The Little Prince in the Ossuary

# Below Black Water (6)

“Anne, cover me. ”

Winter approaches the creature's corpse with caution. The warning of sensory correction is gone, but in case you haven't noticed. A monster as cunning as this would have possessed deception. Calibration was not a prelude to winter. Beware of highly technical offsets. Just like Chadwick's mask.

However, no reversal occurred. The torn neck was fatal. The bloodshed, now it's just a thin stream. Winter sends a call to Joanna.

She stepped forward with a steady aim. However, after identifying the dead, the mac was loosened and covered his face with one hand.

“Damn it!”

The pressure door with the bloodshot handprint remained locked. Knowing that she shouldn't, Joanna tries to plug the card key into the recognizer. The red signal illuminates with a beep.

“I don't understand. Suicide... ”

Leaning against the door, she sweeps away the cloudy blonde.

“I thought their primary goal was to spread the infection and overcome or destroy any obstacles that were in the way. So why did he kill himself? Because you can't open the door? Or because you knew you were going to get killed as soon as you opened it? Either way, there's not enough reason to kill yourself. I'd rather try my last move.... ”

“You can't just kill people physically. ”

“What's that supposed to mean? ”

“I'm guessing he knows me by now. ”

It reminds me of Christmas Eve. Trickster, who was caught deliberately trying to infiltrate the base, laughs meaningfully at the face of winter. At that point, there might have been information about winter. A powerful enemy that needs to be more vigilant than a normal human. A radio transmission from a terminal that triggered the death of a Trickster in Ataskadero. That would have been the start.

“I would rather die and give you despair and helplessness than fight you can't even win……. Maybe that's the idea. Judging by the high probability of hurting Anne and me.... You know that if a person loses hope, it's over. ”

Joanna opens her mouth.

“No way. No way. It can't be that high of an accident for these guys. ”

“Maybe it's the learning outcome. ”

“Learning?”

“Yes. It's been over a year since the Civil War began. It's been almost a year and a half since Trickster. In front of the mutants, was there not a single person who lost hope and let it all go? Not to mention a lot of them. You've had plenty of opportunities to see and learn. You can destroy Humans like this." ”

“ ……. ”

“So, Ann, don't be disappointed. He's doing what he wants. ”

FBI agent washed dry. A deep sigh leaking through the palms of my hands. Do not move in that state. While she was in control of the mind, winter was pale and large remains again in her eyes. There were still corners that resembled humans, even though many were transformed. So I felt like an object of malice.

Winter is also afraid. I don't think I can wait any longer for the fall.

But it was because I was used to not being shaken by terrible horrors.

‘I've always been afraid since I was a kid. I don't know when I'll be abandoned. ’

Winter never felt the love of Mother and Father deeply. Therefore, I was afraid to fall asleep every night. I might not have parents when I wake up. It was a matter of life and death for the child.

One day, really, I woke up in the middle of the night and I didn't see my parents. The 11-year-old winter, instead of waking the fall, calmly shuddered and searched inside the drawer. The smallest box on the inside. There was a gold ring. The boy was relieved. He will return.

Later, there was no tremor.

Still, Winter offered calmly.

“Let's look around again. It might come to your attention that you haven't seen.... Anyway, it's better than staying still. ”

The FBI agent nods powerlessly.

The area was quiet and cold. During this time, the exhaust was activated, so the smell of blood and death was not so intense. The boy and agent walk slowly between the scattered documents and the corpses like foliage. It was time to think, rather than really find something.

That way, he stops walking in front of the pool of blood with a dry mark on the edge, and quietly starts turning twice. Joanna's face becomes darker.

I might have knocked on the wall, stepped on the table, and checked the ceiling for robbery. However, it was only after I learned that either side was made properly. This facility should be used to trap monsters with superhuman strength.

There was an emergency generator at the far end of the experimental area. Overall, it resembled a huge engine. The way it actually works is the way the engine works. Complicated pipes felt overwhelming. It would have been a means to power the experimental area in case of emergency.

Joanna is disappointed.

“If only that had stayed away from the wall. ”

It burns gasoline, so a separate exhaust duct leads to the outside of the hull. But the generator itself is so close to the hull, it can't even see where the exhaust ducts are attached.

Generators, power. The memory of winter led to incineration. Whatever the format, the detonator will be an electrical signal. There's no way to shut it down. I don't want to stop the whole thing.

‘If I just block the signal coming into this area.... ’

Hmm. Winter looks to the direction of the suicide monster's remains.

“Ann Trickster's suicide was obviously a way to overload yourself, right? ”

“ ……? ”

Wondering the wrong question, Joanna answered sincerely.

“Yes. Some of their organs act like coils. The moment the current and voltage exceed the limit, the tissue expands, ruptures, and electromagnetic shock waves are generated……. I've heard that the mechanism itself is no different than traditional EMP warheads. ”

“So even if a dead body is overloaded, will it cause shock waves? ”

“Uh, I don't know…… ”

I explained the winter inspiration to her who was embarrassed.

“That shouldn't open the door, but isn't there a chance the ignition system will fail? If the incineration process is delayed here, there may be an opportunity to escape while the ship is being destroyed. The arch twists, the deck collapses.... At least we can avoid it immediately. ”

It would be best if the whole ship were paralyzed, but that would be hard to expect. At the time of the Trickster's capture, he was prepared for the worst.

Not to mention the possibility of a slow roast in the hot air, which eventually failed to escape.

There was no guarantee that the ignition system would fail. Success was only known after the incineration process was initiated. Until then, I had to wait in the darkness where the light disappeared and there was no air, smelling the smell of dying getting darker.

The answer left a short margin.

“It's an unimaginable idea, but there's one thing that bothers me. ”

“What's that? ”

“I was expecting structure to come from the outside. Someone might notice that winter is falling from the retreat. Even for me, winter is an important character. ”

Assuming Chadwick's words are true, some of the intelligence agencies may not even know the existence of a private organization. Therefore, Joanna did not have vain expectations.

“But if the power to the pressure door is cut, the structure itself will be difficult. It's not going to be very organized. There was a potential, but even its existence is unclear... …. ”

Since the death of the former overseer, it has been a trivial yard. Who would you ask to cooperate in a situation where you don't know who the enemy is? The search will probably be a solo act.

“No, you'd better try. ”

Joanna changes her mind.

“Trickster's body will get worse over time. It might not be possible right now. Instead of waiting vaguely, I want to do what I can. ”

“Good. I'll bring him here, then. ”

“I'll help, too. ”

If it's fixed, you'd better hurry. The boy and agent jump to the end of the experiment area. The creature that killed itself lay dormant. It was just a clot of blood that was spilled.

When the two men grabbed him and dragged him, the large and heavy remains of the human were not difficult to move. Cutting through thick blood pools, leaving long marks. The shaken body was also soft. It was too early for postmortem stiffness. My wrists and ankles were a little stiff.

The process after that was not difficult either. Enough wires from the generator to plug them into the Trickster. The shockwave-sensitive equipment is packed into a silverware body bag and all is ready.

Johanna stands in front of the generator's control console. When winter reaches a safe distance and signals, she grabs the start lever.

“Here we go! Three, two, one! ”

Thump. When she breaks the lever, the generator starts with a roar. The deck vibrates slightly. Only one second left for the meter to reach its maximum output. The moment the illuminated signal went from red to blue

The gray corpse reacts violently. I felt like I was having a seizure. For a short while, winter smelled the burning flesh. Smoke is emitted from the body of special variants.

And explode.

The light clears. The generator's vibration fades. Filling the void, the darkness devours the entire area in a heartbeat. Winter dug through the body bag and pulled out the flashlight. Chug. When I flipped the switch, the sight that I saw before was devastating. A monster exploded from the inside. The bones and flesh soaked in the blood bounced until winter.

Winter gave way for Joanna. Careful what she turns around to say.

“Oh, my God. This is really working. If we make it out of here alive, we'll have to report it. ”

It was half impressed and half sighed. As she stares at the wrecked corpse, she quickly retrieves her equipment. Then it was winter's turn.

After putting all the equipment back on, I found a place to sit. There was still a long time left until midnight when the bomb was scheduled to go off. The chosen spot was the margin with nothing around it. The more stuff that fell, the better. We had to prepare for the whole area to collapse.

Two people sitting on their backs, leaning against each other in the dark. Lantern is turned off to save battery. Without a little light, even the night vision was useless. You'll need it to use it. consuming disposable red line lighting.

The FBI agent said quietly.

“I hope it works. ”

“I hope it works. ”

It was an unpredictable anxiety that I had expected.

Joanna frequently checks the time. Almost every minute. It was an electronic clock with its own lights on it, each time a faint light crossed its shoulder.

The Winter watch was also electronic in terms of durability and reliability, because electronic was superior to mechanical in the case of losing hard switching. I also have a watch from Commander Sierra.

The FBI investigator grumbled.

“I'm running out of time. It wasn't like this when I was in high school. ”

“Did you particularly dislike the subject? ”

“My favorite subject was rare, but I'm an English literature and art historian. It didn't seem like a good fit. ”

“I'm surprised. I thought Anne would like that. ”

“Me?”

She bursts into laughter with nothing to say.

In order to kill the dark hours, private stories have come and gone. Where you were born, your birthday, your favorite food and your favorite music. Intelligence correction diligently informed the winter of this view of the world. However, it was rare to read what it looked like. Trivial information to be honest with you. Each time, the winter of the world was renewed.

Conversations have led from the past to the present.

“When winter was angry, I was a little scared. But on the other hand, I felt relieved. I don't know what to say, I feel more like a human winter than ever before.... ”

“Is that so?"

“Yes. Normal winters were unnatural somewhere. ”

The boy tilts his head in the dark. You feel the movement, and the investigator is fast on his feet.

“I didn't mean any harm. You're a really good person. I've never seen anyone quite like winter. even though, as an investigator, I met all sorts of military units, believing that there would be no stranger types. ”

“ ……. ”

“It's just that there is a very strict aspect... …. There were moments that felt very far away. Well, that's hard to explain. I'm sorry, was that offensive? ”

“No, not at all. Never mind. ”

No reason to be unpleasant. Winter already knew what she wanted to say.

It was almost midnight in the heat of such conversations.

Time is 11: 30 p.m. Joanna says.

“The last withdrawal should be underway by now. I'll set the alarm for midnight. ”

It was not just the voice that trembled.

“Winter.”

“Yes.”

“If you don't mind, can you hold my hand? ”

It is always harsh to be prepared for death. Winter did the agent a favor.

Since then, she hasn't checked the time. Until the moment the alarm goes off.

Artwork Reviews

Q. Karphis: Acknowledging @ human intent and committing suicide, you're becoming more and more like a human. It's as destructive as Humans.Are you going to shoot mutants like this???

A. It is difficult to answer questions about future developments. I can tell you right now that the next special variant is a pretty good one.

Q. Jeonda: Zachary. I have a question about a skill. Assuming that the skills are of the same grade (grade 10 or higher), what difference does this make? 1. A person who has never fired a gun in his life. 2. 1 but has obtained a high grade skill through several games like winter. 3. I'm actually pretty good with guns out there.

A. There are, of course, differences in individual skills. It was stated in the book that there was a significant difference between the use of winter and the use of other people.

Q. SVJK: Wow, @. I knew Trickster couldn't kill himself, so I thought I'd fight him. I didn't know you were gonna kill yourself. What are those infectious bodies for? The extinction of humanity, the despair of those around you? Suicide is not a good judgment for extinction; blindness offends me. Are these the only tricksters that show this kind of reaction? Or are all infections with a certain level of intelligence?

A. I think the answer to this question came from the beginning of this issue. Trickster's the only one of the mutants who can bend his head like that.

Q. Kaif: Is this game going to be multiplayer? Multi-Wallet Warriors would be a very scary combination.

A. Preventing people from meeting each other is the primary policy of post-insurance.