▼ 3:16 pm
Surface Floor
Entrance Hall
LABO Researcher Miyoko Tenkawa
AT the same time, in LABO’s entrance hall on the first floor aboveground, a man in a business suit was conversing with a woman in a white lab coat.
“You’ve returned, Dr. Tenkawa?”
“Yes. What’s the status?”
“We confirmed that the amplifier shut down and cut off the power supply. The readings inside the facility are already in decline,” the man reports.
“I see. Three more hours to go… How many people are trapped inside?”
“We have already confirmed those numbers as well. There are sixteen people total. The breakdown is”—the man flips through the documents in his hand—“two subjects, two special observation targets, one observation target, three researchers, three Communicator administrators, four members of SIRIUS, including one observation target. All sixteen people have been identified.”
“…!” Dr. Tenkawa grits her teeth. It’s impossible to tell what she’s thinking from that expression.
“It is unknown who is alive or dead among the sixteen…,” the man whispers in a low voice. “Do you think those children are still alive?”
“We can only hope they are.”
“Understood. Then we will remain on standby,” the man says and leaves.
A large number of people decked out in heavy-duty hazmat suits scamper around the area. Among them are men in orange uniforms—members of SIRIUS. Their commander is raving at the people wearing hazmat suits.
“Are you screwing with me?! What do you mean we can’t enter the surface floors anymore?!”
“The aboveground floors have been successfully evacuated! Please wait until the lockdown ends.”
“A lot of survivors and my subordinates are trapped inside! Why are you stopping us from rescuing them?!”
The commander and his squad won’t be persuaded by the hazmat group’s explanation. An argument immediately breaks out between the rescue squad and the hazmat people.
Absently listening to the commotion, Dr. Tenkawa mutters, “How long will we continue to repeat this…?”
No one answers her question. Her sorrowful eyes fix firmly on the darkness lingering deep within the entrance hall.
✦ ✦ ✦
▼ 3:19 pm
Inside LABO
Her
BEYOND those iron bulkheads, in a corner of the vast facility where everyone failed to search—a girl lies in a pool of her own blood. Her name is Mashiro Toba. She’s the girl who boldly fought to prevent the disaster that happened here. But her hopes were crushed when she was shot to death by the culprit.