She cries out in relief when she sees me awake. “Ah! You’ve finally come to! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“Wh-What?”
The other woman stares down at my bewildered face and lets out a reassured sigh. “Thank God! You didn’t even twitch when we called your name. I thought you’d kicked the bucket!” She speaks like a young boy with a youthful voice. She’s short, baby-faced, and has a tooth protruding beneath her upper lip. She’s wearing the same orange coveralls as the other woman.
But I don’t recognize either of them. Wh-Who are they? Who’s this captain?
Confused beyond confusion, I scan my surroundings. I’m inside an unfamiliar building. I seem to have passed out in a corridor. Fluorescent lights illuminate the corridor where thick doors are lined up at equal intervals. Because there are no windows, I can’t tell whether it’s day or night.
“What is this place…? Why the heck am I—” Intense pain suddenly courses through my head, stopping me short. “AUGH!”
“Captain?!” The women raise their worried voices.
My arms come into view as I instinctively clutch my aching head. Apparently, I’m wearing the same orange coveralls as them. Thick leather gloves cover my hands and waterproof rubber boots protect my feet.
Incoherent images of disasters, accidents, and rescues zip through my mind. Is this some sort of firefighter uniform? Does that make these women, and myself, firefighters? But…I don’t feel like one.
I have no recollection of being a part of a fire brigade. Or more like I have no recollection of anything at all. For whatever inexplicable reason, I have no idea who I am.
“Who…in the world am—”
The woman with the protruding canine tooth creases her brow at my utterance. “L-Lieutenant! Captain’s not acting right!”
How was I supposed to respond to that?
The more mature woman being called lieutenant studies my face. “…Captain, do you not recognize us? Do you know your name?”
“My name…? Uhh, I’m…” I falter without an answer.
KA-BOOM! The air trembles with a roaring sound that shakes the ground.
“Wh-What was that?!”
Ignoring my shock, the women exchange apprehensive looks.
“Another explosion?! Let’s move out, Moribe!”
“O-Okay! Wait here, Captain!”
“Wha-?! H-Hey!” With no understanding of the situation, I chase after them. Running, I shout, “Wait for me!”
The baby-faced woman called Moribe glances over her shoulder. “Captain?! I told you to wait!”
“I-I can’t, not until you tell me what’s going on! What was that sound? What’s going on?!”
“HUH?! You don’t even know the situation we’re in?!”
“N-Nope…”
“You’ll figure it out if you come! This way!”
I see a large iron door at the end of the corridor past her. The lieutenant operates the terminal beside it, and the door slides open with the sound of releasing air pressure.
An intense wave of heat surges through the opening and is upon us in seconds.
“What the…?!”
A sea of fire blazes on the other side of the door, the corridor beyond engulfed in flames. Sparks are flying in every direction and a heat haze distorts visibility. I tremble with fear before the fiery inferno, but the women quickly take action as if they’re unfazed by it.
“Moribe, get a hose ready!”
“Roger! Outta the way, Captain!” Moribe shoves me aside and pulls a hose from the fire hydrant on the wall. The lieutenant takes it and points the nozzle toward the wild flames. “Lieutenant, here comes the water!” Moribe twists a valve on the hydrant, releasing a pressurized stream of water.
Forcing back the raging fire with that surge, Lieutenant shouts, “Moribe, search for survivors!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“A-Amazing! Great job!” I applaud her in the heat of the moment.
Moribe shoves the girl into my arms without taking a moment to bask in the successful rescue. “What’re you complimenting me for? I’m not a rookie! Anyway, take care of this girl for me, Captain!”
“Why?! Hey! Come back here!”
Moribe breaks into another run, shouting the same lines as before. “Is anyone here?! We’re here to rescue you!”
But no one responds. This girl seems to be the only person in this corridor.
I quickly lead the girl by the hand to a place that’s not on fire. Once we get there, she sinks to the ground and stares out at the swaying flames in terror. Clueless about how to proceed, I merely stand like a dumb rock beside her.
After a hard fight, the lieutenant succeeds in dousing the fire on this floor. She shuts off the valve sending water to the hose and looks back at us. “The fire has been extinguished. You’re both safe now.”
Moribe returns from scouring the corridor for survivors and sweetly addresses the girl, “Are you hurt anywhere, miss?”
“N-No…,” the girl stammers.
Clad in a gothic Lolita outfit, she appears to be in her late teens. Her face is pale and she has frighteningly good looks, but she also gives off the impression of frailty.
I wanted to save her, but I was completely useless in both the rescue attempt and putting out the fires. Moribe eyes me suspiciously as I wallow in my powerlessness.
“…Earth to Captain? You there? You’ve been acting strange.”
“S-Strange how?”
“Like you’re completely worthless baggage? And your word choice and actions are unusual for you. Did something happen?”
“S-Sorry. I’m equally as clueless…” I start by apologizing before getting to my question. “…There’s something I want to confirm with you. You guys have been calling me ‘Captain,’ so I take it that means I’m the captain of a rescue squad?”
“Well, duh. Where did that question come from?”
“Here’s the thing…I don’t know. Who am I? What is this place?”
“HUH?!”
Everyone goes slack-jawed at my admission.
Moribe wryly asks, “D-Don’t tell me you’ve got amnesia? You’re pulling my leg again, aren’t you, Captain?”
“No… I wish I was, but I’m not…”
I know what amnesia is. And the fact that it doesn’t occur often. But it’s also true I have zero knowledge about myself. Only the memories pertaining my personality and current situation have unnaturally vanished.
How could this be anything but amnesia?
The lieutenant’s suspicious voice cuts into my thoughts. “Please hold on a moment, Captain. Did you hurt your head by any chance?”
“My head? Now that you mention it, I had a horrible headache a few minutes ago…”
“I thought so… There’s a possibility you hit your head on something. Your confusion and forgetfulness are likely temporary symptoms caused by the impact.”
“Do you think my memories will return with time?”
“I do. However, if you suffered any brain damage, there is a possibility your amnesia could become permanent. And there have been cases of people dying when the damage is left untreated.”
“People have died…?!” My heart plummets.
“Captain, how bad is your headache? Do you feel like throwing up?” Moribe rattles off questions, sounding worried.
“N-Nothing hurts right now. I don’t feel nauseous either.”
“Then you should be in the clear, but…let me check to be sure.” Moribe grabs my arm, rolls up my sleeve, and checks my wrist. I hadn’t noticed I’ve been wearing some sort of metal wristband.
“What’s this?”
“It’s called a Vital Checker. It’s a device that automatically checks the wearer’s vitals.”
On closer inspection, I see several numerical readings and five green lights lit up on the digital device.
A relieved smile replaces Moribe’s frown. “Your status is all green. No irregularities with your pulse, blood pressure, or anything else. You’re the picture of health.”
“So I don’t have to worry about dropping dead any time soon…?”
“This isn’t a proper medical exam, so we can’t relax yet. Make sure to go for a real checkup later.”
I take her advice to heart.
Just then, out of the blue, the lieutenant gasps. “Oh no! We have to inject the girl with medicine before it’s too late!” She pulls some sort of ampoule-like container from her pocket. Holding it out toward the girl, she says, “Miss, please extend your arm for a moment.”
“N-No…I don’t want that shot…” the girl fearfully resists.
“Don’t say that! You’ll be in serious danger without it!” She seizes the girl’s arm. Not taking no for an answer, she rolls the girl’s sleeve up and injects her with the ampoule.
“Ah!” the girl moans, trembling.
I cock an eyebrow at that display. “What are you injecting her with?”
“It’s called AD,” the lieutenant explains. “Put in layman’s terms, it’s a drug that prevents radiation exposure—an anti-radiation drug.”