I landed the plane, while making sure not to break the landing gears. Gently, softly. Black smoke was rising around the hangar. There were four dark blue vans parked on the embankment. There seemed to have been some commotion on the ground as well. But, there was nothing I could do about it. I felt like I no longer cared about anything such as that anymore. Yes, I was having enough fun in the sky, and I probably had been completely intoxicated.
I taxied closer to the smoke, and then stopped the engine. There was still 70 percent of fuel left in the tank. The flight time was about 20 minutes at most.
I looked up at the sky again. Smoke clouded half of the sky.
I pushed up the canopy to get some fresh air. There was a slight breeze. My sweat-soaked bangs were cold. I unbuckled my belt and stepped out onto the main wing. Then I jumped down to the ground.
I lost my balance and fell forward. I put my hands on the ground. My body was still leaning, and I felt like I was going to fall down. But I held the ground, caught my breath, and stood up again. Oh, I’m planesick after all, I thought. It is like I have drunk alcohol. Of course, I don’t feel bad. Rather, on the contrary, I feel good.
A few people were approaching me.
I was almost giddy just by staring ahead, but I waited there.
There were five, maybe six. They were all wearing helmets and deep blue uniforms. They are not the ones who were here before.
On the embankment, a car door slid open, and one person stepped out from inside. It was a woman. She turned her body slightly sideways and walked down the sloping ground toward me. In the meantime, I took several deep breaths. I wanted to sit down somewhere soon.
But, those who were surrounding me remained silent. They seemed to be staring at me. Now I am realizing that they are holding guns.
Well, they’re the enemies. That’s too bad.
I don’t mind being shot dead now.
I’ve had that much fun at the end.
Finally, the woman came close to me. She was tall and dressed in a black two-piece suit.
She stood in front of me, a meter away.
I looked at her face.
It was a familiar face to me, but I could not remember her name.
“It was splendid.” She said. “You have done marvelously.”
“Thank you,” I replied tentatively.
“I promise you will be able to get on Sanka again. Come back with me.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“You have my word. Your flight has proven that your abilities have returned.”
“Thank you so much, ma’am.” I found myself raising a hand, and was surprised by that hand. Indeed, I was about to give her a salute.
I straightened my posture and saluted her.
She responded by raising one hand lightly.
“Put the gun down.” She looked back and commanded.
They all lowered their guns. One of them walked to her.
“Ma’am, there’s still one person left inside.” Lifting his helmet, the man reported.
“Is the one Sagara?”
“Yes, probably ... She is resisting with a gun. Ma’am, what shall we do? Shall we blast it?”
“I give you permission.” She nodded.
“Wait. I’ll go inside to talk with her.” I stepped forward. “Is anyone else coming with me?”
The man did not reply.
“Is the person who is inside Aoi Sagara?” The woman asked me.
“I’m not sure,” I replied. I thought I answered correctly. “But, that person is an acquaintance of mine.”
The man came in front of me. He looked at me as if he was glaring at me.
“Eight of those who resisted are already dead. The only one left is that woman.”
“Six people on our side died in the sky.” The tall woman said in a flat tone. She must be talking about the aircrafts I shot down.
“I’ll go back and check what’s going on inside.” I proposed. “I might be able to convince her to surrender.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “But there is no need for you to push yourself. If we compare your life to hers, you are more important right now.”
The man moved even closer to me, pulled out the gun on his waist, grabbed the barrel, and held it out to me.
“I don’t need that.” I shook my head horizontally.
“But you might be shot by her.”
“No, I will be okay.”
The hangar had collapsed, and the interior was half-buried in the earth. Rubble was strewn about. I straddled a fallen frame, and entered the ruined construction.
Before going up the stairs, I picked up a lamp that was hanging on the wall. I placed it on the stair step and checked my surroundings. I sniffed to make sure that fuel was not leaking. Then I took out a lighter from my pocket and lit the lamp.
I was having a headache, but I did not feel lightheaded anymore. I walked up the stairs and into the darkness.
The lights were out. It was pitch black.
“Sagara!” I shouted.
Where is she?
I decided to check each room, one by one, in a sequential order.
There was no one in the room where we had eaten. There was no sign of anyone in the corridor either. Next, I went to see the room where the leader of the group had been. It was almost completely collapsed. The floor was wet. Water was still falling from the ceiling. Apparently, she was not likely found within this vicinity.
I turned around and went the other way through the tunnel.
There was a fork in the path. One branch led to a stairway. It would take a person to the cabin on the ground, but the above-ground portion would have already been demolished.
I chose the other way.
Oh, she told me that it led to a sewage canal and that she could go far. Maybe she’s already gone.
After a while, I came to a slightly larger space. There was a round concrete wall. I wondered if there was water flowing underneath. It was too dark for me to tell for sure.
“Sagara!” I called out her name.
If anything, I was beginning to hope that she was running away. It would be better for her, surely.
“I’m here.” I heard her whisper. Just below me.
I stepped out of the hole, and stretched my legs out below me.
There was another hole underneath.
It was about a meter in diameter. I held out the lamp into it. About three meters deep, I saw her white face, appeared to be floating in the air.
“Are you by yourself?” She asked.
“I’m by myself.”
“How is the situation on the ground?”
“Your allies were wiped out.”
“Where are the busters?”
“They’re still up there.”
“If so, how have you managed to come down here?”
“I told them I would try to bring you up there.”
She closed her eyes.
Silence.
Her eyes opened.
She was staring fixedly at me.
“You cannot do that.” She was carrying a gun. “It’s over. I’m going to die here.”
She put the gun to the side of her head.
“Why do you intend to die?” I asked.
“They will make use of me. I mean, my knowledge.”
I said nothing. I cannot argue with that, I thought.
“You’ve returned to the state of Kildren. I’m the only one who knows why.”
“Have I returned to that?”
“While you were sleeping, I tested your physiological conditions.”
“When and where?”
“In the bed.”
“You mean, in the loft?”
“Yes. I checked the results of the injection at the hospital.”
“What? Hospital?”
“Don’t you remember that? I visited your sickroom, didn’t I?”
“I do remember that.”
“I gave you an injection.”
“Yes.”
“I found out the result of that yesterday. There was no mistake in my theory.”
“Theory?”
“I’m sorry. I had no choice but to conduct an experiment on you. I could not find another way of doing it. Now, everything will be as it was, as if nothing has happened. I’m satisfied with the fact that I could clean up the mess. I’m just sorry I had to alter your life like this ... I’m really sorry about just that.”
“Life?” I wondered what she meant by the words “like this.”
“Do you want to be a normal human being again? Or do you prefer being a Kildren?”