Zero Sum Game (30 page)

Hina wondered if that was Voice's way of apologizing. He continued. "I believe the human saying is 'missing the forest for the trees.' In this case, I was too focused on the forest. I am a battle suit, you are my only friend. I should endeavor to think of your friends as mine. If you care about something, I should too."

Hina smiled. "I guess we both focused too much on one thing. What do you say? Should we go kick some Noigel butt?"

"That is well within my mission parameters."

Hina laughed. She had to admit, the uniform felt good on her. She grabbed her pink bow and put her hair in a ponytail. She walked back to the living room. Ozaki smiled when he saw her. She picked up his cup and went to the kitchen. She refilled it with fresh coffee and grabbed a sugar stick and creamer cup. She returned to the living room and sat in her previous spot. She slid the coffee and sweeteners to her teacher.

"Welcome back," he said.

She smiled in return. Excitement rose within her as she anticipated trying to figure out Shimizu's plan. "Voice says he's trying to figure out Shimizu's next move. He thinks that since they tested the catoms in the mountains, they are probably close to starting their final plan."

Ozaki poured his cream as Hina continued. "We know they are interested in a submarine."

Her teacher opened his mouth but said nothing, closed it, opened it again. He looked in her eyes, then at her uniform. He said, "I have some questions for Voice. But I can't hear him unless I'm…" His face turned a little bit red. "I'm touching…I mean your uniform." Hina stifled a laugh but couldn't hide her smile. Ozaki cleared his throat. "Is there a way…?"

"Hina," Voice said, "please relay everything I say back to Ozaki-sensei. And please try to do it verbatim. A summary will hardly convey—"

"I got it," Hina replied. She told Ozaki what Voice said.

He relaxed. "Good. Between the three of us we can solve this. Voice, what does Shimizu need to deliver the catoms? How do they work?"

"The process is complex and require a great deal of knowledge of nano technology and planetary engineering that would take up an unsuitable amount of time to discuss here. While I am sure you could grasp—"

"Voice," Hina interrupted. She gave an apologetic smile to her teacher.

"Is he always like that?"

"Yes. Twenty-four seven."

Voice didn't respond to the jab. Hina guessed the battle suit would pout for several microseconds. He did, then resumed the discussion. "The catoms terraform the planet from the inside out. They will need to break through the Earth's crust, preferably at its thinnest spot, then they will travel through the magma tunnels and fissures that encircle the planet."

"Won't they melt in all that lava?"

"They will. But as they are self-replicating, they will make copies of themselves faster than they will expire."

Ozaki crossed his arms. "If they keep making copies of themselves, what happens when they finish changing Earth? Will they shut down automatically?"

"Yes."

Hina hoped they never reached that point. More immediate details pressed her. "Okay. But how is he going to get the catoms inside the Earth?"

"I believe the submarine holds the device that will deliver them," said Voice.

"Like a torpedo or bomb?" asked Ozaki.

"I don't know," Voice said. "Unlikely, however, as the submarine has no weapons. It's armament tubes have been redesigned to launch scientific sensors and equipment. I would theorize the device would have to be something small enough to be carried or snuck onboard."

Hina asked, "But where?" Her teacher stared at his cup. He had poured the stick of sugar in, and she followed his gaze as he stirred the beige liquid.

"Where the Earth's crust is at its thinnest," Voice said.

"Or there's a hole." Ozaki looked up from the tiny whirlpool in his cup.

"What?"

"I read an article about some scientists and engineers drilling a hole into the Earth's crust. They wanted rock samples or something. But I remember they said it was the deepest drilling ever. But they needed the least amount of rock to drill through. So, they figured out where the Earth's crust was thinnest."

"That will be the most logical place," Voice said.

Hina wanted to contribute something to the conversation. "So, Shimizu and Fujiya will have to force the submarine to go where these people are drilling. How are they going to do that?"

Ozaki shrugged. "If they are as strong as you are, taking over the submarine should be no problem."

"Hina, this a time to focus on the trees," Voice said. "That vessel leaves tomorrow night. Most likely, Shimizu, Fujiya, and the instrument of Earth's destruction will be on it."

It would come together soon, she realized. Her world would either live or die by the day after tomorrow.

CHAPTER 25

The next night found Hina once again sneaking into Hiroshima Port. She arrived an hour before the sub was scheduled to leave. She had been forced to lie to her father, telling him she was helping clean the weightlifting gym. She hid on the same roof Ichihara had used.

The
Kaiyou Infinity
was berthed, the port's lights shining off its hull. It resembled a whale coming up for air. Busy crew members in heavy maintenance coveralls scuttled over it doing last minute launch preparations. Hina noticed a second group of people, many dressed in polo shirts and jeans. They wore a card on a lanyard around their neck. A guard stood at the gangplank with an iPad. A card reader was attached to the tablet's port. Each person going onboard had their card swiped and name confirmed.

Hina heard the clang of machinery. On the dock, a smaller submarine, barely big enough for three people, was being attached to a crane. She turned her attention away from it and focused on a security card around a scientist's neck. "Voice, can you make one of those?"

"No," he said. "My shapeshifting capabilities are non-operational. Besides, even if I could mimic the card and their clothing, you would not be able to 'blend in,' as it were."

"Why not?"

"Do you expect to tell them you graduated university with a masters or Ph.D. when you were twelve?"

"Oh." She hadn't thought of that.
I guess it's back to sneaking onboard the way I did the first time
. But tonight there were many more people around than before. She didn't think she could get aboard undetected.

As she tried to think of a plan, Shimizu and Fujiya arrived. Shimizu carried an oversized metallic briefcase. Hina enhanced her sight and hearing to catch everything happening below. The pair glanced at the workers and scientists but didn't approach them. They turned away from the submarine and headed towards the main buildings. Hina panicked when they disappeared from sight.

"What now?" She needed to keep an eye on them, but she had to make sure she wasn't spotted. If she couldn't find the two aliens again or get onboard that submarine, her whole plan was doomed before it even began.

She was readying herself to leave the roof when she spotted Shimizu and Fujiya again, thanks to the large briefcase. They both wore clothes similar to the scientists, complete with security card lanyards. The guard at the gangplank swiped their cards, checked their IDs, and passed them through.

"Hina, the vessel will launch in half an hour. If we are going to get onboard, it must be now," Voice said.

"What are we going to do?"

"I have an idea."

A few minutes later, Hina crouched beside the smaller submarine. It rested on several blocks, almost a meter off the ground. A small hatch hung open from the bottom. The submersible, with
Infinity-001
printed on the side, was shaped like a thin rectangle, with a fin and two propellers attached to the back. A stubby conning tower stuck up from the front. The bottom front had three small oval shaped viewing portals. Underneath were a pair of manipulator arms folded across each other. Baskets for holding samples the vessel gathered were nestled under the arms.

She crawled under the mini sub and slipped in. The interior was only two meters around. Knobs, dials, gauges, and displays she didn't understand surrounded her. All the lights were off; she assumed the tiny craft had no power. Hina pushed herself all the way to the back and made herself as small as possible. There was nothing to hide under. If anybody peered through the hatch or the front viewing portals, they would find her.

Voice had the same thought. With his instructions, she had the hatch closed and sealed.

"What about the windows?" Hina asked.

"There is nothing we can do about them," Voice replied. "I'd suggest staying as still as possible."

It was quiet inside the submersible. Its thick walls muffled everything. A minute later she heard a man below the small craft. His voice sounded like it was being spoken through a pillow. She enhanced her hearing.

"Hey, did you already close this thing?" he yelled to someone Hina couldn't see.

A distant reply came back. "No. But if it's already done, forget about it and give me a hand."

It was quiet once again. Hina heard heavy fabric hit the sides, and moments later the submarine lurched and twisted into the air. She sure hoped Voice had been right about it being docked on the back of the larger submarine.

It was too late to change her mind. All she could do was wait.

— — —

Shimizu and Fujiya pushed their way through bustling crewmen and scientists, all members of the research sub DSV
Kaiyou Infinity
. In less than half an hour, the brand new submarine would head out into the deep ocean to study the earth's crust and mantle in hopes of predicting earthquakes. The sub was based on designs of the old Russian Typhoon-class, which were large and powerful enough to be submerged for six months. Shimizu knew about the DSV
Kaiyou Infinity
because he had been instrumental in getting many of its parts built by AHI. The prototype submarine was larger than its Russian cousin, and could operate uninterrupted for a year.

Their fake IDs had let them in. Now, with minutes before launch, they were being ignored as preparations continued.

That suited Shimizu.

They entered their assigned quarters and closed the door. He set the briefcase on the counter and ran his fingers over the edges of the lid. It held the future of his race. He wanted to double-check the catoms. From this point forward, nothing could be left to chance. He worked the combination lock, and the latches clicked open.

Inside were four arrow-shaped containers. They had long shafts with three tail fins. A tiny rocket engine capped the end of each shaft. The containers were the absolute state-of-the-art in modern self-guided rocket propelled grenades. The main body was segmented, and Shimizu could see the catoms inside the mini warheads. Holding 250 million catoms each, they glowed a neon purple, a swirling mass glittering like the centers of galaxies. The four harbingers of New Noigel lay nestled in their foam resting places.

He closed the suitcase and faced Fujiya. "For the Noigel," he said.

"For New Noigel."

CHAPTER 26

Hina heard the alarm and the captain announcing they were underway. Through the three viewports, she could only see the hull of the enormous submarine. She heard the distant roar of engines and felt the first shaking movements of the vessel leaving port.

She didn't know how long they cruised. Another alarm blared. It sounded different, more high-pitched. She screamed when water rushed over the tiny portals. Darkness enveloped her.

Hina had to act soon. She was scared. But it made her proud knowing it wasn't a paralyzing fear. It was almost excitement, like the feeling of standing in line waiting to ride a roller coaster. The fate of her planet would soon be determined. Often in anime and manga, the hero (or in her case, heroine) had a sidekick or friend helping out as the final battle approached. Hina didn't have that. It was only her. She corrected herself; she supposed she wasn't alone since there was Voice. But she still felt somewhat alone. The world rested on her shoulders. Now she felt strong enough to carry it. All she could do was her best.

"Voice," she said. "What if we stop this ship? Whatever Shimizu is going to use to change Earth, it's here, right?"

"If the submarine malfunctions, other vessels will come in a rescue attempt."

"It might give us some time to fight Shimizu."

"Or might force him to take action sooner. Our best course of action remains to stop him and Fujiya before they take over the submarine. According to the data I could gather about the drilling, even if this submarine were to go directly to the spot at its top speed, it will take several hours."

"Meaning what?"

"It is unlikely Shimizu will try to take over the submarine immediately. We still have time to stop him."

Voice was right. Another idea occurred to her. "What if we find the catoms device before we find Shimizu? Can't we destroy whatever it is? Shimizu needs it, right? Take care of that, and we take care of him."

Voice had a rebuttal for this as well. "We don't know the design of whatever device he is using. Attempting to tamper with it might well set it off. He most likely will have Noigel safeguards: programs and trapdoors I'm not aware of. He may have an alarm that will alert him if it is disturbed."

Good point
. She hadn't thought of that. "Plus, we don't know what it even looks like or where it is."

"I would suggest finding the briefcase he came aboard with. We have not seen him with it before. It might hold the catoms, or at the very least the device to control them."

"How do I get out of here?" The tiny space was making her claustrophobic.

"The same way as before, although you will have two hatches to deal with. Follow my instructions."

In little time, Hina had snuck off the smaller submarine and found herself back in the corridors of the DSV
Kaiyou Infinity
.

— — —

The bridge of the DSV
Kaiyou Infinity
was calm when Shimizu and Fujiya entered. They had changed from their scientist disguises back into their normal clothes. Shimizu liked the way his business suit felt, as well as the image it projected: wealth, control, and power. On Earth—in government, business, and everywhere else—the most powerful people wore suits.