Story Reader / Floating Record / ER06 When Day Breaks / Story
With only a partial map and hazy memories to guide them, Trojan leads Bridget forward, picking their way through the dark, damp mining tunnel.
So there really is a monitoring center here...
Of course. Those with guilty consciences fear real demons the most.
They need these keycard-locked traps and mechanisms to protect what little dignity they have left.
Trojan comes to a halt. Once again, she presses her ear against the rock to feel the faint tremors coursing through the stones.
I think I'm hearing something...
Engineering Force must have started their drilling operations.
Now... of all time?
Hold your hor...
Her fingers carefully trace along the rock wall.
A collapse... no, that's not it...
Watch out!
A weapon whistles through the air behind them. Trojan spins around with lightning speed, yanking Bridget aside to dodge the attack.
A looming shadow creeps up from behind them.
What is that?!
A massive, grotesque humanoid figure, seemingly cobbled together from mechanical parts, looms behind them.
Who... are you?!
The creature's overwhelming presence forces her to stumble backward. Without a word, the grotesque being launches another attack.
This must be the third faction you've been suspecting in the mine!
As Trojan dodges the monster's attack, her frame's joints creak loudly with each movement.
I've got this!
Her tonfas transforms into a shield just in time. The enemy's strike produces an ear-piercing metallic screech, but she holds her ground against the attack.
What kind of monster is this...
Ain't nobody got time for no questions now!
The giant remains silent as it raises its weapon again. Its vacant expression shows no hint of consciousness or desire to communicate.
This isn't working...
The countdown on their terminal ticks away relentlessly as they flee deeper into the tunnel under Bridget's cover.
However, the massive enemy seems to know the mine's layout better than they do, appearing before them at every turn.
As Bridget braces against another heavy blow with her shield, signs of fatigue begin to show on her face.
Bridget, this way—
She finds a concealed mechanical door.
—It's here!
She rolls nimbly and sprints toward Trojan.
Meanwhile, Trojan swipes her access card to open the hidden door.
Quick!
She grabs Bridget and shoves her without hesitation into the hidden passage.
Trojan!
Just as Bridget reaches out to pull Trojan in, the giant behind them catches up and grabs Trojan by the shoulders.
—Close the door! Now!
Bam!
The metal door slams shut before Bridget with a thunderous crash.
TROJAN!!!
Bridget tries again and again to swipe the access card to open the door, except the door refuses to budge. God only knows what Trojan has done to tamper with the system.
Heavy thuds echo dully through the thick rock walls.
Dammit—
She strikes the door again with all her might, but even her strongest blows barely leave a scratch on the door.
No, this isn't working... Wait, the monitoring room!
If the monitoring room controls the entire underground mine system, there's bound to be a way to open this door from there—or even better, a shorter route to where the fight is taking place.
...Hang in there, Trojan!
Without further hesitation, she bolts in the direction Trojan had indicated earlier.
BOOM—
Another thunderous blast echoes through the tunnel.
Um...
A groan escapes through her clenched teeth.
The "Construct" looms overhead like a dark mountain, its terrifying mass bearing down with crushing pressure.
Totally knew I made the right choice letting Bridget go.
She snatches up her fallen weapon and gracefully leaps onto a nearby ledge.
I never do good deeds like this... Babylonia should give me a humanitarian award or something.
She saved me here once before, so I guess we're even now.
She talks to herself, not caring whether the creature understands her or not.
Let me be your companion in death here since we're both creatures that once called this wasteland home...
Despite Trojan's agility, the sheer size difference proves overwhelming—she stands no chance against this giant.
BANG!
Once again, her body slams violently against the wall.
Trojan has never had her old frame—now creaking in protest—replaced. With her arms now immobilized, she can't even use the bandages Bridget gave her to patch up the vital fluid leaking from her wounds.
...Ngh... Ah...
Garbled sounds emanate from the vocal module of the massive humanoid creature.
Ahem. Wondering why I didn't run away?
The monster looms over her once again, its massive shadow completely blocking out what little light remains.
Vital fluid seeps uncontrollably from her mouth and joints as Trojan lies powerless in the corner, her visual modules growing increasingly blurry.
...I was going to, actually.
Ngh... So... fragile...
The monster's consciousness appears to be growing hazy again.
In her scattered memories, she recalls seeing what this behemoth looked like long ago.
The name was... Skych?
That impeccably dressed butler, constantly prattling on about Norman Mining Corp—exactly the type she would despise.
She had overheard Hyde and other lab directors plotting to keep that person detained here.
After that... everything went blank.
Did she warn that person to escape? Knowing herself, she figures that she probably didn't.
Trojan never understands why she always gets the shorter end of the stick.
But... for once, I was chosen.
In my next life, I hope...
That I get to stand in the sunlight like they do.
Hnngh—ARGH—!
A whistling sound slices through the air right beside Bridget's ear.
The access card... it works.
Fortunately, the access card from An Jie has high enough clearance. Despite some difficulty, Bridget manages to unlock the monitoring room.
The circuits are shorted out, leaving only the dim glow of emergency lights in the monitoring room.
Both Trojan and An Jie said the monitoring station is the heart of this mining facility. There have got to be clues here...
At the monitoring station, some of the surrounding screens have gone dark, but most still flicker with a faint light.
From the moment they entered this place, their every move... has likely been under someone's watchful eye.
There's no time to think. Bridget's fingers fly across the keyboard as she tries to come up with the keywords that control the gates.
Konstantin Mining Facility... Konstantin Laboratory... Norman Mining Corporation funding...
Norman Mining Corporation's butler... Skych?
A long series of text logs appear on the screen, accompanied by images.
Can't... ugh... can't... forget...
I have to memorize their names... while I'm still conscious...
Zoe, and... Marian...
Are these... Mom and Dad's names?!
Kurono... Kurono betrayed us all...
They told me there was a disease in the well, that we needed to take preventive medicine... I never suspected a thing...
To show off their "results", they forced me to watch humans being subjected to tantalum copolymer procedures, I...
I couldn't just stand by and watch those people die.
Their experiment failed anyway... Everything went haywire, and they blew up the mine, which they wrote off as a minor mining accident...
Norman Mining Corp hired rescue workers, but I never thought it would be them, I never thought it would be them...
Zoe... Marian...
Zoe found me imprisoned, and Marian insisted they had to get me out...
What... what happened...
Found it!
With a composed focus, Bridget locates the passcodes for these gates within the documents.
Clang—
Another thunderous crash reverberates through the area.
Some circuit triggers, causing every warning light in the monitoring room to flash to life. An ominous red glow floods the entire chamber.
A moment later, every monitor screen begins to pulse with warning signals.
