Глава 6

第二关（后）

Oh... Rosmontis, what are you doing?

I... I wanna fix this terminal.

Six years of memories up to last year... I saved them all in here...

This morning, I went to read the log from June 12, but the screen wouldn't turn on.

What if... what if I can't ever read them again...?

The March 14th log, when I went to the botanical gardens with daddy, or hiking in July, or the time when mommy...

...Mommy...

D- don't cry! Listen, you're not great with screens, right?

Why not wait until Scout can help you fix it? Or Closure?

I'll take it to Closure for you. She'll fix it up lickety-split!

Scout...

Is Scout that one operator who moves around all quiet?

That's him! You know him?

Yeah.

With that perfectly polished look... like a porcelain doll.

There he is.

Huh...?

I had yet to hear your estimation of me. I now understand how weak it is.

When did you get here?!

You could say I have always been here. I am used to concealing myself.

So Mr. Scout was here all along.

Why didn't Blaze sense it?

I... I wasn't paying attention. I just didn't notice!

Hey, if you were standing here all this time, why didn't you help her fix it?

Forgive me. We are mere moments from undertaking a mission. I must focus my energy on calibrating my weaponry.

You might ask Closure, or the good Mechanist to assist you.

Are you about to go save Dr. {@nickname}?

Yes.

Oh. You're going too.

It's me we're talking about. If I didn't go, what kind of joke would Rhodes Island's elite operators be?

And what did Ascalon say?

The usual. She's not going. Always there with Kal'tsit, that one.

Did it ever occur to you... That now is perhaps not the optimal time?

But it might be our last chance.

Chernobog is probably going to turn back deep into Ursus to avoid that Catastrophe. And a rescue operation in the Ursus interior is going to be damn near impossible.

I keep hearing you talk about it, but is this Dr. {@nickname} really worth all this?

Worth as much as Amiya and Kal'tsit.

Have I met the Doctor?

Not yet. But you will soon.

Good. I want to know what the Doctor is like too.

I really, really want to.

You will, kitten.

By the way, Ace, there's an uninfected girl named GreyThroat on your team.

I'm aware. She's been training in isolation.

Listen, Blaze. I've been working with her for a few months now. She has trouble expressing herself, but she's not a bad person.

She looked my teammate in the eye and asked, 'How hard could it be to be Infected?'

I know. But it might have been a legitimate question to her. She might really be curious.

It's not my place to demand an operator turn her opinion on a dime. And GreyThroat has never once questioned orders.

I don't care. I'm not going to stand by and let her insult my teammates, and I sure as hell won't let her disgrace the struggle of the Infected.

Now's not the time. I can see the rage you're holding back. But really, not now.

She said it right in front of me!

Take a breath, Big Cat.

You have a task at hand yourself.

...I do.

Fine. We'll deal with it when you get back.

Since when is Ace more senior than me?

When you take that tone, I start to think maybe you're screwing around.

She may very well be mocking you.

When he goes two days without shaving, he'll definitely look way more senior.

Ace's beard is very manly.

...Hm.

Hahaha! I have to go move some stuff around. Got my own job to do, you know. Later.

Let's get a drink when I'm done!

Try not to puke this time.

Misery spent two hours scrubbing the floor. I wager he would vomit himself when faced with that task again.

Who knew you could hold your liquor so well!

Rosmontis, Mechanist will give you back your terminal in a bit.

Be a good girl and wait patiently. But don't forget either!

I'll definitely remember! Bye bye!

Don't burn yourself!

Relax. I can control my own Arts.

...How is it you went before me?

Ace, was some uninfected girl like GreyThroat really worth training?

How much trust did we earn? And how much trust did we give?

If the Doctor...

What are you saying over there?!;......;If I don't believe in Rhodes Island...?

I'm saying bad things about you. To your face.

If there's a Doctor hanging around here, hurry up and come out already. You'll need some fancy Arts to hide behind that wall if you don't want me to find you.

Then I'll string you up on a lamppost as bait for Reunion. Don't worry! You won't die. A few bolts and a knife or two never hurt anyone.

....sigh.

Sigh!

Did Amiya send you?

Whatever. That's what she's best at. And what she's worst at...

I keep trying to remind her, to get her thinking about how she's still just a kid... it always seems to have the opposite effect.

I guess she'll never be able to put down that grown up persona of hers as long as she's the leader of Rhodes Island.

Of course, if it wasn't Amiya who sent you, if you decided to come keep me company all by yourself, I'm not against the idea.

...Hold me back? Haha! I could carry three of you on my back and I wouldn't even notice. One little Dr. {@nickname} can't hold me back.

Hey, look over there.

Go on! Get out of here! We don't want to fight!

Hmph... we won't yield to the Infected!

You're outnumbered! What's the point?

Duty!

Don't blame us for what happens! You see those monsters behind us? Just run already!

What monsters?!

See that Reunion group cutting through the alleys? They're picking at Lungmen's vanguard units. They won't hold for long...

Give me a path.

The usual, or...?

The fastest, of course!

Don't give me that look. It's not like I've never carried you before.