Fathoms Below the Light

No matter how much I despised Bluefort, or AI taking over the military system in general, I couldn’t agree that destroying Bluefort was the right thing to do. There were too many unknown factors and potential repercussions if Yuna followed through with her plan. The risks were far too high. Soldiers of our generation had grown dependent on AI for military defense. If Bluefort were to suddenly fail, they would be left flustered, unable to make quick, decisive actions.

Things could go terribly wrong. Bluefort might activate self-defense protocols far beyond anything we could predict. What if it deployed all its robots in retaliation? Or worse—what if it repeated the actions of its predecessor and launched biohazard nuclear bombs at other countries?

“Bluefort should have never existed,” Yuna said firmly, her gaze filled with determination. “Don’t you think so too? AI should have never taken over our military defense. Look at what happened to our parents.”

“I agree with you, but this isn’t the solution, Yuna,” I insisted, trying to snap some sense into her. Her rage had blinded her, clouding her judgment. “More people could die. You don’t want that on your hands. The one who should take responsibility is the one who nurtured Bluefort. Shutting it down won’t change anything if the mastermind behind all this is still out there.”

Yuna huffed in frustration. “So, what do you expect me to do? The corruption among the higher-ups runs too deep—we can’t just root them out that easily. I’ve been around them long enough to know how bad it is. And now you’re telling me I can’t attack Bluefort? What other choice do I have? You want me to sit and do nothing after they killed my parents? How am I supposed to sleep at night knowing I let them get away with it?”

I anxiously glanced around, on edge as someone might show up. Yuna had made a call earlier, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out. It wasn’t safe here. “Let’s move somewhere else for now. I have another idea—something you need to consider. Just hear me out first.”

Although she looked thoroughly irritated, my proposal seemed to pique her interest. She led me into the restaurant’s back door. After whispering something to a waiter, we were ushered into one of the private rooms. The waiter didn’t even offer us a menu before scurrying away in fear. It wasn’t until then that I realized how terrifying we must have looked—Yuna in her military uniform and me in handcuffs. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

“Speak. What’s your idea?” Yuna demanded after making sure we had our privacy.

I couldn’t admit that I had no idea. The situation had been bad for me. I had been scared out of my wits that I had spouted random nonsense. If I told her the truth, she wouldn’t hesitate to drag me back into the base and lock me up for the rest of my life. There was only one thing I could do now: improvise.

“You’ve been around the higher-ups. I’m sure you have evidence of their wrongdoings. Why haven’t you tried exposing their crimes to the public? The people would stand with you if they knew the truth,” I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth faster than I could think them through. It was amazing how sharp the mind could get under pressure.

Yuna had regained her composure, her calm demeanor settling back in place. “They would never let me do that. The moment I try to broadcast the evidence I have, they’ll catch me. You know how things work inside the base. Eyes are everywhere. Even at the highest places. I managed to copy Major Yaku’s access, but it’s not like I can use it freely. Bluefort will notify him once I use his access to open the classified files. Bluefort is working for them.”

A certain robot dog popped up in my mind. My grin widened at the thought. Yuna must have thought I was crazy for laughing by myself.

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows. “What are you thinking?”

“Shiba—my robot dog companion. He can slip out of the main system’s radar. I’ve seen some of the classified footage of Major Yaku abusing his son, Private Yaku Hideo. We can ask for Shiba’s help to access the files without alerting the main system.” I never thought I would be so grateful to have Shiba for moments like this. Silently, I thanked Enma for assigning him to me in the first place.

Yuna quickly spoke into her ID watch. “Private Yaku Hideo, there's been a change of plans. Bring the robot dog back to me. I need to check something.”

“Roger, Ma’am.” Hideo’s sudden obedience was out of character. Just minutes ago, Yuna had to point her gun at him to make him follow her orders. What had caused him to change his mind? It was almost eerie.

“I felt bad for him,” Yuna said after disconnecting her ID watch. “I couldn’t do anything when his father abused him. I could only watch. But when I saw him taking it out on you, any sympathy I had vanished.”

I caught the implication behind her words. “You were watching me the whole time?”

“Always. How else do you think you could get out of the underground base if I didn't pick you? And why do you think you were chosen to be a Drifter Captor? Sorry to break it to you, but it wasn’t luck or skill. It’s because I made it happen,” she said jokingly, cracking a smile.

Seeing a smile on her face brought an unexpected wave of relief, one I hadn’t realized I had been longing for. “That’s all your doing? I must be lucky to have you as my best friend. But how did you even get the position?”

“My father had quite the reputation inside the base when he was a soldier. Getting in wasn’t hard.” She sighed with a sense of satisfaction. “You know, having someone on your side really lifts a lot of burden. For the longest time, I thought I had to do everything alone. I nearly went down a horrible path. I was miserable. Now, I can finally breathe again. Thank you for helping me seek justice for my parents.”

“My pleasure. You’d do the same if you were in my shoes.” I took a moment to study her—her red fringe clinging to her forehead with sweat, her dark brown eyes slowly regaining their light. She was slowly becoming the Yuna I remembered. “Say, Yuna, if it’s possible, would you want to leave Japanova? After all of this ends, of course.”

Yuna smiled so brightly at the idea. “I’d love to. You don’t know how much I want to leave Japanova. I only have bad memories of this country. Any place that isn’t under an AI’s complete rule would be nice. Would you come with me?”

“Of course I’d go with you. What kind of question is that? We’ve been together since we’re children. Nothing can keep us apart now.” Leaving the country wasn’t an impossible mission. I recalled Haru and his plan. I could ask him to help us. “I actually have a plan for how we can escape the country. There’s someone I know preparing to leave. I’ll ask him if we can tag along.”

“Then I can’t wait for all of this to end.”