Hitori Nojima - Death Stranding - The Official Novelization, Volume Two

That impression was correct. Sam knew that even he couldn’t explain his experiences on the Beach to other people. The words that people with DOOMS and people without DOOMS used to describe death were different. The way they imagined death was different.

The syntax they used to describe the Beach itself was different. A gap in perspective that Sam knew couldn’t be bridged.

The one thing that Sam had followed in the Geologist’s ramblings was that the likelihood that the Death Stranding was the sixth mass extinction event had increased dramatically. If the reward for finally solving the eternal mystery known as death was extinction, would everyone just roll over and accept that? Did death use the fate of extinction as a gag for those who found out its truth?

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to further clarify the relationship between the Beach and extinction, but that all hinges on you activating the Chiral Network for this area.”

Sam took out the Q-pid in response to the Geologist’s remarks. He pressed it to the receptor fitted onto the delivery terminal and activated the network. If the Beach had been connected to all those past extinction events too, then didn’t that mean that the Chiral Network, which used it as an intermediary, could have yet another use? Sam questioned as he replaced the Q-pid inside the breast pocket of his suit.

Immediately after Sam left the shelter, a call registered on Sam’s cuff links. It was Deadman.

There was no way that Deadman could have known about all the crap that happened within the BT territory back there, but his cheery tone still annoyed Sam.

So, the new BB was complete. And Lou was gone. Maybe he should treat it as the new Lou. But just as parents could not replace their children, or other people could not replace lovers or friends, there was no replacement Lou. ( Hey, Sam, is that true? )

Sam wanted nothing more than to punch the cuff link, but he couldn’t cancel the call from his end. That made him even more annoyed.

Sam even felt annoyed at how Deadman was trying to make it sound like it was the most thoughtful suggestion ever. Sam was the one out here busting his ass, delivering the cargo and rebuilding America. What was he doing? Sam held back his tirade and simply switched the codec itself off. Then he proceeded down the gentle slope alone.

It was getting colder now that Sam had entered the long shadow cast by the high peak, but after the extreme cold of the blizzard that he encountered before, this was nothing.

Once he had climbed this slope he would be able to see Lou again. Or rather, the BB previously known as Lou.

Complicated feelings welled up inside him as he looked up at the ridge of the mountain. To put it bluntly, it hurt to think that even though he would be creating new memories with the BB, he would have to let go of the old ones.

Once he had climbed the slope, he could see the distribution center in the distance. He was almost there.

Lockne’s voice suddenly cried out from the codec transceiver on his cuff link.

Sam scanned his surroundings to try and figure out what she was talking about, but there was nothing unusual to be seen.

The Q-pid that Sam was using was the one that Lockne fixed. Had there been some kind of mistake? As Sam questioned himself, a vivid upside-down rainbow appeared in the southern sky. Even though it was an evil omen that signified a bridge between the world of the living and the world of the dead, it was undeniably beautiful. Sam must have seen it a hundred times, so he was surprised by this feeling he was having. In reality, it was a terrible thing, but he was so captivated by it. He was feeling something that he couldn’t put into words. He wasn’t quite in awe of its beauty, nor was he fearful; it was something else entirely. Just as he found it impossible to describe his feelings, he couldn’t stop his tears either. This wasn’t his usual allergic reaction. For some reason he was really moved.

The transmission from Lockne cut out. Sam tried reaching her again, but no matter how many times he tried, no sound came from the transceiver. Even though he was in an area covered by the Chiral Network, he couldn’t connect. All of this seemed to back up what Lockne had said about the sudden rise in chiral density. Or maybe something had happened back at Mountain Knot City.

He felt a sudden warmth on his chest, and when he pulled out the Q-pid, its six shards were emitting so much heat it felt like they might burst into flames. What was happening? Sam tried to rip the Q-pid away from his neck, but the Q-pid began to float away as if it was a creature with a mind of its own. It floated off into the air as if it was taunting him.

The second that Sam stepped forward, led on by the Q-pid, the scenery around him transformed in an instant.

An unbelievable gale was blowing at Sam from behind. He lost his balance and almost fell forward. He tried to cover his head with both arms to brace for the impact, but it was useless. His body floated. Gravity was gone and Sam was flailing through the air. Next to him, a huge whale was flying as its body rotated around like a drill. The debris of buildings, ships, and cars of varying sizes that Sam had only even seen in picture form, and faceless people that had appeared out of nowhere, were swallowed up in a giant whirlwind and sucked into the sky.

When Sam woke up, he found himself in a dilapidated town that he didn’t recognize. It was the kind of town that was built from stone and brick, not the kind of town you would find in America. The area was inundated with the sounds of shells and gunfire, together with the hum of heavy machinery that sounded like some kind of growling beast. The enormous bird that was tearing through the sky and causing the deafening roar above was an airplane. It was defying gravity. It was flying. Sam knew of planes that flew through the sky, but this was the first time he had seen one with his own eyes.

Sam fled to the nearest ruins to avoid the crossfire. The transceiver switched on and communication was established. It was Deadman.

Sam heard the worry in Deadman’s tone before he had even finished addressing him.

“What’s the matter? Where are you?” Sam asked.

An explosion went off somewhere in the distance, shaking the ruins. Debris began to fall from the ceiling.

Deadman seemed to be more talkative than usual. Maybe it was to distract himself from his own feelings of anxiety.

“How do you know?”

Without even commenting, Sam launched into a new line of questioning.

“Are there any landmarks nearby? I’m coming to get you and Lou. And then I’m going to kick that guy’s ass. Then we should be able to go home.”

But Sam wasn’t certain of that. That just happened to be how events transpired last time, but he had to do something or they would never get out of here.

Sam only understood about half of what Deadman said. “Is he some kind of architecture nerd now, too?” Sam muttered, heading outside.

Sam picked up an abandoned rifle that lay in the ruins of the building. It was lighter than the one he had picked up in the last battle and looked easier to use. It had been over a hundred years since World War Two, but Sam couldn’t believe how refined guns had already become. Come to think of it, it was around this time when nuclear weapons had first been developed as well. Humans had been creating tools to destroy each other for a long time, it seemed.