Chapter 26: Returnee (３)

****

For now, I just have to wait.

The Returnee is safely contained, and the Humanoid Division is drooling over her, but I have no idea what to actually do with her.

I get that the Returnee’s mana circle is fascinating, but you can’t just dissect someone because they’re interesting. Even if the Head of Research is throwing a fit about it.

I sat in my office, sipping coffee.

Administrator Lee was sitting across from my desk. With a Popo cradled in her arms.

“Is the Research Department handing out Popos now?”

“They’re cute, aren’t they?”

Cute, sure. I looked at the Popo. A puppy-like face, a round, fluffy-looking ball of fur.

“Get me one too.”

“What do you do after work, Chief Researcher?”

I thought about it.

“Me? Usually I just go home. If I can’t be bothered, I head to the duty room in the Director’s Office.”

Honestly, my duty room is better organized than my apartment. I haven’t properly cleaned my place since I attended my advisor’s funeral.

The Director’s Office duty room has a decent coffee machine, a high-performance computer, a proper bed, a toaster. Anyway…

“Anyway, that aside. Why did you come to see me?”

“No reason. Just wanted to show you the Popo. I also bought coffee and snacks. And…”

Administrator Lee set a cookie tin on my desk. Does she want something from me? The cookie tin was appreciated, though it was a modest bribe.

“Administrator Lee. You can just say it.”

“Things are going to get busier from now on. It was chaos today too. They’re saying we need to report the other dimension to headquarters, study the Returnee, replicate the anomalous weapon…”

Nothing particularly important.

I took out a cookie and started eating. Administrator Lee stared at me the whole time.

“Administrator Lee. You can speak more casually off the clock. This is my office, after all.”

“Ah. Right.”

“Let’s grab a meal sometime.”

“Sounds good!”

Administrator Lee Jihye left my office.

“Oh, right. I’ll bring the Popo right over.”

****

Popos are cute.

I should bring a cat tower into the office when I have time. A single ball of snow-white fur was wandering around my office.

The Popo eventually settled into a corner of my desk and started dozing off. The Crystal Clock ticked.

[Something happen?]

“We caught someone presumed to be a Returnee. But everyone has different ideas about what to do with her.”

[They’re throwing a fit about dissecting her again, right? The Humanoid Division is a real piece of work, never gets tired of it. Anyway. Did you buy a dog? Where’d you get it?]

“Anomaly P-3030. Popo.”

[Its name is Popo?]

“No. Popo is the species name. I need to think of a name for it… What would be good.”

I’ve never kept a pet before. I’m not even sure if a Popo counts as an animal.

[Just call it Popo.]

I’m curious. I heard they can talk — could I teach it to clean the room or do other useful things? Like a guide dog. Popos have to be at least smarter than a guide dog.

****

“Dr. Geum. Please come to the Director’s Office.”

Nanami was pressing her temples with both hands. The Head of Support and the Head of Security were discussing something with her.

Head of Support, Head of Security, and the Director’s Office adjutant. This is the first time I’ve seen all three in one place.

“An invasion?”

“That’s how we’ve decided to treat it.”

“What happened?”

“An invisible military vehicle with no visible external armament is attempting to enter Facility 82. Normally we’d just destroy it, but the vehicle’s identity—”

I looked at the command room screen.

A Humvee painted white. There’s only one group in the world that uses military vehicles with pure white paint. At least, as far as I know.

“…”

“It’s a UN Peacekeeping Force vehicle. Does this happen often? Are we allowed to destroy it?”

Nanami shook her head.

“No destroying. The International Anomaly Management Organization is under the Peacekeeping Force, and that’s them. We’ll have to ask what they want.”

“Should I step in?”

“Not sure. The Foundation soldiers will handle the negotiations first. If there’s a research question, I’ll ask.”

“Understood.”

I rose from my seat.

“Maintain maximum alert level until the situation is resolved. Halt everything except essential duties, and have everyone stand by armed.”

****

The International Anomaly Management Organization.

Staff count: roughly ten thousand.

But it can mobilize the resources of the UN and its subsidiary organizations as needed. Given that standing, it’s the only Group of Interest the Foundation cannot subdue by force.

—or so it says in the Director’s Office handbook.

There is a reception room on one side of the facility.

I put the earpiece in, grabbed my pistol, and moved out with the soldiers. I wanted to go in full combat gear, but Nanami wouldn’t let me.

“Wear a suit or a lab coat. If even the Director shows up carrying a full kit, we’ll look weak. If there’s fighting to do, I’ll do it.”

For some reason, Nanami was wearing a greatsword at her hip.

Beep.

A channel opened on my earpiece.

[Director. This is the negotiation team. If they had outrageous demands, they wouldn’t have come like this.]

“Yes.”

[We’re bound by protocol on our side too. We give what we can give, and if it’s a no, we say no. That’s all.]

“Understood.”

Nanami nodded.

“Let’s move.”

“But soldiers in full combat gear will look odd at a negotiation table. The task force and Miss Nanami, please wait outside.”

“Okay.”

In the end, it’s just like a real combat situation.

You plan meticulously, you gather the best experts, but until you’re actually on the ground, you can’t know what’s going to happen.

I took a deep breath and retied my tie.

This is the reception room the Foundation prepared.

Beyond this door, enemies are gathered. From here on, it’s live. I walked slowly into the reception room with my aides.

I could have come five minutes early, but the aides objected. Especially Aide An—apparently arriving too quickly makes you look desperate.

I sat down, crossed my legs, and bowed my head in greeting to the party across from me.

“Hello. I am Dr. Geum, Chief Researcher of the Director’s Office at Facility 82.”

“Hello.”

I let out a sigh.

First, let’s identify who we’re negotiating with. Two officers from the Peacekeeping Force, and one executive. Identity verification isn’t possible yet, and their purpose is unknown.

[This is Foundation territory. They’re not in a position to make demands. Respect the counterpart, but hold firm on the demands.]

“I won’t drag this out. I’ll give you five minutes. State your demands.”

The Peacekeeping Force personnel bowed their heads.

“Dr. Geum. We apologize for the rudeness. We wish to have certain humanoid anomaly instances currently under Foundation management transferred to us.”

“…”

That’s insane. Already, on the other side of my earpiece, the support team was screaming.

[Absolutely impossible. Not only is there no need to keep listening to that madness, we should lock those agents in a containment cell right now.]

This is… a negotiation expert?

Hold on, you people. You have to at least hear the demands before you decide to kill them or not.

“That’s a difficult request. What’s the reason?”

“We know the Foundation manages multiple humanoid anomalies. It’s true that most of them deserve death or must be contained. But not all of them.”

I nodded.

“True.”

“Among the humanoid anomalies, we ask that you transfer custody of Miss An Yuri. She is not a dangerous anomaly—she is simply a civilian.”

On the other side of my earpiece, people started shouting again. The Support Department seemed angry.

[Let’s kill her! The recovery team is on the move.]

[Didn’t she take a civilian hostage, wreck Foundation facilities, and threaten the Director? We’ll turn her into a brain in a jar. The Peacekeeping Force can take that if they want.]

Please, calm down.

I let out an inward sigh. It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand the Support Team’s position. It was true that the Returnee had been hostile to the Foundation.

“Miss An Yuri took a civilian hostage and picked a fight with the Foundation. I can’t speak for other anomalies, but I cannot approve the transfer of her custody. I can let you watch, though.”

I shook my head.

“We’ve prepared a file on her. She isn’t a dangerous instance—”

The documents on the reception room desk shifted. I unfolded the file the Peacekeeping Force soldiers had handed over. There was nothing in it we didn’t already know, though.

“Understood. So you’re requesting Miss An Yuri’s release on the basis of this? But—”

My two aides murmured among themselves. Aide An rose from his seat and walked over to me.

[Dr. Geum. I think you need to stop the negotiation and come down to the basement immediately. I’m sorry.]

“It seems an anomaly has escaped.”

Aide An whispered into my ear. The moment I heard it, I got to my feet.

“Let’s take a five-minute break and resume the negotiation.”

The Returnee had escaped. How?

Last time she’d torn the door off its hinges, sure. But this time, ample safety measures should have been in place. Had someone broken into the facility?

—

Translator’s Notes
[1] International Anomalous Phenomena Authority — a UN-affiliated body overseeing anomalous incidents. Abbreviated IAPA hereafter.