An Awkward Spring in Rain Code
Embarrassment and shyness were arriving with the spring. The air was still chilly, but the morning sunlight wrapping around the barrier felt warm. Yet the frictions and protests erupting in Rain Code showed no signs of letting up.
The Grand Marshal, having received the report from the Intelligence Analysis Department, immediately ordered reinforcements dispatched directly from Lumen Guard under the pretext of normalization and stabilization. Jack had half-expected it and promptly assigned additional personnel in consultation with all members of the combat response unit, the Intelligence Analysis Department, and the Science and Technology Department. This silenced Annet's long-standing complaint that proxies were overly concentrated in central Lumen Guard yet operating inefficiently.
In truth, with his personal guard and his own overwhelming power, Mikhail didn't bat an eye even as combat troops and full forces mobilized right in front of him. He simply remarked to Annet, with a disarmingly affable face laced with sarcasm, "When threats are staring us in the face, it's only natural for those in safe Lumen Guard to step up."
Annet merely nodded stiffly, her expression rigid. She could stomach that much. What truly irked her was Jack—whom she'd once considered a comrade—seeming to dismiss her views by deploying even more proxies from Valhalla Disk to Lumen Guard. At the bi-monthly meeting, she didn't spare Jack a glance, merely furrowing her brow at General Hassel's exuberant chatter about troop reinforcements.
A few days later, personnel from Lumen Guard's combat response unit, Intelligence Analysis Department, and Science and Technology Department arrived in Rain Code. The moment Tiny Bell stepped off at the Rain Code barrier, she shaded her face against the glaring sunlight. This dry region was warmer than expected, even for spring. The sand-laden wind was annoying, but at least it wasn't cold—she counted that as a blessing.
For the first time in ages, Tiny Bell slung her sniper rifle over her back, joined by Adolf, Kelun, and Lucia. Even Kyle Walker from the Intelligence Analysis Department was with them. The group felt like a herd to her, stirring a touch of awkwardness.
On the way to Director Innocent Remar's office for a brief confirmation and report on the support mission, Lucia clung tightly to Tiny Bell's arm, keeping her distance from Kyle Walker. 'Heavy.' Tiny Bell grumbled inwardly. With Lucia taller than her and pressed so close, the girl's shoulder kept nudging Tiny Bell's cheek. Normally, she'd snap—but Lucia had been thrilled to join the mission until she learned the destination was Rain Code, at which point her energy plummeted. Scolding her now felt like it might make her burst into tears, so Tiny Bell held back. 'She's from Rain Code, right? Probably.'
Tiny Bell recalled Lucia's personnel file from training, even as her cheek got squished. That memory also reminded her that Kelun, chattering animatedly with Adolf behind them about first impressions of Rain Code, hailed from Nantigar. She glanced back.
"Captain, the management bureau has a unique vibe—probably because of the diverse ethnic groups."
"Yeah. The staff there stick to their own cliques, and I've never seen so many black-haired people before."
Adolf sounded delighted. Tiny Bell turned away again. Maybe later, if there's a chance, I can talk to Kelun about Nantigar.
"Ha—"
Kyle Walker, walking beside Lucia, let out a bone-deep sigh, his face etched with exhaustion. 'Deputy Director Phenex, I have no idea why he sent even me. With this bunch of misfits... exhausting.' His pale skin and heavy dark circles only deepened the impression.
Lucia, sensing the extremes in mood, clung even tighter to Tiny Bell, her spirits visibly dampened and quieter than ever because of Walker.
"Beloche, go to my other side."
As Lucia's weight threatened to crane Tiny Bell's neck, she finally spoke up. Lucia peeled away hastily, spotted Kyle's gaze, and scurried to Tiny Bell's opposite side to plaster herself there again.
"Captain, sorry..."
Her voice was wilted. Tiny Bell replied flatly, "What's there to be sorry about? Don't sweat it."
She shot Kyle a glare. His constant sighing, obvious annoyance, and dismissive eyes were grating.
"Something on your mind, Captain?"
"Shouldn't it be you with something to say, Walker Captain?"
He looked barely older, and with that attitude, Tiny Bell dropped all formalities.
Kyle's eyebrow twitched faintly before he smirked. "Nothing to say. Even with the famous Red Eye and a titled proxy, having two rookies without titles isn't a big deal, right?"
Tiny Bell felt Lucia cling again and shot Kyle another glare. 'What a prick. No need to deal with him after this mission anyway.'
It was her first time on a joint op with Intelligence Analysis. Usually, intel came first, then strategy, then combat. But with Lucia and this shady Kyle in tow, it felt like no easy task.
"Sure, no big deal."
Adolf chimed in from behind. Kyle shot back swiftly, "Exactly, Lieutenant Mandel. Your combat prowess is decent enough. Even if Shtafenberk goes berserk, you'd survive."
Adolf smiled, but irritation flickered in his eyes. He glanced at Tiny Bell, then subtly stepped back into escort position.
"This is protection duty. You get that, right?"
"Intelligence Analysis always grasps events precisely."
"Impressive."
Adolf grinned again; Kyle eyed him sidelong and smirked back. It felt like unspoken curses flying. Tiny Bell warned them, "Both of you, cut it out. We're almost at Director Remar's office. We'll set positions there and move out."
Kyle pressed, "Sounds perfect, Captain. Traveling with you all anyway wouldn't help each other."
The words stung Tiny Bell like rejection—powerlessness. Fresh from that hollow feeling, it pricked like thorns. And Lucia stuck to her side, that broken truck Adolf, Kelun... denying them all felt like her fault, unbearable for some reason.
Tiny Bell halted abruptly, pointing at Kyle. "Watch your mouth. Unless you want to eat dirt."
Her glare screamed she'd charge. Kyle's face barely changed, but his eyes gleamed murderously back. Lucia's jaw dropped; Adolf and Kelun exchanged panicked looks.
"Walker Captain, what does Intelligence Analysis mainly handle?"
Kelun stepped forward, drawing Kyle's gaze. 'Bunch of clowns. Why are these proxies so chummy?' Kyle saw through Kelun's attempt to defuse but played along. Proxies rarely mingled, often checking each other due to their powers. 'This'll be fun, Deputy Director Phenex.' He lifted one corner of his mouth.
"Intelligence Analysis compiles, refines, and manages info from all barriers to eliminate threats effectively."
"Fascinating. Then about this mission—"
Kelun quickened his pace, taking the lead with Kyle. As Tiny Bell stared blankly at his back, Adolf's face poked in beside her cheek.
"He's a good kid, right?"
"Urk—!"
Tiny Bell yelped oddly and elbowed Adolf away. Her cheek tingled where his hair brushed—embarrassing.
"Lieutenant, seriously. You trying to die?"
Adolf looked startled briefly, then smacked his fist into his palm as if remembering something and scratched his head. "Sorry. With Lucia stuck to you too, I thought this much was fine."
"You... what am I gonna do with you?"
Tiny Bell trembled, raising a fist. 'He's a good kid?' Like a couple rating their kid.
"Hehe—Captain's a guy, so no."
Laughter finally lit Lucia's face. But Adolf turned serious. "Why?"
"Eh—?"
Lucia's fluster made Tiny Bell nod. 'Yeah, Lucia, you deal with it.' But Lucia's eyes sparkled instead. Tiny Bell's expression darkened rapidly. Lucia perking up was good, but this look...
"Captain's fallen for the lieutenant's charm too!"
"Hm, the captain's always charming. Haha—"
"Exactly! Captain knows what's up!"
"Lucia, Lieutenant—have fun chatting!"
Tiny Bell gently pried off Lucia's arm and strode ahead, blowing past Kyle and Kelun. Kyle stared at the massive sniper rifle on her back, incredulous. 'The famous Red Eye. Had some hopes, but disappointment all around.'
He eyed Kelun instead. 'No title yet, but a rare combat-spec second-gen. Hope to gauge his abilities this time.'
Kelun sensed the probing stare and figured it'd take ages to get used to it.
"Didn't expect Lumen Guard to send so many."
A deep voice echoed in the quiet room. Innocent Remar, Rain Code barrier's top director, eyed the seated Lumen Guard personnel from his conference table. The proxies still looked so young—unnaturally so, compared to Jack and the Grand Marshal.
"Given the severity, we've assembled a sizable team. Your understanding, please."
Tiny Bell's surprisingly adept response drew a pleased smile from Adolf at the end of the table—unseen by her, thankfully.
To Remar, they were still fledglings. But he wasn't rigid enough to belittle the military's future pillars.
"Fair enough. How's William holding up?"
"Uh, yeah. Seems... fine?"
Tiny Bell's rising inflection made Remar chuckle warmly. "That guy's fine wherever you toss him."
A memory flickered, but he turned to Kyle Walker. "Though bringing an Intelligence Analysis proxy feels excessive."
"With Rain Code short-staffed and busy handling the unrest, we figured."
His tone was flat and cold, but Remar didn't flinch. "The central bureau's quite considerate."
"Central Management Bureau has plenty of gripes about your oversight, Director. This is the least."
The air chilled; Remar snorted at the rigidly upright Kyle. "Grateful. Analyzing intel from the shadows should suffice for us sheep. Ha ha."
Tiny Bell glared at Kyle. It was meant to be a quick briefing, position assignments, and approval from the site director—done. But picking a fight with Remar, the barrier head...
Kyle ignored her, coolly stating, "The Grand Marshal deemed it necessary. We'll provide escort and stabilization support."
"Recent Bonyak militia expansions and Lildar Church protests have soured public sentiment. Avoid extremes."
Remar parried leisurely, chuckling again. A mere pup compared to the Grand Marshal—but those greedy eyes... 'Potentially dangerous.'
Remar smiled softly at Tiny Bell. "Minimizing unnecessary casualties is key. Keep that in mind. Hope you resolve this among yourselves."
"Unnecessary casualties" sat uneasy with Tiny Bell, but she nodded. "So, where's retired Shtafenberk now?"
The pretext: escort—and surveillance—for Freigel Shtafenberk. She itched for fresh air. But Remar smiled and surprised her.
"Sorry, no idea."
"Pardon?"
"Shtafenberk's retired, not military anymore. Can't keep tabs on civilians."
He added, eyeing Kyle, "Intelligence wouldn't know?"
"We're not a civilian surveillance unit."
Kyle's irritation showed before he schooled his face. "We'll audit Rain Code's Analysis later."
"Splendid, Walker Captain."
Remar grinned amiably. Kyle glared, then turned to Tiny Bell. "Your 'Red Eye' could aid intel on-site. Use X-ray for structures to locate Shtafenberk, spot ambushes, share risks."
Tiny Bell scowled. "Isn't that your job? I'm combat response."
"Admitting you're just brute force? That eye has higher utility. For intel."
"Utility?"
"Don't misunderstand. It's optimized for combat and tactical intel, threat detection. Maximizing your analysis and field command support this mission."
As Tiny Bell and Kyle growled again, Lucia wilted; Adolf and Kelun glared differently. Remar found it amusing. 'Feels like a school principal at my age. Still, Jack—your proxies have friends.'
Remar clapped lightly at the snarling Tiny Bell. "Then, Walker Captain, check extra intel with Rain Code Analysis. Rest assist Captain Bell. Objections?"
Silence.
"Good. Request needs from Rain Code Strategic Planning."
With that, Walker rose, nodded curtly to Remar, and left. Tiny Bell stood slowly, grinding her teeth. Utility. The word grated.