▼ 9:34 am
Between Area 2 and Area 3, Inner Ring
Connecting Passageway
ONE of those security gates comes into view at the end of the connecting passageway on our way to Area 3.
Tachibana points out the terminal next to the gate. “Swipe the card through the slot here and the gate will open. You will need the card again if you want to pass through the same gate, since opening it once doesn’t unlock the overall security system.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Got it. I’ll give it a shot,” I say, glancing over at Moribe as I pull the card out of my chest pocket. She’s glaring at her Procyon. “What’re you doing, Moribe?”
“We need to check the radiation levels with this before we enter unexplored areas. Everything past this gate is uncharted territory for us, y’know?” Moribe clenches her jaw and waits for me to open the door.
I nervously swipe the card through the slot. With a hiss of hydraulics, the gate opens. Standing next to Moribe, I narrow my eyes on Procyon’s display. At 1,285 mSv, the reading is only slightly higher than when we checked in Area 1.
Relief sweeps through Moribe’s voice as she exclaims, “Whoo-hoo! It’s within safety standards!”
“What does that mean?”
“It means the area is contaminated, but on the relatively safer side. The safety standard is any number within 4,000 mSv. We don’t have to worry about radiation exposure at these numbers as long as we inject AD.”
“What happens if you go over that number?”
“Well, the first danger standard is 4,000–8,000 mSv. Basically, you don’t want to hang around long with this level of exposure even with AD. The second danger standard is anything over 8,000 mSv. Chances of survival are slim even with AD at this level.”
So to break it down:
〇Staying within 4,000 mSv = Safe with AD
▲Over 4,000 mSv = Dangerous even with AD
×Over 8,000 mSv = High risk of death even with AD
I carve those standards into my memory.
“Just so you know, little Procyon here will beep if we’re in a danger zone that exceeds the danger standard. Hightail it outta there if you here it beeping.”
“O-Okay…I’ll keep that in mind.”
We pass through the gate as we chat. The damage grows significantly worse the farther we walk down the passageway leading to Area 3. The walls and ceiling have been scorched black. Did an explosion happen here too? It looks like a fire broke out at some point.
The door at the other end of the passageway finally comes into view as I’m taking in the damage. I use the card to open it and enter Area 3.
✦ ✦ ✦
▼ 9:37 am
Area 3, Inner Ring
THIS area is considerably different from where we’ve been before. The walls are made out of an unfaced concrete, and the ceiling’s steel frame and cables are completely exposed. The rugged interior is more in line with a factory than a top research facility.
The corridor is about fifteen feet wide, and a single door is set in the wall on each side. This corridor leads to a dead end that splits to the left and right.
I check the Procyon’s reading. It says 1,391 mSv, so we’re still within the safety standard.
Then again, these radiation levels would normally be lethal without AD. Good thing we have some. From the look of it, fires haven’t reached this area yet, so we’re safe for the time being.
“Wh-What the hell is this footage?!”
“It can’t be! Why are those children here?!”
We gasp at the sound of a shouting man and woman and look for the source. I heard the shouts from behind a door labeled “Surveillance Room.” On a reflex, I storm into the unlocked room with the others right behind me.
The whole back wall of the dimly lit room is lined with monitors. Under the monitors is a large control panel with countless buttons, a microphone for the PA system, and various computer components. In the middle of the room are a man and woman faintly illuminated by the green monitor lights.
Are they survivors?
The man looks just like a researcher with his white lab coat and wire-rim glasses. He appears to be in his forties with his gelled-back graying hair slightly receding from his forehead.
Standing beside him is a woman in her early twenties, dressed in a light-purple pencil-skirt suit. She’s a beauty whose waist-length straight black hair and wide forehead make a strong first impression. Her face and clothes are covered in soot like ours are.
They look like survivors to me.
“Wait…aren’t you the man from last week?!” Tachibana exclaims in surprise after seeing him.
“You’re involved in another accident, old man?!” Moribe cries out at the same time.
“Do you guys know each other?” I ask.
“Yes,” Tachibana says with a nod. “We saved him when he got into a car accident just last week.”
So he’s been in two accidents over the span of two weeks. I sympathize with him as I say, “That’s some seriously bad luck you have there. Were you unable to evacuate in time?”
“Unable to evacuate?! What kind of sick game are you trying to pull here?! You’re the one who locked me in this area!”
I’m stunned by his angry accusation. “I l-locked you in here? Slow down a sec. Can you tell me why I would do that?”
“Why are you asking me?! You know the answer better than anyone else!”
“The thing is, I think I hit my head earlier…and now my memory is a jumbled mess.”
“Your memory is a mess? Is that true?” The man gives me a skeptical look.
The beautiful woman chimes in with her opinion. “What the heck? Are you saying you have amnesia? Does that even happen outside the movies?”
“I get that it’s hard to believe, but it seems temporary memory loss like this happens to people on rare occasions,” I explain.
The man looks me over doubtfully before making up his mind. “…Fine. I’ll believe your story for now.”
“Thank you. Uh…what are your names?”
“Oh, I’m Keiji Ukita. I’m a researcher at this lab,” the man answers.
“I’m Ena Tsubakiyama. A teacher at Rokumei Academy.”
I’m surprised by what I hear. I don’t know the woman, but the man’s name sounds familiar. For a second, I think my memory has returned, but it hasn’t. I very recently saw the name Keiji Ukita somewhere. One look at the security card I’ve been using confirms his name written there.
“Does this card belong to you?”
“Ah! So you had it all along!” Ukita snatches the card from my hand, his animosity toward me on full display. The way he’s acting makes me uneasy.
“Uh, Mr. Ukita…? Why did I steal your card from you?”
“That’s a bizarre question, but I suppose it’s inevitable in your condition. Where should I start explaining…?” Ukita thinks it over before choosing his words. “I was trying to take charge of this crazy situation while all my colleagues were evacuating. But the bulkheads locked before I could finish… I was trying to figure out what to do when I bumped into you, Captain. I’d reckon that was about two hours ago.”
“What’d I say at the time?”
“You said, ‘I’ll go look for a way out. But it’s getting dangerous with the fires growing worse, so please wait in this room for me to return.’”
“I said something like that…”
“But I was in such a panic I wouldn’t listen to you. You ended up taking my card away to prevent me from acting on my own… Well, I’m sure you did it to keep me safe, but it upset me how I didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
“So that’s why you were upset with me… I’m sorry. I was probably planning to come right back, but something happened along the way…”
“It’s not a big deal anymore. Incidentally, who’s the girl with you?” Ukita gestures to Yuuri.
“I’m…Yuuri… I’m related to one of the researchers here,” she timidly answers.
“You’re someone’s family member? What brought you here? This facility’s security is top-notch. It shouldn’t be possible for even family to enter the basement floors.”
“Someone from LABO picked me up early this morning…and I was here when the accident happened. I was never told why they brought me here…”
“Hmm, I see. I’m sorry that happened to you.” Ukita uncomfortably falls quiet.
“Uh, Miss Teacher, what was your name again?” I ask the pretty woman beside him.
“I told you my name is Ena Tsubakiyama. I’m used to being called Miss Ena, so you can call me that if you like.”
“Miss Ena, then. Why are you in LABO?”
“That’s what I want to ask. I have absolutely no idea why they called me here. Someone brought me to the basement, only for that explosion to go off moments later, trapping me down here.”
From the sound of it, both Yuuri and Miss Ena were brought to LABO by someone and dragged into the accident as a result.
“By the way, have you both injected yourselves with AD?” Tachibana asks, joining our conversation.
“Oh no, the AD!” Ukita cries out as if he only just remembered. “I injected myself with the AD Captain Kasasagi gave me, but I ran out. It’s been nearly an hour since my last dose.”
“Then please use this one.” Tachibana hands him an AD.
Miss Ena stares on, dumbfounded. “AD? What does that stand for?”
Tachibana explains to her what AD is, as well as the state of this facility, radiation exposure, and the danger levels. Miss Ena’s face grows paler by the minute.
“Th-There’s radiation…?! You’re telling me a meltdown happened here?!”
“Yes, it very likely did. Radiation damage symptoms are more likely to appear in the internal organs, skin, and eyes. Do you have nausea, irritated skin, or blurred vision?”
“None of that right now…”
“You can guarantee your safety if you start injecting AD now, then.”
Miss Ena accepts the AD from Tachibana and promptly injects herself.
The problem now is our ever-depleting AD. Concern over our reserves is starting to eat at me.
“Anyway, would all you rescue workers mind taking a look at this monitor for a minute?” Miss Ena requests after regaining her calm. “Mr. Ukita and I were going through the surveillance camera records to get a grasp on the situation when we happened upon concerning footage.”
“What kind of footage?”
“See for yourself. It was taken at 6:31 am in Area 1…” She operates the control panel, replaying the surveillance recording on one of the monitors.
She freezes the footage on three school children: one boy with glasses, a frightened girl, and a blonde girl. All three are wearing school uniforms.