7
It was hardly any merit to my observation skills, but, as expected, the factory perimeter was heavily guarded. The patrols had been smartly positioned in places that were difficult to see from afar. An unwitting intruder would be fooled by the serene appearance of the place and walk right into their arms. But a setup of this level was nowhere near enough to catch me. I spotted the patrols before they could see me and made my way past them in the cover of the tall batches of grass.
Really, I could've done it with my eyes closed, by the sound of their footsteps alone. What kind of an amateur guard strides around with such heavy, careless steps, as if trying to punish the very earth beneath their feet?
Hiding in the bushes by the perimeter fence, I quietly waited for the guard to pass by.
Yes, a guard in singular. For some reason, this one was alone.
Add to that, it was a she.
A young, scruffy-looking woman, who didn't appear terribly intimidating or heavily armed. Just your typical, low pay grade underling. I can't believe someone like her would be a member of the Syndicate. They must have picked up delinquents off the streets to make up for the lack in manpower. Judging by our friend here, it seemed like anyone with two arms and legs made the cut.
Could this have been the kind of an opportunity Jinguji was talking about before, to extract information? I doubt they'd tell a hired goon like this anything worthwhile, but it should've been good for practice at least.
My mind set, I readied my gun and slipped out of the bushes.
Step. Two.
I can't believe this. I was already right behind the underling and she still didn't realize I was there? Was she dreaming about the payday, or what?
"Don't move," catching the villain in a hold was so easy I wanted to cry. Was I really worrying so much over enemies of this level?
Startled, the underling realized the situation.
"I'VE BEEN CAPTUREEEED!?" she lets out a shriek loaded with disbelief.
I wrung her arm tighter.
"Be quiet! I have my gun pointed at your back. If you try to alert your comrades, or do anything fishy, I won't think twice to pull the trigger."
"Whaaat?" the captured scoundrel unexpectedly relaxed. "It's just some lass? I thought the CPUs had come to kill me! What would you have done, had I wet my pants! Give me my shocked reaction back! I wasted it for no reason! Ow!"
"Shouldn't you worry about being killed by me first? Tell me, what is this factory for? What are you building in here?"
"I'm not going to tell a squirt like you a danged thing!" the underling acted defiant. "I may not look like it, but I have my pride as a criminal! More than that stupid rat, at least. I'll hang dry sooner than sell out the feeding hand!"
"That's some determination, for a mere underling. But I don't have the time to play with you. Tell me everything you know, if you don't want your life wasted for bad reasons."
"Huuh? How did you know my name, anyway? Who are you?"
"Eh...?"
Whenever did I mention her name?
"Oh daaaammit!" she suddenly cried out again. "I've been called 'underling' for so long by everybody, I already started to think it was my real name!"
"…"
"'Underling this', 'underling that'! Every single day! Be it by a friend or a foe! Man, this sucks! Is this what my life has boiled down to!? At this point, I'm starting to think it'd be better if somebody just pulled the trigger on me!"
Looks like I caught somebody really bothersome…
"Do you know a person called Ran-Ran?" I tried, tightening my hold.
"Ouch! Watch it! Are you talking about that pig?"
"Pig?" It looked like a person to me in the photograph, but then again, there was something odd about her face...
"Yeah, she's the one they brought to work on the secret weapon, right?"
"Secret weapon...?"
"Oh dang it! I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?"
"Now that you did, how about telling a little more. What kind of a weapon is it?"
"I don't know, I really don't!" the underling insisted. "Never seen the thing! It's not even ready yet. At least wasn't the last time I gave it a look! I don't think they have it running yet!"
"...You've seen it, or you haven't, which one is it?"
"I haven't, haven't! At least, not with all the parts put together, you know. It depends!"
"I don't need you to describe what it looks like with all the parts put together, just tell me what it's meant to do, in theory."
"As if I could tell you such a thing! The boss would kill me!"
"And I will kill you right here if you don't."
"You're not gonna kill me!" the underling boldly said, brushing off my threat. "You're one of the good guys, aren't you? One of those goody-two-shoes allies of justice. The heroes wouldn't ever even hurt a baby!"
No, not even the villains would normally hurt babies, though you might have a point there.
"But I'm not a hero," I said to her, drilling the barrel of my gun deeper into her back. "Just an old killer hired to do some wet work. And if it's for Noire's sake, I won't think twice about burying one or two of your lot. Or all."
How many people do you think I've looked at through the scope of my rifle? Did all of those people deserve their terrible end? No. Did any one of them? I wouldn't know. But when it came the time to squeeze the trigger, they'd all turn from faces to target circles, all the same. After living my life like that day after day, year after year, do you think I will suddenly develop sympathy for certified villains?
"I don't get what you're talking about," the underling squirmed nervously, "but do you really think that 'Noire'-whoever would approve of you doing stuff like this for her sake!?"
"..."
Maybe she wouldn't.
No, she probably wouldn't.
She wouldn't go about things my way, not if there was any way to avoid it.
But that's just the thing.
There might not always be another way.
Unless someone else took care of it on her behalf, then one day, sooner or later, she could wind up where I stood today. Put on the spot, forced to go against her nature, her own heart, to do something she absolutely loathed, for the good of her nation.
I know, if that day were to come, she would do it.
She would hate it, but she would do it nevertheless, and hate herself forever for doing it. Because no matter what, Noire would always put her nation and the people above herself. Her iron determination couldn't be belittled. Even if it meant turning against her dearest friends, she would do it to save her people. And for that reason, I couldn't afford to get sweet.
Having Noire resent me would be the worst.
The worst of the worst.
Knowing that I did what I did for her sake, she would probably forgive me on the outside, but still be crushed within. I wouldn't want that to happen, I really wouldn't.
But I'll rather be hated than force the same fate on the girl I love.
That's right—Noire should always keep smiling.
If only I could protect her smile, then I would dive head-first into the shadows, with no regrets.
"You really are messed-up, huh!" the underling was starting to get unnerved. "Hell, you're even more messed-up than I am! Fine! Fine, I'll tell you! I don't want to get done in by a schizo like you, and I don't want to stand here listening to your creepy monologue either! That Ran-pig is in the hangar in the south-east corner of the base. The weapon is there too! See, I told you! So let me go!"
Oh, that was surprisingly easy.
I release my hold and take a step back.
"Fine. Go."
A doubtful look on her face, the underling glances at me over her shoulder.
"Is that really fine?" she asked, in an almost disappointed tone. "You're really gonna let me go? Just like that?"
"Yes, I'll let you go, so hurry up and get out of here. This base is going down, so unless you want to burn with it, then you'd better scamper as far as you can."
"Well, I'll take you up on that offer then! Laters!"
The underling wasted no time fleeing and soon disappeared from view.
Even if she was a failure as a security guard, she sure knew how to run.
"Well then..."
I suppose I should thank my luck with how well that went.
I now know where Ran-Ran is being held. I also know what the enemy is doing here. At this rate, I could be through with this unpleasant business sooner than I thought.
