19

Countdown: 3:02:55 Remaining.

Makoto awoke with a start, confused. The ground beneath him felt faintly warm with the heat of his own body, and he noted a single lantern on the wall behind him. In his groggy, half-awake state, he couldn’t focus on anything, and the vague shadows dancing along the walls sent his adrenaline rushing once again.

He tried to stand, but his legs weren't awake yet, and he stumbled. Only then did he realize he couldn’t feel his arms either, and he wondered if they were still attached to his torso.

A muffled sound trickled into his ear, and the familiarity of it struck him before he recognized the source. He turned towards it, and in the dim light, made out a faint crimson glint as something moved.

Makoto’s instincts kicked in and he rolled away, trying to put as much distance between himself and the potential threat as possible. His back hit the wall, and he pressed up against it while willing his limbs to work.

Only then did he finally recognize the only other person in the small room. Rui lay groaning near the wall opposite of him. He had rolled onto his stomach, and his dark red hair was a mess.

“Rui,” Makoto tried to call out. The name escaped his mouth as little more than a wheeze, and his throat burned from the mere effort. He coughed, and gasped at the pain in his stomach. Automatically, he tried to reach into his shirt pocket for his monocle, and though he managed to move his clumsy hand enough, the pocket was empty.

“We got caught,” Rui said, answering the question before Makoto could ask. His voice was normal, albeit strained. “I couldn’t fight them all off.” He pushed himself into a seated position and groaned, holding his side. Without being able to scan him, Makoto didn’t know how to help.

“You should’ve coated your throat before we left,” Rui said. “That burning sensation is from the gas. It’ll go away pretty fast though, now that you’re awake.”

Why was I out? Makoto thought. The words struggled to come to him, like he was fishing them out of a murky pond. Did my lung fail to filter it out?

“They took anything they could,” Rui said, “But I didn’t see them touch the ports, so that’s good at least. Those idiots probably think they can catch organ failure or something, because they were avoiding touching our skin too.” He tried to chuckle, but it died on his broken lips.

Makoto had regained enough feeling in his arms to push himself into a seated position, pulling his legs towards his chest to preserve what meager warmth his clothing maintained. He looked at the lantern with longing, wishing he could savor its warmth.

“Why did the gas knock me out?” Makoto asked, wincing at the pain in his throat. He didn’t feel that same sensation in his lungs, which only added to the mystery.

“It didn’t. You were out cold before I dropped it.” Makoto must have made a face, because Rui added, “Don’t worry about it. There were too many of them, so it wouldn’t have helped. At least this way, you didn’t get too injured, so you can find the way out of here.”

“Where are we?” Makoto looked around at the plain concrete walls surrounding them. There was nothing inside the room beside the single lantern. Why aren’t we dead?

“Some room in some abandoned wing of the building. They’re leaving us here to rot, then they probably plan to drop our corpses outside to ward off any other Defectives. I heard they did that with a few of the Rebels. They’d caught the scouts that were sent in to stake the place out before the raids. Still got the data from them though, despite the Pures’ best efforts.”

The pained look on Rui’s face as he spoke of the Rebels revealed he was thinking of his sister, and Makoto yearned to comfort him, if only he could make it across the room.

It took another minute for Makoto to stand, at which time Rui said, “The only door is behind me, and there are no other gaps in the room. I counted five locks though, and the door itself has been reinforced with steel, probably from before the Pure locked themselves off here. I couldn’t get it to budge.” He didn’t look at Makoto when he spoke, and the way he turned himself away warned Makoto not to press any earlier subjects.

“Maybe I can pick the lock,” Makoto said, and he noticed the burning sensation lessening, as Rui had said. Pulling his multi-tool out of the storage pocket in his side, he stumbled towards the door.

Each of the locks differed slightly, but he had seen them before on the older houses in his neighborhood, the ones that had opted out of digital security systems.

He switched the multi-tool to one of the small picks that he used for cleaning the seams of organs, and noted how slowly it changed. It’s losing energy too, he thought with dismay. It might not work much longer, so I’ll have to go fast.

Inserting the pick into the lock, he quickly realized that he didn’t have the proper tools to pick it, as he needed something to create tension within the barrel so the pins would release when he pushed them. He heard Rui shift beside him, and the slight tink of his jacket zipper touching the wall gave Makoto an idea.

He took his own jacket off, shivering at the sudden loss of warmth, and unhooked the pull tab from the slider, then replaced the jacket on him, making sure to keep it on backwards. Then, inserting the pull tab into the lock and pushing counter-clockwise to create tension, he used the pick of his multi-tool to poke at each of the pins until he heard them click, then he successfully turned the lock.

Rui looked up at him as he started on the second one, picking it with more ease than the first. “Where did you learn how to do that?” he asked, impressed.

“Miyuki always liked those vintage paper diaries with the locks on them. She had a collection of them, in the Before, but she always lost the keys, so I learned to pick the locks for her.” A pang of sadness went through him at the reminder that those diaries and their contents had long since been burned. They’d already gone missing by the time he awoke in their old home, and he knew there was no hope of anything remaining after so long.

The first three locks were easy to pick. The fourth took longer, but he was still able to use the same method.

It wasn’t until he reached the fifth lock that he realized there was no way out of the room from the inside. “There’s no hole in this one,” Makoto said. “It only locks from the outside.”

Rui cursed under his breath. He struggled to stand up, groaning as he straightened, and said, “So how are we going to get out of here? I doubt we could break it down.” Then, he pressed his face into the side of the door, looking through the seam where the locks had been latched. “It doesn’t look too thick, I guess.”

“That’ll make too much noise -- they’ll know we got out and they’ll just kill us immediately or put us in another room.”

“Got any better ideas?” Rui slumped back against the wall. His breathing was a little staggered, and deeper than before.

Makoto took another look at the door, trying to not let himself be distracted by his concern over Rui. He yearned for nothing more than to examine and try to help the boy, but there was little he could do without the proper materials, and they were running low on time.

The other side of the door was held by a pair of hinges, as basic as any he had ever seen. They used to have wires running through them, perhaps to lock the door electronically, but the holes were now empty. It left ample room for him to squeeze his pick in and find the weakest point of the hinge to break it apart.

“If I can pull off the hinges on this side, we can slide the door out of the lock and get out that way,” Makoto said, already starting. Out of his peripheral vision, he watched Rui shift. His breathing had gotten smoother, significantly less labored than it had been moments ago, much to Makoto’s relief.

His eye glowed as he approached the door, scanning the hallway beyond it. “There are two guards patrolling in the adjoining hallway, but nobody’s near the door yet. From their projected path, they’ll be right outside in about six minutes. I don’t know if they’ll leave once they’ve arrived.”

“Then we have six minutes to get out of here, and we have to make them believe we’re still here…” Makoto regretted his words as soon as he heard the snap of his pick breaking the hinge, and he knew there was no way they would be able to simply replace the door. Even if we manage to push it back into the lock, it’ll never sit right without the hinges in place.

He shot Rui a panicked look, only to see a sense of resignation on the boy’s face. “We won’t be able to replace the door, will we?” he asked. When Makoto shook his head in response, he followed up with, “And we can’t take a risk with using another gas canister, on the off-chance that your lung isn’t filtering well enough. Plus,” he added, glancing at the door. His eye glowed as he gazed beyond it before finishing, “We’re on the right floor to find your sister -- I recognize the layout from the blueprints. If we get Miyuki out, and the gas has spread too far, it could affect her too.”

Before Makoto could come up with an alternative plan, Rui sighed and looked the door up and down. Then, tapping to the side of his mechanical eye, he projected an image of it before him.

“I figured I may need to use this at some point, but I am sad to see it go,” he said and turned away, taking the projected door to the other side of the room. Makoto watched from behind as he popped his mechanical eye out of its socket, turned back, and sat it on the floor in front of him, lining up the projected door with the real one. “I had it altered, shortly after the Rebellion, to store an extra pocket of energy, so it’ll last an hour without being connected to me.” His real eye gazed down at it with regret and sorrow, and Makoto knew he was saying goodbye to the last thread that connected him to Yumi.

Silently, Rui came over and helped Makoto move the door, propping it against the wall as the hologram seamlessly took its place. Then, he led the way out of the room and into the hallway.

Countdown: 2:31:55.

Rui’s gaze swept the empty space, his one eye flicking quickly across the way while the other stayed forever closed. He gestured for Makoto to follow him, and turned left. Whispering, he said, “The Rebels had speculated that most of the occupied rooms would be on the far end of the building, away from the entrances, because that would make them harder to escape from. From what I had scanned, we seem to be close.”

Makoto nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His mouth had gone dry, and he couldn’t feel his hands anymore. This was their only chance -- one wrong move and they wouldn’t have another escape. His senses heightened until he could almost taste the heat of the lanterns beside him. He swore he could smell the fire and feel each movement of the flames on his skin.

After months of trying, I’m so close to Miyuki. To think that soon she’ll be safe, and I’ll have finally kept that promise… He didn’t dare to voice the words.

“I can’t tell you which room she’s in though, and there are probably about a dozen in the south wing…” Rui slowed down, and turned to give Makoto an apologetic look. “I guess I hadn’t thought it through, huh? Leaving my eye like that.”

Makoto shook his head. “You bought us time we wouldn’t otherwise have, and that’s amazing,” he said with what he hoped was a grateful smile. He relaxed when Rui nodded.

Looking at the first door, Makoto wished he had his monocle, but he knew he wouldn’t need it. “When we were little, we had this secret knock. Five quick taps, followed by a pause, then two slow taps. If it’s Miyuki, she’ll recognize it, and answer back with three slow and two quick. If it’s anyone else, they’ll just be confused.”

“Who’s to say they won’t come to the door?”

Makoto pointed to the nearest knob. “That’s the same one-sided knob our door had. You can't open these from the inside.”

Rui nodded in agreement, then gestured for Makoto to take the lead while he turned around to watch for incoming security.

Makoto steeled himself as he stood before the first door. He prepared for the two possible outcomes -- one where he found his sister and one where none of the doors belonged to her. He hoped for the former but steeled himself against the latter.

The first door offered no response. He tried not to feel the disappointment that rushed in to weigh him down and looked instead at the dozen other rooms surrounding him. If she’s even in one of these rooms. The Rebellion was months ago -- it’s possible things have changed since then.

The second room was equally silent. From the third one came a timid “Hello?.” The voice sounded young and afraid, trembling over even such a simple word. Makoto’s heart broke, but he knew he couldn’t help anyone else. He wasn’t sure he could even help his sister.

I’m sorry, he thought towards the door, and turned away with the weight of guilt pressing down on his chest.

The next five doors offered similar responses, each one more pitiful than the last.

He had begun to regret his decision when he knocked on the eighth door, five quick raps, a pause, then two slow raps, and finally received the response he’d been yearning for -- Three slow knocks followed by two quick ones and a hesitant “Makoto?” in the voice he’d so desperately wanted to hear.

Rui turned at the reply, and excitement shone in his blue eye. He gave Makoto a huge grin, and he had never looked happier.

Makoto immediately got to work picking the lock. On the other side of the door, he heard muffled movements coming closer, but he couldn’t make much out. His mechanical ear had dropped significantly in sensitivity, even maxed out, and there was a constant static noise that drowned out softer sounds.

This spurred Makoto to work faster, pushing so hard against the barrel that he feared his zipper tab would break before he finished, and all but pressing his ear into the lock to listen for the pins clicking into place.

When it finally budged, his breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t feel the knob as he turned it, and pushed open the door.

And finally, after months apart, he saw his younger sister -- scrawny and frightened, but otherwise unharmed. He nearly fainted from the sheer relief of the unbelievable finally coming true.

Her youthful face lit up with a genuine smile as she rushed into his waiting arms, and he hugged her back so tight he feared he would snap her in half.

“Thank god you’re okay,” he said softly, peeking into the room where she’d been imprisoned. Other than a bed, a toilet, and a sink, the room was despairingly empty.

“I could say the same to you,” Miyuki said. Her voice was hoarse and heavy with fatigue, but the fear in it lessened with every word. “I can’t believe you found me.”

He let her pull away, and looked straight into his sister’s eyes as he said, “I promised Mom I would keep you safe. I failed so far, but I won’t fail you or anyone else ever again.” I’m sorry, Sumire.

Miyuki cocked her head at the comment but didn’t question it. Instead, she looked down the hallway where Rui was standing, and tensed at the sight of him. Then, she relaxed as soon as he turned around.

She must have noticed he’s a Defective too, with the missing eye and all. Rui’s eyelid lay flat against the empty socket, a slightly unnerving sight, but one he was already acclimating to.

“I’m glad you’re alright too, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Rui said with a brief, warm smile as he came over. “We have to go. I think I heard them patrolling again.”

Panic climbed through Makoto’s body, but he swallowed it down and nodded. With Miyuki in tow, the two boys headed to the end of the hall, and away from the guards, leaving the other wards behind.

Countdown: 2:15:19 Remaining.

The third floor remained tranquil as the trio crept through. No alarms had been raised in the absence of the prisoners, though it was only a matter of time before Rui’s eye lost power and the illusion disappeared.

This spurred Makoto on a little faster, holding Miyuki’s hand tighter. He feared that letting go, even for a moment, would be letting her slip away, and he couldn’t fail her again.

Rui stopped them at the corner of the hallway. They’d reached the end of the wing. If they could make it downstairs and out through the first floor, there was little standing between them and the edge of the barrier, and they'd already scouted a safe path on the way in.

Rui poked his head out from around the corner, then immediately pulled back. He glanced at Makoto with discomfort, and Makoto realized this was the first time Rui had a normal range of vision.

And I can’t hear much anymore, Makoto thought. He tried to max out his hearing, but the static drowned everything out. It took all his self control not to flinch at the sound as it filled every corner of his mind. He forced himself to turn it off. His body was diverting energy away from anything non-essential, so his ear would be the first to fail.

Having lost his own advantage against the Pure, he matched Rui’s despondency.

Rui peeked out one more time before gesturing toward the stairwell. Makoto took the lead, pulling Miyuki through the doorway after ensuring there were no security guards within. Rui followed last, looking over his shoulder to double check that they weren’t being followed.

Once the thick stairwell door closed behind him, all three of them let out a sigh of relief. The heaviness of the doors and the lack of light trickling in from the perimeter indicated that they were fairly sound-proofed.

“If they expect that we’re scouts, they’ll have increased security on the lower floors, mainly concentrated on the first, to stop any other Defectives,” Rui said.

Makoto nodded in response, then glanced at his sister, who was watching Rui with interest and confusion. That was when he realized he had forgotten to introduce them.

Reading his mind, Rui turned to her and said, “I’m Rui, by the way, your brother’s partner in crime. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He gave a little bow with a flourish, but the smile he tried to wear was more nervous than friendly.

“Nice to meet you,” Miyuki said. “I’m sorry you’re going through so much trouble for me…” She looked down, bowing her head in embarrassment. Her hands knotted themselves in front of her, balling up the edge of her thin, ragged shirt. It was at least four sizes too large and barely stayed on her scrawny shoulders, but at least it looked warmer than what he had seen on Shu. He was also relieved that, unlike Shu, Miyuki was free of bruises.

She looked unharmed, albeit thinner than the last time he’d seen her. Her chestnut hair had grown out and reached down to her waist, where a belt held her baggy pants up.

“Don’t be silly,” Rui said. “Makoto would’ve done the same for me if it was my sister up here.” Now the smile completely vanished from his lips, and he cleared his throat, looking away. To her credit, Miyuki didn’t press the matter, and instead waited for Rui to say, “Our priority once we get down there is to get you out of the building. Then, make a run for it. Turn left out of the building and take the main path, when it forks, go to the left again. You’ll pass a construction site with a friend of ours named Shu who can help you if you get separated from us.”

Makoto took over. “Whatever happens, don’t look back. Don’t stop running until you make it to the barrier. You’ll find a hole along the edge. Get through it, then head to Shimo-Kitazawa station. From there, you’ll find an entrance to the underground tunnels. Follow the lights to the storage room. I’ve left instructions on how to use my backpack and a list of safe places to go.”

Miyuki’s face melted from confusion into sadness. “I’m going to be alone, out there?” she asked softly, hesitant to protest. “You’re not staying with me?”

“This is just the worst case scenario,” Makoto said, pulling Miyuki into a hug. It was the same way their mother had comforted them when they were younger, and he hoped it would have the same effect on her now. “Of course I want us to stay together. All three of us.” He looked at Rui as he said the last part and saw a genuine smile on his partner’s face.

Rui waited until the siblings separated before interrupting the moment, saying, “We should head out quickly. Once they finish searching the third floor, they’ll head for the stairs.”

Makoto and Miyuki nodded in sync, and Rui led the way as the trio resumed their descent.