Unit 731

The journey had passed without any noise aside from the rumbling of the engine below us, and the odd crack as a stone was trapped underneath the wheels of the truck. Myself nor the other two men dared to say a word, for fear of being punished by the cold-faced soldier sitting in the passenger seat. Before long, we had pulled into the harbour, the ocean stretching for miles as far as the eye could see, gleaming and glistening in the sun, which had now fully risen and was blazing in the middle of the sky, as if trying to fend off the oncoming black clouds that seemed to be multiplying across the sky. A small crowd had already assembled by the side of a dirty cargo ship, my fellow comrades once again huddling together to try and keep warm in the harsh breeze. Rain droplets had already begun to fall, in small amounts, but I knew that it would pick up speed later, pounding off of the land as if driven by an impossible force.

As we were prodded and shoved to join the rest of the group, Officer Takahashi stepped forward. Evidently, we were the last three to join the efforts. His eyes still had the manic look of a crazed madman held deep within, but he was no longer smiling. This time, he was standing in front of us for pure business.

“You will see things out here, men, which will drive you insane. You will see things that might change your life choices permanently. Take it all in. Educate yourselves to the ways and the countries that surround the Empire. Don’t let anything pass you by.”

Everyone was staring at Officer Takahashi again, but the faces were no longer terrified or hollow. Most held looks of disbelief, as if asking how we could learn anything from a war that was killing hundreds and thousands of Japanese men every day. Nonetheless, everyone stayed quiet, allowing the tiny man to continue. As he spoke, I absent-mindedly wondered how a man so small in stature had managed to fight his way through the ranks to Officer.

“You will board this ship and be taken to Manchukuo. This is where our research facilities are. You will each be given a specific department to work within. These are split into the two main areas of the site, as I told you on Monday. Biological will be very useful for the surgeons amongst you. The more scholarly would be more suited to being in the chemical division. As it stands, we have taken your school grades into account, and have used those to place you where we think is appropriate. You will be sharing rooms with two other men. Get to know them. Friends might be all that keep you sane in this facility.

“This is where I leave you. When you reach Manchukuo you will be met by Dr. Sato, who will sort you into your departments and give you your tasks. Good luck.”

I had never heard a silence so resounding in my life. Not one person dared to open their mouth. Officer Takahashi turned on his heel, his steps rhythmic, reminiscent of the hundreds and thousands of march drills he must have undertaken as a lowly foot soldier. Almost as soon as he had stepped away, we were being herded like cattle; stony-faced soldiers holding rifles pushing us around. Slowly and messily, the line of men snaked its way onto the boat in front of us. On closer inspection, it barely looked mobile enough to float, let alone take us across hundreds of miles of ocean. As I put one foot on the bobbing metal box, I wondered if I would survive the crossing.

***

It may have been minutes, even hours when I began to feel sick. The peaks and troughs of the waves on the ocean, angered by the heavy rainfall and icy wind had been making me feel uneasy from the very moment I had stepped foot on the boat, but now my stomach was churning, excess acid spinning and combining with my last meal, which was now threatening to exit through my mouth. Several men were in the same state as I was; sweaty, tired, ill and wanting nothing more than their parents to come and tell them this great ordeal was over. But there was no sound of a welcoming voice, of someone telling us that we were all having a terrible nightmare. I continued to sweat profusely in the humid tin can, my eyes got more and more heavy and my stomach continued to threaten to eject its contents on my shoes.

It was already nightfall when the ship ground to a halt, the screeching of metal against wood making me wince. There was another noise, a loud metal clang, and a welcome breeze swept its way through the ship. Like the African slaves after their impossible journey to America, we all clamoured for the light, scrambling and slipping on the floor, already awash with seawater. It seemed as if we had hit something on our way in, and my feet were beginning to feel colder and colder. I climbed up the ladder, almost groaning in pleasure as the cool night air hit my face. Backed by the velvet cover of night and lit only by the soft glow of the moon, I could see a group of buildings in the distance. Lights were on, and I could barely make out tiny figures moving behind the windows, no doubt concocting various experiments that would help with the greater good. There were several watchtowers, built precariously high, higher even than the buildings it protected. The roar of military-issue trucks could be heard, mixing with the shouts and commands of the Imperial Army officers and soldiers that were marching towards the tiny makeshift harbour that we had arrived in.

Unit 731.