Leaving the Shore Behind

Silence fell upon Kato’s workspace aside from the occasional beeping from the error notifications of his computer. The memory card had been our only hope, and now it was gone. No evidence, no footage, no files—nothing but a dead end. I had deserted the military only to discover the memory card held no answers. It was disheartening to know that I had risked my freedom for absolutely nothing. And worst of all, I still had no idea what Yuna was planning to do with that destructive malware.

Time was slipping away. I couldn’t stay here for long without putting Kato in danger. It wasn’t fair for him to become a target because of me. I needed to keep moving. Staying in one place wasn’t a luxury I could afford.

My head was spinning. Plan A didn’t work, and I didn’t have a plan B. The first thing I needed to do was leave. Juri and Kato would be safer if I stayed out of the picture. I had to do this alone.

“Kato, can I have the memory card, please?” I asked, holding out my trembling hand.

Yuna had hidden this memory card inside her parents’ columbarium niche. She clearly needed it and intended to use it for something important. Creating malware this strong and storing it inside a memory card couldn’t be meaningless. She must have a plan.

To know what her plan was, I had to see her and ask. I almost laughed at my own ridiculous thoughts. How was I supposed to do that? I couldn’t just stroll back into the base like it was nothing. The only way for me to get back into the base now was to get caught by the Drifter Captors. But there’s no way the memory card could get through the security scanner.

Kato removed the memory card from its reader and handed it to me. He grasped my hand firmly, holding it for a moment before letting go. Perhaps he noticed my hand trembling.

“Juri told me everything. About Yuna’s parents—and yours, too. I’m rooting for you, kid. You’ve got this. I never agreed with using AI for everything. Call me old school. I don’t care. Human intelligence might not be perfect, but I’ll take humans over machines any day.” Kato squeezed my shoulder.

Shiba quipped, “I can hear you, old man.”

Kato chuckled in amusement. “That depends on you. If you help the kid, I’ll take it back.”

“When have I ever not helped him? I’m risking my artificial life as we speak.”

Juri walked up to me, gave me a hug, and asked, “Do you have a backup plan?”

I shook my head. “I guess I’ll have to improvise.”

The two of them looked at me as if this would be the last time they would see my face. That did nothing for my morale. I had no confidence to begin with, and now there was none left to lose.

After bidding farewell to them, they left the room to give me privacy with Shiba, probably to give me time to grieve my situation. We were on our own now. I had to somehow survive this, and I only had Shiba with me. It was ironic to entrust my life to an AI I once hated with passion, but now I had no other choice. The only one who could help me was him.

“Shiba, will they notice if you’re the one bringing the memory card into the base?” I asked, starting to get desperate as I tossed out every idea I had in mind.

Shiba gave me a disappointed look. “We go through the same scanner as you humans, if that’s what you’re asking. This isn’t our first time out of the base. I’m surprised you didn’t know that. Or have you gone mad from all this mess?”

I sighed. “I think that’s the case. I’m going mad. How am I supposed to get into the base with the memory card intact?”

“The base’s security is airtight. You can’t bring anything inside. Why do you need to take it into the base? You want to know Yuna’s plan, right? Why not bring Yuna out of the base instead?” Shiba said it like it was the easiest thing in the world.

“And how in the world do you suggest I do that?”

“Your best friend, Hideo.”

I groaned aloud. Shiba had apparently gone insane as well. “Best friend? Do you not remember that he nearly beat me to death?”

“And don’t you remember Yuna is his father’s secretary? He knows her. I bet he could get her to come out—maybe to buy a bottle of whiskey for his father.”

“This plan has one major flaw, my dear companion,” I said through gritted teeth. “What makes you think Hideo would want to help me?”

“I thought you said you wanted to improvise. This would be the perfect time to do that.”

If I weren’t desperately in need of his help, I would have ditched this irritating dog.

A commotion echoed from outside the room. I signaled Shiba to stay quiet. In this critical situation, I was suspicious of everything. The guests might be from the military, searching for us. When the sound of objects crashing to the ground reached my ears, I knew this was the real deal.

I frantically scanned the room for a window. Spotting one large enough for both of us, I rushed over and slid it open. We were on the third floor. Jumping out wasn’t an option unless I wanted to risk serious injuries.

Turning to look at Shiba, I asked, “If I hold on tight enough, can you get me to the ground safely?”

“You’re as thin as a stick. My metal joints are much stronger than that.” Shiba crouched down, lowering his body to make it easier for me to reach. “Hop on quick.”

I climbed onto Shiba’s back like riding a horse, circling my arms around his neck. “Let’s go.”

I didn’t dare to look, so I closed my eyes and focused all of my strength on holding onto Shiba. I felt him running and then jumping out of the window. While in the air, I couldn’t hold back an embarrassing yelp as I braced for impact. After landing, Shiba kept running, so I opened my eyes and glanced over my shoulder. Some people I didn’t recognize were chasing us.

Who were they? Weren’t the Drifter Captors supposed to be the ones chasing us? Who had they sent? Could it be that they sent Drifter Captors from another city? If so, why would they go that far just to catch us?

Passersby scrambled to get out of our way. I must have looked really ridiculous, riding a large Shiba Inu dog and running through the streets while some people trailed closely behind us. Shiba chose his paths well, weaving through narrow roads, alleys, and the backyards of some establishments. I scanned the area, trying to think of a way to shake them off our tail. Taking the gun from my pocket, I shot at the beam of an advertisement board, knocking it to the ground and effectively distracting our pursuers. I silently thanked my luck and the fact that I had a talent for shooting targets.

However, just as we managed to lose them, Hideo appeared in our path.