Chapter 98 – Masquerade Party (12)

The Executive Department’s last struggle was when they had been backed up into a corner.

It was always at the top of the list of the Investigation Bureau’s worst-case scenario, and the preparations they made in response to that made this situation a little less surprising.

But it would have been a different story if the Raptors were involved. The category just went from ‘internal conflict within the Dome’ to ‘war’.

Even the ED, IB, and AB, who mixed about as well as oil and water, made it an unspoken rule to cooperate with one another when they detected activity from the Raptors, and it hadn’t been broken until now.

[Is the Executive Department…. teaming up with the Raptors to take over the entire Area 47?]

[I don’t know about the directors, but won’t all of the manager-level staff be changed out the moment the election ends? And the preparations are probably already done to do so. They’re just looking for a way to survive. The Executive Department’s Director is most likely cooperating with them, or being forced into cooperation with them. Or is already dead. Since they can still scan the bio-ID code from corpses. And they’ve worked together, so it would be easier than pie to fake comms by making a copy of their voice.]

[The evidence?]

[Umm…. circumstantial evidence?]

[Gyosu Park! Do you know just how important of a—]

[Countless. An overwhelming surplus of circumstantial evidence that even an idiot would be able to know what’s happening.]

From Gyosu’s mouth came out all of the circumstances that he had confirmed so far.

With the starting point of this entire shenanigan, the bunker in Area 45, being the main cause, the Raptors were in a state where they would be completely pushed out of the picture if they didn’t attack the Dome right away.

And likewise, the high-ranking officials of the Executive Department were at risk of losing their lives if they didn’t do anything about it.

So for some reason, the Executive Department brought out a sloppy plan that obviously looked like it was going to fail.

The odd actions of the staff he saw as he participated in the play himself.

He didn’t have any concrete evidence, but under the assumption that the ‘Executive Department is working together with the Raptors in order to attack the Dome’, everything fell together perfectly like puzzle pieces, and they were revealed to the Investigation Bureau’s comms without a single piece left untouched.

[….They’re completely mad. If the Dome is destroyed, the Executive Department won’t have anywhere to go to eith—]

[There is one place now. In Area 45.]

[They’d rather become the head of the serpent than the tail of the dragon?]

[I don’t think the Raptors will let traitors be their head.. I think the highest they’d get is about a sheep herder.]

The man wasn’t in his position for nothing. He didn’t need to say much for the manager to understand.

His explanation was long, but their judgment was quick.

[Squad one. How far did you come?]

[I can see you standing on top of the green roof.]

[The rest?]

[Squadron 2. Near point 3. The outskirts of the model garden are in sight.]

[Squadron 3. We were transporting the supply battery packs so we’re not that far from the hangar!]

Through the comms came a rapid succession of orders to the corresponding squads.

[Alright. Squadron 3, leave the supplies where they are and head back into the Dome. Protect the central generator at all costs! If the Executive Department is behind this, then they might have already started to move!]

[Roger that, sir!]

[Squadron 2, return at once as well. Pick up the supplies that Squadron 3 left and make preparations for battle. Delmar, where was the latest area where the Raptor’s nest was spotted?]

[Uhh…… It’s difficult to pinpoint a location with the jamming, but I’ve found a trace of an entire nest moving. It was near Area 43.]

[Then Squadron 2 will take the batteries and prepare defenses in the direction of Area 43. Squadron 1 will return with me—]

[Ahh, wait, wait. The other guys can leave, but I need you to stay with me, manager.]

[What is it this time! And can you stop cutting me off?!]

[I know you’re in a rush, but you still need to finish your job. Look at the model garden right now.]

In response to Gyosu’s remark, Monclair raised his head. He didn’t even need to look closely. Smoke was billowing up everywhere, the streets were in tatters from the explosions, and buildings were in ruin from Old Picture’s attack.

[You know best that the guy doesn’t die this easily. You’ve fought him before yourself. It’s going to wake up soon, and I don’t think he’s just going to waddle back home like before just because he went down once. After all, the central area is in this state. It’s probably going to go on another rampage after its previous experiences get reset.]

[…..That’s true. That’s why the last time we neutralized him, we blew off a chunk of its body, then fried it with electricity for 30 hours until the restoration of the street was complete. But this isn’t the time to be doing that! As you said, the Raptor’s main forces are charging toward the Dome at this moment, and we need to block the internal sabotage the Executive Department is causing too! Who knows how long it’s going to take to repair this place, and we don’t have enough forces to keep that guy at bay! The best we can do right now is pray that it won’t come to the Dome when it goes berserk and concentrates on the enemies!]

Gyosu thought back to several years ago, when Ralph had approached him. He was always depressed and secluded from the others due to his sick mother and the dirty work he did for the Executive Department. Back then, unlike his appearance, the man had been a pure, bright, and kind man.

‘He changed a lot over the past few years. Maybe it’s because he’s a manager now? He’s able to make calculations even during this tense situation.’

He did feel a little bittersweet, but he was also a human after all. He needed to look at things from a larger viewpoint now, was what he told himself.

[What do you mean that’s the best option? You and I both finished a play with Old Picture before. We know that there’s a way to completely calm the guy down, don’t we?]

[….]

The comms went quiet for a moment, then, with a buzzing sound, Monclair’s voice spoke out with much clearer audio. A yellow light lit up next to Monclair’s and Ezel’s names. It meant this was now a private connection.

[Why? Are you embarrassed? That you need to make calculations like this?]

[Gyosu, did you know that it took over three digits of casualties to settle down Old Picture here and maintain this state? The moment we give that up, all of those sacrificed lives become meaningless. It’s not a simple matter like that!]

Oho. Not a simple matter. Then it means he did think about the complicated way too. Well. He would have to be an idiot to not think about that option when the situation is this dire.

[But the circumstances changed. It went from being a controllable monster to one that the enemy can potentially control. The Old Picture plan has already failed. And you’re thinking of just leaving this guy and praying that he goes somewhere else? I guarantee you, there’s over a 90% chance that it will go to the center of the Dome. If that happens, then you’ll need to fight off the Raptors without the city’s defense system activated. Can those Exosuits block an APFSDS? Can it break a tank with a single hit or something?]

[…..]

[This isn’t a choice—it’s necessary. Only city-level weapons have enough power to eliminate it, but we can’t use those now. If we leave it alone, then it’ll recover and contribute its part to the fall of the Dome. So the only choice is to eliminate it. Let’s be honest here, alright? You brought it, didn’t you?]

[…..We’ll talk when I’m there.]

Tzzzt!

With Monclair’s conflicted last response, the private connection ended.

“Gyosu. What was all of that about? The Raptors? War? The Executive Department betrayed us?”

“Ah, right. Thanks for letting me use that, Ezel. Let’s talk about the rest when Ralph gets here. I don’t want to repeat myself. He’ll be here soon, so let’s prepare to move in the meantime. Vex! If there’s any weaponry left, bring it over here! We’ll make our final preparations and ride on this!”

“Is there enough space? For the four of us? Everyone?”

“The place where the battery pack goes in is used for carrying the wounded. Two people can squeeze into the driver’s seat. We can put Ian in there, and if you can hang on between the frames, it should work out.”

After getting out of the driver’s seat, Gyosu approached Ian, who at some point broke out of his restraints and was picking up the remains of the truck that had flown towards them as debris.

“Hey, you heard me, right?”

“Don’t talk to me, you asshole. That truck, it was my comrade.”

“Of course I know that. Hyde was the one who did it, but ultimately it’s my fault for letting him loose. I’m sorry for that. That’s why I said it out loud so you could hear me.”

“….Hack-twu!”

“Which is why you stopped struggling and started to prepare. You heard it right? The Raptors are coming. Not the looting team, which moves in small packs, but the main forces are coming. Not only will there be combat vehicles, but a bunch of armored trucks and tanks are going to come too… Ahh! Now, won’t that be a tasty treat! If their Old Picture plan fails, then all we have to do is deal with their idiot forces that are trying to fight against the Dome’s unbreakable defenses! Let’s go get some new cars!

“M, Ahem! Well, the old truck did have a lot of rough spots. I guess it is time to let it rest now.”

I knew it. He knew the moment the man who was screaming at him turned quiet. Ian had been picking and choosing which ones he wanted to take the moment he heard the Raptors were coming.

Rustle, rustle!

And so while they scuttled around to prepare their next move, Old Picture, who’d been hanging motionlessly onto the side of the hill, slowly, started to move once again.

“Uhhhh, hey, Gyosu. Gyosu Park! That thing’s moving! It’s moving without its head! And it’s coming towards us!”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s just in the process of moving towards a safe spot while getting rid of its physical body in order to protect its main form.”

To Ezel’s terrified exclamation, Gyosu replied calmly without even looking at him.

As the massive giant’s body broke down, it slowly crawled upwards.

[Grrr……awrrrrrrr…]

An unbelievably weak roar compared to the start of its rampage. It didn’t cause a shock like before, but the wave was still more than enough to direct its memories toward the people standing right in front of it.

Even while desperately trying to come to them with its collapsing body, Old Picture continuously sent his memories to them.

“Why…. is this guy going this far to send out these waves? Does it hate us this much?”

“You’re thinking it all wrong, Ezel. It’s a Type 3 mutant. It doesn’t have the urge to attack humans and replenish its body like the Type 1 and 2s. It has no intention to attack us in the first place.”

Ziiiing—

The giant eventually dragged up its chest to the top of the viewpoint and completely collapsed. From the debris appeared a large ball of flesh with shoes attached all over it and three mannequins completely unharmed. And the next memory followed.

===========

Waaaaaaeeeeeeaaang—!

[ Attention. This is the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, the Civil Defense Alert Control Center. We are issuing an air raid warning. At the current time……]

A sudden wail of a siren. A crowd of people shot out from shops and apartments, running around in panic. And amongst them were his wife and son, frozen from shock and fear.

‘We shouldn’t have come out.’

His wife’s antidepressants had run out long ago. She was trying her best, but every time their son complained about being bored or wanting snacks, it was a cycle of her bursting out in anger then sinking into even deeper depression in guilt. So he wanted just one day. Just one day where they could go out and walk as a family, like they had done every Sunday.

===========

“No one’s heads are hurting, right?”

“Yeah. It….. feels like I’m just watching a realistic movie.”

“That’s natural. It’s because this was the original reason why it sent out those brain waves.”

Type 3 mutants. Monsters created from the host’s last memories. The thing didn’t have an intention to attack from the start. It was just that when its emotions were triggered, its output strength got too strong to control, and the people around it were affected so deeply by its depression that they also became depressed. Its original goal was always the same.

When it was in its normal calm state, it spoke in a whisper.

When it was shaken by the different conditions of its street, it acted as a scared person would toward a passing stranger.

When on a rampage, it screamed out, as if crying out in desperation and denial as it faced the truth it tried so hard to ignore.

Like how the volume of a person’s voice changed, its output strength changed as well, but Old Picture had always been talking with the only language he knew, ‘his memories’ to communicate with others.

“Gyosu, how….. do you know it so well?”

“I’ve seen it before. Normally, when the play ended without us neutralizing it, it sent out the last memories of the host to the people around it quietly like this as it went back to its normal state.”

Driiiip—

The bundle of shoes that emerged from the giant’s body shook vigorously, then started to melt down once more. As if it were peeling away its deeply ingrained memories, one at a time.

=========

“It’s a war! This is the start of a war!”

“North Korea shot a missile towards the US!”

“Aaaaahhhh!!”

Mayhem. Like the definition suggested, a chaotic, confusing mess of a situation.

The war started without a single warning. The markets close by had already been emptied out because of the rumors that a war was potentially brewing. But the warning that an attack was coming had come too suddenly.

People, scared out of their minds, ran out to the streets, and the place became a confusing knot of cars and people.

“Seoul, we need to get out of Seoul!”

“Get out of my way!”

“Let go! This is my stuff! I’ll kill you if you don’t let go right this instant!”

“Mother! Where are you, mother?!”

In the face of danger, humans become selfish. Within the tsunami of people were those stealing from others, those that chose violence to protect their possessions, and weakened, scared people that were separated between those people.

“H-honey!”

“Wahhh! Daddy!”

Dojin tightened his grip around his wife’s and son’s hands.

His scared wife and young son. He needed to protect them. He… he needed to stay strong…..!

Shwoooo—

“W-what is that?”

woooooo—

“Something, like a dot, is flying towards here…”

woooOOOO—!

“I-it’s a missile! It’s an attack!”

“Aaaaahhhhh!”

“Heeeeeelp!”

“Daddy! Daddyyyy!”

“Hold onto my hand! You come this way too, honey! Get into the alle—”

WOOOOOOMMMM!

Beeeeeeeeeeeeep—

==========

Clunk—

Thoomp!

“Mr. Ralph.”

“…..Gyosu Park. You really were alive.”

“Then did you think you were talking to a ghost on the comms?”

“I thought that maybe I was hearing things from the effects of the psychowaves.”

Monclair parked his Exosuit next to Ezel’s.

“So you really managed to force it into that state. How did you do it?”

“That isn’t what’s important right now. You brought it, right? You wouldn’t have thought of the chance that Old Picture would run wild like that.”

“……Is that really the only way? Giving it up like this….”

“The monster has already been used by the enemy once. It’s not that we’re giving up on it—we’re disposing of it. The project was utilized by the enemy.”

“…..Damn it. Letting Old Picture go won’t end with just a few letters of apology. I’ll need to wear a bulletproof vest for a while after this.”

“What’s there to worry about? All of the Executive Department people will be gone after this ordeal is over.”

“The Director has some sharpshooting skills. They carry a revolver around with them 24/7.”

And with a deep sigh that followed his comment, Monclair took out a heavily sealed box from the back of his Exosuit.

==========

It’s hot.

I got hit by a car. It must have been something like a truck.

No, the cars weren’t moving. There was too much traffic.

Am I… alive?

The pain of his entire body burning down woke his fuzzy consciousness. It hurt. It hurt so much that he couldn’t think straight. What was I doing? The last thing I remember….

‘My son!’

There was not a single drop of strength left in his body. Turning his head took eons. But something warm filled up in his heart. It was a hot, stinging hand, but he was still holding it. There was still a small hand in his palms.

‘He must be scared. Let’s calm him down. Daddy is alright—he just needs to rest a bit, so….. go to Grandma’s house with mom. Go without him…’

The lump in his throat weighed his neck down like a stone. Slowly, tasting the iron from the blood pooling up in his mouth, he turned his head towards his son. From the corner of his warped vision, were they tears? Or was his eye damaged? He saw a small blue sneaker. It was his son’s shoe. A birthday gift with robots drawn on it that his son liked so much that he only wore it outside on special occasions.

“Uhhhhhh, auhhhhhhh. Ahhh. Ahhhhhahh…”

The moment he opened his mouth, it felt like lava was pouring out of his throat. This is bad. He must have hurt his lungs. He needs to tell them. He…

Slowly. Little by little. Like the needle of a clock, his eyes turned toward his son.

There was his shoe. It was definitely his son’s shoe. It was definitely the shoe that he bought for his son. The small ankle above it, the bandage above it with a penguin drawn above it—they were all his sons! It was his son’s foot!!

But why?

Why couldn’t he see his son above that?

“Ahhhhhh, uahhh, ahhhhhuhhhh.”

That couldn’t be. He was holding onto him with this hand. He was holding on to it so tight so he wouldn’t lose him in this chaos! Even now! His hand was definitely….!

Finally, Dojin’s head finished turning. His senses had not been wrong. In the last moment, he ran towards the alley in order to minimize what damage he could from the missile.

But all that came with him inside was the small hand of his son in his hands and his left foot. The rest that did not make it into the alley disappeared elsewhere.

“Uahhhhhhh, aaahhh, AAAHHHHH, AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”

He hugged the remains of his son with flesh that melted down from the heart. This was a dream. It was all a dream! My eyes were hurting, so I must not be able to see right! Seongjin must have lost his shoe. Yes! He lost his shoe! His wife had already left to look for the shoe! He did like this shoe a lot, so she must have gone out looking for it! That’s what happened! That’s what had to have happened!!

“Suuuhhhjhhhhh…. shhhhhhhuhhhhh….. uahhhhhhh….”

The man’s melting body started to move. He needed to find it. The other shoe. What I can see is merely a dream. If I find the shoe, his son and wife will come back. And this nightmare will all end.

==========

“It was the creation of an uncommon monster from a common tragedy in the Wastelands.”

Clack.

Gyosu opened up the box Monclair handed him.

A small, blue shoe designed with robots.

It was just a fake, but it was created to look exactly like the other side of his son’s shoe that Old Picture, Dojin, had searched for so long in his memories.