Ch.16Work Record #003 – Too Many Me’s (1)

When Thursday night ends, another workday morning dawns. While the boss didn’t come in on days off, she was already at work by the time I woke up on workdays. I still got up at Belwether’s reporting time.

As I finished washing up and trying to erase the unpleasant sensation, I heard some construction noise outside the on-call room. When I opened the door, I saw the boss personally replacing the sensor above the automatic door. Yakyung definitely wasn’t a large company.

“You’re already here?”

“People whose life schedules are synchronized with Belwether’s are all like that. Good morning to you too, Arthur. Ah, would you like to check it?”

Hearing that, I walked toward the door, and now the automatic door finally recognized me and opened. She seemed to have replaced it with a regular motion sensor. It was a small thing, but I couldn’t help smiling.

“Now even the door treats me like a person. I didn’t realize this would feel so good.”

“The employees seemed to like it, but making such a fuss about a door? You’re probably the only one who’s seen where Eve is outside of work hours.”

More than anything else, the sense of being respected fueled my will to live even after being kicked out of Belwether. Whether downing about ten beers over two days had helped or not, I could now smile more comfortably.

“Ms. Eve is just an ordinary person after all. Ah, I’m going to get back to training. I should finish all the materials you gave me within a month at least. I need to know the basics, right?”

The problem was that mercenary work wasn’t exactly a profession with abundant free time. Before I could even grab the door to the virtual reality training room, my phone started ringing.

Other employees would be seeing urgent alerts displayed by their computational assist devices. This was the emergency request the boss had mentioned. Right, the days off were definitely over.

The location was… Clone Brothel. The very place where I had posted flyers at the hotel where I stayed. Half the price, half the human rights. That advertising slogan was something I hadn’t forgotten.

“Not even giving me time to train. I’ll go change and be right back.”

Black combat uniform with a face mask. And over that, a ballistic mask secured with straps, with holes for the eyes and nose like a skull. I came out holding a carbine with the safety on, barrel pointed at the floor.

Valentina had already come out to the reception area after changing her prosthetic limbs. The people we could mobilize immediately were these three… and seeing the office drone starting to fly, Kay made four.

Boss Yoon had now completely shifted into work mode, and her voice came through the in-ear communication channel.

“I’ll brief you as we move. This is a hostage situation request. One of the clone prostitutes has taken a customer hostage with the customer’s own gun and is in a standoff with the brothel management. The building is surrounded by high walls to prevent clone leakage, and since the suspect is a clone programmed with minimal self-awareness, the brothel suspects it might be under someone’s control and has requested capture alive.”

Then we would see something terrible. Only by capturing and examining the clone could we determine whether it was truly being controlled or not. If nothing else, this incident would certainly reduce their customer base.

The armored van departs from the office parking lot. We pick up Kay from a nearby apartment complex and quickly cut through the morning rush hour traffic. This was urban security maintenance work.

While performing quasi-police duties, traffic regulations became more of a gentle suggestion than a rule, and Yakyung’s armored van displaying the image of “Belwether’s Official Partner” on all vehicles’ HUDs took precedence over traffic lights.

I hear Vola’s voice in my ear. The output voice was impeccably clear.

“Picked up Enzo. Heading there now. Any special circumstances?”

“None. To confirm the purchase list, the victim hired four clone prostitutes last night, and from external confirmation, only one of them is leading the hostage situation. We just need to capture that one alive.”

So he had a luxurious night and then was taken hostage by a clone with different intentions while oversleeping. The most likely possibility was that someone entered the room while he was sleeping and implanted a device to control the clone.

“The victim is an ordinary office worker. He has a record of regularly using clone prostitutes, and within the records I’ve been provided, there’s nothing particularly strange… Kay, could you look into whether the clone brothel might have had reason to eliminate this man? You know, like if he tried to smuggle out a clone.”

In mercenary work, the real enemy was often the employer. Unless it was a request directly posted by Belwether, it was better not to believe that clients only told the truth. Clients and mercenaries weren’t in a hierarchical relationship.

“I’ll check on that, so please continue the briefing, Boss.”

Kay’s voice was uncharacteristically calm and concise. If his promise to reflect on his behavior yesterday wasn’t empty words, that was good for me. The briefing continued.

“Understood. The notable point is that from midnight until dawn yesterday, the customer filed three complaints that one of the clone prostitutes was being highly resistant. Since resistance is an expression of self-awareness, it seems more plausible that the clone was in that state from the beginning rather than someone breaking into the room at dawn to control it. Any objections?”

This seemed to be why she suspected the clone brothel. If the clone was defective from the start, the brothel would be more at fault. In that case, calling mercenaries was a way to shift blame.

Kay’s voice continued. This was the office workers’ time. The field operatives’ only job was to answer the question: so what do we do on site?

“Check complete. There’s really nothing special about him. Just an ordinary single man in his 30s. Spends money on games and streaming services, and when he gets his bonus, he calls four or five clones from the brothel and enjoys being treated like a king for one night. It’s strange for the brothel to take out a regular customer without reason.”

“I agree. Then it seems like it might be a defect in the clone itself… Vola, when will Enzo and you arrive?”

I held my gun making sure the barrel wasn’t pointing at Valentina in the driver’s seat while organizing my thoughts. Since we needed to capture alive, even if I used the gun, I’d have to aim for the limbs. That’s difficult. Guns are killing weapons, not restraining ones.

“Estimated arrival time is 4 minutes! How long will it take you, Boss?”

“3 minutes left. I’ll go ahead and get the Offliner ready. Sniper One, please confirm your estimated arrival time.”

It was Eve. Through her communication, I could hear the sound of a motorcycle cutting through the road. Since I couldn’t hear it nearby, she must be coming from the opposite direction.

“1 minute 30 seconds until arrival. I’ll check if there’s anything the involved parties haven’t told us.”

“Good. See you on site.”

I learn from watching them move in perfect coordination. I review and confirm the site information again. The scene was on the 5th floor. Since there was a balcony, I could definitely climb up.

Since there was no rappelling equipment prepared yet, climbing up from below would be much more stable. My job was to cover the rear, and that’s what was needed this time too.

“When I arrive, I’ll wait on the balcony in case negotiations don’t go well. Do you have any flash grenades?”

“Yes. I’ll provide them on site, Offliner.”

Clean and efficient. This hostage-taker wouldn’t move faster than a flash grenade going off. I firmly gripped my trembling hand and composed myself.

The car magically arrived at the scene in just 3 minutes. I could see Eve, wearing her usual tight pants and loose flight jacket with ballistic plates underneath, and a helmet. She nodded briefly and said:

“Boss, it seems the employer has conveyed all information without omitting anything. When Enzo arrives, I’ll go up with him. Even though it’s a capture alive mission, will you set up a sniper position?”

Boss Yoon shook her head. If this really was a clone with elevated self-awareness, knowing someone was aiming at it would only provoke it more, and the goal of this mission was capture, not killing.

“No, we won’t. Since this is a capture mission, it’s better to show minimal weaponry. Kay, call the security guards and have them escort out any guests who have been evacuated, and tell them to re-examine all the clone prostitutes.”

She was an excellent field commander before being an excellent sniper. It was clear in how well she could filter and process information from those around her.

I headed toward the first-floor balcony and gently pulled on it to test its strength. It was sturdy enough not to creak even with my weight hanging from it. I looked up at the building.

Though designed like a large hotel, the walls made it look more like a prison. It probably was no different from a prison for the clones, who were created by mixing DNA beyond recognition of the original before replication.

“Balcony check complete. I think I can climb up quietly, but the room where the hostage situation is…”

I slightly strained my eyes to scan the 5th floor. Only the seventh and eighth windows on the 5th floor were covered with curtains. That’s the room. If one room has two windows, it’s room 504.

“It’s room 504. I’ll wait on the balcony.”

The boss handed me a bundle of two flash grenades. The handling procedure was the same as at Belwether. A reassuring moment.

“Good. Enzo, try to negotiate, but if things don’t go well, draw the perpetrator’s attention away from the window. Offliner will infiltrate.”

I lightly jumped up to grab the 2nd floor balcony and pulled myself up. Then, without even bending my legs, I jumped again to grab the bottom of the 3rd floor balcony, and with one more jump, I found myself leaning against the living room window of room 404.

I check the interior of the room. It’s an ordinary room with a bed and a display. Similar to the hotel where I stayed. Right in front of this window where I’m standing is a bed with nightstands on both sides.

And beyond that were the bathroom and toilet separated by a partition. If the perpetrator was hiding in a corner to avoid snipers, they would likely be in the bathroom area. What about the right window? I moved over to check the inside of the right window as well.

Ah, it’s the play room. A place for doing things that can’t be done on the bed, so all the windows and doors were soundproofed. If I infiltrated from there, I could catch the clone from behind as it walked out from the bathroom. I confirm.

I gently pressed the switch on my neck microphone and whispered. It was quiet enough that the clone upstairs wouldn’t hear.

“I’ve confirmed the internal structure. I’ll be ready to infiltrate as soon as you give the order.”

I climb up one more floor and lean lightly against the protruding part of the wall between the living room and play room. There was no trembling or loss of balance. That’s what the Post-Human series was.

And from up there, I could see Vola’s pickup truck arriving. Today too, Mr. Enzo was holding a briefcase to his chest. He rushed into the brothel with Eve escorting him.

“Persuasion team has entered.”

After whispering a brief “Confirmed,” I wait. Soon, footsteps began to be heard from inside the wall I was leaning against. My whole body was properly tense. Now I wouldn’t miss any sound.

Soon I heard knocking, and a neurotic voice burst out from inside the window.

“Get lost!”

Enzo’s slightly intimidated voice was good for making the perpetrator think they had the upper hand in this situation.

If they felt superior in even one aspect, and if there was something they wanted to gain from that superiority, the clone would engage in negotiation. Reality could be made clear slowly. As long as they weren’t driven to desperation, that would be enough.

“Ah, hello. I’m, I’m Enzo Casetti, negotiator from Yakyung, the mercenary company. Um, and you are?”

As he started by asking for a name, a voice filled with confusion rang out from behind the door. Clones don’t have names. They only have numbers. If something that looks like a name is attached, it’s a product name.

“I, I… Why should you know!”

“All I need to know is how to end this hostage situation. So, Mr. Hostage-taker. You’re the only hostage-taker in this building, right?”

Enzo seemed to think this was simply an identity issue. The clone cultivation process is systematic, but systematic doesn’t always mean perfect. Sometimes defective products emerge.

“Hostage-taker… not a nice name, but at least it’s something only for me. This, this bastard kept calling me by my number!”

I heard the sound of someone being struck with the body of a gun. Enzo responded with a startled voice. The perpetrator was emotional. Was this really about the clone’s identity?

“Ah, no, no. We’re here to find a solution. That’s why everyone with guns is waiting outside, except for one person protecting me. Really. Do you have any demands?”

That was obviously a lie. I was hiding just a wall or two away from her. After pondering the word “demands” for a moment, she spoke. What she said was nonsensical.

“Buy me and let me out of here. This place is full of stupid Bellas who can’t even think straight! I’m different from this trash. I’m different from these clones. I can think with my own head. So, I shouldn’t be here… But I’m not stupid. I know I can’t just walk out of here. So, buy me and let me out. That’s all.”

Good thing she’s not asking for a million credits and a helicopter. Making such demands and staging a hostage situation that would trigger an emergency call to a mercenary company was the stupidest thing this clone could do.

I tried to recall what the Bella model looked like, but… nothing came to mind. I had never visited places like clone brothels. The negotiation seemed to be going well. Probably.

“So your goal is to buy freedom through purchase… Can you come to the door for a moment? I’ll show you the request we received. If you see that our request is to capture you alive, not kill you, and if you release the hostage… you might be detained briefly, but you’ll be able to leave freely. I’m going to slide in a hologram generator.”

Enzo spoke kindly as if he would try to fulfill the hostage-taker’s demands as much as possible, but the content transmitted through the communication channel was the exact opposite.

“Off, Offliner… If you confirm she’s being guided to the door, you can throw the flash grenade and enter. Can you cap, capture her alive?”

I pressed the neck microphone button and whispered. Enzo wasn’t conducting the negotiation out of pure sympathy either. Especially when dealing with a naive clone hostage-taker.

“Affirmative. I’ll enter immediately after confirming movement toward the front door. Please give permission.”

I grip the pair of connected flash grenades. I prepare to open the window while leaning against the balcony. From inside the room, voices could be heard.

“Bella-7137, use this guy’s detector to scan for radio waves around us. Just two people, right? Good…”

She calls other clones by their numbers while getting angry about being called by her own number. I hear footsteps crossing the carpet. I slightly pull the curtain and check inside.

One clone was pointing a gun at the corner of the room and heading toward the door. But since they all had identical faces, there was no way to tell which clone was which. Leaning back against the wall, I pressed the neck microphone button and whispered:

“Please speak to her once more. She’s holding a gun, but since they’re clones, I can’t distinguish them by appearance alone.”

Enzo performed his assigned task excellently. His voice still trembled as if anxious, but that was his voice when he wasn’t anxious at all.

“Have you, have you come to the door? I’m going to slide it in now, so don’t worry. It’s really just a hologram generator.”

“Just hurry up and show me! I’m dying of anxiety too!”

The clone at the door was the one who spoke. I open the balcony window. I throw the pair of flash grenades into the room. It was time to enter.