As the squad passes the border gates and enter the Extrasem Kingdom, they spot multiple sprawling brick houses and buildings, spires of tall metal reinforced watchtowers manned by figures uniformed in white cloaks.
They observe and protect the citizens of the many cities of Extrasem. The squad has entered the border-city "Farise", right next to Exyllum. "Wait, Klein, where are we gonna stay during the search? And also where are you gonna keep this big thing????"
"Of course our Lieutenant Sharma has taken care of that. Overwatch has some private property across all the nations just in case of needed visits like these." Klein replied.
They drive across the streets of Extrasem, with many civilians staring and looking by like they have never seen such a piece of technology before.
"Speaking of which, why were the Royal Guard also coming here with us?" Gabi inquired.
"They're supervising and perhaps they are here to deliver a message to the government of this nation." Klein replied, as a small Sky Cruiser flies off in the distance. "I assume they are also here with the same goal as us, though the difference is that we are pretending to be regular civilians."
They arrive at their stay and set up their gear. Klein stations the vehicle inside a tunnel under the property, while the other members change into covert civilian clothing. The safe house was discreet, blending in with the surrounding brick buildings of Farise, its entrance hidden from casual view.
"Listen chaps," Klein stated, his voice low and serious, gathering the squad in the main room. "The goal is to try to find trails and clues left behind by the attackers at the Capital. Don't expect to find the suspects here since they are probably already hidden deep inside the country.
In case we do find them, we do not fight them. We are just here to figure out more information." He stared directly at Gabi, his gaze pointed. "Got it?"
Gabi met his eyes and nodded. "Got it, sir." Kurt and Aiko also affirmed their understanding.
"Good," Klein said, his eyes on Gabi for another moment before looking over the others. "One of those white-cloaked figures you saw on those watchtowers will be coming here soon to give us the intel they have, and we will go from there."
"If we ever find their place," Kurt added, his tone serious, "we should probably gather up with the local police force here and the Royal Guard before launching an assault. No going in blind."
The air in the safe house was different from Overwatch HQ. Less strict, perhaps, but filled with the tension of being in unfamiliar territory.
Gabi felt Klein's warning, the unspoken understanding that his personal vendetta against the Crimson Wolf was a liability Klein wouldn't tolerate jeopardizing the mission. He also felt the strange mix of relief and unease at Klein's suggestion about an unknown deity. It was a possibility...
They spent the next hour preparing, sorting through their gear, and waiting. The silence was broken only by the rustle of fabric as they changed and the low hum of the hidden automobile beneath them.
Knock, knock, knock. A rapid, almost impatient series of knocks echoed through the safe house.
Klein moved towards the door, hand near his weapon. Kurt and Gabi positioned themselves, ready.
Instead of the white-cloaked figure they expected, a woman in a crisp white suit, draped with a
white coat adorned with golden chains and medals, practically burst through the door as Klein opened it. She wore a Service Cap, marking her as high-ranking law enforcement. She looked like she had just arrived, perhaps even just woken up, despite the formal attire.
"Morning chaps~" she chirped, her tone surprisingly light for someone of her apparent rank. "I hear you're Detective Klein. Here's the stuff you will need." She thrust a thick file into Klein's hands.
"Don't be scared to drop by at our station if you need manpower, just tell the people there that Starnit sent you." Without another word, she turned and quickly left, disappearing down the street as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
The squad stared after her, bewildered.
"Starnit?" Gabi asked, curious about the unusual name and the woman's demeanor.
"She's the Regiment Commander of the law enforcement in this region," Klein replied, flipping through the file, a flicker of surprise on his face.
"Woah!" The team exchanged shocked and amazed expressions. A Regiment Commander delivering intel personally, and with such casualness? Extrasem was proving to be very different from Exyllum.
"Anyways!" Klein refocused, tapping the file. "It says here, about thirty miles from here, in Firmamente City, there's a suspicious warehouse.
No one knows what goes in and out, but it suspiciously has a lot of income. So, we will go check it out. There are also some other places here that we can survey, but we will get to them later.
"
He looked up at the squad. "Our higher-ups got us law enforcement level privileges here, so we can conduct our duties, but make sure to not overstep the local law enforcement. We are only here due to special jurisdictional circumstances. Extrasem is a good ally of ours."
"Hmph. That red man in the border seemed pretty rude," Aiko remarked, finally breaking her own silence since arriving in Extrasem , a hint of frustration in her voice.
Klein laughed after hearing the statement. "Well, don't be too mad, they're just doing their job as the nation's strike force."
"Strike force?" Gabi echoed, intrigued.
"Yeah," Kurt chimed in. "They're basically elites, just like the Royal Guard back home. Top tier."
"I see." Gabi nodded, the pieces of Extrasem's power structure slowly starting to form in his mind. White cloaks on the towers, red uniforms at the border, and a Regiment Commander named Starnit who acted like she was delivering groceries.
...
The squad departed from the safe house shortly after, piled back into the automobile. Klein drove this time, navigating the streets of Farise and then onto the road leading inland towards Firmamente City.
Gabi and Aiko watched the world go by, their initial tension easing slightly as they became absorbed in the sights.
The difference in architecture was apparent, the sprawling brick houses and buildings of Extrasem felt more grounded, less imposing than Exyllum's often ragged and tall stone structures.
The tall watchtowers manned by the white-cloaked figures were a constant presence, silent sentinels observing the populace. For a moment, they were just two young people in a strange new land, almost like tourists with no worries on their minds. For a moment, they enjoyed their job.
"What's that!?" A lively Gabi asked, pointing out the window.
"That's their clock tower," Officer Kurt replied, following his gaze.
Gabi stared at the massive structure rising from the city skyline. "Huh? A clock tower? Why? That's so unnecessarily big, why can't they just use watches?!"
Kurt shrugged, a small smile on his face. "Dunno, style? They just like building things, I guess."
The drive continued, the landscape changing as they approached Firmamente City. The air grew slightly different, perhaps carrying the scent of industry or a larger population. Finally, Klein pulled the automobile to a stop on a side street.
Before them stood a large warehouse with imposing brick walls, reinforced with metal rebar. It looked nondescript, blending into the industrial surroundings, but according to the intel, it was a hub of suspicious, highly profitable activity.
Detective Klein got out, followed by Kurt, Gabi, and Aiko. They were dressed in their civilian clothes, attempting to be discreet, though the Overwatch vehicle parked nearby wasn't exactly subtle.
Klein approached the large metal door of the warehouse. He didn't bother with subtlety. "Gentlemen! Anyone there? Overwatch! We have a search warrant!" He spoke into the door with a loud, authoritative voice that echoed in the quiet street.
Silence. No response came from within.
"It seems they are not going to open up," Klein said, turning back to the squad, his expression hardening. He looked at Aiko. "Aiko?"
"Yes, on it," Aiko replied, stepping forward. She approached the heavy metal door, placing her hands against its cold surface. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating.
The air around her hands began to shimmer, and a faint, almost inaudible fizzing sound emanated from the metal where she was touching it.
Shhhk.
With a final, soft sound like sand pouring, the heavy metal door dissolved at the molecular level, turning into a pile of fine grey dust at their feet. The entrance was clear.
"Alright," Klein said, drawing his weapon. "Kurt, Astrea, Aiko. Fan out. Search the building. Remember the objective: intel. No escelation unless absolutely necessary."
They moved into the warehouse, weapons ready. The interior was dimly lit, filled with crates and shrouded equipment. The air was stale, smelling of dust and something metallic. They moved cautiously, clearing the main floor, finding nothing but empty storage space.
"Nothing up here," Kurt reported, his voice low.
"Check for basements, hidden rooms," Klein ordered.
They searched, knocking on walls, checking floors. Gabi, his senses heightened, noticed a slight draft coming from a section of the floor near the back. He knelt down, examining the concrete. There was a faint line, almost invisible, where the concrete seemed to be cut.
"Down here," Gabi said, pointing.
Klein and Kurt joined him. It was a trapdoor, cleverly concealed. They worked together to lift it, revealing a dark stairwell leading down into the earth.
"Basement," Klein confirmed. "Careful. Could be occupied."
They descended the stairs, weapons leading the way. The air grew colder, heavier. At the bottom, they found a single room. It was small, lit by a single flickering gas lamp.
Crates were stacked along one wall, and in the center, seated at a makeshift table, was a man. He was dressed in simple clothes and was engrossed in reading a letter. He didn't seem to have heard them enter.
"Sir-" As Klein took a step forward, the man looked up, startled. His eyes widened in alarm. Before anyone could react, he snatched a rifle from beside the table and fired.
BANG!
Klein reacted instantly, dodging to the side, but the bullet still grazed his arm, tearing through his coat and drawing blood.
The sound of the shot echoed in the small room. The man was already bringing the rifle up for another shot.
But Gabi was faster. Driven by instinct, by the memory of his own family's fate at the hands of masked attackers, by the sight of his mentor being shot, he raised his own sidearm and fired without hesitation.
BANG!
The shot was clean. The man's head snapped back, and he crumpled to the floor, the letter falling from his grasp.
Silence descended, broken only by Klein's sharp intake of breath and the dripping sound of blood onto the concrete floor.
"Klein!" Kurt rushed to his side, assessing the wound. "It's just a graze. Lucky."
Klein nodded, pressing a hand to his arm. His gaze was fixed on the fallen man. "Damn it. We needed him alive."
Gabi stood frozen, his sidearm still raised, the smell o
f gunpowder thick in the air. He had reacted purely on instinct, on the surge of protective fury.
He lowered his weapon slowly, his gaze falling on the dead man's face. His eyes, the eyes that had widened in sudden terror, were now vacant.
Gabi knelt down, ignoring the blood, his gaze focusing on the man's face, on the subtle expressions frozen in death, on the minute details around his eyes. He reached out, carefully picking up the letter that had fallen.
It was written in a code he didn't recognize, but as he looked at the man's face again, combining his analytical mind with the strange, intuitive perception that sometimes flared within him, he saw something else.
Not just the fear of death, but the fear of discovery. Fear of something being found. His gaze dropped to the floor near where the man had been sitting.
Another line. Fainter than the trapdoor above, almost invisible against the concrete.
"There's something else," Gabi said, his voice quiet. "Under here."
They examined the spot Gabi indicated. It was another trapdoor, this one even more expertly hidden. Lifting it revealed not another room, but a dark, gaping hole leading down into the earth, the distinct, foul odor of sewage rising from it.
"A tunnel?" Kurt questioned, peering into the darkness.
Gabi looked down the hole, then back at the dead man, then at the masks scattered in the room. He understood. The income wasn't from a legitimate business. This wasn't just a warehouse. It was a front.
"They're connected," Gabi stated, his voice grim. "This... this leads somewhere. Probably the sewer system." He looked at Klein and Kurt. "They're using the underground. A criminal network."
Klein, his arm bandaged by Kurt, looked down the dark tunnel, then back at Gabi, a heavy sigh escaping him. "Well. So much for not engaging." He glanced at the dead man.
"Guess our intel just ran out. If we want to find out more about the Crimson Wolf's movements, we'll have to follow this lead."
He looked at the dark opening, then back at the squad. "Alright. New plan. We're going underground. We need to see where this leads. But we go slow. We blend in.
We're not in Exyllum anymore. We're deep in foreign territory, in a place the local law enforcement probably doesn't even know exists."
He looked at Gabi, then at Aiko and Kurt. "From here on out, we're ghosts. We observe, we gather intel. We don't make waves. We find out who's down there, and what they know about the Crimson Wolf."
He gestured towards the dark tunnel. "Looks like our investigation just took a turn... into the sewers."
The air from the tunnel was thick with the smell of waste and damp earth. It was a stark contrast to the clean streets of Farise above.
The hunt for the Crimson Wolf had just led them into the hidden, underbelly of Firmamente City, into a world they would have to navigate unseen if they wanted to survive and find the answers they sought.