Civil War (7)
The Secret Intelligence Agency was a completely independent organization. Only the Australian Prime Minister held direct command authority over it, and no other investigative body could arbitrarily launch an investigation into the agency. They decided to exploit this unique closed-off nature of the Secret Intelligence Agency. The so-called "go all in" operation.
Whether a shooting report reached the police or the headquarters building triggered its lockdown protocol—what did it matter? Without evidence or witnesses, the police were powerless, unable to lift a finger.
"If there were a ranking for the mass murderer who killed the most people in the shortest time without weapons of mass destruction, you'd probably take first place by a landslide."
"Don't say things that could be misunderstood. I didn't kill a single person."
After the police had all withdrawn, Cheol-woo opened the entrance to the underground bunker and let out a sigh. It was designed to hold up to five hundred people, right? Now, inside, over four hundred corpses were piled up in heaps, scattered everywhere. Blood mixed with green mucus, creating a foul stench. It was a sight so suffocating that even looking at it again made his breath catch. Cheol-woo turned away and slammed the entrance shut with a thud.
How the hell are they going to clean that up? But that wasn't his problem. Someone else would handle it eventually. Sure, the rotting corpses and rising stench would give it away soon enough, but that didn't matter either. The families of the dead office workers would file missing persons reports first, and the police would report suspicious circumstances to parliament, leading to an inspection team. Even at the fastest, that would take a week.
So, realistically, they had a maximum of one week.
"Alright, everyone. Good work. How about a round of applause?"
"..."
Gathering all the 'human' Secret Intelligence Agency staff on the first floor, Jason clapped to liven up the mood. Maybe it was because they'd spent the last two hours watching colleagues die beside them, black alien creatures bursting from their skulls, and then cleaning up the bodies and bloodstains one by one. The staff clapped weakly, their eyes vacant and lifeless.
They'd managed to clear that many bodies and erase the traces in just two hours thanks to David Min's exceptional lethality, but also because the staff had pulled together with one mind, working frantically.
"As of today, the Secret Intelligence Agency enters emergency protocol. Of course, none of you can go home. I understand your families must be worrying you. You're probably concerned if your loved ones have been infected by parasites or are at risk. I feel the same. But I'm strictly forbidding even messages telling them to be careful. You can say only that the Secret Intelligence Agency has entered emergency protocol and you can't go home for the time being—no other information leaks."
These were pure humans they'd finally secured. At least, everyone gathered here could be trusted. Only around two hundred, but for one day, it was a solid number. Enough manpower to attempt the "normalization operation."
...Or so it seemed at first glance.
"Each agent will be issued a compact X-ray camera disguised as a regular one. The purpose is simple: photograph the target's head and check if there's foreign matter instead of a brain inside. If it's human, tell them the truth and recruit them. If not, assassinate and collect the body."
"W-we have to do it?"
"..."
The staff stared back in stunned disbelief. There were some trained among them, but most were desk jockeys. Could they really hunt down black agents, assassinate them, and return?
A headache throbbed.
"Dismissed for now. Stand by for the next orders."
Sending the staff back to their desks, Jason returned to his director's office and chain-smoked. Securing over two hundred allies was great. But what next? Two hundred people who only knew how to shuffle papers in an office—what operation could he run with them? The capable black agents were scattered across Australia on missions. Recalling them would take more than a week, way more. He'd have to track them down one by one, recruit or eliminate them personally, but he lacked the combat personnel for that.
"Good work on your end too."
"..."
The door creaked open, and Jason stood to greet David Min as soon as he saw his face.
"Today's been so spectacular I forgot to thank you. Appreciate it. We reclaimed headquarters thanks to you. I'll handle things from here, so feel free to head out."
"Didn't you say the inspection team arrives in a week and it's game over? You good without me?"
"With or without you, it's the same. There are over a hundred Secret Intelligence Agency black agents active across Australia. You can't tour the whole country alone, tracking down and handling each one. At this point, there's nothing an individual can do."
He now knew David Min was superhuman. But physically sweeping all the black agents scattered nationwide in a week was impossible. No matter how strong one person was, they couldn't defy the limits of time and space.
"You've achieved the short-term goal but have no mid-to-long-term plan."
"Spot on. Taking headquarters seemed impossible, but now that we have it, the next step is the real problem. Ha..."
"Why are you hanging out in the director's office? Where's the deputy director's?"
"The deputy director's office is bugged by the Security Intelligence Agency."
"..."
This place was a total mess. Bugged by another intelligence agency?
Cheol-woo sighed and shook his head. Then, a brilliant idea struck him.
"The ones bugging the deputy director's office—are they the Security Intelligence Agency agents who came to Darwin harbor back then?"
"Yes. Probably."
"Those agents weren't parasites. All about a dozen of them."
"So?"
"..."
Cheol-woo fell silent, and Jason's eyes widened as he read between the lines. Ah? Wait a minute.
"The Security Intelligence Agency has been deprioritized in the parasites' takeover. That's how we can see it. So, they must have plenty of uninfected combat personnel left."
"If that's accurate, yes."
"Let's outsource the surgery."
"..."
Jason's expression hardened for a moment, then relaxed. Outsourcing the surgery. Why hadn't he thought of that? He'd overlooked it due to psychological resistance to begging the Security Intelligence Agency, but wasn't this the best—no, the only—option? The more he thought about it, the better it sounded.
....
"Am I hearing this right?"
"Turn up the volume."
In Canberra, Australia, at the Security Intelligence Agency headquarters listening room. The agents monitoring with headphones doubted their ears.
[I'm heading to Security Intelligence Agency headquarters now with one escort. Disable the entry scans and let us in quietly. I don't want to leave traces of collusion with you guys.]
The voice was crystal clear. Soon, the Security Intelligence Agency director arrived in the listening room.
"So this is the Secret Intelligence Agency deputy director's voice?"
"Yes. What should we do?"
"Turn off the front gate screening system. When he arrives, bring him up here quietly."
"Understood."
"Destroy the tape now. Only the three of us heard this, right?"
"Yes, Director."
The Secret Intelligence Agency deputy director coming here? Suddenly? Why?
The Security Intelligence Agency director felt his head heat up. He'd heard about the commotion at Secret Intelligence Agency headquarters today—lockdown protocol triggering a police SWAT response. Was it related? Rumors of the deputy director attempting a coup against the director—could it be?
All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind. After waiting fifteen minutes in a large conference room, a masked white-haired middle-aged man and an East Asian entered. Removing the mask revealed a familiar face. The director let out a hollow laugh.
"What's this? Did you screw up or something? Why's the Secret Intelligence Agency deputy director sneaking in here?"
"Take off your sunglasses for a sec and show me your eyes."
"My eyes? Why?"
"You're human. Good, I can relax."
"...?"
What kind of conversation was this? The director was baffled.
Then, high-res photos spilled across the desk with a rustle—human corpses and skull X-rays. Before he could ask what they were, Jason launched into an explanation.
"Soundproof in here, right?"
"Yes. But this is..."
"Parasites. Probably alien parasites."
Parasites landing in northern Australia. Intelligence rivaling or surpassing humans. Secret Intelligence Agency black agents already overtaken. It sounded utterly absurd, but the realistic photos backed it up—no room for denial.
"S-so what do you want me to do?"
"Perform surgery on the Secret Intelligence Agency."
"Surgery?"
"The Secret Intelligence Agency is so infiltrated by parasites that self-cleanup is impossible. I'll hand over all intel on our black agents, so eliminate them on your end."
"..."
A thick stack of documents slid in front of the director. Detailed classified files on Secret Intelligence Agency black agents' cover identities and current operations—not one or two, but over a hundred. The director gasped.