“Could you hand me that green box over there, please?”
“Oh, hold on… this one?”
“Yes, that’s the one.” You take the green plastic kit from Maeda. It opens with a sharp snap. Within the box are all the common surgical implements you are going to need in a short while. The array of stainless steel gleams invitingly under the hospital lights, and you let your fingers drift slowly across their surfaces.
“Wait… Shinoseki, what do you need these for?”
“The rest of my hand… it’s not neat… I need to remove it…” you say hoarsely. Your lips are dry and your throat hurts in fearful anticipation of the pain to come. Still, it must be done, and if it is to be done, it should be done right.
As you expected, Maeda does not take the news easily. “Remove it? Are you nuts-”
“It’s okay, Maeda-san. I’ll do it myself,” you mutter, taking out the sleek and silver electric bone saw and setting it down besides you.
“That’s not what I meant,” she says angrily. “How do you expect to do it all by yourself anyway?”
“It’s okay, Maeda-san,” you repeat. “I’ll manage. Please move aside, I don’t want to get any blood on your dress.” She steps back, looking extremely displeased at your decision. You fumble for the bottle of alcohol and take a long swig. The brandy is thick and sweet, and its passage down the back of your throat heats you up. You tighten the tourniquet further using your good hand and teeth, until you are relatively certain that the blood flow has been restricted, and then untie the blood-soaked bandages that cover your ruined hand. New ones will be needed when you are done. Casting one more look over the surgical kit to confirm that you have all you need to proceed, you begin applying the topical anaesthetic to your wrist. Then, you pick up the scalpel.
“Oh, for goodness sake!” exclaims Maeda in frustration. “I can’t believe this!”
“M-Maeda-san?” You pause, interrupted by her outburst.
Maeda stomps over to your side angrily. “Be grateful. I’m going to help you out, okay?”
“I…” The look in her eyes tells you that she will not accept any refusal from you. You nod meekly. “O-Okay. It would help if you could hold my forearm down firmly. As hard as you can.”
Sighing, she does as you say. You have doubt that her slender fingers will be able to hold you down well enough, but you were prepared to do it without support in the first place. You will just have to do it fast. Reshaping the muscles, bone and skin to form a proper stump for healing and prosthesis attachment is something you have not been trained to do, but you do remember – roughly – the procedures involved. At least it beats merely hacking your hand off.
Hefting the scalpel in your hand, you take a deep breath and begin cutting. There is not much flesh to cut away, but you need to remove whatever is there first before you can saw through the bone. The blade sinks into your skin with ease. Blood wells up from the incision, trickling down the side of your wrists. The pain is excruciating, but having expected it coming, you manage to steel yourself and not lose your grip on the scalpel. Maeda winces, her fingernails digging into your forearm. Using deep, swift slices, you get to work, parting the flesh as quickly and as neatly as you can. When you see the white bone hidden amidst all that red, you let the bloody scalpel clatter to the table and pick up the bone saw. You depress the trigger. The flat blade at the front begins oscillating at a high frequency. “There might be… a bit of a spray…” you croak. “Just so you know.”
You feel Maeda’s grip loosening before you even place the vibrating saw to the bone – it seems to be too much, even for her. “T-Talk to me, Maeda-san. Focus.” You mumble your words sternly, trying to bring her back.
“What do you even want me to talk about?” she asks, her voice shaky.
***
18:10
A. “Your family… the Kaimei group. You can tell me more about them...”
B. “H-How about what were you like in school?”
C. “Well… what are you looking forward to doing when we make it out of here alive?”
D. "So... W-What is your type?"
E. “T-Taketatsu Shinichi. How did he come to work with Ikei? A marriage of convenience?”
F. “Your… friend. Shinohara Seiji. Tell me more about him.”
G. “D-Do you know anything about the other people we’ve met here?”
H. “Anything… you can talk about anything you want, as long as you say something.”
I. "Never mind..."
