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Full Metal Panic!: The Whispered Chronicles
Chapter One: Fear
Tessa Testerosa’s brow furrowed.
“How many Whispered?”
“Seventeen, Ma’am.”
She hid the shock from her face.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. You may go.”
He saluted, then quickly exited.
‘Seventeen Whispered murdered… that’s too many. And we still have no clues, no hints, no leads…’
She made a call.
On shore, it was just after dawn, 5:00. Or, better known to some as 0500.
Some…like Sosuke Sagara.
“96…97…98…”
Kurtz Weber knocked on Sosuke’s open door.
“Hey, Sagara. Phone call…it’s Tessa. She says it’s urgent.”
Sosuke finished his last two pushups, as Kurtz left the room.
Draping a towel across his shoulders, he walked to the phone.
“Sagara here.”
“Good. I was afraid you wouldn’t be up at this hour.”, then adding as an afterthought, just in case, “Did I wake you?”
“No, Ma’am. You said this call was urgent? Is something wrong?”
On the other end of the line, Tessa cleared her throat, trying desperately not to falter, not to let that mask of strength she had earned crack, in what seemed the Whispered’s darkest hour.
“I’m…afraid so. I’ve sent someone to pick you up, Sagara. Kurtz and Mao will be with you. The transport should arrive by 0530.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I’m on my way.”
Chapter Two: Lieutenant Niwa
On schedule, a nondescript jeep pulled into a parking space. Sosuke, Kurtz and Melissa loaded into it, not knowing they were being closely watched.
Onboard Tessa’s submarine, she quickly briefed all of them.
“There’s been a string of murders…with only one commonality. And yet, we have no leads. Seventeen different crime scenes, and still nothing valuable.”
They waited for her to finish.
“They’re all Whispered. Every one.”
Sagara gripped the arms of the chair he sat in, knuckles white. A flicker of fear passed over his eyes, and a newly broken sweat threatened to drip down his forehead.
“I’d like you to watch Kaname, but with closer surveillance. We’ll be sending three A.S.’s your way by boat before school starts.”
Panic still gripped him, but it eased somewhat.
“Three A.S., Ma’am?” was all he dared to say, not questioning her motives, or his mission.
“You will still be undercover, Sagara. Mao and Weber will be in the A.S. But, we’ll be sending someone with you. She is also a Whispered, but she has more to offer for this mission. For now, those assets will be kept a closely guarded secret, information that only she and I are privy to.”
“Ma’am,” Melissa spoke up, “You’ve never kept anything like this from us before. Why now?”
“Because, your knowing this information may jeopardize how well she works in this mission. And, it may put her in danger. This is a direct order: You MUST not put her in jeopardy. She knows her limits, what she says goes.”
What looked like a crew member walked from the shadows.
“May I introduce,” Tessa said with a slight smile, “Lieutenant Kaeharu Niwa.”
Niwa took off her hat, taking a small bow. Her hair was silver, apparently gone gray early, and her eyes were a sparkling blue. She was only about 5’7”, and had a slim build.
“Don’t let appearances fool you.” She said, looking at Sosuke. “I’m not weak.”
She glanced at Kurtz, “And I’m not available, so don’t even ask.”
Melissa said nothing, taking all of the newcomers actions in stride.
“You talk tough, but how are you in combat?”
Niwa tapped the gold bars on her shoulder.
“Every day is a battle I intend to win.”
Mao sat back, looking impressed.
Tessa stepped forward.
“She is classified to drive an A.S., however, she’ll be going undercover with Sagara.”
“I’ve directed several Covert operations and they’ve all been successful.”, Niwa said.
‘Save for one…’ she thought.
Sosuke wasn’t exactly put off by the Soldier, but he felt there was something she wasn’t telling them, that needed to be said.
“What have you to offer this mission?” he said, almost making a direct violation of Testerosa’s orders. Tessa’s eyes went wide. However, Niwa made no sign.
“As you can tell, Sagara, I have more experience in the field than you do. Also, as you may remember, I am a Whispered.”
Sagara made no sign. “And…that’s it?”
Niwa’s face cracked into a slight smile.
“Most Whispered can tell when another Whispered is present, by at least a few yards. Though, most can’t tell that’s what they’re experiencing. ‘Whispered’s Empathy’, I believe it’s called. The feeling is so slight, that most just shrug it off. Though, there are some, where the feeling is very strong, almost incapacitating at times. And that’s where I come in.”
Sagara pressed on. “How will we know when another Whispered is located?”
Niwa’s face smiled again. “Oh, believe me. You’ll know.”
Weber also had questions. “We already know Kaname’s a Whispered. So, we don’t need you to…sniff her out, I guess would be the term?”
“As Tessa has already informed you, seventeen murders, of Whispered no doubt, have occurred recently. I rarely go mainland, so I’m not a suspect. But, someone with my type of capabilities may be the cause. It’s not everyday that someone can find THAT many Whispered, so don’t you think it’s a little strange, that someone can, and wishes to murder them?”
Weber’s mind flashed to one thought.
“Genocide?”
Tessa gasped. “We hadn’t thought of that…one neon sign of a commonality, and we hadn’t thought of that!”
Sagara spoke up again.
“Ma’am, it’s almost 0630. If we are to make it on time…”, he trailed off, knowing that no more needed to be said. Niwa needed to be briefed on the school and grounds, if she hadn’t been already. She also needed to be enrolled before school started.
Tessa nodded her head. Niwa grabbed two duffels from under a chair and followed the others toward the door.
Chapter Three: Niwa’s first day
On the drive back, no one dared say anything. The hairs on Sagara’s neck stood up, and Niwa looked distant. Her eyes were cloudy, almost glazed over.
They didn’t know, that again, they were being closely watched.
Niwa was given her own room, to which she quickly disappeared into.
She quickly did a sweep, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Still, being a new room, she planted a few things around the room to make her feel safer. She placed guns in secure places, and changed clothes.
Poking her head out of the door, she asked Sagara if bags were allowed on the premises of the school.
“Duffels, yes. For gym supplies, mostly.”
“And, there is a Uniform for both casual and gym, right?”
Sagara nodded.
Opening the door, she walked outside.
“Is this right? Something seems off…”
Sosuke looked her over. Walking up to Niwa, catching her off-guard, he quickly adjusted the bow on her blouse.
“The ties were uneven.” He answered, walking off. “Come on, we’ll be late.”
Niwa grabbed her duffel and ‘transfer papers’, heading for the door.
The ride to school seemed pleasant, except for the awkward silence hanging over both of them. When they arrived, the time was almost 7:15.
“You consider forty-five minutes early…late?”
Sosuke was not amused. “I have before-school activities to attend to.”
Arriving at the school’s main office, Kaeharu handed the registrar her papers.
“Usually, students are registered with their parents…” the woman said, adjusting her thick, wire-rimmed glasses.
Sosuke was stumped, but Niwa took this in stride. She bowed at the waist.
“I understand…but, if you continue to read the papers,” she stood up, “I’m an orphan. I -“
“Worked in local buildings, doing odd-end jobs, and earned enough money to pay your way through school.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I was -“
The woman kept reading, “Referred by a teacher to this school? How are you paying tuition?”
“Scholarship.” Was all Niwa answered.
“A low-end scholarship, yes. Well, it seems that everything you need, at least for your papers is in order. Let me check…your scholarship should be in the system…ah, yes. Here it is. Well, nothing seems to be missing from your file. Give me a moment to get your schedule.”
When the woman left, Kaeharu exhaled deeply.
“Whew, that was close.”
Sosuke nodded. “But, a scholarship? How was that taken care of?”
“Simple. I took the test. They agreed to fill out the paperwork.”
“Just like that?”
“With… a little hint from the government.”
“Here we are!” said the bespectacled woman. She handed Niwa some papers.
“If you’ll wait here a moment, I’ll call the class representative. She will show you to your first class, and wait for you afterwards, to show you to the rest.”
Niwa bowed again. “Thank you. If I may ask…who is she?”
“Miss Kaname Chidory.”
Niwa nodded.
Sagara headed to his first class, by the time Kaname arrived.
“Hi! I’m Kaname Chidory, your class representative.”
Niwa bowed again, at the waist. “Kaeharu Niwa. I’m fifteen years old, from Kyoto.”
Niwa stood up again, leaning on the wall for support.
“I’ve been doing a lot of this lately, bowing. I’m getting kinda dizzy…”
Kaname laughed.
“I know the feeling. So…Kaeharu, huh? Neat name. What’s it mean?”
“No idea. I don’t think it means anything. It just sounds nifty. I don’t get into meanings much.”
Kaname shrugged.
“That’s fine. So…let’s see what your homeroom is…oh, hey! That’s my room! Sosuke’s in there too. Seems like you’re getting to know people already. That’ll make it easier on me for after class. Before we get to class, you’ll need to check out your locker.”
Once Niwa’s locker had been ‘secured’, she headed to homeroom with Kaname.
She was introduced, giving the class the info that she gave Kaname, with the excuse that she didn’t like making large speeches. The day proceeded as normal, Niwa finding out that she had three classes with Sagara, including Gym. It was announced that a small course on Martial Arts later that week.
Chapter Four: Another Commonality?
Tessa checked the clock on her bedside table, 1530. It was really the only thing in her room that wasn’t bolted down.
‘Niwa’s been undercover for over twelve hours… she’s perfectly capable of handling herself. So…why am I so worried?’
Someone knocking on her door startled her from her thoughts.
“Ma’am, it’s urgent! Please, open the door!”
“What?” Tessa said, coming to the door and opening it. “What is it?”
She didn’t realize that she was opening the door to a gun. Which promptly fired as ducked down. The bullet sliced through her skull-
Or at least she thought it would have. Waking up in a cold sweat, she quickly jumped out of bed and got dressed in a hurry. She quickly made a call.
“Niwa.”
Tessa hid the shock from her voice.
“Did you see that?” was all she said, hoping Niwa knew what she meant.
“Unfortunately. Who did you see?”
Tessa flashed back to the dream.
“An Ensign with a gun. That’s all.”
On the other end of the line, Niwa’s eyes flashed.
“An Ensign? Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” Tessa started to calm down.
“I saw relatively the same thing… different perspective. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“That…was my memory.”
Tessa’s adrenaline fired up again. “And why…was it sent to me?”
“Something us twins have in common.”
The phone clicked, answered Tessa with a dial tone.
Chapter Five: Recall
Niwa was still puzzled by Tessa’s dream. She’d seen an Ensign, whereas Niwa was the Ensign. True, it hadn’t been Tessa she’d shot at. On another boat, a few years ago, there had been a strong rivalry between Niwa and her commanding officer. The officer, her sister. Her twin. Kaeharu joined up after her sister reached commanding status, to keep tabs on her, make sure she was safe.
And then the truth struck. Her sister had murdered someone on her ship, attempted to hide it. And Niwa was given the blame. They ended up having a huge argument over it, to which her sister denied the whole thing. Again and again, Niwa was blamed, finding nearly perfect evidence against her. She shot her sister, hoping to kill her, or wound her enough, paralyze her, in a fit of temporary insanity.
She did neither. But, when her sister was taken to the hospital on a nearby military base, the realization of her being a twin changed all the evidence.
Her sister was put in prison, supposedly Life without parole.
But, Tessa’s dream was from her sister’s perspective. She had seen Kaeharu shooting her sister. Usually, when a Whispered is experiencing Whispered’s Empathy, it’s from THAT Whispered’s perspective.
‘And that certainly wasn’t mine,’ Kaeharu thought, going over all the facts in her head. ‘So that means…she’s out. Wonderful. But, is she responsible?’
All the evidence on her sister’s previous case had been locked away.
‘Maybe there was something I missed in these new cases? Some mark, some sign…’
Her alarm went off. Turning it off, she realized that now she was walking on eggshells.
Very deadly eggshells.