Chapter 4:

Unraveling

Silver Heart


“How are you feeling Mana,” Isao asked.

The long blonde-haired girl was laying in her hospital bed, which had been set in an inclined position so that she was almost sitting. She was wearing a white hospital gown.

Isao and I had placed all our belongings in a locker at the entrance of the hospital. The only things we carried on us were an EMP pistol and our phones. I had placed the silver necklace, with a phoenix pendant, inside the locker, there’s no guarantee that it doesn’t have some recording device in it.

“I’m feeling fine already. They said that I was lucky the shards were small. If they were larger, they could have seriously damaged my spinal cord. The only permanent damage will be some scars, but that’s a small price to pay.”

“When can you return to your guard duties?” I asked.

“The day after tomorrow.”

“Do you want someone to pick you up?”

“Are you going to do it?”

“Only if you want me to.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” she said with a sad smile. “Erity… I’m sorry for forcing my hate on you. I must have been so annoying. It was all stupid. You did whatever was necessary, nothing more, nothing less.”

“...This might be painful for you, but would you mind telling me your reasoning for hating me? I…”

“You care about Mana, right Erity?” Isao interjected.

“I… it’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I would like to take more after you, sir.”

“Like me?”

“You give orphans advice on things like martial arts, negotiation, and social matters. You’ve also tutored a few kids who were falling behind, haven’t you?”

“...That would be preferential treatment, wouldn’t it? Is it okay for you to take that risk Isao?”

“It’s fine. CLEAR has no issue with it as long as I don’t fall behind on my official duties. Guess I couldn’t keep it a secret from the guard who has access to the orphanage,” he said with a grin. “What exactly did you mean by ‘I would like to take more after you’?”

My gaze turned down to the ground. My eyes were unfocused as I went to an entirely different scene in my mind.

“You treat those orphans similarly to my parents… with kindness.”

“You remember your parents?!” Mana asked me, raising her voice.

“Not a lot, but some things,” I said, while I slightly grinned, something seemed to be coming up.

“You’re one of the few orphans who remembers their parents. I’ve read about when you were taken in. Akihiro is somewhat similar. While his parents died before he could remember anything, he does have a watch from them that he’s too scared to wear.”

“Putting that aside,” I said as I turned my gaze to Isao, “I have two things I want to say. A report and a proposal.”

“Sorry to intrude like this Mana, but this room is the only place where we can be sure that there are no eavesdroppers.”

“Don’t worry about me,” she said whilst looking at me and not Isao. Her eyes seemed widened yet filled with empathy.

I turned to look at Isao again and began my report.

“In the government building, I met a woman while you were apologizing. This woman had short blonde hair with its color fading at the tips. She was wearing a grey sweater, black leggings, and black boots. Her name is Shina and apparently, she was at the party yesterday. Was there someone named Shina there?”

Isao’s eyes narrowed. He placed his right hand on his chin and supported his elbow with his other hand. After a short silence, he responded.

“There wasn’t. Are you sure their name was Shina and that their hair was blonde with color fade?” Isao said slowly.

“I’m sure of it. She knew of the incident, she knew what the Expansion Suit looked like.”

“No Shina was invited to the party. Let alone someone with hair that lost its color at the tips. All the guests care about their appearance and status, so they always dye it.”

“Then we might have a problem. This Shina told me she works for a part of the government that deals with intelligence gathering. She not only knows of the incident, that the assault rifles come from SPEAR, but she also knows of my fear of the lower levels and my past…”

“Your fear of the lower levels?” Mana asked.

“…It’s the reason why I acted like I did when I was a child, even now…”

“Impossible…” Isao said softly. “Among the people I have apologized to today, is a man who works for the intelligence department, and yet they told me they were forbidden to investigate this incident by a superior… let alone anyone knowing your past… that information is only readily available to the board of directors. Not even the caretakers or educators are allowed to know. This way they can accept everyone as an equal.

“The government won’t investigate…?!” I said under my breath.

That has some implications, ones that I dislike.

“Even the kids inside the orphanage find it taboo to share their past,” Mana added.

“This Shina woman is dangerous,” I said, confirming my suspicions. “That woman also gave me a silver necklace with a phoenix pendant. We should get it checked out for any devices in it. If there’s a recording device or a tracker then she’s an enemy.”

“I agree. But let’s not make hasty decisions. It's easy to declare someone our enemy and go to war with them, but if they belong to VOID or SPEAR… let’s just say there’s a reason all three corporations have avoided direct conflict with one another.”

“Then let’s move on to the next thing that I wanted to say, a proposal. I want CLEAR to send someone to the lower levels to gather intel…”

“The board of directors has also been thinking about that.”

“I do ask that I don’t get sent. Most importantly, my duties as a head security guard should be considered. Secondly, and more personally, I want to avoid that place,” I said whilst I bowed.

“I can’t guarantee anything, but there is a low probability. The board wants to keep this under wraps, so an already initialized CLEAR orphan will be sent, however, there are a few things to consider. Who is expendable or indispensable? Who has been seen by the public as an important figure? Who has the right set of skills? As it seems right now, Akihiro is the most likely candidate.”

“Why Akihiro? Why not me for example?” Mana asked curiously, “Akihiro has hated ‘injustice’, ‘terrorists’, and ‘evil’ since he was a child. He still hates them, like he never grew up.”

“I agree he won’t like this task, maybe even hate it. However, that also makes him unlikely to concede to anyone down there, especially terrorists and criminals. He’s sociable, a good negotiator, and strong. The board also thinks he’s wasting his potential. In their words, ‘potential that oneself does not try to reach, is no potential at all.’ We would have sent Kanaye if we could have, but since his transformation into a cyborg to be able to pilot an Expansion Suit, he’s become a treasure and a secret which CLEAR wishes to keep nearby.”

“Scientists are necessary for research, managers hold important data that might get leaked if they’re tortured, caretakers and educators are always short-handed so we can’t just take one… security guards are the only option, aren’t they?” I asked Isao.

“Even if they get captured and tortured, they know next to nothing of CLEAR’s research which is the company’s greatest secret. The chance of another attack is also exceedingly low. This is the first case of this happening in four years since you took over, Erity.”

That last comment made me clench my fists and grit my teeth…

“The board of directors will answer soon enough. As things stand, Akihiro will go. It was nice of you, Mana. rest well.”

I said goodbye to Mana as well and together with Isao I left the hospital, giving the phoenix pendant to Isao who would check it out at CLEAR tomorrow. After I escorted him to his villa on the 8th level, I too went home on the other side of the level.

***

Walking through the white hallways of the apartment complex, I went to my front door and placed the keycard on the scanner. I opened the door, but before I could enter someone called out to me.

“Erity wait,” Akihiro said somewhat sternly.

“Is there anything you need of me?” I asked, closing my front door slightly so he wouldn’t see the mess inside.

“I need to talk and vent to you.”

“Can’t we do that tomorrow?”

“I would love to!” he said overly enthusiastically, “unfortunately it has been decided I will go to the place I hate the most. A dirty and pitiful place full of terrorists, criminals, and thugs.”

He used his right hand to cover his eyes. He took a deep breath and then invited me into his apartment saying mine is probably dirty. I agreed silently, closing the door to my apartment and heading into Akihiro’s.

His apartment had similar colors to mine, but what separated his from my own were the decorations on the cabinets or walls. Various photographs of levels 8 and 9 were framed and hung on the wall, along with a single painting and something that seemed to be a schematic and minimalistic decoration of Senshin Tokyo which expands vertically. Small near the planet, larger towards the void that is space. He also had a few houseplants here and there.

This made my apartment look dull and empty, devoid of any self-expression. It pained me.

I sat down on an armchair near a small wooden table. Akihiro placed a glass filled with water in front of me. Before he sat down, his cat Thomas came into the living room. Akihiro called for the cat, but it walked to the side of my chair and looked up at me.

“Would you mind Erity?” the cat named Thomas asked me.

I patted my legs, inviting the cat to rest upon them. Thomas the cat jumped and landed on my legs, laying down whilst facing Akihiro, his head resting on my knees.

“Thomas seems to like you more than me,” Akihiro said almost laughing.

“Erity is more refined and elegant than you are, you walking himbo,” the voice coming not from the cat’s mouth, but instead from a small computer and speaker attached to its collar.

I placed my right hand on his head and combed through his fur slowly.

“What did you want to talk about?” I asked Akihiro, my hand still on Thomas’ head.

“I’ve been appointed on a mission to investigate the attackers. I have to go to the lower levels…”

“I heard from Isao that you were the likeliest candidate. Kanaye’s existence is too valuable, I can’t leave my responsibilities, Mana is hurt, and Rai’s physique seems fragile which invites potential danger.”

“I know… I heard from Isao when I received these orders. But still! I don’t want to go there.”

“Why do you dislike the lower levels?” I asked trying to see if his reason was similar to mine.

“Because I dislike the criminals and terrorists that run rampant there. The lower the level, the fewer police, the more malice. That malice accumulates there and prevents others from developing, trapping them there.”

“I thought you were going to say something along the lines of ‘I hate evil and that place is where injustice is the norm.'”

“That’s also why he dislikes the lower levels,” Thomas said, “but Akihiro is someone who enjoys helping other people develop and make them grow. To Akihiro, there is no greater joy than seeing the orphans at CLEAR grow for example.”

“What does that have to do with him hating the lower levels?”

“A man once said ‘What is evil? Everything that springs from weakness.’ In the lower levels, people aren’t as fortunate as us. They struggle, haggle, fight, kill, and survive. Whatever is necessary. And because most people live that way, the people there are weak and not prone to change which is the cornerstone of development.”

“Moreover,” Akihiro continued, “I have been ordered to seek out a terroristic group named Invisible. The same group that destroyed an area in Level 5 in a battle with the police.”

“Kanaye mentioned that group didn’t he?”

“He did. I talked to him today. The zone was thoroughly destroyed and practically a disaster zone. Buildings were broken down, parks had been incinerated and many people died. Kanaye and some CLEAR caretakers took back 74 orphans with them.”

“It must be tough for them, to lose their parents.”

“I pity those that weren’t taken in.”

“You mean the one above the age of eight, right? Since CLEAR wants to educate children as young as possible, children older than eight get left behind and have to struggle to live without any parents.”

“All part of another long-term experiment of them. Are people really equal or are they different at birth due to genetics? Equal treatment at the orphanage is guaranteed, along with some therapy if the caretakers aren’t too busy. Those children will be fine.”

“What are you going to do then? I find it hard to believe that you’ll seek out Invisible only to gather intel,” I said distrustfully.

“I want to thoroughly destroy them,” Akihiro said directly.

“You’re contradicting yourself. You dislike killing, so unless you mean something else with ‘destroy’...”

“Are my tastes more important than what’s morally right? Those terrorists killed people, and left them homeless, if anyone deserves to die it's them.”

“Were you ordered to kill them?”

“Of course not. The fact that CLEAR told me specifically about this group means they have a friendly, or at least, mutually beneficial relationship. I was even told I would receive a briefcase full of money and some keys to some warehouse in the city.”

“Akihiro,” I raised my voice, “if you realize that, you are forbidden from killing them. If they benefit us, then their existence has worth. As you said, are your tastes more important than what’s morally right? CLEAR decides what’s right or wrong, not you.”

“And that means they’re always right?”

“Are you insinuating they’re wrong? Who are you to doubt their orders? Just a mere orphan who was taken in and raised by them. Do you feel no gratitude to your saviors?”

“I am grateful, but unlike you, I don’t feel like worshipping them. They decide what’s wrong or right. Do you think they’re gods or something?”

“Then I ask you again, who are you to decide what’s morally right or wrong? An individual is selfish and will always try to benefit themselves. A group, society, focus on what is best for everyone, without any excessive selfishness. CLEAR seems like a better entity to decide right or wrong than you, Akihiro.”

“Are you telling me to ignore murderers that involve children as if they’re expendable?”

“If the group, CLEAR, wants that then–”

Akihiro slammed the small round table in between us. Neither Thomas nor I flinched. Akihiro’s expression was a strained one. His hands were shaking and he seemed to be clenching his jaw.

His expression changed after a while. His brows started to furrow and his gaze looked sad whilst he looked me in the eyes.

“Do you not care about people? Do you not feel empathy for the victims?”

“I do feel for the victims…”

“Then why are you not agreeing with me!”

I thought about it for a bit. Akihiro was passionate about this. He cared. He cares a lot. Willing to put his selfishness aside for those that suffered… or would this be another kind of selfishness?

Either way, I couldn’t say I was that passionate. Not about this… not about anything… nothing truly interested me…

“Akihiro…” I said, my gaze dropping as I tried to force out some words from deep within, the part I wanted to keep locked away for eternity, “because I’m afraid… afraid that if I fight those terrorists, or even Mythical now, that I’ll lose everything I have. I can’t go through that…”

Akihiro was silent, and so was the cat in my lap. I grabbed Thomas and placed him on the ground. I stood up and thanked Akihiro for the drink.

“Do whatever you want Akihiro… but please… help me with Mythical first before you do anything that will upset another group of terrorists…”

I walked to the door and opened it. I said goodbye to Akihiro and Thomas but before I truly left I decided to repeat myself.

“I can’t go through that… Not again…”