Chapter 14: Another World

“Can I help you?”

It was then that the blonde waitress approached them.
The two tall soldiers standing awkwardly at the entrance of the pub must have seemed strange.
Their unusual combat attire was already drawing attention from all around.
Zakar slowly massaged the back of his neck, scanned his surroundings, and then stretched his lips into that captivating smile of his.

“I have a quick question. Do you happen to know the address of this place? A friend of mine is lost and can’t find it.”

“Oh, the address?”

The waitress quickly went to the bar to ask, then came back and kindly told them, as if they would run away if she didn’t tell them quickly.

“The Golden Lantern Pub, 59 Brick Street, Sector 17.”

“Brick Street? This is Brick Street?”

At Hannah’s sudden interruption, the waitress nodded hesitantly.
Impossible.
Brick Street was packed with factories.
And number 59 was the address of the research institute they had just been wandering through.
Hannah frowned for a moment, but instead of making a rash claim, she calmly asked the next question.

“I see. Then, by any chance, did you feel an earthquake here today?”

“An earthquake? No. Where did an earthquake happen?”

The waitress, who was starting to look at them as if they were strange, had blue eyes that were very large for her face, giving her a strange impression of being both anxious and kind.
She was wearing a white shirt with a drop of tomato sauce on her chest that was very distracting.
It was too specific and realistic for a hallucination.
Most importantly, all her senses were screaming that this was reality.
At this point, the possibilities narrowed down to one.
If this wasn’t a dream, then perhaps everything from entering the research institute had been a dream.

“No. I must have been mistaken. Excuse me.”

After a brief greeting, she turned and left the pub without any lingering thoughts.
Behind her, Zakar seemed to exchange a few more words, but Hannah, who had stepped out into the night air, didn’t pay attention to what was behind her and re-examined the street with a keen eye.
It was a busy street, but now that she thought of it as Brick Street, a rough map formed in her head.

“I’m going back to Command.”

As Zakar, who had followed her out, examined the door he was leaning against, she said it as if to inform him and immediately got into a taxi that someone had just gotten out of.
The best way not to fall into confusion is to keep moving.
She had to go and check what was real and what wasn’t.

“To the Nemesis Operations Base in Sector 17, please.”

“Yes… where did you say you were going?”

“We’re going to the Allied Forces Command in the southern part of the Rain River… Do you not know it?”

As she added the question, seeing his expression, the middle-aged driver with graying hair tilted his head and muttered that he had never heard of it, then tapped the car’s screen.
A thought that something was wrong rose from her toes like a mist.
Zakar, who had just gotten in beside her and closed the door, leaned back in his seat and spoke.

“The song that was playing in the pub just now, have you heard it before?”

It was a completely random topic.
Hannah answered dismissively, her eyes fixed on the taxi screen.

“Kieran Jaxx’s song? No.”

Perhaps because the inside of the car was dark, the text on the taxi driver’s screen was clearly visible from the back seat.
No search results found.
It was the same no matter how many times he tried.
‘Did the military request the location information to be deleted?’
No, since the enemy was the Abaddons, the unit’s information sensitivity was low.
Besides, it was strange that a citizen of the district wouldn’t know about a military base that was thousands of square meters in size.

“When I asked what song it was, they said it was the singer’s own song from his 10th album.”

“…What?”

Hannah, who had been staring at the screen, finally frowned and turned her head.
Their eyes met in the darkness.
Kieran Jaxx didn’t have a 10th album.
He committed suicide after releasing his 9th.
At that moment, the taxi driver, who had been persistently tapping the screen, hesitated and looked back.

“I can’t find it no matter how much I search. Are you sure you don’t have something wrong?”

A strange silence fell in the car.
She could feel a slight sense of discrepancy crawling on her skin.
The driver seemed to suspect they were on drugs, but since the Allied Forces mark was clearly on their arms and neither of them had a gentle impression, he couldn’t speak rashly due to the intimidating atmosphere.

“I’ve never even heard of a military base around here in my life…”

“How long have you lived around here?”

“I was born and raised here my whole life. But this is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Watching the mumbling driver, Zakar uncrossed his arms and spoke.

“Get out. There’s something I need to check.”

Of course, that was directed at Hannah.
She looked at him for a moment, then let out a low sigh and opened the car door handle.
A moment later, they got out of the taxi that couldn’t find its destination.
The first place Zakar headed was an ordinary convenience store.
He picked out cigarettes he already had, scanned the item at the self-checkout machine, and held his watch, which had a payment function, up to it.

“Is Graphite what you wanted to check?”

Hannah asked, scanning the strong cigarette brand with several moons on it.
It was a brand she didn’t enjoy but had tried a few times recently because of Zakar.
It was then that the screen beeped with a warning.

[Unregistered user. Please re-check the screen.]

The two of them stared at the unexpected message at the same time.
Since 2010, watches and mobile phones, called personal screens, had officially replaced wallets and ID cards.
This meant that such a fatal error was rare, as it had been used for over 20 years.

“Move.”

Hannah, who had touched the self-checkout machine, strode forward and held her wrist up to it.
But the screen, which should have displayed an automatic payment notification, flickered and then displayed the same message again.

[Unregistered user. If the same problem persists, please contact customer service. 0094 – 0074]

Even if she wanted to call, the military watch, which prioritized security, didn’t have that function.
All her belongings, including her mobile phone, were in her locker.

“It’s a really unlucky day.”

She muttered as if to herself and lowered her arm.
Since coming out, she had felt that something was fundamentally wrong with common sense.
The taxi they had managed to catch said there was no military base, and the factory zone had a bustling downtown.
The suicidal Kieran Jaxx had released a 10th album, and their personal screens were not recognized.
As if everyone was in on it and acting.
At that moment, with a patter, a shower started to pour outside.
Hannah looked at the rain-streaked glass window with tired eyes.
A low voice came from her side.

“Got any cash?”

Zakar, with a cigarette pack between his fingers, was looking at the phone screen inside the convenience store, tapping the counter.
I had a feeling I knew what he wanted to do.

“No. But I know where we can use a phone for free.”

“Are you sure it’s open at this hour?”

“It’s not a place that opens or closes. I’m sure a rich boy like you has never used it before.”

With a faint sneer, Hannah snatched the Graphite from the man who was staring at her and put it back on the display shelf.
As she pushed open the glass door, she slightly lowered her head to avoid the rain.
Rain is the main culprit that releases smells.
Smelling the pungent opium smell, she was once again convinced that the situation in front of her was not a hallucination.
Her combat uniform got soaked, and the rain grew stronger.
After passing by drunk and sprawled people and a dreary alley, she came out onto the main road, and as expected, she saw a small bus stop in the distance, its smart panel1) glittering.
Hannah jaywalked across the road, which was almost empty as it was dawn, and as soon as she reached the bus stop screen, she first tried to connect to the unit.
As she pressed the connect button with her rain-soaked hand, a message immediately popped up saying the number did not exist.
She stopped her pale hand and stared at the unbelievable message, then persistently checked the numbers of her acquaintances that she had memorized, one by one.
Perhaps because it was dawn, she couldn’t connect with anyone.
She stepped back, and it was Zakar’s turn.
While he tried to make a call, Hannah stood at a distance and re-checked the name of the bus stop, which was shining in the darkness.
Brick Street.
Definitely.

“Can you connect to your unit?”

She raised her voice, brushing back her rain-soaked hair.
As she entered the bus stop, he answered without even looking at her.

“No.”

“Family or friends?”

“Same.”

The sound of the rain filled the silence between the two of them.
The wind blew, and it was quite chilly, so Hannah leaned her back against the bus stop and gasped for breath.
The light from the screen flickered on the two people left alone in the world on the empty street.
Hannah stared at the empty road and said as if to herself.

“It can’t be a very vivid dream, can it?”

Zakar, who had turned around, remained silent for a moment, then took out a cigarette and lit it.
Click, click.
The lighter, which wouldn’t light properly, finally ignited when the rain overflowed in a sunken asphalt puddle, and allowed a belated answer to escape from between his teeth.

“Well. One thing is for sure, we’re lost here.”

[Footnote]

1. A public screen that uses solar power and allows citizens waiting for buses or trams to use the phone or internet for free.