designed by our beloved Kaoru.
Squeak
It seems like we're making progress here. I can't wait to find out what the research department will learn from this.
Squeak
It's just a shame the mission wasn't more eventful.
Squeak
I noticed that there were a lot of squeaks going on, and by the fact that everyone had gone silent and stopped moving, they must have heard it too. In a run-down, abandoned place like this, the squeaking of rats was probably normal. But these weren't just the squeak of your common rat. They were deeper than normal, like they were coming from a creature with much larger vocal cords; they were also being accompanied by thuds that started out quiet but were now getting louder. There were also distant gunshots that could be heard, and the louder the thuds got, the more subtle the wail of screams became.
The whole hall was silent, and only the rustling of our uniforms echoed through the air. Silence.
THUD!
The door to the hall slammed open with intensity. We all drew our attention towards the entrance as a MEI agent who was badly beaten staggered his way in.
"GET OUT OF HERE THERE'S A GIANT–"
CRASH!
The man was sent flying across the hall, painting a streak of crimson on one of the walls as his body ricocheted off it, flopping onto the floor. The body was left broken and Lifeless.
The thing that flung it was beyond what we would've expected to see coming into the mission. It was 5 metres tall and almost just as wide. Its width is almost entirely built up of muscle and fur; fur which was painted in blood, a mix of human and its own from the bullet holes the beast was saturated in. Its mouth was layered with gums that were each crammed full of teeth, dripping with fresh blood. Its eyes were glowing purple, the same hue as the crystal we found in the classroom.
This must've been the beast that tore up those rooms to make a nest for its treasure. Treasure which we stole from it. Treasure it wanted to back, and it was going to slaughter anyone who got between it and its treasure.
The beast shared all the features of a regular rat, but was now bipedal and massive. It let out a deep, deafening squeak.
—Although it would be more accurate to describe it as a roar.
Before the beast came charging towards us.