Chapter 13 - This Wonderful World
Fuuka, with her tiny hands, was pushing at Kenji's motionless arm. She pressed her fingers through the sleeve, desperately trying to get some reaction out of her father. The most she got was a turn of his head. A pool of blood was forming underneath the body, but Fuuka remained where she was, kneeling by his side.
Jennifer turned her attention toward this sight, away from where Mutta was sprawled out, on the remains of the staircase. She began walking toward where Kenji and his daughter were, her weapon still in hand. In her mind, she was trying to figure out which method of dealing with this child would suit her most, or whether the life of the girl was truly insignificant.
Before she could make it more than halfway there, though, the intruder in the astronaut suit shot forward and slammed Jennifer against the wall. He propped her there, his right first pressing Jennifer's left hand against the surface and holding the katana that barely touched her neck. His left hand secured right hand against the wall, and so she was rendered without any clear power.
"Samurai!" Jennifer snarled, arching her eyebrows. "You don't even belong in this competition! Mind your own business!"
Now that Jennifer was so close to the Samurai, she could hear the loud sound of the person's breathing, through the helmet. "This is my business, Jennifer-san." He pushed her harder against the wall, and the blade edged closer. "JAXA knows I am here. If this were not my place, they would not have permitted me to kill Tomii… And, right now, it looks like you're next."
Mutta broke out from the trauma. He had heard it all, but up until now, he had not seen anything after the explosion. He tilted his head up, with some effort, and saw two pairs of bodies: one pair that made him angry, and one pair that nearly broke him to see in such a sorry condition.
He threw his body forward, off the rubble, and nearly stumbled flat on his face. His feet hit the floor heavily. Beneath his suit, there was a beaten body. He took steps toward Kenji and Fuuka, but each step was a challenge in itself. "But this is nothing, compared to what Kenji is going through," he rationed. "If he can still hold on, then I…"
Mutta falls to his knees, on the side of Kenji opposite where Fuuka was kneeling. With the two killers thoroughly distracted with each other, an opportunity had presented itself. It was a precious one. Mutta slid is left hand under Kenji's upper back and, with surprising strength, hoisted the body up just a little. He rested his right hand on Kenji's chest, and this physical contact was enough to really catch Kenji's attention. Makabe's eyes were able to focus on him now, instead of just on the hazy nothingness they had previously been absorbed in.
"Kenji…" Mutta muttered. "Kenji… you sure know how to pick enemies, don't you?"
Kenji smiled for a second, but when he spoke, his mouth was flatly linear. "Yeah, Mu-kun." He looked down, at his own body, and noticed the blood saturating his shirt and jacket. "I failed as a leader. I failed you, Mu-kun."
Nanba started up a response, but all that came out were slightly vocalized whimpers. He knew he should protest and find a way to convince Kenji that he was not a failure, but he did not know of such a way. He did not know how to tell Kenji, as his own daughter was kneeling in a pool of his blood, that he had somehow succeeded, in any fashion. This was an ego he could not breathe life into.
He took to filling another hope, then. "We're going to get out of here, Kenji," he insisted. "If Serika-san and I put our heads together, we'll come up with a way to beat JAXA at their own game, and we'll all get out of here."
"I know you'll save them," Kenji answered, the smile returning. His eyes were very moist. "I know you'll protect Itou-san, Fu-chan, and everyone else… Because you were always meant to be the real guardian, not me. You were meant to be the leader. Mu-kun, I wish I had realized this earlier, for your sake, and for Fu-chan's. This did not need to happen, and it's my fault that it did…"
"None of this should have happened!" Mutta responded. He gently shook Kenji as the emotion in his voice spiked. "But it isn't your fault, Kenji. It's JAXA's. Everyone here is a good person, but when put into an environment like this… Kenji, it has not even been a full day, and four people are dead."
"I guess, I'll be the fifth, after all," Kenji said, closing his eyes. Mutta shook him again, and then again.
"Kenji!" He pleaded. "Don't leave us. We still need you…"
"No, Mu-kun, you don't," Kenji replied, with his eyes still at rest. "I think… I think I've done too much, already." There came a buzzing sound that startled Mutta immediately. The sound came from within Kenji's jacket. "Take my Guardian Diary. I trust that you will do the right thing with it. But first… I want to know, please… who is it that needs help now?"
Mutta nodded and reached his hand into Kenji's jacket. He found the phone right away and pulled it out. The screen was lit up, and it shook in his hand. After clearing his throat, he read the update out loud, "Nitta Reiji (Number 1) is being pursued by Yamato Mizoguchi (Number 4) through the hallways near the Saturn Center."
He looked up at Kenji's face again, and he found that his expression had been drained of so much life even in just that short period of time. Obeying Kenji's wish, Mutta slipped the Guardian Diary into his pocket. He had, for a while, ceased to notice Fuuka's presence, but now her words brought his attention back to her. "Daddy, get up," she whined, pushing again at his arm. "Daddy, ka-pe!"
A look of puzzlement appeared on Kenji's face. Mutta could tell that Kenji was wondering, just as he was, what "ka-pe" meant. The father's pondering led to the sudden resurfacing of a memory: when Fuuka was being toilet trained, he and his wife, Yuki, had to keep encouraging her. Their repetition of support eventually stuck with Fuuka, and when he asked himself when he had first Fuuka say "ka-pe," it was unmistakably from this same time. Kenji laughed, although it hurt him so; Fuuka was merely trying to say "roo-ra" in her childish Japanese. Just as Yuki and he had tried to cheer her on to use the toilet, so too was she cheering him on to overcome an impossible obstacle: death.
"I wish I could keep going, Fu-chan," he whispered. "But now Mu-kun is going to protect you. I don't want to do this to you and Yuki… But now, there's nothing I can do but rest. Thank you, Fu-chan… you're allowing me to go away to happy place."
Makabe Kenji died with a pleasant smile.
For some time, the two watched the screen. One leaned back in his seat, observing with torn approval. The other was forward, with his fingers folded together, burying his frustration into his hands.
"I believe we have our answer now," one said, as he rose.
The other did not bother looking up at him.
"We agreed on the stakes, so there's no backing out now. Let's go."
Mutta lowered Kenji to the floor. He was surprisingly light. After laying the body down, he remained fixed in that position for some time, before turning his attention to Fuuka. He rose from his kneeling position and walked over to her. His pants, from the knees down, were now a deep reddish color. Mutta picked up Fuuka, who instinctively clung to the stranger's embrace.
He looked up at Serika, as the little girl sobbed into his shoulder. Serika was slamming her fist at the wall, from where she stood above them. She was crying, too. Mutta had not noticed his crying; he was more sensitive to the warmth now on his chest. He held Fuuka tightly with both arms. Now, he looked where he truly did not want to look—he had to look toward the Samurai.
Jennifer was still against the wall, but no longer was the person in the astronaut's suit holding her there. The sword was protruding from Jennifer's chest, having been stabbed into the wall. It held her there, and from the wound, blood was dripping. Mutta swallowed the urge to vomit, for Fuuka's sake.
Samurai, as the killer was nicknamed, was approaching Mutta and Fuuka. The irony was abundant: he would be slain just after being asked to protect Kenji's daughter, and he would die before making it to space, at the hands of someone dressed as an astronaut. He had no strong expression to share, however; truly, he was spent of emotion. He just stood there, waiting for his end.
Samurai closed in on him, until an arm's reach separated the two. The astronaut's arms lifted up, but instead of reaching to strangle Mutta, the hands went after the person's own helmet. Mutta watched, stone-faced, but internally, he was astonished. The Samurai's identity was about to be revealed!
When finished, the helmet was tossed to the floor, with a loud thud. Mutta studied the person before him, not because it took long to recognize him, but because it would take a long time for it to fully add up: standing before him now was Nanba Hibito, his younger brother.
Mutta opened his mouth, but Hibito spoke first, this time with his natural voice and not the altered voice from the helmet. "Everything I've done, Mu-chan, was to keep you safe." Mutta just kept staring. Hibito looked over at Kenji and said, quietly, "While he protected you in plain sight, I did it while disguised. You probably figured it out, though."
Mutta blinked a lot.
A loud screech filled the area, causing Mutta, Hibito, and Serika to each cover their ears. Fuuka buried her head deeper into Mutta's chest. The screech came from above, and after a moment, it quieted, until an odd silence filled the area.
"Uhhhh…" The voice was familiar, and it was quite loud. It filled every stretch of the JAXA facility. "I have an announcement!" It could be no one other than Director Nasuda. "Due to recent events, we are shortly going to begin the second phase of this examination… normally, I would ask you to all proceed to the lobby, but there's been something I haven't tried in a while, and it's too much fun to pass up. So, uhh, just stay put for one moment!"
Mutta looked toward Serika, who looked back at him, and then toward Hibito. Maybe fifteen seconds passed, before they began to notice that each of them was starting to flicker in and out of visibility. This phenomena was happening only with the three living competitors; Jennifer and Kenji remained solid. Because Mutta held Fuuka, she too was flickering, until she and the others disappeared entirely from the Saturn Center.
When they looked around next, they were back in the lobby. This was the place where, just after leaving the blinding White Room, everyone begun their struggle. Everyone meant everyone, also, at least as far as the survivors went. Along with Mutta, who carried Fuuka, and Hibito and Serika, there were three others.
Number 1, Nitta Reiji, stood with an expression that, aside from sullen undertones, remained seemingly unaffected by the challenges so far. Recalling the Diary message Kenji had received, Mutta made the conclusion that Nitta must have fought in defense and either destroyed Yamato's Diary or his body. Either way, Nitta remained, and Yamato was nowhere to be seen.
Surprising as it was to not see Yamato, as he had proven himself to be a fierce competitor, Mutta was far more surprised at the presence next person in the room—Ozzy Smith. Serika had used Ozzy's Diary as a means of saving Kenji, but it had been destroyed in the process. That should have instantly led to Ozzy's death. However, there Number 7 stood, looking around with content and ease.
Joining them was the last survivor, Furuya Yasushi, Number 8. Mutta had not seen him since the examination's introduction. He remembered him as being late and quite obnoxious, even in the short period he was there. His surprise at seeing him was of a different type than his surprise at seeing Nitta and Ozzy.
A bright light caught everyone's attention. In the center of the lobby, in equal view from everone's vantage point, Director Nasuda and Tsurumi materialized. They stood upon the exact spot Mutta recalled Fukuda Naota dying. There was no hint of struggle or bloodshed in the lobby any more, however.
"Hello, everyone," said the Director. "I am the famous Nasuda…" He looked over the survivors. "It's a pleasure. Congratulations on making it here."
Mental curses were sparked in Mutta's head, as he grumbled internally about the cruelty of Director Nasuda's words.
The man in white continued, "I have a few important announcements to make. First of all, the number system we've been using seems to be unnecessary. By now, you probably are all well familiar with each other, so we will address you by name. This is a big relief, since I was beginning to really mix up the numbers and get confused. I had to keep going back to my notes, to see who was who—anyway…"
Nasuda paused. "For the second phase of this examination, you will have one additional competitor. May I introduce to you: Hoshika-san!" The Director had triumphant energy, as he pointed toward an approaching figure. The man dressed in brown and was walking a dog with a heart on its front leg.
"How does one end up getting thrown into something like this?" Mutta wondered internally. "He seems pretty accepting of this, even though he also looks unhappy. Did he volunteer? What, did he lose a bet or something?"
Director Nasuda sighed for a while, before resuming, "It seems like just yesterday, Hoshika-san, Tsurumi Sunshine, and I were putting the final touches to this competition. Then again, I think it actually might have been… Yes… Anyway, I am sure you are all excited to proceed with the next part, so I will get on with my explanation."
"It is so sad that Makabe-san couldn't be here," the Director mused aloud. "We really thought he would make it through. But in the end, looks can be so very deceiving. He did not have what it really takes, to go to space."
It was at this time, unannounced, a gunshot ran through the lobby—it came from one of the finalists. Each looked toward the sound, which had appeared to come from somewhere near Nanba Mutta. The angry, former car designer with an afro was tense, shaky, and had a fierce look of anger in his eyes. In his hands, however, was not a gun, but a child. The eyes of the audience fell upon Furuya Yasushi.
The monkey researcher had his gun aimed straight for Director Nasuda. "No more! No more!" He screamed. Tears were welling up in the corners of his eyes. "JAXA, you have no right to do this!" He fired once more, and everyone's eyes locked on the target.
The bullet went too fast to be seen, but it appeared to hit the mark. A wound appeared on Nasuda's chest, small and round. It was a lethal hit, and yet, it did not bleed. Strange as it seemed, everyone noticed the same thing: the longer they watched the wound, the smaller it seemed to become.
The wound closed up. Furuya's eyes were wide, and in the midst of his trembling, he dropped the handgun. Director Nasuda's head was bowed, and then, he began to laugh. With each chuckle, his shoulders rose slightly. "JAXA fooled you all." He lifted his head up, and the laugh was released In full. He pointed his finger accusingly at Furuya. "Disappointed?" Furuya took a few steps back. "You must be disappointed, yes? Yes?"
He pointed then at Mutta, who was also showing signs of hopeless astonishment. "I like that sullen expression." Furuya fired scrambled down and picked up his gun again, firing just as he rose. The result was the same; the aim was perfect. Nasuda spoke as it healed itself, his voice unaffected by the attack.
"A famous teacher once said that the character for 'person' demonstrates how we all support one another…" He waved his hand in the air and, where he waved, the character he spoke of materialized. His audience was captivated. Tsurumi stood by him, unmoved. "However, when I heard this, I questioned that explanation. I'm sure that everyone has felt this way at some point. Is this the image of two people supporting each other?" Nasuda's eye twitched. "Well?" He scanned the audience.
"You can clearly see that one side bears all the weight!" He tightened his hand into a fist, which he shook at the audience. "Right? Right?" He swatted the character away, and the illusion faded. "Basically, what I'm trying to say is that people don't support one another! There are people who provide support, and others who benefit from that…"
He composed himself and spoke in what would have been his usual tone, had there not been so much passion in his voice. "Instead of supporting each other, if put in the right environment, human beings will expose their true nature and rip each other apart! I theorized that a human, if told he could become a god, would kill strangers and even his closest of friends, but remarkably, even less can stir such instincts! You were all gathered here and were promised your dream, and with that goal in sight, you proceeded to fuel my argument. You see, this whole examination, in part, was designed to counter the teacher I spoke of. You have been my evidence."
He cleared his throat and pressed his hand flatly to his chest. "I am Shigeo Nasuda, Deus ex Spatti, aka Deus Ex Nasuda. Your weapons have no effect on me, because my body is not like yours. I came to this planet on July 9th, 2006—nineteen years and nineteen days ago. Rest easy; I am the only one of my kind to ever inhabit your planet. The inner sanctum of JAXA is well aware of my origin and of my mission, and I have gathered humans with me who understand the power that can come with this knowledge. This human experiment that you've been participating in will be most, most useful, yes…"
No words came from the audience, which was still trying to take in this wave of new information. They had anticipated seeing the things that were outside their planet; they did not expect that they had been this whole time been in contact with something extraterrestrial.
"The seven of you have already produced a great amount of data on human behavior, but still more can be drawn out from your examples," Nasuda explained. "Although in this next phase the surroundings and circumstances you will experience will be quite different, you will still be able to use the same Diaries you have now to help you." Mutta noticed Ozzy turn his head toward him and wink. Mutta did not have the energy to think on that. "But first," Nasuda resumed, "You will all be given some time to rest. After all, this second phase takes place in space, so you have plenty of time to sleep until we get to the moon. So, with that, good night, sleep tight, and, uhhhh… have pleasant dreams!"
Deus ex Nasuda waved his hand across the audience, with at first what appeared to be no impact. Hoshika collapsed first. Everyone's heads went toward the sight. Then Ozzy fell. Next was Furuya, then Serika, then Nitta. Hibito collapsed, too.
Nanba Mutta fell onto his knees, watching as Nasuda and Tsurumi watched him, studying him. He was already weak from that events that had just transpired, and now whatever power was being imposed upon his body, it was impossible to fight. He had to sleep now, just as Kenji had to sleep; only, they were different sleeps. Kenji was convinced he was going toward a better place, but Mutta was convinced of the opposite. He would be going to the moon, yes, but in leaving this wonderful world, more pain seemed inevitable. He would have his dream, but this dream would be only a thinly-veiled nightmare.
Mutta narrowed his eyes. A message had to be sent. Expending the last of his energy, he shouted at the pair in the center of the lobby, "We'll fight it!" He was now fully on the floor. "We'll fight it." His voice was separate from his body, and it was a whisper now. "We'll fight it…"
The moon may be smaller than the earth, but the relative landscape is much more immense. A moon's crater can be quite large, and quite dark. A crack in the crust can form a canyon that no light can enter into. From above, nothing below can be seen, just pitch darkness.
If something were in that crack, none would know. It is not until one lowers himself into that darkness that one knows the answer, but in doing so, he risks losing himself in the darkness as well. The alternative is that something from within the darkness manages to crawl out.
In Houston, someone sat, narrowing in on a signal. White noise was all he heard, until, as though crawling from the darkness, one sentence could be heard, being repeated, for some time:
"H-houston… H-houston… Houston, w-we ha-ave a problem…"
to be continued in Space Diaries 2: Shadow of the Moon