▼ 11:27 am
Area 4, Outer Ring
WE’VE returned to Area 4’s outer ring. This block has been utterly desolated by the flashover’s explosive flames. Though the fire was put out, the walls and ceiling are charred, laying waste to the futuristic interior.
The entire floor is in ruins, but there are several doors along the blackened walls. It’s worth a look if the rooms are still intact.
Warning beeps have been going off from the Procyon for a while now. At 5,322 mSv, the radiation level here is much higher than the other areas.
Crud. The contamination is growing out of control in this block as we feared… But it’s at a level we can tolerate with AD.
Tachibana checks the readings before handing out orders. “All right, we are going to search this block in teams. Mr. Ukita and Yuuri will search the rooms on this half with me. Captain, Moribe, and Ms. Tsubakiyama are to take care of the other half and the elevator hall.”
“On it.”
We immediately get to work without argument.
My team combs the crispified floor. Anxiety eats away at me as I walk around. Just because the sprinkler system kicked on doesn’t guarantee the survivors are safe now. They might very well be dead already if they were trapped in any of the areas surrounded by fire.
Moribe must’ve been thinking the same thing because she speaks up in a paper-thin voice: “I’m worried about those kids… I wonder if Louise and the others are okay.”
“It is worrying, but if the security camera footage is anything to go by, they’re likely in Area 5 or deeper. The fires shouldn’t have reached there yet.”
“It’s not just the fires I’m worried about—it’s the radiation. I mean, isn’t the Procyon reading over 5,000 mSv now?”
It’s true that you don’t want to stick around long with exposure to the 4,000 to 8,000 mSv range of the first danger standard, even with AD. The reality still hasn’t settled in yet, but these are normally absurd radiation levels to be walking around in.
“…You’re right. We shouldn’t stay here too long either—especially me and Ms. Tachibana,” Miss Ena says dismally.
“Hmm? I understand why Tachibana shouldn’t, but why not you?”
“Did you already forget, Captain Kasasagi? I was down here without AD until you guys showed up.”
Moribe and I gasp. I’d forgotten that Miss Ena didn’t even know a meltdown had occurred until she met up with us.
“Whoa, hold up, Teach. Aren’t you putting yourself in serious danger?! I’ll let Tachibana know so you can skip out on searching this area—”
“Oh, don’t give me that load of crap. I’m not going to sit on my butt while everyone else is working.”
“…!” I closely study her face. She has more gumption than I gave her credit for. “…You’re amazing, Miss Ena. I’ve had the wrong impression of you all this time.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere with me. Anyway, let’s hurry and get this over with.”
“Y-Yeah.”
While we were chatting, we finished our search of this block. The elevator hall is up next. It’s located at the far end. The flashover didn’t damage the door. As we get closer to it, Moribe sniffs the air.
“Huh? What’s that smell?”
“Hmm?”
“You know, it smells like something delicious has been cooking—” Her expression instantly freezes over.
I catch a whiff of that smell too. On a conditioned reflex, saliva fills my mouth and my empty gut aches, rousing my appetite.
But an icy cold chills my spine. The delicious smell my nose caught a whiff of was—that of cooked meat.
…Oh God, I hope I’m wrong.
The smell is wafting from inside the elevator hall. Some sort of burnt meat is in there. The worst possible outcome races through my mind, my body trembling.
Miss Ena catches on and croaks, “C-Captain K-Kasasagi, the door…!”
“Y-Yeah…!” We nod to each other, and I resolutely open the door.
“Ahh…” A hollow moan comes from all three of us.
The elevator hall is completely untouched by the fires. It’s sparkling clean, to the point I wouldn’t have believed a fire had been raging outside it if I hadn’t witnessed it for myself.
But what lies deeper within is unmistakably the result of a fire: legs burned to charcoal, melted body fat dripping to the floor, a horribly charred hazmat suit, a burned fire axe gripped firmly in hand—my hunger instantly turns to nausea.