O-01-01, T-09-77 & Fatigue and Waiting
Hyper punch. Dinamic Kick. Double fake down. 6P!
"Damn! There's just no beating you!"
My defeated character bit the dust. The announcer of the console game said the winner's familiar name. Toro, Martin's main. When do they find the time to train? I felt guilty about skipping on my rounds just to train some more, but Martin goes beyond anything I try.
"Want to go for another round, Gars? It's always fun to have someone to play with!"
"Is it really any fun to beat a training dummy like me?"
Their expression darkened under their purple fringes.
"It's thrilling. I can never know when you might step up your game!"
Martin used to play that game with another employee from Safety, but they recently got wiped out again to the Silent Orchestra. Lizt would be missed… Martin and I were the oldest veterans around… The Inspector's death caught everyone off guard. If we were able to push through these last days, it was mostly thanks to the newer captains from BRIAH and ATZILITH.
"Change of topic. Do you think Yesod likes Malkuth?"
"That's quite the change of topic. Do you mean what I think you mean?"
Martin nodded enthusiastically.
"Robot love… Can it really work?" I asked.
"If it helps you, try imagining they are actual humans."
"Isn't that rude to AIs? Last time I tried being empathetic towards Angela, I got sent to work at [CENSORED]."
"Angela and the Sephirahs are different. They… woops. Restricted information."
"You don't have to rub your departments privileges on my face, you know?"
"Hehe! What do you think, then? Is the ship real?"
I crossed my arms and stared at my console's screen. My stomach protested, so I shut it up with some fine HamHam PangPang imports. The eatery was quiet today, so it was easy to focus.
"I'm not sure. Yesod strikes me like a strict guy who throws his emotions out the window… and Malkuth is a workaholic. I don't think anything will happen between the two of them anytime soon."
"Really? You just pointed out how compatible they are, though."
"Huh?"
"Yesod likes things done properly, and you can't get much more proper than Malkuth. Can't you feel the silent tension? The unspoken words?"
"Have you been taking Enkephalin or something?" I questioned, not believing my ears.
"Oh, you! Ah, now that we are on this topic, what about Netzach? Do you feel like this could turn into a love triangle?"
I hadn't seen Martin this fired up about anything since… … since Lin was still alive. I sighed and took another bite.
"Netzach hates too many things to allow himself some love. He detests himself, the corporation, his duties… the list only goes on."
"That is exactly why the flame of love is possible with this one! In such a hostile environment, there someone who never wavers in the face of adversity. It only makes sense that Netzach is madly in love with Malkuth!"
Something crashed next to us.
"Are you okay?" I offered my help, copying my old captain out of habit.
"I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean to overhear your conversation."
Hod just listened to all of that? Uncomfortable… Martin slammed their face into their plate of food to fake innocence, leaving me completely alone with the problem. What is the worst that may happen? Me getting sent to work at [CENSORED] again? Bring it on! If I can't be a reliable senior, then I'd be just [CENSORED]!
I cleaned the Sephirah of the food she just got on herself. Hod had the habit of recommending healthy foods to her team, trying to make their lifestyles as fulfilling as possible… for as brief as they may be.
"Do you really think… Netzach l-likes Malkuth?"
Her voice sounded really bothered. Panicking inside, I just blurted out the first think to cross my mind.
"I don't know. Maybe? Martin just likes to chat about these things…"
"It's not chatting! It's shipping!" They clarified.
"Do not trouble yourself too much with this, miss Hod. By the way, how is your latest team going? Can we expect good things from them?"
Hod took a bit of time to snap back to reality.
"You can, but… Has the manager not given you the notice yet?"
We shook our heads. Hod was such warm robot she often shared with us insider information. Yesod called her out many times for that, but she continued to help us scrap by with her warnings and tips.
"The three next days will test the entirety of Lobotomy Corporation. Today, a simulation of the meltdowns of ASIYAH will take place."
"A meltdown again?!"
"Are you okay, miss Hod?"
Our worry surprised the Sephirah.
"I-I'm fine. All of us are. We won't do something so stupid again."
"Why are we simulating your meltdowns then?"
A dark squared figure approached us, arms crossed. Many virtual eyes gathered around us.
"That's confidential, employee 00118." Yesod pointed out.
"Gars! Hurry up and finish your breakfast! We've got to work our best today again!" The Malkuth chimed in, waving around her arms.
"Try not to get injured too much. The healing dispensers won't be around for long…" Netzach warned us dispassionately.
Martin got closer to me and whispered into my ear.
"Did you see? They were together… The love triangle is real!"
Ugh. I miss Ekpmephtil and [DATA EXPUNGED].
O-01-01, is it? Similar to Bloodbath, her danger level was TETH, considering the small amount of Enkephalin boxes needed to unlock her information. There was a beautifully ornamented window of different colors and figures, resembling a pale girl with long blue hair who covered her chest while keeping her eyes closed.
However, the actual abnormality was the pale girl, who held behind her a hammer and a nail. The girl remained silent when I entered her containment unit. She would simply glare at the core of my inner side with her deep eyes. I couldn't shake off the feeling that if I bore the feeling of guilt in her presence, her nail would end up breaking my mind into pieces. Whether that was good or bad, I wouldn't try to find out.
The manager's cursor was purple, so I tried complimenting the ornamented window, which was easy considering how pretty the colors were. If I were an abnormality like her, I would feel really proud about myself.
The girl of the white dress smiled.
She reminded me of [REDACTED]. It's odd. I've been seen some [REDACTED] next to every abnormality I've worked with, but only the ones at our department shared this additional [REDACTED]. I've asked my teammates and my seniors, but nobody else sees [REDACTED].
When I exited the containment unit, A was waiting for me outside.
"What was the cursor's color?"
"Purple."
"So Instinct will be Attachment until the next meltdown… Thanks."
Just like that, the manager returned to his office, leaving me with only questions and no answers. I shrugged. I simply had to follow his orders and do my best to survive. He even remembered our promise. I wasn't particularly fond of carrying a suit or a weapon that had nothing but Red Eyes, but it was better than wearing nothing at all.
The protection was good, but… I didn't appreciate how it messed with my mind. It was rude of me to wear another person's EGO, so it's only fair that it feels wrong. If I had one, what would my own EGO look like?
It was a fun thing to consider. It's the kind of question that gets someone into writing a story.
T-09-77. A heart without an owner, it still beats even after being removed from its body. It had a dark clot in the center. It floated inside the containment tank like other tools.
It was odd. When I closed my eyes in front of it, the darkness I saw was different… and it hurt. Maybe I remembered something from a past dream? Whatever it was, I didn't like the idea of taking that tool.
But it had to be done. When I took the heart, it phased into my own body.
Bumbum Bumbum.
My heartrate doubled! I had a new heart, so it only made sense, but I felt like exploding! With this, anyone could become a better fighter! I… I… was immediately ordered to return it.
No… I cannot give it back yet. The manager doesn't-! The manager doesn't understand how useful this tool is! I-I need to show it to him! I need to help him understand how it enhances vigor and strength! I didn't care about what was needed to achieve that end. I was adamant about doing it.
After killing a couple of my friends, one of the Garcias shot me with Blue Star's EGO weapon, returning me to my senses. I looked at my bloodied hands. Remorse sank into my accelerated chest.
I finally gave the heart up. Excessive aspiration would bring about unwarranted frenzy.
Just like when [REDACTED] decided to [REDACTED]. The tragedy would repeat time and time again. I was not the first, nor was I the last.
After doing some more tasks, I got permission to rest a bit at the Main Room. There, I heard something weird. It felt like… A… but not him.
How do we expect to move forward when we cannot even stand up straight? Our hearts overflowed with despair as we prepared for tomorrow, acting as if nothing had happened, even after the deaths of so many of our loved ones. How will we improve ourselves out of this? It will only get worse and worse. I survived alone. I've lived day by day, fighting an uphill battle. I fought because I thought my survival would somehow change the situation. How foolish I was.
His words were painful and targeted anyone's deepest fears. What that man didn't know, however, was that the manager was stronger than they looked. After all, he inherited many things that weren't his.
I heard more voices. The ASIYAH Sephirah's.
The will to stand up straight.
The rationality to maintain discretion.
The hope to be a better person.
The fearlessness to keep on living.
What lays beyond day 47, A would find out one way or the other. And so would we. Fatigue no longer mattered. The long wait was about to end.
