Chapter 64: We Don’t Know What They Are (４)

****

Foundation fighters fly in pairs when deployed in real combat. This time, two pairs were heading toward Busan. It was an unprecedented occurrence.

[This is Echo-1. Entering the operational area.]

[This is Echo-2. Hostile position confirmed.]

Echo-1 stared at the target. The unidentified aircraft was currently moving at roughly Mach 2. It appeared stationary because it was moving at the same speed as the fighter.

[This is Echo-1. Target locked. Engaging.]

The missile launched toward the target.

But… it had no effect.

The aircraft halted its speed to zero in an instant, and Echo-1’s fighter shot past it at several times the speed of sound.

[This is Echo-1. Missed. The hostile aircraft is flying in an erratic direction.]

[Echo-3. Target stopped. Locking on.]

****

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Cheonghaejin.

The ROK military and its affiliates were still monitoring the Foundation’s activities. With great difficulty.

“Uh, the UFOs have increased by four!”

“Those aren’t UFOs. They’re Foundation fighters.”

“A UFO is attempting to communicate with us on NATO standard frequencies! Do we respond?”

“No, I told you, that’s not a UFO.”

“Something’s strange. We’re picking up the direction of the transmission, but nothing shows up on radar at all.”

“It’s stealth, so of course radar can’t see it. We can pinpoint its position right now because it’s communicating with us. Are you stupid?”

The soldier on the bridge furrowed his brow.

“Captain. Even for the Foundation, does it make sense for a fighter to fly at Mach 3 in normal operation? No such fighter exists in this world.”

“Fuck, I’d like to know too. At this point I’m starting to feel sorry for the UFOs. Having to fight monsters like those…”

“Four unidentified aircraft, vanished!”

“Foundation fighters. They didn’t vanish, they’re fully stealth. How many times do I have to tell you? Stop gawking and track the UFOs!”

The officers on the bridge fell silent.

“Again, tracking the unidentified aircraft, not the Foundation fighters. It’s continuously gaining altitude.”

“Keep tracking, and relay the position to the Air Force.”

“Uh, the unidentified aircraft is flickering!”

“The UFO must be stealth too. We wait for now. There’s nothing we can do.”

The Cheonghaejin’s air radar screen was now completely empty. The Foundation fighters in the sky were stealth. The UFOs were stealth too.

A strange silence settled over the bridge.

A war was unfolding in the sky above, yet from the ground, nothing was visible at all.

“Multiple unidentified aircraft appearing from the east! They appear to have risen from the sea!”

“Well, well. The lunatics are having quite the party in someone else’s airspace.”

The captain of the Cheonghaejin let out a sigh.

“One unidentified aircraft down! Let me confirm with the camera. Ah, this one looks completely torn in half!”

“Move toward the wreckage!”

“Two unidentified aircraft down, three down!”

At that moment.

A dark shadow began to fall over the Cheonghaejin. As if a rain cloud had appeared.

****

The team leader of Task Force Catfish gazed into the endless abyss. The abyss gazed back at him. It should have been darkness in every direction.

It wasn’t.

Blue bioluminescent light flickered all around. Countless deep-sea creatures were swarming toward the team leader. Nothing dangerous was visible, though.

“This is Catfish-1. Team leader speaking. We’ve lost contact with the Feynman, and the deck crane appears to be damaged. The target is gone, and there’s a possibility the Feynman has sunk. First, we’ll release the tether connected to the crane…”

The team leader hesitated.

No answer came. The crane and the diving bell were slowly plummeting into the deep.

Inter-team communication didn’t seem to work either. There was only one thing to do now. Slowly ascend toward the surface.

****

I let out a sigh of relief.

Five unidentified flying objects had been shot down.

The details are classified, but apparently physical missiles proved ineffective, so information erosion missiles were used.

“The situation is under control.”

I crossed my arms.

“Let’s move to recover the wreckage. Are there no more Foundation ships we can mobilize?”

“Not at the moment. Now—”

At that moment.

The information-density analysis system began blinking frantically. The people on the bridge went on alert.

“Huh?”

Good grief. Can’t they stop making that sound?

“Director! You need to see this!”

Clouds were gathering in the sky above.

As if trying to hide something. No, it might be more accurate to say the clouds were descending from the sky. We stared at the shape.

“What do we do?”

I thought for a moment.

“Well… First, tell them to launch every fighter the Foundation can send. I don’t know what’s coming up from the deep sea, but—”

It’s probably another unidentified flying object. Whatever it is, we kill it all today and find out what it was afterward.

There’s no room for compromise.

Any anomaly hostile to humanity must be destroyed—not a single one left alive.

Time to make another call.

“Hello? Aide An?”

“Yes. The fighters have been launched successfully, and coordination with other agencies is proceeding well.”

“Are the fighters on standby?”

“Yes. All available fighters are on standby.”

“Launch all fighters toward Busan Port, and request cooperation from Foundation Headquarters. A massive flying object has appeared in the East Sea.”

Aide An let out a small sigh.

“Should I contact Headquarters as well?”

“Uh… Yes.”

I do feel a bit bad about that.

The thing Foundation personnel hate most is contacting Foundation Headquarters. A group whose location is unknown, whose phone answerer is unknown.

Aide An is probably no different.

****

I looked out at the sea.

In the distance, where the colossal flying object had emerged, clouds were forming a massive mass. It seems to be using the clouds as camouflage.

That’s not important right now. The ROK Navy destroyer had opened fire on the cloud mass. Vulcan cannons spat flame, and anti-air missiles were launched toward the direction of the cloud cluster.

It’s certainly imposing. But it won’t have any effect beyond buying time. The downed aircraft had recovered within hours as well.

Well, it doesn’t matter. The Foundation’s fighters will arrive soon. Explosions continued for a while, and—

Sonic booms rippled across the sky repeatedly. This time, it didn’t seem like just one or two.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The cloud mass visible toward the horizon began to scatter. But this time, the explosions weren’t the real problem.

A bizarre hue filled the sky.

****

Bizarre hue or not, it was nothing against overwhelming firepower. The gathered clouds scattered in the wind, revealing a massive silver aircraft. With a large hole punched through its hull.

“Is it over?”

“It’s not moving.”

“Report.”

“Yes. The massive aircraft is a cylindrical structure approximately 200 meters in size, and it’s currently floating still on the water, apparently heavily damaged.”

I suppose we should consider it a mothership.

“Sonar confirmed it rising from the deep sea at the time of discovery, and it subsequently attempted a rapid altitude gain before being intercepted by fire from the ROK military and Foundation fighters.”

So it’s resolved, then?

There are still too many things that don’t add up.

“It’s confirmed that the anomalous aircraft has a hole in its hull and is floating still, right?”

“No.”

The officer seemed to sense something from my words and shook his head.

“I’ll board it myself.”

“No. Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m going to board the alien aircraft. Is there anyone nearby stronger than me?”

“At the very least, you should be accompanied by the task force. No, this is absurd. The Director personally boarding that alien aircraft—”

I raised a hand to cut the officer off.

“It’s already been decided.”

“Director. Wait a moment.”

“Let’s think about how to approach safely. Do we have a rubber boat? A helicopter could work too, but it looks like it’d be difficult.”

“Will it be safe? There’s no task force on site capable of escorting you, Director.”

I don’t know why they think they can stop me. In the end, my standing as Director, my authority—it was all built by working in the field. If I don’t go out into the field, then what am I?

Nothing.

Just a Chief Researcher in the Director’s Office who’s overstepping her bounds. So this time too, I absolutely have to go into the field. Even if it’s dangerous.

The sound of a door opening.

Several pairs of combat boots stepped onto the bridge.

“Task Force ‘Catfish’ Team Leader, reporting back. Director. Requesting permission to enter the bridge!”

The task force is here too.

All that’s left is actually going in.

****

Preparing for the hunt.

The crane at the stern of the ship is wrecked, but a single rubber boat can still be lowered.

I gathered my equipment and waited. The eight Catfish task force members who’d returned safely were preparing their gear and waiting for me.

“Good to see you, Director.”

“Yes. Can you brief me on the operation?”