Kitty Killer Wasn't Quite Cold

What else could she say... time to keep working!

PS: Boohoo, kitty...

Looking around, perhaps Franka was still the closest to Nana's original character setup... Medic's original CG was fine too, but Nana had blue eyes like Agent 47's.

PS2: Publicly available information... Blaze and Su Sulo were clearly equally important supporting characters at this stage... but why did Blaze always feel so lacking in presence when I wrote her, while Su Sulo always unconsciously acted cute... then stole all the author's attention?

No, if Blaze wasn't given some alone time soon, 77 might really end up forming a medical team and charging into a Catastrophe.

PS3: As I woke up later and later every day, updates got later and later too... I need to catch up with the living timeline... the deadline is a dead end...

The Mystery of 2nd Medic: Leaving the Landship

September 1st, 1091. A day prominently marked on Medic's Terminal calendar.

Of course, it was not to commemorate the time her weapon had changed from a handgun to a heavy crossbow when her unlucky potted-plant-colored superior suddenly opened the door, nor was it, as Kate and Cole claimed, the anniversary of Medic giving Little Cat her first gift...

After all, she had talked Closure into specifically activating the only workshop equipment currently available on Rhodes Island just to make a tiny bamboo-copter toy... That day, whenever Medic saw Kal'tsit, she kept her head down and walked around her, terrified of being stopped and severely reprimanded for wasting electricity.

Still... although Kal'tsit had seemed to be looking at something strange whenever she looked at Kitty Killer these past few days, the two of them worked well together in their respective roles, and everything progressed smoothly.

On the first day of this new month, Medic had finally waited for the Medical Department's machines to become available... Yes, Little Cat's comprehensive examination could finally begin.

"...And it is also nearly time to carry out your 'Action Reserve Team' plan..."

Tucking the loose strands by her cheek behind her secondary ears—her human ears—Kal'tsit watched Little Cat enter the examination equipment under Su Sulo's guidance and Amiya's company. The little cat was emotionally stable and could even be called exceptionally obedient. Kal'tsit then turned her attention to this pair of troublesome cats' "older sister."

"The route adjustment plan has received approval from the Columbia Foreign Ministry. The new navigation authorization code has been uploaded, and the temporary maintenance docking location has been changed from Ironforge City to Ticarondo... And there are two issues here."

"Please, go on..."

Seeing Medic's left-eye bandage replaced with a medical eye patch and her attitude inexplicably respectful, Kal'tsit's expression did not change.

A few days ago, Medic had silently slipped into her room and carried her to bed. By all rights, their relationship should have become closer, yet Medic's usual behavior... made it seem as though some inexplicable barrier stood between them.

The circling cat ears conveyed Kal'tsit's confusion as well. Fortunately, they had encountered no issues in carrying out their work, so Kal'tsit tentatively attributed this oddity to Medic's shy personality.

"Ironforge City, our original destination, is an industrial city in Columbia. Its shipbuilding capabilities may not compare to Victoria's, but they are sufficient to perform system maintenance on Rhodes Island... However, under the current route, while keeping to the original timetable, Rhodes Island will likely be unable to receive its scheduled overhaul and outfitting before the end of this year..."

Considering what Medic had done and the circumstances of her arrival on Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit's words seemed to carry a hint of reproach... But Kitty Killer knew the doctor before her was not so shallow a person, so Medic did not mind those seemingly sarcastic remarks.

"But Kal'tsit, you still agreed."

"Yes... Personnel, landship integrity, stockpiled material supplies... These are all things Rhodes Island currently lacks. Ticarondo does not possess a dock large enough to install Rhodes Island's subsystems, but as a Columbian trade city-state, it has a substantial flow of goods. Using the name of our Contingency Contract partner units, we can purchase small equipment there and acquire a considerable amount of supplies..."

"In other words, although we cannot handle the outfitting on the first and second decks that requires a slipway to continue... we can still improve living conditions during the voyage... Then will the remaining outfitting be done in Kazdel?"

"Kazdel... has no modern docks... So I have decided that once Columbia's winter cold-wave Catastrophes weaken, we will depart from Kazdel and head to Rim Billiton..."

Taking out her PRTS Terminal and examining Kal'tsit's annotated landship plan for next year, Medic toyed with the end of her hair and thought for a long time. It was still quite difficult for only two minds to complete the analytical work of Ship Affairs Department personnel numbering in the dozens. Geology, climate, international transit regulations, and a host of other factors flashed through Kitty Killer's mind... After considering it all, Medic finally nodded. In theory... there was no problem with this plan.

"Rim Billiton's transportation is fairly convenient. We can continue completing the Rhodes Island Landship there while further refining the Action Reserve Team plan... I think it will work."

Although Medic agreed, when she raised her head, she found Kal'tsit still looking at her deeply.

"...Kal'tsit?"

"Medic... You should be able to tell that we have been hiding things from you..."

"I do not mind."

"Mm... But I think there are some truths you should know... Kazdel is a location absent from every nation's map. People generally regard it as the beginning of war, or simply ruins where the Sarkaz fled... Unlike what you anticipated, we are not conducting any commercial activity there... We are doing things that others would consider greedy. We cannot resist the crushing reality, and our ideals are losing ground there..."

Medic said nothing as she looked at Kal'tsit, whose dark circles were as pronounced as ever. The atmosphere around this potted-plant-colored superior was extraordinarily heavy. Kitty Killer, who believed she had always been protected by her agent and had only recently begun thinking for herself, had no idea what to say.

"Rhodes Island... is our retreat after failure, the vessel that bears our ideals... So no matter what, this ship must not sink..."

"You want me to protect it? Then should we sign a contract?"

"...ICA's example is right before us. Your experiences have already proven that contracts have no binding force at all... So I still hope you will support us from the bottom of your heart... I hope this ship can become your home as well."

"As well?"

Seeing Medic's cat ears droop in confusion, Kal'tsit's lips rarely curved into a faint smile.

"Yes. This place... is already my home."

Kal'tsit's words caused Medic's mind to freeze again... She did not quite understand why this potted-plant-colored cat had said such a thing to her... Did she mean she wanted them to become family?

Medic felt she was overthinking it, because workaholic Kal'tsit had already thrown herself into another round of work... As the comprehensive examination officially began and Little Cat was anesthetized, Medic vaguely realized that she had become superfluous here... The examination room's fully automated equipment did not really need her help. Before figuring out Kal'tsit's strange comment, Medic decided to return to her office and see whether there were any new recruits she could fit into the Action Reserve Team.

"Then, Amiya... Little Cat is in your care."

Medic patted the little rabbit's head. Amiya had listened in for half the day, and for some reason, her cheeks were equally red. Medic's retreating figure looked as though she were fleeing.

September 1st, 1091, 10:00 a.m., Columbia time. Rhodes Island Human Resources Department.

Compared with her new office a week ago, Medic's current room now looked very much like... an "office."

Simply placing all sorts of paper files that had been ordered archived onto the empty shelves had changed the room's decor enough that the space, which had previously looked unmistakably like a warehouse, now brimmed with an administrative atmosphere.

Ten in the morning was a rare period of leisure...

By this time, Medic had usually finished a stage of work. Su Sulo, who only worked in the Medical Department, had also more or less completed rounds for the patients in the Oripathy settlement area. It was also around the time the Operations Department finished its morning training... After several days of testing, Medic's office would almost always welcome her friends from Rhodes Island at this time.

But whether it was Su Sulo, who came every day to drink tea beside Medic's desk, or Blaze, who collapsed onto the sofa the moment she entered the office, breathing more in than out, neither of them likely knew... that they had already crossed the usual social distance Medic assigned to the concept of "friends."

People who approached her without another word, people she might encounter at any time during the twenty hours of the day aside from four hours of sleep... Were they really just friends?

Medic did not know. She could only passively deal with these... "friends."

"...So, Medic, you are about to leave the landship... to pick someone up?" Su Sulo asked.

Setting down her stainless-steel camping mug, Su Sulo looked somewhat lonely as she examined the not-particularly-classified route adjustment form in front of her. Even her pink fox ears drooped.

"Driving from Columbia's border to a mobile city in Leithanien, even if we rush there and back as fast as possible, it will take at least..."

"At least three days... And that assumes the roads are good enough that we can keep the pedal down the entire way..." Blaze answered professionally for Su Sulo, who did not operate much in the wilderness. She was lying on the bed recovering her strength, yet even at rest she radiated immense heat. Still, she managed to climb up. "Su Sulo, do not worry. Medic is only going to pick people up. The Rhodes Island Landship will be in Ticarondo, and if anything goes wrong in Leithanien, we can just drive the landship over... Isn't that what we did when we brought Medic aboard?"

"Mm... I am not worried... It is just that if Medic leaves... the work on Senior Kal'tsit's side..."

Watching Su Sulo's expression gradually become horrified, Medic copied Kal'tsit and curved her lips before saying the words Su Sulo least wanted to hear.

"Well, it will probably fall to you. I have not seen any other medical personnel with time to spare... Do not worry about it. It is only monitoring several thousand cases of drug trial data each day..."

"Do you think I am you!?"

Although she let out an indescribable little fox shriek, Su Sulo quickly realized that even her protests were feeble and powerless... She was about to face an overtime hell more terrifying than physical training.

Ignoring the fox pancake by the desk, Blaze swayed her cat tail and looked with interest at Medic, who seemed to be filling out her landship departure procedures.

"So, Medic, have you chosen teammates to travel with you?"

"Teammates... Can I not go without them? Why is it that both you and Kal'tsit insist I find a teammate whenever I go on an operation..."

I am actually better at operating alone... Kal'tsit clearly knows that.

Helplessly leaving her Terminal cursor on the red-marked section of the paperwork Kal'tsit had returned, Medic sighed. Rhodes Island regulations required field personnel to operate in squad formations, but where was Medic supposed to get a squad... If they had to count someone, perhaps Little Cat, currently undergoing an examination in the treatment room, counted as one...

The Bruce family's orphan, working with the Bruce family's departed spirits. Telekinesis combined with multiple wills to provide cover... Cole and Kate had discussed this combat combination, and even Medic had to admit it was exceptionally troublesome. But the actual combination was too uncanny, and neither Nana nor Cole wanted Little Cat to truly take part in combat... Thus, Medic had not considered taking the little one on field assignments.

Blaze did not know what this patient wearing a medical eye patch over her left eye was thinking, but just the fact that Medic could not see out of her left eye... meant there was no way Blaze could let her head into the wilderness alone.

With a sigh, Blaze leaped up, performed a forward flip, and landed steadily in front of Medic's desk.

"So, how about considering me? I still cannot balance Arts with my work as a breacher... but I can handle either one on its own..."

As she spoke, Blaze glanced at the weeping Little Fox, then continued.

"Besides, you are injured too. A doctor cannot treat herself, so let's bring Little Fox along as well!"

Hearing Blaze suddenly mention her, Su Sulo raised her head in confusion. Then her puzzled gaze turned to realization, and Little Fox raised her hand high.

"Yes! Me! Take me too!"

"Blaze is at least a Regular Operator... Su Sulo, are you not still an intern?"

"An intern... Does being an intern mean I cannot join a field assignment? Anyway, we are personally willing to form a team with you... There is no harm in filing a report and asking, right? But Senior Kal'tsit is conducting Little Cat's examination right now, so whether she can spare the time to respond is another matter..."

Medic could not find fault with Su Sulo's reasoning, so Kitty Killer obediently filled out the landship departure form again and added Blaze and Su Sulo's names as teammates.

Actually, if she were going on a field assignment... "Nana" would have preferred Warfarin accompany her... It felt like things would be less troublesome.

As for whether Kal'tsit would make time to reply, Medic had never worried about that... That lynx was highly skilled at making use of fragmented time. Or rather... Kal'tsit rarely let Medic's subordinates sit idle during working hours.

As the approval notification sounded, Medic shrugged at the stunned big cat and Little Fox.

"The application has been approved. You probably have two hours to hand over your work and pack your luggage... I will wait for you by the elevator."

Watching Medic pick up her shoulder bag and then sling on the pack she had prepared long ago before leaving, Blaze and Su Sulo stared blankly at each other. Then both their communicators began ringing like death warrants... They did not need to think to know it was Ace and Touch calling to ask what was going on.

But none of that had anything to do with Medic. The black-haired cat was currently receiving a video call from Kal'tsit... She had only intended to confirm Little Cat's condition before leaving, but Kal'tsit unexpectedly began talking to her.

[Although this operation is only to pick someone up, since you are leaving the landship, you must remain vigilant... Your status is important to Rhodes Island. I will not emphasize that again.]

[The relationship between the people in charge of Rhodes Island's various cities and the Rhodes Island Landship is complicated. They have been away from the landship for a long time. Though they still acknowledge our ideals on the surface, the relationship between company headquarters and them resembles that of agents hired to manage local affairs, more than anything else. You only need to focus on their professional work, but headquarters cannot guarantee their character or temperament...]

[But when you meet them, you represent Rhodes Island headquarters... Do not trust them carelessly, but do not display suspicion either... As long as they do not violate the company's bottom-line regulations, our cooperation with them can continue... You must judge the balance yourself.]

Listening to Kal'tsit's "teaching" while waiting for her two companions, Medic rubbed her temples. She felt a little dizzy.

"...All I understood is that I have a lot of authority?"

Tilting her head, Medic continued.

"So I only need to bring those three children back, right? There are only three of them, but two are mildly infected and one is uninfected. They will definitely be able to help you."

[...When you cross Londinium's temporary national border this time, you must remember that you are going to bring three pitiful people with nowhere else to go to Rhodes Island, where they can live... The utilitarian notion of bringing people in solely for manpower carries a considerable implication of coercion... That kind of results-only thinking will make you lose sight of yourself... Medic, what we are doing is a just cause. Do not become the person you hate most.]

Kal'tsit's words left Kitty Killer silent for a moment. Seeing Medic's gaze drift slightly, Kal'tsit said nothing further. She held up her phone and showed Medic Little Cat's current monitoring data...

[I will take good care of Little Cat here on the landship... You only need to remember that you are no longer merely an assassin serving as a weapon. Aside from the fact that I have high expectations of you and that you are injured... you are also Matilda's only remaining family... So do not take risks. Remember to be careful. Communication terminated.]

Holding her Terminal and watching the two people in the distance run toward her with huge bags on their backs, Medic sighed, then smiled and gestured toward the elevator... As for the vehicle, Kal'tsit had already had Closure prepare one in advance.

As all three covered their ears in unison and started the Originium Engine vehicle away from the landship, the internal broadcast announced, "Medic Squad departing the landship." Sitting before the treatment room Terminal, Kal'tsit lost focus for a moment.

"...I hope everything goes smoothly..."

PS: I will break here. I will write another chapter in a moment.

The Mystery of 2nd Medic: Operation Plan

Leaving through the unfinished lower-deck elevator of Rhodes Island was truly torture for the sharp-eared Feline race. Of course, judging by Su Sulo's hands clamped tightly over her ears and her gritted teeth... industrial noise showed no favoritism to the Vulpo either.

Only after Blaze slammed the accelerator to the floor, and the dust kicked up by the landship's locomotion system completely obscured the entire vessel in the rearview mirror, did the small urban commuter vehicle carrying the three finally enter the environment it was meant to work in... this land.

"Whew... One day, I am definitely driving one of those vehicles with proper sound insulation when I go out. An Expedition Support Vehicle, for example."

Blaze had tied her long black hair into a single ponytail that made her look like a well-behaved girl. Medic knew of the Expedition Support Vehicle the big cat mentioned... It was a large vehicle frequently used to explore the endless deserts of the Scorched Windlands and transport supplies to research stations in the Far-Northern Icefields. They could easily reach sixteen meters in length and around ten meters in height, and in extreme circumstances, could even serve as landship supply vehicles.

Those vehicles supposedly came with a complete set of living and bathing facilities inside, whether civilian models or military ones... even destroyer vehicles equipped with naval guns. Compared to the soundproofing Blaze longed for, Medic wanted a comfortable long-distance journey even more.

The aircraft Kal'tsit mentioned had apparently not been delivered yet. Otherwise, Miss Assassin would have flown there directly. Who would want to bounce along the road in this junky little car for three days?

"...So if we had an Expedition Support Vehicle, Rhodes Island would not need to alter its route. We would have plenty of time to depart and even catch up with the Rhodes Island Landship... Unfortunately, while the landship itself has not even completed its outfitting, we should not think about such unrealistic things."

As she spoke, Medic opened the document envelope she had prepared earlier and took out three printed photographs... She first handed them to Su Sulo, then clipped them to the envelope and tossed it onto the dashboard where Blaze could see it.

"These are the three people you intend to recruit, Medic?"

"To be precise, they are people willing to leave their hometowns, openly reveal their identities as the Infected, and continue their social lives on that basis... There are only three of them."

With a sigh, Medic glanced at Su Sulo beside her... If Su Sulo had not told Medic about how she herself joined Rhodes Island, Medic probably would not even have found these three.

Hearing Medic sigh, Blaze, who was driving, asked curiously, "When you introduced Rhodes Island to them, did you apply the Medical Department's workload to ordinary positions? The workload for regular workers and clerical staff at Rhodes Island is actually quite normal."

"...Regular Rhodes Island workers... You mean the people scattered across pharmaceutical factories in different places, right? Kal'tsit is responsible for those places, so I do not know... But when you say 'clerical staff'... Rhodes Island has clerical staff?"

"I occasionally fill in as one. And if we are talking about Rhodes Island's highest-ranking clerical worker... Medic, would that not be you?"

"...Then do you think my workload is normal?"

Faced with Little Cat's question, Blaze shrank back and stopped talking... As for Su Sulo, when the subject turned to overtime, she chose to remain silent.