Chapter 48 - Proof Of Employment
"That should be enough for today," Mami announces. Sayaka hides her relief well, but you're fairly certain Mami also noticed the slight release of tension in her body. Honestly, you're impressed that she's held up so well so far. It's been what, a day since she Contracted? Since then, Sayaka's been in combat nonstop. A break should do her good.
Unfortunately, that break will have to wait a moment longer. You still have important work to get to.
"Madoka, will you need an escort home? I'd like to talk with the other two."
Your command is phrased as a question, polite and without force, but it isn't. Maybe it was the reminder of your life that led you to fall back into old habits. Maybe you're worried enough that you feel it necessary to assert your control. Maybe the shock has just unsettled you enough that the words slip out on their own. Whatever the reason, the order is given.
"Don't worry; I can walk back myself. I'll be sure to be careful." Madoka assures. Sayaka is perhaps not completely convinced, but nods in affirmation regardless. Goodbyes and courtesies are exchanged, and Madoka begins the trek back home. It is safer not to involve her more than necessary, while she still has a chance to remain unscathed. You are alone with the remaining children, who look towards you awaiting your next words.
"I'd like to talk about those ID cards you have," you start. As the words leave your mouth, Mami gives you a small frown.
"As we already told Madoka, there is nothing to worry about."
"And I'm not telling you to be worried," you respond. In an instant, the kids' demeanors relax. That on its own would be worrying. It's never a good sign for somebody to start getting defensive about a strange item that appeared out of nowhere. You learned that well enough from the doctor.
"But I'm a bit curious. What company are they actually from? I didn't think either of you had jobs."
The pair shuffles uncomfortably, drawing the objects in question to stare at them, as if hoping the answer will be written there somewhere. A moment passes as they grow more unsettled, the finally Sayaka speaks.
"I… can't remember what it's for. I think I found it… a day ago?"
Sayaka's distress grows as she grips the card harder, the plain plastic remaining unblemished despite the force exerted. As the kid becomes more and more panicked, pacing back and forth while muttering, Mami stares down at the card in her own hand.
"It was… something good. Wasn't it? Something important."
Sayaka freezes, and all at once the panic drains out of her. She returns the card to its place on her chest, mumbling assurances that nobody but her can hear. A visceral sense of disgust ripples through you, and you must resist the urge to retch. Why does this scene feel so horrible? As disturbing as it is, you've seen far worse.
Those words. So very familiar, in the life you lived and the one you did not. They filled the small labs of the outskirts, the halls of the facility, the small chamber where you oversaw your domain. First spoken with faith and determination, an unshaking belief that your works would make a difference. Once that failed, it was a desperate plea. Because all that suffering had to mean something. Had to make a difference. Had to accomplish what you worked for for so, so long.
And in the end, it was nothing but empty words.
As long as you don't press them on it, they're fine. At least for now. Even if you could be certain that this small influence won't be leveraged into something worse one day, the very idea of leaving things as they are disgusts you. Without any tools or equipment, you have no way of measuring or examining the offending items. There is one other way to learn more, but…
"Kyubey?"
The chalk-white creature steps out from behind a lamppost, tail flicking back and forth.
"Good afternoon, Kyubey."
"Hey, Kyubey."
The two Magical Girls politely greet their contractor, the last traces of uncertainty or discomfort having finally washed away.
"Good afternoon, Miki Sayaka, Tomoe Mami, X," the ferret responds in a positively saccharine voice. It's a bit unsettling how it goes from that to a dead monotone when you're alone. Guess it's just not worth the effort trying to fool you when you already know enough to see through the facade.
"Do you know anything about the ID cards the girls have? Apparently they just showed up one day."
If anything, the kids seem a bit exasperated at the constant focus on the cards. Regardless, they once again draw out the anomalous accessories for easy viewing. The Incubator stares for a moment, then its head swivels towards you.
"The objects appeared at different times between each Magical Girl. Their composition is indiscernible, but readings match previously observed Abnormalities."
That settles it, then. Sayaka, Homura, and Mami all somehow managed to wind up with EGO Gifts. Whether the Gift itself actually exerts mental influence or this is just the consequence of carrying one without proper safety procedures, you don't know. Gifts are smaller and less powerful than EGO gear is, but they're still fragments of being drawn from creatures fundamentally damaging to humanity. Wearing one, especially one from a particularly powerful Abnormality, could have side-effects.
But what Abnormality could it be?
Leaving aside that you don't know any Abnormalities that give an EGO gift matching this one, when would they even have gotten them? Neither Mami nor Sayaka seem to remember how they obtained their ID cards. Homura's never even seen an Abnormality as far as you know, and depending on what Mami told her Sayaka might not even know about them. What one Abnormality could all three of them have been in contact with long enough to receive a Gift?
Your thoughts are cut off by another message of Kyubey's, this one directed only towards you.
"I had initially believed you were responsible, given the similarities in composition to your own body. It was a much closer match than any of the other Abnormalities we have observed so far. Is that incorrect?"
Other Abnormalities.
No, that's… Kyubey has less knowledge about L Corp's Singularity than you do. You'll need to do your own testing before jumping to any conclusions.
"I think that's all. I'll head home soon, just need to take care of some other business first," you announce to the two Magical Girls, repressing the trembling of your body for a few moments longer.
"Of course. Until then, X."
"Bye!"
The second the girls have said their goodbyes, you are already off.
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This is perhaps not the most rational decision.
In your defense, you have done your best to take precautions in case anything goes wrong. The industrial site is once more completely empty of people, cast in a dull red by the evening sun. Your soldiers are set up around the secluded shed you've chosen, ready to alert you if anyone approaches or if you take too long. You lay on a rusty old table, the clutter and machinery that once were left on it now sitting outside in a heap.
Regardless, this very well could be a mistake. You have so little information, and what you're about to do is risky. A nameless, unknown instinct whispers to you, assures you that everything will go as expected, but you ignore it. You have only ever had your own judgement to rely on, and that will not change today.
Your own nature is a mystery to you, and you have been given a tool that can extract information on people's identities. To use one to solve the other would be logical if you fully understood either of the subjects being worked with. The unknown EGO, which may not truly be EGO at all, has only been used twice and both times on humans. To use it on yourself, when you may not be, leaves so much room for the unexpected. It is, quite frankly, a terrible plan.
And yet, some part of you reject the idea of leaving yourself as an unknown. You have to known what you are.
[] Reach inwards
[] Do not
[] Write-in
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Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 0/3
And here we are.
