The familiar, acrid smell of the thinner sea hung in the air as Sakura and Kero reached the end of the path. The dirt road and dense plant life gave way to sandy beaches and bubbling green goo that stretched into the horizon. There was a somewhat rhythmic clinking sound coming from beyond the jungle, somewhere nearby along the shore. Sakura and Kero peered through the vegetation, surveying the beach for the origin of the sound.
There was a mass of rocks on the beach, in the center of which was a large formation vaguely resembling a human skull. Figures moved about the rocks, chipping away at the stone with pickaxes and trudging through the toxic sea as if it were normal water. On more careful inspection, Sakura noticed that the figures were plated in rusty metal. They wore featureless masks with a single slit to indicate their eyes, and wiring was visible between the plating near their joints. While most of them were working, a few stood watch. There were about twenty or so of these mechanical workers on the beach.
"Woah, robots? Did you know about all this?" Sakura asked as she leaned against a tree, rubbing her shin. The burn on her leg still felt a bit fuzzy, but she was at least able to walk a little bit better.
"No," said Kero. After Sakura had become able to walk on her own, Kero reverted to his smaller form. "Whatever's going on here, Kaho and I weren't aware of it."
"Do you think it's connected to Matsumoto-san?"
"Almost definitely. This is what our teacher must have been so interested in. Do you think he's somewhere around here?"
"I don't know," said Sakura. "I wonder how he could have gotten out here with all those monsters back there."
"Is that so?" Kero said. "In that case, do you want to turn back?"
"What if we run into the blotlings that attacked us on the way here?" Sakura asked. "Besides, shouldn't we look around a bit more? Since we came all the way out here and everything."
"Yeah…" replied Kero. "This place is definitely worth looking into."
"What do you think they're keeping in that shed?"
"My guess is whatever it is that they're mining out of Skull Rock."
"Why, though? What could they need all this stone for?" Sakura stood up straight. "Do you think we'd be able to get inside the shed?"
"Not likely. We'd absolutely be noticed."
"Right. Well, what if…" Sakura said.
"If what?" Kero asked.
"If we did get caught, they'd probably take us to wherever they took Terada-sensei, right? Or at least I'll get to look at what they're keeping in that shed."
"E-excuse me? We don't know they even did catch him!" Kero argued.
Sakura sighed. "I made a promise, though. I can't give up already. Besides, it's worth a shot."
"You and Tomoyo are still just as much a handful as you were back then." Kero groaned.
Sakura glared at him. "At least I'm trying!"
"So what's your plan for after we get caught? How do we get out then?"
"I'm not saying we both have to get caught, I'll do it myself. I'm counting on you to help me escape."
"Besides, I'm worried he might actually be involved in this."
"N-no way," said Sakura. "Let's just do it. I'm not leaving emptyhanded."
"I have a really bad feeling about this…" Kero complained.
"Hey, it's not the first time we walked into danger today. Well, here goes nothing," Sakura said with a nod. She gave herself a moment to mentally prepare, then stepped out onto the beach. The sentries immediately took notice. Two approached her, although the one by the shed kept to its post.
"Excuse me," Sakura said innocently. "I'm a bit lost. Can you tell me where I am?"
One of the robotic sentries motioned for her to follow. Sakura obeyed, and as hoped, the sentries led her to the storage shed. The guard by the door moved out of the way to allow Sakura and her captors to pass. The air inside was even mustier than it was outside, with a single dusty window to light up the room. The walls were lined with stacks of wooded crates filled with rock mined from the beach's rock formations. A few other pieces of old furniture were piled up carelessly in a corner. What caught Sakura's attention, though, was the man tied to a chair in the back. He glanced somberly at her, head hung, as one of the sentries grabbed another chair from the pile and secured her to it. She realized she had forgotten to stay in character, but the sentries didn't seem to notice, and soon left, slamming the door behind them.
