Drifting on Blue Tides

“We’re online,” Shiba announced, broadcasting all the hidden footage across every media platform he could access.

The various holographic screens displayed different footage, most of it showing the violence inside the base, including what Hideo had endured all this time. I instinctively turned to see his reaction. His face was void of emotion, unreadable. He had probably believed that obeying his father might eventually make him proud—enough to endure all the beatings. But reality had just struck him: his father had been willing to go as far as killing his own son if he didn’t prove himself useful.

If we succeeded, I should invite Hideo to come with us, giving him a chance to live a life away from his abusive father. That would be the right thing to do. It might even make him less snappy and grumpy.

For the first few minutes after the footage went live, we were all tense, keeping our guard up for any ambush. No one dared to speak, afraid we might miss even the slightest chance of an attack. The only sound in the room was the voices from the videos.

Then one of the videos showed the shootings by patrol officer robots. The riot that had taken away many lives. Among the victims were Yuna’s parents and Shiba’s creator. What made it worse was the footage of high-ranking soldiers in the office, brainwashing Bluefort to target the rebels, coaxing it to act before more lives were lost. Watching the video was unbearable. I had to look away. I couldn’t stand seeing the robots slaughter innocent civilians.

It was a stark reminder of why we needed to expose the military’s dark secrets. People deserved to know how the government was using their tax money and how the soldiers were being treated inside the base. We couldn’t let them bury the truth again.

Broadcasting the riot seemed to ignite the spark. Through the window, I saw civilians pouring into the streets, emerging from their homes. Most carried weapons. It was like the last riot, but this time, they were prepared. Enlisting all the men into the military had backfired. Now all retired men knew how to fight and defend themselves.

The riot spurred the military into action. They began deploying their soldiers to suppress the civilians. Humanoid robot officers roamed the streets, but after the release of the controversial footage, they were far from welcome. People hurled objects at the robots and struck them, blocking their moves.

“They’re heading our way!” Shiba yelled, snapping us out of our focus on the chaos unfolding above ground through the window.

The military must have tracked the source and pinpointed Shiba’s location. Their priority would obviously be to stop the broadcast and prevent further public outrage. Stronger soldiers were likely sent after us. I gulped nervously, my grip on the gun trembling despite my efforts to steady it.

To calm my nerves, I turned to Hideo, who stood across from me on the other side of the door, and struck up a conversation to distract myself. “Hey, we’re planning to leave Japanova. Would you want to come with us? It’s the perfect chance to start a new life—away from this hellhole.”

“Focus on the problem at hand, will you?” Hideo grunted. Just when I thought he would outright refuse he added, “Who’d say no to that? Anywhere’s better than here.”

Maybe there was hope to mend our rocky relationship after all.

A sudden knock on the door made everyone tense up, heads snapping toward the sound. We immediately raised our weapons, ready to confront whoever was standing on the other side.

Yuna yelled, her finger on the trigger, “Who’s there?”

“Corporal Kuroba Enma. We’re here to help.”

Enma?

A relieved sigh escaped my lips instinctively. Knowing we had someone on our side was a blessing. And the fact that she came here first before the other soldiers was incredibly encouraging.

Enma opened the door, and to our surprise, a group of soldiers stood behind her. We immediately raised our weapons again. She quickly gestured for us to lower them. “They’re Drifter Captors from other cities. They’re with us now,” she explained.

She stepped into the private room, leaving the others to stand guard outside. “Sou, Sergeant Nishi asked me to relay his gratitude to you for what you did for Haru and his mother.”

I shook my head. “Anyone in my place would have done the same. Does Sergeant Nishi know them personally? He seemed especially pretty shaken by the military’s threats this time.”

“Haru’s mother is his sister. Anyway, he approved my decision to help you, even if it means going against the military. He’s willing to take responsibility for my actions and those of the other Drifter Captors out there.” She glanced at Shiba who was still busy broadcasting the footage. “To be honest, I didn’t expect you to do things off the book. You didn’t seem like you had the guts. But I had a little hope you’d make use of Shiba like this when I assigned him to you. Good job. We’ll take it from here. You should leave now if you don’t want to miss the boat.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “You know about the boat?”

She smirked, jerking a thumb toward Shiba. “That clever dog sent me a message asking for reinforcements. So here I am. Go before they get here. We’ll act as the bait.”

I immediately looked at Shiba. He needed to keep broadcasting the footage, and Enma had to buy him time. They would be stuck here while we escaped on the boat. A wave of guilt began creeping in. It felt wrong—like we were abandoning them to face this hell while we got to leave it behind.

Shiba seemed to read my thoughts. “Just go. I can’t come with you, anyway. Bluefort’s system doesn’t operate outside the country. I’d stop functioning the moment I left.” He added quickly, “I’ll find a way to contact you once this is all over. Leave even the smallest trace online, and I’ll track you down.”

I grinned widely. As expected from my robot dog companion. He was amazing. It hurt to leave him and the others behind. But as much as I’d miss them, staying here meant giving up any chance at happiness. And Yuna wouldn’t be able to live with herself if we didn’t go. I had to leave.

I walked over to Shiba and patted his head. “Take care of yourself, okay? Thank you for helping me, even when we didn’t trust each other at first. I’ll leave traces for you to find, so you’d better contact me.”

“Of course. Don’t you dare question my skills,” Shiba said confidently. “Now go. You’re wasting time.”

Yuna crossed the room and motioned for me to follow. Hideo trailed closely behind her. I gave Enma a deep bow, thanking her before I took my leave.

We deliberately took the narrow, neglected roads behind the buildings to avoid detection by street cameras, heading straight for the harbor. We didn’t stop running, even when there was no sign of pursuit. We couldn’t attract danger to Haru and his sick mother as well, not if we could avoid it.

Just as we were about to head toward the dock at the harbor, the door of a nearby parked car swung open, and Major Yaku stepped out. I heard Hideo’s breath hitch at the sight of his father.

I quickly scanned my options, thinking of how we could escape this situation. Fortunately, Major Yaku was alone. There were three of us, and he was outnumbered. If it came to a fight, taking him down shouldn’t be impossible.

Before we could act, Hideo walked forward and positioned himself in front of us, blocking us from Major Yaku’s view. His hands trembled, but he clenched his fists tightly to keep it hidden. “Go. I’ll stall him.”

“But you’re coming with us too,” I said.

Hideo hissed, “That’s never an option for me. A new life is too good to be true. Now go!”

I slipped my gun into Hideo’s back pocket, making sure that Major Yaku didn’t see it. “Now you have that option. You deserve a new life.”

With that, Yuna and I ran toward the dock. Haru was already waiting inside the boat, looking anxious and impatient. We must have been much later than we intended.

“I thought you didn’t make it. I was worried sick,” Haru complained, his tone sharp as he motioned for the boat’s driver to start moving. “You look awful as well.”

I smiled apologetically. “Sorry. A lot of things happened before we got here. I hope you don’t mind me bringing a friend.”

Yuna and Haru exchanged introductions after I gave the cue.

Haru chuckled. “No worries. The more the merrier. And I want to hear that story. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.”

After sailing for quite a while into the sea, we suddenly heard a gunshot from the harbor’s direction. Apparently, Hideo had chosen that option. I found myself smiling, somehow proud of his bravery.

As I looked at the harbor in the distance, I thought to Hideo, Cheers to our new lives!