MafiA's Gamble

NINE

Discovery of HADES

     The school day over, Yuki was exhausted as she went back home. The last day of the competition was quite hectic, and by the time celebrations were over, (unfortunately, the other school had officially won again for the fourth time in a row) it was quite dark. She yawned as she climbed onto her bed, ready to take a small nap before she got up for dinner later. It was always at moments of peace, such as this one. Yuki's phone suddenly rang, and she bolted to answer. As soon as she was connected, her ears were met with Eleyne's voice, full of urgency. "Yuki, we're going to need you to come to HQ, NOW. A driver will be at the common meeting place in about three minutes to pick you up, so hurry up and get moving. I'll explain the rest of the details once you get here." Before Yuki could respond, she heard the click of the call ending, signaling the end of the discussion; no room for argument. She grumbled as she grabbed her things and raced out the door, calling over her shoulder that she was going out. There by the meeting place, her ride was already waiting.

     The driver, somehow understanding the urgency, brought Yuki to the base, faster than she'd ever seen anyone go. Once Yuki entered the office, Eleyne quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her to Lia's desk. A worried Lia sat there, staring at the screen, nervously reading whatever contents the screen displayed. "Take a look at what Lia discovered. She made a breakthrough and found some sort of secret weapon AG is building." Eleyne frowned as she relayed the present situation. Lia turned to Yuki with tired eyes, slight frustration visible across her face. "Yeah, can you take a look at it? I want to see what you find. I can tell that there's more to it, but I just can't quite reach it." Yuki slid over to her desk, and immediately began to investigate. "Yeah, I'm on it."

     It was a good thing that some preliminary hacking had already been performed by Lia, so searching through the massive database protected by the Black Market was much quicker. After a bit of hacked workarounds, and some digging, Yuki was able to access the entire original copy of the research notes pertaining to the Hydro Atomic Destructive Explosive Shockwave, as it was called, HADES for short. Seeing corresponding elements to the data she saw a few days ago about the liquid fuel, she realized that this weapon was the exact answer to her inquiries. This weapon was the one that needed the rare substance. Having connected two and two, Yuki pressed on to see what else this weapon had in store, particularly curious about its uses. The truth she soon discovered was horrifying, and she let out a terrified gasp. Upon witnessing Yuki's reaction, Lia looked up from what she was doing and came over. "Did you find something?" Yuki nodded silently as Lia gently grabbed the screen, skimming through the data. Nearing the end of the research papers, Lia's eyes narrowed, obviously disgusted. She quickly called Eleyne and Alice over. The pair who were hunched over the various strewn papers, discussing strategy and planning, looked up from their work and promptly came forward to observe. A crowd formed around Yuki's screen, and soon, everyone wore the same grim expression.

    Alice folded her arms and began to mutter to herself. "I never expected the AG group to have such a device in their possession..." Eleyne also stood, stunned. "A weapon with destructive properties, comparable to that of an atomic bomb... or even a hydrogen bomb? It even comes with multiple adaptable forms and mechanisms... What kind of weapon is this?!" Krystal looked over the screen once more, this time more attentively. "Damn, my intuition was right. This actually might give us some trouble." After a moment's silence, Krystal brought everyone's attention to a line on the screen, pointing her finger and directing their eyes. "Wait guys, look there. Does that say this thing is going to be completed in about three days, and tested in a span of five?" Yuki's eyes rapidly scanned over the text Krystal pointed out, her panic and sense of urgency heightening. "We have to do something about this! Who knows what they're going to do with this thing? Obviously not positive actions, considering its devastating capabilities!" Taking in a failed calming breath, she continued. "We have just three days, maybe even less, considering we don't know when this document was written. We can't let them complete it!" Eleyne, though worried, questioned the rush. "Are you sure it's three days? How do you know if this information is even all that trustworthy?" Lia leaned closer to the screen. "No, they're all from credible sources. This one was leaked; taken directly from the research center at AG." Dawn tried to suppress a smile. "Either way, it wouldn't be wise to let them be in possession of it. Besides, I'm always ready for an exciting 'little excursion'." Krystal nodded. "So am I." Seeing that her friends already made up their minds, Eleyne sighed. "Seems we got a retrieval mission on our hands.. Right Boss?" With silent grace, Alice studied the data intently. She knew there was definitely something up; a single piece didn't quite fit in as well as it should with the others. Being unable to quite touch upon it, Alice pondered the situation on hand. Better safe than sorry, and to be honest, her friends didn't seem all that willing to accept a waiting-out either. She turned to her friends, uncrossing her now stiff arms. "Yeah, let's start making preparations."