I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

• "The communication with the Icarus operators, who were supposed to join us, was abruptly cut off. It's not confirmed, but it's suspected that they were attacked separately."

• "It has been confirmed that it was sent directly by Adrian Solomon, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security. An electronic signature and valid certification are present in the command system."

• "Those guys... they don't seem to know the concept of 'watching their mouths.' This is troublesome... the return to Homeland Security is now unlikely, but I can at least take satisfaction in filtering out such idiots."

• "...What are your plans now, Minister Webb?"

• "I will cancel the plan to bring in the existing operators. Instead, I'll focus on securing the Icarus Gear. I’ll give further instructions on that later, so standby."

• "Understood."

"Sunrise in Key West. I didn't expect we'd stop here in the middle of everything."

"Well, we’ve been on the move for a few days now. The pilots will need a rest, and though we’re only 200km away from Miami... it'd be problematic if the new aircraft breaks down in the air."

"I suppose the pilots wouldn't like that... Oh, the sunrise is beautiful."@@novelbin@@

6:30 AM, September 30th, at Key West International Airport.

The airport, silent and desolate, with some sections of the runway cracked and half neglected, was located at the southernmost point of the United States. A transport aircraft executed a vertical landing.

As golden sunlight poured down from the dim sky, illuminating the entire American land, the aircraft’s ramp door opened and about five people leisurely walked out.

I glanced back. Three Log Agents were bound to the wall. Six pairs of handcuffs were used to restrain each arm, and the Icarus Gear that should have been on their left or right wrists was missing.

The Icarus Gear deactivation codes, which were received beforehand, had been entered, and the gear was removed. This completely reset the internal data of the gear. In other words, the function that enhanced the operators' physical abilities beyond human limits had also disappeared.

While I lacked the technology to recover the nanomachines circulating in their bodies, the disappearance of their supply source meant they would naturally lose strength and eventually return to a human-like state.

"Ugh, I'm so sleepy... How’s the condition of the aircraft, pilot?"

"Well, it’s not too bad. But that’s just from the outside; a separate scan is necessary. We’ve flown from Miami to Guantanamo, Camaguey, Havana, and now Key West in just a few days."

"About 1800km?"