The heavy slam of the safehouse door echoed behind us as we set off, leaving the Subplate in our wake.
We were riding in a decommissioned armored vehicle—originally a military transport that the Doctor had modified to his own eccentric tastes. The armor plating was peeling in mottled patches, and the exterior was peppered with marks resembling old burn scars. But when he turned the key, the engine’s heavy bass resonated deep in my gut.
Apparently, the wagon we had used to get here was strictly for use within the Subplate. Driving something like that through the Upper District would likely lead to an unnecessary interrogation by the Police Organization.
The Bouncer remained at the safehouse. His tasks: body disposal, system recalibration, and resetting the defense lines. He had been eager to follow us, but after the Doctor saddled him with his chores, he saw us off with a dejected slump. He would likely be spending many lonely nights in that ruin-strewn district for a while.
Our destination was the Upper District, "Nocturne Veil." Since our primary subject for the "dismantling show"—the Believer—had rotted away and Kaya had awakened, it was more convenient to move "up." In the Upper District, there was at least a modicum of surveillance from the Police Organization; it was bound to be safer than here.
We had brought along samples of the rotted man’s body tissue, divided into preservation capsules and tucked into a carrying case. Whether he was simply eager to begin detailed component testing or just being himself, the Doctor occasionally stroked the case sitting next to the driver's seat with a leering grin.
After passing through a narrow passage, the armored vehicle’s headlights illuminated a gray wall. It wasn't so much a "road" as it was the hidden gut of an industrial facility. A business tunnel. Steel frames, wiring, and heavy pipes ran along the ceiling. In the damp air, drainage dripped quietly. From somewhere far off, the echo of our engine crawled back along the walls.
"The Subplate... I don't think people ventured this far in my day," Kaya remarked.
His voice, a clear boy soprano, seemed to float above the mechanical hum of the vehicle.
"Well, there have always been folks living down here. I’ve heard rumors that some spots near the Lowest District go back a hundred years... but I don't think they started calling it the Subplate until maybe twenty years ago," the Doctor replied. He tapped the steering wheel lightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "The Repairman probably knows more about that than I do."
He cast a glance at me through the rearview mirror, but I wasn't particularly well-versed in local history. I knew just enough to keep from getting lost, and that was about it.
When I gave a non-committal shrug, the Doctor let out a short, "Heh."
Every time the vehicle hit a bump, the fluorescent light in the cabin flickered. Peeling warning stickers on the ceiling danced unsteadily in the strobe-like effect.
Kaya sat directly across from me on the facing bench seats common in military vehicles. He wasn't restrained in any way. I remembered the anxious Bouncer fretting over that choice.
His wet silver hair had already dried, emitting a faint, ethereal glow under the dim lighting. He was wearing some of the Doctor’s spare clothes—a tank top, cargo pants, and a baggy jacket draped over his small frame.
There was only one exception. A bit of insurance "she" had requested herself.
A black choker was fastened around his throat. At first glance, it looked like a simple accessory, but hidden inside was a small-scale explosive. It wouldn't do much damage to the surroundings, but it had more than enough power to take his head off. Of course, that came with the caveat of being used "against a normal human." I had no idea how effective it would actually be against him.
I was the one who had fastened it. When I had put it on him back at the safehouse, he—no, she—had looked at the reflection in the mirror and smiled.
"Does it suit me?"
I'd had no answer for that playful tone. The Doctor had watched the scene from the driver’s seat with a grin.
"You two look just like lovers from a past era," he'd said.
Even as he made light talk, I could see a hint of madness lurking in his eyes whenever he looked at Kaya. Then again, that was business as usual for him. Even while laughing, the Doctor was constantly observing us—observing Kaya—through the rearview mirror.
The engine hummed with a low growl. We were nearing the ascending tunnel that led to the Upper District. Emergency lights installed on the walls flashed past at regular intervals, dyeing the interior of the car in alternating strobes of red and white.
After a long silence, the Doctor finally spoke up.
"Hey, Repairman. Why don't you share some stories of the old days? I'm sure the young Miss Kaya is interested."
He smiled in the mirror. His tone was forced, but his curiosity seemed genuine.
"He's right," Kaya agreed, nodding. "I want to hear it, too. Everything that happened after I died."
I turned my gaze to the window. The streaks of light flowing along the tunnel wall looked like afterimages of the past.
"...It's not an interesting story. When Kaya died, I was left with horrific injuries. My internal organs and bones were a mess; apparently, I could barely manage a single breath."
I recalled those days. They were bitter memories. Back then, I didn't have the skills to perform my own "Repair."
"In the end, with no hope for treatment, the person I was indebted to put me into cold sleep. When I finally woke up, a Tin Head was standing over me."
"A Tin Head? You don't mean Junkhead, do you?" The Doctor’s shoulders jumped. "The Eradicata High Executive? And you were in cold sleep? I'm amazed you're even alive."
Kaya’s eyes widened in surprise as well. "...If I recall, the awakening rate for cold sleep was less than ten percent."
I shrugged. "I suppose I was lucky."
"Honestly, you haven't changed a bit," Kaya said with a small smile. "Even back then, you were never one to feel guilty about crossing the line between life and death. You never gave a thought to the people you might leave behind."
Kaya peered into my face as he spoke, but I simply closed my eyes and offered no answer. Silence returned, broken only by the constant vibration of the car.
"And? What happened after you woke up?" the Doctor pressed.
"...Apparently, I was alone. Junkhead told me he 'found me deep inside an old facility,' but when I went back to check later, it was a place I didn't recognize. From that point on... well, I've just lived quietly as a Repairman."
"Quietly, huh?" the Doctor muttered, looking at me skeptically.
Kaya let out a soft chuckle. "Hehe, nothing but lies. There was never a time when Rei was 'quiet.' You were always reckless, the type to go sticking your nose into trouble at the first opportunity."
I shrugged my shoulders again.
"Whoa, if he was even more reckless back then than he is now, I'm surprised this whole district hasn't been leveled to the ground," the Doctor laughed, slapping the steering wheel.
I kept my gaze fixed out the window and said nothing. Kaya looked down slightly, his fingers tracing the black ring of the choker bomb.
Then, he spoke softly. "It would be nice if we could do things together again. Like in the old days."
The words were barely a murmur, and I couldn't tell if they were sincere. For some reason, her speech bubbles remained invisible, just as they had been before.
Silence. Only the low, earthquake-like rumble of the engine echoed between us. The Doctor started to say something but thought better of it. Instead, he floored the accelerator, and the vehicle surged forward.
The end of the tunnel was near. I could see the light from the ascending lift leading to the Upper District in the distance. Kaya’s silver hair glowed faintly as it caught the reflection from the window.
As I watched him, for a fleeting moment, a scene from the past overlapped with the present.
A rooftop in the ruins. Under a red sky stained by the setting sun, hair swayed in the wind. That smile. That voice. Everything was distant now, like an echo caught in a recording.
"...That's enough of the past," I said, turning my eyes back to the window.
The elevator slope to the surface came into view. The massive metal doors opened slowly, allowing the brilliant light of the Upper District to spill inside. The Doctor pulled the throttle.
The armored vehicle roared as it charged forward. Shedding the stagnant air of the underground, we ascended toward the "surface" once again.
The silver hair sparkled as it caught the light.
In that moment, it looked as though the dead were finally returning to the sun.