Chapter 22: Dissection

****

“Director!”

The Head of Research burst through my office door. I let out a sigh.

How did she get in? I should lock the door or something — why is the security so lax?

The Head of Research was smiling, for some reason.

“Director. I heard you transferred the captured reality bender to the Humanoid Division — thank you.”

“Is that really such a big deal?”

“Of course it is. I’ve only ever seen one once.”

“I don’t think you came all the way here just to say that. Head of Research. What is it you want?”

The Head of Research stepped closer, then began stroking my head. I leaned back in my chair, dodging her hand.

“…”

“I actually did come here just to say that.”

The Head of Research cleared her throat, then shoved her hands into her pockets.

“We’re starting the experiment in an hour. If you have time, would you care to observe?”

“Why are you running an experiment?”

“It’s less an experiment and more a vivisection. What’s the Korean word for it… biopsy? Live dissection?”

Ah, that’s what this is.

So she plans to dissect the reality bender. Well. After what he did — that kind of atrocity — and with a clear research subject available, I suppose it can’t be helped.

“Anyway, I just need to head over now, right?”

“Hehe, that’s correct.”

****

The surgery was conducted in the high-grade biological containment cell. As expected, several Foundation soldiers stood guard.

“Why is it so cold in here?”

“Apologies. It’s part of standard containment procedure. Biological-type anomalies tend to have reduced activity at low temperatures, so the operating room will be maintained at 4 degrees Celsius.”

I was waiting in a surgical gown and sterile gloves. I thought I could tough it out, but I’m freezing to death before the surgery even starts.

“Everyone. I know you’re all excited, but this is not a surgery — it’s an experiment, and I’m leading it.”

The Head of Research declared.

The doctors gathered in the room nodded.

“Yes.”

“It’s cold, so let’s move quickly.”

Six staff members completely surrounded the subject. A similar number of nurses stood by, and behind them, the research team waited holding ultra-low-temperature storage containers and the like.

I had nothing to do. Dozens of medical and research staff were on standby. All I had to do was observe.

“Target confirmed. Beginning the experiment.”

“Yes.”

“From this point, we will separate the subject’s central nervous tissue and cerebrospinal fluid, then place them in a special anesthetic solution. Once that process is complete, we’ll separate the organs and tissues and preserve them in formalin.”

“Any questions?”

There were none.

“Then we begin. Scalpels out.”

The medical team moved like lightning. The scalpel sliced through the target’s scalp, and before long, a bone saw began cutting into the target’s skull.

Meanwhile, a drainage tube had been connected to the target’s lower back and was already drawing out cerebrospinal fluid. I simply watched the gruesome sight for now.

“Skull opened. Beginning removal of the meninges. The cerebral cortex is visible.”

“Uh, the subject’s vitals are unstable!”

“The subject’s eyes are open now!”

“Hey, pour in the sedative.”

“Where should I pour it?”

“Into the brain, obviously!”

“Pouring special anesthetic solution into the brain!”

“Head of Research, what do we do?”

I briefly checked the Head of Research’s eyes. Her gaze was cold.

“Take the brain out. Now.”

“What about the optic nerves and spinal cord?”

“Just cut them. Give me the surgical scissors.”

Splat, splat, snip.

After a horribly unpleasant series of sounds, the subject’s brain was fully extracted. The moment the Head of Research received the brain, she tossed it into the anesthetic solution.

“Put the brain in the ultra-low-temperature storage container immediately. Everyone else, report your progress.”

The brain was already out.

One of the medical staff grabbed the brain stem — still attached to the brain just moments ago — and pulled. The white spinal cord, like a strand of spaghetti, came sliding out of the subject’s spinal column.

“Spinal cord extracted.”

“We’ve secured a cerebrospinal fluid sample from the subject, and the spinal cord and brain have been removed — is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“We’re beginning the dissection now.”

The Foundation’s doctors moved busily. Syringes were connected to the veins in the subject’s arms and legs, and blood began filling the blood packs.

“We’ve secured 4 liters of blood.”

The experiment was proceeding successfully. The subject’s organs were extracted one by one and, following the Head of Research’s instructions, placed in the ultra-low-temperature storage container.

Though I couldn’t suppress the nausea.

***

Surgery complete.

The research staff, looking satisfied, each took their specimen containers and headed off to where they were needed.

“Dr. Geum. Do you have a moment to talk?”

The Head of Research stopped me.

I nodded.

“I’m not sure if you’ve seen all the analysis results. The Wooden Dolls were made of human tissue, and the paintings hanging in the exhibition hall were also painted using human blood and other materials. I don’t know the specifics of who was sacrificed and how.”

I knew.

That was why I hadn’t said a word while they dissected that reality bender alive.

Unpleasant and unethical as it was, there was no other way to find a solution to the problem.

I glanced at Dr. Lee Seah. The Head of Research wore a thoughtful expression.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“A little.”

Lee Seah smiled.

“That’s not what I was asking you, Dr. Geum. How did you come to the Foundation? Under what circumstances did you end up employed here?”

I didn’t particularly want to answer.

“What about you, Head of Research?”

“I was born and raised in a Foundation facility. Literally. My oldest memory is of that — a Foundation scientist in a white coat trying to teach me letters.”

“Ah.”

“I don’t know what ‘normal’ is. I only know indirectly how ordinary people evaluate each other in the outside world.”

That alone resolved a lot of my questions about the Head of Research.

Personality, ability, age.

Her personality was a mess because the Foundation’s scientists raised her that way; her ability was naturally outstanding because she’d poured her whole life into it. And her age — she’d received early education… so of course she looked young.

To go one step further, she might have been a test subject herself.

“What about the Director?”

“My advisor passed away. Right after I finished my graduation thesis. I attended the professor’s funeral… and when I opened my eyes, I was in a Foundation containment cell. They said I was an anomaly.”

The Head of Research looked at me. With the same cold eyes that had been watching the subject on the operating table.

“So your appearance changed for anomalous reasons, and you were designated as an anomaly. I think I’d heard rumors to that effect.”

“Yes.”

“You may not think our ends justify our means. But the Foundation has never been afraid of playing the villain to someone. And I believe that’s the right approach.”

This is the voice of the Foundation.

“I know.”

“What you saw earlier — pulling out a living man’s brain and dismantling his body — wasn’t exactly pleasant. You may have found it disturbing.”

“That’s true.”

“Still, we have to study it properly, don’t we? At least dozens of people are believed to have died. We need to find a way to stop it.”

The Head of Research, Lee Seah, let out a sigh.

“I understand completely.”

“Oh, right — I’ve prepared a small gift for you, Director. Nanami should have taken it to the Director’s Office. You’ll see when you get there.”

I tilted my head. What’s that about?

***

[Operation Report]

[Filed by: Nanami]

[For a chronological operation record, refer to the body cam. Note that the body cam footage has been edited to prevent the spread of cognitohazards. Also, this is not a record of the operation as a whole, but Nanami’s personal engagement log.]

[Entered through a fourth-floor window. Cleared one floor below the task force’s advance route on the way down. Discovered and destroyed multiple Wooden Dolls.]

[After clearing hostile instances on the first floor, took measures to allow the recovery team to enter the building. Neutralized four hostile humanoid anomalies.]

[During the task force’s search, Dr. Geum became separated from the formation. The task force conducted a search to locate Dr. Geum, and in the process neutralized two hostile humanoid anomalies.]

[Meanwhile, Dr. Geum encountered the reality bender.]

[The support team injected high-concentration anesthetic into the first basement level. The reality bender was presumed to have been unable to function properly due to the high-concentration anesthetic.]

[The task force neutralized the reality bender.]

[Most anomalies discovered on-site were incinerated. Some were handed over to the Research Department for study.]

****

[Operation Report. Postscript]

[Filed by: Nanami]

[Most of the people inside the building were already unconscious. Pumping inhalation anesthetic into the building worked wonders.]

[That said, it probably wasn’t easy.]

[From what Dr. Geum told me, she was isolated once during the search of the exhibition hall, and after being isolated, she ended up in a situation where she couldn’t see her surroundings due to a cognitohazard.]

[I’m not sure how Dr. Geum survived. No matter how weak a reality bender is, being caught would have meant instant death.]

****

[Regarding the Reality Bender]

[Filed by: Head of Research]

[All hail the Director]

[Director is the best]

****

[Re: Regarding the Reality Bender]

[Filed by: Geumbari]

[Head of Research. Foundation records don’t get deleted easily. Especially text-only document exchanges—those are very hard to erase.]

[Anyway, thank you. The credit for capturing the reality bender goes largely to the support team and recovery team, who dumped a truckload of anesthetic into the building.]

[Thank you.]