Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:GT Volume5 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 4===

A heavy metal thud echoed out.

The words spoken by the non-Anti-Skill guards in charge of locking up the metal bars were powerful but cold. They were like an icy shout that squeezed the hearts of all who heard it. Watching over cells was an ancient job dating back to BCE times. In children’s books, they sometimes took the form of monsters whose screams or songs could take lives – an idea that may have come from hearing voices like this.

“Lock ABC check!”

“Repeat. Lock ABC check!”

“Repeat confirmed. Next!! #0003, check lock and restraints!!”

However, this was not the giant prison in District 10.

It was a prison transport train named Overhunting.

Its composite armor was 200mm thick on the sides, 120mm thick on the roof where it was thinnest, and more than 800mm thick on the front. It was built more like a shelter than a train. Increase it any further and it would be so heavy it would damage the metal wheels and rails.

It had a special 7-car design, but not all of those were packed full of prisoners. The front and back cars were both engine cars containing a massive motor and an emergency battery. The 2nd and 6th cars were weapon cars loaded with containers of ground-attack rockets and a domed anti-air optical weapon built to glass laser standards. The 3rd car was a waiting area for the armed guards. So despite the large size of the armored train, only the 4th and 5th cars were used to carry prisoners.

The city’s administrative functions were gathered in District 1, so it was no stranger to amusing rumors regarding the railway and subway system. But did any of those government workers with suits and perfectly parted hair know there were subway platforms below the prisons and courthouses that were missing from all of the official diagrams?

“Sigh.”

“What’s wrong, Matsuriba? Did your pick-me-up coffee upset your stomach?” 

The young newcomer waved a dismissive hand at the female driver’s cold question. They were walking across the special platform to the driver’s compartment in the front, but seeing that black and blue train covered in thick armor made him feel blue himself. Opening the door during the final check had been a bad idea.

He had seen something he very much wished he hadn’t.

It had looked an awful lot like the small food cart wheeled down the aisle on a normal train, but this was very different. It was the kind of thick cage used to transport animals. You weren’t supposed to use something like that to hold a human being. Worse, the person crammed inside the much-too-small space had looked like a girl of only 10 or 12.

“Hanatsuyu Youen. They called her a ghost of Operation Handcuffs, didn’t they?”

The young driver absentmindedly placed his hand on the side of his pants.

It was an easy mistake to make since they worked in a public facility and wore uniforms, but Japan’s railroad workers worked for private companies, not the government. They had none of the authority of law enforcement groups like Anti-Skill and Judgment.

Nevertheless, he wore two black synthetic leather holsters on the side of his pants. They held nonmetal handcuffs and a cheap 5-shot revolver.

He knew things were a mess aboveground. District 1 was normally peaceful, but it was also a prime target for protests.

This special subway station never saw any ordinary customers, but the LCD advertisements wrapped around the pillars were as lively as ever.

“The Winter Cleaning begins now!!”

“Just look at R&C Occultics and Academy City’s #1! We can’t let the tyranny of those elites continue! The harmless average citizen like us need to keep those monsters in check!!”

“Don’t let them hoard power! Tax the rich! It’s all that excess wealth that lets them cover up their misdeeds. Return that money to the people!!”

That was the public opinion these days. It hadn’t helped that the breakup of R&C Occultics and the arrest of the #1 had happened at the same time. The young driver knew the special prisoners who survived Handcuffs would be torn to pieces by the angry students if they weren’t defended, but he hated how he became a target of their anger too just because he was carrying special extralegal equipment like handcuffs and a handgun. The deluge of angry voices coming from the monitor distracted him to no end.

Once he set foot on this train, the protections of Academy City’s Swords and Firearms Control Law no longer applied. It was governed by entirely different rules, like an embassy or consulate. The train qualified as part of a special prison where taking one step out of line would get you shot.

The female driver, who also carried a revolver fixed to herself with a cord, seemed much more accustomed to it.

“Don’t let it get to you. The difficulty of the driving is the same whether we’re transporting powdered milk or fuel rods.”

There were a few more inhumane pushcart cages, but they all carried villains who couldn’t be transported in ordinary prisoner transport vehicles.

These were the survivors of the sweep of the cruel and violent dark side.

They had been safely captured by Anti-Skill, but according to rumor, they had gone through hell on earth and it was a miracle they were still alive at all. Their survival itself was all the proof anyone needed they were indeed monsters. The damage would be devastating if they were allowed to escape.

“Matsuriba.”

“Yes, yes. I know!”

The young driver adjusted his flat hat and hurried after the more experienced woman. She didn’t look back as she gave him an instruction in a low voice.

“Repeat our schedule for me one last time.”

“I’m not a trainee who freezes up in the simulator. Ahem, the Overhunting is scheduled to depart at precisely 1700 hours. We will travel south from District 1, pass through District 7, and arrive in District 10. Our final stop is the unofficial station below the Special Criminal Adult Correctional Facility. It should be a pleasant 30-minute trip.”

“Very good.”

The city’s subways only covered a third of Tokyo. They weren’t going to have a Siberian-style train journey.

Of course, ''maintaining'' a railroad at usable levels was very expensive. Look into the struggles of the rural routes that were always in the red and that becomes readily apparent. Normally, no one would even consider a prisoner transport train that might only be used a few times a year. Without regular traffic from travelers and freight, rail travel just wasn’t realistic.

That meant someone considered this to be worth the cost.

Someone wanted to safely and reliably transport violent criminals by train even if it was like shoveling stacks of cash into the fire instead of coal.

“It’s impressive when you think about it.” The young driver was not talking about the abnormal amount of weaponry installed on the armored train. “Trains are the easiest type of vehicle to ambush. If you know where they’re going, you can derail it by removing a piece of the rail somewhere along the way. So to make this trip ‘safe and reliable’, they’re really telling us to keep going full speed ahead even if the light changes or the crossing is malfunctioning. That way, if someone does attack to try and rescue the prisoners, they’ll only cause a devastating accident that kills everyone onboard. It’s a suicidal message to any would-be attackers: you won’t get what you want, so don’t even try it. In other words…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say the rest.

Academy City’s higher ups were telling the drivers to ensure they would be torn to mincemeat along with the criminals if anything happened. Their lives were considered a small price to pay to ensure those criminals did not escape. Not a pleasant message for someone who had lived a good and honest life.

The somewhat older female driver adjusted the angle of her flat hat and responded in an exasperated tone.

“That’s why operating the Overhunting comes with a juicy bonus on top of the ordinary pay. This one 30-minute trip earns us enough to buy a cruiser. Not even operating a luxury European sleeper train pays that well.”

“What, are you strapped for cash? Personally, getting paid this much for train operation scares me. This isn’t like being passed a basket and tongs and told to go catch some tuna.”

“I’ve gotten tangled up in my fair share of trouble during my decade working on the railroad, but I’ve never seen a job like this before. And if I needed money, I’d start trading stocks instead of risking my life. Did you know Australia’s railroad construction industry is hot right now?”

“Then why?”

“The same reason people still tinker with old steam locomotives in this age of CO2 hate and even make their own reproductions of parts that aren’t manufactured any longer. It’s an armored train! These inefficient and unprofitable toys are as rare as a Yamato-class battleship nowadays. This might be the only place still running one.”

“Wait, don’t tell me…”

“I have a feeling getting into this business for nonweird reasons puts you in the minority, Matsuriba. ''We'' all have the same sign carved into our souls, but tread carefully when you choose whether to call us railfans, train buffs, train otaku, train girls, train brains, or whatever else. Now, let’s get to work!”