A Vengeful Retribution

Chapter 24: Rei Kuroshima

3rd POV

As the VTOL's landing gear touched down with a low thud on the underground runway—hidden deep beneath the Earth's crust and masked by layers of electromagnetic jamming—the hangar doors hissed open, revealing a cold, sterile corridor bathed in icy blue light.

Standing at the edge of the platform, two figures waited with folded arms.

M, otherwise known as Madoka Orimura ever the smug observer, her fitted black uniform pristine and radiating a certain effortless menace. Beside her stood Squall Meusel, the composed and calculating operations commander of Phantom Task, clipboard in hand, her usual half-lidded stare locked directly on the descending ramp.

As Autumn stepped off the VTOL first, her boots echoed against the metal as she gave a curt nod of acknowledgment.

Spectre followed shortly after, helmet now clipped to her side, her posture stiff—tense, even.

M tilted her head, her smirk widening like a cat who already knew the answer.

"You look like you fought a ghost, Spectre," she purred, casually stepping forward. "Let me guess... You went up against that prototype IS. The infamous SoVR, wasn't it?"

Spectre didn't answer immediately. Her eyes narrowed.

Squall spoke up, her voice flat but curious. "Assessment?"

Spectre's jaw tightened slightly. She handed over her damaged wrist module for analysis and let out a sharp exhale.

"It wasn't the prototype IS that rattled me." Her voice was low, calculated. "It was the pilot. Or more specifically... the thing inside him."

That made both M and Squall exchange a brief glance.

"Yap Haruto, correct?" Squall asked, already pulling up the file from the internal database.
A holographic window blinked to life, showing Haruto's face and an extensive log of his known IS performance history.

Autumn crossed her arms behind her back, picking up where Spectre had left off.

"He was calm. Too calm. Didn't flinch. Didn't panic. He even taunted Spectre mid-battle while holding back. The IS didn't show itself until the final moments."

M chuckled darkly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Sounds like he was flirting with danger." She looked at Spectre with a tilted grin. "Or maybe with you?"

Spectre didn't rise to the bait. She remained dead serious. "It felt like I was fighting two entities sharing one body. The IS is just a vessel. Yalter... whatever that is, it's something else entirely. And it doesn't like being ignored."

Squall tapped a finger against her clipboard, lips pursing.

"A manifestation. Possibly a parasitic intelligence. Sentient, at the very least." She looked up at the group. "We'll increase our surveillance on Haruto. If what you're describing is accurate... he may be as dangerous as Chifuyu Orimura was during her prime."

"Or worse," Spectre muttered. "Because unlike her, I think this one's still pretending to be normal."

M's grin faded slightly as she mulled that over. "Well, that just makes it more fun, doesn't it?"

Autumn walked past them, removing her gloves as she headed toward the debriefing room. "Let's not play games. The next time we face him, it won't be a probe. It'll be a war. So get your ghosts in line."

And with that, the Phantom Task agents descended further into their hidden stronghold—unaware that even in the depth of shadows, something was watching them in return.