The central station wasn't far from the repairs and maintenance section. No. 44 retraced his steps back to the station and found it to be still active even during the night. The lights were darker, and the surrounding environment was more quiet than it was in the afternoon.
While waiting for the right train, No. 44 sat on a bench and let his mind rest for a moment. At exactly one thirty a.m., the train arrived on platform two. He picked up his bag, which contained all the items he had stolen that day, and boarded the train. There were only one or two passengers in the train, so he didn't bother to find the right-colored wagon and simply sat on the first available seat he could find.
No. 44 relaxed his back and leaned on the comfortable seat. A few minutes passed, and the train was ready to depart again. The doors closed, and on the window next to him was an unnoticed small silhouette running swiftly to the pillar. It stopped when it noticed the closed doors and could only watch as the train left the platform.
"…Missed the train, tsk."
No. 44 arrived at the west station in no less than two hours. This time, he went through the records office instead and got to his chamber without having to walk through the never-ending corridor from last time. Like usual, as he opened his door, he saw the man slumped on the floor, snoring loudly.
It doesn't look like the pain from the man's injuries has faded but he was comfortable with the puppet not around. When he heard some shuffling, his instincts got him to quickly wake from his slumber and sit up. Seeing the arrival of the puppet, the intruder didn't dare make a move and simply behaved in the corner.
Cough, cough. "A-ahem." He cleared his throat and prepared to speak. He had been practicing his voice earlier and had to ignore the pain just so he could properly communicate. "S-sir. I—"
The puppet turned to look at him. The silent stare was very oppressive; he couldn't say the words that he had prepared. "I actually—I… I need to—Nevermind… Please don't mind me!"
Since it wasn't anything important, the puppet brushed it aside and went back to his desk. He started to assemble the gun back into its original form. Having learned a lot from both the information center and the repair and maintenance section, he understood how to do it. He visualized it in his head before moving his hands. However, of course, reality is oftentimes different from the imagination.
Although it looked easy inside his mind, he still needed practical experience for it to work out smoothly. He was the one who disassembled it, and he remembered all the steps, but it proved to be harder than he expected. Hence, he spent a couple of hours in his desk.
In the morning, an announcement was made. "Repairs will be completed shortly. White-class in chambers I, please prepare to be summoned back to the records office."
I wonder. He recalled the elderly man in the repairs and maintenance section. The gray-class had someone in charge of them, dictating what they should be doing. If that's the case ,then every class should have their own supervisor. Perhaps? The voice of the announcer here was different from the voice in the station…
The only white-class members who were suspended from work were the ones in chambers I. I've seen a few at the station, which means that they still had work. No, that only makes sense since the whole ship can't stop all operations. The point is, we received different announcements. Furthermore, doesn't this mean that someone has seen every single one of my actions?
No, I don't think that's exactly the case. First of all, whoever's watching could have only observed my actions yesterday morning before the attack. However, they would have been too busy. Furthermore, the elderly man mentioned that he was in an eight-hour-long meeting. The supervisor for the white-class was likely there as well. Which means that after the attack, there was no one to watch over the puppets… I'm still safe for now.
"Um," the intruder interrupted his thoughts. "Y-you're about to go to work, right? H-how long do you think you'd be there for?"
No. 44 didn't bother to answer him, so the man had to figure it out on his own. "You'd probably be there for the entire day, right? I… I should have told you earlier but I need, I need food. W-water too! Please, I think I'm going to die of hunger at this point. I m-might also need to go to the bathroom. D-do you have bathrooms here?"
Why should I care if you're hungry or thirsty? Since you've already served your purpose, I'd have more use for you dead than alive. No. 44 inwardly sighed, No, I shouldn't act like this; I was, after all, a human in the past. Perhaps I should show more compassion.
No. Maybe this was his goal—for me to take pity on him and—no, that's highly unlikely. Why would he think that a puppet is capable of feeling pity? No, he must be thinking that since he believes that puppets are inhabited by the soul, he should be attempting to speak to the soul within me. But if that's what's happening, shouldn't I respond to that since my soul is a fellow human? Not necessarily, I suppose, because…
"Repairs have been officially completed. Please proceed to the records office."
I need to not look suspicious. No. 44 thought as he quickly abandoned his desk and went out of his chamber, lining up with the other puppets. What would happen if they found out? Would they contact the Artificer, maybe try to 'fix' me, or send me to be destroyed and then recycled?
At first, I wanted to know what would happen if I truly made a mistake and was found. However, that option doesn't seem as appealing as before. He thought as he marched to the office along with the other puppets.
Once they arrived, everything was back to how it was originally. The papers and documents were arranged, the writing essentials were placed in a proper order, and the ink and typewriter were back in their positions.
No. 44 found his seat and started to scan the paper. It was still the record of Soy B. Eans. What am I supposed to do with this? He tried to find the answer through the other items on his desk. Other than the records and documents, there was also a clipboard with a thick stack of papers attached to it.
Monster Clearing Project
This Contract is in between the undersigned parties:
Service Provider:
Name: Andromeda Empire
Address: Branches: [Details…]
Contact Information: Intercom, Telegraph [Details…]
The Client:
Name: Lady Lolita L. Ikker
Address: Cynthia Manor, Westville, High Street, Cercopithecidae
Contact Information: Telegraph [Details…]
Mission Details:
1. Purpose of the Mission: The client requires the services of the mercenary group to clear a designated forest area of dangerous monsters and creatures to ensure the safety of the client and their property.
2. Mission Location: The mission will take place in the forest located at north of Cynthia Manor, Westville, High Street, Cercopithecidae
3. Mission Objectives:
a. Eliminate hostile monsters.
b. Ensure the safety of the Client's property and personnel.
c. Provide a secure and monster-free environment.
4. Duration: The mission is expected to begin on 13/04/07
5. Compensation:
a. The client agrees to pay the mercenary group a total sum of 50 credits (50,000 silver shillings or 500 gold shillings) for the successful completion of the mission.
b. Payment will be made in the form of credits (changeable) upon mission completion.
c. If the mission proves to be more difficult, the service provider may request more compensation.
6. Roles and Responsibilities:
The mercenary group:
a. Deploy trained personnel with suitable skills and equipment.
b. Carry out the mission according to professional standards.
c. Ensure the safety and well-being of its members during the mission.
d. Provide regular mission status updates to the client.
The client:
a. Provide all necessary information and access to the forest area.
b. Assist in coordinating logistics and support during the mission.
c. Fulfill payment obligations upon mission completion.
7. Termination: Either party may terminate this contract if there is a material breach of the terms or if the mission becomes impracticable for any reason.
8. Confidentiality: Both parties agree to maintain the confidentiality of all mission-related information.
9. Governing Law: This contract is governed by the laws of the International Authority Jurisdiction.
10. Signatures:
…
Am I supposed to assign personnel to these missions? Hm, there's so much organization in this group. In my world, mercenaries simply used to form groups and apply to the missions themselves; they don't need to be assigned.
Alright then. This seems pretty difficult. Monsters back in my world were ridiculously strong; I wonder how they are like here. I doubt it would be much different. Monsters are monsters, after all, and this is a whole forest! Hm. Soy B. Eans was a knight in training so he'll know how to handle this client with the title 'lady.' I should assign another melee fighter. A tanker would be nice, as well as rangers! What else? They don't have mages here, which is a shame. Hm?
Otherworlder?
This—are they similar to me?
No. 44 became so lost in his thoughts that he momentarily stopped his movements. After a few seconds, he resumed his work and began to move faster, matching the pace of the other puppets. The truth was that he was searching for more information about otherworlders, hoping to find someone who possibly had the same experience as him.
No. 44 didn't notice the passing of time. Before he knew it, a loud ringing bell distracted him from his thoughts. It was followed by an announcement: "Work hours have concluded. Please return to your chambers."
The puppets began to arrange the things on their table into their original positions. No. 44 copied the movements of his colleague, No. 43, and began to tidy up his desk. Once they were over, the puppets stood straight one by one.
The first row began to form a line. No. 44 obediently lined up with them. He remained compliant until he was back to his chambers, where he was greeted warmly by the intruder.
The man gathered his courage and spoke with a trembling voice. "Sir, good afternoon. Did you have a good day?"
The puppet immediately tossed him a piece of paper. "You'll get your food. Wait until evening."
No. 44 was being extra cautious about his actions. There's a high probability of getting caught during this period, especially when the supervisor is still active. Since there wasn't much to do, No. 44 went back to his desk and contemplated about 'otherworlders' while he assembled the gun.
The term itself reveals a lot of information. Beings from another world. From the records I've seen, there aren't a lot of them. Out of the six hundred thirty-nine personnel records I've reviewed today, only two of them were classified as such.
The two had very distinct features. The male had blue hair, a strange color to have for hair. Was it a mutation? The female had pink hair and eyes. Very strange indeed. However, what caught my attention was their ability. The male was capable of 'summon' which allows him to manifest the power of elementals while the 'female' was capable of telekinesis.
'Elemental' is a powerful term in our world. Elementals were almost worshipped, so to be able to summon these beings is truly a gift of nature. As for telekinesis, it's a simple ability that can be achieved using mana. Its limits depend on the user's capacity to hold mana and control it, but there is no mana in this world. How is this woman using 'telekinesis?' It was achieved through other means than mana? How was that possible? I need answers.