Who Are You? (3)
The David-class assault destroyer Obelisk.
Deck 2, Officers' Quarters. The Vice-Captain's office.
Chloe was working through the backlog in Rora's place — Rora, who had run off to the Valkyrie.
Unexplained static burst from the ship's public-address speakers a few times, then cut off just as abruptly. Probably nothing, Chloe thought, and went back to work.
Just you wait until you get back, Rora.
She looked down at the report in front of her.
FROM: Major Reina Florence
TO: (Primary) Commander Rora Estelt
(Secondary) Major Chloe Agnes
An unannounced physical examination of the subject, Colonel Elia Edelvine, was conducted. It is this officer's professional opinion that regular examination and treatment once every three days are absolutely required. Presently observed symptoms include fatigue, loss of thermoregulatory function, and cardiac and/or respiratory insufficiency. Should the current condition persist, the subject will be unable to maintain a normal daily life. In-depth treatment utilizing prescription medication such as Gamma-therapeutics is necessary.
Depression is suspected but difficult to confirm. Given the patient's extreme aversion to interaction with the crew, a thorough examination has proven difficult to carry out. In the case of Colonel Elia Edelvine, standardized questionnaires cannot be used to render a diagnosis of depression. Conversational examination indicates a high probability that two personalities currently coexist within the patient: one that mistakenly believes itself to be well, and one that is ill. When asked whether she harbors thoughts or plans of self-harm, it is highly likely that the personality which believes itself to be well will be the one to answer. These findings, taken together, indicate the severity of the depression. Should it progress to a severe stage, it will be untreatable. The following is therefore recommended.
1) Intensive treatment and rest (no less than eight hours) two to three times weekly for Colonel Elia Edelvine, in conjunction with prescription medication.
2) In the Captain's absence, handover of the Captain's duties to the Vice-Captain or the Tactical Control Officer.
3) Strict confidentiality regarding the patient's present condition.
Chief Medical Officer
Chloe's heart grew heavier with every line. That day — the horrific scene she and Special Operations Officer Erika had witnessed in the Captain's quarters. After Elia had been transferred to the Valkyrie, Chloe had gone with the Chainstalkers to the Captain's cabin. It was the first time she had set foot in those rooms since Colonel Elia Edelvine had been assigned as Captain. And inside—
"Tactical Control Officer Chloe."
"…Yes."
"We may have been completely wrong about her all this time."
It smelled of blood. And underneath it, the desperate reek of bleach, trying and failing to bury the scent.
"Th-that's impossible."
A space so lonely it made your bones ache. This was not the Captain's quarters she had known. When Rora had been Captain, this had been a place warmer than anywhere else aboard —
It was dead. There was no other way to put it.
"Damn it."
Ivan bit down on his lip and stared at the bathroom floor. Chloe's gaze followed his down.
Shards of a shattered mirror. Spattered, dead blood. Bleach spilled in every direction. Sink water clouded to a dull red. Crimson handprints stamped across the walls. Scrub marks where someone had scoured the floor so hard their hands must have been coming apart.
If Chloe was being honest, the feelings she had carried toward the Captain until now had been closer to dislike than anything else. As a commander, Elia Edelvine had been a figure of near-perfect competence — and yet something about her had always been off. On the day of her assignment, the cold kiss of a cane against Chloe's chest as she tried to speak in Rora's defense had sent a shiver of genuine terror through her, and she had made a point of keeping her distance ever since. She had even joined in the officers' gossip behind the Captain's back. Captain Elia drinks blood in her quarters, they'd said. Guilt throbbed behind her eyes.
"This is…"
And then, inside the Captain's private room: an old, worn leather notebook lying on the desk. Chloe reached for it without thinking.
"You can't, Tactical Control Officer Chloe."
Ivan caught her wrist.
"This is a secret the Captain protected even to the point of becoming like this." His voice was iron. "If that's what this is, I will not let you open it."
"I… see. That was thoughtless of me. I'm sorry."
"No need. It might not be that. But I thought it could be."
Five hours later, they finished putting the Captain's quarters back in order. And then—
A much louder burst of static yanked Chloe out of the memory. She turned her head toward the speaker. Something broken, maybe. She'd have to ask Maintenance.
She stared at it in silence for about three seconds.
Then a broadcast came through that would freeze the entire ship.
Someone's voice pleaded over the speakers. All across the ship, crew members stopped what they were doing and looked at one another, wearing the same baffled expression: What the hell is this broadcast?
The voice belonged to today's Officer of the Watch. But why would the Officer of the Watch suddenly—? And who was she talking to?
While everyone else was still lost in confusion, Chloe's instincts screamed that something was wrong. She threw the papers aside.
A voice that belonged in a nightmare, and First Lieutenant Kay's voice beneath it, sobbing so hard she was wiping away tears and snot together. It trembled so wretchedly it was hard to tell it was hers at all.
On the heels of that unknown voice came a vicious click-clack — the hammer of a pistol being drawn back.
First Lieutenant Kay's scream came through the speakers as if she were choking on her own breath, and only then did the crew grasp that this was real. They moved fast, snapping into the C-31 Hostage Response Protocol. The orange emergency lights mounted throughout the ship began to strobe in sets of four, timed to the protocol's cadence.
C-31 HOSTAGE RESPONSE PROTOCOL — ACTIVE
DECK 3 / CAPTAIN'S SECTION — LOCKDOWN IN PROGRESS
Rage bled through Captain Maria's voice.
The scream nearly split Chloe's eardrums. She ran with everything she had. A gunshot — BANG! — tore through the speakers and buried every other sound beneath it. Whether the broadcast had been cut or not, Kay's screaming was gone.
Deck 3. Captain's Duty Office.
Chloe, Reina, Duke, and Cecil ran into one another in front of the elevator to the Captain's section.
"…Hah. Hah. Medical Officer Reina. Squadron Commander Duke."
Chloe looked at them, dragging air into her lungs. There were six field-grade officers aboard — Rora, Chloe, Erika, Reina, Duke, and Lloyd — but Rora and Erika were both off-ship. And there was no chance Lloyd, the Maintenance Control Officer, had heard any of this over the roar of the engine room where he was buried in repair work.
"Tactical Control Officer Chloe — what was that broadcast? A drill? Or—"
"This is a real situation, Major Duke. But Captain Cecil — why are you…?"
Why was Captain Cecil here? She wasn't a field-grade officer. There was no reason for her to come.
Cecil only hid behind Reina and gave no answer. Reina stroked Cecil's hair once, then turned the question on Chloe.
"More to the point — why is Counterintelligence here?"
"A surprise inspection… maybe? But why take a hostage for that?"
Duke sounded as baffled as he looked.
"The priority is getting Kay out. Squadron Commander Duke — lock down access to the Captain's section on Deck 3. Quickly."
"Understood, Tactical Control Officer Chloe."
Squadron Commander Duke headed for the Deck 3 entrance on her order. Chloe paused, thinking, then kept issuing instructions.
"Major Reina — wait in the infirmary, just in case. I'll go to the Captain's Duty Office and speak with Captain Maria myself."
"Are you sure you want to go without an escort?"
"I'll be fine. If this has anything to do with the Captain, I think it's better I go alone."
"All right. Be careful anyway."
That was when Cecil caught the sleeve of Chloe's uniform as she stepped toward the elevator.
"Captain Cecil?"
Once again, Captain Cecil only looked at her, saying nothing.
"I take it you have a reason to be there. Do you know Captain Maria?"
Cecil nodded.
"…All right. Captain Cecil, you're with me."
There was a great deal Chloe wanted to ask. There was no time. They boarded the elevator and went straight into the Captain's section. Chloe steeled herself and opened the door to the duty office.
"There you are. Major Chloe Agnes. You're thirty seconds late, you know?"
The moment the door opened, a deathlike gaze fell on her — a look that seemed to suck the blood from her entire body. The other woman knew who she was. A Captain from Counterintelligence knowing her name was not a good sign.
"And… oh my. Captain Cecil Bouvelle. It's been a while. How long has it been, I wonder?"
Chloe's eyes moved between Cecil and Maria. The two of them seemed to know each other — but Cecil's face had gone deathly pale, which told Chloe that whatever lay between them was anything but ordinary.
"Captain Maria. Release First Lieutenant Kay. Now."
Maria lowered the muzzle from Kay's forehead and let her go. First Lieutenant Kay, white with terror, all but crashed into Chloe, who took a step back under the impact. Fortunately, the girl didn't have a scratch on her.
"M-Major Chloe! Th-that woman—"
"Close your mouth."
"Hic."
Kay, still pouring words into Chloe's arms, startled so violently at the voice behind her that she started hiccupping.
"M-Major Chloe outranks you, hic, you know! How long are you going to, hic, keep—"
"—Is the world that peaceful these days? To think there's an officer who doesn't know Counterintelligence's Espada Toteo — the Spear of Judgment."
Espada Toteo. Counterintelligence's independent authority of execution.
Aegis Counterintelligence had ranks, strictly speaking — but those ranks applied only within Counterintelligence. Outside it, they held the authority to investigate, detain, and, depending on the weight of the crime, pass judgment, regardless of anyone else's rank. Maria emphasized that independent authority in a voice that sounded bored. Her face did not. If Kay said one more word, the gun in Maria's hand would fire.
"First Lieutenant Kay. Get out of here."
"Hic — b-but—!"
"That's an order. Leave. Right now."
Chloe's voice was iron. Kay, still spinning in place, hurried out the door. Maria watched Chloe in silence. An uneasy stillness held for several seconds. The knuckles of Chloe's clenched fists went white with a tension that made it hard to breathe.
"…Clever, Major Chloe. A wise choice. I was a hair from pulling the trigger."
"I'm grateful for your mercy."
"No need. The surprise inspection isn't over yet, you know?"
Pitch-black hair against a white uniform. A dark shape stood before her — something close to death. It was similar to the feeling Captain Elia gave off, but several times more distinct, more fully formed.
"…Now then. Shall we see if you can guess?"
A gleaming silver muzzle turned on Chloe.
"Why Aegis Counterintelligence — no. Why I—"
A black aura coiled in Maria's pupils. Air as cold as ice touched Chloe's skin. The chill that gaze carried seeped straight into her lungs.