Hells Bells

An emerging Problem.

(Originally written in 2022, some things changed)

March 22nd, 2025. Arragonian Capital Kurzen. Wyte's office.

A Rug is pulled out from the center of the room, being set aside near the door. Wyte walks behind his desk and clicks a button located under it. The room then glows in a flashing red as an alarm blares. This causes Wyte to fumble under his desk until it stops. He clicks another button which causes the floor in the center to open, revealing a massive screen laid out under it. The room falls into silence as the others in the room stare at their commander. Rishu breaks the silence

RISHU: What the fuck was that?

Wyte just shrugs his shoulders and walk out to the screen on the floor.

PETER: Most likely a panic button, and judging by your reaction you had no idea it was there.

WYTE: Well....

The door opens with some officers from the 82nd and Base Phoenix walking in. They position themselves across from Wyte and his officers. Wyte clears his throat and begins to reach for a cigar in his uniform, but hesitates before laying his hand back by his side. Mac and Rishu exchange a quick glance, while Peter adverts her eyes to the screen on the floor. The door is then closed by an MP, giving Wyte the go ahead to begin.

WYTE: Gentlemen, nice of you to take time out of your busy days of lazing around the brothel district to finally attend this little meeting I proposed.

Looking at the higher ups from Phoenix and seeing their faces unamused, he moves on. Bringing up his wrist pad he goes through it coming across the correct setting and clicking. The screen turns on with the General Electric logo showing, then turning to a map of Dimension Azur. Wyte begins flipping through maps until reaching a map of their world. Japan is highlighted with major cities being labeled as it zooms in on Tokyo. It is then sectioned off by military districts.

WYTE: Odin has told us that our previous assumptions of Japan's neighbors invading after the rifts closure is frivolous thinking. China is too weak, though their ground forces are back to pre war strength, their navy is shrinking day by day. North Korea is reuniting with the south. Russia is supposedly an ally, but their movements suggest ulterior motives. And the Central African Confederacy's fore ray into the Myanmar region, by ways of trade and mercenaries indicates a move to keep the region stable enough to keep it's only trade route to China open, and any attempts to access the Pacific have been stalled by the NCAS. So no threats coming in from Africa.

Wyte reaches into his pockets and plucks out a fragment of Trinitite.

WYTE: Resource wise, most of the important resources of gas, oil, and metals. Are no longer scarce as they used to be in 2016. So even if those countries decided to try something after the rifts protection is gone, they'll lose more than they could gain. Of course that leaves the naturally forming Trinitite, but again too costly for little return.

The map switches to a map of the Innerworld highlighting certain areas across the Philian Empire.

RUDOLPH: Trinitite is the element that forms as a result of nuclear detonation in a sandy environment, right?

WYTE: Correct, after the detonation of the first atomic bomb in New Mexico, this element was formed after the immense heat turned the sand into this green like glass. At first it was a useless jewel, but when the portal gun research started, this element was found out to have strange properties. When this was found out, more atomic bomb testing was approved.

PETER: Trinitite is rare, isn't that a good enough reason to invade the Innerworld?

WYTE: No, after the US started doing regular testing of atomic and hydrogen bombs, the Soviet Union started doing regular testing to show they are just as strong as the US, Nato nuclear powers started regular testing as a result of the Soviets, without knowing the real reasons why it all started in the first place. Because of that the world has an abundance of trinitite.