Security Performance Manual 4891π-31
The Security Performance Manual 4891π-31 has been written for personnel managing the 4891st anomalous phenomenon.
The contents of this manual hold the highest priority concerning incidents occurring within the facility.
Personnel assigned to the respective anomalous entity must thoroughly understand and adhere to the outlined rules.
First Rule.
1. Assigned personnel shall reside in the outposts inside and outside of the facility and must constantly monitor and manage the facility’s internal and external environments.
2. Personnel working inside the facility must always move in groups of at least two.
3. If an anomaly results in the presence of a single remaining person, that individual must immediately be reassigned to another team under the guidance of others.
4. In the event of an unauthorized solo individual appearing, they should be shot upon discovery but not pursued.
—
On the rooftop of a building.
The sound of a transport helicopter’s engine echoed loudly in the space.
A man in tactical gear stood quietly, waiting for someone.
“Whooo…”
The man exhaled deeply.
His face concealed by a mask, he presented an imposing figure that might evoke intimidation in others.
Yet for some reason, he appeared to be the one feeling the tension.
After all, the person he was currently waiting for was an anomalous entity designated with a risk level of V.
He was about to depart to what could be a perilous location with that very entity.
‘I never thought I’d walk back into that place.’
Memories of his previous workplace surfaced in his mind.
The gloomy exterior and the eerie atmosphere of the facility’s interior.
And the bizarre phenomena he encountered there.
To be honest, it was so terrifying that he didn’t want to return again.
However, due to a critical containment breach situation that had recently occurred there, an anomalous entity managed by Base 17 was set to depart there.
He, as an escort for that entity, was now returning to his old workplace.
BEEP!
A signal indicated that an elevator had arrived at the rooftop.
Simultaneously, the elevator doors began to open.
Soon, the appearance of the anomalous entity inside was revealed.
‘…It seriously looks so small every time I see it.’
The man muttered to himself while watching the entity approach.
The fragile small girl appeared to be no different from an ordinary child.
However, despite her cute exterior, she was classified as a V-risk-level monster.
It was hard to believe, but he was someone who had been present at the site of the incident at Base 17 not long ago.
He had witnessed firsthand the girl demolishing those monsters with her bare hands, which couldn’t even be properly injured by bullets.
Thus, he suppressed his thoughts and greeted the girl silently.
“Nice to meet you, 19th entity. I’m Agent Elijah Moore.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you. Are we leaving now?”
“Yes. Time is of the essence, so I’ll explain the details after we board.”
Following the guidance of Elijah, the girl quietly stepped into the transport helicopter.
If what he had heard was correct, there would be no time for idle chit-chat or lengthy briefings standing around here.
Not long after the two boarded, the helicopter’s doors closed.
Then the rotors began to emit increasingly loud noises as it started to ascend toward a place from which they might never return.
—
After boarding the transport helicopter.
As I looked around, I noticed something odd and asked the man in front of me.
“Aren’t there any other people?”
It was a completely justified concern.
This transport helicopter’s size seemed capable of accommodating at least a dozen people.
Yet there were only two of us inside.
Considering the urgency of a situation where a nuclear bomb could drop on a major city, the support seemed rather pitiful.
“Yes. Only you and I are heading to that place. If there were other personnel unaware of the situation, it could pose an even bigger problem.”
“Is this because of that ‘rule’?”
“Exactly. If the rules are not adhered to, the base could explode before we even accomplish our mission. Therefore, please follow my instructions as closely as possible within the facility.”
The man, who introduced himself as Elijah, answered my question.
So basically, he meant I shouldn’t randomly smash things around.
Though I had a somewhat primitive notion that machines could be fixed by hitting them, I had no intention of kicking a system managing a nuclear bomb.
So I nodded quietly in agreement.
“So, what exactly are we supposed to do once we get there?”
The next thing I wanted to ask was about what I needed to do precisely.
I had received a rough explanation from Oliver, but due to the lack of time, I hadn’t heard the details.
Of course, I did understand that we had to halt the nuclear launch, but I had never touched anything related to nuclear systems before.
Just by clicking a mouse cursor on a Windows button wouldn’t stop a nuclear launch.
“What did you learn from Researcher Oliver?”
“They said that if the bomb goes off, everyone dies. So, we need to stop it from launching.”
“Well… that may be oversimplifying things, but at least you have the necessary information.”
Elijah paused for a moment as if he wanted to say something but then diverted to another topic as if it were nothing.
What was it? This summary seemed good enough.
“First, we need to head down to the Launch Control Room on Basement 4. We need to disable the control system there.”
“So, we just turn it off?”
“No. Disabling the system requires several essential procedures.”
From what he said, it seemed that handling the systems to prevent a nuclear launch needed specific technical skills.
And this was likely the reason he said I needed professional support.
It wouldn’t make sense for a defense agency to simply have a big red button for stopping a nuclear launch.
To be honest, I was somewhat looking forward to it.
“If the operation proceeds smoothly, I’ll perform that task. But if anything happens to me, please seek support from Researcher Oliver. And if even that isn’t possible, refer to this manual.”
Elijah handed me a small notebook, and I opened it right away.
Inside, it contained detailed instructions on how to disable the control system.
However, there was one problem: despite the helpful guidance, it still felt quite complex to me.
“….”
I silently slipped the notebook into my pocket and secretly promised myself something in my heart.
No matter what happened, I would protect Elijah from getting hurt.
“…It’s simpler than I thought.”
I muttered those words casually.
Sure, my earlier thought might make me appear arrogant, but it was also somewhat true.
I had expected that I would have to find various responsible people whose communication had ceased, go through all kinds of security codes and retinal scans, and only then could I finally stop the launch.
However, from what Elijah said, all I needed to do was to go to a room on Basement 4 and help him while he operated the controls.
Although I still had no idea what that ‘rule’ and ‘anomalous phenomena’ were, I couldn’t find them particularly frightening.
“That… might actually not be the case. Considering that all personnel who entered there have currently lost contact, the possibility that something happened is high.”
“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than I look.”
“No, that’s not the issue. Although your strength might not be a problem for most entities, there are phenomena there that cannot be resolved physically.”
I tried to reassure him, but Elijah seemed greatly fearful of what lay ahead.
Physical phenomena that can’t be solved? I pondered why everything I encountered recently seemed to be immunizing to physics.
“What exactly is down there?”
Curious about what terrified him so much, I cautiously asked for the identity of that something.
“…It hasn’t been officially confirmed by the Management Office, but personnel who worked there referred to what exists there as…”
Finally, I was about to get a hint about the beings disturbing that place.
“Evil spirits.”
….
No.
What kind of nonsense is this?
