Good Luck, Yukikaze y-2

by Chohei Kambayashi

  Mayle stumbled out of the room into the brightly lit hallway. He looked up at the dazzling lights overhead and sneezed. Any minute now, he’d wake up from this nightmare, he thought. But his nausea wouldn’t go away. No doubt he’d drunk too much and his body had whipped up this whiskey-fueled nightmare in protest. Thinking that, he headed for the restroom at the bend in the hallway. It felt so far away, probably because this place used to be used as a warehouse. Elite, my ass, Mayle thought as he regained his sense of reality.

  The lights were bright in the restroom too. There was another man inside, standing at a urinal. He turned to look at Mayle, then smiled.

  “Lieutenant Mayle! Long time no see.”

  Mayle backed away, unable to answer.

  “Lieutenant?” asked Jonathan Lancome, tilting his head inquisitively. “What’s wrong, Lieutanant? You look terrible.”

  Zipping up his pants, Lieutenant Lancome walked slowly toward him. Suddenly, a hole appeared in his belly, blood and flesh flying everywhere. Lancome’s body, now blasted in half, fell to the floor. The entire restroom was stained red. Mayle thought he heard a howl like a wild animal, and then he ran from the room, suddenly aware that the cry he’d heard was his own scream. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t stand straight. He hit the wall immediately outside the restroom door, cushioning the blow with both hands, then bent over and vomited. The bile poured from his mouth like someone had opened a tap. Mayle puked two, then three times. By then there was nothing left in him to come out, but he still stood there, dry heaving. The effort brought tears to his eyes. It had to have been the guys in the 505th, Lieutenant Mayle thought. They must have spiked that going-away present of theirs with some kind of powerful hallucinogen, no doubt so that they could calm the rage they must have felt for him. He’d loved those guys, and this was how they’d repaid him. Fuck them all.

  “Are you all right, Lieutenant Mayle?”

  He heard a voice. He turned his tear-blurred eyes to see who it was. It was no corpse. It was a live, healthy human being. But there was nothing normal about this, because the owner of the voice was the supposedly dead Lieutenant Lancome.

  “Who... who are you?”

  “Have you forgotten me, Lieutenant?”

  “The Lieutenant Lancome I knew is dead. You can’t be him.”

  “I am Jonathan Lancome, Lieutenant.”

  “But you’re dead.”

  “Yes, sir. I am.”

  Mayle took a moment to process that.

  “What?”

  “I haven’t forgotten how good you were to me when I was alive, Lieutenant.”

  “Do you realize what you’re saying?”

  There must have been something wrong with his ability to understand speech now. What the hell did he mean by when he was alive?

  “Look, I don’t care if you’re dead,” Lieutenant Mayle said, carrying on even though he knew it sounded ridiculous. “Stay dead for all I care. But I’m alive, so don’t kill me.”

  At that, Lancome responded with a bright smile that sent shivers down Mayle’s spine.

  “You haven’t changed a bit, Lieutenant. I feel relieved now.”

  “What do you mean, I haven’t changed?”

  “Right. No matter what happens, you keep your head. Please, Lieutenant. Give me orders. I’ll do anything for you, because I can’t die now.” Lieutenant Lancome then said that he knew what to do, then went back into the restroom for some cleaning supplies and began to mop the floor clean of Lieutenant Mayle’s vomit. Completely dumbfounded, all Mayle could do was stand aside and silently watch his formerly dead subordinate push a mop across the floor.

  He’d always been like this, Lieutenant Mayle recalled. Good-natured, a man who hadn’t a bad thing to say about anyone else. It was like a peaceful scene out of their everyday life, as if nothing had changed at all. Times like these were so much nicer than the hours they spent in their planes, fighting the JAM.

  There was the sound of a number of footsteps behind him. Lieutenant Mayle turned to look. His roommates were coming down the hallway toward them, with Lieutenant Burgadish in the lead. They all looked fine. Lieutenant Mayle didn’t know quite how to react to this.

  “It isn’t wise to drink too much,” Lieutenant Burgadish said. “Your body isn’t just yours to do with as you want.”

  “Heh,” laughed Lieutenant Mayle with self-derision. “You mean our bodies belong to the military, is that it?”

  “What you just saw was real,” Lieutenant Burgadish replied.

  “What are you talking about?” asked Lieutenant Mayle.

  “What you saw was reality. You saw our bodies. We’re all dead, as are you, Lieutenant Mayle.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “What we are,” Lieutenant Burgadish went on, his tone now friendlier, “are consumable weapons. We were all sent to Faery to die, so it’s the same as being executed. The FAF is just getting the most use they can out of us. We’ve figured out that they’re going to just keep bringing us back to life so that they can use us over and over. Well, we’ve had enough of being used. We’re going to smash the FAF. If we don’t, we’ll never rest in peace.”

  “I’m no ghost,” Mayle said. He was so thirsty now.

  “You’re not alive,” said Lieutenant Burgadish. “You may as well be a ghost. The original you died. Try to remember.”

  God, he wanted water so badly.

  “The consciousness we now possess isn’t real. We’ve been brought back, and the FAF plans to just keep right on bringing us back. This ‘retraining unit’ is nothing but a ghost unit. We’re immortal now because we’re already dead. They can send us on any mission, no matter how dangerous it might be. We have no hope because they can’t bring us back to life for real. In that case, better to just let us die for good. You must see that will be the best thing for us. Look at yourself. You’re nothing but a dried-out mummy now.”

  He was suddenly aware of his body growing thinner. He could hear a sound like somebody walking on dead leaves. Lieutenant Mayle held both of his hands up in front of his eyes and stared at his palms. His skin was losing its color, turning the brown of dead leaves, crackling as it changed. His bones clung to the withered flesh as it dried and shrank.

  Mayle could feel his hair standing on end, but couldn’t make a sound. He didn’t have the strength to stand anymore and slumped against the wall. He felt as though he’d collapse at any moment. His vision went yellow, then he couldn’t see anything at all, but he remained conscious. He wanted water. Just a drop of water, that’s all.

  Please, he pleaded to the rescue party. Find me, soon. His survival rations and water were all gone now. He’d fallen into the dense forests of Faery and could neither climb out nor push his way through the thick branches and leaves. He couldn’t move anymore. He couldn’t see the sky anymore. How many days had it been? His survival beacon breaking down had been the deathblow. Dammit, he wanted to see the sky. Just one more time, just a glimpse.

  And then his consciousness had grown distant... What were these memories he was seeing? Was this reality, and he’d just forgotten it? Then, what had he been since being rescued?

  “We’re all duplicates now,” Lieutenant Burgadish said.

  2

  SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING in the Systems Corps. What had Yukikaze found?

  Aboard Yukikaze, Rei checked the main display and saw that she had activated the T-FACPro II software. Before he could ask his question, Captain Foss, in the rear seat, spoke.

  “This is Captain Foss. Yukikaze, what do you mean the JAM are in the Systems Corps? On what basis are you making that claim? Answer me. What have you found there?”

  Yukikaze’s response scrolled onto the display.

  I cannot answer Captain Foss’s question without clearance from Captain Fukai.

  “Yukikaze, I’m granting you clearance,” Rei said. “This is a vital ongoing mission to predict the JAM’s future behavior. Captain Foss is participating in it as well. Yukikaze, answer Captain Foss
’s question.”

  Roger.

  The response came up on the display in natural human language.

  The names of people confirmed dead have shown up on the roster of the retraining unit that has been organized within the Systems Corps. Second Lieutenants Burgadish and Lancome.

  “W-w-what?” Rei spit. “Lieutenant Burgadish? As in our Lieutenant Burgadish?”

  Lieutenant Burgadish, former flight officer of SAF Unit 3. I identified Lieutenant Lancome as an enemy and destroyed him. Persons with corresponding names are currently extant within the Systems Corps. I predict other persons who would not be expected to be alive are also within this unit. These people are not human. I have therefore judged them to be JAM. I also predict that they will be taking destructive action against the FAF in the near future.

  “The people in the retraining unit must be JAM duplicates,” said Captain Foss. But Rei, still unable to believe it, sat staring at the display.

  “Captain Fukai, what’s wrong? Captain. Rei! You shouldn’t be surprised by this. We anticipated it.”

  “Even if we did...” Rei muttered. “I ate Lieutenant Burgadish’s flesh. And this guy, Lieutenant Lancome... Yukikaze killed him. I ordered her to do it.”

  Foss sees this all as a game, Rei thought. Like it was nothing but a big chessboard. This doctor had no real feelings for the two dead men. But to him, they were a reality that held a palpable sense of dread. Lieutenant Burgadish and Lieutenant Lancome...?

  Rei unconsciously shivered. If those two were there, then they were duplicates. They had to be. They couldn’t be ghosts. So why am I so terrified? he wondered. What do I have to be scared of?

  “The JAM have the ability to bring back the dead,” Rei muttered, then nodded at his own words. “That’s right. That’s what being able to duplicate people is. You could also call these duplicates the living dead.” That was even more frightening than a ghost, and if there was anything that had power over every human being, it was fear.

  Yukikaze’s reply continued.

  The names of Lieutenant Burgadish and Lieutenant Lancome and their personal histories have been entered into the Systems Corps personnel management computer as members of the new unit. I can verify that there are human bodies that correspond to those names. I can’t confirm if these bodies have the same identities as the men who once shared their names, but that confirmation will not be necessary when an attack is made on this unit.

  “Why, Yukikaze? Why do you say that confirmation is unnecessary?”

  It is enough to verify the existence of the men with these names. I have made the verification. This is a declaration of war against the FAF by the JAM.

  “What...?”

  “Yukikaze, you received a message to that effect from the JAM while you were inside of the mysterious battle zone, didn’t you?” Captain Foss asked. “The JAM told you of their strategy against the FAF on your last mission, didn’t they? Answer.”

  I recall receiving a message from the JAM that they were preparing a declaration of war. We are preparing a declaration of war in a way which only the SAF will understand. Pay attention to the humans within the FAF, it said. I judge that this situation denotes that declaration. Attack the new unit, Captain Fukai. Not one of them can be allowed to escape. Destroy them all. That is all.

  “Let’s tell General Cooley,” said Captain Foss. “Yukikaze’s right. We have to hit this new unit before they can hit us.”

  Rei didn’t answer.

  “Captain Fukai, what’s wrong? There’s nothing to consider here. This unit is just a collection of duplicates.”

  “Assuming it is... then that means there’s somebody in Systems Corps who did this intentionally to tip us off.”

  “It was Colonel Rombert. He was in charge of personnel selection, so —”

  “But we can’t conclude for certain that Lieutenants Burgadish and Lancome are JAM duplicates.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Colonel Rombert may have assigned new names to the people who came to be in the new unit. In other words, he may be using the names of other people as code names, and the real names of the people in the unit may be entirely different. We need verification. Besides, I don’t buy this attitude from Yukikaze that we have to attack without verification. She’s basically telling me to kill indiscriminately, without determining who’s a friend and who’s an enemy. I think... I think she may have been brainwashed by the JAM.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Yukikaze has never been concerned about humans. I know that for a fact, Edith. This sort of behavior is abnormal for her. She’s scared of the names of these dead men, and I think the JAM may have psychologically conditioned her to be that way.”

  “You’re being ridiculous.”

  Rei accessed Yukikaze’s central data storage bank, searching for the original data to which Yukikaze had referred as the JAM’s declaration of war. But there was nothing specific to indicate the content of the message. Captain Foss also verified this fact.

  “The JAM must have made Yukikaze hallucinate as well,” Captain Foss surmised. “I can hardly believe it, even if I did anticipate it.”

  “It wasn’t a hallucination. It probably happened,” Rei replied. “The data may not still be there, but when she considers her experiences in the mysterious battle zone, Yukikaze knows that the JAM would issue their declaration of war in this manner. She understands the JAM threat but has no concrete data to back it up. That’s what’s got her so scared.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for it that she’s exhibiting fear. But if you say that she’s acting abnormally, then I trust you on that. So what do we do?”

  “Something exists which shouldn’t. That’s scary, and there’s only one way to deal with it.”

  “How?”

  “We acknowledge their declaration of war and attack. That’ll be the only way to stabilize Yukikaze’s psyche. If they’re not supposed to exist, we’ll make them no longer exist... by erasing all data relating to these ghosts.”

  “What?”

  “Yukikaze, our mission action will be to erase all data in the Systems Corps’ personnel management computer relating to the members of the retraining unit,” Rei said, now talking to the plane. “This emergency mission action will be an electronic warfare attack against the JAM. Prepare to engage. Captain Foss, monitor the electronic attack. Yukikaze, initiate electronic warfare.”

  “Wait, stop! Yukikaze, wait!” Foss said. “You can’t just delete data at random.”

  “Don’t try to stop this, Captain Foss.”

  “You’re the one who’s scared here. Calm down, Captain Fukai,” Captain Foss said. “I understand that you want Yukikaze back to normal, but you can’t rush into this. You’ll be deleting data that could be extremely valuable to the SAF. Even Yukikaze wouldn’t consent to that. There’s a procedure for this. You and Yukikaze are both upset. Surely you see that. Let me handle this.”

  “Is that an order?”

  “Yes. Yes, it is.”

  Rei paused a moment before answering.

  “All right, Doctor. Yukikaze, follow Captain Foss’s instructions.”

  Roger, Captain Fukai.

  “Yukikaze, this is Captain Foss. Tell me about the nature of the data you’ve targeted for attack. There’s no need for you to access it again at this time. What I’m asking is, in your reading of that data, on what basis have you judged that the people in that unit are JAM rather than human and that they should be wiped out? Answer me.”

  The data targeted for attack relate to the members of the retraining unit. Full names, ranks, original unit assignments, and sortie records have been recorded, but the details have been changed after certain missions. In the case of Lieutenants Lancome and Burgadish, the fact of their disappearances and deaths in combat are no longer in the record. Instead, past those points, it has been recorded that they have been performing normal duties. This clearly contradicts reality. Therefore, they are not human. If they are not
human, I predict that they are JAM. That is all.

  “But that’s strange, wouldn’t you say?” Foss said. “Think about it, Yukikaze. The two men you believe are JAM may simply be other FAF personnel who have just assumed their names. Why didn’t you consider that? What’s the reason? Do you understand the meaning of my question, Yukikaze? What is your basis for your absolute belief that those two men are not human?”

  The number of all humans currently extant in the FAF compared to computer records of the number of survivors is over by two. In other words, these two people are not FAF humans. On the other hand, it is impossible that the persons now claiming to be Lieutenants Burgadish and Lancome have survived their deaths and continued to perform their duties. From this fact, I have concluded that these two men represent the numeric discrepancy previously mentioned.

  “Yukikaze, are you saying that you have counted the tens of thousands of human beings on the planet Faery? Every person living, breathing, sleeping, and fighting?”

  I have.

  “Might not the data be in error? I’m asking you that, Yukikaze. Respond.”

  The data related to management of all humans extant in the FAF is not only stored in the personnel management computers of the units each person is attached to. It is also stored in the memories of several other devices, including FAF facility access control computers and the FAF soldier registration bank. I cross-checked them to verify any errors in their records, but could not find any. There are no errors in the original data. That is all.

  “This definitely isn’t the work of a human,” Rei said. “It shows all the hallmarks of a computer’s doing.”

  “Amazing... For Yukikaze, so long as that target data about the Systems Corps exists, her only explanation for those two extra men is that they’re JAM. Even if the count is wrong.”

  “Making the number of humans match up really isn’t what Yukikaze’s concerned about here.”