At this point, Bill could tell the man wasn't lying, but he could also hear dozens of metallic footsteps echoing behind the buildings on all sides.
Still not showing that he had noticed anything, Bill listened patiently as the mayor continued:
"Since Marines are a rare commodity here, you can probably understand why I've asked a few of my men to accompany you as... er... city guides. We have several excellent establishments where you can relax, and if you have more pressing needs, we have room for that, too."
Bill knew that in the days of sail on Earth, "red lanterns" were quite common. Sailors spent months at sea and, when they came ashore, often wanted to spend time in the company of women.
Ironically, he'd never seen anything like it in this world, and he didn't even think much of it. Perhaps this was because, in this world, about twenty percent of any random crew were women. In the world of superhumans, the biological differences between the sexes were largely smoothed out.
Bill shook his head, pushing the thought aside and calmly answered the mayor:
"That's understandable. We don't want the townspeople to think there's a problem here that requires the Marines' intervention. I'll return to the ship and relay this to the sailors. And then, perhaps, you or your son could show me around the city?"
Laughing, Wetton suggested that instead of exploring their boring town, Bill should go to the town hall and rest after the long journey.
Despite hearing Wetton's true intentions, Bill agreed with feigned readiness, then said goodbye and got into the boat.
Although he didn't say it, Bill was proud of Yoko and the special operators for allowing him to speak without having to remind them.
Once they had sailed a safe distance, Yoko was the first to speak:
"Bill, what the hell just happened? We're Marines, why do we need escorts?!"
Bill smiled and thanked her for not asking about anything else and said:
— There's something going on here that the "good mayor" doesn't want us to see.
One of the special operators, hearing this, said:
- I thought so too, sir.
This wasn't surprising: fourteen of the twenty "Bugborgs" were former residents of Clock Island. They had lived in slavery under the Bear King and were naturally sensitive to such things.
Yoko: - Are these pirates?!
After telling her to calm down, Bill added:
"We'll find out in time. For now, we'll travel in groups and proceed cautiously."
Returning to the Victory, Bill outlined the rules for going ashore. Marines were to form squads of at least eight, with each squad containing at least one special operator.
"Also, don't get too close to the soldiers who will be your guides. Don't walk alone; even go to the toilet in pairs."
Bill didn't go into detail with the rank and file, but he gathered his special operations team and explained to them that they needed to be on guard. With their Pulse Boots and Gloves, they should be sufficiently protected, but if anything happened, their first priority was to ensure the safety of the team and then create noise.
The boss remained on the ship, and if something happened and Bill couldn't see it himself, the bug would fly past.
When everything was settled, the first few groups transferred to the next boat and, following Bill, landed on the shore.
Wetton was still standing there, waiting for them.
Over the next two days, Bill spent almost constant time in the company of Mayor Wetton. He had been invited to relax at City Hall, and to avoid arousing suspicion, he spent his last two nights there.
Of course, every day he found an excuse to return to the ship for a few hours to collect reports from the sailors, but they turned out to be not very informative.
Special operators estimated that there were at least four hundred soldiers on the island, but it seemed that none of the citizens could say anything.
Bill could easily understand why the villagers didn't say anything extra, since the so-called "guides" were always within earshot. But he had nothing concrete to justify his suspicions.
His best guess was about a huge tower on the edge of the city. It was completely out of place in the landscape, and the resources expended on its construction must have been colossal.
Bill knew Wetton and his family wanted them off the island. But every time he tried to bring up the giant tower, the old man skillfully changed the subject and limited his ability to discern his true intentions.
The most suspicious thought Bill caught from the old man's spirit was, "What does he know?!"—and while that phrase practically guaranteed foul play, it didn't give Bill the confidence he needed to arrest the island's mayor.
"Even if I could just arrest him," Bill thought.
Sitting in his office, Bill refused to stay at the mansion for a third night and waited for Rance to contact him.
While he waited, he thought about the reports he had received from his special operators.
"400 soldiers on an island with a population of about 3,000 people... hmm."