16

Countdown: 150 Days Remaining.

Makoto unscrewed the scope from the port in his chest and stored it away along with his multitool. “That should do the trick,” he said, taking his first breath of air through a mechanical lung. The difference didn’t feel as jarring as he thought it might -- it almost felt easier to breathe, with little need to expand his chest or stomach to accommodate each breath. Every inhale and exhale was smoother, and he’d altered the lung to warm the air to a higher temperature without expending extra energy, thereby making it easier to keep his respirator warm.

Rui had already pulled out his capsules of knockout gas, which, at Makoto’s request, he had modified from the poison ones, making them far less deadly. They were as small as marbles, and they looked like glass, too. Upon impact with the ground, they would vaporize and spread out through the air, contaminating anything within reach. Makoto had learned about the capsules in school, when learning how to program mechanical lungs to filter it out, and he knew there was little chance that unaltered humans could withstand even a few breaths of it. Even with the modification of removing the cyanide, it could still prove deadly at close range if inhaled too deeply.

Unperturbed, Rui stored the beads in the compartment Makoto had fitted on the right side of Rui’s abdomen, where he had pushed aside the large intestine to make a pocket. The makeshift port was cruder than the ones Makoto usually made, but it had little need for proper sterilization since it didn’t expose any organs.

Makoto had made a similar pocket in his own abdomen, and he used it to hold his multi-tool and scope, both of which could prove useful depending on where Miyuki was being kept. He left the rest of his belongings behind in his backpack as he saw little use for any of it once inside the sanctuary.

“Are you ready to go then?” Rui asked, looking at Makoto with concern clearly painted across his face. He sat in the corner of the Rebel’s hideout, where the pair had spent the last two days hiding out. The smell had lessened considerably since their previous visit, and though it was still unpleasant, it had become bearable.

“I guess so. How long will we have, once we get inside?”

Rui looked back at the calculations he’d written in the dirt by his feet. “With the information you gave me about your heart’s energy consumption, I’d guess you have no more than six hours. I could probably last about 8, but not much more than that. I don’t know how accurate their Faraday cage is at blocking off energy readouts though. From what I saw, the Rebels hadn’t found any specific information on it, just that it would prevent any energy regeneration once you cross the barrier.”

Makoto nodded. It’s not like the Pure need energy for anything, so it makes sense they would block regeneration to keep Defectives like us out.

Makoto moved his backpack to sit under the metal table where he’d picked up organs and wires only a week before, back when most of his camp members were still alive.

Back when Sumire was still alive.

He pushed the memory of her aside, refusing to think about what he would say when he saw Miyuki. His only objective was to get her out of the sanctuary by whatever means necessary -- anything beyond that depended on whether or not he made it out as well.

As the thought crossed his mind, Makoto turned to Rui, who looked away to pretend like he hadn’t been watching Makoto’s every move, and asked, “Can you promise me something?”

“Sure, what?” Rui perked up, eager to help. Worry still shimmered in his heterochromic eyes. The blue one held more genuine emotion than the red, though for a mechanical eye, it matched pretty accurately.

Rui was always quick to respond and a twinge of desperation played out in his voice each of the few times Makoto had spoken over the past two days of preparation. Uncertainty drew lines across his face, like he didn’t know what to say.

Makoto, too, didn’t know how he should be. He still felt the weight of his grief pushing down on him, even though he’d been steeling himself since the revolt. I guess it doesn’t matter how much you prepare for the end -- it still hurts when it comes.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he said, “If anything happens to me, or if I run out of time, can you take care of Miyuki for me, just until she’s beyond the barrier?” As much as he felt close to Rui, Makoto knew he couldn’t ask for more than that. He couldn’t burden his partner with caring for his sister, though he worried about how life would be for her on the outside. At least as a Pure, she doesn’t have to worry about energy. I’ll tell her where my backpack is stored and how to use the nutrition pocket, so she won’t have to worry about food either.

It was the best he could offer, and it had to be better than being used as an Incubator to repopulate the world with Pure humans.

“I’ve made arrangements for her once she finds this place, as best as I can anyway,” he added, looking at the things he’d set out. He’d made a small recorder with a data chip meant for a diaphragm, and he had left a message recounting all that had happened -- along with Sumire’s last words -- to tell Miyuki everything he might not have a chance to say. “So, if you can get her here, that would mean the world to me. After that, you don’t have to worry about her.”

When Rui didn’t respond, Makoto turned to see him looking more dejected than an abandoned cat. He still held the rod he’d been using to draw in the dirt, but it shook in his hand. For the first time in the weeks since he’d met Rui, Makoto saw the boy’s lower lip tremble, and he looked to be on the verge of tears.

“Why are you talking like that?” Rui asked, so softly it was barely above a whisper.

“Like what?”

“Like you plan to die in there.” Rui’s eyes searched Makoto’s face for an answer before he could give one.

Makoto’s jaw wired itself shut. He wanted to protest, to tell Rui he was wrong, but he couldn’t find the words. His mind went blank, and the simplest denial became impossible.

Rui came closer, climbing atop the mass grave, now thoroughly tamped down, and stood in front of Makoto, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. His proximity forced Makoto to look him straight in the eyes, as he knew looking away would only further upset Rui.

“You do, don’t you?” Although it sounded like a question, Makoto knew Rui expected no answer, so he offered none. “You’ve completely given up.” This time, it wasn’t a question at all. Rui’s wide eyes reflected the horror he felt at the mere idea.

A moment of silence passed between them, one that revealed all the pain they’d shared over the past few days -- the fear, the loss, the grief. It held everything out, filling the space.

Makoto couldn’t speak around the lump in his throat. He saw Sumire’s face in his mind, still smiling at him despite the pain on her face, and he couldn’t think of anything else.

“I know I didn’t get to know Sumire as well as you knew her,” Rui said, his voice still heavy with sorrow, “But I doubt she would want you to be like this.”

“You’re right,” Makoto said, pulling away. “You didn’t know her that well.” Some words finally managed to escape, but they weren’t the ones he wanted to say.

He regretted his action the moment he saw the dejected look return to Rui’s face, but he didn’t know what to do. All he could manage was to stand awkwardly still.

“I haven’t given up, you know.” Rui looked down, his voice soft and hesitant. “I don’t want you to die in there. I know that Defectives like us won’t live all that long, but that doesn’t mean we should just throw in the towel. It doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of the months we have left.” He chanced looking up at Makoto, his eyes full of uncertainty. “I’d kinda hoped to continue having a partner in all this, you know? Someone to stay by me, until the end.”

Fear flashed through Rui’s eyes, and it took Makoto a moment to realize what it was directed toward -- death. As much as he picks fights with anything that moves, he’s afraid to die. Makoto felt his eyes widen at the realization.

As though to cover up his revelation, Rui tried to force his usual aloof smile and say, “Besides, I like you, so I’d rather keep you around.”

Makoto shook his head, and despite the heaviness he felt through his entire body, his lips still managed to pull into a slight smile. “Always the shameless flirt.”

Rui’s expression softened, and the smile slipped into little more than a trace. “I’m serious,” he murmured, his gaze begging for acceptance. “I don’t want to be alone again.”

Makoto could only second the sentiment, as he’d grown accustomed to Rui’s constant presence in his life, and he couldn’t imagine a day without the boy by his side. “Then we’ll just have to make it out of there in six hours, right?”

This time, the smile on Rui’s face was genuine. “Right.”

It took a few hours for the pair to make it to the barrier. Although it was large enough to be visible from most of the prefecture, the border had been constructed around what used to be the city of Tokyo.

Once they had reached the outskirts of Kanda and had gained full view of the barrier in all its imposing height, Makoto felt the weight drop in his stomach. He’d expected to be intimidated by the walls meant to keep someone like him out, but his expectations fell short of preparing him for how gargantuan the cage actually was.

It’s impressive what they managed to make without anyone being able to stop them.

“Apparently it was originally approved as a research facility,” Rui said, his voice equally as awed as Makoto felt. “It was built to house patients with ‘rare diseases that organ transplants can’t cure’, whatever those might be. In the end, it was just a front for the Pure to gather and plan their revolt.”

“And here I thought you never paid attention in history,” Makoto said, attempting to tease Rui to lighten the mood.

“I saw no point in learning about centuries ago, but modern history felt relevant enough for me to remember at least some of it. Literature, now that was a useless subject.”

Makoto considered for a moment, while watching for any movement along the outside border, then said, “You just don’t have the attention span to read, considering you can barely pay attention to what someone says.”

“What was that? I wasn’t listening,” Rui said, but his mouth twitched upwards into a smile.

“I said you’re hot…”

Rui winked. “I knew you’d fall for me eventually.”

“Headed,” Makoto finished, sticking out his tongue at their old joke.

Then the gravity of their current situation sobered him up. Guilt crawled over every inch of his skin, reprimanding him for trying to jest so soon after everyone he loved had died. It stole the hint of a smile from his lips and threatened to suffocate him.

Noticing the shift, Rui reached out to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze. “We don’t have to breach immediately, if you need a breather,” he said, his voice free of sarcasm. He adjusted the respirator over his face, having loosened it for a moment.

Both of them had removed any neon bulbs from their clothing, as it could make them stand out among the Pure, who didn’t need such provisions, and Makoto was already feeling the loss of energy. He adjusted his jacket, which he had put on backwards to hide the zippers giving easy access to his port -- a dead giveaway -- and rubbed his hands over his arms to warm them up.

Blinking wearily, he shook his head. “I’d rather get this over with,” he said, taking a deep breath through his own respirator. He knew they would likely need to remove them and their balaclavas once they crossed into the sanctuary, so he made the most of the heated air while he still had it.

Rui nodded, though he didn’t look convinced of Makoto’s well-being. “The Rebels snuck in from underneath the barrier, since there’s no way to climb it and no entry at the top anyway. From what I saw, it doesn’t run deep underground, just enough to ground the cage.”

He looked off towards the barrier, and Makoto followed his gaze. “Security changes and patrols periodically, but it’s impossible to know exactly when since they don’t keep time. Best thing to do would be to drop the gas canisters and hope it lingers in the air long enough to knock anyone out before they notice us.”

Rui unstrapped the shovel from his back, having carried it from the Rebel’s hideout. Most of the dirt on it had dried and fallen off, but the rust remained. Makoto eyed it warily, hoping the shovel would hold long enough to let them dig a hole through.

“From what I saw,” Rui started, “This should be close to the spot they dug a hole. I remember that building, with the letters E-R-Y still lit up, in my sister’s memories. I don’t know exactly where it was, but hopefully the dirt will still be a little loose, if they filled it up at all.”

“I doubt they would leave a hole out in the open,” Makoto said, looking over at the crumbling remains of the building. It looked like a small house, with only two stories and no visible office furniture. Only three letters remained from the sign -- the rest of it was completely charred beyond recognition. Looks like their bombs even hit close to their sanctuary, Makoto thought, surprised at the proximity to the barrier. He hadn’t thought the Pure would risk their own territory just to take out a handful of Defectives.

“Then you have higher hopes for the Pure than I do,” Rui said, and the seriousness of his tone implied he wasn’t joking. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re so overly confident they killed the rebellion that they left their defenses down. Perhaps they even believe the rest of us Defectives are dead, since the weather’s taking a turn.” Bitterness dripped from his lips as his knuckles turned white around the shovel and his red eye glowed bright. He seemed to catch himself a moment later, covering his mechanical eye and forcing himself to relax his grip.

Makoto waited for Rui to make the first move, since he could track the security more accurately than Makoto could hope to. Together they stayed close to the ground, hiding among the rubble, and approached the barrier.

It took everything Makoto had to resist trying to look up as he approached the thick copper and aluminum cage surrounding what used to be Tokyo city. He knew he wouldn’t see very far, and that trying to look would only slow them down, but the temptation remained. For something so huge to have been created and maintained, even as the world around it fell apart, was certainly impressive.

“We’re within unaltered sight-range now,” Makoto said, looking into the shadows for any signs of the security guards. “But if I can’t see them, I assume they can’t see us.”

Rui nodded, scanning the area. “Both guards are moving away from us. There’s one at three hundred yards to our right, and another at about a hundred and fifty yards to our left. We’re twenty five yards from the barrier, and I don’t detect any changes in density along the edge, unfortunately. Figures they wouldn’t take a chance at running into the impure.”

Makoto couldn’t stifle his amusement towards Rui contradicting himself, but he refrained from saying anything.

Together they sprinted to the edge, and Makoto took the shovel from Rui. At the same time as he heightened his hearing, he slammed the shovel into the dirt -- a mistake he realized a few milliseconds too late. The tip of the shovel was too angled, and it hit the barrier, resulting in a metallic clang that was deafening to his overly sensitive ear. He ground his teeth to keep from making a sound.

Rui didn’t seem to notice, too preoccupied with tracking the guards. Makoto took this as a good sign -- people with unaltered hearing wouldn’t pick up on digging sounds until fairly close, so he could continue without worrying about the noise level.

Thank god there’s no way they have sensors in the barrier either, since they have no technology to monitor it with. I can only hope the outside guards don’t have anything on them either.

“I’m going after the one on the left first,” Rui said. He whispered, trusting Makoto would hear him.

“Be careful,” Makoto said, nodding as he continued digging. His arms had gone temporarily numb from the reverberation in the handle of the shovel, but he pushed through it. He listened for Rui’s footsteps, but even at his highest hearing level, Rui went silent after only a dozen feet.

He’s remarkably quiet, Makoto thought, listening for any hint of a guard nearby as he continued digging. He heard vague sounds from the other side of the barrier, but he tuned out the voices and movements, choosing to focus solely on his immediate surroundings.

Rui had given him one of the knockout beads, and he’d promised to use it in case of an emergency As he stood alone by the barrier between him and life in the Before, he doubted he could force himself to drop it, knowing that an overdose of the potent gas could kill a Pure.

Luckily, he didn’t need to, as he heard Rui returning well before he heard any signs of the Pure on either side. By the time the boy checked in with him, Makoto had already dug a few feet down. The hole was narrow in width, but that would also make it harder to notice unless the guards walked close to the cage.

Rui rushed off to incapacitate the other guard, and then he returned to take over digging. Makoto’s arms threatened to give up as he leaned against the side of the hole, too tired to climb back up to the surface, and pulled out his monocle to check the density of the dirt around them.

He stopped Rui from digging further by grabbing his forearm, and said, “I think we’re in the same spot after all. The density lessens in front of us.”

Rui looked at the dirt before him as well, certainly running the same scan, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Figures they wouldn’t try too hard to keep us out.”

With renewed motivation, they took turns continuing to dig until they reached the other side of the barrier and breached the Sanctuary.

Countdown: 6:00:00 Remaining.