Immortal Children

Wiedle, the multi-legged vehicle, moves through the ruined metropolis.

Because of the superior technology of the old civilization, the spherical cockpit between the six legs is free of vibrations, and the landscape outside viewed via the bulletproof canopy does not shake. I opened the throttle lever all the way to move at high speed on a route with little debris and obstacles, but it was still comfortable, with only a slight resistance of my body pressed against the seat.

“It’s an incredible ride.” Misuzu muttered.

“It is, indeed. Except that the seat is so hard that it hurts my buttocks.”

I adjusted my seating position, but nothing changed.

“I’ll need some soft cushions.”

Misuzu nodded in response.

We went past a massive air battleship that had crashed a long time ago and was now covered in vines, and climbed up a building that was slanted at an angle, and when the slope became too steep, we extended the claws on the ends of the legs and dug the nails into the building.

The spherical cockpit rotates between the legs to maintain the passenger’s posture at all times, ensuring that the atmosphere within the cockpit remains constant even when the inclination gets tight. The image on the canopy was based on the front of the Wiedle.

“We’re going practically up a wall, and it’s not even putting any pressure on our bodies at all.” Misuzu exclaimed, surprised.

I nodded as I told Misuzu.

“Next, let’s do the drop test from a prominent place.”

“Why don’t you start from a low height at first?”

『Does Misuzu have a fear of heights?』 In my inner ear, I can hear Kaguya’s voice.

Misuzu could also hear Kaguya’s voice through the ear-cuff earphones.

“Um… I had little experience climbing in high places.”

Misuzu’s voice was being sent to Kaguya via the terminal she was carrying. Wiedle’s system was also linked to Kaguya’s, so the data sent from Kaguya was visible on the canopy’s all-sky monitor.

『Don’t worry.』 Kaguya said. 『The sooner you overcome your anxiety, the better you’ll feel.』

While listening to their conversation, Wiedle reaches the roof of the building. I move around the rooftop, seeking for the perfect spot to fall.

“Are we going to jump?” Misuzu asked.

“Yeah, I intend to jump. I don’t want to end up in hot water[1] if I can’t use it in an emergency. So I’ll test it now.”

I let go of the control stick and ran my hand through the glove-shaped control device, which had thin silver paper-like terminals attached to it, then opened and squeezed my hand to check how it felt.

Wiedle’s manipulator moved in sync with my hand movement. When I tried to twist my wrist, the manipulator arm spun around as well. My wrist twisted around and never returned to its previous position. The human wrist joint was not made in this way; only a machine could do so.

I manoeuvre the manipulator arm deftly in front of the Wiedle to sweep away the debris that is in the path of movement. Wieldle’s legs could synchronise their motions with my arms because the cockpit sensors recognised my arm movements in real time and transmitted them to Wiedle’s legs.

To properly replicate the tiny motions of the fingers without being detected by clothes or other impediments, a glove-type device was necessary.

It was an analog technology that we could depend on.

On the building’s rooftop, there were chunks of special asphalt that had hardly deteriorated from the old civilization laid out on the road, as if to show the impact of the bombs dropped during the war. They must have been blown to the roof by the explosion’s impact.

Wiedle leans over the edge of the building’s rooftop and peers down to the earth far below. A few dozen metres away, I could see the weed-infested road.

“Misuzu, are you ready?”

She nodded in response to my question.

“It’s not good, but I can’t help it.”

『Just jump already, Ray.』

As I listened to Kaguya’s voice, I lowered the Wiedle backwards, then sped up at once and soared off the roof.

Wiedle drops at breakneck speed after a brief spell of levitation.

Vidor autonomously regulated its posture and landed on the ground without making a sound as soon as the words “Gravity Field Generator Activated” flashed in blue.

“This was amazing. Did you see that, Misuzu?”

I was overwhelmed by emotion.

“It’s amazing. I’m not sure what happened just now.” Misuzu shook her black hair.

『To minimize the impacts of the fall, we generated a gravitational field. The old civilization’s technological prowess is incredible.』

I examined the screen of the control panel while listening to Kaguya’s upbeat voice.

The amount of energy needed in generating the gravitational field was significant, but if we could effectively use this function, we may have a considerable advantage in battle. Even the sturdy walls of old civilization buildings, for example, where the Wiedle’s claws cannot penetrate, may stick and move because of the action of the gravity field.

“Is it possible, with the technology of the old civilization, to generate a limited gravitational field, something that even contradicts the laws of physics?” Misuzu asked.

『It can.』Kaguya said proudly.

I wasn’t sure why Kaguya seemed so proud of it, but there was obviously something special going on. Of course, I’m not familiar with the logic or principles underlying how it works. The gravitational field generator was a complete black box. Even Kaguya did not know how it functioned. When I installed it on the Wiedle, I even risked my life in search of the requirements, and I was almost killed by anthropomorphs many times as I looked around abandoned military facilities.

I had no energy left to be delighted by the time I discovered the abandoned terminal, hacked through the many layers of security, and downloaded the specifications. However, the effects were obvious. It was worthwhile to put in the effort.

I parked Wiedle on the side after climbing the building several times and leaping down.

“Misuzu will be next.”

I turned as I opened the bulletproof canopy.

“Am I to pilot this?” Misuzu was confused, then grumpily bit her lower lip.

“Without a doubt. If you can’t control Wiedle, you’ll be in big trouble in case of an emergency.”

“… Yes, you are right. I’ll try.”

I sat in the back seat, watching Misuzu’s luscious, silky black hair as I taught her how to jump. She will also be given gloves to use with the manipulator. Since the control stick in the hand is only intended for fire control for weapons, etc, so the gloves do not get in the way.

Misuzu learned to drive the vehicle quickly, owing to the simplicity of use of the throttle lever, the pedals at her feet, and that she could execute most moves by merely changing her centre of gravity.

“You seem to have a strong sense of control.” I said.

『Much better than Rey,』 Kaguya said as she spewed venom.

“Please don’t make fun of me.” Misuzu was not satisfied with it.

Wiedle deftly climbs the building, which is tangled with enormous construction machine dolls, with Misuzu at the helm. It didn’t take long to get to the roof.

“It’s incredible.” Misuzu’s words rang true to me.

The dark blue sea extends out indefinitely. If you adjust your gaze, you will notice several massive structures left behind by the old civilization.

There was a large pyramid-shaped skyscraper at the end of the collapsed and, in some parts overturned highway elevated rails, which made me question whether my sense of perspective had gone twisted. It was riddled with many holes caused by the effects of wartime explosives.

A series of buildings with massive gun barrels pointing upwards could be seen in the distance, near the corner of a group of skyscrapers.

It was constructed early in the war in order to shoot down enemy bombers. The interior of the structure, according to Kaguya, houses a huge number of artillery shells, and the walls were built of steel from the old civilization period to assure strength and avoid induced explosions from enemy aircraft. In addition, the shock wave from the rounds fired had little effect on the adjacent structures.

“What is that, Leila?” Misuzu raised her finger to the sky.

“It’s an unmanned bomber.”

The view on the canopy was automatically magnified.

“It’s really… an airplane!” Misuzu’s voice bounced.

“Is this your first time seeing a plane?”

“Yes, it’s unbelievable that something that large is soaring across the sky… So, if it’s a bomber, does it mean it’ll be dropping bombs somewhere?”

『Some planes go for the drop.』 Kaguya takes charge of the explanation.

“Isn’t the war over?” Misuzu asked.

『Looks like the war of the machines isn’t over.』

“Is artificial intelligence continuing the war…?”

“The bombers and their bases are still faithfully carrying out their missions as ordered by humans, though they are not deciding as well as artificial intelligence. When the bombers return, mindless mechanical dolls automatically refuel and load them with bombs. The explosives are also manufactured in an automatic factory.”

“Can’t you stop them?”

As I saw the bombers soar considerably higher in the sky, I said to Misuzu.

“No, I don’t believe so. Foremost, we do not know where it is coming from. We don’t even know if it’s coming from a Japanese military base or from the continent across the sea. Second, with only two people on the force, we can’t break into a base with a significant number of base security assault droids adapted for military purposes.”

“Assault Droid?”

“That’s right. They are often deployed on military bases. In the past, the scavenger union collaborated with skilled mercenaries. Their aim was an abandoned US military base in Japan. The only ones that returned were the logistics team who had been waiting in the rear.”

“I see…”