"Are those… people?"
When Nine said it something suddenly clicked in their heads. Another look at the strange glitching silhouettes revealed a much clearer vision of the actions they were performing.
Even though the city is deserted, the silhouettes were acting the way people would if things were normal. Some were walking around, stopping to check traffic lights even if they weren't working, others were sitting in front of restaurants and cafes even though they're close with no tables or chairs outside. The ones floating around are obviously driving invisible vehicles like cars and bikes.
"This is really... strange…" Zero Three murmured. "Why would a calamity…"
"I doubt those things are the main body." Said Zero Five, carefully analyzing the scene. "Otherwise they wouldn't ignore our presence like this."
"Still… wouldn't that mean the Calamity is purposefully hiding from us?" Nine said. "That doesn't change the severity of the situation…"
"I would say it's worse. For now, it doesn't seem like those things are bait, but the likelihood that the enemy is hiding somewhere close by waiting for the right opportunity is high." Glancing at her comrades, Zero Five instructed. "You two, be on guard."
There was no need for her to bother with telling them as all three kept their eyes open for any sudden change. They hovered close to each other, covering for the other's blind spots as they tried to find where the Calamity was hiding.
Time passed and nothing happened. The streets below were getting busier as more and more silhouettes moved around. Seeing that their outing was taking longer than usual today Zero Five sent a quick report back to the base.
As the matter has yet to be solved the Valkyries couldn't just retreat. Zero Three was getting tired of all the wait, and seeing the sun setting in the west, she began to get more and more annoyed.
"We can always draw it out by destroying the city." Said Five.
"I'm starting to consider that." Three replied.
Usually, by this time she would be swimming in the pool. Seeing that her fun time was being taken she began to reconsider the value of the abandoned city.
"I wonder if Doctor is worried." Nine let out a sigh. She had planned to spend the afternoon trying more things with him, but it doesn't seem like she would be able to.
Hearing the doctor being mentioned caused Zero Five to lose concentration for a second. Her cheeks flushed red as she remembered the experiment they performed. As Sam had told her to act normally till he summons her again she had no choice but to wait, however, for some reason, the Valkyrie with the ponytail felt like doing those things him right now and began to wonder whether she should ask him once they return.
"The old man, huh… he must be freaking out right now." Zero Three said with a giggle.
The time for their examination had long since passed and with them not returning before then it was easy to imagine him stressing over it.
"No, the Doctor should've been informed already." Zero Five cleared her thoughts and returned her focus to the task at hand. "I have already sent a report, remember?"
"I can see that being the cause of his worries. Now he would be wondering whether the battle was going well for us or not." The young Valkyrie said, and as if that made them realize something the other two tensed up.
"Should I shoot one of them and see what happens?" Nine pointed her rifle at the silhouettes below as she spoke. Her voice sounded a bit flustered.
"Do it." Five agreed instantly, her face a bit red as well.
They both had one thought in mind. It was a tiring day and they had been out the entire time. Even if they didn't go through a particularly tough battle, they were sure the Doctor would indulge them a little if they asked for a reward.
It was a conclusion both Five and Nine reached at the same time, however since neither knew what the other was thinking they were both getting excited about spending the afternoon experimenting with the Doctor.
Nine pointed her sniper rifle at one of the silhouettes walking down the road while the other two focused all their senses preparing in case anything happened.
A loud bang resounded through the city as a light bullet shot out piercing the glitching silhouette. The atmosphere around them seemed to change at that moment.
The silhouette Nine had targeted fell to the ground. It appeared to dissolve, turning into a large puddle of blinking squares and rectangles that slowly dissipated into the air. The other silhouettes seemed to turn in its direction having noticed that one of them was destroyed. The next moment they all shifted in the Valkyrie's direction having ignored them all along.
"We should've done this from the start." As she said that, Zero Three grinned while preparing her duel blades.
"Let's get this done with and head back." Nine added, preparing to shoot once again.
They all thought the battle was about to start, however instead of a monster jumping out from its hideout, or the silhouettes merging to create the real form of the calamity, something unexpected happened.
The silhouettes suddenly disappeared without a trace. Even the one Nine had shot a few seconds ago. The streets were back to their empty state, same as they were when the three arrived for the first time.
Feeling the oddity of the situation the three didn't let their guard down. As they waited for the enemy's counterattack, the sky suddenly went dark as if a black veil was spread over their heads.