Machiko slows the Tachi Monarch to a quick halt just short of the cul-de-sac, pulls the car onto the grass beside the lane, and parks. The sight of the vehicles, the armed and armored personnel, gives her pause. She has played a part in many alerts, both for real and for purposes of training. This time is different. This time the responsibility is uniquely her own. She is the one who declared the alert. Was she right to do that? Would Sukayo-san have initiated Rapier Wind? the highest level of alert? The enormity of the forces she has called into action brings her a twinge of anxious uncertainty.