[Bang bang!]
M4 SOPMOD II: Dammit! We’ve been separated by their firepower!
Mk46, is your squad okay?
Mk46: I can hold out over here, but the enemy’s headed your way!
M4 SOPMOD II: We’ll think of something! We’ll split up for now, don’t let them surround you!
Mk46: But… we can’t just abandon you!
M4 SOPMOD II: We’re elite dolls, and two people are harder for them to catch! You’re in more danger!
Mk46: ...Alright, if you say so!
We’ll be waiting for you at the destination coordinates! Stay alive, you hear!
[......]
M4 SOPMOD II: And that leaves us… at least they should be safe....
RO! RO, are you listening? The enemy is at the gate, hurry up and close the gate! What are you waiting for!?
RO635: I’m looking for the access path to this gate!
M4 SOPMOD II: Weren’t you all confident just now!?
RO635: I didn’t think the logic of their authorization base layer was written so messily! Give me a moment!
Gate 1 and Gate 4… no, there’s a conflict… then 1 and 5...
M4 SOPMOD II: I can wait, but the enemy won’t! Hurry, RO! I can’t hold them off for long!
RO635: 2 and 3? No, that won’t work, but if it was 7 and...
???: The G-series gates need to be given activation orders through paths 7 and 14. At the same time, you need to send a spoofing signal to make the system think you’re manually operating it.
RO635: Who? Who just said that?
M4 SOPMOD II: Is it that source again!?
RO635: The source?
Where are you nowー
???: Do as I say.
Also, don’t send signals down two paths at the same time. The system will misinterpret it as a command to control water flow.
M4 SOPMOD II: Just do as he says! We can’t hold out much longer!
RO635: Then...!
[Thoom!]
The safety gate swiftly falls, and after the weighty sound rings out, the enemy is trapped outside the gate and everything is silent.]
M4 SOPMOD II: He was right...
RO635: ...That’s an information vendor for you...
Could you please show yourself now, Source-san?
???: Source-san, I don’t quite like the sound of that.
If we’re going to be communicating in a peaceful manner after this, then you can call me “K”.
RO635: K?
K: Yes, K.
RO635: In that case, K-san… may I ask you to show yourself now?
If you really are that well-informed, then you should know that we’ve been searching for you for a long time.
K: Just now, you chose to keep the enemy out by closing the gate.
RO635: Hah…? Now’s not the time to be talking about the gates now, is it?
K: That was a good choice. But from an information analysis angle, a good choice might also be a bad choice.
What determines that is how many angles you’ve studied and argued it from.
RO635: By which you mean...
K: You may have delayed the enemy for the time being, but don’t forget that they still control the gate control terminal.
RO635: !!!
K: We’ll talk again if you survive.
[Whumー]
RO635: What, what was that sound?
M4 SOPMOD II: Is it the enemy?
RO635: No… worse than that...
[The roaring of flowing water echoes from the distance.]
RO635: That might be… something that can only happen in the sewers...