48. Return
The helicopter carrying Bismarck passed between a massive rock face and sheer cliffs. Along the near-vertical walls, the mouth of a great cave came into view. The helicopter descended and landed inside the entrance. People were milling about the landing pad. When the door opened and Bismarck stepped out, they erupted all at once in cheers. He walked into the base through a wave of welcome.
Shortly after, the officers of the Liberation Army gathered in the meeting room.
"Bismarck. You've come back from the dead. How does it feel to set foot home again?"
Kas, the mechanic, said.
"I have plenty to say — but first, would someone get me a cold glass of water?"
Bismarck looked parched. The moment a glass of ice water was placed in his hand, he drank it down in long, urgent gulps.
"More than anything, it was this I missed most."
He set the glass down. The room smiled — relieved to find their leader unchanged by everything that had happened.
"Bismarck. What did you see in there?"
Hatpa, the engineer, asked.
Bismarck seemed to reach inward, pulling the answer up from somewhere deep.
"I went to see how close our hypothesis was to reality. And the answer — is this."
He reached into his pocket and produced the handcuffs he had been wearing. He turned them over in his hands, then separated a small section with his fingers. It was a memory chip.
"James. Explain it for me."
James, who had received the chip from Bismarck, pushed his heavy glasses up and addressed the room.
"What's stored on this memory is log data — a record of operations that occurred on the server. The interesting part is that the initial input data packet doesn't go directly to the observatory. It moves somewhere else through a hidden gateway…"
He scanned the room once more before continuing.
"That has to be the Core."
The room sharpened at the word.
"We don't fully understand why the Core would need observational data. But what matters is this — the data passes through the Core before it comes back out. Which means the geological information we've always known… was fabricated by the Core."
Heads nodded around the room. Just as we thought.
"One more thing. Embedded in the header of this data is a hidden path — 168.215.120.07:8000. What's unusual is that the data coming through this path has been converted into an unknown language. A protocol none of us have ever seen before. If we can decode the rules of this protocol… then perhaps…"
James looked at Bismarck.
"We can find the Core."
The corner of Bismarck's mouth lifted. The room waited for him to speak.
"Ten years since we began this revolution — ten years of chasing something we couldn't see, couldn't name, couldn't find. Now, at last, the tip of the iceberg has begun to surface. Our revolution starts here."
Bismarck rose from his seat.
"Bismarck. What's next?"
He paused for a moment, then spoke.
"We dig for answers."
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
"It has been a long time since we were all gathered like this "
A middle-aged man broke the silence. Eight people were seated in total. The meeting room was dark, a single narrow beam of light falling from above onto the table at the center. Their faces were swallowed by shadow, but in the cone of light, mouths moved, and bodies shifted.
"Thank you all for making the journey, brothers. This gathering was called on a temporary basis to address an internal matter — please do not feel undue burden by it. As you are aware, a number of our members operate within the central government. One such member has committed the regrettable act of abandoning our covenant and attempting to betray us. Fortunately, the matter was brought to light by one among you, and the 'severance' procedure has been carried out. It is important that we understand what led this brother to such an act, so that we may prevent it from ever occurring again."
"The member in question is Miller, of the Investigative Division of the Central Intelligence Bureau in the Kast district. Intelligence-gathering activity targeting our organization had been detected within the Bureau, and he began his work as an informant in '63. Two years ago, during Operation Ketamine, he made first contact with 'Vincenzo' — who had been interfering with our operatives — at the Karauki Jo, and what appears to have been a transaction took place. He subsequently received substantial compensation in exchange for leaking our information, and it seems he had been considering fleeing to the Paran district for some months."
"To cast aside the Lord's covenant for a handful of coins — it grieves me beyond words. We follow the Book of Revelation, preparing for a new world. Half a century ago, the Kingdom of God stood within reach, in accordance with His will — yet through the ignorance of men, that path was broken, and humanity has continued to walk through an age of suffering. Now it falls to us to carry that work forward and bring salvation to mankind. I ask each of you to look after one another, to sustain one another's resolve, and to stand together so that His will may be done."
"Bismarck has escaped. Word has it he allowed himself to be captured intentionally. It appears he extracted certain information from the National Geological Observatory. As his activities draw closer to the central government, I am deeply concerned that information about our organization may find its way out."
"Poor Bismarck. He remains our brother, as he always has. His rage and distrust toward the Core is itself proof that he shares our purpose, even if not our methods. We can only hope that he finds his way to enlightenment and returns to us in time. He bears us no ill will. Nor will he. — By the way, Brother Pablo. I am curious how things are progressing in the Denver region."
"Amphetamines are spreading through Lakewood, psilocybin through Northglenn, phentermine variants through Centennial. Before long, the narcotics will have saturated the entire city — and within a few months, it will be gone. Vincenzo's people have been seen moving in the area, but I intend to oversee the operation personally through to the end. You need not worry. Once this is finished, approximately five hundred thousand people will have been removed from Denver alone."
"We pray only that all of it unfolds according to the Lord's will. Amen."
Episode 4 — 『 The Liberation Army 』
End