Are Proxies Truly Heroes?
The briefing wrapped up in no time. "Arrest those inciting and provoking unnecessary unrest." That was it, plain and simple. Whether they were truly impacting the barrier directly—no, Tiny Bell decided not to dwell on that anymore. Just follow orders. Do as she was told. Time would pass quickly enough that way, without any headaches.
They headed to the hangar where the transport vehicles waited and boarded their respective rides. The vehicles were divided between those for the regular army and those for the mercenaries, and Tiny Bell let out a scoff at the invisible hierarchy between them. As time went on, the management bureau and regular army—those who had the Grand Marshal and the proxies on their side—were growing more arrogant by the day.
"Captain Proxy, please ride with me in the Humvee."
Commander Rossman spoke to Tiny Bell as she moved toward the truck for the regular army.
"It's quite a distance, after all. You should travel comfortably."
Moving within the barriers was indeed a considerable trek, as Rossman said. The vastness far exceeded ordinary urban districts. In the case of the first barrier, Lumen Guard, it had once encompassed nearly the entire metropolitan area. Valhalla Disk was smaller, but even so, the scale meant that perfect management inside the barriers wasn't feasible. That was why attempts like these—citizen group members fleeing somewhere—were even possible.
"...By the way, where's your primary weapon? I know Red Eye uses sniper gear."
Tiny Bell answered indifferently.
"It's not Dists. It's humans."
Using her main weapon against mere people? Rossman smiled awkwardly at her contemptuous expression.
"Ah, I just mentioned it because I know you have specialized equipment. Please understand."
Rossman responded smoothly, but Tiny Bell only furrowed her brow.
Does he expect me to use a large-caliber on people?
She found it absurd. Rossman opened the Humvee door and gestured smoothly, like an escort.
"After you."
Tiny Bell climbed aboard with a shadowed face.
The vehicles sped along for several dozen minutes before arriving at the northernmost outskirts of the barrier's boundary zone. Unlike the city center, the outer edge had a desolate air, but aside from the absence of Dists, it didn't look much different from beyond the barrier. Tiny Bell found that amusing. Beyond the barrier, cutting-edge tanks that had been stolen and Dists still roamed free. Yet even inside the Dist-free barrier, petty quarrels and fights never ceased. Sometimes she wondered if there was really all that much difference between inside and out.
"You there—you're with Team B. I'll share the search zones via terminal."
Major Rossman was just a soldier doing routine work. He efficiently divided the personnel, directing the search while viewing the hologram map.
"Captain Proxy, you're more than capable on your own, so feel free to search freely."
Tiny Bell wasn't assigned to any team. Her demeanor earlier hadn't screamed sociable, so he probably didn't want the hassle of any potential headaches. He'd seen clueless mercenaries willing to do anything for credit coins, and both proxies and regular soldiers drew a lot of interest. Thanks to Rossman's "consideration," she could move alone. Not in the mood to chat with anyone, Tiny Bell was satisfied and slowly headed toward the outskirts.
Being alone is the best.
How long had it been since she'd had this kind of freedom? Walking aimlessly like this felt like ages for her. Then her eyes caught an abandoned playground in ruins. A creaking swing, a broken slide, walls covered in graffiti—it stirred an unexpected nostalgia in Tiny Bell. Even inside the barrier, for efficient system maintenance, people clustered around management bureau buildings. The limited manpower of the confined city left these spots barren, and Valhalla Disk, with its already sparse population, suffered especially.
"Will this place change someday too?"
Tiny Bell wondered what the barriers might look like far in the future as she scanned her surroundings. Her gaze landed on something glinting on the ground—a cellphone lying there.
She bent down, picked it up, and dusted it off with a few taps.
An ancient model. Pre-apocalypse era, from the looks of it.
Out of curiosity and faint hope, she pressed the power button, but of course, it didn't turn on. The back reflected what looked like a family photo with a child.
I wonder how these people are living now.
She stared blankly at it for a moment before quietly setting it back down. That's when it happened.
"Eek!"
A sharp intake of breath, like a child's voice. Tiny Bell whipped her head toward the sound. Her eyes slowly turned red as she scanned the ruined buildings one by one. In her crimson vision, residual heat, silhouettes, even the slightest movements were captured without fail. Beyond the bushes, under collapsed concrete, behind walls—something was there. A small empty space beyond a weathered wall. Faint body heat. Children clinging tightly to each other. A little girl who seemed like the younger sister met Tiny Bell's eyes through a crack in the wall and flinched, drawing a small gasp.
"Gasp...!"
That small, sharp sound. As Tiny Bell approached slowly, the children huddled tighter, but the concrete wall was nothing to her. With a small push from her tiny hand—crunch—it crumbled away ridiculously easy.
Inside was a boy of about ten, clutching his sibling tightly, staring at her. Ragged clothes. Shoes falling apart. Anyone could see he was from the slums. The two clung to each other, eyes fixed on Tiny Bell.
"P-Pro... Proxy..."
The boy's face mixed fear and awe. In a trembling voice, as politely as he could, he asked,
"...Are you here to catch us?"
"Yeah."
Tiny Bell's eyes returned to blue. The boy felt her curt, businesslike response more frightening than the joy of seeing a real proxy.
"I'm scared, big brother."
His little sister burrowed deeper into his arms.
"Wait a second!!"
With a short shout, Tiny Bell turned to see a woman rushing over breathlessly. A small bag slung on her back. She looked like any ordinary refugee. No doubt one of those "agitators" from the citizen group. Tiny Bell pushed aside thoughts of oppression or whatever. She was just doing her job.
The woman didn't dare approach Tiny Bell closely, inching toward the children instead as she asked cautiously,
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Yeah, Mom..."
The woman swallowed hard and spoke in a quivering voice.
"Proxies are heroes, right? Can't you just let us go? We're innocent..."
Heroes?
Tiny Bell felt like running away at the word.
"You can't escape inside the barrier."
Her tone held no emotion, no pity—just a soldier stating facts. The chill emanating from her youthful face made the children's mother gasp.
"Some teachers made extreme statements, but I've never thought badly of the military. I just don't understand why..."
She pleaded desperately, but Tiny Bell listened quietly before replying coldly.
"I'm just following orders as a proxy of the management bureau."
"Is it because we kept bringing up the missing kids to the military?"
"I'm not affiliated with Valhalla Disk. Talking to me won't help."
The woman wore a look of despair. The proxy was small and pretty like a neighbor kid, but her eyes and speech felt so detached, even scary. That utterly bureaucratic attitude—the disconnect was enough to unsettle her. With teary eyes, the woman moved guardedly, positioning herself protectively in front of the children bit by bit.
Tiny Bell just watched silently. The children's father was out beyond the barrier, his fate unknown. She envied their family being together. The thought made her reluctant to subdue the mother herself.
As Tiny Bell stepped closer, the mother made a desperate face and hugged the kids tight. Forcing a smile, she whispered softly,
"It'll be okay. Mom will protect you."
Her eyes on the children were endlessly gentle. Tiny Bell hesitated for a moment. Protecting someone. She knew better than anyone how hard that was.
Unable to protect anything. Can't even win against myself.
Something twisted oddly in her chest. As old memories surfaced, she shoved them down. Tiny Bell lowered her head with a short sigh.
"Haa—where exactly do you think you can run to inside the barrier?"
The mother flinched and replied in a trembling voice.
"The barrier... it's big. I heard there are places Aria can't reach. They say you can't be found there. Then we could..."
"You'll get caught eventually. Unless the management bureau gives up."
The mother clamped her mouth shut in shock. Tiny Bell smiled bitterly. It had been ages since she'd smiled, but it was laced with hollow self-mockery. Fine, run as far as you can.
"I'll pretend I didn't see you. Go."
"Pardon?"
"Don't make me say it again."
Tiny Bell spoke irritably, but the mother, her face brightening, teared up.
"Thank you... thank you so much..."
She helped the child up, moving toward what looked like abandoned rails at the outskirts. Who knew what lay beyond that tunnel. How long could they flee? Tiny Bell just wanted to watch them go for now.
Then heavy footsteps shook the ground. A mercenary in shabby military gear appeared, scanning the area.
"Oh, there you are, Captain Proxy."
What shitty timing, Tiny Bell thought, scowling. The woman and children startled back, but the mercenary strode forward and grabbed the woman's arm. The whole scene struck Tiny Bell as absurd farce.
The mercenary pulled out rope to bind the children's mother. While doing so, he scanned them a few times with his terminal and grinned.
"No ID on file."
His eyes gleamed with greed.
"Sell the kids too, get extra credit coins?"
He muttered under his breath, but unfortunately, Tiny Bell heard every word. She sighed inwardly. Heightened senses weren't always a blessing. Crime rates inside the barrier were low, but not zero. Years of stability had changed things, starting with credit coins. Rising petty crime. Tiny Bell clenched her teeth, realizing his vile intent instantly.
"Captain Proxy. Can I count this toward my record?"
She glared at him before turning to the woman. The mother hugged her sobbing children with a resigned expression. The kids, admirably, didn't wail loudly. She looked up slowly, meeting Tiny Bell's eyes, and forced a smile. The proxy had given them a chance and was just standing there now. And despite being a proxy, she looked so young. The mother didn't want to resent the child. Somehow, Tiny Bell sensed that feeling too.
"This is so fucking annoying..."
Tiny Bell muttered darkly, glaring at the mercenary.
"What was that?"
The mercenary flinched, wondering if he'd misspoken. Regular army grunts usually turned a blind eye unless mercenaries crossed lines harming the military.
What's with this proxy?
"You gonna hand these people over to the management bureau?"
"O-Of course. You doubting me? That's offensive!"
His foot-shooting antics left Tiny Bell dumbfounded.
"Why not contact the management bureau officer? You were told to report finds."
"Jeez, always bossing people around. Fine."
Yet he didn't report, just fiddled with his receiver. Even that irked her.
"Contact them."
The mercenary sighed heavily, shouldered his rifle, and put on a menacing face. Proxy, proxy—so what? To him, she was just a milk-scented girl barely reaching his waist. Red Eye? A buddy obsessed with proxy intel had blabbed about her. But he couldn't fathom why she'd get such a nickname.
"Proxy this, proxy that. Riding high just 'cause..."
"We protect the barrier."
Even as she said it, it felt like a lie.
"Hilarious. Just military monsters. After slaughtering people in Nantigar."
"What did you say?"
Tiny Bell's voice rose slightly. Seeing her riled, the mercenary got excited and ranted on.
"Puppets following orders. How different are you from mercenaries, acting all high and mighty."
She ground her teeth, snorted shortly, and turned away. Emboldened, the mercenary thought, Proxies aren't all that special, huh? Her appearance was at least easy on the eyes. He puffed up and said,
"Proxy. No management bureau or regular army here. Whatever makes you so special, you'll get hurt bad."
His hand landed casually on her shoulder, like a warning tap. Tiny Bell slowly looked up at it.
"Huh?"
Meeting scarlet eyes, the mercenary finally sensed something wrong, chills running down his spine.
"W-Wait."
"Yeah, no one here to stop me. What was it? High and mighty?"
"Urk!"
Overwhelmed by the immense killing intent, he realized his mistake too late. Before he could back away, her small hand shot out, twisting his arm—crunch.
"Gaaaaah!"
"Right. I'm the same. Same as those guys in Nantigar. So I'll show you."
Her voice cut sharp, like a declaration.
Whoosh! Her proxy uniform coat fluttered as she leaped, legs wrapping his shoulder in an instant. Her arms crossed around his head just as fast.
"W-Wait...!"
Crack! Before he finished, his neck snapped with a gruesome sound. He crumpled like a marionette with cut strings, and Tiny Bell landed lightly.
The surroundings fell deathly silent; the children hid behind their mother.
A bit more, and I'd have killed him for sure.
Tiny Bell felt her hackles rise, thinking she'd have shattered his neck completely without easing up. Her eyes met the frightened kids and their bewildered mother.
"Go."
What the hell am I doing? The thought pierced her coldly. Staring at the mercenary's body at her feet, she felt a hollow despair—like she'd gone too far to turn back. What was he trying to do? She bit her lip hard.
"Th-Thank... you."
The mother bowed deeply in gratitude. Glancing back warily, she and the children faded into dots. Tiny Bell turned away.