The airstrip at Avalonne-du-Prix, despite being small and rarely used, was almost never empty; yet, when the management received notice of the incoming helicopter, they immediately ordered the airport to shut down and dismissed all staff for the night.
Only one man remained, one whom no one saw enter and whom none would have recognized.
The helicopter was smaller than it looked, yet still larger than a typical civilian craft. It was painted black; no, many helicopters were painted black, but this was special. This particular paint was designed to produce an absolute black: that is, it would reflect the least amount of electromagnetic radiation possible, and this feature served a dual purpose. When flying, the paint worked in tandem with the shape of the craft to render it nigh-undetectable to lower-end radar systems. When grounded, the paint guaranteed that no laser-based listening devices could be used to eavesdrop on conversations held within the body of the helicopter.
This helicopter had been designed as a mobile meeting space for top-ranking military personnel.
Caspian watched as it touched down at the small airstrip with minimal fanfare. Hardly anyone had noticed it flying over the island to begin with; those that did hadn't thought much about who might be in the helicopter, and who they might be coming to meet.
A raven alighted on a nearby branch.
[She noticed the big one's arrival, master. She'll be here in half an hour.]
So I guess she didn't write it off.
[Thank you. This shouldn't take that long. Keep watching her and warn me if she gets too close.]
[Yes, master.]
The helicopter had landed, but its rotors hadn't stopped and its engine was still running at full power. This was another intentional decision on behalf of countersurveillance, designed to prevent third parties from being able to overhear anything that occurred in the vicinity of the craft.
Caspian walked over to the helicopter, and an invisible door along the side separated from the mail hull and slid back with a mechanical hiss, inviting him inside.
To say that the interior differed from the exterior would be an understatement.
Entirely white and well-lit, with surprisingly spacious seating given the size of the helicopter, the most impressive feature was easily the sound-reducing panels woven into the walls themselves. Once inside the helicopter, the deafening roar of the engine and rotors became nothing more than a gentle hum, facilitating conversation between the occupants of the craft.
The door clicked shut behind Caspian.
He looked around.
Three people were sitting within the helicopter, and they gestured for him to take a seat as well.
Caspian obliged, and then the most senior of the group took charge.
"Warrant Officer Dawson, good to see you," he said. "I trust you're settling into life at the Academy?"
"I am, Major Rathbone, thank you," replied Caspian, before turning to the other two. "Lieutenant Loche, Captain Jones, good to see you."
"Likewise," said the Lieutenant, with the Captain nodding his agreement.
Caspian turned back to Rathbone, and signaled that he was ready to continue.
"Let's get down to business, shall we?" said Rathbone. "I'm sure you already know why we're here. The events of this afternoon have put political pressure on the Director to find the ones responsible for such a brazen attack on our kingdom. You know the drill: arrests will be made, headlines will be written, there'll be a speedy trial and a unanimous conviction, and a declaration from the Prime Minister to sanction the country that ordered this."
Caspian's brow furrowed.
"And that is the task you have for me?"
The Major allowed a small grin to cross his face.
"No, Warrant Officer," he replied. "While that operation is underway, our Task Force will be dealing with another far more serious threat. We've already apprehended the assassin, in fact, and though there's not much evidence tying him to the true orchestrators of the assassination attempt, we have a pretty decent idea who it was."
"Oh?"
"We've known for some time that the country has been infiltrated by agents of a foreign power. They've permeated many layers of both the public and private sectors. Unfortunately, we have neither the budget nor the manpower to deal with it appropriately; each cell is in communication with the others, so if we deal with one, the rest will go underground before the night is out."
That lines up with the intelligence from our own forces, thought Caspian. There have been shadows moving without our command, forces which do not heed our will.
This will be a good opportunity to correct that.
"You need a simultaneous strike on each cell?"
"Yes, but that'll take time to set up, especially if we can't fully trust the Home Office," the Major replied. "Our immediate concern is the present."
"You fear another assassination attempt."
The Major smiled.
"Once again, your instincts amaze me," he said. "If I hadn't known better, I'd say you'd been doing this longer than I have. Yes, you're correct. The shot fired this afternoon was never intended to kill the King; they must've known he has the best magic life preservation spells woven into his clothing at all times, which would make a direct attack pointless. No, the attacker used a complex magic cancellation spell to disable a small part of the King's shield magic, and was able to shoot his shoulder through the hole."
"So, if the shot wasn't intended to kill, it must've had some other purpose," Caspian concluded.
"Exactly."
"Destabilization? It could be as simple as that. It could also be used to raise suspicions against the Crown Prince."
"We agree with your assessment, Warrant Officer," said the Major. "We placed an information block on media outlets covering the situation after we noticed commentary heading in that direction. It's temporary, of course, but we need to preserve faith in the government during the interregnum."
"That implies you're sure of the Crown Prince's innocence."
"We are as sure as anyone can be in our profession."
The Major sighed and looked at the floor, before shifting his gaze to Caspian.
"May I be frank with you, Warrant Officer?"
"Of course," the student replied.
"We don't believe that we can prevent the next assassination attempt from happening."
The words hung heavy in the air.
"High Command has settled on a stratagem for this situation," the Major continued. "We will make the best of the situation. When the next attempt occurs, we should be able to use it to flush out some of the infiltrators and get a better grasp on their numbers, capabilities, and methods. If we manage to protect the King as well, all the better, but should we fail…"
Caspian looked over to Lieutenant Loche, whose eyes were downcast and noncommunicative.
Understandable.
"…it's a good thing the King has named his heir," he finished.
Using the King himself as bait… that's cold, even by my standards, thought Caspian. But it's also a good move. The infiltrators will probably be expecting us to protect the King at all costs. Doing the unexpected could turn the tide in our favor.
"So, what mission do you have for me?" asked Caspian.
Captain Jones spoke up.
"One of the centers of activity that we've noticed has been the Academy," said the Captain. "It's being given unusual attention, both by this shadowy espionage group, as well as by more well-known underworld elements."
"The Blackstones?"
"Precisely," replied the Captain. "It could be a coincidence, as Elisabeth Blackstone has enrolled this year—though her enrollment could also be cause for concern—but we'd like you to do your best to rid this Academy of outside influence."
If only they knew…
"For some reason, the enemy is heavily focused on the Royal Academy," said the Major. "We don't yet know its significance, but depriving an enemy of an objective is a mission-critical goal regardless. Can you do it?"
Caspian smiled.
"I can."
"Excellent, Warrant Officer. Of course, these orders are sealed and are to be kept with utmost discretion. You're free to use whatever method you see fit; just, please, don't make us clean up too many messes, okay?"
Caspian chuckled.
"I'll do my best, sir."
"Good man. That's what I like to hear. We'll be leaving shortly and won't be in contact for awhile, so use your own judgement if you have to. We trust you."
"Oh, one other thing, Major—"
Caspian turned back just as he was about to open the door.
"I think I might be able to point you in the direction of the rats' nest. S2 Magus Technology Holdings, Inc. They've been recruiting students to work for them here at the Academy, and they've taken a great interest in the Societie Royale."
The Major shook his head.
"Great. Now we have that to worry about…" he sighed. "You know, when you told me that you were leaving active duty to go to graduate school, I was disappointed to be losing an asset like yourself. But now… well, it's my good luck that you're here, isn't it?"
He looked at Caspian and smiled, which Caspian returned.
"Thank you, sir. Have a safe flight back to the mainland."
"Thank you, Warrant Officer. Good luck."
Caspian turned to the Major's companions.
"Vi, Jean, take care."
"Same to you, Caz."
Jessamine reached the airfield just as the helicopter was taking off.