Chapter 10: Reflections
20:33 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 27th…
"… Unh… Where…?"
"WAXA HQ…"
"Akatsuki – san…?"
"Don't force yourself."
Misora awaked and brought a hand to her forehead as if it was aching: she then spotted Shidou sitting on a chair next to her: the place seemed to be an infirmary.
"Uh… My head aches… Ah! The hair strands…! What was the result?"
"I don't know yet: Dr. Yoiri is waiting for you to come and tell us what happened first."
"What happened…? Ah… N-no…! That couldn't be…! No…! It was a dream, it had to!" Misora suddenly looked panicked.
"What?"
"I saw Subaru – kun…!"
"What? That villain got him?"
"T-they'd…!"
"You don't mean…!"
"… They'd killed him!"
"No way…!"
"They had him suffer…! And froze his body inside of a machine…!"
"Those guys…!"
"T-the culprit was "IQ"…! He forced a man named Denpa – Henkan to do it…! Subaru – kun's story was true…! King wasn't the real culprit: he was being used…!"
"I see… However… We should hear to what Dr. Yoiri has to say and then we'll try to find his body… Do you know where the place was at?"
"Nagano Prefecture… JSDF bunker…"
"Good… It should be easy to zero into it. Let's go to the main room."
He helped Misora walk since she was still too distraught to be able to keep her balance properly: they entered the main room and Dr. Yoiri cleared his throat.
"The results of the analysis were determining…" She began.
"So he was my son?" Daigo asked.
"No, sir… That hair… was artificial. It was a recreation. It didn't wield any DNA info."
"Then… A wig…? Blood Shadow is… an imitator?" Daigo gasped.
"Correct. Besides… We took control of one camera in the stage used to monitor environment temperatures… Blood Shadow was portrayed as a mix of cold and heat but the heat levels were way above a Denpa – Henkan human should emit… He most probably is a robot capable of solo Denpa – Henkan and programmed to recreate him."
"Trying to fool us with a sentient robot… What people!"
"Maybe the ones to be fooled… it wasn't us, but, rather, that "IQ" criminal… Maybe it could be made to look as a "revamping" of his design at a superficial glance…" Misora suddenly ventured.
"Oh. That seems more likely…" Daigo muttered.
"Yet… I bring sad news…" Misora began.
"Wait a minute… I think the Nagano Team is contacting me." Shidou cut her.
"Eh? Already?"
"They don't waste a second and they already found the bunker… How's it going?"
"We found "it"… We've tried scanning it but it's not a human body… A mannequin…" One officer reported.
"What's "it", anyway?" Daigo asked.
"Another imitation of Subaru… depicted as a corpse."
"What!" Everyone gasped in horror.
"They wanted to make us believe "IQ" had managed to do it and bring our spirits down for a while before we eventually found out about the faking act… This criminal sure has no sense of morale." Shidou told them.
"They used me…! Like Empty did…!" Misora formed a grimace.
"So… What do we do?" Dr. Yoiri asked.
"Guess we'll have to resume investigations like we were… And wait for something new which can lead us." Shidou sighed in defeat.
"… Then! If Blood Shadow is an imposter… What happened to the real Subaru – kun and why do they have to go to such ends to hide it? I know that this criminal could try to act upon him, but he could try giving us a message like "I'm alright, someone's protecting me"… Something feels suspicious here." Misora brought up.
"You've got a point, Detective Misora." Shidou grinned.
"Akatsuki – san: we're not here to joke."
"Sorry, sorry… Anyway… Turning serious… We should try searching Noise Waves: we might intercept King and have him spit something out or find any info of any suspicious transits."
"Sounds logical enough…" Acid shrugged.
"Then it's decided. We won't give up!"
"We'll find Subaru… no matter what!" Daigo exclaimed.
"That's our goal!"
"For justice!" Everyone exclaimed.
21:08 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Yo! Blood! Ya look down."
"… Sigma. Tell me. Am I useful?"
"Huh? What?"
"I asked you if I'm useful."
"Useful…? In what sense…?"
"I deserve to have to drag you along as a babysitter to get me out of pinches?"
"Well… That's…"
"So?"
"D-dunno, really! Ya look like a nice guy to me!"
"I'm not so sure myself…"
Blood Shadow was sitting in a corner of one room in the basement when Sigma stepped in and tried to speak with him: Blood Shadow had removed the shotgun and was looking at his exposed hand without anything covering it.
"I'm just a copy of an already existing person somewhere… A "shadow" which tries to imitate a person with far more experience and courage than me… I try to pose as guy with humor but that humor is just a program… Do I have any real criteria? Or I'm just acting in an automated manner? I'm an android created in the form of a human… I can travel across the world and fight on my own without needing someone to back me up, yet… I got beaten twice and barely managed to score even one victory in these three days ever since I've "existed"…" Blood Shadow muttered.
"Well… That's… hum… But… Boss did say it, didn't he? He rushed it up and didn't have us undergo enough training… He says he's to blame and we're just doing what we can while improvising along the way…"
"True, but… I don't feel satisfied."
"Eh… Maybe you wanna speak with your original and hear his opinion, then…?"
"Guess so… And everyone will find out I'm a fake by now given how Harp Note took those hair strands from me… Really… Falling for such obvious traps… I'm no better than a mass-produced Wizard…"
"Wrong, aibou! Ya are way more than that: ya are strong and fast! Faster than me, too!"
"I knew that. But my "heart" has a void on it… A void… Empty… Null… It doesn't hold anything and keeps on growing… At this rate… My "self" will be sucked in, too… And I'll be gone."
"O-oi! Don't be so grim! We've got a life, ya know!"
"Life…? Do androids really have "life"…? Or is that another thing which we try to copy from ones of flesh and blood? Are we going one day to become "vessels" to "immortality" or "eternal youth", even? The panorama isn't very lovely, you see."
"Ah… Eh… Sorry. I don't know what to say. I'm not the type to sit down and think about everything…"
"Of course not… You're hyperactive and always itching for a fight. But at least you don't rip someone's feathers one after the other like Sir Omega does… That's creepy enough. Sigma… Just go. Leave me alone. I need time to think."
"Uh… Good, but… Hey, don't take it too hard, eh? I mean… Don't try to wound yourself or anything like that, either…"
"Don't worry… I'm realistic enough to not do that."
"Good, eh… Good night."
"Good night. Maybe you'll find that rocket-like opponent intriguing to take on, too."
"Huh… G-guess so… Later."
"Later."
Sigma opened a door and stepped through it before closing it: Blood Shadow sighed and then headed out into a stone corridor made of navy blue unpolished bricks and illuminated by fluorescent lights set on the vaults: he headed over to an ajar door and spotted Vadous sitting on his armchair and leaning it backwards: a snore sound was ringing out through the mask.
Boss can sleep with that thing on? I'm surprised he doesn't get claustrophobia… But I guess air pilots are trained like that… Or maybe he's too tired… There's something I wanna do, though…
Blood Shadow tiptoed into the room and began to type into the computer: he wrote "HOSHIKAWA SUBARU" onscreen and pressed the "RETURN" key.
"Let's see…"
A photo of Subaru's face showed up onscreen and Blood Shadow removed his helmet as if wanting to compare his face with the photo: he made a grimace and looked annoyed.
I should've thought of it… A complete copy… Expect for the irises' color, yeah … Hoshikawa Subaru… What would you think of me? Would you look down on me as a "monster", too, like they did to Burai? Would you scorn me from trying to imitate you? Would everyone despise me for trying to fool them by posing as you? If I could meet you… Then maybe you could help me settle my doubts as a "newborn" and guide my path in life… Where are you now? I'm sure Boss over there has the answer… And that there's gotta be a reason we haven't been allowed to visit the mansion…
He began typing into the keyboard and brought up live feed from several hidden cameras: he checked Albert's room and spotted his sleeping form as he stuck his head out of the blankets.
Who's that? One of the inhabitants of the mansion…? Yet… His face gives off a vibe… Something… There's something there…
He glanced at another screen and spotted Lartes discussing with Omega over something: there was no audio, so he couldn't hear it.
A man discussing with Sir Omega and that isn't Boss… Hmmm? That man's face…? Why does it look familiar…? Wait a min…
He glanced at a switched off screen to see his own face's reflection and then glanced back the live feed.
… The resemblance…! Could this man be a relative of Hoshikawa? Could he answer my questions? I have to find a way to contact him… And I will find it! Maybe he can give me more accurate answers than Hoshikawa could give me… Let's go back already and think about it…
Blood Shadow switched the system off, picked his helmet, and tiptoed out of the room and into the corridor: he then returned to his earlier spot inside of a storeroom having several boxes full of electronic parts and sat down on a stool while leaving the helmet on the ground.
I MUST contact that man and speak with him… Boss didn't take it into mind, but… I DO have the ability to "freely think" and such I'm able to question things… I'm sure there's another reason for me to exist apart of being an imitator and a copy of someone…!
He stepped out of this room and then headed into another one where three cylindrical "capsules" colored metallic brown were set in a 22º angle respect the ground: they all had wires connected to the lower edge of them and linked to control panels in front of each one: the rightmost one was wider and taller than the others.
That one's Sigma's, Sir Omega's the middle one and mine's the leftmost one… This is where we "sleep" while our systems are scanned for any troubles or flaws… Anyway… I should go and rest: maybe tomorrow will be a better day for me…
He headed towards his capsule and put his helmet on before opening the curved cover by pushing it up towards the left: he climbed inside and closed it by using a handle built on the inside: he looked out through the small Plexiglas curved window and then sighed as a hum rang out.
Shutdown initiated… Time to sleep… Tomorrow… I will find some answers no matter what…!
21:42 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Boss… Boss… Boss!"
"Huh! What, what?"
Vadous was awakened all of a sudden and looked startled before he spotted Omega standing at his side.
"You fell asleep here…" Omega told him.
"Crap… Ouch… My back hurts… The stress and overworking caught up with me, I guess… Aw… You did well… waking me up… Lartes…?"
"He went to sleep after we had a little row over my jokes… And you should go to your bed, Boss. You did place it there for a reason, didn't you?"
"Of course I did… ouch! But it was accidental…!"
"By the way, Boss… Someone has been looking up stuff using the computer… Hoshikawa's file and the live feed…"
"It wasn't me… And I doubt Sigma, so… Blood did it?"
"I guess what his problem is." Omega pointed out.
"Oh…! True…! He thinks he's not useful enough… It's my blame. I sent him to the battlefield without any real training and he ended up having some bad experiences even if they were nice people… Not like Burai can be called a "nice" person anyway…" Vadous muttered.
"Maybe he's questioning himself. Guys at his age tend to do it very often because they get a broader scope of what happens around them. And he's not like Sigma, a new original idea…"
"Ah…! Being shaped after an existing person must be bothering him… It's sometimes bugged me and Lartes, too, but our cases have several large differences…"
"What do we do?"
"Let's let Lartes talk with him."
"Good idea. He might know how to answer some of his questions and fuel his spirits. He must be feeling totally depressed by now."
"Yeah… It's not easy to cope with the idea that you live to imitate or replace someone, after all… I've always wondered how cinema "stunts" manage to cope with it…"
"Because they like being in "character" and acting like the person they're replacing… It's a thrill to them." Omega told him.
"Oh. True… By the way… Could you check if he's still awake? If not, we postpone it for tomorrow…"
"Sure. Head to the bed, Boss, and try taking that stuff out already. It's not good to sleep with that mask on, anyway."
"Yeah… True…"
Omega stepped out of the room while Vadous pressed the junctions of the helmet and the mask with his fingers: a CLAC sound rang out and slowly took them off to reveal a man's face: he looked on his early 20s, he was clean shaven, and his eyes' irises were red.
"Ah…! Feels way more refreshing like this… I should take the helmet off, too, and air my head…" He muttered.
He took off the helmet, too, to reveal jet black messy hair underneath it: he used his right hand to stroke through it and try to keep it down a bit before placing both mask and helmet atop the console and standing up: he began to pace around the console and articulated his arms as if performing gymnastics.
"Blood's already napping so let's solve that tomorrow. I'll keep Albert busy and say Lartes is still napping because he had to work on some hospital paperwork 'till late." Omega suggested as he came in.
"Good. And please try not to tease him so much… He can barely bear with it and I don't need someone else stressing, either."
"I know… Maybe I should be getting serious and try to show him some kendo tricks…"
"Deal. You should go rest, too. Things will be busy in the months to come if we want to be able to stop "IQ" once and for all…"
"Yeah. I know. Maybe we should make some more sorties and claim we're killing our boredom in case the proxies are watching. But I guess "IQ" will be too focused on its "expedition" to ever bother to look up what's going on around Japan, anyway." Omega suggested.
"Good thinking, really! Yeah. That's that one's style… And if we pretend to dance at the tune of their flute, then they'll get confident and deepen into their "fantasy" that they're in control of everything."
"I'm going to hit the capsule. Good night, Boss."
"Good night, Omega."
"Oh! And beware of random emails from my cleverness: they might be too much of a troll." Omega teased with a grin.
"What are you plotting this time around?"
"Dunno! Maybe filling the application for Dragon Hell to show up on the Guinness Book of Records 2204…?"
"No way…! That'd fuel his weird ideas…!"
"Heh, heh, heh. Maybe so… Now I'm glad I don't need and I can't eat, for once… Heh, heh, heh."
"Dragon… I hope you get serious or else…"
"Kir Osh will have you bath with Michelangelo, the HQ's robot shark…"
"That isn't funny. Go sleep NOW!"
"O. K. Danna."
Omega stepped out while giggling and Vadous seemed to roll his eyes in defeat: he then headed for a bed in one corner of the room and climbed into it: he yawned and stretched.
Omega… Don't tell Dragon anything or he'll come up with impossible to eat dishes… Anyway… Time to sleep!