Lost Beyond the Reef

Enma had insisted on having lunch with me after the briefing for our second assignment. I usually ate alone, so I didn’t mind the company—or rather, I appreciated it. However, her persistent attempts to get me to talk were beginning to wear on me. She seemed too fixated on my day off, as if not knowing every detail would drive her insane.

“Spill,” Enma demanded, pointing her fork directly at my face. It was so close that I instinctively leaned back in my seat. Getting sent to the infirmary for a fork injury would be way too embarrassing.

“What do you want me to say?” I poked at my pasta with a fork. Today’s cafeteria menu didn’t seem appetizing, even though it was everyone’s favorite.

The briefing had effectively ruined my day. It had even managed to crack Sergeant Nishi’s normally stoic demeanor. The military was willing to drag a Drifter’s mother into this. That was the extent of their control. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was also Bluefort’s decision. It didn’t seem humane to use a family member as leverage.

Enma waved her hands wildly in the air, the fork hovering dangerously close to my face once again. “You’ve got that look. You’ve figured out something big, haven’t you? What is it?” She narrowed her eyes in accusation, the fork clattering loudly as it fell onto her plate. “What did Rin say to you?”

My eyes widened. “I knew it. You asked Rin to give me Shiba, didn’t you? What do you want me to do with him exactly?”

Fortunately, I also had this information. I could pretend it was what soured my mood. At least this would distract her from the real problem. She didn’t need to know about Yuna and her parents.

“I told her not to say anything to you.” Enma shook her head in disappointment. “It was an impulsive decision. If Shiba wasn’t assigned to anyone, he would have been scrapped. He was created before Bluefort took control of everything. Don’t you think it’s worth keeping him?”

“You want me to do something off Bluefort’s radar,” I concluded. That was the only reason she would take the risk. What I didn’t understand was why she had dragged me into it. “Do you really think it’s wise to trust Shiba?”

His blackmail was still fresh in my mind. Even I regretted having trusted him with my request. I wasn’t sure which side he was on. There was still a possibility that he was working for Bluefort.

“Obviously not,” Enma said with a confidence that she shouldn’t have had, especially when taking someone else down with her. “I’m taking my chances. I know Shiba’s creator. He was murdered wrongfully. I want to fight for the truth and make the murderer pay for their crime.”

This was new. She had never told me about this. Now that I thought about it, she hadn’t really shared much about herself. “Shiba’s creator, huh? So that’s why you think he’ll want to help. How did it happen?”

Her tone turned serious in an instant, her face grim. “I think it happened when you were still in training. You might not know this because you were cut off from the real world in the underground base. There was a big riot. A fight between humans and robot patrol officers. A robot shot him. I want to know who’s actually responsible for his murder.”

The riot.

A lot of people had lost their lives that day. Yuna’s parents had been among them. Someone should have been held responsible for the tragedy, not only for justice’s sake but also for the people left behind so they could find peace.

The dangerous plan concerned the people around me as well. There was no way I could refuse, although it was risky. Both Enma and I, also Rin, would face terrible consequences if we were found out.

“Do you also think Bluefort might be responsible for this?” I asked, seeking Enma's opinion since she was my senior inside the base. She knew more about what was happening here.

“Worse. I think someone is manipulating Bluefort and hiding behind its name.”

“You think someone is using Bluefort to carry out all these crimes? What has this world become?” I shook my head in disbelief.

If what Enma suspected was true, then it was the worst-case scenario. Someone had been feeding Bluefort false information, corrupting its way of thinking. That corrupted AI was now controlling our military defense.

This couldn’t go on. I had known for a long time that relying entirely on an AI was a mistake. People believed that AI was neutral and incapable of bias, so everyone trusted its decision without question. However, if someone trained the AI incorrectly on purpose, its perception would be flawed, and so would its decisions.

Enma shrugged and picked up her fork again. Instead of eating, she twirled her remaining pasta. “It was just a wild guess. Remember, innocent until proven guilty. No one’s at fault here. Not yet. Let’s just focus on the matter at hand. How do you plan to take down a former boxer and combat instructor?”

“Not dying will be my top priority, so I apologize in advance,” I murmured dejectedly. The future looked bleak. I wanted Haru’s mother to continue her treatment at her current hospital, but the chances were slim.

“Apology not accepted. Didn’t you hear what Sergeant Nishi said? We can’t fail this one. There are two of you. You can take him down if you work together.”

“If Hideo doesn’t kill me first, then sure.”

“You’re not that weak. Unless you are, then too bad.” She was making light of the situation to cheer me up, though we all knew the truth.

The possibility of cooperating with Hideo was even slimmer.

***

After an intense week of combat training sessions in preparation for arresting Haru, Hideo and I were summoned for duty. Haru’s mother had been moved from the ICU to a general room, allowing the military to transfer her if deemed necessary.

There was no plan for today. Haru had never fled when Drifter Captors confronted him, so we could just approach him directly. That was even more unnerving than setting a trap, like we had before.

Since we hadn’t worn disguises, Shiba and Hideo’s dog were allowed to come with us to the hospital. We waited by the parking lot while the hospital staff notified Haru of our arrival. As usual, Enma stood by in the car, ready to assist if needed, while Sergeant Nishi monitored us from the base.

Anxiety kept me from staying still. I paced around the parking lot, memorizing the placement of the cars and cameras. The blind spots, the locations of traffic cones and poles, the steel fences. I searched for anything I could use to improve my odds of capturing him.

“It’s pretty low for the military to keep ambushing me while my mother is sick,” Haru bellowed, announcing his presence in the parking lot. “Then again, all morals are lost at the base. I’m sure both of you are confused too.”

Haru’s frame was larger in person than I had expected from his footage. He stood at least six and a half feet tall. His shirt barely concealed the muscles beneath. Even Hideo seemed small in comparison.

“Is there any chance you’ll come with us quietly?” I asked, more out of formality than expectation.

“Not a chance.”

Here we go.