Capítulo 13: Chapter 13: “2-049”
Chapter 13: "2-049"
In a dark chamber, Alice slowly adjusted to the dim light and saw a puppet wrapped in greasy cloth strips. The puppet creaked as it turned over, its face painted with clown makeup, meeting Alice's gaze. On that eerie face were a pair of pure black, pupil-less eyes, and below them, a crack abruptly formed into the shape of a "mouth." The split "mouth" revealed a distinct curve, creating an exaggerated clown's smile on the face painted with clown makeup—Alice realized the puppet was smiling at her.
Alice awoke abruptly from her dream, the bizarre and terrifying smile lingering in her mind, leaving her heart racing. Unable to sleep, she got up to check the time—fortunately, it was already daylight.
"A dangerous, extraordinary item… perhaps a sealed object with certain living characteristics."
After sketching the image of the puppet from her dream using a ritual, Alice brought the freshly made drawing to Dunn's office and laid it before him.
"Have you seen 2-049?" Dunn recognized the drawing at a glance.
"2-049? A sealed object?" Alice frowned, the possibility matching one of her guesses, but the number did not fit her expectations. "Is that sealed object alive?"
"Alive?" Dunn furrowed his brow at her. "No, 2-049 has never shown signs of life."
"So, it's under an unknown influence… I understand now, the focus isn't 2-049, it's what's affecting it!" Alice had an epiphany.
Dunn listened to Alice, pondered for a moment while looking at the drawing, then, as he put it away, said, "I see, you may go now."
Alice nodded, ready to leave, but suddenly paused as if she saw something. As Dunn looked at her quizzically, about to ask, she quickly left his office as if she had just realized something.
Casually closing the door behind her, Alice greeted everyone she knew with a smile as she walked to the washroom. Once inside, she leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and calmed her thoughts.
She would not forget what she had seen—the deathly shadow that had been gradually spreading around Dunn since their first meeting, slowly engulfing him, had just now wavered.
"Not enough," Alice whispered to herself. "I must see what lies behind the shadow… or rather, its deeper purpose."
Alice wasn't particularly kind-hearted, but she couldn't stand by and watch Dunn die. Realizing someone might be using Dunn's death—or a certain predicament—to achieve a goal, Alice considered warning him—then her spiritual intuition stopped her.
She realized she couldn't speak of it, not even show a trace, or it would bring unknown danger.
Alice wouldn't sacrifice herself for Dunn, so she pretended to notice nothing. Dunn had been safe for three years, and while everything seemed unchanged, Alice knew the dark web had been cast, silently awaiting activation.
But Alice was helpless; she couldn't reach behind the web without touching it, so she quietly waited for an opportunity—until today.
But why would this affect Dunn? Clueless, Alice left the washroom after calming her thoughts and began her day's lessons in mysticism.
…
After retrieving Antigonus's notes and receiving treatment, Dunn sat alone in his office writing a report.
Having checked the report again and finding no issues, Dunn was about to leave when he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," Dunn replied, wondering who might be seeking him.
Alice entered, closing the door behind her and taking the opportunity to observe Dunn—the slight influence on the shadow had returned to its place.
Indeed. She thought to herself. It was a covert, long-term influence. To break such a scheme, one must either plan slowly or overpower it with absolute force…
Unable to do the latter, Alice did something quite unreasonable: "Captain, what were you doing out there?"
Dunn frowned at Alice—of course, there was no harm in telling her, as she was, in name, a formal member of the Night Watcher squad, even if she never took her turn at Chanis Gate nor went on independent missions.
But that was precisely the problem—Alice was well aware of her own situation and would not inquire unless someone spoke to her first.
"I came to remind you," Alice realized Dunn's misunderstanding, "about the thing affecting 2-049…"
As she spoke, Alice saw the shadow dissipate slightly, just as it had in the morning, making her realize her reminder was not in vain—after all, Dunn's poor memory was no secret.
Dunn seemed to recall the morning's events: "…Sit down, since you've come to ask, and this is, after all, your dream."
Alice sat as instructed.
"Do you remember the Antigonus family notes?" Dunn asked while revising his report.
Alice nodded; she wouldn't forget why that special new colleague had joined them.
"We successfully retrieved those notes today. If there's something that could affect 2-049, it would likely be those notes," Dunn explained and analyzed. "If that's the case, those notes must be quite dangerous…"
Alice didn't take the bait. She thought the guess was highly probable, but why would a misjudgment of the notes' danger lead to Dunn's death? As a seasoned official supernatural being, he shouldn't…
Alice paused in thought, recalling the eyes behind old Neil.
…Could it be that the captain was also on the brink of losing control?
Alice quietly observed Dunn, regretfully lacking the ability to discern more, so she asked an even more inappropriate question: "May I have a look at those notes? I don't need to open or read them, just a glance from afar."
Dunn pondered for a moment but refused the request: "It's not that I don't trust you, but… I think it's best we wait until after the cathedral's assessment to decide."
"…I understand." Alice looked at Dunn for a few seconds, then realizing he wouldn't agree, reluctantly accepted the situation and left his office.
(End of Chapter)
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