Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Near the wreckage of the designated passenger car labeled as "Assault Break Line FPL," about ten Rapture enemy corpses were scattered around.

Having confirmed the elimination of the attacking enemies, the young man issued the order to cease fire to Marian.

Whether those remains were of "organisms" or "machines" was difficult to determine. Glancing at the difficult-to-judge remains or wreckage, he headed towards the transport plane that had recently crashed, accompanied by Marian.

This one was in a pitiful state as well. While the basic structure was preserved, all the equipment on the aircraft was damaged, sparking vigorously. The original purpose of flying in the sky would likely never be fulfilled.

The windscreen of the cockpit that had controlled the aircraft was shattered due to the impact of the crash, and the pilots in their seats remained motionless, as if they would start moving if spoken to.

However, their lives had undoubtedly been extinguished. Stretching out his hand, the young man searched the pilot suit's chest area and tore out one of the identification tags that were lined up inside. He securely tucked it into the chest pocket of his military uniform.

Next, he rummaged through the pilot suit's pockets for any items of value.

Notebook, portable information terminal, a ring—those were about it.

"Hmm?"

As he searched through the possessions of the pilot's seat, a soft pack of cigarettes and an oil lighter emerged from the chest pocket.

Unusually, it seemed that the pilot had been a smoker. Cigarettes made from leaves were precious and expensive luxuries. They were considered third-rate goods and weren't the most favorable, but still quite hard to come by.

In an era where electronic cigarettes with lots of additives or ones that simply produced water vapor had become the mainstream among smokers, the possession of traditional cigarettes was indeed rare.

"...I'll take these."

Placing those items back into his chest pocket, the young man finally hurriedly left the pilot's seat and headed towards Marian, who was gathering ammunition and medical supplies from the scattered cargo hold outside.

"How's everything going?"

"A few IFAK pouches. Also, I found a carbine with ammunition. It seems it's not set for fingerprint authentication since it's for self-defense."

"Good. Let's get out of here quickly."

"Yes... um, Commander? Are you really planning to take everything with you?"

"...If Marian is responsible for perimeter vigilance and combat, wouldn't it be reasonable for me to handle transportation?"

"That's true, but... the carbine alone is quite heavy, you know?"

Firearms designed for anti-Rapture purposes were fundamentally intended for use by entities like Marian, including Nikes (referring to humanoid weapons).

Small-caliber ammunition like 5.56mm or 7.62mm fell under the "anti-personnel" category and were not very effective against Rapture entities.

As a result, firearms and ammunition were developed specifically for combating Rapture entities. However, the ammunition's larger caliber and increased explosive content, along with the need for firearms to withstand the recoil and usage, resulted in weapons that were not easily manageable by humans.

They weighed roughly three to four times that of infantry rifles used during the era when humanity prospered on the ground. Of course, carrying them wasn't an issue.

However, if fired carelessly, despite the weapon's weight helping to control recoil, if the posture was bad, it would either easily fracture the collarbone or crack the arm's bones.

Finding a backpack among the scattered cargo, the young man quickly packed medical pouches, spare ammunition boxes, a canteen, combat rations, and more. While doing so, he noticed Marian's right leg, wrapped in stockings, coming into his view.

With the stockings torn and what seemed like an abrasion visible on her calf, he took out the recently packed IFAK pouch from the backpack and retrieved an emergency bandage from its contents.

"...Seems like you're injured. Show me your leg."

"Injured... or rather, 'malfunctioning,' I suppose."

"...No need for a tourniquet. I'll just wrap it with a bandage."

While the pouch contained tools for applying pressure and stopping bleeding, it was unnecessary for this level of injury. The young man made the judgment, took out a vacuum-sealed double-wrapped emergency bandage from the pouch, and wrapped it around Marian's injured area. Once it was wrapped tightly and securely without any shifting, the treatment was complete.

"...Um, Commander...? This kind of treatment is... it won't work on Nikes."

"...Huh?"

"...Oh, nothing. Forget I said anything. It seems to have healed already, thanks."

"...That's unlikely."

Perhaps it was a joke on her part. Nonetheless, they needed to move on as soon as the treatment was finished.

The young man grabbed the carbine intended for Marian as a backup in case her machine gun malfunctioned. He effortlessly held it in one hand and showed it to her. Once he put on the backpack, their preparations were complete.

"...Alright. Let's go. Move forward."

---

This commander is kind, after all.

Nikke, who was called Marian, looked up slightly at the young man who had become her commander as they walked side by side.

She had read about the person who would become her commander just before receiving their mission. A newly appointed officer who had just graduated from the officer training school. She knew that his rank of Second Lieutenant was also newly acquired.

Until they met at the parking area, she had assumed—though it would be impolite to say—that he might be a rather domineering individual, considering his somewhat stern and rugged appearance, especially for his age.

Certainly, he was not very talkative, but moments ago, the bandage that had just been wrapped around her calf came into the corner of her vision.

He must have learned about it in officer school. Such medical treatment was pointless for Nikkes. More accurately, it was unnecessary; that was the proper expression.

They were not humans but machines. To be more precise, they were weapons with interchangeable parts.

She knew this even though they had no prospects for resupply. Despite this, he had generously given her his limited medical supplies without hesitation and had even administered the treatment himself. Marian inexplicably felt a sense of fulfillment and warmth in her heart.

Perhaps it was a feeling of superiority. Or maybe it was relief.

Even she, who possessed emotions, intellect, and a sharp mind, did not understand the true nature of this feeling. But it was certain that her heart was filled, and a warm sensation spread through her body with each beat.

"Commander... We're almost at the rendezvous point... How are you feeling?"

"I'm a bit dizzy. My breathing feels a little unstable."

"Your heart did stop, after all. But I'm glad you came back to life."

His expression was truly tired as she watched him. It was quite a feat to have someone who had nearly experienced cardiac arrest walking like this, but the two of them were blissfully unaware of that fact.

The transport plane had crashed, and immediately after the impact, he had experienced cardiac arrest. He had then quickly entered combat. And now, carrying heavy luggage, they were on the move again.

Although no one would complain if he uttered a single word of complaint, the young man refrained from doing so. He expressed his feelings with a slight sigh and allowed a tinge of exhaustion to creep into his exhaled breath. Nonetheless, his steps resumed with a bit of an unsteady gait.

He seemed to have grown accustomed to enduring hardship. Without someone to support him forcibly, it seemed that his spirit might break quite quickly.

Marian shrugged her shoulders and caught up to the young man, then used the arm opposite to the one gripping the machine gun to wrap around his right arm.

"Then I'll support you. If it becomes difficult, don't hesitate to tell me."

Would he reject her offer? Marian's inner thoughts started to stir with anxiety.

If it were another commander, there was a high likelihood that they would consider her action overly familiar and brush her arm aside.

(But with him, it was different.)

It was precisely due to her vague yet strong belief in his personality, or whatever was at the core of him, that she took this action.

Although he appeared puzzled by having his arm linked with hers, he eventually nodded slightly in response.

Words might not have returned to him, but this could be seen as his acceptance.

Marian interpreted it that way and smiled even more brightly.

Her heart was expanding with warmth once again.