√A Chapter 07: 【Last Wishes and Mission】 9/16/2030 11:31

√A Chapter 07: 【Last Wishes and Mission】 9/16/2030 11:31

Radiation Level: 5,399 mSv (Contaminated Zone)

Remaining AD: 1

Area 4, Outer Ring

In Front of the Elevator Hall

AFTER discovering Hiyama’s body, we gather in front of the elevator hall and explain what happened to Ukita and Yuuri. Fear twists Ukita’s face and Yuuri is on the verge of tears. Moribe wraps her arm around Yuuri’s trembling shoulders, but she’s the one with a more grieved look on her face.

Tachibana eventually squeezes out, “…Being killed in the line of duty is something we must be prepared for in our line of work.”

“But, Tachibana—”

“Please don’t say another word, Captain. We can mourn after everything is over.” Her voice shakes, and sorrow mists her eyes. Shaking off her feelings, she addresses Moribe. “Get a hold of yourself, Moribe. You threw aside your feminine emotions when you entered SIRIUS.”

“B-But this is my first time losing a colleague…on the field, ya know? And it keeps happening!”

“It’s the same for me… But even so…”

Tachibana and Moribe have sustained quite the emotional blow. Even the always calm and collected Tachibana can’t suppress her feelings. And here I am, unable to grieve the loss of a squad member. Anything I say will have a hollow ring to it.

Damn it all! What can I do?! I stand there doing nothing but grinding my teeth.

“…What are you doing, Captain Kasasagi?” Miss Ena quietly whispers beside me. “You need to take charge here.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you the man? And a captain? Then that makes you the only one qualified to lead us.”

It took her giving me that little push for me to realize that’s indeed my duty. It’s exactly because I’m not mourning Hiyama’s loss that I should be the one to lead the group while Tachibana can’t.

Tachibana is putting on a brave front, but she’s deeply grieving. After all, two squad members she’s endured a lot with passed away within hours of each other. But she doesn’t let her grief show because she’s with survivors—and because we’re still on duty.

How will the other survivors feel if the whole rescue squad gives in to despair? We can’t let Yuuri, Miss Ena, and Ukita lose faith in us.

In which case, I need to be strong, as the captain of this squad. I may have unreliable memories and no confidence in my skills, but I’m still a rescue squad captain. I’m Watase Kasasagi, the man Tachibana and the others respect and serve under.

A fire is lit in my soul, giving me new strength. “Tachibana, Moribe, can I have a word with you?”

“What is it…?” They shuffle over to me on unsteady feet.

I clear my throat. “Tachibana, I’m taking over as leader. I’ll guide the group from here.”

“Captain…?”

“Don’t look so shocked. We’re just returning to our normal roles. Just until you both put your thoughts in order.”

“B-But—”

“You won’t listen? Then I’ll order you—as SIRIUS squad captain.” I snap my feet together and command them in an authoritative voice. “As of this point on, Lieutenant Kazami Tachibana and Ensign Jun Moribe will hereby defer to Captain Watase Kasasagi’s command.” Those words come very naturally from my mouth. Tachibana and Moribe tremble. “Repeat it!”

Strength and willpower return to their eyes. They click their heels together and reply in unison.

“Sir, yes, sir! Lieutenant Kazami Tachibana deferring to Captain Watase Kasasagi’s command!”

“E-Ensign Jun Moribe deferring to Captain Kasasagi’s command, sir!”

“Good!” I grin and give them both a pat on the shoulder. I continue in that spirit as I hand out orders. “All right, let’s press onward… Hiyama went through a lot to leave that Level 6 card for us. We can reach the next area with it.”

Tachibana and Moribe look at the elevator hall.

“Indeed… We can’t let what he left for us go to waste.”

“You’ve got that right! Hiyama will be annoyed with us if we sulk forever!”

“That’s the spirit.” I share a smile with Moribe, then face our civilians. “Sorry for the wait, gang. Are you all ready to go?”

“Yes, I’m ready,” Miss Ena replies.

“No problems here. I can go anytime,” Ukita says after her.

Yuuri is clearly shaking in her boots, but she gives a solid nod.

As I’m grinning at them, Tachibana lays her hand softly on my shoulder and whispers, “…Thank you, Captain.” A faint smile touches her lips.

After getting everyone’s morale up again, we decide to leave Hiyama’s body in the elevator hall. I lean the axe against the wall near his body as a makeshift grave marker. Then we head out again.

Using the card Hiyama had, I get us into the connecting passageway leading to Area 5. The Procyon’s only reading 3,451 mSv, so we’re back within the safety standard.

“Let’s pick up the pace,” I call from the front of the group. “The security cameras showed the kids escaping in this direction.”

“…The other survivors are most likely somewhere beyond here,” Tachibana agrees.

“Yeah. We don’t have to worry about fires anymore, so let’s prioritize the survivors and AD,” Moribe adds.

They’re both still in shock, but they’re gradually returning to themselves. I set foot into the next area with a rare feeling of relief.

Area 5, Outer Ring

AREA 5’s outer ring is markedly different from the other areas. Doors still line both sides of the corridor, but the walls and ceiling are stark white. It feels like a hospital ward.

“Hey, Ukita, what’s this area for?”

“This is where high-level researchers conduct experiments. This division has far more advanced equipment than the areas we normal researchers have access to.”

I look around while he explains. “Neuroscience Laboratory” is written on a plate next to the nearest door. “‘Neuroscience Laboratory’? What does neuroscience have to do with nuclear research?”

“A lot. First of all, this facility’s official name is the 6th Laboratory of Atomic and Biological Organization. Both nuclear science and biology are studied here. That’s why we were able to develop a drug like AD.”

“I see. So which science does your research fall under, Ukita?”

“Sorry, but I cannot answer any questions of that nature.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“I’m bound by confidentiality. Some research is related to national policy, so it can’t be shared with uninvolved parties.”

“Yeah, I get that, but…you won’t stop us from searching the labs, right?”

“You think I would start doing that at this point? Of course I’ll allow it under the circumstances.” Ukita follows up his permission with a firm warning. “But the confidentiality level is extremely high from Area 5 onward. If you want to continue living in peace after getting out of here alive, I highly recommend you never utter a word about what you’ve seen here.”

He seems to be hinting at something more. Unfathomable fear roils in my stomach as I remark, “…Well, we can think about stuff like that after we escape. Searching comes first.”

I imitate Tachibana and split our group into two teams. The team breakdown is the same as the last time. Moribe, Miss Ena, and I make up one team, while Tachibana, Ukita, and Yuuri form another. I leave the rooms on the right side of the corridor to Team Tachibana and take responsibility for the left side.

We check room after room. There’s a lot of weird equipment in them, but no survivors. The fifth room we arrive at has a completely different layout and appearance from the rest.

“Is this…an infirmary?”

There are several hospital beds, medicine cabinets, a refrigerator, ventilator, blood transfusion kits, and other medical equipment inside the room.

Moribe glances around the place, saying, “This looks like the kinda place they’d keep AD and other things that might come in handy.”

“Yeah. We should take special care in searching this room.”

We begin combing the infirmary, excited for what we might find. I start by walking over to the refrigerator and open the stainless-steel door. Inside are bags of red liquid, labeled with “A,” “B,” “O,” or “AB.”

Blood packs? So this is a full-scale doctor’s office…like one you’d see in a hospital.

Blood packs are all I find in the fridge.

“Captain Kasasagi, any luck?” Miss Ena calls from the other side of the room.

“Nope. No luck here. We might find a use for the ventilator and transfusion kit, but we don’t have an immediate need for it.”

“Same here. There’s a ton of empty AD ampoules, but not a single filled one,” she explains, holding out the depleted ampoules for me to see.

“It might not be AD, but I found something good,” Moribe says from where she’s rummaging through the cabinets. She pulls out a medicine tube. The label reads “Styptic Chiron.”

“What’s that?”

“Pretty much the ultimate ointment. It closes small wounds so ridiculously well it’s like they’re glued shut.”

“Wow, sounds useful.”

“Sure is. Let’s take one each.” Moribe hands a Chiron tube to me and Tachibana.

Sadly, that’s the only useful thing we’ve accomplished. With nothing left to do here, we leave the infirmary behind.

As soon as we leave the room, I spot Tachibana’s team talking in the corridor.

“It’s far too dangerous to drink that, Mr. Ukita!”

“But I’m dying of thirst!”

Tachibana and Ukita are arguing about something. Yuuri has her hands nervously pressed together as she watches them. I run over and ask, “What’s wrong? Did you find something?”

“We didn’t find any AD or survivors, Captain… But we did find this.” Tachibana shows me what she’s holding in her arms: six plastic bottles labeled “Distilled Water.”

“Water?! You found water?!”

“Yes. It appears to be water meant for mixing with medicine. But I’ve been telling him not to drink it because there’s a possibility it will give us radiation exposure from the inside…”

I loudly gulp when I see that liquid gold. Just as Ukita said, everyone’s thirst has passed its limits. The biggest problem now is figuring out how safe it is to drink.

“I-I want to risk the danger and drink it,” Miss Ena rasps out in a hoarse voice.

Ukita smooths over our shock. “I believe she’s made the right decision here. We found these in a metal medicine cabinet, so the possibility of them being contaminated with radiation is extremely low. And naturally, there’s a zero percent chance any atomic dust is inside sealed bottles. Bottled water is completely different from tap water that way.”

“Then it’s safe enough! I’m taking one!” Miss Ena announces as she snatches a bottle from Tachibana’s arms.

“Hey!”

Miss Ena twists off the cap and chugs the water before Tachibana can stop her. She immediately starts choking.

“M-Miss Ena?! You okay?!”

“I-I’m okay. A little went down the wrong pipe because I drank too much at once… Anyway, how about you have some as well? This is the first time mere water has tasted so heavenly!” An intoxicated smile overtakes her face as if she had something stronger than water to drink. That only serves to rouse everyone else’s thirst.

“I-I’m having some too!”

“Me too!”

Ukita and Yuuri snap into action and share a bottle of water.

“Oh, come on!” Tachibana says, exasperated. But even she recognizes that the temptation this water poses is greater than the fear of radiation exposure.

“…Sorry, Tachibana, I’m also taking one.”

“S-Same!”

Tachibana finally gives in after Moribe and I do. “…There’s no helping it. At least it seems safe enough…”

Everyone ended up taking a water bottle. I twist off the lid and slowly pour the water into my mouth, careful not to choke on it. Fresh water soaks into my parched and cracking throat. It’s unbelievably tasty for lukewarm, room-temperature water.

“Whew! I feel alive again!”

“Right?! All hail water!”

Moribe and I share a smile.

“W-Well, keeping hydrated is an important part of the job… It’s my duty to have a drink,” Tachibana says awkwardly, as if she’s making up an excuse to drink it as she puts the bottle to her lips.

Even someone who’s always as levelheaded and calm as Tachibana has her human moments too. There’s something cute about her reactions.

“Now that we’ve quenched our thirst, let’s get back to the search— Huh, what’s that?” I spot something strange out of the corner of my eye as I’m talking. At the end of the corridor is a plate on the wall with the word “EMERGENCY” written on it. Right below it is a keypad with ten buttons labeled from zero to nine. “Hang on, guys. What do you think this is for?”

The others gather around what I’m looking at.

“Hmm…what could it be?” Moribe tilts her head.

“No idea. Maybe it’s an emergency line or something of that sort?” Ukita ventures.

Doesn’t sound like anyone knows. I press the buttons at random, but nothing happens. Yuuri watches closely as I fiddle with it.

“Is something wrong, Yuuri?”

“Ah! No, I’m just a little…tired.”

“I’m sure you are. You’ve had to keep moving without rest.”

“I-I’m okay. I can keep going.” She balls her trembling hands into fists. Her forced display of being okay worries me more.

Maybe our two-team system of three and three isn’t the right balance. “Hey, Tachibana? Why don’t we increase the help on your side by adding Miss Ena to your team? Moribe and I will cover the inner ring,” I suggest.

“I can see the merit in that. What do you think, Miss Ena?”

“I have no complaints.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Miss Ena. Ready to get to work, Moribe?”

“You know it!”

As we’re about to leave, Yuuri calls out to me. “U-Um, Captain Kasasagi…thank you for looking out for me.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s the adults’ job to look after kiddos. Don’t push yourself too much, Yuuri,” I tell her and walk toward the inner ring with Moribe.

Area 5, Between the Outer and Inner Ring

Connecting Passageway

ON the way to the inner ring, something odd catches my eye. “What’s this?” Something like charcoal was used to write a message in big letters on the wall.

To Sirius’s owner, from Alice’s owner,

Did you guys safely escape? Or are you still here? Maybe I should take it as a sign that you aren’t here anymore because I can’t find you no matter how much I look. But if you are still here, I want to regroup as soon as possible. Answer the following question if you get this message: “Did Sirius succeed in escaping from the cage on the night of the full moon?”

“Wh-What do you think it is? A message from someone to someone else?” Moribe asks in a dubious whisper, her eyes tracing the charcoal letters scribbled along the wall.

“Looks like code to me. Isn’t Sirius the name of our rescue squad?”

“Well, it’s definitely like we’re locked in a cage right now… But what’s this bit about the night of the full moon? I don’t think it’s a full moon today—it’s not even nighttime.”

“Hmm, no clue.”

I’m curious, but we don’t have time to burn thinking about it. We make our way through the connecting passageway and enter the inner ring. But the shrill beeping of the Procyon greets us the second we opened the gate.

“Tch! Another contaminated zone?!”

“8,650 mSv is the second danger standard! Let’s fall back, Captain!”

Moribe and I jump back and shut the gate. The shrill warning alarm ceases, but it’ll just go off again if we reopen the gate.

“That’s the highest level we’ve seen yet! It’s dangerous even with AD.”

“But I’d hate to leave somewhere completely unsearched. There could be survivors.”

“True. It can’t be avoided—I’ll go search the area,” I firmly declare.

“You can’t! It’s too dangerous! You fainted the last time you entered a contaminated zone, Captain!”

“I know, but I’ll be fine this time. I’ll go and come back in under three minutes.”

Moribe thinks it over for a bit before finally making up her mind. “…Okay then. If you’re going, I’m coming too.”

“You too?! Forget it. What good does it do for both of us to get exposed to radiation?!”

“I can’t let you go in there alone. I need to be there to save you when you pass out again.” Moribe grins to hide the fear she feels inside. Just where does she store all this courage in her small body?

“…All right,” I concede while secretly admiring her bravery. “I’ll be the one to carry you out of there if you pass out this time.”

“I like the sound of that. I’m counting on you.”

We exchange a firm handshake and determined smiles. Then I set the timer on my watch. “We’re doing this in three minutes, Moribe. Give up the search and return here once the time is up.”

“Roger, Captain. Let’s turn the whole place over in that time!”

“Yeah! Let’s do this!”

We bolster our morale and charge into the highly contaminated zone.

Unlike the untouched outer ring, the inner ring has extensive fire damage. The narrow passageway’s walls and floor are scorched black, with a damaged door at the end. Corridors continue to the left and right of it.

We’re in a battle against time now. No sooner does that thought occur than it feels like my head is being hammered and my skin goes numb. It’s the same symptoms I had the last time I entered a contaminated zone.

Is this a side effect of the radiation as we thought?

Fighting the pain, I strain my voice to say, “Moribe, let’s split up and regroup by the front room!”

“Roger!”

Moribe and I separate at the fork in the corridor. There are three doors on the left path I take. I hurtle into the farthest room first. It’s been charred beyond recognition like the corridor.

“Is anyone there?! Say something if you are!” I shout as loud as I can.

There’s no answer. I search for AD while I’m at it but don’t find any. I finish the search in under a minute and bolt from the room.

I immediately burst into the next room. But there’s nothing here either. The next room after that is no different.

I dash into the corridor after searching the three rooms and see Moribe sprinting toward me.

“Moribe! How’d it go on your end?!”

“I hit all three rooms with no luck!”

“Same here! The front one’s all we have left, then!” My eyes turn on the last unsearched room. It’s at the center of the fork and has a plate on the door that reads “Dr. Miyoko Tenkawa.”

Tenkawa? Is she related to the Natsuhiko Tenkawa who’s trapped here? Now that I think about it, Ukita previously mentioned that Natsuhiko’s mom works at LABO. Would that make this his mom’s office?

I open the door and find that this room, unlike the others in this block, hasn’t sustained any fire damage. There aren’t any survivors, but something about this room is calling to me.

I look behind the desk in search of that “something.” Lo and behold, I find an iron box on the floor. It’s a medical box! Flipping it open reveals five AD stashed within. I fist-pump the air just as my watch beeps.

“Score! Let’s get back to the outer ring!”

“Okay!”

We fly out of that room with the medical box. Once we get back to the connecting passageway, I shut the gate behind us, stopping the Procyon’s shrill warning beeps. Sighs of relief escape us with the quiet.

“Phew, I was becoming a nervous wreck!”

“You can say that again. Are you feeling out of sorts at all, Moribe?”

“Y-Yeah…no, well, a little nauseated…!” Moribe covers her mouth and bends over. “Don’t look, Captain! I’m gonna hurl!”

“Hurl what— Ah!”

“BLURRRRGH!” She turns her back to me and throws up in a corner of the passageway. I watch her like a dumbfounded idiot. She finishes throwing up and manages to put a smile on her pale face. “…Man, I’m sorry you had to see that. I’m so embarrassed.”

She’s making light of the situation, but my voice comes out tight. “M-Moribe… Don’t tell me you got radiation damage from being in there?”

“Huh? N-No way. I was running around so nervous that my fatigue finally caught up to my stomach, that’s all.”

“Are you positive?! Hey, show me your wrist!” I grab her wrist and examine her Vital Checker. One of the five green lights is flickering bright red. “Hey, it’s red! Doesn’t that mean something’s wrong with your health?!”

“Don’t panic. That’s just the pulse indicator. My heart’s racing because I just finished blowing chunks all over the floor. It’ll change back to green soon,” Moribe explains, and sure enough, the light returns to green. “See? I’m the picture of health again. Right as rain.”

“I see… As long as you’re okay…”

But Moribe has entered two contaminated zones, same as me. I’ve already clonked out once, so there’s no guarantee she’s okay with her smaller body size.

“…Tell me immediately if anything feels off.”

“Thanks for worrying, Sir Captain. You really are being a nice guy today.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s only natural for a captain to worry after their subordinates.” We share a short laugh.

“…Anyway, we found one hell of a treasure trove in there, huh?” Moribe says to bring us back on point.

“Sure did. It’s too bad we didn’t find any survivors, but we got a hold of AD pretty quick this time.”

Together with the one AD left in my pocket, we now have a grand total of six. We still have time until the next injection, too, so we’re in the clear for the time being.

“Let’s meet up with the others! They’ll be jumping for joy with this find!” she exclaims with a slightly less pallid face.

“Yeah!”

We take off in a run for the outer ring.

Area 5, Outer Ring

TEAM Tachibana happens to be exiting a nearby room when we reach the outer ring.

“Oh? That was quick. Did you finish checking the inner ring?” Tachibana asks when she notices us.

“Yeah. And I’ve got good news. We found five whole AD there.”

The other team goes wide-eyed at my announcement. A rare smile graces Tachibana’s lips. “Then we have a total of six AD? We secured a supply much faster this time.”

“Yeah. This gives us another hour plus of safety,” I say with a grin. I decided to keep quiet about the inner ring’s contamination. With our search of the area finished, I don’t want to cause unnecessary worry for the others. “How did your inspection of the outer ring go, Tachibana? Any luck?”

“We didn’t come across any AD or survivors after going through all the rooms, but…we found these instead.” She holds out a stack of security cards marked “Level 6.”

“You found that many Level 6 cards lying around?”

“There were three in the room we just checked. It appears that office belonged to the person responsible for managing and issuing these cards.”

We now have a grand total of four Level 6 security cards. But there’s not much point in having a ton of the same level cards.

“Survivors matter more than some stack of cards,” Miss Ena snips, her opinion similar to my own. “How have we not found a single trace of those children yet?”

“True. It’s fishy that we haven’t seen any of them after how much we’ve looked around.”

We’ve finished searching over 80 percent of the facility. Area 6 is the only area left unsearched. Does that mean we overlooked some places? Or have the survivors already died somewhere we haven’t come across?

Depression hovers in the air as everyone begins drawing similar conclusions. But a timid voice breaks through the glum mood.

“U-Um…I think it’d be better to think positively…instead.” Yuuri’s voice brings us all back to our senses as she continues, “Isn’t it better to believe that the fact we haven’t seen them yet…means everyone’s still alive? I’m sure they’re all in Area 6.”

“…You’re absolutely right, Yuuri.”

Yuuri’s smile dispels the shadows shrouding everyone’s faces.

“That’s right,” Miss Ena says with a small smile. “They have to be okay… All three of them are smart kids.”

“All right! Then let’s get on with the search!”

We share a determined nod and walk off toward the last unsearched zone of Area 6!