by Yuu Kamiya
“—Now then.”
Marie headed towards the elevator shaft with a leisurely stride.
The auditor from Technical Force followed after her without a word.
He probably served as the lead clocksmith here when things were normal. He had a broad chest as one would expect from a soldier, and next to his breast pocket was a badge proving that he was a Geselle.
While waiting for the elevator to come, Marie addressed the man.
“I’m just going out to breathe in some fresh air. Do you mind?”
“Do as you wish.” The voice that answered was surly.
However, Marie showed no signs of caring. After awhile, the elevator arrived, and she entered it and pressed the button for the surface level.
Right now, Marie and her staff were working 8,200 meters below the city grid—the third floor of the core tower. Even this elevator, which moved at a speed of 1,000 meters per second, took eight minutes to travel one-way between the surface and the third floor.
For awhile, Marie gazed at the depth meter above the elevator doors. But, eventually, she seemed to become unable to bear the silence any longer, and she turned around, saying, “That gun is a BR-19, isn’t it?”
Marie spoke to the man in a bright voice. Her sight was turned towards the gun holstered on the man’s waist. He didn’t answer, simply maintaining his posture of standing at attention; however, without paying any mind to that, Marie continued, “That gun shoots a bullet not by the gears turning against each other, but by them turning in the same direction at high speed, thus compressing then releasing air—Though its recoil is stronger than a conventional gun, one can use that recoil to amplify the compression of the next shot. In order to take advantage of that, its stopping power is also outstanding by necessity. Its loading capacity is typically seven bullets. I see that there are barbed wires surrounding the grip to prevent the gun from being seized. Its caliber is—my, a .45? If the priority is placed on sheer power though, wouldn’t the BR-sp33, a short assault gun, be better?
The man made a half-exasperated face at Marie, who had fluently explained standardized military pistols.
“You seem to be quite informed, I see.”
“Yes. They’re guns manufactured by my father’s corporation.”
“—Oh, that’s right. You’re the daughter of the president of the Breguet Corporation.
“Did you know? Those born into the Breguet family have the details of all the products designed and sold by the company drilled into them. We’re talking about one of the Five Great Enterprises here—so the entire catalog ranges from cribs for babies to jumbo-sized transport planes. I think you can imagine what a task it would be to memorize all of it.”
“That must have been very hard on you.”
“Indeed, my childhood was full of drudgery.”
“However, frankly speaking, I cannot understand what the point was in you learning all that. If you were an employee, it’d be another story, but was that kind of education really necessary for the family princess?” The man’s voice had a scornful-sounding ring to it.
However, Marie smiled as if to say, That’s just how I feel as well. “You think so too, after all?”
“Yes, I think it really was a waste of time. If you had the time to learn that kind of stuff, there were surely plenty of other things you should have learned instead.”
“It’s just as you say. Perhaps something like this, for example?”
“Hah? Gah—?!”
As soon as he opened his mouth, the man ended up groveling onto the floor.
“Er, Ergh, oooooooof...?!”
—He couldn’t understand what had happened.
Even though he was technically an engineer, as a part of the military he had received combat training as well. Even if he wasn’t part of an infantry unit, he had trained enough to be able to deal with two or three punks easily.
Yet, to be knocked down in an instant without even being able to resist, have his weapon taken from him, be trampled on by a girl who was merely sixteen years old, and to top it all off, have a gun up against the back of his head—Just what was going on?
“I told you, didn’t I? That I’ve had the ‘details’ of all the products drilled into me. That includes the ‘usage instructions,’ you know?—By the way, could I have you be quiet for the time being?”
“Y, Y-, You bitch, what is the meaning of t—Oof?!”
Marie abused him in a vulgar tone. “Hey, I told you to be quiet, didn’t I? Damn dog.”
It was an exceedingly relaxed tone of voice containing neither excitement nor nervousness. The man’s will to resist was sucked out of him by those words and the sensation of the muzzle against the back of his head.
The elevator arrived at ground level.
The doors opened along with the sound of the gas turning off. Apparently, someone had been waiting in front of the elevator. That someone was a giant, bear-like man—Halter.
He looked inside the elevator, upon which he slapped his own, bald head with his hand in exasperation.
Sounding sympathetic, he addressed the man being trampled upon by Marie. “It’s been a calamity for you too, hasn’t it? Well, just consider yourself unlucky and—”
“Save your chit-chat and get in the elevator.”
“Yeah, yeah. Well then, excuse me.”
Halter got on and pressed the button to descend. The elevator dropped rapidly once again, then came to a manually forced halt after about ten seconds.
Inside the elevator from which there was no escape, Halter tied up the man’s hands and feet. The man had struggled during the process, but as there was no way he could oppose Halter, a cyborg, with his body of flesh, he was simply left restrained on the ground.
Stamping on the man’s head, Marie spoke.
“Now then, shall I have you bark out a few things?”
“—Guh...”
The man struggled, wriggling about, but the foot on his head didn’t sway one bit.
Seeing him like that, the corners of Marie’s mouth stretched upwards.
“My, my, what’s the matter? Is that supposed to be a form of resistance? Wriggling about like that, it’s like you’re enjoying this, you degenerate.”
“Aren’t you in a good mood, princess.”
“I liked disciplining my dog when I was a kid. He was a large, cheeky one, but by the end he had become a cute doggy-woggy who whined if I pulled his chain, like this.”
Marie pulled up on the man’s necktie. Having both his head stomped on and his neck strangled, he let out a strained groan as he writhed in agony.
“By the way, Halter, did you bring the toy for me?”
“Yeah, just in case... Are you seriously going to use this?” Halter seemed reluctant as he took out a white syringe. The barrel was filled up with an unfathomable silver liquid.
Upon seeing it, the man’s face cramped up in terror.
“Wha-...H, Hey, what is that?! You’re planning on injecting me with something?!”
“What, you say? Truth serum, of course.”
“Wha—”
“—It’d be great if that were the case, but unfortunately, I don’t have that on hand. After all, we’re civilians, remember?”
“As if you bastards could be considered civilians!” the man screeched.
It was a heartfelt assertion that anyone would have agreed with; nonetheless, Marie paid him no mind as she grinned happily, continuing on, “Actually, it’s mercury.”
“Mer... Mercury?!” The man gasped as his eyes stretched as wide open as could be.
“Yes. The thing that’s used in automata maintenance.”
“Y, You bastard, are you insane?! If you inject something like that into me, I’ll—”
“Well, I think you’d die, right?” Marie laughed smugly. “So what? It’s not a big deal, right?”
“......”
The man’s face had turned pallid. His mouth was stiff, and tears welled up in his eyes. His arms and legs were
trembling all over, and his entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
“Now then, shall we set the rules? I’m the master, and you’re the dog. Obediently answer everything you’re asked with a ‘Woof-woof.’ What do you think? Simple, right?”
“Y, You bastards, don’t think you’ll get away scot-free with t—Ghhff!!”
Marie stamped down on his face forcefully, then said, “Hey, it’s ‘Woof,’ right? Why can’t you understand such a simple thing? Could it be that you’re making light of me?”
“Y, You shitty brat... Guah!”
“Do you want me to stamp on that pathetic brain of yours until everything spills out? You think a measly, half-baked clocksmith like you can defy me? Hey: know your place, you worthless dog.”
“Now, now, princess. You’re going too fast right out the gate.” Halter interjected in a seemingly chiding tone.
Seeming to sympathize a great deal with the man whose face was a sloppy mess from tears and a bleeding nose, Halter addressed him with a gentle voice. “Say, buddy. The princess has gotta be enjoying herself a great deal, but I genuinely just want to ask a couple questions. If you just answer me honestly, I’ll release you. I promise.”
“Guh...ugh...”
“I have two things I want to ask, okay? ‘Where is the point of malfunction?’ and ‘How much does the military have a grasp on?’ Won’t you tell me honestly?”
“N... No. I can’t.”
The man looked frightened, shaking his head as he looked into Halter’s eyes.
“C’mon, buddy. Don’t make it too troublesome for me, ’kay?”
“If I tell you, I’ll be killed!”
“Then, do you plan to play along with the princess’s fetish until you die?” Halter asked as he jerked his chin towards Marie. She brandished the syringe in delight.
“Let me warn you ahead of time: the princess is the real deal, you know? She’s an extreme sadist. She’s a socialite who was born in France, so she seriously thinks of commoner men as nothing but livestock.”
“I, I can’t.”
“Hey, buddy.”
“If I told you bastards, even my family who escaped the city would be killed by the military—!!” The man howled as he sobbed. “Damn you, you shits! If you want to kill me, go ahead! I’m not going to say anything, got it?!”
“Hey now, calm down buddy—or should I say, Mr. Ryoji Nijima.”
“Wha...” Suddenly being called by his name, the man started. “How do you know my name?” he squeezed out as he trembled, upon which Halter smirked and showed something to him.
A small white plastic plate.
It was an ID card.
“?!”
“Wasn’t it a mistake to mention that they had escaped from the city? Residents of this city who are currently away from home and named ‘something Nijima’... I could figure out who they are in just fifteen minutes, you know?”
“Halter, we’re done with this man, so dispose of him. We’re moving on to the next target. Ah, and don’t forget to have his family die in an accident,” Marie ordered with a pompous attitude.
Halter shrugged his shoulders and thrust the muzzle of his gun against the man’s temple.
“Well, that’s how it is—Sorry.”
“Wait! Wait up!! I got it, I’ll talk! I’ll fucking tell you anything you want to know!”
“You’ll fucking what?”
“Please let me answer your questions. I beg of you... gh!”
“Very well.”
Looking down on the cowering, hyperventilating man, Marie said, “Then, first question: Where is the point of malfunction?”
“Th... The twenty-fourth floor.”
“The twenty-fourth floor... It’s awfully deep down. If I recall correctly, that floor has systems for controlling atmospheric pressure and gravity, yes?”
“Th, That’s right... the fatal malfunction lies in the nucleus of the atmospheric pressure control system...”
“Good. You’ve become awfully obedient, haven’t you.—So, how much does the military have a grasp on?”
“T, That’s...”
“That ain’t even worth asking, princess,” Halter interjected. “They have a grasp on everything, and fully understanding the situation, they’ve abandoned repairing the mechanism. Despite knowing where the point of malfunction lies, they aren’t forwarding us that information. That’s also why they’ve taken all their repair staff off the case, right?”
The man remained silent, not answering.
And that silence was the most convincing answer of all.
“Hmm... I see. So in other words, our job is to save this city of twenty million residents that the military has abandoned repairs on,” Marie had concluded while nodding.
But the man sneered at her as if he had become unbound. “Hah—hahahahahah! If you think you can fix it, then try all you want.”
“—My, how cheeky. If I treat you with just a little kindness, you immediately go overboard. How hopeless. Could it be that you lack the ability to learn, you mongrel?”
“Hah—hahahahahaha!! Like you bastards could repair it!”
“Could you not treat my superior staff like they’re the same as you imbeciles?”
“Heh... I don’t know just what kind of distinguished masters you bastards are, but it’s already way past the time you would need to fix it!”
“...What do you mean by that?”
“I mean just that! This city will be ‘purged’ in just forty-two hours!
—“Purge.”
It was an intentionally executed process—the collapse of a city.
Detaching a city that had had an irreparable malfunction occur before it affected the entire planet’s mechanisms—an act of “quarantine,” so to speak.
“—Don’t fabricate such a grandiose lie. There’s no way an evacuation advisory wouldn’t have been announced already if there’s going to be a purge in forty-two hours.”
“It was announced... to the military and government officials, long ago.”
“——”
Halter grabbed the jeering man by his collar and shouted in his face, “You lot! Do you plan to simply watch the twenty million residents of this city die?!”
“Hah... Acting like you’re any better! Are you bastards even conscious of the fact that there’s been several cities that have been purged after you guys failed to repair their mechanisms?! Do you bastards not realize that in the end, even the technical skills you boast of were polished by killing people like that?!”
“Shut that filthy mouth of yours, you low-life.” Marie glared at the man.
Marie rushed back to the worksite on the third floor, and upon arriving, she shouted out without even stopping for a breath, “Everyone, stop what you’re doing and listen up, please!”
The staff that had been engaged in various tasks looked up at her, wondering what was going on.
As Marie looked over each of their faces one by one, she declared, “The abnormal area has been identified! There’s a malfunction in the atmospheric pressure controls on the twenty-fourth floor!! All staff members are to immediately begin transferring there! Once you arrive, please begin examining the part of the mechanism that you’re assigned by your squad leader!”
Though all of the staff’s eyes widened slightly, they began to evacuate the floor right away. In the corner of the room that had stirred into a commotion in one fell swoop, members from Technical Force goggled at the sight like they wanted to ask, “Why?”
Before Marie had realized it, Konrad, the service chief, was standing beside her. He asked Marie, “—You truly are an astonishing person, Dr. Marie. How did you do it?”
“I simply requested the information from them sincerely with all my heart.”
“Hmm, I see—You did something rash.”
Chief Konrad smiled bitterly as if to chide her, but Marie paid his expression no mind.
“More importantly, please hurry—The time limit is forty-two hours.”
The observation squad let out a cry to those words. “No way! If there’s only forty-two hours left, there’s nothing we can do!”
“Even if the abnormal area has been identified, finding the exact point of malfunction and testing possible restoration methods would require one week!”
“Then are you going to tuck your tails between your legs and run?” A green flame blazed in Marie’s eyes as she glared at them. “The military has abandoned repairs on the mechanism. It’s already been decided that this city will be purged. They plan to just let the residents, who know nothing, die.”
“Wha...!”
“That can’t be! Are you sure that’s not some kind of mista—”
“No, if we’re talking about them, then anything’s possible! That’s the military for you!”
Marie’s rage immediately spread throughout the staff present. Being flooded with gazes of contempt and censure from several tens of people, the members of Technical Force could be seen making off in haste.
Marie clapped both hands together and yelled out, “If it comes down to it, I’ll bear the responsibility for the unavoidable evacuation advisory. At any rate, for now, please start moving. Here on out, we can’t waste even a single second!”
After that, the staff began to move like a squall. Both the large amount of equipment and the documents scattered all around were tidied up in just five minutes.
After the last group of staff had left, Marie turned her head as she surveyed the hall and sighed forcefully. She leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid down until she hit the floor, then hugged her knees and laid her forehead on them.
Her hand was shaking.
She still felt the sensation of piercing the man with the syringe.
The feeling of the gun in her hand, the tenderness of the human body she had trampled, the man’s spiteful vitriol, all of them still remained.
—I thought I could do it. If I ordered Halter to, he probably would have done it for me. After all, that used to be his profession. Yet, I didn’t do so. I thought that if it were my older sister, she would do it herself since she probably wouldn’t hesitate. So, if it had to be done, I thought that I should at least do it with my own hands and by my own will.