“And there you have your answer… All exits leading to the surface are currently blocked off by these bulkheads… Meaning we are trapped in LABO’s basement floors.”
“We’re trapped?! Why?!”
“We don’t know. All we do know is that, after announcing there’s a Case N, the PA system indicated they were locking down every bulkhead in the facility. So there’s probably no way out of here…”
“Can’t we just contact someone outside and have them open it for us?!”
“Won’t do any good, ’cause we can’t get in touch with them,” Moribe answers instead. “Every landline phone in here is dead. And like I said before, the radios barely work.”
“Can’t we just break this damn wall or force it open?!” I slam my fists into the bulkhead, but it doesn’t even budge. I can tell from punching it that it’s extremely thick and sturdy. “Dammit! Open up, you piece of shit!”
No matter how hard I punch, kick, or slam into it, the bulkhead is completely unaffected. This isn’t something physical strength can overcome.
“Tch! Looks like we can’t do anything to this without explosives or something.”
“I hate to break it to you, but we don’t have explosives on us. We don’t have any equipment that can destroy it,” Moribe says with a sigh.
Listening to them helped me finally understand the situation. Ultimately, these damn bulkheads have severed the surface from the basement floors.
“…Is there any other way out?”
“None. We’ve tried every possible thing for the two hours we’ve been trapped, and nothing worked. We can’t go through the air ducts. The elevators are out of order. We can’t break through the ceiling either,” Moribe ruefully informs me.
“…Dammit!”
“It gets worse. This facility is supposed to have a flawless sprinkler system, but it’s not working. Fires are breaking out all over the place, and we’ve got no way to figure where they’re coming from.”
“Wh-What the hell? Then we’re totally screwed, aren’t we?!” I start cursing. “We’re being radiated as we speak, fires are everywhere, and we can’t escape?! How the hell did this happ—”
“Chill out, Captain! How do you expect Yuuri not to be afraid if the rescue workers lose their cool?!”
Moribe’s pointed advice draws my attention to Yuuri. She’s hiding behind Tachibana, staring at me, fear-stricken.
“Ah… S-Sorry.”
She’s right. I shouldn’t have a pathetic breakdown in front of an already-scared girl. Amnesia or not, I probably came down here to save people.
“Come to think of it, what are you doing in LABO, Yuuri?”
“I-I’m…related to a staff member, and got caught up in this accident by chance…”
“I see… That’s unfortunate…”
It really is unfortunate—for her and us. I want to do something to get us all out of here, but even I know that won’t be easy. There’s just too much I don’t understand about the current situation.
Why won’t the bulkheads open?
Why has the sprinkler system shut off?
Why did I lose my memories?
“…Hey, Tachibana, what should we do now?”
“I would like to explain that to you in detail as well. Let’s move to the makeshift base we have set up near here first.”
I have no choice but to go along with her plan. My shoulders slump as I make my way down the stairs.
We’ve been trapped in a basement full of rampant fires and radiation. And yet I’ve gone and forgotten how to survive through a crisis, how to save others, and even who I am.
I’m clueless about how to proceed from here. But in any case, I have to take action. My gut tells me that if I don’t move forward, this basement will become my grave.
As powerless as I am without my memories, I have to fight in order to survive.