Note: This is not exactly a fanfic; it's more sort of a prose retelling
of the beginning of the story of the PlayStation 2 game "Operator's
Side." I picked this up a few months ago, and I'm enjoying it quite a
lot. However, since I'm not fluent in Japanese, my understanding of the
story may be a bit off. So, I guess this is MY version of the story
(^_^); It's kind of an experiment for me. Tell me what you think!
Operator's Side: Voice Action Adventure was created by and is a
trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment. I do not own the characters
and situations used here. This fanfic is written for entertainment
purposes only, and may not be used for profit (if in fact that's
possible :-).
C&C gratefully accepted! (I know, I haven't done enough C&C myself...)
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
OPERATOR'S SIDE: prologue
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
...make it stop...
...the noise...
No matter how hard I plead, the annoying klaxon continues, sending waves
of pain through my head.
Am I hung over?
I briefly open my eyes a little. Through the haze, I see a few things
float past my field of view. A pen, some papers, some debris...
Debris?
The dull, throbbing pain that flows through my body seems to have
localized itself in my right arm.
What happened?
"Sayaka...Sayaka? Are you there?"
I call out to my fiancee, but there is no answer other than that damned
alarm.
Finally, I open my eyes fully. What's going on?
I am floating in the middle of a room filled with monitor screens and
control consoles.
How did I get here?
The last thing I remember is...
****
"My dear guests, welcome to the grand opening of the Japan Space Line
Space Station Hotel!"
As a wave of applause greeted those words, I turned to Sayaka. "Just
like us Japanese to build a hotel close to nowhere, eh?"
She punched me lightly on the arm. "Just go with the moment, okay?" A
smile belied her mock angry tone.
The speaker at the podium continued, but I had lost interest in what he
was saying almost before he had started. When he had wound to a close,
I applauded politely with the rest, took Sayaka's arm, and maneuvered
her away from the crowd at the center of the reception, before the next
speaker could start. Amused, she came along.
We made our way to the observation windows along the outside of the
ballroom. Sayaka gazed out over the earth slowly turning below.
"Amazing," she whispered. "What a beautiful view."
I nodded. "Yes, beautiful," I agreed, but I was looking at Sayaka. She
looked so elegant in that dark blue gown.
Sayaka turned to me, smiling -- she knew exactly what I was seeing. No
trying to fool her. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself." She
stepped forward and gave me an embrace. "And thank you again for
bringing me here. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.
"Would you like something to drink, sir?" A waitress carrying a tray of
drinks had approached us. "Some champagne, perhaps?"
"No thank you," I said, "perhaps later." The waitress smiled, bowed,
and walked away.
I don't know how long we stood there, looking out at the view from
orbit. From here, I can't seem to remember clearly what happened --
****
A screen flickers to life below me, distracting me from my memories. It
seems to be showing an exterior camera view of this space station. I
drift over to the console and manage to maneuver myself into the chair.
As I sit down, a window pops up on the screen.
___________________________________________________
::OPERATOR DETECTED::SWITCHING TO ACTIVE MODE::
Welcome back!
STATION STATUS (BRIEF):
STATION IS IN *LOCKDOWN* MODE
MAJOR HULL BREACH DETECTED:
HOTEL RING SECTION C
UNKNOWN LIFEFORMS DETECTED:
HOTEL RING
ADMIN SECTION
LABORATORY SECTION
MONITOR ROOM IS SECURE
SECURITY SYSTEMS AT 90%
___________________________________________________
I grab the seat restraints and try to strap myself in, but another
stabbing pain shoots through my arm. I look, and am horrified to see a
long gash, from the crook of my arm almost to the wrist. After a closer
look, I see that the wound, although long and scary looking, is really
rather shallow.
How the hell did that happen?
After making use of a medikit stowed near the locked door, I return to
the control console and strap myself in. As I do so, the alarm klaxon
shuts itself off, and bright lights snap on around the room. I take
stock of my surroundings. Along three walls are banks of screens and
controls, some operational, others dark. The fourth wall has a large
monitor that looks to be damaged. On one side of the screen is the
exit, currently sealed. I look up to see several storage compartments
set into the ceiling, along with more controls and things which I don't
understand. I look at the console in front of me, hoping that I can at
least figure this out.
Success! I've found the security camera records. Let's take a look at
what happened at the reception....
The camera looks down at the party. Nothing unusual, people talking.
Oh look, here's some official refusing to talk to a reporter. Let's
switch to the cameraman's feed...
"I don't know where you heard these rumors. There is no top secret
ANYTHING going on in this station!"
A subtitle flashes up: "Prime Minister Takayama"
"Then why are there so many restricted areas? I'd like to see your
research facilities --"
"There is nothing of interest for you there! Don't you think it's
appropriate to keep civilians out of areas which may be dangerous?"
"'Civilians?'"
"...Untrained personnel! Bah, this ends the interview!"
The station administrator walks off. The reporter turns to the
cameraman and says, "Did you get that?" After a moment, her name --
Ando Reiko -- pops up, and she continues her report.
I switch cameras again. Suddenly, in the ballroom, the image begins to
shake. No, it's the room itself; people are looking around in surprise.
Then, all the lights go off, and someone starts to scream. A horde
of...something... is slithering into the room. I try to adjust the
picture, but all the camera can make out is glowing red eyes, flowing
across the screen. Then, the image spins around and stops with a jolt.
It seems the camera has been knocked off of it's mount to the floor.
Those creatures fill the view, until, with a final burst of static, the
recording ends.
I stare at the screen, shocked at what I have just seen, and shocked by
what I can now remember seeing....
****
"Sayaka!"
Sayaka was screaming, as were what seems to be most of the people at the
reception. I grabbed her by the arm and began running towards where I
thought one of the exits were, but we found our way blocked by a mob of
people who had the same idea. The screams continued around us, mixed
with what to my panicked mind sounded like flesh being gnawed off of
bone.
We managed to keep moving while the station shook and rattled around us.
We had made it out of the ballroom, but before we could get too far, an
especially violent explosion somewhere shook the station hard enough to
knock us to the deck. We both got up, but we got separated somehow, and
then there was a brilliant flash of light --
****
My desperate attempts to remember what happened next are interrupted by
a loud beep from the console in front of me. There is a click, and then
from the speakers comes a woman's voice.
"Monitor room? Operator-san, are you there? Can anyone hear me?"
The video playback screen automatically minimizes, to be replaced by a
small pop-up.
________________________
INCOMING CALL:
HOTEL RING SECTION A
DETENTION CENTER
ACCEPT/REJECT?
________________________
"Operator-san? Muto-san? Anyone?"
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
a quick, somewhat redundant note:
"Operator's Side: Voice Action Adventure" is a PS2 game produced by Sony
in Japan. I bought it a few months ago, and I've found it to be quite
enjoyable, even though my Japanese skills are fairly minimal. As such,
this is my version of the story, based upon my assumptions, and a basic
understanding of the Japanese in the game. For that reason, it does not
follow the Japanese plot exactly.
In the game, you are the one who wakes up in the monitor room, with
little clue as to what's happening. The game is played with a
microphone, and you have to direct the onscreen characters by voice
command. This game has done wonders for my Japanese vocabulary,
although I can't see an occasion where I'd use "kaenbin" ("Molotov
cocktail") in daily conversation...
So, what do you think?
Rob
(the author occasionally known as Raja)