I stepped inside, my gun already drawn—just in case.
Where could he be? I wondered, when suddenly the loudspeakers crackled to life.
"Spike, why? I told you not to come."
"I just couldn't resist your charm."
"I admire that you can still joke in your situation," he said, before the speakers went silent again.
I searched half the building, but found nothing.
Where is everyone? I thought, not having come across a single hostage so far.
He's probably gathered them all in one place so he can keep an eye on them... and the only room big enough for that many people would be the loading hall, I figured—and headed straight there.
And I was right.
But when I reached an overlook inside the loading hall, the sight hit me like a punch.
I didn't bother counting, but it had to be several thousand workers. Damn it. Foolish of me to think there were "only" hundreds.
"If the CEO doesn't show up, then…" I muttered, as the gravity of the situation sank in.
Still no sign of the terrorist. Was he even in the building?
I shook my head, forcing myself to stay calm, and kept searching. I checked the building's evacuation map again and decided to sweep the key areas first: the executive floor, the CEO's office, and the main conference rooms. No luck.
That left two possibilities:
1. He could be in the control room, which would explain how he's keeping such a close watch.
2. He could be on the roof—the only other place that made sense.
The 20 minutes were almost up, so I sprinted to the control room first and kicked the door open.
Finally—I'd found him. He sat in a chair, eyes fixed on the security monitors.
"So you really did come."
"It's over…"
"Sorry, but it has to be this way," he said, leaning back. "You can't see her, can you? That's a shame… she's standing right next to you."
I glanced around. No one was there.
"Who?"
"Aiko. My daughter."
"She's not here. You're seeing ghosts."
"I know she's only in my head… but her words hurt so much. She says this is the only way to avenge her. And when I hesitate—like when you were beating me and I thought maybe I shouldn't—she asks if I don't love her. She says that must mean I'm okay with her death. I can't take it anymore. I have to do this."
"Face it—her death wasn't justified. She didn't deserve it. But think about this: all the people who depend on Arasaka… they'd lose everything. Maybe a father can't provide for his daughter anymore, or a little girl loses her dad. They don't deserve that. Even if you let the workers go, they'd still lose their jobs. You've been through that yourself."
"…"
He said nothing, staring instead at a monitor showing the lobby. Two soldiers were dragging in the CEO.
"About time."
"There's your man. Now let the hostages go," I said, my gun trained on him.
"A man of my word… but you stay here. Don't worry—I'll be back. I'm just going to get the CEO. Oh, and if you don't, everything here blows up immediately."
"Tch."
He left, and I watched through the cameras.
First, he released half the workers. Then he took the CEO—unconscious, probably to keep him from bolting. Once back inside, he released the rest. He kept his word.
Then he took the elevator to the top floor and shot out the cameras. Probably so I couldn't see what he was doing.
"What happened up there? Why destroy the cameras?" I asked when he returned.
"I didn't want you rescuing him, if it came to that. I tied him up somewhere and woke him. He should witness the whole spectacle."
"I don't care if you kill the CEO. But what you're planning goes way beyond right and wrong—it has to stop." I aimed my gun at him. "It's not too late. I really think there's still some good in you— I mean you didn't want unnecessary deaths. That's why you freed the workers."
"You can't change my mind, even if maybe you're right… but let me ask you something, what is right and what is wrong?"
He went on before i could answer and said: "perception is subjective. How far can you go before it stops being justice? Everyone decides for themselves. Most would say it's wrong—that if you kill a murderer, you're no better than him. But legally? A murderer can always find a way out, as long as his lawyer's good enough. Why should the CEO live, when my daughter never even got to see the light of day?"
"…"
"Back when we first met… you also chose the path of vigilante justice—just like me now. You would've killed me, maybe even tried, if I hadn't wounded you first. You were angry, driven by emotion. Some would say you were right. Others, that you went too far. What's right for one person is wrong for another."
I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. My mind was racing. The only thing I could think was: How do I stop this?
"Think about what your family would want—even if the ones in your head say otherwise. And no matter how much I hate you… killing you won't bring my parents back."
He paused, then slowly drew a pistol from his holster, staring at it with empty eyes.
"You're right… revenge won't bring anyone back. But I want to make them all happy—the one in my head, the one still alive, and the one already gone…"
"What are you doing? Don't think I won't shoot if I have to!"
He lifted his gaze from the gun and pressed it to his own temple.
"Hey, Spike… I'm sorry about your parents. I never meant for that to happen." He let out a deep sigh. "You've got six minutes after this until detonation. Get out."
"Wait—no, don't! It doesn't have to end—"
A deafening bang cut me off.
A patch of the wall turned red. He'd taken the coward's way out—denying me the chance to see him face the consequences.
What just happened?!
"Shit… is it all going to happen again? I… I'm useless. I failed again! Dad… Mom… I'm sorry… I STILL COULDN'T STOP IT! FIVE YEARS LATER AND I'VE CHANGED NOTHING! Fuck… calm down… shit! Okay, okay, okay—get it together!" I slapped myself. "He said six minutes. I need to move!"
I bolted downstairs—three, maybe four minutes left.
I sprinted for the exit, surrounded by soldiers.
"Identify yourself! What are you doing here?"
"No time! We need to get out, now! The building's going up in minutes!"
They hesitated at first, but followed my lead—it didn't matter to them where the questioning happened.
We all cleared the headquarters, and moments later the entire building was an inferno.
The blast was massive. Unlike five years ago, the whole structure collapsed in on itself.
---
I told the soldiers who I was—not hard, since some of them knew me from the honors ceremony.
The scene was chaos. News choppers hovered overhead. Firefighters rushed to contain the flames. Police struggled to maintain order, especially with crowds of gawkers pressing in.
By chance, I overheard two soldiers talking—three people had reportedly gone inside.
"Sorry, but… was one of them a young woman in a red jacket, silver-blonde hair?" I asked, my voice tight.
"Hmm? Don't remember the hair, but yeah—someone in a red jacket who looked like a woman."
No… it's just coincidence, right?
Just because Rin would totally do something like that—and just because she was wearing a red jacket today—doesn't mean it was her… right?
My thoughts spun, dread clawing at my chest. I had to know. I had to be sure.
Hands shaking, heart pounding, I ran for my motorcycle.
The roar of the engine was no comfort against the growing panic inside me.
I gunned it—140 km/h. The world blurred. Only one thought remained: the car.
Four minutes later, I reached the Nexus building. I let my bike tip over against the wall and sprinted into the parking lot. My eyes scanned frantically for the car she should've been in.
There it was.
But the sight froze me in place—the windshield was shattered.
Empty.
A hole opened in my chest.
I reached for my cigarettes—empty pack. Of course. I'd quit.
In frustration, I crushed the box and let it fall. My knees buckled, and I sank onto the cold asphalt.
"Ha… hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… ahahaha… ah."
A desperate, broken laugh echoed into the silence. I didn't know why I was laughing. I couldn't stop.
I was alone. Again. Everything inside me cracked. My shoulders shook. Tears welled up. The last spark of hope I'd had flickered out. Nothing had changed. Nothing. The emptiness was back—worse than ever. The realization hit like a hammer as I knelt there, shattered.
"I'm alone again… Why always me?" I whispered, barely audible.
I felt smaller, more broken than ever. The world blurred into a haze, and all that remained was an endless abyss of loneliness—behind me, the building still burned.
"Why is it always the people around me who die?! Why can't I die instead?! Over and over and over and over and over and over AND OVER AGAIN… the people I love die! Is it me? Am I that unbearable?!"
I screamed, tears burning my eyes. I pounded the asphalt until my fists bled.
"I-I can't take it anymore… please… make it stop… I'm begging you…"
Eventually, the burning in my fists calmed me—though it still hurt less than the pain inside.
I drifted to my motorcycle and rode home slowly, as if in a trance.
When I arrived, I collapsed face-first on the bed. I didn't care about anything anymore. Just when I thought I could feel joy again—it had been ripped away once more.