Chapter 29 — Compartmentalized

WEBVTT
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Welcome back, dear travelers, to Between Two
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Worlds. I'm Elira Rena, your adorable, somewhat
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unreliable guide through strange crossings, hidden
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secrets, and... Chica? Why is there a red string
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tied around my chair? Oh! Don't touch that! It's
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connected to the evidence board! The what? My
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investigation! Three suspicious adults, two missing
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person mysteries, 17 unanswered questions, and
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one girl who is not being kept informed. And
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the string? Visual organization, obviously. Right.
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Well, today's episode is Chapter 29, Compartmentalized.
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While Riku struggles to find his footing in Valimere,
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and Sarah faces an uncertain road in Okinawa,
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the people working behind the scenes have problems
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of their own. Inside P .A .T .H., Path, missing
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information, restricted access, and competing
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priorities make finding answers rather complicated.
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And handler Natsume is discovering that even
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people who keep secrets can have secrets kept
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from them. Wait, Natsume? The creepy school lady?
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She's involved? Oh, darling, you really should
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read the files. What files? That is literally
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the problem! Precisely! This episode was created
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and voiced using artificial intelligence. Between
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Two Worlds was written, directed, and produced
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by J .L. Copeland. So settle in, dear travelers.
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And remember, when everyone knows only part of
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the truth, even the people in charge may be completely
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lost. Okay, so Natsume connects to the school.
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The school connects to the cameras. Cameras connect
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to... Chika, why is there a picture of me on
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that board? No reason. Take it down, darling.
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Yep, removing it. Chapter 29 begins now. Chapter
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29. Compartmentalized. The printer jammed before
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the veil alert. That was the sort of detail Toru
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Hasegawa believed history would overlook, which
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was a shame. Because history was full of important
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machines failing at exactly the wrong moment.
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He struck the side of the printer with the heel
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of his hand. The printer gave a wounded beep.
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Do not hit the printer, Igarashi said from the
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next desk. Then the printer should stop holding
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government secrets hostage. It is not holding
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secrets hostage. It has page three. Page three
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of what? Hasegawa bent. opened a lower tray,
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and pulled out a crumpled sheet half covered
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in toner streaks. Something I am not cleared
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to read. Igarashi looked up sharply. Then stop
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reading it. I am not reading it. I am rescuing
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it from a machine that should have been replaced
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before my first divorce. You have not been divorced.
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That is how old the printer is. The Okinawa Regional
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Annex of PATH did not look like the nerve center
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of an organization that could bend police reports,
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suppress camera footage, redirect medical testing,
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and erase the public shape of impossible things.
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It looked like an infrastructure office that
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had lost an argument with humidity. The public
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sign downstairs read, Public Access and Toll
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Highways. Roundels Support Annex. Rural development
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slash route coordination. Inside, behind locked
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doors and access panels, the letters meant something
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else. Parallel access and threshold handling.
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Most of the people in the room did not say the
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full name aloud unless they were being recorded,
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promoted, disciplined, or warned. Hasegawa preferred
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not to say it at all. Names made things attentive.
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He pulled the page free. glanced at the header
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by accident, and immediately turned it face down.
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Igarashi saw him do it. You looked. I saw bold
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letters. That is not legally looking. It is internally
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looking. Internal vision is difficult to prosecute.
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You are going to get yourself archived. People
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like me do not get archived. We get transferred
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to basement systems support and forgotten until
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disaster needs a password reset. Igarashi returned
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to her screen, though her mouth almost smiled.
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Hasegawa fed the ruined page into a shred bin
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and slapped the printer again. This time it resumed
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printing. There, he said. Respect. That is not
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respect. That is fear. Effective management uses
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both. A third analyst across the room muttered,
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Natsume uses both. The room became quieter, not
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silent. People still typed, ventilation still
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hummed. The printer continued its slow mechanical
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suffering. But the words had done what certain
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names did in certain rooms. They made everyone
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aware of who might hear. Hasegawa leaned back
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in his chair and looked toward the closed glass
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door of the small conference office. She is not
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here. That is not the same as safe, Igarashi
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said. She was at the school yesterday. She has
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ears in places printers do not. That is a hurtful
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comparison. The third analyst, a thin man named
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Okabe, who always seemed to regret speaking only
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after words had escaped, lowered his voice. She'd
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got the Okinawa district desk after Kadena, didn't
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she? Igarashi closed her eyes. Please do not
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start. Hasegawa turned slightly. Dry after Kadena?
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Depends who tells it. No one should tell it,
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Igarashi said. That is how you know it matters.
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Okabe leaned closer despite himself. I heard
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she exposed a reporting failure. Hasegawa snorted.
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She exposed it after making sure the failure
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had owners. Okabe sounds like the job. This way
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she did it. Igarashi said, Hasegawa. He lifted
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both hands. I am saying only what the printer
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already knows. The printer knows too much because
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you keep talking, Merit. Hasegawa lowered his
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voice, which fooled no one. Kadena had a missing
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transit file. a school health record request,
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and a local officer who thought cover stories
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were optional after drinking. Three supervisors
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above her signed off on the wrong sequence. Natsume
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found the original routing. Okabe frowned. That
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sounds useful. She also found who had mistresses,
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who had gambling debt, and who had been using
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a personal email address for field notes. Igarashi
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said, enough. She did not climb into field liaison
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because people liked her reports, Hasegawa said.
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She climbed because everyone above her suddenly
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needed both hands to hold their own throats.
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The printer beeped again. All three looked at
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it. Hasegawa sighed. See? Even it agrees. Igarashi
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stood. I'm going to pretend I did not hear any
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of that. You should practice. Hasegawa said.
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It is good for promotion. The first alert came
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as a single muted chime from the far wall monitor.
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No one moved for half a second. Then every ordinary
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sound in the room became too ordinary. The printer
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finished page four. A keyboard clicked twice.
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Someone's chair wheel squeaked. The wall monitor
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chimed again. This time the banner changed color.
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Water corridor event. Okinawa slash local grid
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7. Passive threshold signature. Unconfirmed.
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Subject proximity. Hayashi slash Redmere. Signal
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integrity. Failure. Hasegawa did not choke. Higurashi
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crossed the room first. Time? Okabe 517 local.
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Okabe said, already typing. The culvert corridor.
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Same general river network as Hayashi original
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disappearance. Magnitude. Okabe to moderate,
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dirty data. Water reflection interference, cell
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handshake disruption, traffic camera distortion.
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Subjects? Okabe swallowed. Both signals dropped
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inside the same window. Asagawa stood slowly.
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Do how? Hayashi phone vanished from network.
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Redmere phone vanished, then intermittent ping
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later. Rural tower catch. No stable location.
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Igarashi's face tightened. What? How much later?
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We think about minutes. And Hayashi? Okabe looked
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at the screen. Nose return signal. The glass
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conference door opened. Natsume stepped out.
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She did not look hurried. That was one of the
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first things people learned about her. Natsume
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never looked as though she had rushed. Even when
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events moved faster than authorization, she entered
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rooms as if the room had always been waiting
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for her and had only now noticed. She wore a
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charcoal suit beneath a light field jacket. Her
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school visitor badge was gone. Her path cover
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ID hung from a black retractable clip at her
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waist turned outward now because this room already
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knew what lie it belonged to. Her eyes went to
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the wall monitor, then to Okabe. Report. Okabe
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straightened. Passive water corridor event registered
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at 5 .17. Hayashi and Redmere both lost signal
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inside the event window. Hayashi remains unlocated.
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Redmere reacquired intermittently through rural
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tower contact approximately 47 minutes later.
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Device unstable. No confirmed voice or message
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payload. Search vehicle grid is moving toward
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last tower cone. Natsume did not blink. Visual?
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Okabe, yet. Mother? Igarashi answered. Emiko
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Hayashi has placed six calls to Riku Hayashi.
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Four to Sarah Redmere. One to Daiichi Hayashi.
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No outbound call to police, yet. Natsume's eyes
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shifted. Daichi answered? No confirmed connection.
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Scotland routing uncertain. Natsume looked back
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at the monitor. For one moment, her face showed
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nothing at all. Then she said, Pull school approach
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footage, apartment exterior, river corridor,
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traffic cams, and all convenience store cameras
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within the culvert route. I want every frame
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from 4 .30 onward. Igarashi nodded. Already started.
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Not started, Natsume said. Completed. Igarashi's
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mouth closed. Yes, Handler. The title settled
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over the room. Handler. Not Senior Handler. Not
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Bored. Not the kind of person whose orders arrived
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already impossible to refuse. Handler, Natsume,
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had authority in Okinawa. School access, police
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access through cover protocols, medical liaison
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permissions, local observation teams. Enough
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clearance to arrange pressure and call it wellness.
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Not enough clearance to know why some files came
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back blacked out under her own district seal.
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Not enough clearance to know what the board kept
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behind the word retained. That had always irritated
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her. Today, It irritated her less than the missing
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boy. Show me the event window, she said. The
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wall monitor split into panels. Traffic camera.
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River culvert. A dark slice of road. Static.
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A burst of white. Water moving wrong beneath
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concrete. Then nothing. No dramatic light. No
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visible portal. No convenient miracle captured
00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:19.889
in high definition. Only distortion. Signal failure
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and two miners vanishing from expected patterns.
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Natsume watched twice. Again. The analyst replayed
00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:35.100
it. Again. A slight flicker near the culvert.
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A smear on the camera. A reflection that seemed
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to bend toward the lens before the feed dropped.
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Natsume's fingers tapped once against her tablet.
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Not nerves. Counting. Do not label this a crossing,
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she said. Okabe hesitated. It is consistent with
00:14:57.909 --> 00:15:01.429
threshold activity. I said do not label it a
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crossing. We do not know if they crossed, fell,
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were taken, were displaced locally, or if the
00:15:08.750 --> 00:15:13.019
system lost them during an unrelated event. Asagawa
00:15:13.019 --> 00:15:16.720
glanced at Igarashi. Igarashi's expression warned
00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:22.809
him not to exist loudly. Natsume continued. Use
00:15:22.809 --> 00:15:26.549
water corridor anomaly with subject signal loss.
00:15:26.769 --> 00:15:31.879
That buys us room. For what? Okabe asked before
00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:35.529
intelligence stopped him. Natsume looked at him.
00:15:35.730 --> 00:15:40.870
He regretted it immediately. For facts, she said.
00:15:41.299 --> 00:15:45.690
Or at least for better lies. No one laughed.
00:15:45.929 --> 00:15:50.139
That was probably wise. The local coordinator
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arrived three minutes later. Kurose was older
00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:57.139
than Natsume by nearly 20 years, with a calm
00:15:57.139 --> 00:16:00.259
face and the permanent air of a man who had discovered
00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:03.940
early that appearing surprised only encouraged
00:16:03.940 --> 00:16:08.379
subordinates. He carried no folder, no coffee,
00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:13.139
no visible panic. That made him dangerous in
00:16:13.139 --> 00:16:17.009
a different way. He looked at the monitor, then
00:16:17.009 --> 00:16:22.950
at Natsume. You lost both subjects. Natsume's
00:16:22.950 --> 00:16:26.990
expression did not change. Both subjects exited
00:16:26.990 --> 00:16:30.210
stable observation during an unconfirmed water
00:16:30.210 --> 00:16:36.370
corridor anomaly. You lost both subjects. They
00:16:36.779 --> 00:16:42.740
were not in custody. Do not start there. That
00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:46.490
is where the directive starts, she said. Passive
00:16:46.490 --> 00:16:50.129
observation, minimal contact, no detention without
00:16:50.129 --> 00:16:54.350
board authorization, maintain school cover. Avoid
00:16:54.350 --> 00:16:57.190
triggering household resistance due to senior
00:16:57.190 --> 00:17:01.279
handler Hayashi's conflict position. Kurose's
00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:05.630
eyes cooled. Reciting directives does not improve
00:17:05.630 --> 00:17:11.569
the result. No, Natsume said. But it establishes
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which result I was authorized to prevent. Hasegawa
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looked down at the printer as if it had suddenly
00:17:18.349 --> 00:17:21.950
become fascinating. Kurose stepped closer to
00:17:21.950 --> 00:17:26.519
the wall monitor. Hayashi missing. Redmere uncertain.
00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:32.160
Redmere is local until proven otherwise. Based
00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:36.019
on... Intermittent tower reacquisition. Rural
00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:40.420
region. Damaged device. Possible attempted outbound
00:17:40.420 --> 00:17:43.819
message without successful payload. Search grid
00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:48.619
is narrowing. And Hayashi? No signal after the
00:17:48.619 --> 00:17:52.200
event. Kurose's jaw tightened by a fraction.
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Not emotion. Calculation. Does the board know?
00:17:57.410 --> 00:18:01.269
They are being griefed. That was not my question.
00:18:02.289 --> 00:18:05.420
Natsume looked at him. They will know before
00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:08.819
anyone here finishes deciding which mistake to
00:18:08.819 --> 00:18:12.930
claim. Hasegawa made a small sound into his hand.
00:18:13.539 --> 00:18:17.079
Kurose ignored him. You were assigned to gather
00:18:17.079 --> 00:18:20.099
behavioral and environmental data while maintaining
00:18:20.099 --> 00:18:25.990
visibility. Yes. And your behavioral data? Natsume
00:18:25.990 --> 00:18:29.589
turned her tablet outward. Attachment proximity
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remained high after the school incident. Redmere's
00:18:33.190 --> 00:18:35.910
compliance threshold is affected by Hayashi's
00:18:35.910 --> 00:18:39.430
intervention. Hayashi can redirect her physically
00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:43.230
with minimal resistance in public settings. Redmere
00:18:43.230 --> 00:18:46.369
shows increased responsiveness to Emiko Hayashi
00:18:46.369 --> 00:18:50.539
as secondary stabilizing adult. Hayashi family
00:18:50.539 --> 00:18:55.119
rules reduced direct access. Redmere's home focus
00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:57.900
escalated after medicine planning and reflection
00:18:57.900 --> 00:19:02.839
event. Karose looked at her sharply. Reflection
00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:07.779
event? School trophy case. Unconfirmed. Redmere
00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:10.579
reacted to glass during unsupervised interval.
00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:14.789
Maintenance observer interrupted. You did not
00:19:14.789 --> 00:19:18.720
report that as priority. It was reported as a
00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:21.279
possible visual trigger under school stress.
00:19:22.150 --> 00:19:28.950
Now? Now it may be relevant. How? Natsume did
00:19:28.950 --> 00:19:32.269
not answer too quickly. She did not make that
00:19:32.269 --> 00:19:36.980
mistake. We do not know. It correlates with later
00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:40.880
water anomaly, home return fixation, and attempted
00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:45.089
movement outside expected pattern. Correlation.
00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:51.509
Yes. Mechanism? Unknown. There. The word stayed
00:19:51.509 --> 00:19:56.299
clean. Unknown. Not emotion. Not desire, not
00:19:56.299 --> 00:20:00.039
attachment opening doors between worlds. Path
00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:03.279
did not know that. Natsume did not know that.
00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:06.940
No one in the room knew that. They had observations,
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:12.059
files, old terminology, case correlations, instrument
00:20:12.059 --> 00:20:15.380
readings, and enough arrogance to sort human
00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:19.880
terror into columns. But not the rule. Not yet.
00:20:20.579 --> 00:20:24.390
Kurose looked back at the screen. You are trying
00:20:24.390 --> 00:20:29.109
to make this a data problem. It is a data problem.
00:20:29.309 --> 00:20:33.250
It is also two missing teenagers, one of whom
00:20:33.250 --> 00:20:36.940
is the son of a senior handler. Which makes it
00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:39.819
more important that it remain a data problem
00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:44.039
until we understand what happened. And the mother?
00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:48.990
Natsume's eyes flicked toward Igarashi. Igarashi
00:20:48.990 --> 00:20:53.390
answered carefully. Imiko Hayashi is still inside
00:20:53.390 --> 00:20:57.329
the residence. No police contact. Phone activity
00:20:57.329 --> 00:21:02.000
increasing. Natsume said, If she goes to police,
00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:05.380
local response routes through our cover anyway.
00:21:06.069 --> 00:21:11.420
If she goes public? She will not. Kurose looked
00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:15.609
at her. You sound certain. She is frightened,
00:21:15.809 --> 00:21:19.190
not careless. She will call her husband before
00:21:19.190 --> 00:21:25.059
she calls cameras. And if he answers? Natsume's
00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:28.589
mouth tightened slightly. That depends what the
00:21:28.589 --> 00:21:32.240
board tells him. Kurose watched her for a moment.
00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:37.759
Recover Redmere. Locate Hayashi. Maintain cover.
00:21:38.069 --> 00:21:43.329
Do not improvise outside authorization. Natsume
00:21:43.329 --> 00:21:48.220
smiled faintly. Of course. Hasegawa looked at
00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:51.549
the printer. Machine heard that, he muttered.
00:21:52.140 --> 00:21:55.849
Igarashi kicked his chair. Across the world,
00:21:55.990 --> 00:22:00.180
Scotland smelled like wet ash. Daichi Hayashi
00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:03.259
had slept for 43 minutes in a chair that did
00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:07.309
not deserve the word chair. He woke before the
00:22:07.309 --> 00:22:10.269
secure phone vibrated. That was not instinct.
00:22:10.470 --> 00:22:14.769
That was experience. A person learned, eventually,
00:22:15.029 --> 00:22:18.049
that certain silences became messages before
00:22:18.049 --> 00:22:22.000
devices announced them. Rain tapped against the
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:24.779
side of the mobile command unit. Floodlights
00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:27.759
still burned beyond the windows, whitening the
00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:31.140
mud and the ruined edge of the field. The shack
00:22:31.140 --> 00:22:35.220
was gone now, reduced to black timber, wet ash,
00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:38.940
and evidence tags. The bodies had been moved.
00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:42.000
The surviving local team had stopped speaking
00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:46.250
loudly hours ago. Malcolm Graves was not visible
00:22:46.250 --> 00:22:48.930
through the window. That was the first thing
00:22:48.930 --> 00:22:52.250
Daichi noticed. The second was that no one had
00:22:52.250 --> 00:22:55.960
told him where Graves had gone. His secure phone
00:22:55.960 --> 00:23:00.819
vibrated once. Board review channel. Priority
00:23:00.819 --> 00:23:06.039
immediate. Daichi stood. His back hurt. His eyes
00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:10.589
burned. Neither mattered. Ward looked up from
00:23:10.589 --> 00:23:15.970
a map table. Problem? Yes. Daichi answered before
00:23:15.970 --> 00:23:19.039
he knew which problem had arrived. He stepped
00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:21.579
into the smaller communications compartment and
00:23:21.579 --> 00:23:24.880
sealed the door. The board appeared as three
00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:28.900
darkened silhouettes. Not faces. Never faces.
00:23:29.339 --> 00:23:33.650
The center voice spoke first. Senior Handler
00:23:33.650 --> 00:23:38.500
Hayashi, you said the review would wait. Conditions
00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:42.160
have changed. Daichi's hand tightened around
00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:46.940
the edge of the console. Where is my son? Silence.
00:23:47.690 --> 00:23:50.150
That was enough to tell him the answer would
00:23:50.150 --> 00:23:54.410
be bad. The older voice said, There has been
00:23:54.410 --> 00:23:59.619
an event in Okinawa. Daichi leaned forward. Where
00:23:59.619 --> 00:24:05.309
is my son? The center voice continued. At 517
00:24:05.309 --> 00:24:08.910
local, a water corridor anomaly registered near
00:24:08.910 --> 00:24:12.970
a known domestic threshold adjacent site. Where
00:24:12.970 --> 00:24:17.680
is Riku? Subject Hayashi is currently unlocated.
00:24:18.470 --> 00:24:21.349
The compartment seemed to narrow around him.
00:24:22.059 --> 00:24:25.279
Daichi did not move. He had trained his body
00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:28.160
to remain still in rooms where stillness meant
00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:32.160
authority. For the first time in years, stillness
00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:36.039
felt like a lie told by muscle. Say that again,
00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:40.019
he said. The younger voice answered, clinical
00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:44.619
and much too careful. Riku Hayashi's local signal
00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:47.700
terminated during the event window and has not
00:24:47.700 --> 00:24:53.109
reacquired. And Sarah? Red mirror signal reacquired
00:24:53.109 --> 00:24:56.869
intermittently. Confirmation pending. Where?
00:24:57.779 --> 00:25:01.519
Rural Okinawa tower range. Search grid active.
00:25:02.250 --> 00:25:09.930
Is she safe? Unknown. Is my son alive? No answer.
00:25:10.769 --> 00:25:13.509
Daiichi heard every machine in the compartment.
00:25:14.009 --> 00:25:17.690
Ventilation. Rain. The faint buzz from the monitor.
00:25:17.910 --> 00:25:21.599
His own pulse. too controlled to count as calm.
00:25:22.250 --> 00:25:26.240
The center voice said, We are treating the matter
00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:29.279
as an active containment and recovery event.
00:25:30.650 --> 00:25:34.450
Daiichi laughed once. It had no humor in it.
00:25:35.589 --> 00:25:39.930
My son disappears twice, and you lead with containment.
00:25:41.509 --> 00:25:45.349
Your son is involved in an active threshold event.
00:25:45.730 --> 00:25:52.170
My son is a 17 -year -old boy. He is also a repeat
00:25:52.170 --> 00:25:55.670
exposure subject with retained cognition and
00:25:55.670 --> 00:26:00.279
direct cross -origin contact. Daiichi's voice
00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:05.740
dropped. Choose your next word carefully. The
00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:08.710
silhouettes did not move. That was one of the
00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:11.750
advantages of being shadows. They could pretend
00:26:11.750 --> 00:26:17.240
not to flinch. The older voice said, Your emotional
00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:22.230
involvement is understood. No, Daiichi said.
00:26:22.990 --> 00:26:28.269
It is not. Senior Handler, Mai assigned me to
00:26:28.269 --> 00:26:31.529
observe my own family because my emotional involvement
00:26:31.529 --> 00:26:35.859
gave you access. You allowed my wife and son
00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:38.839
to sit across from a cross -origin combatant
00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:42.259
because my emotional involvement kept the room
00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:45.700
from becoming a raid. You let me build the cover
00:26:45.700 --> 00:26:48.980
story because my emotional involvement made it
00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:54.619
convincing. He leaned closer. Do not become professionally
00:26:54.619 --> 00:26:57.799
concerned about my objectivity now because the
00:26:57.799 --> 00:27:01.480
system lost control of what it was using me to
00:27:01.480 --> 00:27:06.980
control. The silence after that was longer. Good.
00:27:07.180 --> 00:27:11.190
Let them spend it. The center voice answered
00:27:11.190 --> 00:27:17.559
at last. Your point is noted. No, Daiichi said.
00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:22.039
My point is operational. What did the Okinawa
00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:26.720
office lose? Both subjects exited stable observation
00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:30.849
during the event window. Was Natsume in contact?
00:27:31.349 --> 00:27:36.789
No. T 'was my wife informed. Not by this office.
00:27:37.630 --> 00:27:43.019
Daichi's eyes narrowed. This office. Another
00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:46.690
silence. He understood. Compartmentalization.
00:27:46.710 --> 00:27:50.670
Of course, every door in path opened into another
00:27:50.670 --> 00:27:55.849
locked hallway. What are you withholding? Local
00:27:55.849 --> 00:27:59.730
recovery details are developing. That was not
00:27:59.730 --> 00:28:03.650
an answer. It is the answer available at your
00:28:03.650 --> 00:28:07.589
present clearance. Daichi stared at the silhouettes.
00:28:07.730 --> 00:28:12.029
There it was again. Present clearance. A wall
00:28:12.029 --> 00:28:16.339
shaped like hierarchy. His son was missing behind
00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:20.660
it. The younger voice said, One people higher
00:28:20.660 --> 00:28:23.720
order asset coordination review has been accelerated.
00:28:24.609 --> 00:28:28.440
Daichi did not blink. He understood the hook
00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:32.759
even before it finished forming. A door. A key.
00:28:33.019 --> 00:28:38.349
A leash disguised as both. You are offering me
00:28:38.349 --> 00:28:42.500
a promotion while my son is missing. The center
00:28:42.500 --> 00:28:47.200
voice said, We are offering expanded access contingent
00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:51.619
on demonstrated operational separation. Operational
00:28:51.619 --> 00:28:56.769
separation from what? Family interest. Daichi
00:28:56.769 --> 00:29:01.210
smiled. It was not... pleasant. You want proof
00:29:01.210 --> 00:29:05.740
I can choose path over my son. We want proof
00:29:05.740 --> 00:29:08.720
that you can function inside a case where personal
00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:13.019
proximity is unavoidable. You already have that
00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:18.039
proof. We have partial proof. Daichi thought
00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:21.579
of Riku as a child, asleep on an airport bench
00:29:21.579 --> 00:29:25.390
with his head against Emiko's coat. Riku at 10,
00:29:25.589 --> 00:29:28.490
trying not to cry when a school transfer came
00:29:28.490 --> 00:29:32.039
faster than promised. Riku threw a video call,
00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:35.539
saying he was fine because fine was easier across
00:29:35.539 --> 00:29:39.349
oceans. Riku at the kitchen table, trying to
00:29:39.349 --> 00:29:42.430
learn how not to become his father and becoming
00:29:42.430 --> 00:29:46.960
him anyway. Then he thought of files, doors,
00:29:47.380 --> 00:29:52.480
words like retained, words like compliant, words
00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:58.619
like asset, words like C7. Every instinct told
00:29:58.619 --> 00:30:02.170
him to refuse the hook. Every useful instinct
00:30:02.170 --> 00:30:05.250
told him refusing would leave him outside the
00:30:05.250 --> 00:30:07.750
room where decisions were already being made.
00:30:08.730 --> 00:30:12.630
Daichi hated the board for knowing that. Begin
00:30:12.630 --> 00:30:16.200
the review, he said. The older voice answered,
00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:20.490
acknowledged. Do not mistake that for trust.
00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:25.809
No one has. Daichi almost admired the honesty.
00:30:26.410 --> 00:30:31.309
Almost. He said, I want all Okinawa anomaly data
00:30:31.309 --> 00:30:37.160
routed to me. Approved in summary form. All data.
00:30:37.789 --> 00:30:42.650
Pending review. Names of search teams. Pending
00:30:42.650 --> 00:30:47.950
review. Natsume's complete field logs. Pending
00:30:47.950 --> 00:30:53.579
review. Daiichi's voice sharpened. Where is C7?
00:30:54.130 --> 00:30:57.430
No one answered immediately. That was answer
00:30:57.430 --> 00:31:00.319
enough. Daiichi turned toward the compartment
00:31:00.319 --> 00:31:03.259
door as if he could see through it, through the
00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:05.880
mobile unit, through the rain, through every
00:31:05.880 --> 00:31:09.559
road between Scotland and wherever Malcolm Graves
00:31:09.559 --> 00:31:14.430
had been moved. You redirected him. The center
00:31:14.430 --> 00:31:17.789
voice said, External support has been authorized
00:31:17.789 --> 00:31:22.529
for Okinawa stabilization. You sent Graves near
00:31:22.529 --> 00:31:27.049
my family. C -7 is not assigned to your family.
00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:31.990
He is assigned to incident stabilization. That
00:31:31.990 --> 00:31:35.420
distinction is worthless. It is operational.
00:31:36.170 --> 00:31:40.569
It is cowardly grammar. The younger voice said,
00:31:40.750 --> 00:31:44.450
C7 has experience with retained cognition cross
00:31:44.450 --> 00:31:48.299
-origin subjects. And what is Sarah Redmere in
00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:54.700
that sentence? Unclassified. Chet, my son. Unlocated.
00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:58.680
Daiichi went very still. The word did more damage
00:31:58.680 --> 00:32:02.279
than the board probably intended, or maybe exactly
00:32:02.279 --> 00:32:06.769
as much. The older voice said, Still, we are
00:32:06.769 --> 00:32:12.029
not repeating Jakarta. The room cooled. Not physically.
00:32:12.269 --> 00:32:16.150
Daichi heard Ward's voice in memory. No, no.
00:32:16.730 --> 00:32:20.250
Reed's uncomfortable silence. Veil saying rooms
00:32:20.250 --> 00:32:24.079
acquired ghosts. Daichi looked at the silhouettes.
00:32:24.680 --> 00:32:29.430
What happened in Jakarta? The center voice answered,
00:32:29.690 --> 00:32:34.190
not now. That phrase has done a remarkable amount
00:32:34.190 --> 00:32:36.750
of work for people who claim to value precision.
00:32:37.390 --> 00:32:42.079
Then let it continue working. A warning, again.
00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:45.720
Daiichi filed it beside every other locked door.
00:32:46.609 --> 00:32:51.369
Traveler, retained, C -rank, asset, Jakarta,
00:32:51.529 --> 00:32:57.390
Okinawa, Riku. He said, If C -7 approaches my
00:32:57.390 --> 00:33:01.910
wife without authorization, he will not. If he
00:33:01.910 --> 00:33:05.450
approaches Sarah Redmere, Redmere may require
00:33:05.450 --> 00:33:10.299
stabilization. She is a child. She is a high
00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:13.980
-risk, cross -origin combatant. She is both.
00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:18.680
Precisely. Daiichi closed his eyes for one second.
00:33:18.980 --> 00:33:22.400
When he opened them, he was calm. Not less angry.
00:33:22.990 --> 00:33:28.130
Calm. What are Natsume's instructions? Recover
00:33:28.130 --> 00:33:31.289
red mirror location. Avoid public escalation.
00:33:31.390 --> 00:33:35.130
Maintain local cover. Do not initiate direct
00:33:35.130 --> 00:33:38.529
containment before external support arrives unless
00:33:38.529 --> 00:33:45.140
civilian risk escalates. And Riku? Locate. Recover?
00:33:45.470 --> 00:33:49.599
Pending confirmation of location. Dead language.
00:33:49.859 --> 00:33:53.700
Dead language everywhere. Daichi wanted to tear
00:33:53.700 --> 00:33:56.839
every file cabinet in the world open by hand.
00:33:57.380 --> 00:34:02.109
Instead, he said, send the summaries. Approved.
00:34:02.190 --> 00:34:06.140
The screen went black. Daichi remained in the
00:34:06.140 --> 00:34:09.860
compartment for three more breaths. Then he opened
00:34:09.860 --> 00:34:15.239
the door. Ward looked up. Vale looked up. Reed,
00:34:15.400 --> 00:34:18.579
who had no right to understand the room and understood
00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:23.730
enough anyway, stood slowly. What happened? Reed
00:34:23.730 --> 00:34:27.570
asked. Daichi's phone buzzed again before he
00:34:27.570 --> 00:34:31.449
could answer. A data packet arrived. Summary
00:34:31.449 --> 00:34:36.019
only. Of course. Daichi read the first line.
00:34:36.679 --> 00:34:41.219
Okinawa event. Hayashi slash Redmere signal loss.
00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:47.179
He read the second. Hayashi. Unlocated. The word
00:34:47.179 --> 00:34:50.840
did not change. Daichi folded the phone into
00:34:50.840 --> 00:34:55.940
his palm. Ward said quietly, Hayashi? Daiichi
00:34:55.940 --> 00:34:59.079
looked toward the rain. Find out where Graves
00:34:59.079 --> 00:35:04.380
went. Ward's expression changed. Why? Because
00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:09.179
the board just sent him to my home. In Okinawa,
00:35:09.260 --> 00:35:12.860
Natsume received the C7 notice on paper because
00:35:12.860 --> 00:35:15.719
the printer had chosen exactly that moment to
00:35:15.719 --> 00:35:18.769
become functional. The machine spat out three
00:35:18.769 --> 00:35:22.489
pages. Hasegawa caught the first one and immediately
00:35:22.489 --> 00:35:26.449
stopped smiling. That alone made Igarashi look
00:35:26.449 --> 00:35:31.179
up. What? He did not answer. Natsume crossed
00:35:31.179 --> 00:35:34.239
the room and took the page from him. He let her.
00:35:34.900 --> 00:35:37.460
The header was stripped of departmental origin.
00:35:38.019 --> 00:35:44.369
Field support inbound. Designation C7. Classification
00:35:44.369 --> 00:35:50.210
restricted slash retained. Local liaison. Cooperate
00:35:50.210 --> 00:35:54.590
only. Approach perimeters. Do not engage without
00:35:54.590 --> 00:35:59.400
direct authorization. Opening. Clearance. Denied.
00:35:59.980 --> 00:36:04.400
Natsume read it once. Then again. Her face did
00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:08.840
not change. That meant it had. Kurose stood behind
00:36:08.840 --> 00:36:14.280
her. Problem? Natsume handed him the sheet. What
00:36:14.280 --> 00:36:19.420
is C7? Kurose read it. His expression shifted
00:36:19.420 --> 00:36:22.340
just enough to prove he did not know either.
00:36:23.409 --> 00:36:27.510
Restricted support. That is a formatting answer.
00:36:28.019 --> 00:36:31.789
It is the answer we have. She took the paper
00:36:31.789 --> 00:36:37.880
back. Retained what? Kurose said nothing. Hasegawa
00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:41.300
looked at Igarashi. Igarashi looked at Hasegawa.
00:36:41.619 --> 00:36:46.730
Neither spoke. For once. Natsume's eyes moved
00:36:46.730 --> 00:36:50.849
across the page again. Cooperate only. Do not
00:36:50.849 --> 00:36:56.449
engage. Clearance denied. Her district. Her subjects.
00:36:56.750 --> 00:36:59.829
Her surveillance failure. Her recovery grid.
00:37:00.170 --> 00:37:03.250
And now something with a designation instead
00:37:03.250 --> 00:37:06.730
of a name was entering it under rules she was
00:37:06.730 --> 00:37:11.130
not cleared to read. Natsume did not like ignorance.
00:37:11.489 --> 00:37:15.829
She hated public ignorance most. She folded the
00:37:15.829 --> 00:37:19.210
paper once and placed it on her tablet. When
00:37:19.210 --> 00:37:22.530
does it arrive? Igarashi answered carefully.
00:37:23.360 --> 00:37:29.039
Transit estimate pending. From Scotland? Unclear.
00:37:29.820 --> 00:37:33.039
Natsume looked at her. Igarashi corrected herself.
00:37:34.010 --> 00:37:39.409
Not provided. Natsume turned to Kurose. I need
00:37:39.409 --> 00:37:43.800
operational parameters. You have them. I have
00:37:43.800 --> 00:37:46.639
a command to cooperate with an unknown restricted
00:37:46.639 --> 00:37:50.000
support designation entering my district during
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.329
an active subject loss. Kurose lowered his voice.
00:37:54.929 --> 00:37:59.119
You also have the board's attention. Be grateful
00:37:59.119 --> 00:38:03.599
for the clarity you do have. She smiled faintly.
00:38:04.369 --> 00:38:08.860
Gratitude is not an operational parameter. No,
00:38:09.099 --> 00:38:12.800
Kurose said. But survival sometimes resembles
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:17.360
it. That silenced the room more effectively than
00:38:17.360 --> 00:38:20.679
rank. Natsume looked back at the wall monitor.
00:38:21.099 --> 00:38:24.440
Red Mirror's intermittent tower cone pulsed over
00:38:24.440 --> 00:38:29.170
a rural map. Hayashi remained blank. Blank was
00:38:29.170 --> 00:38:34.409
not just absence. Blank was vulnerability. Whoever
00:38:34.409 --> 00:38:37.869
wrote the first clean report around a blank space
00:38:37.869 --> 00:38:42.530
often owned the next decision. Natsume intended
00:38:42.530 --> 00:38:47.590
to write cleanly. Search grid, she said. Okabe
00:38:47.590 --> 00:38:50.590
straightened. Gray unit has reached the outer
00:38:50.590 --> 00:38:55.429
tower area. No positive visual yet. Expand traffic
00:38:55.429 --> 00:38:59.269
cameras. Already pulling. Convenience stores,
00:38:59.550 --> 00:39:02.869
bus stops, agricultural road cameras, private
00:39:02.869 --> 00:39:07.159
feeds if the cover gives us access. Legal basis?
00:39:08.010 --> 00:39:11.570
Natsume looked at him. Okabe immediately typed.
00:39:12.170 --> 00:39:18.210
Rural Route Safety Audit. Good. Hasegawa murmured,
00:39:18.289 --> 00:39:22.289
Public access, finally accessing public access.
00:39:23.190 --> 00:39:28.340
Higurashi whispered, Stop. Natsume ignored them.
00:39:28.420 --> 00:39:32.510
For now. The first image came seven minutes later.
00:39:32.789 --> 00:39:37.610
Grainy. Distant. A roadside bus stop. A figure
00:39:37.610 --> 00:39:40.530
standing at the edge of the shelter. Wet hair.
00:39:40.849 --> 00:39:44.829
Armor -like dark clothing. Long, wrapped object
00:39:44.829 --> 00:39:48.349
against one shoulder. Natsume leaned closer.
00:39:49.389 --> 00:39:53.829
Red mirror. No one argued. The image changed.
00:39:54.150 --> 00:39:58.510
A bus stopped. The figure did not board. The
00:39:58.510 --> 00:40:02.900
bus left. Why didn't she get on? Okabe asked.
00:40:03.789 --> 00:40:06.630
Natsume watched the figure remain by the stop,
00:40:07.320 --> 00:40:10.199
because she does not understand the system well
00:40:10.199 --> 00:40:17.190
enough to risk it. Can she read? Yes. Then, reading
00:40:17.190 --> 00:40:20.070
signs is not the same as understanding public
00:40:20.070 --> 00:40:23.789
transportation under stress while armed, displaced,
00:40:24.230 --> 00:40:29.530
and alone. Okabe shut his mouth. Natsume almost
00:40:29.530 --> 00:40:33.320
smiled. Redmere was dangerous, but not stupid.
00:40:33.920 --> 00:40:38.019
That mattered. The next feed came from the gray
00:40:38.019 --> 00:40:42.599
vehicle's dash camera. Distance. Bus stop. Vending
00:40:42.599 --> 00:40:46.579
machine. Redmere at the route board. Redmere
00:40:46.579 --> 00:40:50.039
turning toward the machine. Redmere walking toward
00:40:50.039 --> 00:40:53.690
a side lane. Then she disappeared from frame.
00:40:54.789 --> 00:40:59.190
Where did she go? Karose asked. The driver's
00:40:59.190 --> 00:41:02.500
voice came through the recording. Subject moved
00:41:02.500 --> 00:41:07.119
past the sideline, continuing observation. Brake
00:41:07.119 --> 00:41:10.019
lights reflected faintly in the dash feed as
00:41:10.019 --> 00:41:13.550
the gray car started after her. Natsume's mouth
00:41:13.550 --> 00:41:19.039
tightened. No. The recording continued. The vehicle
00:41:19.039 --> 00:41:21.360
passed the point where Redmere had left the road.
00:41:21.760 --> 00:41:27.420
Nothing. Brush. Ditch. Grass. No subject. The
00:41:27.420 --> 00:41:31.469
driver's voice, again, less confident. Subject
00:41:31.469 --> 00:41:37.719
not visible. Slowing. Natsume said, Pause. The
00:41:37.719 --> 00:41:41.400
image froze. She stared at the brush line, then
00:41:41.400 --> 00:41:43.800
at the vending machine reflection caught in the
00:41:43.800 --> 00:41:47.639
edge of the frame. There. Not a clear image,
00:41:47.820 --> 00:41:51.000
not even enough for report language, but enough.
00:41:51.820 --> 00:41:55.530
Redmere had used the reflection. Natsume felt
00:41:55.530 --> 00:42:00.940
irritation, then, unwillingly, respect. We shmade
00:42:00.940 --> 00:42:04.309
you, she said. The driver was not in the room
00:42:04.309 --> 00:42:09.170
to defend himself. Okabe said, The unit maintained
00:42:09.170 --> 00:42:13.639
distance. She made you before she left the bus
00:42:13.639 --> 00:42:20.280
stop. Kurose watched her. Recover her. Not by
00:42:20.280 --> 00:42:22.619
chasing her through brush with a vehicle she
00:42:22.619 --> 00:42:28.119
has already identified. Then how? Natsume looked
00:42:28.119 --> 00:42:32.420
at the map. Rural roads, drainage channels, fields,
00:42:32.699 --> 00:42:36.989
bus line, houses. A girl with a sword and no
00:42:36.989 --> 00:42:41.190
guide trying not to be found. She will avoid
00:42:41.190 --> 00:42:44.610
obvious roads, Natsume said. She will look for
00:42:44.610 --> 00:42:48.170
cover with direction. Drainage lines, field edges,
00:42:48.449 --> 00:42:51.889
tree breaks, service paths. She will not trust
00:42:51.889 --> 00:42:54.829
police. She will not understand bus transfers.
00:42:55.150 --> 00:42:58.070
She may try to move toward known landmarks if
00:42:58.070 --> 00:43:03.099
she recognizes them. Which landmarks? Hayashi
00:43:03.099 --> 00:43:07.409
residence? School? River corridor? Mrs. Oshido's
00:43:07.409 --> 00:43:09.969
building if she can identify it. Possibly the
00:43:09.969 --> 00:43:12.829
mall if she associates it with Emiko and supplies.
00:43:13.960 --> 00:43:19.099
Kurose said, You sound certain. I have watched
00:43:19.099 --> 00:43:23.480
her learn. That was true. It was not the whole
00:43:23.480 --> 00:43:26.639
truth. Natsume had watched Sarah Redmere the
00:43:26.639 --> 00:43:29.420
way one watched a blade being wrapped in silk
00:43:29.420 --> 00:43:32.750
and handed to children. She had watched her fold
00:43:32.750 --> 00:43:35.750
hands in the office because Emiko had told her
00:43:35.750 --> 00:43:38.929
it made adults less nervous. She had watched
00:43:38.929 --> 00:43:42.579
Riku's smallest gestures redirect her. She had
00:43:42.579 --> 00:43:45.539
watched Sarah almost break Eide's wrist before
00:43:45.539 --> 00:43:48.920
choosing not to finish the motion. She had watched
00:43:48.920 --> 00:43:51.800
her look at a trophy case as if glass had become
00:43:51.800 --> 00:43:55.380
a road home. And now the girl had lost Riku.
00:43:56.400 --> 00:43:59.119
Natsume did not know what that meant to the veil.
00:43:59.730 --> 00:44:03.730
She did know what it meant operationally. A stabilizing
00:44:03.730 --> 00:44:07.050
influence had been removed. A high -capability
00:44:07.050 --> 00:44:11.449
subject was alone, armed, and frightened. That
00:44:11.449 --> 00:44:17.349
was enough. Do not approach, Natsume said. Kurose's
00:44:17.349 --> 00:44:21.559
eyes sharpened. You have visual on a high -risk
00:44:21.559 --> 00:44:26.030
subject, and you do not want approach? I want
00:44:26.030 --> 00:44:30.079
her found, not provoked. If she is cornered by
00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:33.099
local staff, we lose the cover or the staff.
00:44:33.789 --> 00:44:37.860
And if she reaches civilians? She has avoided
00:44:37.860 --> 00:44:42.739
civilians so far. That may change. Then we adapt.
00:44:43.929 --> 00:44:49.110
Adapt within authorization, Kurose said. Natsume
00:44:49.110 --> 00:44:54.059
smiled. Of course. Hasegawa looked at the printer.
00:44:54.889 --> 00:44:59.050
Machine heard that too. This time Natsume turned.
00:44:59.820 --> 00:45:02.820
Hasegawa became deeply interested in an empty
00:45:02.820 --> 00:45:06.460
paper tray. She held his gaze a moment longer
00:45:06.460 --> 00:45:11.730
than necessary. Then, her tablet chimed. Board
00:45:11.730 --> 00:45:16.409
liaison request. The room quieted again. Natsume
00:45:16.409 --> 00:45:19.309
accepted the call in the conference office. This
00:45:19.309 --> 00:45:22.429
time, she closed the door. The board did not
00:45:22.429 --> 00:45:25.349
appear for her as silhouettes. Natsume was not
00:45:25.349 --> 00:45:28.989
granted that theater. She received a black screen
00:45:28.989 --> 00:45:33.940
with white text and one modulated voice. Local
00:45:33.940 --> 00:45:38.980
handler, Natsume. Field liaison, Natsume, she
00:45:38.980 --> 00:45:44.469
corrected. A pause. Field liaison, Natsume. That
00:45:44.559 --> 00:45:47.619
small concession told her nothing, which meant
00:45:47.619 --> 00:45:52.269
it told her something. The voice continued. Yes.
00:45:52.739 --> 00:45:56.269
Read mere visual probable. Subject identified
00:45:56.269 --> 00:45:59.070
surveillance vehicle and broke line of sight.
00:45:59.329 --> 00:46:03.429
Hayashi remains unlocated. Local recovery grid
00:46:03.429 --> 00:46:06.809
expanding through rural route network. Hayashi
00:46:06.809 --> 00:46:10.150
residents not yet contacted officially. Emiko
00:46:10.150 --> 00:46:13.429
Hayashi has increased phone activity but no public
00:46:13.429 --> 00:46:18.639
escalation. Cause of event. Unknown. Water corridor
00:46:18.639 --> 00:46:22.139
anomaly. Subject co -location at event window.
00:46:22.760 --> 00:46:25.960
Prior stress exposure elevated after school incident.
00:46:26.719 --> 00:46:30.579
Behavioral proximity increased. Mechanism unknown.
00:46:31.809 --> 00:46:36.989
There. Precise. No claim. No theory beyond data.
00:46:37.750 --> 00:46:41.050
The voice said, Behavioral proximity relevance.
00:46:42.489 --> 00:46:45.590
Operationally significant. Hayashi has demonstrated
00:46:45.590 --> 00:46:49.550
ability to redirect Redmere under stress. Redmere
00:46:49.550 --> 00:46:53.050
responds to Emiko Hayashi as secondary stabilizing
00:46:53.050 --> 00:46:57.139
adult. Removal or absence of Hayashi may increase
00:46:57.139 --> 00:47:03.610
unpredictability. Mechanism. Unknown. The voice
00:47:03.610 --> 00:47:06.570
remained silent for several seconds. Natsume
00:47:06.570 --> 00:47:09.710
hated that silence. It felt like being measured
00:47:09.710 --> 00:47:15.510
by a scale she could not see. Then... C7. Support
00:47:15.510 --> 00:47:19.449
inbound. Local liaison will cooperate. Do not
00:47:19.449 --> 00:47:22.949
query classification. Natsume's jaw tightened.
00:47:24.010 --> 00:47:30.070
What is C7? Do not query classification. I am
00:47:30.070 --> 00:47:32.150
responsible for the local recovery environment.
00:47:32.690 --> 00:47:37.829
You are responsible for cooperation. I need to
00:47:37.829 --> 00:47:42.309
know whether C7 presents civilian risk. Civilian
00:47:42.309 --> 00:47:47.639
risk is managed. By whom? Above local clearance.
00:47:47.940 --> 00:47:52.070
The words hit exactly where they were meant to.
00:47:52.659 --> 00:47:55.539
Natsume kept her face still even though no one
00:47:55.539 --> 00:47:59.840
could see it. That was discipline. Or habit.
00:48:00.309 --> 00:48:03.929
What are my instructions if C7 engages Redmere?
00:48:04.579 --> 00:48:10.639
Observe. Support. Cover. Do not interfere. And
00:48:10.639 --> 00:48:14.679
if he engages Hayashi? No current Hayashi location
00:48:14.679 --> 00:48:21.059
exists. Hypothetically. No current Hayashi location
00:48:21.059 --> 00:48:26.110
exists. The screen text did not change. Natsume
00:48:26.110 --> 00:48:29.829
understood. Do not ask questions about hypothetical
00:48:29.829 --> 00:48:33.469
recoveries above your clearance. Do not ask what
00:48:33.469 --> 00:48:37.750
the board already feared. Do not ask what C7
00:48:37.750 --> 00:48:41.809
was. Do not ask why the sun mattered differently
00:48:41.809 --> 00:48:46.210
from the girl. Do not ask why a local field liaison
00:48:46.210 --> 00:48:49.050
was good enough to pressure children in a school
00:48:49.050 --> 00:48:52.250
office. but not good enough to know what was
00:48:52.250 --> 00:48:56.750
coming into her district. She smiled. A private
00:48:56.750 --> 00:49:02.869
expression. Small. Cold. Understood. The call
00:49:02.869 --> 00:49:06.050
ended. Natsume stood alone in the conference
00:49:06.050 --> 00:49:09.369
office for several seconds. Then she looked through
00:49:09.369 --> 00:49:12.570
the glass at the annex, Hasegawa whispering near
00:49:12.570 --> 00:49:15.630
the printer, Igarashi pretending not to listen,
00:49:16.329 --> 00:49:19.349
Okabe staring at the map like it might absolve
00:49:19.349 --> 00:49:22.659
him. Kurose speaking quietly into his phone.
00:49:23.179 --> 00:49:27.519
All of them inside the same room. None of them
00:49:27.519 --> 00:49:32.849
inside the same case. That was path compartmentalized.
00:49:32.909 --> 00:49:37.579
Not secrecy as a wall. Secrecy as architecture.
00:49:38.460 --> 00:49:42.039
She touched the folded C7 paper on her tablet.
00:49:42.340 --> 00:49:46.579
Above local clearance. That was not acceptable.
00:49:46.960 --> 00:49:51.650
Not permanently. Outside, the annex lights hummed.
00:49:52.079 --> 00:49:55.679
Inside, Natsume began deciding which doors could
00:49:55.679 --> 00:50:00.079
be opened without permission. In Scotland, Daiichi
00:50:00.079 --> 00:50:03.119
found the answer to his question from Ward, not
00:50:03.119 --> 00:50:06.099
the board. Ward stepped into the communications
00:50:06.099 --> 00:50:09.139
compartment doorway with his phone in one hand
00:50:09.139 --> 00:50:11.860
and rain still dripping from the collar of his
00:50:11.860 --> 00:50:17.539
coat. Graves was moved 31 minutes ago. Daiichi
00:50:17.539 --> 00:50:22.460
looked up. Moved where? Airstrip first, then
00:50:22.460 --> 00:50:26.800
military routing. Destination classified. Daichi
00:50:26.800 --> 00:50:30.619
stood slowly. Ward's expression said he knew
00:50:30.619 --> 00:50:34.389
enough to dislike being the messenger. Japan?
00:50:34.730 --> 00:50:39.500
Daichi asked. Ward did not answer. He did not
00:50:39.500 --> 00:50:42.949
have to. Daichi looked past him through the open
00:50:42.949 --> 00:50:46.989
door to the field outside. Rain. Floodlights.
00:50:47.389 --> 00:50:52.780
Mud. A country that was not home. a case that
00:50:52.780 --> 00:50:55.780
no longer mattered enough and still mattered
00:50:55.780 --> 00:51:02.010
too much. Ward said, Hayashi, if this is personal,
00:51:02.170 --> 00:51:07.909
it is. Ward stopped. Daichi picked up his coat.
00:51:08.559 --> 00:51:12.440
Vale appeared behind Ward, silent and pale in
00:51:12.440 --> 00:51:15.920
the mobile unit light. Reed stood farther back,
00:51:16.119 --> 00:51:20.030
arms folded, eyes moving between them. Daichi
00:51:20.030 --> 00:51:23.739
checked his secure phone. No new messages from
00:51:23.739 --> 00:51:28.849
Emiko. That was bad. Emiko always filled silence
00:51:28.849 --> 00:51:32.539
when she was afraid. Unless she was too afraid
00:51:32.539 --> 00:51:36.550
to choose the first words. He opened the family
00:51:36.550 --> 00:51:41.789
chat. No new messages. Riku's last visible message
00:51:41.789 --> 00:51:45.420
sat there like a thing from another life. Daichi
00:51:45.420 --> 00:51:48.019
closed the screen before anyone could see his
00:51:48.019 --> 00:51:54.000
face. Ward said quietly, What do you need? Daichi
00:51:54.000 --> 00:51:58.349
looked at him. There were answers. Plain. Data.
00:51:59.090 --> 00:52:04.469
Authority. A door. His son. His wife. The girl
00:52:04.469 --> 00:52:07.730
his system had named a subject because systems
00:52:07.730 --> 00:52:11.570
preferred nouns that did not bleed. But need
00:52:11.570 --> 00:52:16.570
was not the same as available. Everything local
00:52:16.570 --> 00:52:20.429
sense, Daichi said. Not summaries. Raw, if you
00:52:20.429 --> 00:52:26.039
can get it. Ward's brows rose. That may violate...
00:52:26.070 --> 00:52:33.000
Yes. Ward held his gaze, then nodded once. I'll
00:52:33.000 --> 00:52:37.619
see what can be misfiled. Reed muttered, That
00:52:37.650 --> 00:52:42.619
sounds illegal. Vale said, Most useful things
00:52:42.619 --> 00:52:47.349
do after midnight. Daichi looked at her. She
00:52:47.349 --> 00:52:51.710
did not smile. I will also route you any water
00:52:51.710 --> 00:52:54.289
reflection anomalies from Okinawa, she said,
00:52:54.789 --> 00:52:59.710
if local systems flag them. That will be logged.
00:53:00.599 --> 00:53:05.219
Probably. Ward looked at her. Vale looked back.
00:53:06.440 --> 00:53:11.090
I hate when rooms acquire ghosts, she said. I
00:53:11.090 --> 00:53:13.849
hate worse when no one tells the ghost's father
00:53:13.849 --> 00:53:18.630
which room. No one spoke for a moment. Daichi
00:53:18.630 --> 00:53:24.000
inclined his head once. Thank you. The words
00:53:24.000 --> 00:53:27.809
cost him more than he expected. His phone buzzed.
00:53:28.170 --> 00:53:33.360
Not Emiko. Board summary update. He opened it.
00:53:33.920 --> 00:53:38.739
Red mirror visual. Probable. Status. Mobile slash
00:53:38.739 --> 00:53:45.289
uncontained. Hayashi. Unlocated. C7. In transit.
00:53:45.829 --> 00:53:49.570
Daichi read the last line twice. Then he put
00:53:49.570 --> 00:53:53.519
the phone away. Graves had said the 7 meant 6
00:53:53.519 --> 00:53:57.409
came before. Daichi wondered how many mothers
00:53:57.409 --> 00:54:00.690
had been told their children were unlocated while
00:54:00.690 --> 00:54:03.530
someone numbered walked toward them with orders
00:54:03.530 --> 00:54:08.079
no one would admit allowed. In Okinawa, the gray
00:54:08.079 --> 00:54:10.780
vehicle stopped at the next roadside pullout
00:54:10.780 --> 00:54:14.119
and did not move again. Its driver waited for
00:54:14.119 --> 00:54:17.489
instructions. Natsume stood over the map with
00:54:17.489 --> 00:54:21.420
both hands resting on the table. Mark last visual.
00:54:22.309 --> 00:54:27.070
Okabe dropped a red pin. Mark likely footpaths.
00:54:27.860 --> 00:54:32.579
Igarashi drew three thin roots in yellow. Drainage
00:54:32.579 --> 00:54:38.920
line. Field edge. Service road. Tree break toward
00:54:38.920 --> 00:54:44.590
local shrine path. Natsume nodded. Do not close
00:54:44.590 --> 00:54:48.750
all routes. Leave her one obvious safe -looking
00:54:48.750 --> 00:54:55.239
option. Kurose looked at her. To where? Toward
00:54:55.239 --> 00:54:59.619
a camera we control. That is approach by manipulation.
00:55:00.519 --> 00:55:05.940
That is observation by geography. Hasegawa whispered,
00:55:05.960 --> 00:55:10.940
That sentence gets promoted. Igarashi whispered
00:55:10.940 --> 00:55:16.030
back, I am going to staple your mouth shut. Natsume
00:55:16.030 --> 00:55:20.010
ignored them. Notify school liaison network to
00:55:20.010 --> 00:55:23.550
remain quiet. No police bulletin. No missing
00:55:23.550 --> 00:55:27.730
child alert until board clears wording. If Emiko
00:55:27.730 --> 00:55:31.190
Hayashi contacts local police, route to cover
00:55:31.190 --> 00:55:36.469
desk. Kurose said, You are delaying a mother.
00:55:37.190 --> 00:55:40.829
I am preventing an uncontrolled public report
00:55:40.829 --> 00:55:44.570
involving a missing returned boy and an armed
00:55:44.570 --> 00:55:48.860
displaced girl. And if senior handler Hayashi
00:55:48.860 --> 00:55:53.179
objects? Natsume looked at the black screen where
00:55:53.179 --> 00:55:57.119
the board call had ended. He can file it above
00:55:57.119 --> 00:56:02.400
my clearance. Kurose's eyes narrowed. That was
00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:06.769
reckless. She knew. She also knew the board had
00:56:06.769 --> 00:56:09.989
just placed a restricted designation inside her
00:56:09.989 --> 00:56:13.110
district and told her not to ask what it was.
00:56:14.030 --> 00:56:17.329
Recklessness, properly typed, could look like
00:56:17.329 --> 00:56:21.219
initiative. Possible Redmere movement, Igarashi
00:56:21.219 --> 00:56:25.329
said suddenly. Everyone turned. A roadside camera
00:56:25.329 --> 00:56:28.349
showed brush bending where no person was visible.
00:56:28.550 --> 00:56:32.909
A flash of dark fabric, maybe armor, maybe shadow,
00:56:33.130 --> 00:56:38.300
then nothing. Natsume leaned closer. Direction?
00:56:38.940 --> 00:56:43.360
Southwest. Away from road. Away from bus line.
00:56:44.309 --> 00:56:50.050
Toward? Igarashi traced the map. If she keeps
00:56:50.050 --> 00:56:53.869
that line… Agricultural service paths first,
00:56:54.010 --> 00:56:58.769
then old drainage access. After that, maybe the
00:56:58.769 --> 00:57:03.170
river network. Natsume's mouth tightened. River.
00:57:03.309 --> 00:57:08.159
Of course. Do not… push her toward water, she
00:57:08.159 --> 00:57:12.849
said. Kurose looked at her. What? Natsume did
00:57:12.849 --> 00:57:16.190
not answer immediately. Because she did not know.
00:57:16.489 --> 00:57:20.170
Because water had already taken one child. Because
00:57:20.170 --> 00:57:23.329
Redmere had looked into glass and seen something
00:57:23.329 --> 00:57:27.010
no camera could prove. Because every case file
00:57:27.010 --> 00:57:30.130
she could access treated water like environment,
00:57:30.369 --> 00:57:33.869
and every file she could not access seemed to
00:57:33.869 --> 00:57:37.369
treat it like intention. Because she wanted promotion
00:57:37.369 --> 00:57:40.769
badly enough to admit ignorance only when it
00:57:40.769 --> 00:57:44.449
could be weaponized. Because the last time they
00:57:44.449 --> 00:57:49.760
were near water, we lost Hayashi, she said. That
00:57:49.760 --> 00:57:53.300
answer was acceptable. Not complete, acceptable.
00:57:54.360 --> 00:57:58.079
Igarashi adjusted the route lines. Asagawa, for
00:57:58.079 --> 00:58:01.760
once, said nothing. Natsume looked at the status
00:58:01.760 --> 00:58:22.159
board. Hayashi Riku. Unlocated. The words arranged
00:58:22.159 --> 00:58:25.119
themselves into a problem that did not yet have
00:58:25.119 --> 00:58:29.099
a clean report shape. Natsume disliked messy
00:58:29.099 --> 00:58:32.559
problems. Messy problems could still be useful.
00:58:33.000 --> 00:58:38.210
Find the girl, she said. Okabe looked up. Approach?
00:58:38.570 --> 00:58:44.130
No. Then what do we do when we find her? Natsume
00:58:44.130 --> 00:58:47.469
stared at the map. Somewhere in the green spaces
00:58:47.469 --> 00:58:51.070
between roads, Sarah Redmere was moving without
00:58:51.070 --> 00:58:54.269
a guide, without a phone worth using, without
00:58:54.269 --> 00:58:57.070
the boy who steadied her, and without knowing
00:58:57.070 --> 00:58:59.929
she had already become the center of three different
00:58:59.929 --> 00:59:03.610
decisions above her head. Natsume folded the
00:59:03.610 --> 00:59:08.130
C7 notice again. Sharper this time. We learn
00:59:08.130 --> 00:59:12.570
who else is trying to find her, she said. No
00:59:12.570 --> 00:59:15.510
one in the room asked what she meant. That was
00:59:15.510 --> 00:59:18.510
good. Natsume looked through the glass toward
00:59:18.510 --> 00:59:21.389
the printer, the analysts, the sealed doors,
00:59:21.650 --> 00:59:24.849
the cover office beyond them, and the world outside
00:59:24.849 --> 00:59:29.769
that still thought roads were only roads. Then
00:59:29.769 --> 00:59:36.190
we decide what to tell them. Dear travelers,
00:59:36.329 --> 00:59:41.539
was chapter 29. compartmentalized riku is missing
00:59:41.539 --> 00:59:45.440
sarah is being searched for and daichi is discovering
00:59:45.440 --> 00:59:48.380
just how little a title means when someone higher
00:59:48.380 --> 00:59:52.059
up decides to close a door even natsume is receiving
00:59:52.059 --> 00:59:55.659
orders she isn't allowed to understand and somewhere
00:59:55.659 --> 00:59:59.199
in all that secrecy a printer continues its heroic
00:59:59.199 --> 01:00:03.920
war against civilization wait so nobody knows
01:00:03.920 --> 01:00:07.579
the whole story that's not an investigation That's
01:00:07.579 --> 01:00:09.760
five group chats where everyone keeps leaving
01:00:09.760 --> 01:00:12.880
out the important messages. I see you've made
01:00:12.880 --> 01:00:15.119
some additions to your little evidence board.
01:00:16.010 --> 01:00:19.389
Updates, new evidence, entirely different thing.
01:00:19.909 --> 01:00:23.210
Darling, why is the printer labeled person of
01:00:23.210 --> 01:00:28.119
interest? It ate page three. Of course it did.
01:00:28.300 --> 01:00:31.050
Thank you for joining us for another episode
01:00:31.050 --> 01:00:34.130
of Between Two Worlds. We'll see you next week,
01:00:34.170 --> 01:00:37.809
dear travelers. Chica. Why does my photograph
01:00:37.809 --> 01:00:42.070
now say unreliable source? You literally introduce
01:00:42.070 --> 01:00:45.090
yourself that way every week. I'm quoting you.
01:00:45.690 --> 01:00:50.070
Touché, darling. Touché. Documented.