Chapter 102: Recruitment (2)
"What the hell did you do to this kid?"
"N-no. Uh. Well..."
The rebel soldier stared at the blonde girl quietly sipping her drink, feeling so wronged he could jump out of his skin. She'd been calm, so he'd fed her, given her water, let her sleep, and when she woke up, he'd tried to start questioning her in a light atmosphere. But suddenly, she crawled into the corner screaming her head off. No matter if the police chief or a psychologist came in, she showed no sign of calming down—until Yuri Min and David Min walked in, and just like that, her tears stopped as if nothing had happened. It was a situation that made them look like torturers to anyone watching.
"What happened? Explain it step by step, in chronological order."
"The kid woke up, so we were about to start the interrogation. Of course, a child counselor was present. Just in case it stressed her out. But the moment the name John Friedman came up, she started convulsing."
"You accidentally triggered her trauma."
"Seems like it. But who would've thought her seizure would activate her ability and cause widespread radio interference..."
A seizure the instant she heard John Friedman. As Cheol-woo eyed the girl suspiciously, the radio crackled.
He quickly stepped out of the interrogation room to respond.
"SteelRain here. Loud and clear. What's up?"
"What do you mean?"
"...Copy that."
Suspicion turned to certainty in that instant. He'd suspected the precise radar guiding Federal missiles might be an ability user. But to think it was this little girl. What the hell? Did her brain grow organs to emit and receive electromagnetic waves? He couldn't even guess. But one thing was clear: John Friedman had stuffed this girl into a radar signal amplifier and used her like a real radar.
...No wonder she had trauma.
Cheol-woo switched off the radio and returned to the interrogation room.
"The kid's been much more stable since you two arrived. Could you cooperate with the questioning?"
"Sure, why not."
The soldier left just in case, leaving Cheol-woo, Yuri, and the child counselor in the room. The girl refused to get up from Yuri's lap. They'd proceed like this for now.
"Nice to meet you. I'm David Min, and the person you're sitting on is Yuri Min. What's your name?"
"Yulia..."
"Yulia?"
"Yulia Stadtfield..."
"Do you remember me?"
"Yeah. You're the one who blew John Friedman's head off."
"..."
Good. Her memory was intact. No amnesia from PTSD or anything.
Questions continued, digging deeper bit by bit. Born in a rural North Dakota village. Both parents mutated into addicts and were killed soon after. Then rescued by John Friedman, started cooperating with the Federal Army using her ability. They approached cautiously like this until questions about specific missions, and thankfully, no seizure this time.
The answers matched what Cheol-woo expected. Yulia's ability: emitting electromagnetic waves and receiving the reflections. Not just that—she modulated specific signals as carrier waves and demodulated received echoes, all processed in her head. Her brain acted as both radar and computer.
Was this even possible? That doubt was pointless now. Cheol-woo and Yuri had personally experienced real-time human tracking and missile guidance through what was essentially an empty shell amplifying signals.
"Okay. We'll pause the questioning for a break."
"Yuri... David... Don't go...?"
"..."
As they pushed back their chairs to stand, Yulia grabbed their sleeves. The blonde girl looked up with wistful eyes that tugged at the heartstrings. After Yuri soothed her with effort, they finally moved to the next room.
"So she's... a walking high-performance radar?"
"A ridiculously high-resolution one at that. No radar out there can make out human shapes like she can."
Cheol-woo and Yuri's faces grew serious. Until now, they'd only seen ability users with brute strength, speed, or toughness. Now a human radar pops up. And she could jam radios over a wide area like earlier—her potential uses were endless.
"But why's she clinging to us specifically?"
"Who knows. Maybe because I'm the guy who killed her abuser, John Friedman. Or maybe she instinctively senses strong ability users and feels safe around them."
"Probably a mix..."
"Which brings me to this: what do you think about us adopting her?"
"What!? Adopting?"
"...Shh."
Yuri blurted it out loud without thinking. Her face flushed beet red. Adoption? What did that mean? Weren't they just a paper couple?
Yuri kept her eyes down, avoiding Cheol-woo's gaze.
"Wh-why adoption all of a sudden...?"
"She's no ordinary ability user. The U.S. government doesn't know about her yet. If we gag the counselor and adopt her, we can legally take her to Australia."
"Ah. Yeah. Right. Got it. We fake-adopt to bring her to Australia..."
Finally getting it, Yuri's face turned even redder, like a ripe tomato. Just like their fake marriage to enter Australia, fake-adopt the kid to bring her over? Perfect—full understanding. She nodded furiously, then froze mid-realization.
"Wait. Is she cargo to 'export'?"
"Not forcing her. We'd ask her consent first, of course. Decide based on if she agrees."
"Uh, um... Bringing her means settling in Australia for good, right?"
"Yeah."
Taking Yulia to Australia meant them staying in Australia or transferring to the U.S.—that was the subtext. It wasn't a snap decision. No U.S. offer yet. They could hear it out, gauge Australia's response, then decide.
"Let's head back to LA with her for now. We've had our fun."
"Sounds good. Let's go home."
One night and two days in Vegas was plenty. The return to LA was set.
From leaving the station, Yulia gripped Yuri's hand tight, refusing to let go. Even when the military Humvee arrived and the door opened, she shook her head no. Only when Yuri got in first and reached out did she cautiously climb aboard.
What, when did she get so attached? Cheol-woo chuckled in amazement.
'Sky's clearing up a bit, huh.'
LA and the northern skies were much clearer. The first day, black dust poured from the rifts like a storm of shit, blanketing everything. Now it had settled. Soon, civilians could go out without gas masks, and planes could fly.
"Whew. This shit stench and burning bodies. Finally feels like we're back at LA Base."
Like waking from a dream in fantasy land to harsh reality. As Cheol-woo stepped out, the expeditionary force commander approached with a friendly smile. Yulia flinched, hiding behind Cheol-woo and Yuri.
"Welcome back. The kid behind you—she the one you mentioned?"
"Yes."
"We'll need a basic physical. Base policy: everyone entering gets X-rayed and mentally screened."
"No problem. She's skittish, but fine with my wife around."
"Then we'll have your wife accompany her. Oh, heard about the White House?"
"What news?"
"You were traveling, so you missed it. Navy SEALs pulled it off. Last night, they infiltrated the White House, rescued the president, and exfiltrated via sub. He's not infected with parasites."
"...!?"
Big news out of nowhere.