Chapter 16 – Attack on the Ocean Turtle
Part 1
Even the self-proclaimed super genius Higa Takeru was unable to predict all that had happened in the past two hours.
But, the current situation could be called extremely startling, and could only be described as dumbfounding.
Unexpectedly, a delicate young woman of roughly eighteen or nineteen used her thin right hand to seize and hoist up the collar of a man fifteen centimeters taller than herself. The tasteless Hawaiian shirt was gripped so tightly it was nearly torn apart; heels of sandals floated in the air.
With both eyes, brightly flashing as though they were ablaze, staring straight at Lieutenant-Colonel Kikuoka Seijirou, Yuuki Asuna let words sharp as swords out of her cute cherry red lips:
“If Kirito-kun can’t wake up like this, I will absolutely never forgive you.”
From Higa’s position, it was impossible to see Kikuoka’s expression under his black-rimmed glasses reflecting the ceiling light. But the Self-Defense Cadre who was supposed to be a black belt in both judo and kendo was seemingly crushed by Asuna’s words; he swallowed, and slowly raised both hands to his left and right, as though in a gesture of surrender.
“I understand. I will take responsibility: I will make sure Kirito-kun recovers.”
Solemn silence flooded the dark Auxiliary Control Room.
No matter if it was Higa, who was sitting in the chair in front of the console, or Koujiro Rinko, who was standing besides him, or the numerous «RATH» staff inside the room, no one dared to speak. It was clear how surprising the the youngest woman’s verve was. As it was, that young woman deserved the title of a «Survivor» of a true battlefield. Higa couldn’t help but think this aside.
Finally, Asuna wordlessly released her right hand. Kikuoka, having been freed, let out a long sigh with an almost dispirited expression. Asuna stepped back, swaying on the spot. Rinko immediately moved forward and supported Asuna’s back, her white coat flying.
The female physicist who was a senior to Higa in the research facility tightly hugged Asuna to her chest, whispered with determination:
“It’s all right, everything will be fine. He’ll definitely come back, back to your side.”
Her gentle voice instantly soothed Asuna’s extremely taut face:
“… Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry… for being so panicky.”
Asuna’s eyes leaked tears that had been absent even when enduring the attack. Rinko gently wiped them away with the tip of her finger.
The sound of the sliding door being opened tightened the slightly relaxed atmosphere again. Running into the room was Lieutenant Nakanishi.
Nakanishi, whose dusty white shirt was soaked with sweat and whose shoulder holster revealed a large pistol grip, glanced at Rinko and Asuna and said loudly to Kikuoka behind:
“Report! Complete sealing of blast doors one and two, plus completion of evacuating noncombatants are confirmed!”
Kikuoka adjusted the collar of his Hawaiian shirt as he stepped forward and nodded.
“Good work. How long can the blast doors hold?”
“Yes… That would depend on the attackers’ equipment, although small firearms are unable to penetrate it. Even using tip saws or similar tools to cut through it would take at least eight hours. If explosives are used, it might not hold… I assume, though, they would not, since near the central blast door…”
“There is the light cube cluster.”
Kikuoka finished his sentence, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and sank into deep thought.
But he immediately raised his head and surveyed the slightly small Auxiliary Control Room.
“Good, let’s straighten out the situation. Nakanishi, report of casualties.”
“Yes sir. Civilian research team, three lightly injured, in treatment at the bow infirmary. Our combatants, two heavily injured, two lightly injured, all in treatment with no risk of death. Ready for combat, six, including two lightly injured.”
“Under that kind of fierce attack, it’s a miracle that there have been no deaths… Then, report any hull damage.”
“There are rupture points all over the bottom dock control room. It’s impossible to shut them remotely now. The passageway from the dock to the Main Control Room is the same, but these are just negligible damages. The most severe is, because the main power line has been cut… although the auxiliary line can supply stable power, if we don’t restart the control system we can’t turn the propellers.”
“A sea turtle without fins. And its belly has been bitten by a shark.”
“Yes, sir. Zones One through Twelve of the Lower Shaft and the bottom dock have been completely taken.”
The extremely short-haired Nakanishi, whose face represented strong will itself, unwillingly knitted his brow. Comparatively, Kikuoka’s teacher-like long hairline twisted up, as he leaned onto the console while shuffling his clogs with his toes.
“The Main Control Room, STL Room One, and even the nuclear pile have also fallen into their hands… Most fortunately, their goal is not to destroy.”
“Is… is that so?”
“If they just wanted to destroy, they wouldn’t use submarines to carry out such an exaggerated surprise attack. Striking us with a cruise missile or torpedo would do. That begs the question: who are they… Higa-kun, what do you think?”
At the sudden question, Higa blinked several times, turning his brain that had not yet fully recovered from the impact.
“Uhh, yes, yeah.”
Mumbling meaninglessly as he turned towards the console, he manipulated the mouse with his right hand and brought up an in-ship camera recording on the big monitor.
Although the video window he opened was dark and indistinct, he paused at a random place and adjusted the brightness and contrast. What appeared were a number of figures in combat suits, sprinting forward in a passageway inside the ship. Their faces were half covered by helmets with multi-function visors, and they wielded serious-looking assault rifles.
“…So, as you can see, from head to toe, there are no markings whatsoever, such as flags, that can identify them. From the color and specifications of their equipment, they don’t seem to belong to any regular army. Their rifles appear to be Steyrs, but those are quite common… The only thing we can say is that, from their average physiques, they’re most likely not Asian.”
“Which means, at least they aren’t Japanese Special Forces. How pleasing.”
Kikuoka talked offhandedly about the frightening situation while scratching his chin. Emitting a sharp aura from his calm eyes usually squinted, he looked up to the monitor.
“We can confirm one more thing… These people know the existence of Project Alicization.”
Higa nodded.
“Yeah, that’s right. after their assault from the bottom dock, they immediately ran to the Main Control Room. Their goal is crystal clear: to seize the STL technology… No, the true bottom-up AI «A.L.I.C.E.».”
In other words, information had severely leaked in long-term work. But Higa did not directly say it; he resisted the urge to scan the face of every «RATH» worker in the room for any sudden motions, and said in an optimistic tone:
“What’s fortunate is, the Main Control Room lock caught up. It’s securer than physically damaging the console; I’ve made sure direct commands to the Underworld are no longer possible. Any intervention towards the simulated experiment, and the ejection of the Fluctlight of «A.L.I.C.E.» from the Light Cube Cluster is impossible.”
“But, it’s the same for us, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. Using this auxiliary console, it is also impossible to execute administrator privilege commands. No matter if it’s from the opposite side – the Main Control Room – or this side – the Auxiliary Control Room – it is impossible to eject «A.L.I.C.E.»’s Fluctlight by way of external commands… But Kiku-san, doesn’t this equal our victory? Since they can’t access the Cluster by physical means or informational means, as long as we can call our escort Aegis destroyer to dispatch reinforcements for a counterattack, those guys are a piece of cake, a piece of cake.”
“I don’t know what kind of cake… but therein lies the problem.”
Kikuoka’s expression remained solemn as he inquired Nakanishi.
“How about it, has the Nagato moved?”
“Uh… about that…”
Nakanishi channeled power into his chin in an effort to steady his voice, and bowed his head slightly.
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