PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE
Chapter 53: Cold to the Touch
A week later, Chibi-Usa and Hikaru waited for Midori at the front entrance so they could go to Infinity Academy together. Chibi-Usa hadn't had a chance to see Midori again after their discussion, and Midori once again failed to show up for school that week. Thus she had no idea what state her friend was going to be in. Furthermore, the thought of Midori wanting to confess something to Chibi-Usa constantly nagged her, although she was more worried about her health than whatever it was she wanted to say.
"I hope she's doing okay…" Chibi-Usa murmured.
Hikaru assured her, "I'm certain that she will have the strength to join us. She isn't the type to leave you behind without an explanation, right?"
"I know, but still…"
Then they finally saw Midori exiting the elevator and approaching the glass doors. She wore a thick poncho-styled jacket with a large hood to keep herself warm during these colder days, making her appear more mysterious and detached than usual. She carried a professional briefcase containing all of her materials for the lecture. Chibi-Usa's throat tightened when she took a closer look at her. She thought it was her imagination, but it looked like Midori was even more unwell than when they talked last week. She couldn't help but wonder, Was she ever this pale?
"Pardon me for being late," Midori muttered unenthusiastically, and her breathing sounded like a pitiful wheeze.
"Are you okay?" Chibi-Usa asked out of desperation. "Maybe you really shouldn't-"
"I don't want to answer the same question multiple times tonight."
Midori's retort would have been rude were it not for her extremely exhausted expression indicating that she didn't have the energy to constantly reassure her of the same thing.
"Oh… If you insist…"
"So this is Shiramura Hikaru?" Midori asked as she faced the white-haired boy.
"A pleasure to meet you," he addressed her. "I've been told a lot about you."
She nodded lightly while thinking, No need for the false pleasantries. I already know you've been intruding into my dreams.
Aloud she muttered, "Let's go."
They hailed an air cab and went over to Infinity Academy. They were dropped off at the front entrance where numerous students in full uniform walked inside. Unlike the lighthearted atmosphere of Juuban Primary School, Infinity Academy felt more stiff and elitist, which was no surprise considering that some of Japan's greatest minds from all grade levels came here to pursue a variety of academic studies. The facility itself was actually comprised of four buildings, three surrounding one in the middle, and each were 60 floors tall. One couldn't be blamed for feeling daunted and unimportant in these conditions.
The trio went into the lobby, and Chibi-Usa looked around for the fourth person they were supposed to meet up with. Eventually she found a sixth grade student quietly reading a novel. This girl had short cropped black hair and purple eyes that suggested a lonely yet precocious nature. When she saw Chibi-Usa though, her eyes lit up and she rushed over to meet her friend.
"Hotaru! It's been a while!" Chibi-Usa cried out, and they hugged each other tightly.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you much. My nursing cram studies have been quite hectic lately."
"That's okay. I don't want to be in the way of your pursuing your dream."
Hikaru bowed and said, "Good day to you, Miss Tomoe."
Hotaru nodded at him, and the three strummed up a short conversation so they could catch up on what they were doing. Midori watched them quietly, not making any notion to join them. Or more like she couldn't find a way to edge into their conversation since she didn't share as much history with them. Besides, she began to feel a surge of pain deep within her chest, and the nerves in her eyes felt sore every time she moved them. Even though she was wearing thick clothes, she still felt rather chilly as if she was going to suffer from hypothermia.
Hotaru approached Midori and said, "I'm Tomoe Hotaru. Chibi-Usa's told me a lot about you. Congratulations on being nominated for the scholarship."
They shook hands, and a chill ran down Hotaru's spine.
She's so cold! It's like I stuck my hand in a bucket of ice!
"It's not really that big of a deal to me," Midori muttered. "By the way, I heard that you're the daughter of the late director Tomoe Souichi."
"Yes, I am. But I don't really care for making that fact public," Hotaru glanced away with a forlorn look in her eyes.
Now that I think about it, he was purported to have taken part in illegal experiments. I suppose she has good reason to look so hesitant when talking about her father, Midori thought, then said, "Then let's leave it at that."
Hotaru immediately changed the subject when she asked, "Are you sure you're okay? You look like you're going to collapse at any minute."
"I'll manage."
"If you really are too ill to participate, then don't force yourself. I know what it's like to have a weak constitution, so if you feel like you're going to faint, let us know."
"I'll manage…"
The second time Midori said those words, she sounded even more apathetic. The others frowned despondently, but couldn't bring themselves to voice their concerns lest they be treated to another curt dismissal.
"Then we should hurry to the auditorium so you can prepare," Hotaru said, acting as their guide throughout this maze of a building.
An hour later, Midori sat next to her four competitors on the stage while the principal welcomed the surprisingly large audience to the lecture. Chibi-Usa, Hotaru and Hikaru found seats that were close to the stage so they could see her clearly. One by one, the other entrants took their turns explaining their ideas to a panel of judges comprised of student council members and teachers from the five fields of study that Infinity Academy was renowned for; philosophy, entertainment, physical, science, and professional. Appropriately enough, the five competitors each represented one of these fields to balance out the contest, with Midori representing the science division.
They had drawn numbers to see which order they would present their work, and Midori drew the last one. Thus she, and by extension the trio, had to wait through the others until it was her turn. Chibi-Usa became bored really easily and fought the urge to let out a blatant yawn, although she rested her head on her hand and closed her eyes. Sleep would have overcame her had Hikaru not pulled her shirt and urged, "Please try to stay awake."
"Huh…? Oh," she groaned. "Midori told me it would be boring, but it feels like it's taking forever."
"Really? I was rather fascinated with the entertainment division's music debate, and I liked the philosophy division's discussion about finding ways to cure chronic nightmares. The physical division's topic was quite lovely with her discovery of several new plant species, and I could see Miss Tomoe's interest in the professional division's ideas for revolutionizing neonatal care. All that's left is Miss Inuken's topic. Do you know what she's going to present?"
"I'm not sure. She didn't really talk about it much since it was rather complicated. Something to do with DNA and satellites."
While Chibi-Usa and Hikaru were whispering with each other, Hotaru's gaze was fixed on Midori during the majority of the lecture. She couldn't forget how cold Midori was to the touch, which stirred bad memories for Hotaru of when her father Souichi held her hand and had no warmth in his touch either. Hotaru also couldn't ignore the dead look in Midori's eyes, as if she was in an entirely different universe from everyone else and couldn't be brought back to reality.
Something's really wrong with her. I just know it…
The student council president took the podium and announced, "Our final entrant for this evening comes from Juuban Municipal Primary School's fifth grade class. Representing Crystal Seminar, as well as Infinity Academy's entry for the science division, please welcome Inuken Midori in her discussion on DNA tracking satellites."
"Here she comes!" Chibi-Usa whispered cheerfully as Midori walked on stage and took the student's place at the podium. She had to stand on a milk crate since she was so short, and several audience members murmured about how young she looked. She ignored them and kept her eyes focused on the panel of judges as she said, "Good evening, Infinity Academy."
"Welcome to our esteemed institution, Miss Inuken," the head judge replied. "So could you please explain how exactly your proposed technology will function?"
"DNA tracking satellites will be used for the express purpose of monitoring people by using a database containing an individual's DNA rather than a GPS device. In essence, it is a form of advanced biometrics that relies upon utilizing the unique characteristics of every person's DNA pattern as a form of tracking device."
"So you're saying that one's DNA sequence could theoretically be converted into data that could then be uploaded into an international database, sent to a network of geosynchronous satellites, and be utilized as a method of following one's actions," a teacher confirmed.
"Yes. I wanted to put this into practice since DNA is unique to every individual, although there are exceptions such as identical twins and biological chimeras that I have yet to discern a viable solution for. As far as identical twins go, I have been looking into epigenetics as a back-up for these instances since one's lifestyle can influence a person's genetic structure as much as what was given to them by their parents."
"So what practical function would this technology have in the modern world?"
"My initial goal was to upload the genetic data of known criminals so that should they try to flee from the jurisdiction where they committed the crime, the country can find out where they are and alert other nations to their whereabouts so that they could monitor their activities. Likewise if a suspect has escaped from prison, or there is a warrant for their arrest but they have fled without a trace, police can follow them and arrest them within hours rather than days."
One of the philosophy division's students raised his hand and asked, "Are you concerned of the ethical issues this may cause? There may be controversy concerning flagrant misuse of your technology, such as a stalker finding out where his target is located, or people suspecting that the government is conspiring to control every aspect of people's lives by monitoring their movements."
"Of course I have thought of those issues, but I would need to cooperate with people from the ethics committee and have debates over questionably immoral use of the database. The first step I've made toward that direction is asking several computer engineers about top-level security measures so that hackers will not be able to infiltrate the system. But even if the satellites were to be approved, there is also the issue of the Kessler Syndrome that must be addressed if they are to be placed in orbit. As astrophysics is not my field of study, I would need to collaborate with someone from that discipline if I am to successfully place these satellites without consequence."
"Several students from the science division have been researching ways to combat the threat that the Kessler Syndrome entails. If you'd like, we'd be happy to have further discussions with you regarding this issue," one of the student judges offered.
Chibi-Usa leaned into Hotaru's ear and asked, "What is this syndrome thing they're talking about?"
"It's kind of hard to explain…"
"It seems you were right about her being a thorough type of person," Hikaru murmured. "She has been taking every angle into consideration and coming up with countermeasures to any problems she comes across. Quite the strategist she is."
"Right? She thinks of everything," Chibi-Usa smiled.
"So in essence," the lead judge said, "it is a technology strongly based in forensics, but you would need the cooperation of many different fields if you are to make it possible."
"It would be unreasonable to assume that I can do all of these things by myself," Midori calmly rebuked. "Furthermore, my research notes are only for a prototype model that would synchronize with Japan. I haven't made enough progress to establish a network that would cover all of Earth's nations and-!"
She stopped in mid-sentence. Her heart thumped so hard that it momentarily stopped, and she stood there with a blank expression that made the judges worry. Hotaru was the first of the trio to realize that something bad was happening when she felt a strong wave of negative emotions bursting from Midori's body.
"Are you all right, Miss Inuken?" a medical student asked.
She didn't respond. Her vision went dark, and her body fell backwards off the milk crate. Everyone let out a collective gasp of astonishment as she landed with a loud thud on the stage and didn't move after that. She could consciously remember feeling incredibly cold, followed by seeing several people surrounding her in a frenzy, including her four rivals. She was paralyzed with weakness and her body temperature lowered dramatically, so she felt like she was frozen in a solid block of ice.
The last thought she had before blacking out was, Why is this happening?