Ultima Ratio

Chapter 30: Smooth Operating

Even though her team was exhausted, they still put up a fight. It didn't help that their uniforms were mostly resilient to level two shots, and the only place Akira could reliably aim for were their unshielded heads.

Thankfully, this ended up working in her favor, and after Akira managed to sneak in a headshot around Quyen's defensive arms, the others deployed their helmets themselves. And when they all collapsed to the ground, gasping for air like how Akira had done, Akira just had to make sure they didn't retract their helmets too early.

"Bloody hell," Jivan gasped when they finally regained their senses, panting heavily as they sprawled out on the ground. "That was like a really bad trip. Not that I would know what a good one is, of course."

"I've never seen anything like this," Elodie said, and while she too lay on her back, she was tapping at a projection above her head. "It's definitely something in the air, but our sensors don't see it as a threat."

"How much do you remember?" Akira asked, equally breathless, having just finished struggling with Quyen after she prematurely recovered from the stunning headshot.

"The locals." Jivan shuddered. "They were vicious. Some old bloke was pulling on my beautiful hair."

"I...I think I did that to Navin too," Elodie said quietly, then turned her head to where Navin was lying down a couple meters away. "Sorry about that."

Surprisingly, Navin didn't acknowledge her, instead keeping his gaze pointed to the night sky. "The civilians wore something. A device."

Akira leaned a bit closer, intrigued. She hadn't noticed anything.

"They're not the only ones with fancy gadgets," Quyen grumbled as she stubbornly pushed herself upright, her helmeted head wobbling unsteadily as she turned to Akira. "Did you have a portable shield with you?"

"That's right!" Jivan exclaimed as they bolted upright, but paused a moment later with a nauseous gag. "I...I thought I saw something like that."

"That was...something Izzy was testing out," Akira lied, trying to avoid eye contact with Elodie's watchful gaze. "I offered to help."

While her bluff seemed to convince Jivan, who quickly returned to the ground in a fetal position, Quyen continued to stare at Akira suspiciously.

"What were the locals wearing, Navin?" Akira quickly asked.

"Collars," he muttered. "On their necks."

"They were?" Jivan said, still sounding queasy.

"I'll ask Danya if she can find out what it is," Akira said before opening the close-range comms line. "Aegis Zero, come in."

After a few seconds, there was nothing but silence.

"Aegis Zero, come in," Akira repeated, struggling to hide her nerves.

Again, no reply came.

"Aegis—"

"Calm down, I'm right here!" Danya's voice yelled from behind her.

Akira spun around, but nothing could prepare her for the sight she saw. As Danya emerged from the town, she was followed by at least two hundred confused civilians. And none of them were wearing breathing apparatuses of any kind, Danya included.

"Way to ruin the surprise," Danya grumbled when she neared, exaggerating a pout.

"Sorry," Akira said. "What happened? What about your helmet?"

Danya shrugged. "As I led the town on a fast-paced nature tour, I saw some weird tower that seemed to be releasing something into the air. And when I stopped it, the locals lost their urge to kill me. That, or they're just hiding it really well now; it's tough to say."