Fractal Plane: Beyond Public Eyes

Chapter 11 - Major Complications

1

"And here we are. Welcome to the control room."

Facing a proud expression from the man, Uehara and Amagi looked in wonder at the gigantic screen in front of them. The vice-president leaned against the railings of the platform and spread his arms out.

Meanwhile, the two girls looked in wonder at the size of the room. Spanning several meters long and being several levels deep, one could mistake the place for a mini-auditorium had it not been for the rows of computer monitors on each descending level.

A laboratory observatory would be better used to describe the place, and people paid little heed to them as they typed away, causing lines of text to scroll up the gigantic screen that showed an overhead view of the stage.

From their spot, all three of them can see the stage being set up and observe the events in real time.

No matter how anyone would put it, the view in front was nothing short of spectacular. And complex.

Uehara knew little about the technical aspects of things, but she could tell that the characters on the screen somehow correlated to the lights and other settings, as the stage moved and the lights flickered with each interval of new text being drawn up.

A lot of stage settings were being adjusted on the fly, possibly in order to create the best experience for the audience later on.

However, on one end of the screen, a lone block of text remained unmoving.

"This is awesome."

"Isn't it? I'm glad you're finding it great, Ms..." The vice-president looked at his phone for a second before giving Amagi a sheepish grin. "Yukimura."

"Now, I would normally say that the tour ends here and that I would be handing the reigns over to Ms. Utara to take you onto a special part of the tour. Unfortunately, she's not with us right now. Since we got some more time, why don't you take a look around the area? You may go back to some of the places we've been to and take some pictures if you like."

"R-really?" asked Amagi.

"Yeah, all the restricted places have been locked with the card key that only employees and special persons have access to. You're free to go check some more things while I get to my spot down there and prepare for the show. You have tickets to it?"

"Um... no, unfortunately."

"Is that so? That's too bad."

"Excuse me," said Uehara, finally turning her eyes away from the screen.

"What is it, Himejima?"

"Pardon for the intrusion, but I'm just curious as to what those things on the screen are."

"Oh, those? Just some options being tinkered with by the best crew on the house," replied the man while proudly pointing at the busy employees at work. "They make the best experience anyone could ask for, and the perfect ambiance, too."

"I see."

"Oh, and before I forget, today's show will be extra special. A sponsor has helped us with setting up satellite drones all around the venue, and once Yuki-tan's performance reaches its climax, they would be there to record and enhance everything. It's such a shame that you wouldn't get to see the genius of our sponsors."

He looked legitimately sad that the two girls would not be attending Yuki-tan's performance, but something from what he said caught Uehara's attention more.

"Satellite drones?"

"Yes. Right now, the whole Chronodome is surrounded by those drones that aim to enhance performance and give the audience never before seen special effects in the show. I have seen it in action, and it's nothing short of magical!"