Sticking To Your Guns

✧₊⁺

“So much for carving a path for the raid team.” I heaved a sigh, hunched over with my hands on my knees.

After being chased through a network of small caves and mineshafts, fighting off crickets in ever-increasing numbers, we reached an area where we could take a quick breather. Everyone seemed to be in high enough spirits, except for one notable member of our party.

Thresh paced around erratically, his confident smile having long faded.

“I haven’t seen something that terrifying since, well, yesterday when we fought that Wendigo. You don’t suppose that was a person at one point too, do you, Cowboy?” Kururu asked.

“Hard to know for sure, but it spoke, and it was obviously a lot stronger than all those bugs,” I said. “So what’s our next plan of action, leader? As much as I’d like to continue sitting here on our asses, we can’t duck those things forever.”

One saving grace we had was the massive size of the creature that prevented it from following us into the mineshafts, but the same could not be said of all the bugs that could spring up at any moment.

“What a ridiculous turn of events.” Thresh crossed his arms, continuing to mutter under his breath. “And they expect you—err, I mean, us to fight those things with no regard for our mental health or safety. It’s irresponsible, that’s what it is.”

He sure sounds pretty green around the gills for former military…

“I was told there would be an abnormal, but it wasn’t supposed to be like this at all. That means they lied to me and sent me in here to die…”

“Who lied to you?” I leaned in close, startling the man. “You know, you’ve been acting weird since we entered that grotto, partner. If there’s something you ain’t had the chance to tell us yet, now is a good time.”

“I don’t know where you’d get that idea, Nagai-san.”

“Come on, fella, it’s obvious. Ain’t that right, magical girl-san?”

“Yep. Sorry dude, but you give off more red flags than a Soviet Union rally.” Kururu shrugged, flashing a pitiful smile. “In a manner of speaking, of course.”

Thresh glanced around at the three of us who wore unconvinced expressions. Even barrel guy stared intently at our party leader with an eyebrow raised over his sunglasses.

“While I resent that comparison, I’ll cave.” Thresh sighed. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you three, what I’m about to tell you could cause a panic if the rest of the raid team heard. And you’re not going to like what it means for you.”

“Try us,” I said.

“The truth is, I was in the military, but it was as a doctor. I’m not even a proper Hunter. In truth, this is the first time I’ve ever stepped foot in the Digiscape.” Thresh admitted. “This avatar, Thresh, is part of a shared administrative account that I have partial access to, and I’m here on official Project Memoria business.”

“So you can’t fight. I imagine most Hunters come in here as non-combatants to start, so what’s the issue?”

“The issue was why I was sent here in the first place,” Thresh explained. “The Director informed me of an abnormal reading coming from the mine and sent me in here to investigate ahead of any of the more eager Hunters. Why he didn’t send someone else, I can’t imagine. Maybe it was to mess with me.”

Thresh sighed, clearly agitated.

“And what he also didn’t mention was that the Supporter system would be locked, as well as my main communication line to control. I can assume that the creature is programmed to cause the disturbance as my Supporter went haywire when it appeared.” He said. “I brought you three as insurance to get me safely to the grotto to dispose of it, but I had no idea it would be so… imposing. And now we’re stuck here.”

“So all that stuff about saving who we could, not leaving a man behind…” Kururu looked troubled.

“It was a lie, I apologize. None of the Eternals who were working in the mine made it out alive, their digital signatures all disappeared shortly after the attack began.” Thresh looked at a dismayed Kururu with an apologetic look. “As a small mercy, we can assume they went quickly.”

“…” Kururu clenched her fist, and took a step towards Thresh, but I stepped in to hold her back. I never expected to see such a look on her face—even I felt pretty pissed off—but I couldn’t help but feel like Thresh had more to say.

“I can’t stand working with a liar, but we ain’t got much choice. Why don’t we go back and give fighting that thing our best shot, at least until the rest of the raid team arrives.” I said. “Worst comes to worst, we respawn somewhere outside and try again, right?”

“Nagai-san… I understand why you might consider that course of action, but please listen to me when I say that it would be suicide.” Thresh said. “If you value your lives, I implore you all, let’s just continue on through the caverns and work our way out of here.”

“What do you mean?” It was Kururu who spoke up after calming down a bit. “You’re making it sound like the danger here is real, how could that even be possible?”

“First, let me ask you all a question, how do you think the ‘respawn’, to put it into gaming terms, system works within the Digiscape?”

Thresh’s gaze panned between the three of us like an expectant teacher. When we didn’t reply, he continued.

“Your Supporter tracks stress levels on the microchip in your brain using a meter, which you have all seen before. When you’ve sustained enough damage your Supporter sends a message to the control tower—which is a digital extension of the atrium plugged into the back of your neck—and it prompts a reset of your digital position to minimize overstimulation of the pain processors in the microchip.”

I can’t say I like where this is going.

“So essentially, with the Supporter system down, you could sustain damage in perpetuity without having your position reset as a safety measure. In the best case, the chip itself could break immediately and expel you from the Digiscape like you would during Hunter Protocol. And you’d have to have it surgically replaced.”

“And the worst case?” I asked, half-knowing what he was getting at.

Thresh gave me a grave look.

“The chip could critically overheat and cause brain damage, resulting in coma or even death. And a massive problem for LiveRite Corporation, I might add.” Shock painted the faces of Kururu and barrel guy. “That’s why we should simply flee and return once a countermeasure has been developed for the jamming of the Supporter system.”

“Well, this is just great.” I scoffed. “I thought Barnes was a bastard before, but this takes the cake. Seems he doesn’t care about his lackies either, by the looks of things.”

“I am not a lacky, sport. I have an MD in neuroscience, and I was summa cum laude at Harvard, top 3% of my class.” Thresh took on an offended tone. “Not like you, Nagai-san, the underachiever and belligerent as ever.”

“Oh yeah, and what do you know about me, huh?” I snapped back. “Your lies got us into this mess in the first place, I hope you didn’t forget. So who are you to talk down to us?”

“No one important, just a medical professional.”

“Though, as a medical professional, I would caution against smoking as your last medical scans showed some rather concerning signs.”

So that’s how it is…

Kururu, who had listened to us argue in silence, finally stepped past us both, quieting us down to look in her direction.

“I’m going back.” She simply said.

“Back… to where, exactly?” Thresh pulled his attention away from me, and stared at Kururu, dumbfounded.

“To fight that thing, of course,” Kururu said. “Where else would I be going?”

“Did you not just…” Thresh facepalmed with a deep sigh. “I just explained the extreme dangers of taking on too much damage, and you gleaned that you should run towards the danger. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but are you slow?”

“I heard you, not-so-hot guy, and while every bone in my body is screaming at me to punch you in the face, and then skedaddle out of here…” Kururu inhaled deeply with her eyes closed, but then flashed a sharp look of determination. “A magical girl would never run when there are lives she can yet save.”

“But the Eternals are…” Thresh began, but then a look of realization flashed across his face. “Wait, the rest of the raid party, how could I have forgotten!”

“How indeed.” I quipped.

“Even if they don’t take the route towards the grotto, the whole mine seems to be under the effects of the signal jamming. They could be in real danger if we don’t help.” Kururu explained. “We need to take care of the abnormal before the main raid team pushes towards the heart of the corruption.”

“No way, like I said, that’s suicide.” Thresh made an x with his arms. “You’re to escort me safely out of here, and that’s final.”

Thresh began to walk away, but none of us moved an inch. Barrel guy was the first to budge as he proudly waltzed over to Kururu, and stood next to her with an emphatic nod.

“You—you can’t be serious! What about her plan makes you want to side with her? She’s gone mad!”

Barrel guy rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before smiling. I don’t even need to tell you what he said next.

“And what about you, Nagai-san?” Thresh turned back to me. “I assume you’re not playing a party to this nonsense. If there’s one thing you’ve always been good at, it’s saving your own skin.”

He had a point there, however, if there was one thing I respected it was someone sticking to their guns.

Kururu beamed as I took her other side, my arms crossed. It wasn’t like I was in a hurry to risk life and limb or anything, but continuing my life of indentured servitude with the deaths of even more people on my conscience was something I wanted to avoid.

“I think I’ll side with justice on this one, partner.”

“You know what, fine, it’s all your funerals.” Thresh waved his hand and disappeared from sight. “You signed the waiver, not me.”

“Thanks for having my back, guys. But… Was that the right thing for me to decide for you?” Kururu seemed to lose her nerve for a moment at the sight of Thresh leaving us behind, but I slapped her on the back.

“I wouldn’t be standing here if I didn’t want to be, magical girl-san. The big feller feels the same, I’m sure. So stick to your guns, and we’ll make it through.”

“Right… Thanks, Cowboy.”

“Don’t mention it. Now all that’s left…” I said, looking back in the direction we came.

“To figure out a plan to kick this thing’s ass.” Kururu punched the palm of her hand.