Volume 4 Chapter 8 (1/2)

We had one piece of luck.

As the dark night burned, we found an off-road car in the rubble that Maxwell could fully control.

Burned-out cars were everywhere, the roads had collapsed, and buildings had fallen onto them. A normal sedan never could have made it, but an off-road one designed to hop along a sandy and rocky wasteland might manage.

”Fuguu. Does this country really drive around in things like this like they own the place?”

”Look where we are. This is a Solenoid Motors car dealers.h.i.+p. This was probably a display model in their showcase. Will this work, Maxwell?”

”Sure. I have successfully slaved all of the vehicle's privileges and taken full control. Just to be safe, please sweep aside all of the gla.s.s shards so you do not step on them.”

”Y'know, I never really thought I'd be riding in a car driven by a talking AI. It's like a dream come true. It hardly feels real even though I set it up.”

”Next up is a flying time machine. Right, Truth?”

We regrouped with Anastasia in the underground pa.s.sageway and stuffed ourselves into the pa.s.senger s.p.a.ce which was surprisingly cramped for such a large vehicle. Maxwell drove us through rubble-strewn Las Vegas.

”Truth, what is that?”

”Some treats the car dealers.h.i.+p placed inside for customers. All the chocolate ones melted from the heat, so it's just the cookie ones left.”

We split those among everyone and munched on them…but what the h.e.l.l!? It was way sweeter than a sugar-coated rice cracker!!

”Cough, cough! But it says sugarless on the package!”

”H-hey, Satori-kun. Does that mean it's all done with artificial sweeteners?”

”It would be just right for eating with some black coffee!! It makes you really thirsty…no, it clings to your throat!?”

”Well, it probably is meant to go with coffee.”

My blonde sister seemed oddly nonchalant about it. What triggered my danger instincts was how Ayumi never even tried it despite being such a big eater.

Our destination was the Hoover Dam, the water reservoir outside of Las Vegas.

Absolute Noah 04.

Las Vegas had been destroyed. James w.i.l.l.y-w.i.l.l.y had done his job so perfectly that he had probably earned his ticket for the ark. …Except he would soon discover the leak of data from Area 51, so he might be willing to burn the world to the ground if the alternative was taking responsibility for that. If so, he might be on his way to Absolute Noah 04. And since the number of tickets was limited, he could not bring a bunch of bodyguards with him.

What would we do if we met him?

What could we do?

I didn't know anything here, but I couldn't just let him do this. That wealthy man had done as he was told and bared his fangs against 4 million humans and Archenemies just to save his own skin. And if he had been given an ark ticket, he may have had contact with Amatsu Yurina, my stepmom and Archenemy Lilith, in her behind-the-scenes role. He could have stopped her, but that James b.a.s.t.a.r.d had succ.u.mbed to his desire for the ticket.

…Why was I acting like I was any better?

I knew I was just las.h.i.+ng out. Stopping her was my responsibility too as her family. But because I couldn't do that or anything else, I just couldn't bring myself to forgive James's cowardly pride that had led him to go along with it despite knowing all the details.

I couldn't get over my image of that b.a.s.t.a.r.d boarding the ark and laughing as he survived the destruction of the world.

Just then, I saw something moving through the winds.h.i.+eld. It was probably coming from a manhole, but an amorphous ma.s.s rapidly rose from the ground.

”Warning: gel.”

”That's fine. When they grow, they're just faking it by adding to their volume like a princess dress's petticoat. Maxwell, run it over!!”

The engine gave an even more violent roar and the off-road car plowed right into the middle of the gel which had grown to the size of a small hill. With a sticky popping sound, giant but thin petal-like membranes flew through the air and red slime splattered in every direction.

The gels ate organic materials, so they did not actively eat inorganic things like metal or gla.s.s. Driving right through the center was fine as long as the windows were tightly closed.

While controlling the off-road car, Maxwell used the wipers to wipe the gel from the winds.h.i.+eld.

But…

”Wah!? Somethings coming out of here, Truth!!”

Anastasia shouted frantically from the pa.s.senger seat and the invisible barbed wire known as fear wrapped around my heart.

Something was oozing out of the air conditioning vent. It was red, translucent, and slimy…a gel!?

”Yes, yes. Excuse me a moment.”

Erika acted like it was nothing at all. She pulled a barf bag from the back pocket of the driver's seat, leaned forward from the back seat, and slammed it against the air conditioning vent.

It happened at almost the exact moment that the gel leaped out.

But Erika's barf bag was faster. The red slime was trapped in the thin plastic bag. Overall, it was about the size of a rabbit. It squirmed around, but she closed the mouth of the bag before it could escape.

…The gels ate organic things and could not eat inorganic things.

But that had still required an incredible amount of skill. If the Cla.s.s Rep or I tried it, we would've had our fingers dissolved and then had our entire body covered.

She really was an Archenemy.

It wasn't just their undeadness. They also had abnormally high physical abilities.

”There.”

After opening the window a little and throwing out the struggling barf bag, Erika wiped her hands off with a handkerchief. That Eastern European Queen Vampire did everything in an elegant fas.h.i.+on.

Given this, head-on collisions with the gels seemed like a bad idea. But we would never make it out of Las Vegas if we had to take a detour every time we saw a surviving gel.

”Onii-chan, open the sunroof.”

”The gels respond to air movements, right? Let's throw things at them to confuse them.”

The off-road car had supposedly been decorating a car dealers.h.i.+p, but the back seat had a cardboard box full of opera gla.s.ses. They may have been handed out for free in front of the store during a parade at night.

Maxwell swerved back and forth while Ayumi threw opera gla.s.ses everywhere to allow the off-road car out of the burning city.

”There are fewer and fewer buildings…”

”Sure. We have reached the outskirts of the city. We are about to reach the open desert.”

A tanker truck had rolled on its side near the exit. It looked unnatural in how out of place it looked.

”Maxwell. Did you record the license number of that tanker truck?”

”Sure. Do you think it was used to carry the gels in from the airbase?”

”I don't know, but it's worth remembering.”

We still didn't know how the gels entered Las Vegas or the actual timetable for that. Especially when it came to the initial breakout. But the desert city had few entrances, so if the gels took out a few highways and airports, it could easily be cut off from the outside world.

…When I thought about it, I realized it was a lot like Kukyou City.

We drove along an isolated desert road with the roaring fires of the city behind us. The Hoover Dam existed at the west end of a giant national park in a lake that measured more than 200km long. It was an artificial lake created by the dam, but it rivaled Lake Biwa in size. This country's scale really was insane.

”Maxwell, can you prove a connection between the gels and the military using just the data taken from Area 51?”

”That would be difficult. Copying and faking digital data is a simple task and the official credibility of data stolen in a cyber-attack is low. On top of that, people will be skeptical of data coming from Area 51 which has already produced several silly legends.”

”That's another reason to want a witness. No matter how rotten they are, an elite is an elite. That gives all the more weight to their words. We just have to get James himself to say it.”

Pursuing this could eventually lead the tremors back to my own family. I could be bringing down the stepmother I ate dinner with.

Was I really prepared for that?

Was I maybe only pretending I understood what that meant so I wouldn't have to think about it?

I asked myself that over and over again.

But I just couldn't pretend not to see this. If the truth of the Las Vegas disaster wasn't made public, innocent Archenemies around the world would be seen as dangerous and hunted down like a witch hunt. Absolute Noah believed the world was going to be destroyed soon anyway, so it was a matter of sooner or later for them. But those of us who wanted to keep living in this world couldn't look at it the same way.

”User. We will soon arrive at the Hoover Dam on the west end of Grand Canyon National Park. Are you sure about this?”

”…I am. Erika, Ayumi. I'm sorry.”

”Fuguu. You have nothing to apologize for, Onii-chan.”

”That's right. …Sometimes you have to stop someone because they're family.”

The words caught in my throat.

No matter what they said, I was pretty sure I would be carrying around this decision for the rest of my life.

”Truth, sorry about interrupting you now, but be careful. These Absolute Noah people were bossing Area 51 around. They may have used those ark tickets as bait to borrow forces from the army and marines as well.”

”Yeah. Hoover Dam might be their fortress.”

The facility held the extreme bombsh.e.l.l known as Absolute Noah 04 at the bottom of the water reservoir. It might have its own guards that did not need to be borrowed from elsewhere. If Archenemy Lilith was one of their leaders, then they could also be using an Archenemy force instead of just a human one.

I couldn't help but feel all the more nervous.

My throat was dry and sweat coated my skin. My lungs and heart were working overtime.

And yet.

Nevertheless.

We traveled 20-30km east of Las Vegas.

We stopped the off-road car a bit away from the dam and had the Cla.s.s Rep and Anastasia wait in the car.

And as soon as we stepped outside, something seemed horribly wrong.

No.

”Why does everything feel so relaxed…?”

It hadn't been like this when we clashed with the observers in that city of rubble and fire. There had been something there that seemed to solidify the air and clog up our throats. But that wasn't here. It was no more than a tourist destination. Or had they blended in to the point that an amateur like me couldn't detect them?

”What does this mean?”

”Fuguu. I don't understand…”

Erika and Ayumi seemed to have the same opinion. That meant it probably wasn't just me being dense.

Regardless, we slowly approached the dark dam.

I had imagined having a sniper suddenly shoot me in the head or a mine buried in the sand blowing me to pieces, but there was none of that. The place was so deserted I started to suspect we had the wrong location.

”This is odd.” Erika held her fingers to her slender chin. ”A large dam like this should have guards patrolling at night to prevent suicides. They wouldn't leave it to drones or security cameras because they might need to physically convince someone to stop. But I don't see a single flashlight beam.”

”Fuguu. And isn't the Hoover Dam a hydroelectric power station more than five times larger than Kurobe? Then there should be workers here 24/7. It wouldn't empty out at night.”

…Something was up.

I focused my mind. The oddity wasn't the presence of some noticeable change. It was the absence of them.

It was a solid ma.s.s of stone. An arch-shaped concrete cliff. We found a giant dam that looked perfect for bungee jumping.

And we were on top of the dam. We crossed that arch structure that reminded me of the Great Wall of China, but we still saw no sign of any guards.

As far as I could see, water was pouring from the curved wall like it was supposed to, so it all looked properly maintained.

”We can see across the entire reservoir lake from here.”

”The secret is at the bottom, Erika. I don't know what access route they use, but a.s.suming they don't use a submarine to dive down to the bottom of the artificial lake, there should be a direct tunnel or something.”

In that case, the concrete box at the bottom of the dam seemed most suspicious. That was the turbine room for the hydroelectric power plant.

After crossing the dam's arch, we saw a four-wheel truck parked directly on the rocks that clearly were not part of an employee parking lot or something.

There was no sign of people here, but it apparently wasn't completely abandoned.

”Maxwell, photograph and look up that license plate.”

”Sure. The number is registered to a military vehicle. It belongs to the Nevada airbase. It is a bulletproof bodyguard vehicle. A normal soldier is unlikely to use one.”

”So it's for a military VIP. Then is it James w.i.l.l.y-w.i.l.l.y?”

”User. I have picked up on some wireless signals nearby. Given the situation, they likely belong to Absolute Noah inside the Hoover Dam or to James w.i.l.l.y-w.i.l.l.y.”

”Or the two of them are communicating. Maxwell, can you intercept it?”

”I understand your request, but it uses an unknown encryption method. We must start by working out the random number table or secret key.”

”Hand it over here, Truth. That's my specialty. I might even have the right key on my 'key ring'.”

It was great having a (self-styled) hacker of justice (as hilarious as that sounded) who hacked into everything from kitchen IoT appliances to missile silos, infected them with a harmless virus, and send them helpful warnings. She had far more experience, so she would have stolen a lot more ”keys” along the way.

”That's a satellite phone. I can't believe this. Did that clueless old man really think no one could intercept it if he didn't use any surface cell towers or fiber optic cables? There's no way he'd go unnoticed sending out such a powerful signal in the middle of the desert.”

”So can you decrypt it or not?”

”It's the Osmium Satellite Network. That's the very first system I left my 'calling card' at. I've been using that harmless virus to warn them for two years now, but they haven't fixed a single one of their vulnerabilities. See?”

She acted as casually as someone handing over a manga magazine they were done with.

A clear English conversation immediately came from my smartphone.

”Maxwell, translate it for me. And give it in text so I can read back over it to confirm things.”

”Sure.”

With that one word, the seemingly meaningless radio noise of that foreign language suddenly gained depth. Meaning rose to the surface like I was feeling across the slight b.u.mps and dips with my fingertips.

”I left the base without any bodyguards despite the risk. You need to take me inside immediately. I did what I was asked, so it is only natural that I demand the repayment laid out in our agreement.”

That made it sound like the person who had carried out the attack on Las Vegas. So was it James?

”Maxwell.”

”Sure. I am already recording the original voice.”

We still got this information using an illegal secret key, so it might be rejected as legal evidence.

That was why I wanted direct access to the b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

I exchanged a glance and a nod with my sisters. This would not be easy, but we had to do it.

”Maxwell, continue recording and a.n.a.lyzing. Also, determine the origin point of the signal. I want to capture James before he boards Absolute Noah 04.”

”Sure.”

I didn't know what exactly Absolute Noah 04 was, but it was designed to survive the destruction of the human race. It had to have some kind of thick metal door, so this would be a lot more trouble if that was locked.

”I have determined the origin point based on the direction and intensity. It seems to be near the very bottom layer within the dam's arch.”

That was right at the bottom of the cliff.

I snapped my fingers to gather my sisters' attention and then we started toward the entrance at the top of the dam's arch.

I had never been in a dam before, so I had no idea if this was normal or not.

We found a small boxy room full of thick pipes. It was lined with tanks of some sort. Was that water, air, or oil inside? I wasn't sure. I couldn't tell what purpose any individual component hand, so it felt like I was searching through a crash-landed alien s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.

”Fuguu. What do we do, Onii-chan?”

”For now, we take the stairs down. Let's get to the origin point of that signal.”

The security really was lax. We didn't run across anyone along the way. Or was the place guarded by a single powerful Archenemy who didn't need any other help?

The text translation of the voices continued on my smartphone.

”Ohh, you're the one from the IMF. Thanks for your help at that golf organization…”

”And thank you for all your hard work. I know this was sudden, but it was worth taking a helicopter here, wasn't it?”

”Ho ho. I caught on right away. But I did not like first learning of this secondhand via social media. I wish you had told me in advance.”

Instead of a conversation, it sounded more like picking up the phone conversations of multiple people in the same place. The wealthy people who had gotten tickets to Absolute Noah 04 were apparently gathered together on their way somewhere.

”That isn't good. It sounds like they're going to start boarding soon. Where's the next stairway?”

There was no stairway or elevator in the dam that led directly from the top to the bottom. The paths down were short and we would have to search through a complex array of pathways to find the next stairway. Was that meant as an anti-terror mechanism?

”Satori-kun. This is the next stairway. We should be at the bottom level soon.”

”Kh. Let's run the rest of the way.”

We were approaching the center of the mystery. We were closing in on the villain. So why did everything feel so mismatched? It felt wrong, like b.u.t.toning your s.h.i.+rt up in the wrong holes. I didn't want to run across an a.s.sa.s.sin, but it felt abnormal for things to go so smoothly.

And then we reached the bottom level of the dam.

We had arrived without a single injury.

”James w.i.l.l.y-w.i.l.l.y!!”

I shouted out without thinking because what looked like a bank vault's round door was just about to close. Large panels of thick, heavy-looking metal covered the wall. If that door closed, we would probably be out of options. And the one who turned back when I called that name was probably the real one. As the large door slowly closed, an elderly man looked back through the crescent moon of a crack.

My smartphone translated for me:

”Ohh, if it isn't Madam Yurina's children! But weren't you scheduled to board Absolute Noah 00?”

That was not at all the reaction I had expected.

I had expected insults or mockery, but he actually seemed welcoming!?

Erika hatefully opened her mouth.

”The Cla.s.s Rep and Anastasia aren't with us. If members of the Amatsu family show up at an Absolute Noah facility, they're probably going to a.s.sume it's a surprise inspection or something. We do apparently have tickets, after all.”

Was that why no a.s.sa.s.sins attacked? Had they long since noticed us and could have killed us at any time, but they let us through as VIPs!?

I felt like I had unwittingly partic.i.p.ated in some kind of crime. A bitter flavor filled my mouth.

” 'Go to h.e.l.l, you villain! I'm gonna get you to admit to every last thing you did at Las Vegas!!' ”

”Ohh, ohh. If that's what you want, feel free. So you want to know what someone like me did to earn my ticket to Absolute Noah 04? Why, you could call that my life's greatest accomplishment. I will give you a full report over some victory drinks once we overcome the Calamity.”

This was not good.

I wasn't getting through to him at all. He got the surface meaning of the words, but the emotions and feelings contained in them weren't reaching him in the slightest!!

”That's how it works with madmen, Onii-chan. He sacrificed 4 million lives for that ticket. And I don't see a wife or kids with him. He just cares about saving himself. Everyone else is disposable. That's the kind of insane cult this is.”

”Kids?” he said. ”You can always make more of those.”

That left me at a complete loss for words.

And since he responded to Ayumi, he must not have needed the translation.

”Which reminds me. The population will greatly decrease after the Calamity, so I might just have to help repopulate with you two young ladies there. Let's all look forward to that.”

”!! f.u.c.k off, you dirty old man!!”

”Hah hah. It would seem Madam Yurina's daughters would prefer not to mix human and Archenemy blood. Then I will make my selection from the other options.”

The way he made it sound like choosing curtains for his room truly did fill me with terror.

…It hadn't started with the Calamity or the ark tickets. They hadn't been broken after they succ.u.mbed to fear. No, it was because they had a screw loose in the first place that they leaped at the chance for a ticket even if it meant abandoning their families and friends.

Meanwhile, the large round door slowly closed. The gap was filled in.

”Now then, everyone, send my regards to Madam Yurina. And let us meet again in the new world after the Calamity has been overcome.”

”You can't, Satori-kun! You'll just get your arm or leg taken off by the closing door!! The movable parts alone have to weigh more than 5 tons!!”

I started to run forward, but my vampire older sister rushed after me. She looked slender, but I was powerless in the Archenemy's grasp.

The door fully closed in front of us. With the sound of air escaping, more than ten thick metal rods located along the door's perimeter produced creaking sound and locked it in place.

The door was now a part of the thick metal panels making up the wall.

”Dammit! Maxwell, Anastasia!!”

”Calm down. Start by sending me the format of the door, Truth!”

”No. There is no connection port and it is not responding to EM or IR signals. It is a fully independent system.”

”Is there anything you can pry open on the surface of the door to mess with the wiring!?”

”No. It is cleanly constructed with no visible seams. The unique metallic sheen suggests it is made from ultra-pressure-resistant tungsten steel. I see no components that can be dismantled using handheld tools.”

”Then how does anyone get the door open!?” I protested. ”There's no dial, keypad, or finger scanner!!”

”There is likely a control panel on the inside,” said Maxwell. ”They simply need an administrator on the inside at all times. Then there is no need for an interface on the outside. Although I cannot say if they have some means of communicating with those outside or if they simply open and close the door on a set timetable.”

”Kh.”

Then we were out of options. We had no way in and our skills were no help.

”Erika, Ayumi! Can't you force open a hole!?”

”That's a little much to ask…”

”Twenty times the strength of a human might sound like a lot, but that means we can't do something that twenty humans working together can't do.”

d.a.m.n, is this a complete dead end!?

We couldn't use illegally stolen digital data as official evidence. Without placing James w.i.l.l.y-w.i.l.l.y directly on the witness stand, the truth of the gels and the bombing would never be revealed and the world's Archenemies would be treated like villains!!

I punched the thick metal door out of frustration.

And something odd happened.