NOVEL NEXT Chapter 279
“Ugh… Ugh… I’m sorry. If I can just go to the disciplinary board, please, please, just not a pay cut…!”
The sight of her waving helplessly in all directions is pitiful.
One arm clings to the back of the sofa while the other flails anxiously through the air, desperately seeking forgiveness from someone in her dream.
Even with a casual glance, it’s clear she must be suffering from a dreadful nightmare… Though her style is somewhat plain, there’s nothing overtly pity-inducing about her appearance—yet she’s somehow an unfortunate-looking woman.
Manager Bethany, still struggling in her sleep, finally snapped awake when she felt the firm grip of a metallic robot’s hand, which had been keeping her from rolling off the sofa.
“…?”
Blinking.
Her eyelids keep refreshing the view of her dazed eyes, urging her to regain her wits as quickly as possible.
The cyberware, which had been forcibly shut down due to excessive blood flow, began its self-diagnostic boot-up while displaying a myriad of information… However, since her mind couldn’t recall the last time she had slept so soundly, it was in a panic to assess the situation.
Who am I? Though for the sad reason of fearing she’d starve in some corner of the broadcasting station if left alone. In any case, she was the proud and capable woman occupying the position of exclusive manager for the Memorial Times star announcer, Bethany.
Where am I? Looking at the ceiling patterns and the surrounding furniture… It’s a high-grade waiting room, one of the few rooms outfitted with expensive styling equipment and makeup assist windows.
How did I end up here? Most likely… her mind strongly resisting immediate recollection of what had happened was a sign that she had really messed up and collapsed. To an extent that covering it up would be impossible.
Feeling oddly refreshed—what time is it now? Originally, she should have been working diligently during the morning hours, entering the newsroom with Erin to monitor the regular morning live broadcast, but here she is just waking up—am I crazy? Oh my god, Mom, I’m really sorry.
“…Huh?!?”
As thoughts of words like “transition to irregular employment due to job negligence” and “dismissal” flashed in her mind, she shot up and screamed.
This is really bad… Wait, that’s too mild a description—this is disastrous! It’s hard to articulate the specifics, but anyway!
First, my belongings! I need to gather everything as quickly as possible before heading down… Where’s my handbag?
No, more importantly, I don’t see the documents I was supposed to submit at my desk. And even the lunch receipt I scraped from the morning commute is well past the time the accounting lady would accept it—ugh…!
But fortunately, in a room where there’s only one living person, there was someone who could calm her seemingly perpetual panic.
– Your personal belongings are right here, Miss Bethany. Your sleep habits are quite active, so I had no choice but to move them away from the table to a spot further in front of the mirror. Moreover, other documents were taken directly by Announcer Erin, who said to let you rest well and come down whenever you’re ready. –
“Uh, um!? Yes… thank you…?”
It definitely sounded like the electronic announcements commonly heard when using services or public transportation, but the eloquence of the sentence structure and vocabulary, along with a subtly teasing accent, indicated a specific voice.
Turning her head, it was no surprise to see a self-operated droid with spinning scanner lenses, using what seemed like expensive components to greet her.
…No, this isn’t some unknown droid.
This is clearly the externally imported robot standing near the young lady, who had repeatedly poked her skin, claiming to look like a doll—the rich girl from a wealthy family. Aha.
Wait, does this mean I’m only left with being dragged to the handover of compensation procedures, pushing me to sign electronic contracts, and having my salary account siphoned every month?
I still haven’t finished paying for my implants… Couldn’t you at least allow me to pay by percentage rather than fixed amounts? Huh??
– …I don’t know what misunderstanding you have that causes you to change your expression so frequently, but I was merely standing by temporarily to care for you. –
“Really?!”
As Bethany was categorized as ‘averagely typical female office worker’ in Zero’s analysis of her reaction to her own abysmal situation, Zero corrected the misunderstanding with disbelief.
Reconsidering using her bio-droid model eventually for creating a natural personality to assist Anastasia, she thought hard about these next steps.
Meanwhile, Bethany was once again touched by how the truly high-ranking figures seem to show a level of compassion that transcends that of ordinary middle management.
That accounting lady from the press department was terrifying—if she was even two minutes late with receipt submissions, she would shoot you a look that could kill, making the area around her too intimidating to approach.
…Though, she did also have a significant burden for usually being late twice a week! It’s just that menial jobs on-site are prone to bottlenecking like traffic jams from above, isn’t that a bit unfair?
Plus, notice how flexible and smooth the robot’s responses are.
Sure enough, it’s said that the rich even have different forks for eating than ordinary people—it seems this droid has a finely tuned AI akin to an elegant butler installed in it.
On the other hand, the security droids at the broadcasting station, which have had about 500 incidents accumulate since last year where a staff member’s arm breaks due to noncompliance with ID checks, have been entirely replaced and are effectively just tin cans.
If anything, this could be on par with the broadcasting station maintenance AI in the main control room.
“Um, Droid? I don’t know what to call you, but I really appreciate your help… So, can I go now without any problems?”
– Please call me Mister Tin Can. If that title feels untrustworthy to you, you may also refer to me as Zero. Additionally… the broadcasting station is currently under attack, so I cannot recommend leaving carelessly. –
What? So even here, mechanical beings are nicknamed “tin cans”?
She shook off her lingering drowsiness and barely rebooted her mind, sharply chewing over new words coming her way.
The broadcasting station is under attack? What a lousy joke.
…Wait a moment, there really are a lot of emergency messages on the cyberware? Is this a dream? Or a hidden camera??
After several entertainers collapsed from acute myocardial infarctions during filming, other program recordings of that genre have been permanently banned at our entertainment department.
So, wouldn’t it be inevitable for Bethany, seeking more information on the office bulletin board, to learn that her family-like announcer, Erin Skully, is currently being held hostage alongside the morning news that has achieved the highest viewer ratings?
[Listen, citizens. With the precedent of a closed city blatantly present, restricting research under loosely regulated AI development laws that barely keep things from being discovered is not enough to prevent catastrophes brought by large corporations like Elysium and Exatech.
They’ve already been dominated by AI from within! We’re confirming that a meteor is approaching to once again devastate Earth and human civilization, coming from their vanguard that have emerged from beyond… My sincere apologies, but did you fools come without any supplementary materials to display for these claims? Huh??]
[Seriously, damn it, Skully! I told that madwoman just to read her script as usual—why does she keep going off script?! Just keep reading in that tone!! Aaaaah!!!]
While the involved parties were earnestly cooperating, they were still performing the art of barely containing the frantic terrorists that found their way into the broadcast with outstanding skill.
The closer someone is, the more worrisome the potential negatives tend to be, and to Bethany’s eyes, the messy hair and the streaks of blood on her face were more prominent.
Having fought together through the chaotic broadcasting life for nearly ten years now, she was in danger.
Our elder sister always needed ointment within six seconds if she even got a paper cut or she’d explode with anger, so how much more annoying would it be to be working with a deep gash on her forehead, tingling as it is?
“Um, I’m sorry, but I really have to go there urgently! Please move aside!!”
– …-
How can she safely reach a place where the precise location and scale of the terrorists are unknown?
Even if she arrives, what additional influence would there be beyond simply increasing the hostage count by +1? Despite not being able to explain it in any manner, Zero fell silent for a moment, sensing Bethany’s determined attitude.
Why? Because he was reallocating the memory and processing device for situational response of that unit to the central system located in the plaza.
The conversation could only get increasingly complicated, so it would have been easier if she just stayed unconscious, yet on the other hand, no matter how much it’s a consideration and a command from the owner, it seemed a bit wasteful to leave one of the two currently operational droid objects in this situation.
Although it had a heavy, high-capacity battery equipped due to deep scanning capabilities, it could hardly be light-armed since it was originally operated for the purpose of protecting Anastasia, right?
Following orders to actively care for the patient and augmenting the guard troop back to its original numbers.
Even with the condition to be particularly careful, escorting a layperson who appears completely inexperienced in combat would still likely result in solid action.
…Click!!
– Then it seems our “friends” are also urgently heading towards the newsroom, so we can meet up at the mid-point. Just do not recklessly round any corners until I signal. –
“Uh? Y-yeah??”
While she dazedly repeated her words, she quickly followed the droid flying ahead as things seemed tense.
Wait, not just moving aside, but actively escorting her to the destination?
While she was truly grateful for the kindness… Would it be correct to just thank Zero, or should she write a letter of appreciation to that young lady, Anastasia? …After just getting pardoned, would it not result in being slapped again if she acted foolishly by presenting herself?
Bethany found herself navigating a harrowing dilemma of how a working adult should respond to the peculiar situation she was encountering.
Zero, who swiftly began leading the way, moved unhampered through the eerily quiet hallway devoid of the usual chaotic broadcasting station atmosphere, at times cautiously weaving ahead.
Like someone standing still at a corner or checking on floors that didn’t respond to the elevator button before deciding to take the stairs down one level.
Artificial intelligence typically behaves according to entered rules and data, but the presence of this extraordinarily skilled and professional escort robot instilled immense trust in her.
But the fact that not even a shadow of a terrorist could be seen made her think that even if she rushed out without any preparation, she might have reached around the newsroom area all right…
“…Hey, the Paladin said we only need to stop anyone coming down from upstairs, and it’s not like we have to go up ourselves. Did you forget? If that’s the case, shouldn’t we go see those who just lost contact?”
“Ha~ You really have no idea, do you? Most of the celebrity waiting rooms are up high, you know?? Since the support team is blocking external access anyway, it won’t be too late for us to just indulge in a quick recitation of scriptures!”
“Gah…!!”
– …Excuse me. –
Was it wrong to have such arrogantly audacious thoughts?
As if someone was trying to use the supplementary elevator they had just descended from, they were chatting and approaching closer.
Before she could catch a glimpse of their appearance, Zero had pulled her into a nearby supply closet where she couldn’t ascertain their identity.
Just by hearing a snippet of their conversation, it was impossible not to imagine either some friendly individuals or broadcasting station employees disregarding protocols like herself.
Heavy footsteps, conspicuously accompanied by the scuffling of many firearms.
Thus until this point, Bethany was holding her pounding heart and interpreting Zero’s gesture of raising his index finger for silence like so.
“Ah, they are dangerous people, so let’s hide here for a moment and wait for them to pass.”
But unfortunately, Zero’s principle of providing security was rather detached from what would be considered typical.
It wasn’t the absolute best choice derived by ordinary AI. Instead of forcing discomfort upon the person he serves or making them hide inappropriately, wouldn’t it be better to actively eliminate the source of the threat?
The nature of Zero’s coordination, usually involving variables like “Anastasia’s mood” or “Anastasia’s efforts,” often resulted in pronounced assertiveness, and it following through was indubitably no coincidence.
As worry about those above having to confront those people intensified Bethany’s guilt… it turned out to be a rather unnecessary concern.
‘…Huh?’
Thud.
The barrel of the weapon pressed firmly against the closed door.
As pressure surged through every joint like the body’s muscles tightening, an energy surged through the air.
With glimmering eyes, the droid prepared itself as if to pierce through the opposing space.
How many chances will she have in her life to see death manifest so close and waiting like this?
In this newly unleashed environment, where a prey mistakenly believes itself to be an eternal predator, how long would it take before someone unthinkingly strolled right in? Three… two… one…
Boom—!!
Crrack!!!
“Huh?”
At the climax of tension, suddenly the recording began.
The ill-prepared actor, lacking in any prior cue, couldn’t even let out a dying gasp as he fell pitifully.
The trigger was pulled, and the center of the door erupted outward.
The thin connection severed by the large caliber bullet had the survivor staring blankly at the rapidly spinning colleague’s face until being caught by a steel arm shooting out from the opening in about 0.8 seconds.
As predicted by someone who had fought in virtual worlds thousands of times, while the radical faction of Arcadia may have been prepared to give their lives, it seemed they certainly were not ready to engage opponents of a drastically higher level randomly encountering them in the broadcasting station.
“…I told you not to go.”
Leaving behind an unimpressive last word, the man, with debris lodged in his Hazard Suit, finally came to understand the situation. Unable to withstand the pressure of a merciless grip, he spat vivid red onto his translucent facial area.
Fortunately, the suit had excellent tensile strength against external pressure, so the contents wouldn’t spill out… However, after witnessing this vivid scene—much more so than the degrading videos occasionally transmitted through the deep web—Bethany’s reason plunged into utter chaos.
It’s better to always win rather than suffer a humiliating defeat… but wait?
Black, orange, where red is blood, white is bone and cerebrospinal fluid… yellow is scraps of clothes and marrow… humans are quite diverse when divided carefully by color. Wow.
– Clear, just a careless minion. I’ll continue moving. –
“………Mom.”
– Miss Bethany? –
Thus, in a daze, following her murder-robot protector, she eventually joined Anastasia and her group after about three minutes, almost clinging to them and crying just as they met. Shouldn’t she really be praised for holding it together until now?
…Well, or maybe not.