Ch.139Work Record 020 – Your Guiding Star, Polaris (1)

A New Year in a business trip location. The feeling was quite strange. We exchanged New Year’s greetings, but the sense of being physically so far away was a first for me.

The good thing was… well, a good thing. At least from this penthouse atop the Heroism & Hope Company headquarters, a no-filming zone, the New Year’s fireworks show was clearly visible. That was it.

Even if that was all, I needed to find at least one more good thing. Otherwise, a person gets depressed. Everyone living isolated lives outside the camera angle in this penthouse probably felt the same.

Thinking the view might be better from the terrace than from inside the room, I headed out, and found Ms. Serena and Mr. Chris also leaving their rooms at the same time.

Ms. Serena still relied on assistive devices, but her movements were much more natural than before. What used to be her legs simply following the movement of the assistive device now resembled proper walking.

She gave me a slight nod and waved. By now, I had become quite accustomed to Detroit’s air.

“Between the Renegades and N Entertainment, you’ve had another busy day… Why not go out and enjoy yourself? You’re someone who can go outside without covering your face. It’s just lonely staying here.”

“Walking alone on streets full of strangers with happy or expectant faces would make me feel even lonelier. I’d rather stay here.”

“Huh. I momentarily forgot who I was talking to. Well then… let’s have a drink. Chris, bring some whiskey.”

What Mr. Chris brought from the small bar in the penthouse was real whiskey, not synthetic. Was the one at the Hive real too? All I remember about the alcohol there is the taste of synthetic honey.

Ms. Serena, having removed her assistive device and sitting on the sofa, was consciously wiggling her legs. Though still unable to walk, run, or perform duties, she seemed quite settled now.

In contrast to the mundane scene inside, outside, Ms. Serena’s pre-recorded New Year’s greeting message played in her broadcast voice. A voice with a completely different tone and manner from her usual one.

Ms. Serena herself didn’t particularly reject that image. Leaning back on the sofa, she just gave a short laugh while watching the display against the backdrop of thick, dark gray clouds.

“Actually, when I first started doing that, I had no idea so many people would like the model student Serena. They say what sounds good is good… but I still can’t help feeling awkward about it.”

“In a lawless zone, there’s nothing more reassuring than someone who’s principled, tries hard to speak kindly, and shows a smiling face, right? H Entertainment people chose the right approach.”

Ms. Serena nodded at my words. The conversation naturally shifted to the people of Heroism & Hope Company, whose intentions were difficult to discern.

“I may not understand their intentions, but they always do good work. They’re said to be from an entertainment industry corporate city, so maybe that’s why… it’s in their very marrow.”

“Ah. I know what you mean. That… strangely gloomy atmosphere they give off, looking like entertainment industry people to their core, right?”

Just as it took me a long time to identify and name the melancholia I felt in Los Angeles, it took too long to interpret the gloominess of Heroism & Hope Company employees.

“That’s right. Still, you know. They’re not bad people. Just, how should I put it…”

As soon as the premise that they weren’t bad people was established, a thought came to mind. The answer to a difficult, age-old question came too easily.

“I think they’re just people with no standards other than entertainment value and ratings. That’s how people from Belvedere are. They know no standard except efficiency.”

Just as efficiency could guide people, perhaps their standards could also guide people. Hope was a subject that didn’t follow trends and even had few strong opinions either way.

We both knew that if this conversation continued, it would turn into a debate about “what constitutes proper human values that efficiency, entertainment, or ratings cannot fulfill.”

And neither of us wanted to start the new year discussing such pointless matters. Instead, Mr. Chris got up, brought a hologram projector, and displayed someone’s hologram.

A familiar face. It was Polaris. Wasn’t her performance in a few days? She was someone who came all this way, risking danger, unless she wanted to appear in this hero show herself.

“Come on, come on. Rather than sobering up with such talk, let’s discuss work. You’re both such workaholics, after all.”

“What work talk? She’ll just be surrounded by T Entertainment people for days, do one performance, and leave. During the performance, we’ll have Renegades, paparazzi, and half-T Entertainment terrorists swarming in, and we just need to crush them.”

T Entertainment, Talent & Tradition Company, had many enemies. Having extended their reach into all genres under the pretext of maintaining traditional broadcast media, they were bound to be disliked.

The problem was that T Entertainment was the company with the longest history in the entertainment industry. It was a company with remnants from when there was a giant entertainment whale instead of an ‘entertainment industry.’

That whale collapsed from within. Pursuing directionless pleasure, even the sense of belonging to the same company disappeared, and it broke apart into what is now the entertainment industry.

In a way, it was an opportunity. After all, a company without even a sense of belonging collapsed, leaving only industry people who could freely create what they wanted. Heroism & Hope Company was probably born then too.

“Then… it would be a shame if we’re the only ones who can’t hear the song when the company went to the trouble of bringing in another company’s star.”

“It’s always like that. Anyway, when the day comes, you won’t even have time to feel regret. There will be so much more going on than yesterday. Polaris will come to Detroit right after her New Year’s performance.”

“Ah, perhaps…”

“Yes, she’ll stay in the penthouse. You’ll need to wear something on your head outside your private room. Even if not a full costume.”

In a city intentionally full of security vulnerabilities, only the H Entertainment employees’ workplace and this penthouse were properly protected. I should have anticipated where she would stay. I nodded.

“It’s only a few days, so I can manage that much. Will T Entertainment handle close protection, and I’ll be responsible for perimeter security?”

“No, it’s the opposite. Close protection will be handled by you and a T Entertainment operative, while their security team will handle perimeter security. This was requested by their side. Probably because of your capabilities.”

After analyzing specs, they could probably determine I was wearing a Type 4. Post-human Type 4 was still only distributed to important personnel even within Belvedere. It was obviously good for close protection.

“Seems like the company wants a Beauty and the Beast type of image.”

“That’s probably right. Whether it’s a gimmick or not, Polaris has a thoughtful image. Just showing her restraining the arm of an inhuman Gardner a few times would be good for her image, wouldn’t it?”

Hmm. If this gets out, I’ll have to see Eve saying she’s not angry while clearly being angry. I decide to take the Gardner story to my grave. After sighing, I nodded briefly.

“That’s how this industry ecosystem has always been. It shouldn’t be a problem. She’ll come after finishing tomorrow’s filming session, right?”

“Probably. And the first four episodes are about hunting criminals… then VIP protection, and finally, Renegade elimination. Quite diverse. This feels like it’s eating into our ratings.”

I nodded with a smile at Ms. Serena’s harmless joke. Usually, it was better to extend such jokes a bit further.

“Eating? More like taking a big bite out of them. Still, when it’s all over, my viewers will come to see you too, Ms. Serena. That’s enough, right?”

“If I become more like Detective Ryland, perhaps… No, I won’t speak weakly. It’s only natural that I should become as excellent a city guardian as that.”

Ms. Serena still lived with excessive tension, but her shoulders and neck seemed a bit more relaxed. The fact that she added “You’re helping me” after saying that confirmed it.

After some more trivial conversation, I returned to my room. Looking at the now-familiar Gardner costume, I sorted through thirty-four mind map chips. I selected ten with the lowest level of involvement.

Even with low involvement, they still contained memories of shooting at civilians, just not mass killings. I divided these ten chips into two sets of five and handed the boxes to Chance.

“Chance, send these to nationalist media companies separately. Exclude the defamatory ones and include a message saying we sent them. Tell them we’ll send the defamatory ones too if they want.”

“A scandal from the start of the new year. Confirmed. I’ll deliver them through Pathfinder Company. Don’t you need counseling? You’ve been frequently exposed to combat situations lately.”

“I… don’t think it’s necessary. It’s not like people with no reason to die were killed, right? I’ve honed killing skills with killing weapons and killed people, but it was worthwhile. It was the right thing to do.”

“Judgment: While mental fortitude is commendable… … … to me, who is more accustomed to nationalists’ ethics, it still seems like brainwashing.”

“Maybe so. But at least I can decide what goes into the ‘what’ part of ‘what is worth it.’ More precisely, I have to decide it. That’s quite different from brainwashing, don’t you think?”

When there’s nothing to fill in that ‘what,’ even Belvedere’s well-organized security team sometimes disobeys orders. Is this normal? No, that too is an illusion. I shouldn’t be held back by a nonexistent concept of normalcy.

If a junk gun fires bullets well and accurately, it fulfills its role as a gun. Normal means functioning well. That’s what I decided to think. It might be a narrow conclusion, but it was my conclusion about myself.

“Affirmative. Perhaps I’m too old an AI. I’ll classify it as such since it’s a way of thinking so different from what I’m used to.”

The New Year’s dawn ended with that conversation. The next morning, I was pleased to see breaking news on nationalist news channels reporting that the DPD, supported by the Federal Rehabilitation Support Bureau, had massacred Detroit citizens.

I began to anticipate how much pressure would be put on the Federal Rehabilitation Support Bureau if the defamatory content was included too. I put on the Gardner costume and filmed another episode. The mind chips from former Renegades increased by seventeen.

When returning to the penthouse, I sensed it was full of reporters, not waiting for us. I also saw H Entertainment’s security team and T Entertainment’s security team guarding the building entrance together.

I boarded the elevator that went directly to the penthouse. Leaning against the back of the elevator, I waited as it shot up to the top floor of this city without stopping at any other floors.

It didn’t take long. The elevator doors opened. Standing right in front of the open doors was the protagonist who had drawn all those crowds. Lemon-blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a perfectly sculpted face. It was Polaris.

As I took one step out of the elevator, she took one step back to maintain distance. She extended her hand—made of real flesh and blood, not a prosthetic—and leisurely whispered her catchphrase.

“The guiding star shining for a lost world in a lost age. I’m Polaris.”

Keeping the Gardner preset on even inside the penthouse wasn’t particularly pleasant. I answered properly in Gardner’s voice, as Gardner would.

“Gardner.”

After this dry introduction, a man who had been standing a few steps away from her approached. He was wearing power armor. It was power armor large enough to protect one person in his arms, and he was also carrying a body bunker.

He looked somewhat like Ms. Serena. But judging by the drone launch equipment protruding from his back, he was much more practical than Ms. Serena, whose armament was restricted by Heroism & Hope Company policy.

“Yes, Gardener. This is Theodore, who usually handles my close protection. Theo, this is Mr. Gardner. Theo always sticks close to me, so Mr. Gardner…”

“Rather than avoiding weeds to put garden trees in pots, I prefer walking over and pulling out the weeds directly. The division of roles is clear.”

Polaris nodded briefly. Her large eyes narrowing slightly when she smiled could only be described as perfectly sculpted. It’s easier to make something beautiful than to make a strong artificial body.

But then, that man called Theo tried to step forward. He seemed to have some complaint, but Polaris gently blocked his power-armored chest with her hand. Her leisurely voice continued.

“No, Theo. Remember the security team briefing? Mr. Gardner is just wearing a character costume, but the contents of that costume are a current operative. The high-frequency blade is essential for taking heads. Right?”

He seemed to be pointing out that my armament was somewhat… unbalanced and unnecessary. And yes, a singer who had been active with T Entertainment for years wouldn’t just know how to sing.

When the bodyguard named Theo nodded slightly, Polaris continued with words that didn’t match her soft and gentle voice at all.

“If someone attacks me, a bodyguard’s job isn’t to completely pulverize that person, Theo. It’s to capture them alive and hand them over to the information processing team so they can go through their gray matter page by page to find out who’s behind it and root them out.”

The “Right?” question that followed was again in a kind and gentle voice. After looking at her through the sniper veil and bulletproof mask, I said:

“Not just a singer, then.”

“I’m trying to be just a singer. But you know that in the entertainment industry, even trying to be just a singer attracts all kinds of assassination attempts. And I’m not the only one who dies in those attempts.”

She approached the bodyguard named Theo, stepped on the lower handle of the body bunker like a foothold, and gently patted his helmeted head. Her voice remained gentle, and her facial features perfect.

Nevertheless, all I heard was the sound of a beast howling instead of a human voice. Perhaps she looked like a canary that would willingly fly into a mine shaft without needing to be caged and carried.

“Just me surviving would be terrible. And saying I alone survived thanks to the heroic sacrifice of the security team would be the worst. I hate heroic tales marked by sacrifice and death. So, I prepared thoroughly.”

For someone who would just be passing through for a few days, this was expensive—by H Entertainment’s standards and by mine.