Story Reader / Main Story / 21 Spiral of Chronos / Story
...
Signals... Over here!
Babylonia has never witnessed such horrors since its birth.
Blood, screams, crazed and eerie cries and laughs.
Red alarms blare relentlessly from every banner and sign. The once meticulously arranged furnishings and benches now lie scattered and upturned on the ground, displaying a sight of turmoil.
Lee valiantly shields the workers he has rescued, deftly maneuvering through the frenzied attacks aimed in their direction.
In a nearby street corner, a worker desperately stumbles out, pursued relentlessly by a human who continues to shoot at him without respite.
M-more people are still over there!
Move faster if you can still spare the energy to talk!
In a deft demeanor, Lee knocks out the humans who are pursuing them in madness, and hands them to the Constructs behind him. A deep frown shows up on Lee's face as he recalls the message received from Asimov once again.
Electromagnetic radiation, disarray in Mind Beacons... Punishing Hetero... Tower...
Pressing his lips tightly together, Lee quickly counts the number of human survivors behind him and starts to look for nearby shelters through his terminal.
That's no use... The red light just now was emitting electromagnetic radiation. Ordinary protection will have no effect on it.
Better than staying outside, directly exposed to it.
The nearest shelter is over there. Keep up.
Wordlessly, the worker zips up his jacket bearing visible scratches from their harrowing escape and quietly follows behind.
Some survivors have already gathered in the shelter, seeking refuge. They sit together in silence, occasionally whispering to one another.
Lee briefly exchanges words with the Construct in charge of security here. The air in the hall is almost suffocating, and everyone's expression reveals their unease and trepidation.
...Babylonia is under attack by unidentified electromagnetic radiation emitted from Earth.
Attention, all passengers on Babylonia, please seek immediate refuge in the nearest emergency shelter upon hearing this broadcast.
This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill.
Please seek immediate refuge in the nearest emergency shelter upon hearing this broadcast.
The evacuation message echoes relentlessly through the broadcast. Even the mechanical audio carries a faint hint of hoarseness, as if strained by the gravity of the situation.
...It's pointless.
A whisper emerges from a corner, piercing through the tense atmosphere.
It's from a researcher who escaped from the Science Council. He huddles in a corner, his body curled up in fear as he softly mumbles.
Based on the Earth's rotational velocity and the orbital velocity of Babylonia...
Even though we can control Babylonia's flying speed, but the next... the next wave of that thing will strike in four hours... No... three hours... No, no, no, we may only have thirty minutes left...!
His eyes dart uncontrollably around the room as he murmurs in a trembling voice.
By then... by then... no one can guarantee everyone in this shelter won't lose their mind!
...
His words prompt a quiet discussion to ensue in the shelter's hall, as people exchange hushed thoughts and reactions. However, the voices gradually fade away, succumbing once more to the prevailing silence.
Having ensured the safety of the people he brought to the shelter, Lee turns around and dashes toward the Science Council.
Science Council, Babylonia.
As Lee arrives at the Science Council, a scene of chaos unfolds before him. Shattered pieces of glass and various devices litter the ground. The alarms blare, their shrill tones merging with the cacophony of human voices.
As Lee moves through the turmoil, he spots crazed researchers everywhere, who are unleashing their frenzy and wreaking havoc on their surroundings.
Hetero-Creatures! How did Hetero-Creatures enter Babylonia?!
Pull yourself together! They are not Hetero-Creatures!
There's still one here! Requesting support! Hetero-Creatures have breached our defense and invaded the Science Council!
I'm not a Hetero-Creature! Put down that stick!
Ugh...
In an attempt to prevent his colleague from succumbing to insanity, the researcher is suddenly knocked down by a strike from behind. His eyes widen in bewilderment as he sprawls on the ground.
...This Construct is also contaminated! Be careful!
The shock and difficulty in defending against these individuals, who were once trusted colleagues and allies, is palpable. While the majority of the researchers in the Science Council remain unaffected, the actions of a few lunatics are enough to plunge the entire place into a state of frenzy.
Some researchers have already fallen victim to the electromagnetic radiation, their minds absorbed in hallucination, while others gather together, struggling to resist the attacks from their own colleagues.
After helping several survivors on his way, Lee finally steps into Asimov's lab.
The door stands wide open, revealing a haunting sight. Ominous blood stains mar the entrance, spreading in a macabre trail that leads further inside the lab.
Asimov... you better be alright.
Inside the laboratory, the screens are still illuminating, but glassware and precision instruments now lie shattered and fragmented all over the ground.
There is no sign of Asimov, who would typically be found working diligently amidst the instruments. The lab seems completely empty—
Bang!
Without warning, someone suddenly shoots at Lee from behind. He swiftly dodges aside upon hearing the distinct sound of a bullet piercing through the air.
Hetero-Creature! Another one shows up! They are from the same group!
Requesting support! Requesting support!
A strange researcher in a Science Council uniform is holding a gun, with a frenzied and anguished smile on his face.
He continues to call for support through his dead terminal, his gaze fixated upon Lee's every movement.
...
Where is Asimov?
Hetero-Creature... is talking again!
I can't understand its language, but I'm sure it's using some sort of structured language, just like the Hetero-Creature I encountered before.
He hysterically taps his terminal as if recording something.
Capture Operation No.2—starting to record!
With this discovery, this year's award is guaranteed to be mine... Capture it! I must capture it!
The researcher lunges at Lee, akin to a predator closing in on its prey. It seems like he is no longer looking at a Hetero-Creature but the pinnacle of scientific achievement that could define the rest of his life.
...
After subduing the researcher with swift action, Lee finds Asimov unconscious, lying behind an experiment desk.
From where he stands, Lee's view of Asimov is limited to his upper body. Likely attacked by the same researcher, he lies motionless in a pool of blood, his face looking pale as paper.
Various abrasions can be seen on Asimov's cheeks and arms, but the penetrating gunshot wound near his shoulder blade seems the gravest. The wound has been hastily patched up, yet the severity of it still poses a significant threat to Asimov's life.
...He shot so quickly...
Bandage... is out? There should still be some disinfectant gel left here...
A purple-haired girl swiftly stumbles into the lab, with a pile of medicine in her arms.
...Rosa?
The girl appears to remain unaffected at the moment. She does not scream upon seeing Lee, nor does she exhibit any signs of having attempted to harm Asimov.
Argh... L-Lee!
She raises her head, her eyes filled with fear and panic.
(Sobs) That man shot Mr. Asimov. I-I couldn't stop him...
I-I found some medicine back there...
You've done well.
Lacking expertise in offering solace, Lee does his utmost to find comforting words amidst the distressing situation. After providing some basic treatment, he manages to staunch the bleeding from Asimov's wound. However, there are no immediate signs of him regaining consciousness in the near future.
If I forcibly switch to the new frame without Asimov's authorization...
No, that won't work.
He needs not only authorization but also the activation parameter and a set of adjustment data.
All the data is classified as top secret. Asimov once mentioned to Lee that he never stored the data on paper or in any electronic device, relying solely on his own memory for safekeeping.
No one would have foreseen that Asimov's discreet habit would become a hindrance one day.
Rosa, do you know the new frame's activation parameter and adjustment data?
Uh... I-I only took part in the adjustment test. I d-don't know...
Mr. Asimov said that information was highly confidential... I...
I can only find... the backup files of the previous adaptation experiments...
Lee and Rosa diligently scour through every storage device and paper file within their reach, only to find some backups containing simulated battle records from past frame adaptation experiments.
Lee gazes at those storage units marked with numbers, recalling the coordinates and information obtained from Heteromer Shards. In a moment of inspiration, an idea flashes across his mind.
...The "message" conveyed through the Heteromer Shards.
If the theory holds true, that there is a decipherable "language" existing in the Punishing Virus...
Which means if I'm directly infected by the Heteromer Shards, I can acquire information from them.
If his guess proves true, he will be able to successfully activate the new frame, but if it turns out false...
It's too risky.
Commandant would definitely say so.
However... there is no better option left for him.
As the turmoil continues outside, Lee's gaze falls on Asimov's feeble presence on the bed. The fragile human body, weakened by the significant blood loss, renders Asimov unable to stay awake.
With a timid demeanor, Rosa tries to help him search for further information, but her efforts prove in vain.
The relentless ticking of the clock echoes through the room, each passing moment magnifying the urgency of the situation.
Time is running out. If a solution is not found before the radiation of that "tower" engulfs Babylonia once again...
After meticulously organizing the storage devices and paper documents that clutter the desktop, Lee switches off the glowing screen.
Rosa, stay here and take care of Asimov. Don't let anyone else come in.
(Sobs) O-okay!
Lee takes Asimov's work badge, his face looking calm and determined.
I hope you didn't secure that thing using a password only you know.
...Don't make me forcibly wake up a heavily wounded man.
After ensuring the door is securely locked against frenzied researchers, Lee quickly makes his way toward another lab within the Science Council.
As Lee arrives, he finds the Heteromer Shards stored with a level of convenience rather than the stringent measure taken by Asimov's brain.
Utilizing Asimov's key, Lee successfully lifts the last security measure. The Heteromer Shards are unveiled, protected by a sealed glass shield, emitting an ethereal glow.
...
As Lee gazes upon the glowing shards, a frown creases his brow. The solemn silence of the room is punctuated only by the persistent beeping of a monitoring device.
Despite having envisioned this very moment of activating the frame countless times, he has to admit that such an extreme approach to acquire the activation parameter and adjustment data is...
Quite risky, indeed.
However...
Outside this tightly secured room, Babylonia and Earth are engulfed in unimaginable turmoil.
The electromagnetic radiation contaminates all the Mind Beacons in its path, distorting everything perceived by human senses.
Given the capabilities of humans, there are inherent limits to the extent of damage they can inflict.
However, when individuals in positions of tremendous authority descend into chaos and madness, the ensuing calamity can surpass even the dreadful spread of the Punishing Virus.
...That message better be true.
Lee lifts the shield in a resolute manner. He seizes a Heteromer Shard and forcefully stabs it into his own chest before the Punishing Virus consumes the entire room.
Ugh...
As the Heteromer Shard makes contact with the artificial skin, a sharp pain erupts along with the wild vibration of the mechanical structure in charge of pumping out the vital fluid.
Lee has never experienced such clarity as he senses his "heart" beating. The intensity of the pounding within his chest transports him back to a long time ago, before he became a Construct and gave his human heart to Murray...
The excruciating pain surges like an immense tsunami that aims to devour the world, relentlessly assaulting his M.I.N.D.
The tides of agony breach the seal on some long-forgotten memories. Time traverses back along the flow of the vital fluid, ruthlessly gushing into the spot where the Heteromer Shard has pierced.
Twisted light, darkness, and peculiar colors formed a succession of anomalous images, violently brushing Lee's every slender nerve.
A burning sensation, as delicate as pinpricks, permeates every inch of his frame. An eerie force devours him, dragging him down into an abyss and blurring his senses...
The chilling embrace of nothingness engulfs Lee's M.I.N.D., while sporadic, unrecognizable murmurs and cries, veiled in piercing pain, flood into his audio module.
Stay... awake...
I can't...
Splashes of colors and bizarre images continue to gush out of his M.I.N.D., converging and forming broken rivers.
The clock abruptly ceases to tick, and then the hands frenziedly reverse their course. In Lee's blurred vision, fragmented images emerge, flickering like a silent mime. Amongst these fragments, he sees himself walking alone in the new frame, memories of battles fought alongside Gray Raven, and...
A spiral tower unceasingly stretching toward the heavens, as if a treacherous ladder that defies all attempts to reach its peak.
With unwavering determination, Lee fights to maintain consciousness while searching and capturing every strand of incoherent data and every piece of fragmented information...
...Found it.
Commencing decryption... Activation parameter confirmed... Adjustment data confirmed...
Amidst the tumultuous currents of information, Lee's keen perception guides him unerringly toward the specific piece of information he seeks.
Darkness gnaws relentlessly at the silent expanse, as his consciousness is persistently corrupted and fragmented.
Thorns sprout within the abyss, emerging along his wrists and winding their way in reverse to his mechanical heart...
Ugh!
Lee's dilated pupils bear witness to the profound pain he has just endured. With each heavy breath he draws, the chilling air fills his body. The blue vital fluid seeps through his fingers, carrying with it a faint metallic scent that permeates the air.
This is the first time he has been this close to the verge of death, hearing its desperate cries. His body trembles involuntarily, suggesting that his nerves are still entangled within the depths of the void from which he narrowly escaped.
The intense influx of calculations within a brief span of time causes a slight overload in Lee's frame. As he blankly stares at the pale ceiling, a rapid succession of everything he has "seen" floods his M.I.N.D.
Do those memories... truly exist?
The images continue to flash within him, depicting the operation of switching to the new frame and battles fought in the distant past. Yet, somehow, a subtle sense of divergence lingers within him, as if these memories differ slightly from the experiences he has undergone.
Which of them are his real memories?
He closes his eyes, seeking to readjust his visual module. When he opens them once more, the fragmented illusions that haunted his vision have already dissipated.
Regardless of the veracity of those memories, he has already attained the most crucial information he urgently sought.
Even without being able to articulate the specifics, Lee has successfully deciphered the key information relevant to the new frame from what he captured.
The activation parameter, the adjustment data... and even something extra.
New information is conveyed through the vague message, overlapping with his initial plan—
Activate the new frame known as Hyperreal and enter the tower.
...The gift of the "future"?
Lee moves his wrists, relieving tension, and his frown fades slightly, finding a momentary sense of ease.
A problem is no longer a problem once the solution is found.
Next, he only needs to—
With unyielding determination, Lee sprints toward the classified laboratory of the Science Council.
