"I was told I was summoned to discuss my mercenary contract... or so they said."
I muttered to myself as I scanned the room. High-end sofas, quality furniture—no matter how you looked at it, this wasn't a room for a mercenary. It looked more like a VIP reception room meant for welcoming foreign ambassadors.
It had been about two hours since the military escort from JOSH-A picked me up from the Archangel and brought me here. The guide simply told me to wait in this room and left me alone.
The fact that they were letting me use this room was likely intended to show they were treating me as a "guest." There was even tea and cookies on the table. ...However, considering the upper echelons of this base were practically synonymous with Blue Cosmos, I had zero inclination to touch any of it. Who knew what kind of drugs might be laced in them?
"My apologies for the wait."
The man who entered the room appeared to be in his fifties—an elderly officer. His rank insignia... Lieutenant Colonel. One rank higher than Murrue and Mu.
I was supposed to be meeting Colonel Sutherland. He must have realized my skepticism immediately, as he spoke up.
"Hm? Ah. Colonel Sutherland is quite busy with various matters. I will be dealing with you in his stead."
"Is that so? ...And the business? I was told there was something to discuss regarding my employment contract."
"There is no need to rush the conversation. ...I've looked over your data. The fact that a Natural can pilot a Mobile Suit was quite shocking to the military."
"..."
"Therefore, purely as a precaution, mind you... could I have a single strand of your hair?"
I see. They aren't trying to recruit me into Blue Cosmos; they suspect I'm a Coordinator spy.
"The data provided by the Archangel wasn't sufficient?"
"Oh, it is merely a precaution. Just a precaution. There are many in the upper brass who simply won't believe something unless they confirm it with their own eyes."
...Hmph. You're definitely one of them. Waiting outside the door are three, four, five... no, six people. The fact that you have that many guards on standby makes it obvious you consider me a Coordinator. Of course, I only know that because my physical senses far exceed those of a normal human.
"...Well, fine. Every organization has its senile old fools, after all."
I glanced at the Lieutenant Colonel with distinct contempt, making it clear I was referring to him.
Realizing he had just been insulted, his face turned red with anger as he glared at me.
Watching his reaction with a sneer, I plucked a hair from my head and held it out.
"Here. This is what you wanted, right?"
"No, we will handle the extraction. You there!"
At the Lieutenant Colonel's command, a man entered from the door. Dressed in a white lab coat and wearing rubber gloves, he looked like a researcher or scientist. This must be the sixth presence I had trouble sensing earlier.
"Apologies, but he will collect the sample directly. Do not try any cheap tricks."
Did they think I swapped the hair with someone else's during the tests on the Archangel?
Well, it made no difference to me if they took it directly, so I sat quietly and let the researcher do as he pleased. He plucked several hairs from my head, carefully placed them in a plastic bag, and hurriedly left the room.
"Now then, let us move on to the next matter."
"There's more?"
"Yes. In fact, you could say this is the main topic. You claim to be a Natural mercenary, correct?"
"Yeah."
"However, when we searched for a person named 'Axel Almer' in the databases of every nation participating in the Earth Alliance, the result was zero. Of course, there were a few individuals with the same name, but we have already confirmed their current whereabouts. ...Now, would you care to explain this?"
So that's their angle. Since I'm a transmigrator, obviously no database in this world would have a record of me. Should I claim I'm from the Oceania Union or some other PLANT-supporting nation? ...No, they wouldn't leave such an obvious hole unchecked. In that case, I'll stick to the explanation I gave Cornelia.
"Unfortunately, I've been drifting across battlefields for as long as I can remember. I'd like to know which country I was born in myself."
"...Now. Do you honestly expect me to believe such a story?"
"Believe it or not, facts are facts."
"I see. You are stubborn. In that case, I'm afraid we will have to ask you to remain at JOSH-A for a while. You won't say no, will you?"
"Hmph. I assume that's why you have soldiers waiting in the hallway."
"...Take him away."
At the Lieutenant Colonel's order, five soldiers burst in and trained their guns on me.
"You will stay at JOSH-A until you decide to tell the truth. If you feel like talking, call for me anytime."
Five soldiers and one frail elite officer who looked like he'd never seen a day of real combat. I could neutralize them in a heartbeat... but staying hidden within JOSH-A might actually make it easier to move when the time comes.
I could escape anytime I wanted, so for now, I decided to play along and let them take me into custody.
Where they took me looked, at first glance, like a standard officer's quarters. The only distinguishing feature was the armed guards stationed outside the door. I had expected a cell or solitary confinement... perhaps this was a measure to avoid giving me a bad impression in case I really turned out to be a Natural.
...Though with that Lieutenant Colonel involved, my impression was already nearing rock bottom.
That said, this was a room meant to confine someone suspected of being a Coordinator. There was no way it was just a normal room.
"...Time to sleep."
Muttering to myself, I took off my jacket to get comfortable and lay down on the bed. I pulled the thin blanket over myself to block the view of any cameras, then deployed my Spatial Storage. I manipulated my Slime, extending it in a thread-like state as thin as a hair, and began probing the room while pretending to sleep.
...Found them. Hidden cameras: one, two, three. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any audio bugs. The cameras were located above the door, near the ventilation fan, and near the bathroom entrance.
Having grasped the blind spots, I returned the slime to my storage.
With nothing else to do, I allowed myself to drift off into actual sleep.
The next day. I was handed a piece of bread for breakfast by a guard.
Holding the bread, I moved into a camera blind spot and tossed it into my Spatial Storage. Swapping it for a sandwich I had stored, I quickly ate it while hidden from view.
Since they were holding me under the assumption that I was a Coordinator, it was safe to assume the food was drugged. You didn't need to look at the "Boosted Children" of the later GAT-X series to know that Blue Cosmos was technically superior to ZAFT in the field of chemical enhancement and conditioning. It was better to be safe than sorry.
As for drinks, I avoided the tap water in the room and drank from my own supply in storage.
Of course, I made a show of eating and drinking their provisions for the benefit of the cameras.
This routine continued for about four days until, unusually, someone other than a guard visited the room. ...It was that Lieutenant Colonel again. Wary of me, he brought several armed escorts.
"Well then, do you have anything you wish to say to me?"
"Go wash your face with corn potage and come back."
"...What?"
The Lieutenant Colonel looked at me in shock. ...It seemed I was right; the food and drink had definitely been drugged.
"I said, go wash your face with cheese fondue and come back, you old fossil."
"Y-You... What in the world are you!?"
His expression shifted from shock to fear. Judging by his reaction, they must have been dosing me with something incredibly potent.
"Well, I can only give you the same answer as before. I am Axel Almer. Just an extremely ordinary Natural mercenary."
"Don't screw with me! An ordinary Natural couldn't possibly withstand that much—"
"Withstand that much what?"
"...No, nothing. However, if you do not quietly obey my orders today, I will make it so you are unable to regret it. What will it be?"
He tried to threaten me, signaling that this was my last chance. I replied with a sneer.
"Go wash your face with Tom Yum Goong and come back."
"Wh—?! You will regret disobeying me!"
Face bright red, the Lieutenant Colonel spat out his final warning and stormed out of the room with his guards.
"Unable to regret it," huh? That implies death. Which means ZAFT's "Operation Spitbreak" is imminent.
"...Time to sleep."
Muttering that, I lay down on the bed, covered myself with the blanket to hide from the cameras, and extended the slime from my Spatial Storage, thinning it to a diameter of about one millimeter. I threaded it through the ventilation fan, extending its tentacles into the JOSH-A base to begin gathering intelligence.
At first, I picked up complaints about the workload or flags like "I'm going to propose on my next leave," but after about 30 minutes of navigating through vents and corners of hallways, I finally found a room where people were discussing "Cyclops." I extended the slime to wiretap.
"So, how are preparations for the Cyclops?"
"Already complete. If ZAFT's operation tomorrow proceeds as planned, we should be able to dispose of a significant number of those monsters."
"Good. And Panama?"
"Mass production of the Strike Dagger is proceeding smoothly. The 13th Autonomous Corps is currently researching MS operation tactics."
"Hmm, so that goes well too. Any word from Colonel Sutherland or Director Azrael?"
"No, nothing in particular. Only that they hope we dispose of as many monsters as possible with this operation."
"I see. For a blue and pure world."
"For a blue and pure world."
Operation Spitbreak is tomorrow. That means my escape happens tomorrow as well.
I touched the slime extending from my storage and retracted it completely.
Well, things are going to get busy. First, I need to break out of this room... Rather than heading to the Archangel alone, it might be better to link up with Mu. If Mu brings the intel about the Cyclops, it will give the Archangel the pretext it needs to escape Alaska.
However, unlike the original story, Mu is attached to Natarle, not Murrue. Whether he will return to the Archangel is unclear. If I can't link up with him, I'll have to make it back to the ship on my own.
Then there's the question of whether Kira's Freedom will make it in time. I have to believe it will. In the worst-case scenario, I'll have to handle things myself, though I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.
...Considering that in the original story, prisoners like Dearka and the Buster were left on the Archangel, it's safe to assume the Blitz has been left there too, right?
Just in case the Blitz has been taken by the Alliance, I should probably steal some suitable weapons from the JOSH-A hangars while I'm at it. ...There probably aren't any MS available, so I'll have to settle for tanks or fighter jets.
With Operation Spitbreak looming tomorrow, I decided to rest my body and get some sleep. ...Though, to be fair, I've been doing nothing but resting since I was confined in this room.
Status Window
Name: Axel Almer
LV: 36
PP: 115
Stats:
Melee: 254
Shooting: 274
Skill: 264
Defense: 264
Evasion: 294
Accuracy: 314
SP: 446
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to increase Slime performance)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
Terrain Ratings:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: S
Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate: 4 SP
Gain: 8 SP
Focus: 16 SP
Direct Hit: 30 SP
Zeal: 32 SP
Love: 48 SP
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recover & Concentration)
Telekinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Limit Break (Willpower)
Geass (Gray)
???
???
???
???
???
Shot Down Count: 278
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