Story Reader / Main Story / 17 The Surviving Lucem / Story
8 minutes and 49 seconds.
In the last 11 seconds of this dire battle, the train finally starts moving again.
The twins continue following the train without being drawn away by the departing crowd.
Once they reach their planned location, Lee and Chrome work together to assemble Omega II with some alloy plates, fixing it to the broken surface of the carriage.
From their experience, the twins should soon strike the alloy plates, which means coming into close contact with Omega II. However, as if noticing the danger within, the twins have yet to approach.
Could it be that they've learned to recognize the Omega Prototype, having encountered it before?
If that's the case, they'll just dodge even if we toss it at them.
Nodding, Lee takes out a polarity-masking case from his tactical backpack and removes Omega II from the alloy plate, putting the weapon inside the box.
I found this polarity-masking case when we were repairing Asslam. It's usually used to hinder searches, so we can give it a shot.
Alright.
But before Lee can throw the case toward the twins, they immediately back away for several hundred meters the moment Lee pokes his head out.
Is the masking device ineffective against them?
I don't think so. If anything, I suspect that they might have recognized when we were about to attack. From now on, we should treat them as intelligent enemies instead of mindless drones.
Did we expose Omega II too soon when we installed it?
Not really. We already deployed Omega II when we were trying to create an opening for the people to evacuate.
If the twins are still somehow connected to the Hetero-Creatures, they will know how dangerous this train is right now.
In that case, our best shot is to bring the masking case into direct contact with them.
Looking at each other, the three of them turn their gazes toward the inside of the carriage, searching for something to aid their fight.
Apart from the nine Constructs who chose to stay behind and the three Constructs from Support Force who delivered Omega II, they are surprised to find two more humans there.
...Why didn't you leave?
Neither of us could move anymore.
He moves his motionless legs with his hands, explaining his situation.
One wound on my left lower leg, another on the outside of my right thigh.
Both my tendons are ruptured. My legs are practically numb now.
I might not be a medical expert, but... this seems like the kind of injury that would leave me impaired even after surgeries.
Still, I don't know how to perform a surgery like that. No one here does. Not that we'd have the means to do it.
He puts down his blood-soaked legs, the tourniquets around them covered with written records of time, erased and updated. The last update was two hours ago.
Perhaps he was hurt for too long, or maybe he realized help would not arrive in time, but Shrek has given up on releasing the tourniquets on time to ensure his blood flows and prevent his leg muscles from being damaged.
I'd only slow the group down had I followed them, so I decided to stay. As for Garcia...
He nudges the pale, young man next to him, but Garcia is already in shock from losing too much blood.
I checked, and I think his liver and kidneys are punctured, and some arteries somewhere are damaged too. The train has run out of medical supplies long ago.
I thought we could figure out something when we got off the train. But it was too late before the train even stopped.
So we let Watanabe know and had him prioritize those who could still move.
Right, and Matches left with him as well.
...
The two of them know full well what it means to stay behind, yet here they are so that they would not burden the others.
Stop pouting and say something. You guys still have work to do, don't you?
...
He's right. We have to solve our immediate problem if we want a shot at treating the ones who've stayed.
Leave the task of confronting the twins to me. I'll come back with my short-range jet.
It might work if we were doing this on land, but you wouldn't be able to return to a high-speed train.
You're right. I'd need a backup plan, which was why I was looking for this.
Lucia pulls out an abandoned handbag underneath the seats and puts the masking device inside before taking out a bundle of thin steel cables, holding onto one end.
I'll tie the other end inside the carriage. If something goes wrong, I'll make use of this.
Lucia and Lee nod at each other. Having made sure that Lucia is well-prepared, they open the door to the carriage.
I'll leave this place to you.
Lucia quickly steps out of the train, dashing toward the twins with her thruster.
Right as she is about to reach them, the twins' movements suddenly hasten, and they retreat behind the many Hetero-Creatures.
Watch out!
Lee holds onto the steel cable, yet to be fully unfurled, and he pulls it back with all his strength.
With the force of the pull, Lucia manages to change course and fly back into the carriage right before hitting the Hetero-Creatures.
That was... Was Lucia right about the masking device being ineffective against them?
Either that or they have become wary of anyone who tries to approach them once they no longer can detect the location of Omega II.
Tricky situation either way.
Let's determine which one it is, then we'll come up with an answer.
Alright.
Lee returns to the first carriage, hiding the handbag with the masking device in a safe location. He then takes a similar bag and places a piece of rock of similar size inside.
Lucia takes the bag and dashes out of the train again.
The result is the same as last time—the twins immediately retreat to the back, avoiding contact with Lucia.
Now, to test the other theory.
She places the bag with the rock within the gap between two alloy plates before cutting off a corner, letting the bag falls out of the carriage.
The twins do not move away this time, letting the bag roll onto the ground by them.
So, it's not the bag that they're wary of—
Before Lucia can finish, the twins launch another attack on the train.
The impact separates the remaining twelve carriages, and the three Constructs who stayed at the back are about to slip away with the broken-off cars.
Lucia rushes forward and catches the desperately running Lee, throwing him above the carts so that he can make use of the crumbling walls to make his way to the front. Meanwhile, she escapes the collapse with the help of her thruster.
Chrome, following closely behind the two, catches the steel cable, still tied to the other end, and fires all the ice bullets from his gunblade. Taking advantage of the recoil and the elemental energy, he also manages to retreat to the safe carriages.
Garcia!
Hearing Shrek's cry, the three Constructs look back, yet to regain their footing, just in time to see the young man who was in shock from blood loss fall off the train from the broken edge, landing next to the twins.
...!
Lucia tries to step out and save the innocent man, but Shrek, mournful and hurt, stands in her way.
Following his gaze, they see the twins have Garcia firmly clasped, saving him from the impact to the ground, only to condemn him to the highly-concentrated Punishing Virus, and his flesh quickly festers in their arms.
...It's too late. Let him go.
Is it just the wind howling? The young man's voice trembles, his words seemingly a wail.
I couldn't catch him... I failed.
