Chapter Text
20:57 JST (17:57 WT), 17th of March, 1639 (17th of Marto, 1995)
Outside the Imperial Hotel, Hibiya-dori Avenue, Uchisaiwaichō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Isaac along with a squad of men from the JSDF watched as a convoy of three armoured vehicles rolled up towards the hotel, their engines rumbling quietly through the almost empty streets. Thanks to the evacuation orders, the entire vicinity around the anomaly was almost deserted save for a contingent of the Self-Defence Forces which had been tasked with monitoring the situation, as well as him and Harold.
And now, it seemed the VROEMG containment team had finally arrived.
Soon, the vehicles stopped some distance away and a group of black-armoured but light-on-their-feet personnel disembarked swiftly. They were led by a tall man in a grey suit who carried a device that seemed to pulse with a faint glow, although Isaac couldn't really recognise what it was.
A stiff man from the JSDF squad stepped forward as the VROEMG team neared them and Isaac followed suit. "Welcome, I am Second Lieutenant Hase. I will be your liaison for the duration of this operation." He said in Japanese.
Isaac relayed the introduction to the VROEMG team, watching as the tall man in the grey suit nodded in acknowledgement, pocketing his device as he did. The man, who seemed to be in his late sixties, with sharp features and piercing blue eyes, stepped forward and extended a hand to Lieutenant Hase.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," the man said in fluent Japanese, surprising Isaac slightly, and causing Hase to raise both eyebrows. "I am Agent Nathaniel Ward, in charge of this containment operation. Time is of the essence, so let's proceed quickly."
The Lieutenant shook Ward's hand. "Agent Ward, the situation has been stable so far, but the anomaly's nature remains unknown. We've cleared the area and set up a perimeter, but we're relying on your team's expertise to assess the threat."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Agent Ward replied evenly. "Would you be able to lend some of your men in guiding us around the park, I'm sure they will know more about how to navigate it than we do."
"Of course," he replied. "Nakamura, Takeda, Yamada." Lieutenant Hase barked. "You will accompany Agent Ward and his team, make sure they know their way around."
Three soldiers immediately stepped forward and saluted the Lieutenant before quickly moving to join the VROEMG team, nodding respectfully to Agent Ward. Isaac observed the exchange, noting how smoothly the collaboration was proceeding. It was a relief to see that despite the extraordinary circumstances, everyone was focused on the task at hand.
"Mr. Yamaji," Agent Ward said, switching back to his native language and turning his attention to Isaac. "I understand you're part of the VROEMG diplomatic team. Would you mind accompanying us? Your familiarity with the... Japanese might be invaluable if we need to coordinate further."
Isaac hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the hotel where Harold was still inside. Making a quick decision, he nodded. "Of course, Agent Ward. I’ll do whatever I can to assist."
"Good," Ward replied, his tone curt but not unkind. "Let’s move out."
With that, the group crossed the avenue towards Hibiya's main gate.
"Bletchley, Thompsen, Richards, secure the north side of the park with Takeda and install the Zeta Detector." Agent Ward ordered once they arrived at the entrance. Isaac took his cue to translate into Japanese.
Ward then seemed to contemplate something. "Actually, Isaac would you be able to accompany them? Your role as a translator would be invaluable."
Isaac nodded. "Of course."
Isaac joined the small group in heading to the north side of the park while the other led by Agent Ward headed east towards the anomaly which loomed in the distance as a foreboding presence that Isaac tried to ignore.
"I think this spot will do," a blond-haired man Isaac presumed to be Bletchley stated, setting down a heavy case he had been carrying. Isaac translated in kind.
Takeda only nodded in response.
Bletchley opened the case as Isaac watched and the other three men stood guard, revealing a smooth grey box with several buttons, levers, knobs, and sliders, as if it was ripped from some DJ console. It was the Zeta Detector; a device used by VROEMG to measure anomalous energy.
As Bletchley calibrated the device, Isaac couldn't stop himself from glancing ever so often to the south near the park's centre where the anomaly hung in the sky.
Thankfully, he was pulled away from the entity when the Detector hummed to life, emitting a low, continuous sound like a distant hum of a tuning fork.
"What does this thing do exactly?" Takeda asked in a clipped tone.
"It records anomalous energy in a specific area, I believe," Issac said. Takeda just nodded at that with a slight frown.
"Energy levels are fluctuating," Bletchley then mumbled, mostly to himself it seemed, but that did not stop the pit of dread that grew at the bottom of Isaac’s stomach.
He looked away from the anomaly, and instead focused on a random part of the surroundings to distract himself, a small pond in the distance for example.