Chapter 19: The Museum (２)

****

“Task force, entering the operational area!”

I looked at that rope again today. Rappelling down from a helicopter suspended in midair—no matter how many times I do it, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.

Still, I made it to the rooftop alive.

The museum was a four-story building. The task force moved into the building swiftly without a word.

I’d read the task force’s operational manual. Once inside, they’d sweep the building methodically until they found hostile elements.

The principle was: one person clears one room, without the group splitting up. My job right now was to assess the characteristics of this space.

I held my rifle in one hand, took cover behind a pillar, and checked my observation equipment.

No radiation exposure. No electromagnetic malfunction. Air particulate concentration, carbon monoxide levels—nothing unusual. No spacetime distortion.

Doesn’t seem to be an anomalous space either.

If what the Mechanical Division confirmed was accurate, there didn’t seem to be any hostile anomaly inside the building other than that Wooden Doll right now.

I hope we can secure the mirror in question quickly and safely.

Beep. The radio built into my helmet went off.

[Sector clear. Moving to next area.]

“This is Dr. Geum. No anomalous characteristics detected in the current area, no hazards yet.”

[Confirmed.]

The task force sprinted forward.

The robots that had entered the building had already confirmed this much. Most of the museum’s interior sections had no dangerous anomalies—except for the Wooden Doll. At least, not yet.

What mattered now were the sections the Mechanical Division’s robots couldn’t reach. The target mirror was likely in one of those.

The helmet radio went off again. This time it was external communication, not the task force.

[This is the Mechanical Section Chief. Dr. Geum, are you there?]

“Go ahead.”

[The Mechanical Division’s robots have secured every section of the museum. For some reason, there are no civilians in the building at all.]

[The section with the anomaly is believed to be Exhibition Hall 2 on the basement level—the robots’ entry was blocked there. That’s the problem area.]

“Understood.”

[The support team will pump benzodiazepine dust and isoflurane gas into the building. Distribute one flumazenil pill to each task force member now, and after that, do not remove your gas masks under any circumstances.]

I wasn’t sure why they were explaining this to me. Probably because I was the only one among them guaranteed not to be in active combat.

“Confirmed.”

After making sure nothing was behind me, I ran as fast as I could back to the area where the task force was conducting their search.

Benzodiazepine-class drugs were a type of sedative or anesthetic, and flumazenil was the antidote.

I didn’t know the exact details, but the Foundation apparently believed there was a hostile person inside the building. Hence filling it with anesthetic.

“Team Leader. The Foundation is going to disperse benzodiazepine agents, and we need to distribute the antidote. Secure a safe zone now.”

Two task force members ran toward me.

They secured a safe zone and moved so I could transition from the rear formation to the center. I followed the soldiers to the secured area.

[Dr. Geum, entering safe zone.]

The task force team leader signaled for me to stop. I pulled off my gas mask and spoke hurriedly, the task force watching me.

What needed to happen now: distribute the antidote before the Foundation released the anesthetic into the building.

“As I explained over the radio just now. The Foundation is currently dispersing anesthetic throughout the building. Take one flumazenil pill each, and from this point on, do not remove your gas masks.”

[Roger.]

The task force members, without a word of complaint, each swallowed the pill I handed out.

Filling a building with anesthetic seemed like a crazy strategy, but judging by the reactions of the people on this operation, it must be a common occurrence.

“The Mechanical Division just finished their reconnaissance. The anomaly is believed to be in Exhibition Hall 2 on the basement level. We can head toward Exhibition Hall 2 as we sweep the building.”

[Confirmed.]

Everyone took their flumazenil pill.

A moment later.

The task force team leader raised his hand, and the operatives re-formed their combat formation and advanced.

****

[Wooden Doll spotted. Opening fire.]

That’s the task force team leader’s voice. I can’t see it with my own eyes yet, but it seems the lead of the formation has spotted a hostile instance.

[Eliminate.]

The formation advanced, and I got a proper look at the fallen Wooden Doll.

The Wooden Doll appeared to be made of raw wood, simple, with nothing like a face. Just wooden joints.

Still, lucky that it was easily neutralized by gunfire.

I tried my best to capture the Wooden Doll’s appearance on my body cam. I couldn’t say why, but every time I looked at it, bile rose in my throat.

[Advancing to the first floor.]

****

We encountered a few more Wooden Dolls along the way, but most were already completely shattered. The moving ones were quickly destroyed by gunfire too.

Before long, we reached the basement level.

“Wait, Team Leader. The observation results are a bit odd—I think we should halt the advance.”

[Is that so? Then—]

The problematic basement level I’d mentioned earlier. We found the enemy the moment we entered it.

[Hostile instance spotted.]

The soldiers who’d entered the basement first shouted into their radios. A human-shaped figure flickered past the edge of my vision, and the task force opened fire all at once.

The Wooden Doll moved with an impossibly smooth motion.

It’s a person.

The suppressed assault rifles made an odd sound instead of a normal gunshot. I gripped my rifle tightly and looked for cover.

“We missed!”

It wasn’t that they’d failed to hit. Whatever the target was, it took the bullets and simply walked away. The team leader signaled again to halt.

Before I could even analyze the situation—

Wooden Dolls began swarming toward our position like zombies. From the front and the rear. I raised my assault rifle and aimed at the back.

Beep.

My radio reconnected.

[This is the field support team. The intelligence division has gathered some information on the Wooden Doll. Are you in a position to receive the file now?]

No.

“They’re coming from the rear too!”

[Dr. Geum! Don’t fight—take cover!]

We were in active combat. The radio traffic from field support and the task force began to tangle together.

This was hardly the time to pull out a phone or tablet and read a file at my leisure.

Several task force operatives ran toward me to escort me. I left the rear to them, hid behind a pillar, and resumed communication.

BOOM!

A grenade thrown by the task force’s lead element exploded up ahead, scattering Wooden Doll fragments in every direction. I gripped my rifle and took cover in a corner.

“Explain. I can’t pull out my terminal right now.”

[Yes. But there’s quite a lot of content, so you’ll need to listen carefully. First, the Wooden Doll is a tool used by a specific Group of Interest[1]—]

Again, the blast of a friendly grenade rang in my ears. The Geiger counter at my waist began emitting a frantic warning tone.

Chaotic, but there was something clear too.

Found it. The anomaly.

[Given the number of Wooden Dolls on site, it’s clear there’s a hostile anomalous group inside the museum. So—]

My patience was starting to wear thin.

“Get to the point! We’re in active combat.”

[Yes.]

There was a brief silence on the other end of the radio.

[The Wooden Doll is an anomaly used by the Group of Interest known as Portrait of Reality. Most of them aren’t dangerous, but we believe a Blue-type—that is, a non-Foundation individual currently utilizing an anomaly—is present on site, so you’ll need to be especially careful. We’re increasing the dosage of anesthetic being pumped into the building, and once the targets are recovered, we plan to destroy the building, so evacuate quickly.]

He really did say it fast.

****

[Anomaly O-2119]

[Wooden Doll]

[Risk Class: Extremely Dangerous]

[Classification: object-type anomaly]

[The Wooden Doll, as its name suggests, appears in the form of a wooden doll that moves through supernatural means.]

[Looking at each individual instance, it’s not a particularly dangerous anomaly. Since the Wooden Dolls are made of wood, they might be a bit difficult to handle with bare hands, but they can be easily subdued with a weapon as simple as a fire axe.]

[The Wooden Dolls have limited intelligence, relatively simple behavioral patterns, and a fairly restricted range of capabilities.]

[But we cannot let our guard down.]

[Considering that this anomaly primarily appears in densely populated areas or facilities, that multiple instances appear together, and most importantly, that it primarily appears within the operational territory of a specific hostile group, it is right to regard the Wooden Doll as a dangerous anomaly.]

[The Wooden Doll is believed to be an anomaly utilized as a tool by the hostile group “Portrait of Reality.” The method of manufacturing Wooden Dolls is unknown, and the specific objectives of the “Portrait of Reality” organization members are also not yet known in detail.]

[Additional information attached separately.]

****

[Regarding the Wooden Doll]

[Filed by: Dr. Kim]

[I don’t understand why the anomaly document says the method of making Wooden Dolls is unknown.]

[The primary material of the Wooden Doll is collagen fiber, and depending on the part, keratin or phosphate compounds are also found.]

[The Materials Engineering Division doesn’t have a PCR machine right now, but if you ran a genetic test on the Wooden Doll fragments, you’d probably find portions of human DNA.]

[They’re people. They’re made from people.]

[The Group of Interest “Portrait of Reality.” Small in scale, most of their activities aren’t dangerous, and they take the form of artworks, so it seems many people take them lightly.]

[But these bastards are, in the end, people who grind up humans and turn them into dolls. There’s a reason most members of this Group of Interest are designated as unconditional elimination targets. I urge that these people also be designated as unconditional elimination targets.]

[I hope this serves as an opportunity for everyone to recall what the Foundation does, and what we are risking our lives fighting for.]

—

Translator’s Notes
[1] Group of Interest — a faction the Foundation tracks. Abbreviated GoI hereafter.
[2] The group’s name uses a third sense of 초상: 肖像, ‘portrait’. The book’s title term returns in disguise.