Chapter 169

"Uugh... this is just cruel! Stuffing a lady into a sack like some kind of laundry!"

Olivia, the NASA Representative, sat slumped in her chair, glaring at Phantom with tear-filled, resentful eyes.

"Look, your skin didn't come with the heat-resistant coating upgrade," Phantom replied with the warmth of a dry ice block. "You can't exactly stroll through the hellscape outside, and I wasn't about to play mountain goat on those cliffs while hauling you with one arm. Just be grateful you didn't end up as a human barbecue."

He turned his back on her whining and locked his eyes on the monitor. Any second now, his negotiation partner would flicker to life. The surrounding members of the NASA Combat Unit were shooting him daggers for his "unprofessional" handling of their top brass, but he ignored them entirely. Whether he needed to play nice or keep being a jerk depended entirely on how the next few minutes went.

"............Look alive. Our guest of honor is here."

A man appeared on the screen. He had that classic Underground City look—pasty skin and hair so devoid of pigment it was practically translucent. Even by cave-dweller standards, the guy looked like absolute trash. Phantom figured he was either dying or just one bad day away from a total nervous collapse.

"Well, well, Miss Olivia. Do tell, how on earth did you manage to stumble all the way out there? And who’s the guy next to you? A stage magician?"

The man wore a thin, bitter smirk. Olivia, however, didn't find it funny. She exploded.

"Antonio! What in the world do you think you’re doing?! Do you have any idea how many people have died because of this stunt?!"

Antonio just let out a dismissive snort.

"Maybe fifteen so far? Please. We lose more than that every time the WIND stirs up trouble. Why are you getting so hysterical?"

"Wha—you—you monster!"

Olivia bolted upright, looking ready to dive headfirst into the monitor to strangle him. Phantom casually raised a hand to block her path.

"I heard you were bad at negotiating, but this is a disaster," Phantom sighed. "I get the sentiment, but sit down and shut up. Now then, Mr. Antonio. Nice to meet you, I suppose. I’m Phantom, representing the Rising Sun Security Department. Regrettably, it seems I’m the biggest fish in the pond at the moment."

Phantom leaned back, observing the pale wreck on the screen with a lazy gaze. Olivia had described Antonio as a pillar of calm, a man of gravitas who commanded respect with a single word. A regular stoic leader type. Phantom’s first impression, however, was a bit different.

He doesn't look like a pillar of anything. He looks like a caffeinated squirrel.

The Antonio on the screen was a mess—his eyes darted around like flies in a jar, and his body was twitching with restless energy. Phantom stole a glance at the NASA Combat Unit; they looked just as baffled as he was.

So this isn't his usual vibe. If he’s already this close to a mental break, poking him might just make him go boom.

Deciding to play the long game, Phantom went quiet and waited for the man to crack first.

"............Am I going to be executed?"

The words were a barely audible mumble. Phantom’s eyes widened. Well, that escalated quickly.

"...Execution? My. Can I take that to mean you’re actually interested in a peaceful resolution?"

"Depending on the terms, sure."

"Let's hear them. I'm in a generous mood. I might even throw in a discount."

"I want the location of the tower."

The demand came out flat. Phantom tilted his head, adopting an expression of profound, theatrical regret that masked his inner confusion.

"By tower, I assume you mean the ORBITAL SATELLITE ELEVATOR?"

"Exactly."

Phantom almost laughed. He had been prepared to give that information away for free—heck, he’d have written it on a postcard for him—but then he caught himself. He paused, recalculating.

"............Hmm. Sorry, but I can't do that."

"I see. So you're refusing to tell me?"

"Not exactly. I don't personally know the coordinates, and even if I did, I don't have the clearance. That's a 'President-only' kind of secret."

"............"

"It’s the truth! Besides, even if I trust you, I can’t trust everyone down there. We just got here, we don't know the layout... for all I know, there’s a terrorist hiding in your lunchbox."

Phantom shrugged, shooting him a you-know-how-it-is look.

The truth was, the location was so obvious you could find it by walking in a straight line, and the President wouldn't give a damn if people knew where it was. But something about the guy's desperation smelled fishy.

Why is he in such a hurry?

The surface storms might kill radio signals and the checkpoints were tight, but there was no actual plan to keep NASA away from the Elevator. The coordinates for the LADDER BASE were going to be common knowledge eventually anyway.

"What if I go alone? Unarmed?" Antonio’s voice was dripping with a foul, desperate edge.

"Why are you so obsessed with that hunk of metal? In the long run, seizing it is pointless. We’ll just build a second one, or a Pier 3 Ladder."

"Seizing it? Ha..." Antonio gave a mocking, jagged laugh. "I don't want to seize anything. I just wanted to see space. Just once before I die."

Phantom felt a chill. The man's expressions were flipping like a glitching video feed.

"Please. It’s been my dream for decades. Just once............ ugh...... guh......"

Suddenly, Antonio clutched his head, his face contorting in agony. Phantom glanced at Olivia. Was this some kind of chronic seizure?

"No, we have MEDICAL CAPSULES in NASA," Olivia whispered, shaking her head. "I’ve never heard of him being sick like this............"

Phantom looked back at the screen just as Antonio tossed back some pills.

If they have the tech to fix his body, then this is either a mental breakdown or he’s a total junkie, Phantom thought. He was already tired of dealing with this basket case, but then he saw something that nearly made him jump out of his boots.

Who is that? When did he get there?!

A second man was standing right next to Antonio. Phantom had only looked away at Olivia for a split second, and even then, he’d kept the monitor in his peripheral vision. He could see supersonic bullets in flight, for crying out loud—no one should have been able to just appear like that without him noticing.

"Henry, is it............ It's fine. We'll be done soon...... guh!! D-Damn it!! No!! You can't tell them!! You can't give them the coordinates!!" Antonio screamed, his voice cracking. "He's............ n-no! Henry, stop! I... I believe in God!!"

Antonio lunged out of his chair and collapsed into a ball, clutching his skull.

"What is happening...? Miss Olivia. Who is that Henry guy? His assistant?"

The man on the screen was just standing there, wearing a faint, creepy smile while his boss had a literal meltdown. Even for a lackey, his vibe was completely wrong. Who smiles like that while their friend is screaming in pain?

Olivia looked at Phantom like he was the crazy one.

"Henry? I... I'm sorry, which Henry? I don't know anyone by that name."

She searched her memory, looking back at the monitor with a pained expression before shaking her head. Phantom waved a hand dismissively at her. "The guy right next to him! How can you miss him?"

"Next to... do you mean Antonio?"

"Obviously! Who else would I be talking about?"

"Um, well..."

Olivia’s face twisted in confusion. She looked at the monitor, then at Phantom, then back at the monitor.

"I don't see anyone there but Antonio. Maybe I blinked?"

Phantom stared at her. He felt a surge of "stop-pulling-my-leg" anger, but it vanished instantly. He reached over, clicked off the audio-capture microphone, and whispered through barely moving lips: "You don't see him now?"

"............No. Just Antonio." Olivia nodded slowly.

Phantom turned around to the NASA Combat Unit. "Any of you? Do you see someone else on that screen?"

The soldiers looked at each other, then back at him, and shook their heads in unison.

What? Am I finally losing it?

Phantom shook his head and glared back at the man called Henry. The guy was definitely there. Tall, blonde, and wearing that same unnerving grin.

"U-Um... I can see him..." a voice piped up. "The blonde guy..."

One of the combat soldiers timidly raised a hand. Phantom looked at the man and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the gear the soldier was wearing.

BISHOP-COMPATIBLE HEADGEAR.

NASA was crawling with OUTSIDERS.

"Dammit! This is bad!"

Phantom whipped his head back to the monitor.

But it was too late. Antonio had already pressed the muzzle of a handgun against his own forehead.