Parallel Vol. 6

Chapter 11: God Saeko

After serving everyone breakfast, Suzuki took a quick shower and then entered his Virtual Drive. He navigated through his messages and then selected the link Jade sent. Once he clicked the link, the usual white waiting room shattered, replaced by a meeting room in which sat a long mahogany table. Being the first to arrive, Suzuki found himself alone, so he grabbed a chair near the back and sat down.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait long. Within a few minutes, members from both his team and others joined the meeting. Most chose to sit with their teams, so Suzuki stood out like a sore thumb. Despite that, perhaps because of Kashi's reputation, Suzuki only got a few curious glances thrown his way.

Shortly after, Ayumi, Kimuri, Natsu, Kaido and Chimei entered at the same time, suggesting they had been in discussion shortly before. The five leaders took their seats at the front of the table, with Ayumi seating squarely at the head. Obviously, they had chosen her to be the leader of the ad-hoc team.

Ayumi wasted no time starting up the meeting. With a swipe of her hand, a 3-D hologram depicting a large base sprung across the table. The hologram depicted a familiar forest through which a large river gushed. A facility stood at the top end of the table with a large, cylindrical structure that pierced through the clouds.

"Good day, everyone," Ayumi greeted. She briefly swept her eyes over the group and then continued, "We are gathered here to discuss the infiltration mission into the alien's base of operations to assassinate the mech pilot, Cassia. After careful consideration, we decided this will be a combined stealth and strike mission."

The hologram expanded, putting more emphasis on the alien base. With the added fidelity, Suzuki spotted six important structures. First, chain-link fences surrounded the compound, with four watchtowers standing at each corner of the rectangular base. Aside from the orbital elevator at the centre, there were two massive buildings to the east, a cluster of smaller buildings to the west, and three red buildings at the southern wall.

"Thanks to intel obtained by Devil's Grin, we have obtained satellite imagery of the compound." Ayumi gestured at Chimei, who waved at the rest with a cheerful smile. "The two factory-like eastern buildings appear to be repair and manufacturing stations. Our images show multiple alien gladiators entering and exiting the building. Judging by their size, one of these is most likely the Centurion's maintenance station. The western buildings appear to be residential areas. They would have been the best assassination point if we could pinpoint Cassia's schedule. Unfortunately, our intel at the moment does not cover that. Currently, we feel it is best to proceed with the assumption that we will not receive that information."

"Mm." Taiga chuckled as he said, "Seki-tan will never make it that easy."

"We feel the same," agreed Ayumi with a nod. Pointing at the southern end, she said, "The southern end appears to be where they store vehicles and a mini-manufacturing plant. As you can see, the road leads straight from the northern gate to these buildings." Ayumi then shifted the map to focus on the long river flowing from the east. "This river flows downstream from the east, cuts underneath the base, and then down the west. We assume the base utilizes the water to cool some of its plants. But that will be their downfall."

Ayumi tapped the hologram, and everyone watched as a massive tsunami stormed down the east. The apocalyptic force easily tore through the chain-link fence and smashed through the residential area, the orbital elevator and the two factories before rushing down the western end.

The table went silent. The gladiator trainees marvelled at nature's destructive force, knowing very few, if anything, could survive such a torrential blow.

Ayumi gestured at the shattered buildings left behind after the worst blew through. "We do not expect this to kill Cassia, but it should severely disrupt the enemy's forces so that they lack the ability to respond in the short term. That will give us the time to swoop in, identify and eliminate Cassia. But, there is one thing we must not overlook." Pointing at the silver factories, Ayumi stated in a stern voice, "Cassia's Centurion must be sabotaged before the flood comes in. If it's still functional, the mission is as good as failed once he boards. Nothing we have can best a Centurion."