▼ 10:47 am
Area 4, Inner Ring
System Control Room
MISS Ena, Ukita, and Yuuri are already inside the control room when we get there. Ukita’s mortified shout echoes through the room when we step inside. “Damn it all! I can’t steal the root authority!”
“Wh-What’s going on, Ukita?”
He turns around at the sound of my voice. “Oh, it’s you guys. I heard everything from Ms. Tsubakiyama. Sounds like you went through hell.”
“Yeah, but we’re good now.” I decide to leave out Tachibana’s worsening health for the time being. “Anyway, did something go wrong? What’s this about not being able to steal authority?”
“Well, I’ve been expending all my efforts toward gaining control of the bulkheads. The control systems are buried under thick layers of protection I can’t get through no matter how I try.”
“I see…”
Everyone’s expression falls at his explanation. Having our hopes, however small, dashed is a huge blow.
Sensing our disappointment, Ukita quickly fills in the silence. “…I can’t say this makes up for it, but I discovered several things in the process. Please turn your attention to the monitor.” He operates the control panel, bringing up a picture on the screen.
“What’s this?”
“A detailed map of this lab. I marked the places of note.”
“Oh, this’ll be a huge help! This facility has a crazy layout I’ve been struggling to figure out.”
“And it’s not just a basic diagram of the layout. You can also use it to somewhat confirm the state of areas. Here’s what I learned from it.” Ukita gives his explanation while gesturing to the map. “First, all routes leading to the surface have truly been blocked off by the bulkheads. There are no alternative exits either. Incidentally, while some of the staircases going down are intact, every staircase leading up to those bulkheads, excluding the one in Area 2’s inner ring, have collapsed.”
“Hmm? What are these red marks, then?”
“Oh, those indicate the areas that are on fire.”
Red marks blot out whole sections of the map. They cover Area 4’s outer ring where we just had our run-in with the flashover. Worst yet, Areas 5 and 6 are drowning in red. In other words, all the areas we’re going to visit from here on are on fire.
“These fires probably damaged the security gates, causing radiation leaks…which is why the Procyon’s readings are jumping to higher and higher numbers.”
“Can we stop the numbers from increasing by sealing up the damaged areas?”
“It wouldn’t be easy. We don’t know what parts have been damaged, and it’s likely a lot. Besides, I highly doubt slipshod repairs will prevent radiation from spreading.”
“Great. Just great. We can’t continue our search with the whole place on fire.”
Some sections are no longer accessible to us even though we need to get more AD to Tachibana ASAP. And with all the unsearched areas on fire, I’m worried about the other survivors’ safety.
“Hey, Tachibana, Moribe, what do you think we should do next based on this new information?” I ask.
“The first order of business is finding AD, stat,” Tachibana says grimly. “Putting my own situation aside, the whole group is running out of time before we need our next injection.”
“But where do we look? The block we planned on searching next is burning away like there’s no tomorrow…”
My comment gets Yuuri to break her silence and speak up. “U-Um…I found this while I was waiting for you…”
“Oh?” I look at the small booklet in her hand.
“I think this is the facility’s disaster prevention manual. If you take a look at this page…” She opens the book to a certain page and holds it out to us. Our group walks over and takes a look at it together.
Disaster Prevention Manual (2030 Edition)
○ Before a Case N
In the event of an emergency such as a fire or accident occurring in the facility, please be prepared for a Case N to occur. Follow the procedures listed in this manual, and secure AD within the facility first and foremost. Please take the following countermeasures on the off chance a Case N does indeed occur.
○ Case N Countermeasures
The first thing you must do in the event of a Case N is immediately administer AD to yourself. Please do not panic should the bulkheads seal off the passageways to the surface. Remain calm, go to the nearest room, and wait for help to arrive.
○ About AD
A supply of AD is available in all areas. We recommend all personnel learn and confirm where the AD is kept in their area. Spare AD has been prepared in Areas 1, 3, and 5 for emergencies. Please obtain a supply as soon as possible and administer it.
There are several other entries in the manual, but those are the only ones that pertain to our current predicament.
I crack a smile at this new information. “Sweet! Sounds like there’s spare AD located in Areas 1, 3, and 5! Is there anywhere we haven’t checked in Areas 1 and 3?”
“There is—toward the end of Area 3’s outer ring, where we just were earlier. There’s one room we couldn’t get into because a backdraft destroyed the button.”
“Ah, I remember that. So it’s my fault, huh?”
“Wait, there’s a room you couldn’t get into?!” Ukita blurts. “All right, if I can pull this off, we might be able to solve both our AD and fire problems at once!”
“How? Did you come up with something, Ukita?”
“Yes. Take a look at this part of the map.” He points to the bottom right of the screen where something unusual is on display. There’s a block beside Area 3, called Area 3 Attic.
“What’s this?”
“It’s like a mezzanine floor between the surface and basement floors. This is the engine room where various equipment is stored.”
Hearing that reminds me of the note I found during an earlier search. “Is this the engine room where the sprinkler system is located?! How do we get there?!”
“According to this map, through a room at the end of Area 3’s outer ring. In other words, there’s a ladder leading to the engine room, located inside the room you couldn’t access. We should be able to restart the deactivated sprinkler system there.”
“So if we can find a way inside that room, we can put out the fires and get a hold of some AD!”
The news gets us all excited.
“The problem is how to get in that room. Want me to try repairing the jammed door?” Moribe offers in an ecstatic voice.
“Can you do that?”
“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try. I’ve got my handy army knife on me.” She whips out her knife for us to see.
The civilians in our group are all for her idea.
“I’ll lend you a hand, then,” Ukita volunteers. “I’m the only one who knows the engine room’s layout, after all.”
“I’ll come along as well. It’s kind of scary waiting here,” Miss Ena admits, hugging her shoulders.
“I-I agree… I’m coming too,” Yuuri quietly mutters.
Our next destination is set. Fires will no longer be a concern if we can get into the engine room. We leave the control room with a new hope tucked away in our hearts.