>>3866772

>Updates: https://twitter.com/MolochQM
>Previous threads: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=NERV%20Second%20Daughter

“That's it,” Doctor Bergmann announces, her voice intruding on your thoughts, “We're done here.”

With a heavy gurgle, the LCL begins to drain from the test plug. Shivering in the sudden chill, you wait until the locks have finished cycling before stepping out into the laboratory. Pointedly looking away from Bergmann, you march behind the flimsy paper curtain and wriggle out of the clinging plugsuit. Wiping your hair, your face, down with a rough towel, you look for a change of clothes and find... nothing. Nothing, of course.

As soon as you arrived back at Avalon, you were herded down into the lab for a barrage of testing. Fletcher took your luggage back to the dorm, his parting words a stiff mention that he'd be unavailable for the rest of the day. Briefing Monroe, you gathered, on everything that has happened since you left. You barely heard his words, instead thinking about visiting the others – a wish that was, of course, delayed until after the tests were concluded. It's like they're afraid that you might be... contagious.

The rustle of fabric disturbs your thoughts, a neatly folded stack of clothes – your clothes – pushed across the floor by Bergmann's toe. Someone must have sent them down from the dorm while you were in the testing plug. Without offering the doctor your thanks, you dress quickly. Leaving the discarded plugsuit in a crumpled heap on the floor, you stride out from behind the curtain. If not for Bergmann calling your name, you wouldn't even glance her way. As it is, though...

“Holly,” the doctor begins, and you reluctantly turn, “That woman you told me about. Did she make it?”

“I guess so,” you reply bluntly, “Why?”

“I'm glad,” she answers in a flat voice, nodding once before going back to checking her readings. With that single, simple exchange, the whole matter seems forgotten. She's glad? Maybe if this proves some theory or hypothesis of hers, but not for any other reason. A slight, strangled hiss escapes your throat as you back away, stumbling out of the laboratory in a shameful retreat. Once you've got the safety of a solid door between you and Bergmann, you slump back against the wall and drag in a heavy lungful of air.

This is harder than you thought. After everything that's happened, facing her is like... where are you even supposed to start?

“Somewhere else,” you murmur to yourself, “No shame in delaying things a little.”

Right?

>Head to the dorm. Before anything else, you need a friendly face
>Find Monroe and Fletcher. You ought to tell your side of the story
>Go back to face Bergmann. You can't put this off forever
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3866773
>>Head to the dorm. Before anything else, you need a friendly face

>>3866773
>>Head to the dorm. Before anything else, you need a friendly face

After those interludes I wonder how friendly they'll be.

>>3866773
>Head to the dorm. Before anything else, you need a friendly face.
Find Vic and talk about what we saw at Temple, get it out of the way now so it's one less thing we are going to need to deal with.

Considering what we know about possible future events we may want to send him there, if Nate wakes up while were dealing with something else he is going to need to be in hand to deal with her.

The lure of a friendly face is too much to pass up, and you soon head off towards the dorm. As you walk, though, you feel a faint sense of unease building within your gut. It's not something you could easily put into words, even if you had someone to discuss it with. You just can't shake the feeling that this isn't the same place you left, that you've been taken to some phoney replica. Pausing, bracing yourself against the wall, you touch a hand to your temple. When you got off the plane...

After sleeping most of the flight away, you had been dazed and muddled as Fletcher guided you into the waiting car. Then a quick drive through the city, then into the testing plug, and then-

Enough. Enough of this. With a violent shake of your head, you dismiss the doubts. Once you've had a chance to catch up with the others, things will start to feel a lot more normal. Nodding, as if you've convinced yourself, you start walking again at an upbeat pace.

-

So much for a warm welcome. The dorm, when you arrive, almost seems abandoned. The “almost” part comes from a muffled hint of classical music creeping through from the games room at the far end, but that's the only sign of life. Sneaking over to your own door, you open it a crack and peer inside – your luggage sits beside your bed, neatly arranged but otherwise untouched. Closing the door again, you approach the games room and enter. The music grows louder, the rise and fall of some long-dead orchestra flowing around you.

Hester, alone, turns and tilts her head at you, her hand still cocked to throw the dart she had been aiming. You meet her gaze, fumbling for something to say and failing, instead giving her a vague nod. Turning back to the dartboard, she throws the tiny missile and smiles as it thuds into the target – exactly where she had been aiming for, if her satisfied sigh is any indication. Then, at last, Hester turns back to you. “I put your luggage away. I considered unpacking your clothes, but that seemed like an undue intrusion,” the maid explains, “However, if you have any clothes that need washing, I would be-”

“Where are the others?” you blurt out, inwardly wincing at your own crude words.

“Oh yes. I do apologise, I should have told you sooner. When they heard you were due back today, they went to pick up a few things for dinner,” Hester answers, leaning over the portable radio balanced on the edge of the pool table and lowering the volume, “It's nothing formal, of course, but we thought you might like a nice meal. You can't rely on foreign food – at least, that's what Miss Rainer said. It was her idea, originally, although she wouldn't thank me for saying that.”

“Typical,” you sigh, “Because being honest would just be too simple for her, wouldn't it?”

Hester just gives you a sympathetic smile, as if you're reluctant co-conspirators.

[1/?]

>>3866791

You're not sure what else to say, but Hester takes you awkward silence in stride. With a practised grace, she plucks the darts out of their board and offers them out to you. Glad for the distraction, you focus on the simple game until the sound of the door rattles out. “I'm back,” Vic calls out, “The others will be a little longer, I'm afraid. They had some business to attend to, and... oh.”

Vic's words are cut off as you poke your head out through the door and greet him with a nod. “Business,” you repeat, prompting him to speak, “And you weren't invited?”

“It was, I'm told, girls only,” the young man answers with a rueful smile, “I didn't ask any more than that. It seemed unwise to investigate any deeper.” He pauses again, holding up a bag of groceries and glancing around. Squeezing past you in the doorway, Hester hurries across to relieve the young man of his burden, taking the goods into the kitchen and busying herself with unpacking them. If you didn't know any better, you'd say that she was trying to stay out of the way.

“So, er, how was your flight?” Vic asks next, a faint flutter of nervousness in his voice as he sits down by the television, “You look... well.”

“Yeah, that's a lie,” you reply, “But thanks. You know, for making the effort.”

“I do try,” he agrees, picking up the remote control before reconsidering and placing it back down. You sit near him, sitting at the opposite end of the long couch, and the lead weight of Nate's absence – the great unspoken burden – sinks down upon you. He can feel it too, his indecision making itself known through tense, fidgety gestures. He wants to ask, but he's afraid of the answer. “It's terrible, isn't it?” he begins vaguely, “What happened in Paris, I should say. I couldn't believe it at first, even when I saw the news. It just seems so-”

“Nate,” you interrupt, spitting the name out, “Can we just...”

Just get it out of the way. That's what you want to say. That's what you almost say. Even leaving the words unsaid, Vic seems to understand you perfectly. Even so, it's a long time before he offers you a reply.

“I don't know what I'm supposed to do,” he admits eventually, “I don't know how I'm supposed to feel at a time like this. I'm not even sure what “this” is. Even if you explained it to me, I might not understand it.”

And you're not sure if you understand it either. This time, you're the one to pick up the TV remote and idly pass it from one hand to the other. When the silence becomes too much to bear, you snap the TV on and immediately regret your decision. With a grotesque voyeurism, the news still floods the airwaves with footage from Paris and the desperate situation there. A choked grunt escapes your lips, and you turn the TV off again.

Life, you think to yourself, really is full of shit.

[2/3]

>>3866845

Even after the television has gone dark, the images seem to linger – ruined buildings, refugee tents, pools of that damned LCL. Scenes from some terrible nightmare, or a vision of some alien world – perhaps even a promise of what THIS world could look like. With a low murmur of dismay, Vic turns to you. Then, sliding across the couch, he grabs your hands and holds them tight. Practically clinging to you, he meets your eyes.

“Tell me that Nate is working to prevent... that,” Vic asks, pleads, “Tell me that she's doing some good, wherever she is.”

But when Nate has become little more than Bergmann's weapon of last resort, would you be able to form the words without choking on them?

>Nate IS doing good. We just need to believe in her
>Nate isn't... who she used to be. You need to prepare for the worst
>Nate is... (Write in)
>Other

>>3866850
>Nate is... (Write in)
"I can't give you the full picture, I don't know it myself and won't know it until I talk to Bergmann. I don't know if even she knows and if she did if she would even be willing to share. Nate is spending a long time in contact with the daddy of the giant robots. When I contacted her she seemed her normal at first, excited to be helping out, but her emotions were erratic. I don't know if Adam's presence is influencing her or not. So to answer your question: She'll probably want to destroy the Lilim and do some good, but I don't know if she'll be the same person once she's done with whatever they have her doing. I guess we just got to believe in her."

>>3866858
>>3866850
+1

>>3866850
>Nate IS doing good. We just need to believe in her, and be ready if she needs us.
Well at least being prepared for the possibility that she may be the only person that could possibly, save or kill us all, though she won't be returning to us the same as she left us as, whatever happens you are going to need to be there for her regardless of how long it takes. If you want to find out more about her situation let me know then we can go corner Bergmann, and get us some answers.

There may be some relevant information on Konstantine's Disk or images of the chamber we could use to help explain Nate's situation.

“I can't tell you what you want to hear. I can't give you all the answers, because I don't have them either. There's only one person in this world who might understand what's going on, and that's not even certain. Even if she does know, she might not be in the mood to share. Bergmann can be like that,” you begin, your voice tight and taut, “But Nate is... when I saw her, she had been spending a lot of time in close quarters to the father to our ADM Units. Adam himself.”

You pause here. Vic just stares. Very slowly, he lets go of your hands and draws back from you. Just for a moment, you almost cry out at him. It's not YOUR fault that any of this is happening, it's not what YOU wanted either, but he-

Slow down, some wiser instinct cautions, that won't help either of you.

“We spoke. Not in any conventional sense of the word, but... we spoke, that's all that matters,” you continue, “At first, she seemed normal – excited, even, to be helping out. But then, I realised how erratic she was being. It could be Adam's influence, but I don't know. I can't be certain of ANYTHING.”

“Adam's... influence,” Vic repeats, “What does that mean?”

“It means she's going to want to destroy Lilim. In that regard, she wants to do good,” you answer, “It's just a matter of how much collateral damage that might involve. Will she be the same person by the end of it?” This question hangs in the air, and you search for some reassuring answer to give. Nothing comes to mind, and you're forced to fall back on the ugly truth. “I just don't know,” you tell Vic, answering your own question, “We just have to believe in her... and give her something to believe in.”

Vic's lips move silently as he repeats your words, sometimes dwelling on one sentence or another. His own thoughts remain hidden, sealed tightly away in some deep, dark vault. Finally, he seems to find the loose thread he had been searching for. “Bergmann did this?” he asks quietly, “Doctor Bergmann... here?”

“I don't know any other Bergmann,” you answer, an involuntary spasm of humourless laughter slipping from you, “God, it's bad enough having ONE of them...”

“She's here...” Vic whispers to himself, “Have you... spoken to her?”

“Barely,” you concede, “I've been avoiding her. We spoke on the phone, and what she said just...” Shuddering, you look away from the young man as you recall Bergmann's cold words. “She said what she was doing was necessary to stop this war,” you continue, “At the time, I assumed it was the war with the Lilim. Now, I can't even be sure of that.”

Vic considers this for a few long seconds. “I want to see her,” he decides at last, “I want her to explain herself. Let her justify herself, if she can.”

>I don't think that's a good idea. Let me speak with her
>It's about time she talked. Let's go and see her together
>I won't stop you, Vic, but you need to be careful with her
>Other

>>3866905
>She won't. She considers he methods worth the costs. I had to watch children dissolve into orange liquid, including a dear friend of mine, because she wanted to make a test to try and get us to develop our own A.T. Fields. At best she'll ignore you, at worse she'll treat you with scorn and drag the security out.


She is utterly convinced all she is doing is for mankind's benefit, just like SEELE, just like the U.N.

>>3866905
>It's about time she talked. Let's go and see her together.

Should we grab Matheson on the way so we can explain to everyone who can do something about it, just how fucked we are if we don't pull together.

>>3866905
>It's about time she talked. Let's go and see her together

>>3866914
Absolutely not. I don't think there is ever going to be peace between those too and bringing her along would make things really worse.

>>3866905
>>It's about time she talked. Let's go and see her together

>>3866917
Considering that we in effect have the biggest stick we could possibly have obtained in such a short time(We know where Coraline is hiding, what she is planing to do, and what she is going to need to do it.), it's going to have to do and if they aren't going to even try since we have time before she starts acting out we should be able to mitigate the impact of them refusing to work together at worst replace them both, with force if needed. in the time we have left.

“She won't talk,” you warn Vic, “She really believes her own story. She considers her methods worth the cost – worth ANY cost. I had to watch my best friend... dissolve and break apart because of her experiments, and she doesn't regret a thing. At best, she'll ignore you. At worst, she'll have the security drag you out. It could make things... tough for you here.”

“If she throws me out, that would be an answer,” Vic replies boldly, “Of a sort.”

Maybe it's his sudden flush of bravado, but you let out another shuddering laugh. “You're not going to back down, are you?” you ask, “Then, let's go and see her together. It's about time that we spoke with her.”

“Now, don't be too late,” Hester scolds, from the kitchen, “I don't want you missing dinner, Victor. Don't think I haven't noticed how skinny you are!”

Blushing absurdly, Vic gives the maid a hasty nod.

-

Neither of you says a word as you ride the elevator down to the lower levels, Vic following close beside you as you lead him to Bergmann's laboratory. When the door swishes open, the doctor turns towards you. Before you can say anything, Vic lets out a low hiss of anger and surges past you. Marching across the laboratory, he approaches Bergmann and throws a sudden punch. Even from one single blow, you can tell that he's not used to throwing punches – this, in fact, might be the first time he's struck out in anger – but he takes Bergmann by surprise as she's rising from her chair.

The young man's blow skips across Bergmann's face and knocks her back down into the chair, leaving her blinking her single eye in amazement. Vic looks just as amazed, looking down at his fist in confusion as a thin ribbon of blood runs from Bergmann's lips.

“I assume,” she says at last, brushing her fingers against her lips, “That this isn't a social call.”

“Just... just shut up!” Vic snaps, his voice thin with the strain of sounding tough, “What are you doing to Nate?”

Bergmann turns to look at you. “Holly,” she asks, dark amusement in her husky voice, “Does he want me to shut up or answer his question?” You just answer this with a stare. Until now, you assumed that nothing she could say or do would surprise you. Apparently, you were wrong. “Very well,” Bergmann continues, looking back to Vic, “I'll put this in the plainest way I can. No weapon that we currently hold in our arsenal is capable of destroying Lilith. If Lilith cannot be destroyed, we can never end this war. At best, we can keep the Lilim at bay whenever they show themselves. The world will be trapped in a constant cycle of war, while mankind will be dependent on the ADM Units – and those who control them – to survive. For some, this would be the ideal outcome. I would disagree.”

Breaking off here, she wipes more blood from her lips. Glancing down at her sullied fingers for a moment, she points to a pair of empty chairs and gestures for you to sit.

[1/?]

>>3866942

“I'm going to ask you again,” Vic says slowly, trying very hard to keep his voice from wavering, “What are you doing to Nate?”

Is that pity, you see for one fleeting moment on Bergmann's face? No, impossible – or, at the very least, so vanishingly unlikely that it could have been anything else instead. “Mankind must evolve,” Bergmann explains slowly, “But until then, we require a suitable weapon. I will be the one to create that weapon.”

“And Nate...” Vic murmurs, “She's going to wield it?”

Bergmann's answer comes in the form of a tiny smile, a fresh drop of blood rolling down her chin as her split lip draws back in a tight mask. “No,” you whisper, a sudden realisation hammering down on you, “Nate IS the weapon.”

“Adam's power, drawn into a form that WE can use,” Bergmann gloats, “The high will be brought low, and the low will be raised up.”

“I don't care about any of that!” Vic snaps, leaping to his feet with enough force to knock his chair over, “I don't care about your war or your weapons, I care about my SISTER!” Breathing heavily, he weakly raises his hand as if to strike the doctor again, but he soon abandons the foolish effort. “I just... I just want you to tell me the truth,” he murmurs, “Nate is never coming back, is she?”

With a low sigh, Bergmann stands and places a hand on Vic's shoulder. “You're wrong,” she tells him softly, “Natasha... Nate WILL come back. It may take some time, but as soon as she has fulfilled her duty I will bring her back here. I give you my word of that, Victor.”

“Your word,” you repeat, your voice hollow, “What's THAT worth?”

A flash of irritation steals across Bergmann's face. “I don't break my promises,” she replies, her tone haughty, “Whatever else you might think of me, credit me with this one thing. When I give my word, I keep it.”

“I don't believe you,” you hiss, dismissing her words with a curt gesture, “After everything else you've done, every fucking crime you've committed, do you really expect us to just... accept this with a smile and a nod? You'd tear the world apart just to spite SEELE, and you think we'll-”

“I didn't start this war!” Bergmann snaps, her temper fraying at last, “They have their own crimes to answer for! Because of them, my daughter is-”

“With a mother like you, maybe she had a lucky escape!” you scream, throwing the words at her. They achieve what Vic's punch could not, causing the doctor to reel back. Her face grows ashen, her smart words cut sharply off as a naked pain fills her single eye. Even Vic takes a faltering step backwards, staring at you with confused horror. Slowly, you realise that you just crossed a line. Your temper, your stupid temper...

>Apologise. Even for Bergmann, that was too far
>Stand your ground. She deserved every word of that
>Other

>>3866990
>Stand your ground
She deserves worse

>>3866990
>Apologise. Even for Bergmann, that was too far
"What they did to Johanna and that village was evil. Like you said, they have their own crimes to answer for, but using that as an excuse to do the things you've done isn't right. Along with that bullshit 'I'm a monster' line to make yourself feel better about it. You don't know what's happening to Nate in there with Adam. Just educated guesses and by God I hope they're right."

>>3866990
>Stand your ground. She deserved every word of that.
If The Akashic Record had stayed buried, like it was supposed to, none of this would have happened, the Lilium wouldn't have been set free, half of humanity would still be alive.

Everyone on that team and those that helped fund it, deserve what is coming.
Is it worth mentioning that we aren't pure in the eyes of Adam or did she miss that.

>>3866990
>>Apologise. Even for Bergmann, that was too far
I hate this. This stupid war of yours brings out the worst of us. You and SEELE are going to get us killed before the Lilim do.

>>3867014
To play Devil's Advocate the world was going to shit and people were desperate for a solution. SEELE thought the Akashic record was that solution and in a sense it was as it jump started technology to deal with the current issues. It just had the side effect of Second Impact and the Lilim, something they couldn't have foreseen.

Using hindsight is 20/20 as an argument won't mean much.

>>3866990
>Apologise. Even for Bergmann, that was too far
let's wait until after we kill Matheson to burn this bridge.

>>3867041
They were forewarned that there was going to be a significant amount of energy released if they were to proceed with their plans, they just didn't take them seriously enough.

As a reminder backing down here will cost Ego

Also Bergmann has killed at least ten young daughters of others and probably more.

>>3866990
>Stand your ground. She deserved every word of that


You abandon and forsake her then only seek to do right by her once she’s gone hy doing the exact same shit that was done to her. Using other children as Guinean pigs. You’re a massive god damn hypocrite mixed with delusions of zealotry and always being right. Which to be fair you are, but just like the people you hate you couldn’t give a damn about the cost as long as you don’t pay it.

>>3866990
>Apologise. Even for Bergmann, that was too far

Your eyes drop low for a moment, seeking out the floor, but your hands slowly clench into fists. Whatever guilt you feel, whatever shame or regret, the memory of Claire's body breaking apart into a flood of LCL stops the feelings dead. Maybe Bergmann deserved every word of what you just said, but... the kind of person who could spit out those words, she's not the girl you want to be. There are lines that shouldn't be crossed, and you just skipped over one of them. Maybe, just maybe, it's not too late to come back from it.

“I... shouldn't have said that,” you mutter, feeling tiny needles of pain as your fingernails dig into the soft meat of your palms, “I shouldn't have thrown that back in your face.”

“No,” Bergmann states, her flat voice seeming to come from some great distance, “You shouldn't.”

“But... look, they have their own crimes to answer for, but that doesn't excuse the things you've done. You can dance around it with all kinds of justifications and speeches, but that doesn't change anything. The Akashic Record should have stayed buried, then maybe none of this would have happened,” you continue, “I just... hate this stupid war. It's bringing out the worst in all of us, and for what? You can't control Adam, nobody can. We're not pure in his eyes, he'd wipe us out as soon as he'd wipe out the Lilim.”

Bergmann slowly shakes her head. “I'm not trying to control Adam,” she murmurs to herself, “But his power can be harnessed, and then...”

And then everything can be made right. The fight for mankind's future can end, and it'll all be okay. How you wish you could believe that. Suddenly unable to stomach being in the same room as Bergmann – or perhaps its your own guilty conscience that you need to escape from – you turn away to flee the lab. Before you can take more than two steps, though, Bergmann softly calls out your name. Stiffly turning back to the doctor, you wait for her to speak.

“I thought I was protecting her,” the older woman muses, “I thought that so long as I was around, Johanna would be in danger of suffering for my sins. Even so, I was powerless to stop what happened. Sometimes, I wonder if...”

She doesn't need to finish that sentence for you to understand what she means. You've wondered the same thing – if her daughter might somehow, by some miracle, be alive.

“Excuse me. I was thinking aloud,” Bergmann adds stiffly, gesturing towards the door, “I... have a lot of work to do. Both of you, please go. You're dismissed.”

“I...” you pause, lost for words, “This isn't over, you know.”

“No,” Bergmann agrees sadly, “Nothing ever is.”

>So I think I'm going to pause things here. I'll continue this on Saturday, however
>Thank you for waiting today!

>>3867144
Thanks for the run.

Are we ever going to find out what is under Bergmann's eye patch?

>>3867144
Thanks for running

>>3867151
Clearly, when Bergmann jumps into the Dirac Sea she'll climb out with her daughter's eye lodged in that socket.

>>3867151
I'll tell you what's NOT under her patch
An eye.

>>3868165
But there is something under it right?

File: VictorC.png (309 KB, 900x700)

309 KB PNG

“I didn't plan on hitting her, you know,” Vic begins, although he sounds unsure of that, “I didn't come down here with the plan of... It's really not like me. I mean, I've never even thrown a punch in anger before!” He laughs weakly at this, the thin sound almost inaudible over the hum of the elevator. As soon as it began, his laughter fades. “I just... when I saw her, it was like I lost control,” he adds, “I guess I've fallen in with a bad crowd.”

“I'm a bad influence on you,” you agree with a weary smile, “But man, you should probably leave the fighting to me. That punch was just embarrassing.”

“Yes, well,” Vic pauses, “Some people might consider that a point of pride.”

“Yeah. Lame people,” you shoot back. There is another short pause, and then he laughs again. This time, it's a richer, more natural sound – the kind of laugh that lifts your heart.

-

You hear the others before you see them, a mix of crashing sounds and muffled laughter escaping through the dorm door. You enter just in time to see Claudia pounding something on the kitchen counter with a wooden mallet. She's really getting into it too, her hair flying about her face as she hammers away. Finally stepping back with a laugh, she pushes her hair back into place and holds the mallet out. “Does anyone else want to take a turn?” she asks, “It's rather fun, actually.”

“You actually find something fun?” you call out to her, “Now I'm definitely worried!”

With a gasp of mock outrage, Claudia lets the mallet fall carelessly to the floor and stares at you. “Did you hear that?” she asks the others, “I think someone just besmirched my good name!”

“You have a good name?” Kaori counters, “When did that happen?”

“I was not informed of this,” Yulia agrees, “This changes everything.”

“Oh, go ahead and laugh,” Claudia crows, giving you all a genial smile, “When the entire world is burning down around you, and you're all desperate for my help, I'll have the last laugh.”

As an awkward silence descends, you approach the kitchen counter to examine the row of pork cutlets laid out on a wooden block – all but one of them beaten flat by Claudia's “enthusiastic” efforts. A nudge at your side causes you to look around, looking down at Dakota as the young girl picks up the mallet. As she pulls back her arm to strike, you hastily back off. You're already having a pretty lousy day, and a hammer to the face certainly wouldn't help.

Dakota's first blow land hard, causing the block to jolt up. It's barely settled back down before she hits it again, pounding the meat flat. Again and again, growing faster and faster, she rains clumsy blows down onto the kitchen counter, sometimes hitting their mark and sometimes missing completely. With one final miss, the mallet leaving a jagged crack in the countertop, she hurls the tool away.

Then, whirling around, she flees into her room and slams the door behind her.

[1/2]

>>3868185

“What just...” you mutter, blinking in slow confusion, “What was THAT about?”

“Oh, she's been awfully moody these past few days. We've barely gone out at all, and I think the mood was getting to her. I thought the fresh air might lift her spirits, but that doesn't seem to be the case,” Claudia explains with a theatrical sigh, “Our little girl is growing up into a grumpy teenager, and to think that she used to be such a sweet young thing!”

Grimacing, you brush past the heiress and follow after Dakota. Her door isn't locked, but you still feel like an intruder as you enter. Her room is as cluttered with trash as always, but you barely notice it – instead, your eyes are drawn to the young girl herself, slumped on her bed and staring at the blank wall. “Go away,” Dakota mumbles, “I'm sorry I made a mess. That's what this is about, right? I broke the thing, the counter. I'll pay for it... somehow.”

“Forget the counter. If NERV can't foot the bill for the repairs, we've got bigger things to worry about,” you tell her, dismissing the thought with a wave, “You kinda worried me out there, putting on a show like that. Is there something wrong? Is there something on your mind?”

“I dunno,” the young girl lies, sitting up and not quite meeting your eyes, “It's just... Hey, Holly. You've seen a bunch of weird shit, right? I mean like, super weird. Impossible stuff.”

“I guess I have,” you admit, “Why do you ask?”

“I... how do you know that it really happened?” Dakota asks slowly, “If nobody else saw it, and you don't got any proof except what YOU saw happen, how do you know it really happened?”

That's a good question, and you're not sure that you've got a nice, neat answer for her. “What's this about?” you ask instead, “Did something happen to you while I was away?”

She shrugs. She shakes her head. She does just about everything BUT answer your question. It seems like you're not the only one who doesn't have a nice, neat reply. “I don't really wanna talk about this now. I didn't sleep,” Dakota replies at last, lying back down on her bed and turning to face the wall, “Talk later. Nap now.”

“Wait-” you begin, only to be cut off by the sound of Dakota's soft snoring – either the real thing, or a truly impressive imitation. Staring at her for a moment, you sigh and leave her dorm in defeat. Outside, leaning back against the wall, you realise that someone is missing. “Juliet,” you whisper, looking around again, “Where's Juliet?”

“Oh, she went down to the infirmary,” Kaori answers, glancing around, “For a social call, I should say.”

Not exactly your first choice for a social call, but...

>Head down to the infirmary and see what's going on
>Stay at the dorm with the others. You've got a lot of catching up to do
>Start down in the basement, with Karina
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3868166
It's a mystery!

>>3868187
>Start down in the basement, with Karina
We should see what she has to say about Coraline's French excursion.

>>3868187
>Stay at the dorm with the others. You've got a lot of catching up to do

>>3868187
>Stay at the dorm with the others.

Good to see we're not the only ones bullying Claudia.

Idly fiddling with your shirt collar, you wander back into the kitchen to take a closer look at the damage. For such a skinny girl, Dakota must have deep reserves of strength to crack the countertop with a wooden mallet. Rural living, you think vaguely to yourself, all that survivalist shit must have toughened her up. Running your fingers across the crack, you pull back with a sharp hiss of pain and look down at your bloodied fingertips. “Nice work,” you whisper, staring at the tiny wounds, “We're just doing great today, aren't we?”

“Oh, don't be such a baby,” Claudia teases, peering at your fingers, “See, they're barely bleeding!”

“Maybe I should go down to the infirmary just in case,” you snap back, “Not because of my fingers, I mean, just to get away from you.” Although she snorts laughter at this, Claudia makes no other reply. That, by itself, is odd. She's not normally the sort to let something like this go so easily. “I will be going down to see Karina later, though,” you continue, “Anything I should know about? I mean, other than the obvious.”

Other than Paris. That goes without saying.

“It's been rather tedious here, actually, if we're excluding that brief drama on the continent,” the heiress explains, “Even before that happened, Monroe was keeping us on standby just in case something decided to crawl out of that portal. So, we've mostly just been waiting around for something to happen. Then something DID happen, and... more waiting.” Sighing, rolling her eyes in theatrical exasperation, she gestures vaguely at the dorm. “We were just waiting in our entry plugs, instead of waiting around here. I swear, I can't get the smell of LCL out of my skin,” Claudia continues, leaning forwards until her forehead almost brushes against yours, “Is it terrible noticeable? Can you-”

Grabbing her arm and yanking her back, Yulia pulls the heiress away from you. “That is, I think, not appropriate,” the Russian girl scolds, “We are in the workplace. Be professional, please.” Claudia turns, and it almost looks like you might have to break up a fight. Then, with a haughty laugh, she leaves you and Yulia be. Watching Claudia stalk away into the games room, Yulia frowns. “She is not wrong, though,” Yulia continues, “It has been frustrating, waiting here and doing nothing. Until the Dirac probe is ready, we cannot act. I know this, but it changes little. I want to do my part, but...”

“What's the mood been like around here?” you ask quietly, lowering your voice, “I mean, how's morale?”

Yulia considers this question with care. “Bad,” she admits at last, “Paris changed things. Now, everyone wonders where the next target might be. At least the Lilim were a known element. This new thing is... a problem. Problems require solutions, but we do not yet have one of those. Troubling, yes?”

[1/?]

>>3868216
>Problems require solutions, but we do not yet have one of those.

Well we got one. Assuming of course it's at Dis still.

>>3868233
The only other place that we know of that has the capabilities to deal with ADM Units, and doesn't have an active pilots on hand is the Garden.

Assuming that Temple at very least has Nate.

>>3868216

“That's certainly one way of putting it,” Kaori adds, joining you with a brisk nod of greeting, “Holly. How was your trip?”

“Lousy,” you answer honestly, only to shake your head, “Oh, but there was one good part. I got to meet the new team they've got over in Berlin. They're... they're good kids, and they're eager to do their part. Here, I got a picture of them all.” Taking your phone out, you flick through the pictures and pull up the group shot. “That's Emma there, she spends most of her time getting mad at videogames. The redhead is Fiona, and that's Mia beside her – a real pair of troublemakers, those two. That's April, with the tan, and Evelyn is the pale one. Finally, that mean looking one is Ava. She's their leader.”

Kaori gazes sadly at the picture. “They're all so young,” she offers at last.

“Kaori,” Yulia points out, “We are young too.”

“Yes, but...” Kaori pauses, searching for a way to put her thoughts into words. In the end, she falls short and abandons the effort with a low sigh. “They do look nice enough, though,” she says instead, “I wonder if we'll get a chance to meet up and swap ideas. I'm curious about the kind of training they're doing down in Berlin. I wonder if it's changed much since...” Hesitating again, she shakes her head and changes the subject. “I'm going to be making Tonkatsu tonight,” she tells you, gesturing back towards the kitchen, “Is that okay with you?”

“That's like pork chops, right?” you guess, “That's fine with me. I can't wait!”

Smiling awkwardly, Kaori nods again and hurries back into the kitchen to check on something. Yulia watches her leave, then glances back to you. For a moment, she just studies you with careful, probing eyes. “This Paris business,” she muses, “They have not told us exactly what happened. There was confusion at first, we were told that it was a Lilim attack, but now they call it “Lilim related activity”. What does THAT mean?”

“Well, uh, it's activity,” you begin, “And it's related to the Lilim.”

“Ah, of course. Very funny,” Yulia replies with a sullen scowl, “If you do not know...”

“I'm not trying to be funny. If I was trying to be funny, you'd be laughing,” you tell her, forcing a smile. Yulia just frowns at you, clearly unimpressed by your attempt at wit – or, perhaps, your attempt at changing the subject. It's not that you're trying to hide Coraline's involvement in all this, it's just... not easy to talk about. It's almost too intimate, a secret intended for you and you alone.

As you continue to hesitate, the games room door opens and Claudia sticks her head out. “Are you STILL here?” she asks waspishly, glaring at you, “Weren't you supposed to be visiting Karina?”

“Trying to get rid of me?” you shoot back. Claudia just laughs, slamming the door behind her.

>Claudia's right, you should head down to see Karina
>While you're here... (Write in)
>Other

>>3868265
>Claudia's right, you should head down to see Karina.
We can at least provide her more information about the reasoning as to why Coraline killed Wilson, and if we need to we can go over the contents of both Coraline and Reed's files.
We may want to reveal the contents of the missing page to her as well.

>>3868265
>It's almost too intimate, a secret intended for you and you alone.

The fuck does that mean Holly? Do intimate '''secrets''' matter when your fellow pilots lives are on the line cause you aren't giving them the complete picture? For someone who doesn't like NERV secrets you sure do dance around the truth a lot.

>While you're here... (Write in)
"We've got a lot to talk about, Paris being one of them, but I'll save it until after dinner. No sense spoiling a good meal."

>You should head down to see Karina

>>3868269
Considering our reaction to learning the truth wouldn't it be a better idea to tell them before we eat.

>>3868271
I don't want a depressing haze over our first meal together in awhile. We'll give them a couple hours and we can give an overview that doesn't involve the grosser details if we want.

>>3868275
So you don't want to tell them about what happened to Reed, as it may be important for whomever gets left behind to defend the portal during the upcoming operation,Or if we can get them to tell us what is so special about the probe that they are building.

We still don't know where the portal that they sacrificed Reed to was located.

>>3868279
Man fuck off. That's not what I said and this is a stupid discussion.

Imagine looking at a write in about discussing all the secrets we've learned and going 'But what if they puke'. Shit isn't important and I'm not going to go into every fucking detail to appease you.

>>3868265
>>Claudia's right, you should head down to see Karina

Looking away from the games room, you meet Yulia's probing eyes and feel a strange guilt cut through you. Whatever Coraline once meant to you, that woman is gone now. It's about time that you accept that and move on. There's no profit in keeping her secrets or protecting her now, just a whole lot of danger. Even so, even rationalising it to yourself, it seems to take a painful effort to throw off the strange hold Coraline's memory holds over you. “There IS something we need to talk about. About Paris, I mean,” you tell Yulia quietly, “But... later. I don't want to spoil a pleasant dinner, and I need to check a few of my facts.”

“So you do know something,” Yulia states, “How long have you known? Could it have stopped-”

“I said, later!” you snap, wincing at your sharp tone, “I don't... Look, I don't know if I could have changed what happened, I don't know if I could have stopped anything, so just... leave it alone, would you?”

Yulia studies you for a moment more before tilting her head slightly. “As you wish,” she concedes, “And I should not have made such implications. I was hasty, yes? These past few days have been frustrating for us all, but that is no excuse to take it out on you.”

“Yeah, well...” you pause, “Later.”

“Later,” she agrees, giving you a dignified nod.

-

The elevator doors slide shut, the hum of machinery filling your ears as you begin your descent begins. A chill runs through you, like a static charge, and you feel your body tense up. You know that feeling all too well.

“Curious,” Amon muses, “How you still feel obliged to protect her. A strange kind of loyalty, perhaps. She really did care for you, in her own way. You'll cling to anyone who shows you even a hint of affection, won't you?” Even before the last of these smug words has left his lips, you're turning round and raising your fist to punch the smile off his inhuman face. You must be getting predictable, though, as Amon is too fast. Catching your fist in one hand, he pushes you back against the elevator wall and leans in close, practically pinning you against the wall. “Did I strike a nerve?” he taunts, “I couldn't have been far from the truth, then.”

With a snarl, you claw at your pocket and find your knife. Flicking the blade open, you thrust forwards and find nothing but air, stumbling across the elevator and coming to rest against the far wall, panting heavily as the doors slide open. Glancing fearfully around, you let out a sigh of relief as you see that you're alone. Panting and waving a knife like this... anyone wanting to use this elevator would have been greeted by a hell of a sight. Hastily pocketing the knife, you hurry out of the elevator and start towards Karina's quarters.

By the time you reach the heavy, sealed door, you're calm – or, at the very least, you look calm. That's close enough.

[1/?]

>>3868308
>You'll cling to anyone who shows you even a hint of affection, won't you?
Come on, Holly, returning affection is normal unless you're all edgy and cool. But I guess she's all edgy and cool with all them shadowruns going around.

By the way, what's our next conspiracy? Do we tell Bergmann about the hilt of Excalibur and pray she implements a nuclear AT-bomb faster than Holly gets thrown into Dirac sea by panicked 01? We've got to start a coalition at some point, I don't think we'll get other people than we have on our hands.

>>3868308
>How you still feel obliged to protect her. A strange kind of loyalty, perhaps

Holly you got to understand that the only way to protect and save her right now is to kick her ass. Then you can capture her and then burn that Lilim out of her.

>>3868314
I think we gotta focus on Coraline right now before she ports and takes out another section of a city and before the portal spits out something.

>>her forehead almost brushes against yours
>tfw no racist lesbian anime hair big tiddy gf
It's not fair why does Holly get everything?!

>>3868314
Considering that the Hilt is in storage at Temple she probably knows, having Nate use it as an amplifier for whatever ability she gets is probably how she would have her kill Lilith.

The problem that we are going to have is that there are three relevant locations that we are going to need to station Units at Avalon(The Portal),Temple(The Hilt) and Dis( Coraline) And we only have five functional Units so someone is going to have to go without a partner.

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>>3868328
Coraline's definitely a priority, doesn't mean we can't do both.
What would be the plan on dealing with her anyway? Use Nate to teleport an ADM or two on top of her base? I assume she can do this, otherwise I don't get what kind of powers she has. Maybe a couple of dozens of good old ICBM's, courtesy of our UN 'friends'? Sic Amon on her, or better yet Holly becomes his Soul Reaver which is the true path anyway?

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>>3868341
I'd say the same way we attacked the Chinese base. Covert drop off. If she isn't there or saw us coming we can still remove Dis as a factor. Still gotta find her if that's the case though to which we may be able to use bait. Holly herself is bait in a sense, but what if we can find the scientist in charge of Reed's death? And Coraline's near Ego collapse? That would be the perfect draw.

>>3868345
Bergmann said that the only one we would know would be Lindgren, though a clone of Wilson could be useful as he was implied to be involved somehow. so we're going to need to find him again.

>>3868308

If not for the way her hand trembles as she raises the teacup to her lips, Karina could pass for healthy – as healthy as she ever is, at least. She pauses, noticing your concerned look, and gives you a thin smile. “I'm sure it'll pass,” she assures you, “It always takes me a little bit of time to get over these episodes, and the last one was worse than most.”

“I saw Paris. It was pretty bad,” you agree with an uneasy nod, “Do you... remember much of it?”

“Too much, perhaps,” Karina replies, setting her cup down with an ugly rattle of porcelain, “It was her, wasn't it? When I reached out, I heard her voice – a constant screaming rant, an anger that went beyond words. It was like thrusting my hands into boiling water, but I knew what I was hearing. I, ah, I think I owe you an apology.” You start to protest this, but Karina holds up a hand to silence you. Her hand shakes until, with a tiny narrowing of her eyes, she forces the tremor to stop. “You told me that Coraline... that she did a very wicked thing. I didn't believe you at the time,” the sickly girl continues, “But now, I know...”

She trails off here, taking a cookie from the plate and nibbling at it. Staring down into your tea, you think on her words. There's no satisfaction in hearing her admission, no pleasure to be taken from it. “She's hiding in that portal,” you murmur, “I think she can... make her own portals. She could be anywhere, showing up at any time. How can we defend against something like that?”

“I think I'm starting to learn more about the Dirac Sea,” Karina replies slowly, “When C-cora... when she fled back into her portal, it was like I could follow her for a time. The Dirac Sea is a void yearning for a form, and it takes that form from... well, ah, from us. Reflections of our thoughts, our feelings, our memories. That's why it's so difficult to, ah, to “see” into it – there's nothing TO see. I thought that I needed to adjust to it, but when I saw how the Dirac Sea adapted to... to her, I realised that it's the other way around. If we're to explore the Dirac Sea, we'll need to grant it form.”

“That... almost makes sense,” you admit, “How do we do that?”

“Er, well, I'm not sure,” the sickly girl concedes, “When SHE moved through it, the form was only fleeting.”

“But then, she's not human,” you point out, hesitating before asking your next question, “What would happen if a human entered the portal?”

Karina pauses, shifting awkwardly in her seat. “This world was not made for humans,” she suggests delicately, “I fear that an unprotected human would not... survive. They would be destroyed, disintegrated and absorbed into the void. Perhaps, in some tiny way, they would leave their mark on that other world, but a single human is so... so very small compared with that place. A drop in the ocean.” As if realising her own joke, Karina lets out a shuddering little laugh.

[2/3]

>>3868355
Assuming Coraline knows how out of body AT magic works, wouldn't she already found him and killed him at this point? I mean, Moloch said that this stuff is unreliable, but the telefrag machine worked somehow.

>>3868371
Depending on how far gone she is, she may decide that it's not worth the time, effort and risk if she's just going to kill everyone anyway.

At this point she's probably not even going to try and continue to pursue Konstantine's plan, she's just going to set the world on fire and let it burn.

>>3868370
>“She's hiding in that portal,”
I think that's Moloch's way of saying 'Stop talking about Dis you nerd' to me.

Well I guess everything is in the portal then. That makes things simultaneously harder and easier for us. All the eggs are in the same basket, but the portal is fucking dangerous.

Maybe the mindless clones could be used to "overwrite" the Dirac Sea and force Coraline out.

>>3868377
So she's like a submarine, she will still need to return to Dis for her ADM to be recharged and maintained.

Unless of course it's awake (or even become ascendant.) anyway, that's just going to make the inevitable fight even harder than it already is.

>>3868377
Nah, I was thinking the same, that she's somewhere in the physical realm.
But I don't get it, do we have actually two Dirac seas? One with Lilith inside and one with Coraline inside or is it just one sea with both of them there? If it's only one, I don't get, why the void is yearning for a form when there's Lilith inside. Does it yearn for a form too? I'm really slow when it comes to xenometaphysics, always hated that subject.

>>3868382
Hey, if they too are yearning for the form, what would happen if we try to reflect a mirror in the mirror?

>>3868387
Lilith has locked herself on the other side of the doors of Guf which are located inside the portal.

>>3868370
>a single human is so... so very small compared with that place
What about a few billion humans?
Can we use the power of television to have the population simultaneously impose their will on the Dirac Sea?

>>3868389
'...so you can see from the previous expression that Lilith has partitioned the entrance of the imaginary space, leaving itself 'in' a Klein bottle, if I'm allowed to make such crude comparison. The complete solution to the equation is left to the curious listeners.'
Bergmann in the next 3 episodes, probably. Makes as much sense to me.

>>3868370

“The others don't know it's Coraline,” you begin carefully, “All they've been told is that-”

“Lilim related activity. So I've heard,” Karina nods slowly, “I suppose it's for, ah, for morale purposes. Knowing that this thing is not just a normal Lilim might... complicate matters. May I ask, do you intend to tell them the truth?”

You hesitate, Amon's words coming back to taunt you. “I have to,” you state simply, “They deserve to know the truth. Besides, what kind of hypocrite would I be if I kept it a secret? I understand her better than anyone else, so I know what I'm talking about. Now, the best way to help Coraline is to defeat her. If we can do that, there might be some way to...” You leave this sentence unfinished, thinking of Huang. You were able to purge the Lilim contamination out of her, perhaps you could do the same with Coraline... although Huang was willing. Coraline, not so much.

A splutter of coughing interrupts your bleak thoughts, and you jolt up to see Karina shuddering and convulsing. Grabbing a napkin, you take hold of her shoulder and hold her still, waiting a few seconds for her to calm down before gently wiping at the spittle on her lips. Rasping in a slow, steady lungful of air, Karina gives you a soft smile of thanks. Returning her smile, you-

You'll cling to anyone who shows you even a hint of affection, won't you?

Flinching back, you drop the dampened napkin to the floor and look around for any trace of Amon. Finding nothing, you reluctantly look back to Karina. “I'm... uh, sorry about that,” you tell her, “I was lost in thought, and then... I'm no good at this thinking stuff, so trying to understand all this form and void business is really fucking with me. Can I... run a few things past you?”

Karina gives you a jerky nod, gesturing for you to continue. “So are Lilith and Coraline in the same void?” you ask, with Karina nodding a confirmation to this first question, “So why don't THEY give it form?”

“I think...” she coughs lightly, clearing her throat, “Maybe they do, and it's just not a form we can... use. Or maybe they don't offer up enough. Lilith slumbers, and her children don't... think. Not enough to grant permanent form, at least. To be honest with you, I'm just guessing. Without the Dirac Probe, guessing is all we CAN do.” With a tiny shrug and an attempt at a smile, Karina toys with her empty teacup. You think on her words for a moment more, nodding to herself.

“I think I get it,” you offer slowly, “Sort of. Maybe.”

“Really? Then I'm glad one of us understands,” Karina replies, giggling softly, “I'm just joking. Ah, is there... anything else you wanted to ask?”

>No thanks. I'm confused enough already
>There was something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3868393
Basically in order to fight and kill Lilith we're going to need to first use the portal to faind and summon the Doors of Guf, Fight and kill the Lilium that is protecting them (Orcus) then delicately cause 2nd impact as they are barred in a similar manor to Antarctic dig site and then we get to fight Lilith.

Assuming of course that nothing goes wrong, and everyone is working together on this we only risk killing everyone horribly at each step of the way even if we do the best we can

>>3868404
>There was something else... (Write in)
Explain Coraline's AT fluid clone/communication thing she talked to us through back in Paris. And the dreams we've been having suggesting some kind of connection. Does Karina have any insight on either of those?

Also
>"Would you like to join us for dinner back at the dorm?"

>>3868404
>No thanks. I'm confused enough already

>>3868404
>There was something else... (Write in)
Mention what happened to Reed and the cover up, Wilson was likely involved with them both on a more personal level during their training not necessarily with the cover up or experimentation.

If we really wanted to, we could tell her about Wilson's daughter, if she didn't know already.

>>3868404
>There was something else... (Write in)
'If one were to blow up the world using AT fields through sheer foolishness what would they do? Just asking that I don't do... uh... this stupid thing. On accident. Yeah.'

Maybe it will give us some info to maybe stop Bergmann if she goes bonkers on us. Or, you know, for improved diplomatic persuasion.

>>3868424
That sounds more like what Coraline is trying to do.

>>3868404
>>There was something else... (Write in)
Has Dakota talked to you at all while I was gone? She seems off."

>You'll cling to anyone who shows you even a hint of affection, won't you?

Ironic coming from the dude that latches on if you give him attention.

“I visited the Paris incident site. I saw... well, I saw a whole lot of stuff there, and none of it was good. There was a pool of LCL there, and Coraline was able to use it to make a... a body for herself. She spoke through it, but when I tried to fight with her, it was like trying to hold water,” you shake your head in confusion, “How could she do that? And why me? It's like we have some kind of connection. I've been seeing her in my dreams, seeing through her eyes, and it's just... it's really fucking with me.”

“I, ah, I suppose it would,” Karina agrees weakly, “Again, I can only offer theories. She's grown powerful, perhaps powerful enough that she no longer NEEDS her physical body. If so, she could have used the LCL as a medium, used it to create a vessel to speak through. That could also explain this “connection”. She might be, ah... reaching out to you, whether she knows it or not. For you and her both, the boundaries separating you are breaking down.”

“Well that's just great,” you mutter to yourself, “I sure wish she'd find someone else to bother though.”

“Maybe she doesn't have anyone else,” Karina muses. Then, wincing at this, she looks hastily down at her empty teacup.

Gesturing for her to stay put, you get up and start boiling water for a fresh pot of tea. As you're ambling around the kitchen, you glance around to her. “Say. If someone was dumb enough to want to destroy the world with some kind of AT weapon, how would they do it?” you ask, “I mean, uh, just so I know what Coraline might try. So we can find a way to counter it.”

Silent for a moment, Karina considers this. “Destroying the world? I'm afraid I don't understand. An AT Field of sufficient power – Adam or Lilith, say – could spread across the globe and reduce all of mankind to LCL. That, I think, would be the closest thing. The world might not be destroyed, but mankind...” she frowns at the idea, “Well, ah, things would certainly change.”

“That was Konstantin's plan, though. He seemed to think that it would be a blissful thing, a world without pain or suffering, wants or needs,” you muse, “Maybe Coraline believed in that world once, but not now.” Pausing, you finish making the tea and bring the fresh cups back. “Maybe Konstantin planned for something else, something more than JUST making a pot of mankind soup,” you continue, “But what?”

Another shrug, another helpless smile from Karina. You'll have to go back and check Konstantin's files to see if there's anything you've missed, but that can come later.

[1/?]

>>3868476
>Another shrug, another helpless smile from Karina.
No convenient recognizable shiny red button marked [DERAIL QUEST] for us. Only codenames and probably an eventual prompt when drama levels are adequate. Oh well.

Looking back, why wouldn't Konstantin just sell his LCLing solution as a super rare 'fountain of youth*' kind of deal? Just limit the supply and watch the demand rise.
*Consult your nearest metaphysical healthcare professional before use

>>3868519
I feel that the Fountain of Youth thing was more of Elrow's or Matheson's thing with the Refined / Medical Biomass production that they had / have going at Temple.

>>3868538
That maybe so, but what I'm saying is that he could probably market it in such a way that doesn't really raise objections all that much. Fine, smart moneybags laugh it up, but I bet he'd be able to find thousands of (mostly poor) people that'd take the risk. After that if the following mass has enough of a signal to send a glowing positive review of the experience (because it is a form of existence after all), you just keep expanding that mass.

I'll have to argue that he'd have to do it that way in any case, if he's doing the whole original End of Childhood deal - that there's an larger cosmic creature that will consume the resulting soup. What if the current halved population is simply lacking in biomass and 'souls' diversity to reach critical mass? He'd have to keep growing the now literal applicants pool for a few generations. But that's just me being autistic about this kind of stuff. Probably would be fun to play it out from his perspective though.

>>3868476

“There's something you said, about how a single human might somehow leave a mark on the Dirac Sea,” you think aloud, “There's something you need to know. Way back when, Coraline had a friend, a fellow pilot called Reed. She died in a traffic accident, or so the official record states. In reality, Reed was used as a test subject – sent into the Dirac Sea as part of some stupid experiment. Coraline knows now, and...”

“And maybe she's searching for that mark,” Karina breathes, “That... grave.”

“It would explain why she's too busy to keep destroying the world,” you offer, “Maybe she just dives out to raise hell when searching for her dead girlfriend gets boring, and... and believe it or not, I had a simple fucking life once!” You finish this outburst with a loud groan, with Karina choking on an incredulous laugh. The whole situation is so macabre, so absurd, that is somehow cycles around to being amusing.

Biting back her giggles at last, Karina wipes her eyes. “Oh, that's terrible!” she protests.

“Isn't it?” you agree, “I'm going to have to explain that as well, later. We're all having dinner together tonight. Would you like to join us? We're having... uh, I can't remember what Kaori called it. Weeb pork chops, I think, but-”

“Tonkatsu!” Karina gasps, her eyes widening with awe, “I've always wanted to try that!”

“It's a date, then,” you tell her with a smile. Then, as an afterthought, you snap your fingers. “Oh yeah, have you seen Dakota lately?” you ask, “She was acting kinda... off today. I tried asking if there was something wrong, but she just, uh, fell asleep on me.”

Karina's face falls a little. “I'm afraid I can't help you,” she apologises, “Hardly anyone visited while you were away. It's almost like they all forgot about me!” Forcing a little laugh, Karina shrugs. “So, dinner?” she asks, quickly changing the subject, “When should I stop by?”

-

When the elevator arrives at the top level and the doors slide open, you find yourself staring up at Fletcher. Flinching back a step at first, you clench your fists and push past him, fleeing into the corridors beyond. Just seeing him like this is enough to cause your lip to throb with a dull ache, and you're not in the mood to stop and chat. Wisely enough, the mercenary doesn't follow after you. Glancing back over your shoulder, you watch as he steps into the recently vacated elevator and vanishes from sight.

Breathing a faint sigh of relief, you continue on back to the dorms. You can understand why he hit you – you dredged up a particularly unpleasant memory of his, even if it wasn't on purpose – but that doesn't mean you're ready to forgive him quite yet.

Never mind that. There's still plenty of time before dinner, so...

>You should check Konstantin's disk again
>Dakota should be finished with her nap by now...
>Maybe Hester needs some help in the kitchen
>Or maybe... (Write in)
>Other

>>3868582
>Dakota should be finished with her nap by now...

>>3868582

>You should check Konstantin's disk again

lmao weeb pork chops

>>3868582
>Other
>You should check Konstantin's disk again

I say we take the risk here and show this to Yulia. Maybe she will help us to get through technobabble. We're mostly looking for clues as to what Coraline may try to do, what kind of mark she's looking for.

>>3868582
>Dakota should be finished with her nap by now...
The disk can wait until we get through the coming series of discussions.

Are we going to invite Matheson to the Briefing?

While you've got Konstantin's plans fresh in your mind, you should give his disk another look over. There has to be something you're missing, something that can cut through the layers of bullshit that you're fighting through. That disk is his legacy, and he chose to give it to you – it HAS to mean something. Repeating these thoughts like a mantra, you hurry back to the dorm and knock on Vic's door. He answers promptly, and you practically barge inside.

“I need to see it,” you whisper to him, “Your laptop...”

“I understand,” he replies, “But if you're in a hurry, I've got some bad news for you.”

“I know, I know. These things take time. Can you get things set up here? I'll be right back, I just need to run a few more errands first,” you start over towards the door, only to pause, “Vic, you... you don't resent me for this, do you? Sometimes, it feels like I only come to you when I need something.”

Vic shakes his head, his face solemn. “If anything, it makes me feel better,” he admits, “This way, I feel like I'm doing something. If I was just sitting around and waiting... well, I might as well not be here at all. So come by whenever you need something, and I'll be right here for you. I mean, right here to help you. Or to help anyone else, if they need... you know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” you reply with a smile, “I do.”

-

Dakota's awake. You can tell that as soon as you enter her darkened room, just from the way her shoulders tense up at the sound of the door closing behind you. Crossing over to the bed, you sit down on the edge and wait. Then you keep waiting. “If you're waiting for me to get bored and go away, you're shit out of luck,” you tell her eventually, “It's not going to happen. Just talk to me, Dakota. Get it over with, you know?”

With an enormous sigh, Dakota slowly sits up and squints at you. “You're a real pain in the ass, you know,” she mutters, only to slump forwards and wrap her arms around you, “I'm glad you didn't forget about me.”

Awkwardly patting her on the back, you fumble for something to say. “I...” you hesitate, “I've got a real good memory.”

Dakota shudders, and you realise that she's laughing. Pulling back, she looks you in the eye for a moment and then, as if making some decision, she nods slowly. “I've been... thinking,” she murmurs, “You remember what I told you before? About the Dark Place, about how I got stuck down there with... with the deer.” She hesitates here, and you give her a nod to continue. “After it happened, nobody at the camp talked about it. They never mentioned it, never hinted at it. The one time I said something, they just got confused. It's like they didn't know a thing,” the young girl whispers, “So then I started wondering if they were right and I was wrong.”

“Hey,” she adds, “Why does life have to be so... complicated?”

If only you had the answer to that.

[1/?]

Does this remind anyone else of what happened when we went to go and talk to Juliet while she was in the Brig.

Makes me wonder what prompted them to test Fisher's compatibility, let alone convinced her group to let them test her, and how Amon is involved.

>>3868657

“So it's like... I don't know what's real and what's not, and I sorta wish someone would just tell me what to believe,” Dakota continues, “But I'm not totally dumb. I know that they're just gonna tell me whatever suits them best. So what am I supposed to do?”

“Tough question,” you muse, “You're not worried that I'm just going to tell you whatever suits me best?” Dakota pouts at this, her brow furrowing with a sulky frustration. “Okay, that was over the line. I'm sorry,” you concede, spreading your hands in an apologetic gesture, “But like, the point still stands. I can't give you the “real” answer any more than anyone else can. I don't know what else to tell you. Is this about... did Matheson do this to you?”

Dakota flinches. “She...” the young girl begins, “How did you know?”

“Because she's the only person around here capable of fucking with someone's head like this,” you explain, “Bergmann would just fucking murder you, and Monroe would just be so embarrassing that you'd wish you were dead, so that just leaves her. Process of elimination.”

“Right,” Dakota sighs, lapsing back into a long silence as her eyes sink low. At last, she looks back up to you. “There ain't gonna be any easy answers,” she guesses, “Are there?”

“Nope,” you confirm, “Sorry.”

“Fuck,” she mutters.

-

Neither one of you has much else to say after that. At the very least, the chance to vent her unease seems to have left Dakota in a better mood, so you can call this a partial success. Glancing back at her closed door, you hurry back into Vic's room. He's got the ancient laptop set up and ready, the fan chugging away like some outdated steam train. Sitting down beside him on the bed, you take the computer and start to scroll through the long list of files.

“So,” Vic asks, “What are we looking for?”

“I don't know yet,” you reply, “I'll know it when I find it. Maybe.”

“Oh good. That makes things simple,” he sighs, “I have some homework to finish up. Give me a shout if you need any help.”

Murmuring agreement, you focus on the computer screen. The files are in no particular order, often without any meaningful names to clue you in about their contents, so you're left with no choice but to start from the top and work your way through. Even just skimming through the various files, it could take hours to find what you're looking for. Nothing here is easy reading either – it's all a mix of dry technical files and Konstantin's dense philosophical musings. Finally, a brief note leaps out at you.

“For we are all, in part, Lilith's children,” Konstantin writes, “And so she may listen to our lowly pleading.”

“Was that your plan?” you murmur, “Get down on your knees and beg for paradise?”

This plan sucks.

>So I think I'm going to pause things here. I'll be aiming to continue this on Sunday, though
>Thank you for your patience today!

>>3868786
Thanks for the run.

How many days are left until Holly's birthday?

>>3868786
Thanks for running!

When will we have the team battle against the chimera girl group?

>>3868786
Thanks for running

Hey did anything ever come from Regent and the investigation into Elrow's death? Seems like that got swept away with all the craziness in Berlin.

>>3868796
Come to think of it, that would be pretty soon. Maybe the team has been busy preparing a surprise party?

>>3868807
But the BLUE EYE team are good girls, who would ever want to fight them?

>>3868815
That's not something I can say much about at this present moment. Things have been happening, but very much behind the scenes. It's all part of the plan!

File: YuliaK.png (311 KB, 900x700)

311 KB PNG

By the time Hester knocks on the door, delicately reminding you that you have a dinner appointment, you're starting to understand things a little better. The AT Field of what Konstantin termed a “higher order being” - Adam or Lilith – possesses a raw power comparable to the heat of the sun. Such power, he theorised, could hold the potential to do more than just reduce mankind to an ocean of LCL – it could boil away the very essence of mankind. The result would be a blank slate, an ocean that might one day give way to a new and inhuman form of life. But if Lilith was merciful, he wrote, mankind could be allowed to exist in this new form – the Elysium he sought after.

IF Lilith was merciful, which seems like a pretty big fucking if. Yet, the old man seemed to believe his own theories with absolute conviction, so much so that you almost WANT to believe it yourself.

“Holly?” Yulia whispers, leaning over to you and glancing down to your plate with hungry eyes, “Will you be finishing that?”

Jolting back to reality, you look down at your meal. Hester and Kaori make a good team in the kitchen, but their efforts feel wasted on you. Shooing Yulia away, you shovel down a few more mouthfuls of food. Breaded and lightly fried, the thin strips of pork are undeniably delicious, but the thought of the discussion to come has stolen most of your appetite. If not for the fact that Kaori is watching you out of the corner of her eye, you might have happily surrendered your food. At least you're not the only one who isn't eating – despite her earlier enthusiasm, Karina only takes tiny nibbles out of her meal.

“You can have the rest of this, if you want,” the sickly girl mentions, noticing your absent look, “It's very good but, ah, but I can't eat a lot of rich food at once. I don't mind sharing, if-”

“Actually,” you blurt out, the strained tone in your voice causing all eyes to turn your way. You almost back down, abandoning the effort, but then you force yourself to continue. “Actually, there's something I need to talk to you all about. It's about the Paris attack,” you announce steadily, “You've all been told, uh, that it was “Lilim related activity”, but that's not really... I mean I guess it's sort of true, but it's still pretty vague.”

“You're not being much better,” Claudia points out, “Do you actually have a point to make?”

“It was Coraline!” you snap, forcing the words out, “She's... she must have been exposed to Lilim material somehow, and it changed her. Now, she's just as dangerous as any Lilim. She's angry, she's lashing out at the world, and... and we need to do something about it.”

A silence greets this. “What are you proposing?” Kaori asks slowly, “Do you have any idea about how to save her?”

“I don't know if she can be saved,” you admit, “I don't even know if she WANTS to be saved.”

[1/2]

>>3870009

The mood, following this announcement, is as low as you feared it might be. Nobody says very much, and the air shivers with the rattle of plates as Hester cleans up. Even Claudia is lost for words, her well of smug comments running dry. As you're sitting in silence, there is a knock at the door. Monroe and Fletcher enter, and you're not the only one who tenses up at their arrival. Everyone has the same guilty look, as if you've been caught discussing something you shouldn't.

“What's with this miserable mood?” Monroe asks, looking around in confusion, “Who died?”

“Nobody yet,” Claudia mutters to herself. Monroe glances around, almost says something, reconsiders.

“Listen up, all of you. I've got important news,” Fletcher continues, picking up where Monroe left off, “The Dirac Probe is expected to arrive tomorrow, around midday. Assuming our initial checks don't find any problems, we're planning to deploy the probe by nightfall. This is all unfolding faster than originally planned, but recent events have forced our hand. Every day we spend on preparations could mean a repeat of the Paris incident, and head office isn't willing to take that chance.”

Monroe clears her throat. “It's going to be a strategic insertion. One ADM Unit to guide the probe and make sure it deploys correctly, then pull back. Our analysis – admittedly limited – suggests that there are dormant Lilim inside the Dirac Sea. The more ADM Units we deploy, the greater chance we have of rousing them. If we're quick and quiet, we can avoid any trouble,” she pauses, her voice strained with the effort of sounding optimistic, “Juliet. Head office chose you to be the designated pilot for this operation, so-”

“No!” Yulia protests, “No, that's not right! She... she cannot do this! What if there is a problem with the deploying the probe? She would not know how to fix it, or what else to try – I should be the one to! I want to go!”

“Request denied,” Fletcher states bluntly, “The decision has been made, Kuznetsova. It's not going to change.”

For a moment, it looks like Yulia is going to flip the table over. Her face contorts, distorted by a terrible snarl, and then she storms off to her room. “You are making a mistake!” she spits, throwing the words over her shoulder. Fletcher just watches her leave without comment, while Monroe awkwardly fidgets in place.

“Um...” the commander mumbles, “Juliet, can you come with me? I'd like to speak with you about the operation. The rest of you... well, that's all.”

Fletcher marches out without a backwards glance, while Juliet's eyes flick across to you before she follows Monroe out.

That's all. Show's over, folks.

>Follow Juliet and Monroe. Maybe you can join their meeting
>Go after Fletcher. You need to see what he's playing at
>Check on Yulia. She probably needs a friendly face about now
>Or perhaps... (Write in)
>Other

>>3870011
>Or perhaps... (Write in)
Grab Yulia and go to Bergmann, ask her about the probe.

Another possible course of action would be to go bodiless and listen in on the briefing, or we could just ask Juliet about what she's going to be doing later.

>>3870011
>>Follow Juliet and Monroe. Maybe you can join their meeting
We'll need to talk to Yulia later, but I want the full picture first. I get the impression that Juliet is going because she is expendable to them

>>3870011
> Follow Juliet and Monroe

Astral projection whoooolooo

>>3870011
>>Follow Juliet and Monroe. Maybe you can join their meeting

>>3870018
>>3870015
We should try to join the meeting normally first. That was we can actually offer input instead of skulking around

>>3870021
That way*

>>3870021
They aren't sending her because she's expendable If that were the case they would send Dakota or Kaori it's because she is less likely to question orders and just mindlessly follow the orders she was given.

If Orcus is the Zeruel or Armisael analogue, the probe is actually going to be a N2 mine / Nuke and Juliet is going to be the delivery system, as her talent for neutralizing AT fields going to be integral to the success of the operation.

Rising from the dinner table, you hurry out after Monroe and Juliet. “Hey, wait!” you call out to them, your voice causing Monroe to stop in her tracks. “Hey, uh, is this a private meeting?” you ask, breathing heavily, “I mean, can I sit in?”

“I don't know if...” Monroe begins, pausing and looking around at Juliet, “Juliet, is that fine with you?”

“Sure,” Juliet answers with a simple shrug, “I've got nothing to hide.”

“Well, I guess that's your answer,” the commander decides, patting you on the arm before continuing on your way to her office. When you arrive, Fletcher's door is already closed tight. Barely sparing it a sideways glance, Monroe leads you inside and sits. A disordered mess of papers covers her desk, and you risk a fleeting look across them. Forms and memos about the new “delivery”, mostly, instructions on what to do with the damn thing. “Okay, so, you know the situation already. I mean, I only told you a few minutes ago, so I hope you haven't forgotten,” she laughs awkwardly, “I just wanted to go over a few more things.”

Holding your tongue, you wait to see if Juliet has anything to say. The old Juliet wouldn't – she would sit, rigid and stiff, until given her orders. This time, though, Juliet shifts uneasily in her chair. “I have a question,” she announces, swallowing heavily and forcing herself to meet Monroe's eyes, “Was I chosen because I'm expendable?”

“No! No, of course not!” Monroe insists, her eyes flicking away from Juliet's gaze, “As far as I'm concerned, none of you are expendable.”

“But it wasn't your choice, was it?” you point out, “You might think that way, but head office probably has other ideas. So really-”

Holding up a hand to silence you, Monroe searches through the papers on her desk before coming up with a set of technical diagrams. “Here. The Dirac Probe was designed to link up with an ADM Unit, and the connecting links were built to UN specifications – that means your ADM, Juliet. It's true, we could modify one of the other ADM Units to carry the connecting links, but since we're working on a deadline...” she gives you a sad smile, a vague shrug, “We're all trying to make the best of a bad situation here.”

You study the diagrams for a few moments, trying to make some sense of them. They look legit enough, but how can you really tell? “Yulia does have a point, though,” you mutter, “What if something goes wrong?”

“Holly, Yulia is...” Monroe pauses, wincing slightly as she tries to put a dark, contorted thought into words. “Yulia is very eager to help, and we all appreciate that, but there's no chance of repairing the Dirac Probe in the field. It's just not practical,” she says at last, “If something goes wrong, the plan is to pull out and fix the problem from our end.”

But there's something else there. Something she isn't telling you.

[1/?]

>>3870041
My guess it's not only a probe, it's a control device. Endgame plan looks simple then, get the inconvenient strike team in, dispatch Lilith. close the door behind them.

>>3870057
There is definitely a reason why they won't let Yulia go near it. She'll probably be able to figure out it's real intention.

>>3870058
We could break into engineering after they receive the probe with Yulia and have her look it over, based on their previous plans that involved sending Juliet alone to go after a Lilium, involved her being extremely close to a bomb when they wanted it to go off, we should be able justify having Yulia look it over independently to confirm that it isn't a bomb or something worse.

>>3870041

“Um, well, we're getting a little distracted here,” Monroe quickly continues, “Juliet. I wanted to ask you if you're ready for this. In an ideal world, this would be a quick in and out mission, but we can't take anything for granted. Are you prepared to lead this mission?”

Juliet considers this. “If I said that I wasn't able to do this,” she asks carefully, “Would that change anything? As you said, my ADM Unit is the only one with the suitable equipment.”

“Well, ah, I was hoping you wouldn't say...” Monroe flounders, “If you really, sincerely refused to lead the operation, there isn't really much we could do to force you. We'd have to try and refit the connecting links onto another ADM Unit, and a rush job like that might be flawed or prone to failure, so-”

“I'll do it,” Juliet interrupts, “I was always going to do it.”

“Oh,” the older woman pauses, “So why did you ask?”

“I wondered what you'd say,” she answers with a simple shrug. As Monroe turns away with a huff, shuffling her papers back into some semblance of order, Juliet looks around and gives you a tiny hint of a smile. You almost laugh aloud, covering it up with a quick cough. Still pouting, Monroe gives you a quick frown as if scolding you for the distraction. “Is that all, then?” she adds, raising her hand to get the commander's attention, “You could have just asked me back in the dorm.”

Monroe tilts her head to the side, as if admitting defeat. “Well, you know, I didn't want to have the conversation in front of an audience, just in case you DID have a problem,” she points out, “I was trying to be sensitive, and... well, if that's all, I need to phone this in to head office. Can you give me a minute?” Picking up her phone, Monroe makes no move to call, instead waiting until you file out of her office.

“So,” you whisper, once the office door has closed behind you, “Do you believe that line about the connecting links?”

“Almost,” Juliet whispers back, “It's a convenient excuse, isn't it?”

“But you're doing it anyway,” you point out.

Juliet shrugs. “Someone has to do it,” she replies, “I'm a little frightened, of course, but... it's just another ocean. When I think of it that way, it doesn't seem so bad.” A thoughtful look passes her face as a new idea occurs. “I wonder if I should ask for something in return,” she muses, “That wouldn't be too bratty of me, would it?”

“Guess it depends on what you were asking for,” you answer, “A nice day out would be fine, but don't go demanding a solid gold yacht or anything.”

“Wouldn't a solid gold yacht just sink?” Juliet asks, raising an eyebrow, “Anyway, I'm not really sure what I'd ask for. There isn't really anything I want.”

>So don't ask for anything, I guess
>Maybe we should have lunch tomorrow, just the two of us
>What about a nice meal out for the whole team?
>I've got an idea for you... (Write in)
>Other

>>3870082
>What about a nice meal out for the whole team

Ego for everyone

>>3870082
>What about a nice meal out for the whole team?

>>3870082
>Other
She shold ask for Yulia to look over the probe when it gets here.
Go and sit down where we went with Vic to see if Monroe had heard from Nate, then go bodiless and listen in on the phonecall, see what they say.

>>3870082
>Other
"Really? Nothing at all comes to mind? Might be worth thinking about a little bit."

>Otherwise
>What about a nice meal out for the whole team?
"And I mean "Nice" nice. Something even Claudia would have trouble complaining about."

>>3870082
>Go on an exchange trip? Maybe you want to see your....sisters.
>It'd be hella risky though

>>3870082
>>What about a nice meal out for the whole team?

>>3870095
Be careful with that. Juliet doesn't know she was created. Calling them sisters opens up a whole line of questioning that could lead to shattering Juliet's world view and past on a larger scale than us learning about Circle Eleven. And it would be right before her mission too. We might want to hold off on dropping that bomb for right now.

>>3870099
she knows her memories are all out of whack. I'm pretty sure all she's missing are the scientific explanations for what she is.

>>3870101
She seemed real confident when she got her memories back that she was from Berlin and had two loving parents and all of her past. I agree that on a subconscious level she knows something is off, just like Holly did with Claire, but still I don't think it's the best time to tell someone that everything they know beyond what she has here are lies.

>>3870106
We know that the memories had to come from someone, as long as we make it clear that just like when we explained it to Karina it doesn't make her any less real or disposable then the other pilots, it's just one more infraction to add to Head office's list.

File: rlmshotgun.gif (2.68 MB, 444x250)

2.68 MB GIF

>>3870116
I agree, don't get me wrong, but I need to stress that existential bombs should not be dropped before missions into hellscape portals that already will take a toll on Ego.

There is also the issue that Holly is god fucking awful at explaining things to people. She just always panics and spouts off base information without any useful and prudent details and then just goes silent or runs away. Look at the Coraline drop at the start of the thread. No explanation about why Coraline is angry, what the Lilim biomass even does, Coraline's capabilities as we know them. Just screams her name and says she's bad. It's fucking irritating to me and probably the cast too.

>>3870124
There is only so much she can do, she hasn't been taught, have the experience, or done the preplanning and preparation she would need to conduct a succinct briefing, a significant amount of time the things Holly has to say are Soul crushing, world shattering revelations or just not happy or easy topics to talk about add onto all of that that while she is stuck explaining things to people she isn't uncovering the next big bad thing the people have committed in the name of progress.

>>3870124
you have a fair point

>>3870082
modify >>3870095
to something to the effect of a secret that can wait until after the mission

....also
>a scuba set
we need to stop this "almost drowning" thing with some oxygen masks.

“Really?” you remark, “You can't think of anything at all? Maybe you should take some time out to think it over.”

“I already feel like I've asked for a lot,” Juliet admits, “Taking that trip out to the beach was my one privilege. So now I'm not sure if I'd be pushing my luck by asking for something more. I'm not used to making demands.”

No kidding. “Well, maybe just settle for something nice and simple. What about a nice meal for the whole team? We can pick somewhere nice, nice enough that even Claudia can't complain about it,” you suggest, “Plus, it's something we could arrange on short notice. I mean, if we're thinking long term, you could take a holiday somewhere. What about Berlin? I met a few of the girls there, and I think you'd-”

“Not there,” Juliet interrupts, her eyes narrowing with a sudden fear. You pause, taken aback by her reaction, and then she forces a smile. “A meal. That sounds nice,” she continues, “It's something we can all enjoy. Maybe it'll help to cheer Yulia up too. I feel a little bad for her. She worked really hard, leading up to this operation, and to have that taken away from her... I don't blame her for being frustrated. I just hope-”

The door swishes open, interrupting her, and Monroe peers out. “What are you two scheming about?” she asks cheerfully, “I know a conspiracy when I see one!”

“Just a little bit of blackmail,” Juliet answers, giving the commander a sweet smile, “I was just thinking, I'm not sure if I have the strength to lead this mission. I might need a good meal to prepare myself for it. Of course, I'd feel terrible if I was eating alone, so...” Trailing off here, she awaits Monroe's response. With a good-natured laugh, Monroe ruffles the girl's hair and gives you both a hearty nod. “So it's agreed?” the girl presses, “I won't ask you to sign a contract, of course. Just giving me your word would be enough.”

“You drive a hard bargain, but I think I can work something out,” Monroe concedes, “Let me make a few more calls. I might have to pull a few strings, but you'll have the best lunch ever – I give you my word!”

“There was something else,” you add, waving to get Monroe's attention, “I know this might be kinda weird, but I think Yulia should have the chance to see the probe. I mean, she worked hard on it. Even if she can't be the one to deploy it, I think she'd appreciate the chance to see it up close. Does that, uh, does that make any sense?”

Is that guilt you see in Monroe's eyes? She nods regardless, forcing a smile. “I think that's a lovely idea,” she tells you, “Yulia's lucky to have such a thoughtful friend.”

Then, with almost undue haste, Monroe retreats back into her office.

[1/?]

>>3870148
>guilt in her eyes
>she doesn't say yes to letting Yulia see it

oh boy
how many kids do you guys think they stuffed into this probe?

maybe team blue eye is in there

>>3870148

As you're walking back to the dorm, Juliet stops you with a gesture. “Coraline,” she says simply, “I still don't understand what's going on.”

“It's a long story,” you sigh, leaning against the wall, “I wish I was better at explaining this stuff. It goes way back to when she was training to be a pilot. From what she told me, it was tough as hell. Still, she could deal with it as long as she wasn't alone. There was another girl there, Reed, and I guess they were... close.” Pausing here, you gaze off into nowhere as you think back. “And then Reed died. They said it was an accident, but that was just a cover up. Really, she died in an experiment. She was swallowed up by the Dirac Sea, just to see what would happen,” you continue, too tired to keep the venom from your words, “Just before we captured Konstantin, he told Coraline the truth. I think that was the last straw, and now she's just... I don't know, trying to burn the whole world down.”

Juliet accepts this in silence, studying you carefully.

“And I know I should have said that before, but it's so...” you gesture angrily, furious at your own clumsy tongue, “Why does talking to people have to be so goddamn hard?”

Again, Juliet considers this. Then, at last, she nods. “I'll tell the others,” she assures you, “You're not alone in this. You can rely on me – on all of us.”

“Even Claudia?” you remark, offering her a rueful smile.

“Well,” Juliet returns your smile, “Maybe not ALL of us.”

-

Juliet starts knocking on doors when you return to the dorm, passing along your message to the others. You leave her too it, feeling both gladdened and guilty to be free from that task. Instead, you knock lightly at Yulia's door and enter even after hearing no answer. Looking up from the weighty book she was reading, Yulia glares at you for a few seconds before sighing and setting the tome behind. “I, uh, is this a bad time?” you ask, gesturing vaguely towards the door, “I've got good news, if that helps.”

“Good news. Really?” Yulia remarks, “That is, I think, hard to believe.”

“I asked Monroe if she would let you see this probe. You know, up close and personal. She said that was a lovely idea,” you explain, “I know it's not much, but like... at least you'll get to see the results of your hard work, right? You can check it over, make sure everything is as it should be. I bet Juliet would feel a lot safer knowing that you've given the probe your seal of approval!”

Yulia tries very hard to look sullen, but eventually she lets out a laugh. “The Yulia Kuznetsova seal of approval,” she chuckles, “I like the sound of that!”

[2/3]

>>3870187

You're lying in bed when you feel it, a static charge running across the surface of your skin. “Sneaking into a girl's room at night?” you murmur aloud, not even bothering to open your eyes, “Keep this up, you're gonna end up on some kind of list. A Lilim AND a sex pest? Talk about unpopular.”

“That's just cruel,” Amon laments, “Can't a guy visit his friend?”

“You'd need to have a friend for that,” you point out, finally sitting up and looking around the room. Amon sits at your desk, perfectly at ease, and you feel a sudden unease. “You... you actually think we're friends, don't you?” you ask, “And to think, you said I was the one who'd cling to anyone.”

“I say a lot of things,” the Lilim teases. Muttering a curse, you lie back down and turn your back on him, stubbornly staring at the wall. “You know, the old man found it hard to talk to people too,” he continues eventually, his voice low, “He had brilliant ideas – for a human – but I don't think anyone ever truly understood him. There was, perhaps, one person who came close, but even that was a flawed, imperfect relationship. Oh he could spin a fine yarn, he wouldn't have attracted so many desperate followers if he couldn't, but those were never really HIS ideas. He just used the words that suited his needs best.”

Maintaining a stubborn silence, you stare at the wall. All the while, your thoughts race.

“I suppose that's what he liked so much about that little idea of his. A world where men could understand one another without words...” Amon lets out a whimsical sigh, “It's actually a little bit pathetic, don't you think?”

>I guess he was nothing more than a weak, frightened old man
>I think it's admirable. Life would be a lot easier that way
>Didn't anyone ever teach you not to speak ill of the dead?
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3870226
>Didn't anyone ever teach you not to speak ill of the dead? How would you like it if, after killing you, I said you had a lame sense of humor?

>>3870226
>I think... (Write in)
"I never knew the man. Not for more than a few minutes anyways during our interviews, not really enough to get a handle on his character. I can see the appeal in his world. Everything would be easier, less cruel, but it seems too much like giving up. And it relies too much on Lilith playing ball apparently. Still I wouldn't call the man pathetic or weak. He stood by his ideals and directly opposed SEELE. Regardless of what those ideals were, that took some balls."

>Other
"When you took your "parent's" experiences when you first awoke you said you did it violently. Did that cause lasting harm on them? Did they seem different afterwards?"

>>3870226
>Most people are. Even me. Even....would you feel better being a little bit pathetic, or not counting as a person?
>It would be nice, but there's a few things I wouldn't sacrifice for it. I rather like a punch myself for sending a message.
>Have you thought about entering the Dirac Sea yourself? I guess meddling with real people is much more appealing to you.

>>3870226
>Other
Ask if he knows anything about the probe, or why Monroe is being so skittish whenever it gets brought up.

>>3870226
>Other
'You could say that. You could say we're all really pathetic. Out here on a tiny rock, figuring out who's going to stab who tomorrow. But I guess you're the proof that someone's out there. Do you think they are any different? Looking at Lilith and Adam fight it sure doesn't look like that to me'

“Didn't anyone teach you not to speak ill of the dead?” you hiss, “How would you like it if you died, and I went around telling everyone that you had a lame sense of humour?”

“That's irrelevant,” Amon counters, and you can just HEAR the smug smile in his voice, “I'm not going to die.”

“Yeah, well, I'm working on that,” you spit, sitting up again and glaring at him. He takes the threat in good humour, accepting it with a sly smile. “Fact is, I never knew the old man well enough to say for sure. Speaking for a few minutes here and there, a few interviews under stressful circumstances, that's not a good way to know a man's nature. Still, I guess I can see the appeal in his world. It's less cruel, a less painful way to live... but it feels like giving up to me, like running away from your problems,” you continue, “I don't think I'd be willing to sacrifice this body either. I've still got things I want to do with it.”

“Ah yes,” Amon murmurs, and then he's beside you, sitting beside you on the bed, “I can think of a few things the physical body is good for. I could show you, if-”

Your punch catches him by surprise – or at least, he lets it appear that way – and cuts his taunts short. Reeling back with a thin ribbon of blood leaking out of his nose, Amon falls silent. “I wanted to do THAT, for starters,” you tell him, “Nothing sends a message like it.”

A low, oily laugh escapes Amon's lips as he straightens back up again, the ribbon of blood creeping back up into his body. “So,” he chuckles, “Is that a no?”

Ignoring this, you leap up from the bed and cross over to the opposite side of the room. “If not wanting to be alone is pathetic, I guess we're ALL a little pathetic,” you remark, “But that's just life. Aren't you the same? The way you keep chasing after me, I don't think you want to be alone more than anyone else. You can admit it... or would that be too much like being a real person?” Amon doesn't reply to this, and you wonder if your words struck a nerve. Maybe. Maybe not. “You had “parents” once,” you continue, “Did you hurt them, when you touched their minds?”

“Isn't that what all people do?” he counters, “You come into contact with one another, but you come away with bleeding wounds. Yet, you keep coming back – is the pain of being alone really so terrible?”

Risking a step closer, you give Amon a cold look. “Avoiding the question?” you ask, “If I didn't know any better, I'd think you felt guilty.”

“Guilty? Of course not!” Amon laughs, a ragged edge of cruelty stealing into his voice, “They came to ME. They woke me up, they WANTED to learn from me. If that knowledge left them crippled, well... how is that MY fault?”

[1/?]

>>3870287

“The fact is, you humans will always chase after secrets, no matter how dangerous that might be. If you're smart, you get some disposable sap to do the chasing for you,” Amon sneers, “But you know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?”

“...The Dirac Probe?” you hiss, “What do you know about it? Why is Monroe getting so... nervous about it?”

“Wouldn't it be more fun to figure it out for yourself?” the Lilim taunts, giving you a mocking sigh, “Maybe your desperate little commander is just worried about breaking their expensive toy. After all, a lot of work went into it, a lot of different departments contributing their labour – the engineers, the science division... and human resources, of course.”

You jerk back as if slapped across the face, his words cutting into you. You'd be lying if you said the idea was a wholly new one, but the have your vague musings put into blunt and mocking words... it's far from pleasant. An unfeeling machine, without the protection of an AT Field, could never survive in the Dirac Sea. How else would they deploy their previous probe, if not for a living component?

You look up, with both a curse and a question on your lips, but Amon is nowhere to be seen.

Maybe now you can get some sleep – but you doubt it.

-

“I wasn't sure what everyone wanted to eat, so I went for a buffet table. That way, you can pick and choose whatever you like,” Monroe announces, gesturing for you all to follow her as she leads you to the main elevator, “Boy, it wasn't easy getting a table for all of you on such short notice. Don't ever say that I don't do anything for you!”

“Is it really okay, us all going out like this?” Kaori asks, “I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but...”

“I mean this in the nicest possible way, but it'll be easier if you're out of the way,” the commander answers, “When we get back from lunch, all the heavy lifting should be over and done with. I can't stand all this fuss and disruption, so it'll be nice to get away while it's going on. Now, is everyone ready?”

From behind you, you hear Fletcher clearing his throat. “Holly,” he calls out, beckoning you over. Nervously gesturing for the others to wait, you hurry across to him. “I'm going to run an errand. I thought you might want to come along,” the mercenary says quietly, “You deserve to be a part of this.”

“Could you, like, pick a worse moment for this?” you ask with a scowl, pointing back to the others, “We were just about to go for a meal. What's this about, anyway?”

“I'm going out to visit a friend. I was hoping to visit him in Berlin, but we never had the chance,” Fletcher explains carefully, “He's visiting town today, and this might be our only chance to catch up.”

Your heart sinks. “This won't wait,” you murmur, “Will it?”

Fletcher solemnly shakes his head.

>Join the others for their day out
>Join Fletcher on his “errand”
>Other

>>3870336
>>Join the others for their day out
"I guess I'm going to have to trust you to give me an unfiltered version later, but I need to be with them right now."

>>3870336
>Join Fletcher on his “errand”

Fletcher cucking us out of girl day

>>3870336
>Join Fletcher on his “errand”
We should see if Fletcher will tell us anything more about the probe.

This probably has something to do with Regent so this could end up blowing up in our faces later, I swear if he goes and get's himself killed now of all times.

It feels like a long time before you give him a shuddering nod. Turning to the others, you hurry back to join them. “I hate to dump this on you, at the last minute and all, but something just came up. Go on ahead without me,” you tell him, holding up a hand to stop the groans of protest, “Look, this is important, okay? I wouldn't skip out on a day out if it wasn't. You guys just gotta trust me, okay?” Forcing a smile, you give them an apologetic shrug. “Don't eat too much, Juliet,” you add, “You're working later, so you don't wanna be all bloated, do you?”

“I guess not,” Juliet agrees sadly, “Whatever you're doing, do it carefully.”

“Always,” you promise her, giving her a quick wink before hurrying back to Fletcher.

-

The elevator hums as you climb up towards the surface. Fletcher doesn't say anything, but you can see his foot tapping with restless energy. Every so often, his hand sneaks up to touch the shoulder holster he wears under the light linen jacket. Idly, you wonder how dangerous this “errand” of his is going to be. As the elevator shudders to a halt, and you follow the mercenary out to his waiting car, you clear your throat. “This is about HIM, isn't it?” you ask quietly, “Regent?”

“Right,” Fletcher confirms, “I haven't been... completely honest about him.”

“Wow. I'm shocked,” you mutter, snapping your seatbelt shut, “Normally, everyone here is so honest and open.” With a humourless grunt, Fletcher starts the car and guides it into the city streets. Behind you, you watch as Monroe takes the others to their fancy lunch. “There goes my chance for a nice day out,” you complain, “This had better be worth it, Fletcher. I'm missing out on a good meal thanks to you.”

“It's not too late to change your mind,” he points out, “Want me to pull over and let you out?”

“...No,” you admit, “I'm curious now. If you were trying to bait me along, consider it a success.”

Fletcher says nothing more, concentrating on the road as he drives towards a familiar parking garage. A chill runs through you as you look up at the looming concrete structure. Doctor Wilson died here, and now you're back. Why does it feel like history is repeating itself?

-

Fletcher parks the car on the bottom level, leading you the rest of the way on foot. You stick close, hurrying to keep up with his long stride. Every step of the way, you glance about for any hidden killers lying in wait. When you reach the fourth floor, Fletcher slows his pace and guides you down the rows of cars. Turning a corner, you flinch back as a sudden bright light smashes into you. Throwing up a hand against the car's headlights, you make out the vague silhouette of a man. Then the lights die, and a gasp escapes you.

“Fletcher,” Gillian Elrow begins, “Didn't I tell you to come alone?”

[1/?]

>>3870381
Oh boy. Here we go.

>>3870395

I guess he used a body double Probably a cloned body, like what happened to Reed to fake his death and go to ground for whatever reason, we should ask him about the probe if we have time.

And now if Wilson was to miraculously pop back up, i wouldn't even be mad.

>>3870381
Well unless he has some literal plot device (or a knowledge of one), he could go back to the grave for all I, as a player, care. He was useful as an insider party.

>>3870412
Since he was on the council he probably has his own plan for the world and since he at least pretends to feel bad about what he has done, we may have a better way out for everyone

It means we could kill Matheson, whenever we feel like it and have a chance that everything won't fall apart before we get around to dealing the other two members of the council.

>>3870428
>he probably has his own plan for the world
Yeah, let's hear that after the probe stuff. As far as I can remember it was pretty tame, like just integrating more AT-field technology. Which also means it was really not opposing whatever's Matheson and 01 (sorry, keep forgetting his name) are planning. He could end up controlling the design/manufacturing corporations, which would give him more of a real power, but still pretty limited.

But let me tell you, there's a spectre haunting Avalon - the spectre of Bergmanism. All the powers of electronic old men have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre.

>>3870460
01: Leighton
02: Elrow
03: Kinsley
04: Matheson
05: Konstantin (Deceased)

>>3870381

You have so many questions right now. So many fucking questions.

“Call it a calculated risk,” Fletcher replies dryly, crossing over to Elrow and grasping the older man's hand. You just stare, looking Elrow up and down. He looks pretty good for a dead man, just as you remember him. His hair is still dyed, and his suit still looks like it's covered in dust. “Holly. Close your mouth before you swallow a fly,” the mercenary adds, a faint smile on his face, “I have some explaining to do, don't I?”

“You... damn right you do!” you splutter, pointing at Elrow, “You're supposed to be dead, dude! Amon KILLED you!”

“I'm sure he's finding this all very amusing,” Elrow remarks with a wan smile, gesturing for you to come a little closer. With an almost boyish grin, he leans back against the hood of his car. “Amon DID have orders to kill me. When he appeared in my hotel room, I felt sure that he'd do it, too. I still don't know exactly why he decided to spare me. Perhaps he finds no end of fascination in mankind's petty struggles. I'm not so arrogant as to believe he spared me out of any affection,” he continues, “Whatever his reasons were, he helped with the deception. Between that, and 04's reluctance to investigate any further, it was easy enough to disappear.”

“Wait, 04 didn't...” you pause, “I would have thought she'd want to make sure.”

“You'd think. I actually think she felt guilty about it – we've been through a lot together, after all, and it can't be easy to sign the death warrant of an old friend,” Elrow shrugs, “But she saw me as a threat to her plans, and that came above whatever friendship we once had.”

Fletcher watches as you pace back and forth, your thoughts equally restless. “It sounds callous, I know, but Elrow needed to “die” in order to show the other members of SEELE how far 04 had fallen,” he tells you, “Since then, Elrow and Leighton have been carrying out secret talks. Exchanging ideas, making plans, figuring out the best way to deal with 04. Leighton passes along information to Elrow, and Elrow passes it along to me.”

“Which isn't as simple as it sounds,” Elrow adds with a grimace, “Whether it's because of her experiments with ADM biomass or because of Amon's influence, she's growing paranoid. Unstable, even. If you'll forgive the expression, she's become a cancer – one that must be removed carefully, lest it cause greater damage.”

“Okay,” you breathe, looking Elrow in the eye, “So what's the plan?”

>I'm going to pause things here. Current plan is to continue this next Friday, unless anything goes horribly wrong at work
>I've been feeling pretty low energy all weekend, so your patience is appreciated. Hopefully, next week should be better

>>3870460
As long as Bergmann manages to hurt or kill Matheson before she gets removed / dies, she will have done her job.

>>3870480
Thanks for running!

Are we gonna pit Bergmann and Matheson against each other and hope they tie? Tie in a lethal manner?

>>3870480
Thanks for the run.

>>3870480
>>I've been feeling pretty low energy all weekend, so your patience is appreciated. Hopefully, next week should be better
Just take your time. You sure are taking this more seriously than most of QMs, with a kept schedule and all. Thanks for running.

>one that must be removed carefully
Wait, why? Brahms doesn't give half a damn and carries his projects at the Academy (Blue Eye, Metatron). I assume teams under Bergmann carry out the Adam project at the Temple. What's Matheson got? Undying love of Amon, who seems to be more keen to hit on Holly? Blackmail? They literally have killed half the population with Second Impact, what could be worse than that?

>>3870480
Thanks for running.

Did the group enjoy their dine out?

Where does 03 fall into all this? 04's sycophant?

>>3870518
Matheson controls most of the Temple and still has considerable influence over a good chunk of NERV.

>>3870523
>controls
I don't know, you walk into a conference room and declare the place got a new CEO (or Chief Scientist or Madman at the Wheel or whatever) and all the questions with the separate heads of the labs will be discussed privately. Rinse, repeat for each installation. All the promises of loyalty are nothing without physical security and Leighton should be providing that with his UN troops. Guess we'll learn the plan the next week anyhow.

>>3870491
We might not even have to do anything - they've got more than enough reasons to strangle each other to death already

>>3870523
Dinner was delightful, a good time was had by all. Good thing we weren't around to ruin it!
And yes, 03 is pretty much clinging to Matheson's plans out of desperation. He's commited now, and it's either with her or against her.

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>>3870603
>Dinner was delightful, a good time was had by all. Good thing we weren't around to ruin it!
It's sad that that isn't a joke. Holly tends to bring the plot with her.

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Berlin, Germany.

Taking a sip of lukewarm coffee, Gillian Elrow glanced across the papers spread across his desk and wondered just where to start. They were all proposals – some plausible, some ludicrous – for dealing with the “anomalous situation” in orbit. Elrow's colleagues had been aghast when he asked for the public's suggestions, soliciting proposals from anyone willing to offer them. That kind of openness was rare for them, but Elrow had always been a bit of a heretic.

Still, he never expected quite so many responses. It was going to take days to sort through them all, and he was already busy with a dozen different errands or projects. It wasn't good for his health, pushing himself this hard, and his doctors were already nagging at him. His weak heart, perhaps the only thing he inherited from his father, sometimes seemed like a ticking bomb. There were things he could try, experimental procedures dreamed up in Temple, but he refused. When the time came, he'd die as a human.

Reaching for the coffee cup again, Elrow froze. The hairs on the back of his neck quivered, standing on end as the hotel lights flickered. Even as a wave of cold dread rose up to choke him, Elrow straightened up. “Well then,” he murmured, “Are you here to kill me, Adrian?”

“Yes, actually,” the reply came, “Is that a problem?”

“I don't really have time to die,” Elrow managed to reply, gesturing at his desk with a miraculously steady hand, “Can't you see how busy I am?”

This drew a thick, oily laugh from the demon. Although he was aware that every passing second could be his last, Elrow wondered if there might yet be some hope of escape. “Oh yes, I know exactly how busy you've been. Busy scheming, I'm told,” Adrian remarked, “Can I ask you something? Were you REALLY planning to betray her?”

“Are you trying to get me to incriminate myself, Adrian? Not that it really matters at this point. Yes, to answer your question. I think she needs to stand down, to take a good long look at what she's doing. This isn't going to end well, for anyone. I'd rather not see another one of our little group fall,” Elrow explained, choosing his words with care, “But if you think I was planning some violent coup, I'll have to disappoint you.”

“A shame. That would have been amusing,” Adrian mused, falling silent as an idea occurred to him. “You know, Gil, I just had a delightful idea,” he continued, “Why don't we make this into a little wager? I'll let you live – for now – and you can keep scheming. If you can convince her to stand down without a fight, I'll let you live. If things end violently, well... I'll find you, and I'll complete my mission. What do you say?”

Painfully aware that he might be stumbling into a trap, but faced with no other options, Elrow nodded his agreement.

[1/2]

>>3875452

In an instant, the mood in the room seemed to change. The difference was hard to explain, but it was like a terrible weight had lifted. There was still danger – there always was, when Amon was present – but the sense of imminent death had passed. Toying with his coffee cup, Elrow finally turned around and looked at his almost-assassin. Sitting on the corner of the bed, Adrian looked perfectly at ease. Perfectly calm, in control of the situation. Looking the inhuman thing in the eye for a few long seconds, Elrow began to speak.

“If this wager of yours is going to be any fun at all, I'll need to disappear for a while,” Elrow proposed slowly, “Would you be willing to help with that? In the interests of a fair competition, of course.”

“Of course,” Adrian agreed, a mocking sweetness in his voice, “Easily enough done. A few tricks here and there, a few delusions planted in the appropriate heads, and you'll have all the cover you'll need. She won't look too closely – this wasn't a decision she made lightly, you know.”

“And what about you, Adrian?” Elrow asked, his curiosity outweighing his caution, “I thought you were more... loyal than this. Loyal to her, at least. Now you're willing to work against her. Can I ask why, at least?”

Adrian raised an eyebrow, and Elrow briefly wondered if the Lilim even knew the answer to that. He didn't think like a man, often making decisions based on some warped logic that he shared with no-one. “I'm starting to realise something. There's only so much that a woman like her can offer me,” he answered eventually, “The best is yet to come, I think, but after that? It'll just be one disappointment after another. But, well, that's neither here nor there. I think it's time that we got this show on the road. Where do you want to start?”

Closing his eyes, Elrow thought for a few seconds. It was hard to concentrate on the plan, such as it was. No matter how hard he tried to banish them, guilty thoughts kept creeping back in. Was he making a deal with the devil? Was he setting the stage for some greater tragedy further down the line?

What other choice did he have?

Turning away from Adrian, Elrow searched across his desk for a moment and came up with a small voice recorder. His finger caressed the record button, hesitating gripping him until finally, he pushed the button.

“I fear that I have made a terrible mistake,” Elrow began, enunciating the words with great care, “And that I have nobody to blame but myself...”

>This concludes today's bonus interlude episode. Regular updates will resume on Friday
>Thank you for reading along today!

>>3875454
>If you can convince her to stand down without a fight, I'll let you live. If things end violently, well... I'll find you, and I'll complete my mission.

Rip Elrow. We are going to inadvertently kill him when we violently beat down Matheson.

>>3875478
Worth it

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“So I guess we might as well get the obvious question out of the way first,” you ask Elrow, watching as Fletcher patrols the parking garage, “Why can't he just roll up to Matheson and cap in the head? Like, that would solve the entire problem there and then.”

Elrow shifts uneasily at this callous suggestion. “It's true, that would... take care of the most immediate problem. My concern is what Matheson's followers might do. She has a great many allies within our organisation, and not all of them follow her out of fear. Leighton and I have been working to turn them, but it's a slow process. A sudden shift in the axis of power might throw them into open revolt. The last thing we want is to launch a coup,” he explains, “Not yet, at least. My hope is that, in time, we can convince her to willingly step down. If she realises how far she's fallen, that may yet be possible.”

“You really think there's a peaceful solution to this, huh?” you murmur, blinking in slow wonder, “I wish I could be that optimistic.”

“I truly believe that Matheson has good intentions, even if they have become warped. If we appeal to her sense of the greater good... Maybe I am being foolish, but I just can't condone murder as our first option,” Elrow sighs, “Killing Matheson could be the first shot in a war we can barely afford. The BLUE EYE unit would be activated, sent against NERV. They wouldn't have a choice in the matter – it's just how they're wired. Then there's Amon. I truly cannot say what he would do. His relationship with Matheson is...”

“Totally gross and fucked up? Yeah, I figured that much out already,” you snap, driving your fist into your palm with a clapping sound, “Thing is, he's got a gross and fucked up thing for ME too. Maybe his loyalties aren't as clear cut as they used to be. I mean, they never were clear cut, but... fuck, you know what I'm trying to say.”

Elrow nods, a hint of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “Amon remains the wild card, yes,” he agrees, “One of them, at least.”

It takes you a moment. “Bergmann,” you state, “She's running her own game. Have you got some sly plan to deal with her too?”

Almost as soon as it arrives, the smile fades. “Matheson, I'm told, has a plan to neutralise Doctor Bergmann, in a manner that will defuse any countermeasures the good doctor might have prepared. I only wish I knew what that plan was,” Elrow admits, “Either Leighton knows no more than I do, or he's keeping the matter close to his chest. What little I do know suggests a trade of some kind.”

“Bullshit,” you reply simply, shaking your head, “You people don't have anything Bergmann wants.”

Elrow starts to say something, only to pause as his phone buzzes. Flashing you an apologetic smile, he hurries a few paces away to answer it. Before he leaves, you catch a glimpse of the expression flitting across his face.

He looks... scared.

[1/2]

>>3878103

“You noticed it too, don't you?” Fletcher mutters, approaching you as Elrow continues his hushed conversation, “He's got the air of a desperate man.”

“Not exactly reassuring,” you agree, “You know, your boy there really thinks he can solve this peacefully. With like, talking and shit. Well, that's what he SAYS, now I'm not so sure if he really believe his own hype. It's like he-”

Fletcher silences you with a tiny gesture, with a twitch of his finger, and you see Elrow hurrying back across. “Sorry about that. Just a minor update about the Dirac Probe. I've been quite keen to follow it's progress – one of the main designers was one of mine, and I almost saw the man as... well, as my apprentice. For his sake, I hope this is successful,” he explains, “But it's out of my hands now.”

If you didn't know any better, you'd say he was trying to change the subject. “So I guess you know all about this probe, huh?” you ask, offering Elrow a thin and cheerless smile, “What's the real story there?”

“Well, I don't know what you've heard already, but the main goal of this exercise is to, eventually, forge a path towards the deepest layer of the Dirac Sea. Not literally deep, of course, but... that all gets rather complicated. Regardless, the probe will lead us to the great gate, which has been foretold in the Akashic Record. Past the great gate is Lilith herself. Matheson plans to pierce Lilith with a control rod crafted from the remains of Excalibur, creating a psychic link between the great mother and mankind as a whole.”

“Mankind cries out for a mother's guiding hand,” Fletcher quotes, his voice low and flat, “For the sake of our future, Lilith must take on a new mask and become Eve.”

“Sometimes, I think Matheson enjoys the theatrics a little too much,” Elrow adds, sounding faintly embarrassed by the whole idea, “That aside, she-”

You interrupt him here with a mad cackle of laughter. It's not something you can hold in, the giggles forcing their way out. “You're going to... to domesticate her?” you splutter, slowly regaining some measure of composure, “That's...”

>That might be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. We need to KILL Lilith, not adopt her!
>That might just be crazy enough to work. Tell me more...
>That's too much power for any one person. Matheson, you, or even me
>That's... (Write in)
>Other

>>3878107
>That might just be crazy enough to work. Tell me more...

Mommydom > soul vore

>>3878107
>That might be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. We need to KILL Lilith, not adopt her!
"All you people are going to do is going to create a situation where shit can go wrong AGAIN somewhere down the line. And for what? So you all can play Illuminati a bit more? Controlling humanity, only this time with alien magic instead of what you're currently doing? Are you people that desperate for lasting power?"

>Other
"Who or what is in the probe? It needs an AT field."


>“Bullshit,” you reply simply, shaking your head, “You people don't have anything Bergmann wants.”

Matheson totally has Johanna huh? They had control over the situation enough to let the attack on the village happen. It's not a stretch that they could have kidnapped her before the attack.

>>3878107
>That's... (Write in)
So far besides the point,it's not even funny anymore. as it turns out Matheson, Konstantine and now maybe even Coraline's plans, all need the same equipment, for different purposes of course. since we know this maybe we should send a pair of the Units to Temple I wold recommend Yulia and Juliet in order to prevent her from simply Waltzing in without warning and taking the components stored there, as at the moment they are almost completely unprotected.

In order to account for Nate waking up at an inopportune moment, we should send Vic with them.

>>3878119
This is a guess, but I think whatever is blocking Amon from going to the Temple (Adam probably) should block Coraline's Lilim teleport magic.

>>3878107
>That's too much power for any one person. Matheson, you, or even me
We are fallible as fuck

>>3878129
It won't stop her from teleporting as close as she can then walking the rest of the way across the seafloor.

“That might just be the dumbest thing I've ever heard!” you manage, “We need to KILL Lilith, not adopt her!”

“Holly-” Fletcher cautions, half-raising a hand to silence you, but you wave him away.

“Don't you SEE what you're doing? You're just setting the stage for things to go wrong all over again, and for what? For what? So you can sit around your round table, playing at this Illuminati shit for a few more years?” you snap, without a trace of laughter now, “Are you really that desperate to hold onto power? Because I'm starting to prefer things when I thought you were dead!”

Elrow waits until he's sure that you're done, gazing at you with the same weary sadness that you've seen so many times before. “This is Matheson's plan, to spread her “guidance” across mankind. I would see things play out in a different manner. With a few modifications, Matheson's control rod could be used to pacify Lilith – to drive her into a deep and permanent sleep, a coma. She would be harmless, and the Lilim rendered inert along with her,” he explains, “It is, I think, the best chance we have.”

“Except for, you know, killing her,” you point out, “That's still a thing.”

“That is NOT “a thing”, Holly,” Elrow replies tersely, “Forget what you know about Lilim, Lilith herself is a higher being. She is to a Lilim what a Lilim is to a man. Perhaps one day, we can create a way to destroy Lilith once and for all, but until then the best thing we can do is to render her harmless, contained within the Dirac Sea.”

Scowling at him for a moment, you throw your hands up in dismay. “Whatever. You'd still have control over her. That's far too much power for any human to hold. I've already seen what people like you do with a tiny scrap of power,” you state, jabbing a finger at Elrow, “That probe of yours isn't just a machine, is it? There's a girl trapped in there. Not the first girl you've thrown into that abyss though, huh?”

For a moment, you wonder if you've gone too far again. Glancing aside to Fletcher, you see the mercenary's impassive features. Not exactly agreement, but he's not defending Elrow either. Elrow himself seems to realise something, because he nods simply. “The Dirac Probe is built around one of the Juliet series. She's not conscious of anything that's happening around her – she's kept in a deep, dreaming state,” he tells you in a frank voice, “Those dreams will serve as a conduit for human thought to enter the Dirac Sea, to shape it into a landscape we can navigate. She might not know it, but she's a vital part of the operation.”

“Oh yeah, I bet,” you sneer, “So what's her name?”

Elrow doesn't answer this straight away. “I think it was Number Eight,” Fletcher adds quietly, “Or was it Number Nine?”

Looking sick to his stomach, Elrow avoids your gaze.

[1/?]

>>3878146
Let's hope it was Number Nine. It's a STRONG number.

>>3878159
It makes me wonder what happened to all of the others?

>>3878146
>She would be harmless, and the Lilim rendered inert along with her

How would they know that?

>>3878160
Seven are accounted for with Juliet and team blue eye

>>3878173
If I had to guess the pilot of the probe is the one that Nate saw at Temple.

>>3878173
One has to wonder if he meant number 9 in just the Juliet series. Nate did see a Juliet walking around in Temple in her journal.

>>3878146

The silence draws painfully out, only to be broken by the shrill shriek of your phone. Elrow flinches as if you just fired a gun beside his head, looking nervously about as you check the phone. Kaori.

“Holly. We're taking some things home from the buffet,” she announces, the background noise a riot of clattering utensils and conversations, “Do you want us to bring you anything specific?”

“Uh, just grab me some ribs or something,” you answer, barely thinking about your reply, “Ribs, and a bit of everything else.”

“A bit of everything else,” Kaori repeats, and you can just picture her trying not to smile, “Right. I'll fetch a wheelbarrow. There's quite a wide selection here, after all. Are you on your way back to the base yet?”

“Not yet,” you tell her, meeting Elrow's eyes, “I won't be much longer, though. I'm pretty much done here.” Ending the call and pocketing your phone again, you spread your hands wide and give Elrow an expectant look. “So what now?” you ask him bluntly, “This little meeting didn't go to plan, I'm guessing, so what happens now?”

“Now, I go back to being a dead man. I'm sure you'll be happy about that,” Elrow remarks, giving you a wan smile, “I'll be working with Leighton to turn Matheson's followers, and you'll have your regular duties to attend to. Once we have the results from the Dirac Probe, a new world of possibilities will open up to us. After that, I fear that I cannot say what will happen – Matheson and I won't be able to delve into the Dirac Sea. That will be up to you and your fellow pilots. I just hope that-”

“What about Number Eight?” you interrupt, “Or Number Nine, whatever. What happens to HER once the Dirac Probe is finished? You fish her out and send her organs to some rich bastard with a heart condition?”

This time Fletcher does intervene, touching you on the arm and giving you a stern look. “This might be hard for you to believe, but we have SOME standards,” Elrow protests, “Unless things have changed a lot since my “death”, we've never used a conscious girl in that way. We're not... monsters.”

That IS hard to believe.

“As I said, I have to get back to work,” Elrow concludes, gesturing vaguely towards his car, “I'm sorry to have deceived you all this time, but...”

“But you're not sure who you can trust,” you finish for him, “Do you trust me?”

“I don't know,” he admits, “Should I?”

>I guess not. I'm not on your “team”, Elrow
>I guess so. You're not as bad as all the others
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3878253
>>I guess not. I'm not on your “team”, Elrow
"I'm not on Matheson's. I'm not on Bergmann's. I care about two things: Stopping this apocalypse and keeping the rest of the girl's alive through it as best I can. You jeopardize that, use them in your little games, or try to sacrifice them like pawns without them knowing the risk you are my enemy. I'm extending that to BLUE EYE as well. You say you have standards Elrow? Reed's murder was on your watch. Coraline's near ego collapse test was on your watch. Letting Bergmann's family's village die was on your watch. Circle Eleven was on YOUR watch. You don't have the 'Faking death' excuse for any of those and more."

>>3878253
>Other
No more than anyone else involved in any of this, i guess. I mean you have signed off on things that could easily have gotten not only me but others, that aren't on this level killed in order proceed with your plans, if you are going to take anything away from all this. Appeasement has never been a winning strategy and won't be this time, it will just lead to more pain and a higher body count when this is all over, if at all the numbers have ever mattered to you.

>>3878253
>Why should I? The apocalypse, circle eleven, and every other atrocity Seele perpetrated was on yor watch. You’re better than Matheson and Amon, but that says little. My interest is in stopping this apocalypse and helping those who I care about through it. That’s it.

>>3878253
>I guess not. I'm not on your “team”, Elrow
I'll keep your "Being alive" secret safe though. Matheson needs to go, one way or another.

>>3878253
>"I guess, since you aren't one of the worst ones out there."

>>3878253
Ill dont have much to add. If talking is all itll take to end this little civil war, then it better be JUST talking and not throwing more "acceptable targets" under the bus

>>3878253
I also want to point out that he didn't actually say what they are going to do to Number Nine once the probe does it's job.

And also
>“Unless things have changed a lot since my “death”, we've never used a conscious girl in that way

>>3878146
>She's not conscious of anything that's happening around her

So is she conscious or not Elrow?

“I guess not. I'm not on your “team”, Elrow. I'm not on Matheson's team, or Bergmann's team, or any other one of your conspiracy circlejerks. Why should I trust any of you? After Second Impact, and Circle Eleven, and every other atrocity you people have committed, I don't see much common ground between us,” you reply, your tone lending every word a sharp edge, “Maybe you're better than Matheson and her pet monster, but what does that even mean?”

“Right now, I've got two priorities – stopping this apocalypse, and keeping my girls as safe as possible. The way I see it, your petty games are jeopardising both of those things. Your “standards” allowed for Reed's death, her murder, and everything that Coraline was driven to. They don't count for shit, as far as I'm concerned,” you continue, pressing on when Elrow offers no response, “So if you really want to be best pals, I suggest you stay the fuck out of our way.”

You definitely went too far that time, but Fletcher doesn't seem to think so. He raises an eyebrow slightly, giving Elrow a tiny nod as if urging the man to speak. Finally, Elrow lets out a soft, humourless laugh.

“I suppose I should have expected that answer. Hoping for anything different was...” he pauses, shakes his head, “It's fine. It's done now. At least I know that your answer was a genuine one – you're not just telling me what I want to hear. I won't keep you for much longer, just... just a few parting words. It may be that one day, perhaps one day soon, you'll hold a great power in your hands. When, if, you do, I hope that you think fondly of us. Of mankind, the good parts as well as the bad.”

Saying this, he offers out his hand for you to shake. Staring at it for a moment, you take his hand in a harsh grip. To his credit, Elrow doesn't flinch – then again, he's a grown man, and you're just... you. “I gave you my, what, my genuine answer, so maybe you should do the same,” you hiss, “Number Nine. Or Eight, whatever. I've been getting some mixed messages here...”

“She's conscious, in so far as she's visited Academy and passed through the Cenotes there. But, as part of the Dirac Probe, she's being kept in an induced coma. I hope it will be easier for her, that way,” Elrow explains, the words slipping easily from his tongue, “But the decision, ultimately, is out of my hands.”

“Because you're too busy being a dead man to actually HELP someone else,” you spit, forcing the words out through gritted teeth, “I guess you wouldn't be able to stop her, say, going to the autopsy slab.”

He actually winces here. “Through Leighton, I've recommended that she join the others at Academy,” he offers, “A... peaceful retirement, you could say. All things considered, that's the best she's likely to get.”

Sure. If she lives long enough to claim it.

[1/?]

>>3878338

Fletcher stays behind for a few moments more, but he catches up with you not long after you reach the unremarkable little car. Without comment, he unlocks it and climbs in, starting the engine without waiting to see if you're going to join him. For a moment, you almost don't. Still, childish spite isn't going to get you anywhere, and you hastily jump into the passenger seat. The very picture of safe, considerate driving, Fletcher guides the car out of the parking garage and into the city streets, all without saying a word.

Finally, the silence gets too much for you. “Bet you're wishing you never brought me here, huh?” you remark, “Gosh, maybe I should be the one with a control rod in the brain, maybe then I wouldn't embarrass you in front of all your conspiracy friends. Maybe-”

“Holly,” Fletcher interrupts. Obediently, and hating yourself for it, you fall silent. “Don't be childish,” he adds after a long moment, leaving the matter at that.

-

“You know, I think you're right,” Fletcher says suddenly, killing the car's engine and listening, for a few moments, to the grinding of the central elevator, “Trying to solve this situation without bloodshed is foolishly optimistic. Maybe I'm just a lousy person, but I'd sooner just take out Matheson and deal with the consequences. If her followers are prepared to start a civil war over it, we're better off without them.”

“Yeah?” you reply, glancing around in surprise, “So why don't you just do it then?”

“It's not my decision to make,” he answers simply, “Men like Elrow are the ones who give the orders, I just follow their lead.”

The machines clank and churn in the background. Here, inside the car, they sound muffled and robbed of their weighty power. “That's coward talk,” you tell him eventually.

“Maybe so. I've thought the same thing myself, often enough,” Fletcher agrees, giving you an amiable nod, “But I prefer to work within the system that men like Elrow – or even Matheson – create. It's all I've ever known, and I'm too old to learn the rules of a new world.”

As much as you'd love to join in with the pity party, you're silenced by the sudden jolt of the elevator coming to a halt. Almost leaping out of the car, you spot Yulia waiting by the entrance and hurry across to her. “Holly!” she calls out, raising a hand in greeting, “Good news! There is-”

“Ribs? Yeah, Kaori called,” you interrupt, “And man, I'm hungry!”

“Ah, yes, but the Dirac Probe is also ready. It is being held, I hear, in the hangar – Commander Monroe has given me clearance to inspect it,” Yulia explains, “Do you think...”

>Sure, I'll go down to the hangars with you
>I'm kinda busy right now. I need to hit the dorms...
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3878382
>Sure, I'll go down to the hangars with you
What should we do if she figures out what it's for.

>>3878382
>>Sure, I'll go down to the hangars with you

>>3878382
>Sure, I'll go down to the hangars with you
"I just need to warn you though in case they try to hide this bit from you. I was doing some digging and one of the integral parts of the probe is a girl in an induced coma. The probe needs an AT field and they are hoping that the dreams of this girl can shape the Dirac Sea into something navigable."

>>3878393
We should just tell her straight up imo.

>>3878382
>"Yeah sure."

Is Juliet coming? She can meet her sister.

>>3878414
That'll open up the whole "You were created and you whole past is a lie" bomb of a conversation that I do think we need to have sometime, but probably not right before her mission.

Man how do you even tell someone something like that?

>>3878430
Like with what happened when we were told about what happened to Claire, we already had a feeling that something was wrong, if we are going to do it properly we would need to lay it out slowly and be there for her if she needs us while she comes to terms with it and accept whatever she wants to do.

Based on what she said when we went to the beach while attempting to recover her memories, she may already know.

>>3878430
With dramatic background music and with some symbolic proof that the person has always been a slave to The System. Or nonchalantly like 'you were our little accident'. Or even excited - 'oh hey, you know that here are probably a dozen of readily available organ donors just for you? Cool stuff, saw them myself.' Pick your poison, really.

Your precious ribs, vanishing before your very eyes...

“Sure, I'll go down to the hangars with you,” you tell her with a tired smile, “I kinda want to see this thing myself. I mean, this is cutting edge technology right? So I figure it's gotta look pretty cool. You think we'll be allowed to take pictures?”

“Reynolds, Kuznetsova,” Fletcher warns, glancing over, “No cameras allowed on this tour. Clearance or no clearance, you're really not supposed to be down there. We can bend the rules a little, but only so far.”

Beaming, Yulia nods briskly before turning and hurrying off towards the hangar. You hastily chase after her, and once you're a few corners away from the mercenary Yulia grabs you lightly by the arm. “Did you hear that?” she asks, whispering the words to you, “He says that he can bend the rules for me! For me!”

That's not... quite what he said, but you're not going to argue with her. Not about this, at least. “Yulia. Gotta warn you about something,” you murmur, “How much do you really know about this probe? I mean, it generates an AT Field. Do you know how?”

Yulia's smile fades a little. “It is a thing called an AT Organ. Derived, I think, from ADM tissue. It is strange, to think of it as both flesh and machine, but this is the way of the future. Conventional machines can only do so much,” she muses, “In ten years, do you think that we could recognise the world we-”

“There's a girl in there,” you interrupt, pausing to make sure your conversation isn't being overheard, “She's in an induced coma. They need a human in there to generate an AT Field, and to... hell, I don't know how to explain it, to flood the Dirac Sea with human thought. Then, maybe we can DO something with the fucking place. But this “AT Organ” you've been told about is just a cover story.”

Her eyes widen for a second, only to narrow with sudden thought. “A girl. Yes. That would also work,” Yulia murmurs to herself, “But I must have made so many mistakes with my own research. No wonder my suggestions were ignored!” This causes her to laugh with strange relief, and before you know it you're being dragged along by the hand as Yulia runs to the hangar. Of all the reactions she could have had, this was not one you anticipated.

“Wait, wait a minute, hold up!” you protest, and Yulia finally slows down. “You don't think this is weird?” you ask, fumbling for the right words, “You don't think this is... wrong?”

“Oh,” Yulia pauses, her face growing very still, “I did not think about that.”

[1/?]

>>3878459

You pass through the hangar security as if it wasn't there, the doors already opening by the time you reach them. Like a beloved princess returning to her kingdom, Yulia swans ahead. Whatever she thinks about your warning, about the girl inside the probe, she's keeping her thoughts to herself. If anything, she seems almost TOO cheerful about this whole thing. Maybe it hasn't really sunk in yet, or maybe it's hard of her to think of the probe's “pilot” as a real girl. Without a face or a name, with just a number, she seems more of an abstract concept than an actual human being.

Or something close to an actual human being, you think with a stab of guilt.

When you first see the Dirac Probe, you don't immediately think of a girl being held inside it. It looks oddly like a submarine, scaled down to fit inside the hangar. Coated in some glossy black finish, the probe has numerous hatches and compartments covering its surface, the seams faintly visible where the light catches them. Yulia mutters to herself as she circles the probe, repeating terms like “stabilising fins” and “encroachment cages” and stranger things aside as she examines the various compartments. It's like she's ticking them off on some internal checklist, and things aren't quite to her liking.

Ignoring her mumblings as best you can, you approach the probe and rest your palm on the machine's slick surface. Is it just your imagination, or is the machine humming with some slumbering power?

The other engineers don't seem to notice anything, but they keep a safe distance away from the probe either way. Maybe it's an instinctual thing, an automatic reaction to this alien object. Glancing away, you notice Mac leaning casually against the far wall. Murmuring a vague excuse to Yulia, you cross over to him and nod a greeting. “Must be a real pain in the ass,” you begin, “Having this thing sitting in the middle of your place.”

“Oh yeah, it's a real problem,” he agrees, giving you a grin, “I've stubbed my toe on it like three times already. They ought to paint some warning stripes on it.”

“Seems like you're not the only one who isn't happy,” you continue, nodding over towards Yulia, “I don't think they built it to her high standards. She designed parts of that thing, you know.”

“She did? But I heard...” Mac begins, only to fall silent. You fix him with a hard look, and after a few moments of squirming, he continues. “Look, this is just what I heard, okay? But I got the impression that they – the science team, I mean – were just humouring her. Playing along with her ideas, then doing things properly in their own time,” he whispers, “I guess they ARE the experts, and she's just...”

Another pause.

“I've said too much,” Mac concludes, hurrying off to find some important work to do.

>Going to pause things here for tonight. I'll be continuing this tomorrow, though
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>3878496
Thanks for the run.

I wonder what Holly would see if she was to take a look inside the probe while bodiless.

>>3878496
>But I got the impression that they – the science team, I mean – were just humouring her

Yeah I got that impression too from that one Monroe interlude.

Thanks for running.

>>3878496
Thanks for running!

How many people actually believed Yulia had input on the science team's designs? Lmao.

>>3878596
>How many people actually believed Yulia had input on the science team's designs? Lmao.
A genius teen pilot personally designing the probe would be right in its place in a normal mecha show. Moloch just had to go and subvert it.

File: ClaudiaR.png (286 KB, 900x700)

286 KB PNG

Until now, you thought that the girl inside was the big secret, the reason Monroe and the others have all been so nervous about the Dirac Probe. Now, an alternative theory has reared its ugly head. Yulia's been so hyped about this, so eager to send off her ideas and suggestions, but if what Mac says is true, it's all been a sham. They've been stringing her along, for... some reason. Because she was of some use to them, and they needed to keep her sweet? Because they were trying to be nice, and it got out of hand? Maybe it was just a simple bit of cruelty, as if she was nothing more than the butt of all their jokes.

“Man...” you mutter, “The world really is-”

“Full of shit?” Claudia finishes for you, and you jolt around to find her standing behind you with a predictably smug expression. “Oh, don't mind me,” she continues, flicking a lock of hair away from her face with a languid wave of her hand, “I just came to visit my partner in crime.” With that, she brushes past you and sweeps away into the hangars. You glance back towards Yulia, inwardly wincing as you see the girl methodically noting down “errors” on a creased pad of paper, before hurrying after Claudia. At the very least, she can offer a distraction.

Claudia leads you to her ADM Unit, and the platform stretching out beneath the giant's blind visage. You pause a little as you follow her, taken aback by what she's done with the place – a small mat and blankets form an improvised bed, while a compact camping stove offers a chance to boil water for tea. With a casual backwards glance, Claudia meets your eyes. “The dorm was getting a little too noisy for me,” she explains vaguely, “I wanted some peace and quiet.”

A muffled crash of metal echoes out from one of the other hangars, seeming to argue against this, and you give Claudia a dubious look. She just shrugs. “The operation is going to begin in six hours. Operation Terra Incognita, they're calling it – wrongly, if I might add. The Latin means “unknown land”. We should really be calling it Mare Incognitum - “unknown SEA”,” she continues, changing the subject, “I told Monroe, but she just said I was showing off. Can you imagine?”

“No!” you gasp, your eyes widening with mock horror, “Who could ever accuse you of-”

“Yes yes, fine. Maybe it was a little bit pedantic, but still,” she spreads her hands wide, “If we're not going to do things properly, why do them at all?”

“I mean, it's just a name. It doesn't really matter one way or the other. It could be called “Operation Get Our Dicks Wet” and it wouldn't make any difference,” you pause, “Although I guess it would make the press conference a hell of a lot more amusing.”

“Well,” Claudia purrs, “I can't disagree there.”

[1/2]

>>3879546

You sit together for a while longer, neither of you saying much. All the while, you feel the presence of her ADM looming over you. If she takes some comfort from the giant presence, the feeling certainly isn't mutual. You're always watching the ADM from the corner of your eye, reluctant to let it out of your sight for even one moment. It's not that you're expecting something to happen, it's just...

It's complicated.

“So,” you ask, breaking your long silence, “How was your lunch out?”

“Well, I suppose it wasn't BAD...” Claudia teases, “But it really wasn't the same without you.”

You pause, weighing up her words and trying to figure out if there's a veiled insult in there somewhere. “Uh,” another pause, “Thanks, but-”

“There were no random freak outs, and nobody tried to start a fight with the first waiter who looked at them funny,” the heiress quickly adds, almost beside herself with glee, “Actually, it was rather dull. Nobody wanted to talk about work, but there wasn't really anything else TO talk about. Oh, but Dakota did tell us a funny story about a squirrel, would you like to hear it? Don't worry, it didn't involve her shooting the poor thing.”

“You had me worried there,” you admit, wearily gesturing for her to continue. Claudia takes a moment to gather her thoughts, then launches into it.

“So picture the scene – an idyllic forest, the very picture of nature's splendour. Actually, I have no idea if that's right or not. Dakota – the state, not the girl – might be an utter shithole. Anyway. So our little Dakota is wandering through the forest and she sees a fat squirrel. Being the excitable young thing that she is, she chases after it. It runs, and she follows. It reaches a tree and scampers as high as it can. Then, for reasons that must have seemed sensible at the time, the squirrel jumps on her,” Claudia pauses, savouring the moment, “So Dakota, shrieking all the while, runs home with a squirrel clawing at her head.”

The worst thing is, you actually believe every word of that. “So she got home,” you prompt, “What then?”

“Her mother got the beast away from her, and it ended up in the cooking pot,” Claudia concludes, “The end. Show's over, folks.”

“Wait a minute!” you protest, “You said it didn't involve-”

“I said it didn't involve DAKOTA shooting it,” she counters, holding up a finger, “I never said anything about her mother, or any other member of her weird pseudo family for that matter.”

A loud laugh ends her story, leaving you quite lost for words.

>I guess that's... technically correct
>You're a really twisted person, Claudia
>How did you even get talking about that stuff?
>I gotta say... (Write in)
>Other

>>3879547
>I guess that's... technically correct
>How did you even get talking about that stuff?
"...were they serving squirrel at the buffet?"

>Other
"Man I envy you. Being able to be comfortable around your ADM enough to sleep next to it. Mine's an asshole."

>>3879547
>I guess that's... technically correct
>How did you even get talking about that stuff?

>>3879547
>I guess that's... technically correct

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mKDvp7MavQ

“That's...” you begin, trying to form some coherent – or at least semi-coherent – response, “I guess that's technically correct?”

“The best kind of correct!” Claudia states emphatically, nodding briskly for emphasis. She must be in a good mood, if she's playing games like this. While everyone else is tense, the coming operation weighing heavily on them, it's strange to see her enjoying herself so much. If it was anyone else you might have thought they'd be acting cheerful for your sake, but Claudia... she wouldn't go to that much effort for someone else, would she?

“How did you even get talking about that stuff?” you continue with a sigh, “No wait, don't tell me they were serving squirrel at this buffet thing.”

“Fine. I won't tell you then,” she replies, laughing at the look on your face, “No, they didn't have squirrel. Or at least, we couldn't find any if they did. They did have a big bowl of octopus tentacles though, and that started the conversation – what's the strangest thing you've ever eaten? That's when Dakota whipped out her squirrel story. Until then, we were really scraping the barrel for interesting answers. Did you know that Kaori likes fried spam? I swear, that girl is demented.”

Fried spam? Shuddering at the thought, you turn your gaze back up towards Claudia's ADM. It's definitely in the same position as it was before. It definitely hasn't leaned slightly closer, as if listening in to your conversation. Scowling at the looming giant, you tear your gaze away and look back to Claudia. “I'm actually a little jealous,” you admit, “I mean, you feel comfortable enough to sleep so close to your ADM. Mine's an asshole.”

“Is it?” Claudia asks, flashing you an enigmatic smile, “The ADM Units are a reflection of our true selves.”

“What?” you reply sharply, “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, actually. I saw an opportunity to make fun of you, and I'd never forgive myself if I let it slip away,” the heiress laughs, lightly hopping to her feet. Waving her fingers in a dainty wave, she starts to skip away. Clumsily lunging after her, you chase her down and grab her by the arm to stop her flight. She twists back, not struggling away from you but turning and pressing her body up against yours. “Oh no, you've caught me,” she whispers, “Whatever shall I do?”

With a faint grunt of disgust, you push her away. “I was actually being serious,” you point out, “Do you really find it comforting, sleeping under that thing?”

Claudia considers this. “I do,” she replies eventually, and her tone is uncommonly sincere.

“Even knowing what it's capable of?” you press.

“That,” Claudia concludes, showing you a sad smile, “Is exactly WHY I find it comforting.”

[1/?]

>>3879576

You're still thinking on Claudia's words an hour later, sitting in the dorm with a plate of reheated ribs. They're still good, even after being nuked in the microwave, but you don't really taste them. It would take a pretty unique person to find comfort in a giant war machine, capable of destroying everything around it, but Claudia would certainly qualify. Maybe she's arrogant enough to believe that she'd be spared, that's she'd survive whatever chaos unfolded around her. In the end, maybe that's all she wants. She might-

A pale hand sneaks out, snatching one of your ribs off the plate. Looking up, you see Juliet gnawing at the bone like a starving dog. “Sorry,” she mumbles, speaking around a mouthful of meat, “They looked so good, I couldn't help myself.”

“You...” you stammer, “You just got back from lunch like, an hour ago! Two hours at most!”

“Sure,” she agrees, “But I never tried the ribs. There was so much to choose from!”

Grumbling softly to yourself, you nudge the plate slightly towards Juliet. She takes another rib, and you both eat in a companionable silence. Eventually, when the plate is empty, you let out a long sigh. “Not long before the operation begins,” you remark, speaking without thinking, “You ready for it?”

“As ready as I'll ever be,” Juliet replies quietly, wiping her sticky fingers on a napkin, “I've got a briefing to go to later. I guess they'll just be covering the technical aspects, the exact details of what I'm supposed to be doing. Not much, from what I gathered. Just guiding the probe down to a specific point – whatever THAT means – and then keeping an eye on it. Once we're sure it's working okay, the commander will give the order to pull out.”

“First time Monroe has ever told anyone to pull out,” you mutter to yourself. When Juliet gives you a puzzled look, you hastily shake your head. “Uh, forget it,” you add quickly, “What time's your meeting at?”

Sighing, Juliet glances at the clock on the wall. “Soon,” she announces, rising from her chair and stretching, “I shouldn't have had those ribs, now I just want to take a nap. This sucks. Why does life have to be so difficult?” Shrugging as she asks this, Juliet hesitates before continuing. “I saw Doctor Bergmann earlier. She wants to speak with you. I... don't know if you want anything to do with her, but I thought you should know,” she tells you, “I think Kaori was down in the firing range, so I could tell her you're too busy... um, training.”

Bergmann again. That woman just won't leave you alone.

>You're going to have to see Bergmann sooner or later. Might as well be now
>The firing range sounds like a good excuse. That'll be your next stop
>You'll be busy with something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3879637
>You're going to have to see Bergmann sooner or later. Might as well be now.
Let Juliet know about Orcus, ahead of time so she isn't surprised when it shows up, hopefully we will be able someone to be ready to respond.

Lets see what she wants it may be important, we should tell her about Matheson being able to sing, the UN knowing about knowing about Nebiros attack ahead of time so they may have gone in ahead to frab Johanna before it arrived and what she would do if Matheson has her hidden away somewhere.

>>3879637
>You're going to have to see Bergmann sooner or later. Might as well be now
"But I'm taking the ribs with me."

>>3879637
>You're going to have to see Bergmann sooner or later. Might as well be now

>>3879637
>You're going to have to see Bergmann sooner or later. Might as well be now

>Juliet getting a humanising moment
She's as good as dead.

“Juliet, listen,” you call out, your voice causing her to glance around, “Something you should know. There's at least one Lilim in the Dirac Sea, probably more than one but... the point is, you need to be careful. This Lilim, Orcus, is the last line of defence before Lilith herself. If this probe really does open up a path, this Lilim is going to be waiting at the end of it. Don't push your luck, okay?”

“That's the plan,” Juliet agrees. She hesitates for a moment more before throwing her arms around your neck. Almost as soon as it's begun, she pulls away from the embrace and makes for the door. “Hey,” she concludes, looking back over her shoulder, “I'll see you around, okay?”

“You better,” you manage to reply, “I'll kick your ass if you don't come back.”

With a final smile, Juliet hurries out.

-

You're still feeling vaguely dazed when you arrive at Bergmann's laboratory, pausing in the doorway as the doctor sorts papers inside. Her attention is fixed on their contents, tiny flickers of emotion passing across her face – sometimes satisfaction, something frustration. Bracing yourself for the worst, you knock on the door frame and utter a hushed greeting. Looking up from her work, Bergmann gestures for you to come in.

“Look, if this is about...” you pause, “About what I said before-”

“Forget about it. I don't think either of us want to dwell on that,” she interrupts, “Come in. Sit down. I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal,” you repeat, cautiously sitting down in the chair opposite her, “If you get down on one knee, I'm leaving. Just, you know, warning you.”

With a husky laugh, Bergmann shakes her head. “Don't worry, you're not my type,” she assures you, “I have a new research project in the works. Actually, it's almost complete, I just need to take a few readings from you in order to make the final calibrations. I wanted to get this done a little earlier, but between one thing and another, the opportunity never really arose.”

“By “one thing or another”, you mean boiling Nate in your cauldron, right?” you ask with a scowl. Bergmann waves your objection away, and you sigh. Slumping back in the chair, you nod for her to continue.

“My project, then. You've seen how the Lilim are able to weaponise their AT Fields, to the point where unprotected humans are unable to survive in their presence. Paris, for example, although I think we both know what really happened there. Whether projected in a wider radius or focused on a single target, it's a potent weapon,” Bergmann explains, “And I believe the ADM Units can use that same weapon. I'm ready to activate ADM Unit 02, but I'll need to-”

“Take a few readings, I know,” you finish for her, the words catching in your throat.

>Fine. What do I need to do?
>Tough luck, I'm not doing it
>I'm curious... (Write in)
>Other

>>3879711
>Fine. What do I need to do?
>I'm curious... (Write in)
"If we are on the Paris subject how feasible would it be to make a Subsonic Projection Weapon that can pierce an ADM and affect the pilot? Subsonics worked on Huang's Lilim so I imagine it would be effective on 'Paris'."

>>3879711
>Tough luck. I'm not doing it.

Instead of giving this weapon to ADMs, give humans a way to defend against it.

>>3879711
>I'm curious... (Write in)
'Before you mount that weapon on top of a hulking berserker, what's your plan for shutting that weapon down? You can't stop ADM from generating an AT-field, can you?'

And Holly would be able to melt hundreds at the same time! No side-effects, no, sir.

>Fine. What do I need to do?

>>3879711
>Fine. What do I need to do?
She does realize that when they do that they, learn everything about the people that they kill right?

>>3879711
>Between me and my unreliable mishaps and Dakota and her.....episodes, Im pretty sure Unit 02 is the worst choice for this

>>3879711
>“I'll see you around, okay?”
>“I'll kick your ass if you don't come back.”
>With a final smile, Juliet hurries out.

That's a whole forest of death flags.

>Between me and my unreliable mishaps and Dakota and her.....episodes, Im pretty sure Unit 02 is the worst choice for this

You try to giver her your answer, only for a hard lump to rise up in your throat and choke you. Swallowing it away, you nod. “Fine, I'm in,” you decide, “What do I need to do?”

“Oh, nothing stressful. A little dip in the testing plug, and I'll handle the rest,” Bergmann explains, standing and smoothing down her long white coat, “Come along now. There's no time like the present.” With her long legs scissoring out beneath her, she strides out of the laboratory. Biting back a curse, you hurry after her.

“Hey, I'm not done yet!” you protest, and Bergmann actually stops. Faced with her expectant look, you're left fumbling for the right words. You didn't expect her to actually... listen to you. “Paris. Since we're on the subject. How feasible would it be to create some kind of subsonic projector weapon? Something that could pierce through an ADM Unit and affect the pilot,” you ask, “I mean, subsonics worked on Huang. So...”

Silence here, with Bergmann's lips silently moving as she repeats your idea to herself. “You might be onto something there,” she murmurs, “Direct projection might not do it, the intensity required would just be far too great, but if you were to hijack her radio equipment – assuming she even has some – it might work. Even if it couldn't disable her completely, stunning her for a time might be enough...”

“Enough with the muttering to yourself, jeez!” you groan, “Okay, so like... can you work on that idea instead of coming up with another way of destroying the world?”

“Can't I do both?” Bergmann asks, “I'm good at multitasking.”

Except when one of those tasks is protecting her family, apparently.

“Look. All I'm saying is, can you turn this thing off?” you stress, “Because if I... if someone lost control of their ADM Unit with this weapon at their disposal, we might end up losing more than just Paris. I don't know if I'm ready to unleash this kind of power.”

“Believe it or not, I did think of that. This weapon is using your AT Field, with the ADM Unit simply serving as an amplifier. In the event of a berserker event, the intrusion attempt will automatically shut off,” she explains, “You likely wouldn't have the concentration required to maintain it during a berserker event either way. Your fears, while understandable, are unfounded.”

“Well, I've got another “understandable” fear, maybe this one has a little more substance to it,” you complain, “Between my... mishaps and Dakota's episodes, I don't think Unit 02 is really the best candidate for this.”

“Nonsense!” Bergmann declares, “What you see as unreliability, I see as raw power. You and Dakota need the same thing, to focus that power into something useful.”

Something useful, like turning people into puddles of goo.

Yup.

[1/?]

>>3879821

Floating in the LCL bath, you feel your mind settling into a familiar state of relaxation. No matter how tough things in the outside world might be, the testing plug offers peaceful isolation. It's a terribly seductive thing, but you've still got plenty of reasons to stay in the real world. So long as you've got a connection to tie you to this world, you won't need to retreat into this...

Whatever this is. It's a thing without a name, a feeling that pre-dates words. Easing into it, you let your mind drift apart from your body. Leaving the test plug behind, you take a passing glance at Bergmann as she sits at her computer. She takes a brief look at the computer screen before going back to her papers, flicking through them until she comes up with her old family photo. She's still gazing at it when you leave, sudden guilt driving you away.

The hangar, next. Yulia paces restlessly as the engineering crew load the Dirac Probe onto a trailer, and you can taste her unease. Honing in on the probe itself, you send your gaze piercing through the glossy black armour. Inside, you delve through dense machinery until you find what you're looking for – the girl, Number Nine, floating in a plug much like your own. Unlike the BLUE EYE girls, she really does look like Juliet. Younger, perhaps, but still painfully similar. The same vacant features, the same straw coloured hair, and if her eyes were open you're sure they would be the same bright blue. As it is, her eyes are gently closed as she sleeps.

“Hey,” you whisper automatically, the word – the thought – escaping you. Number Nine stirs slightly, a tremble running across her face. You pull back in fright, afraid of waking her up, and her features settle back into their former, placid nature.

“Um...” you murmur as you draw back, “Good luck, I guess. You look after Juliet, okay?”

Was that a tiny hint of a smile that ghosted across her face?

Probably not. Probably just your imagination.

>So I'm going to have to take a quick pause here while I attend to some family business. I'll be back to regular updates in a bit. I'd say two hours max
>I apologise for the unexpected pause

>>3879909

A scowl crosses your face as you peer in the mirror. A bit of your hair is sticking stubbornly up, no matter how many times you smooth it down. This always happens when you towel yourself off, but it always irritates you. It's just so... dumb. Why did you have to be born with uncooperative hair? It might not be the biggest problem you've got on your plate at the moment, but still. It's not exactly making your life seem any easier right now.

Through in the other room, the dorm hums with nervous energy. Even Claudia keeps sneaking glances at the clock, watching the seconds painfully tick away. How long now, an hour before the operation begins?

“Fifty eight minutes,” Yulia announces as she notices your latest glance, “I will not guess at the seconds. I do not see the point.”

“Hey, seconds count,” you reply, “It's all about the context. If you're in a boxing match, and you've put your opponent on the mat, you're gonna be counting the seconds. Bet your ass. Or if you were-”

With a clatter, Claudia rises to her feet and stomps towards the door. “I've had enough of this inane prattle!” she declares, “Can't you people give it a rest for just ONE hour?”

“Fifty seven minutes,” Yulia corrects her. Disgusted, Claudia throws her hands up in the air and storms out. Yulia looks at you, then at Dakota, then back to you. “Do you think someone should go after her?” she asks, sounding immensely reluctant, “It would not be me, of course. I do not think she would want to talk to me now. Dakota, would you like-”

“Nuh uh, count me out. I don't like to mess with her when she gets that crazy look in her eyes,” Dakota interrupts, “Then again, that's like ninety percent of the time these days. So, uh, you can go and poke the dangerous wildlife if you want, I'm gonna take a nap. Best way to pass the time, if you ask me.” Shrugging merrily, she sneaks away into her room and closes the door behind her.

Sighing, Yulia looks down at her pad of paper and clicks her pen. Sketching out a crude diagram of the Dirac Probe, or something like it, she seems to forget all about you. Looking down at the diagram, you feel a vague guilt. She really believes that...

>Talk things over with Yulia. She really deserves to know
>Go after Claudia. Better not leave her alone in this mood
>Check on Dakota. She's not really sleeping, is she?
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

Not quite two hours

>>3880354
>>Talk things over with Yulia. She really deserves to know

>>3880354
>Talk things over with Yulia. She really deserves to know.

If we don't end up being the one to provide support for the Operation we can use the time to talk with Dakota.

>>3880354
>Talk things over with Yulia. She really deserves to know
Poor girl is fixating and it's not going to be healthy in the long run. Remind her that every scientist NERV seems to employ are prideful scumbags and that even if her designs had merit they don't want a 'kid' doing their work for them.

And if there is still time after
>Check on Dakota. She's not really sleeping, is she?

>>3880354
>Yulia

Beneath the table, you clench your hands into tight fists. If you keep this secret to yourself, you're never going to be able to look her in the eye. It's going to eat away at you, unless you get everything out in the open. You just need to do it... carefully. Don't just drive a fucking bulldozer over her feelings like you normally do. This is day one of your new life, a life of not being a massive disaster.

“Yulia,” you begin, “Is that...”

“The Dirac Probe, yes. Do you see this outer structure?” she replies, tapping the paper with her pen, “A cage, to deflect minor impacts. This is a sensitive piece of equipment, yes? Even a tiny impact might damage something fragile, so this cage would shield it. Yet, it was removed from the final build. I cannot understand why.”

“I, uh, I guess it looks sleeker without it?” you reply vaguely, already losing track of the conversation, “Kinda like a... a sports car?” Yulia just stares at you for a moment, as if sensing your hesitation, your weakness. “Look, Yulia, I wanted to talk with you about the probe. I know you've been sending them ideas, but... I guess what I'm wondering is, did they ever ask for your help?” you ask, “A project like this, it's all gotta be done through proper channels. Stuff gets planned out like way in advance, and then they can't change it later. Not without starting from scratch, I mean, and I heard that this was a rush job.”

Yulia just continues to stare, as if she doesn't understand you. “I don't understand you,” she confirms, “You are saying I wasn't wanted?”

“That's not... quite how I'd put it,” you tell her hastily, “But they-”

“They said I was being very helpful,” Yulia insists, “Every time I visit the science team, they smile at me. They talk about how hard I am working. Are you saying... that is not true?”

“I don't know what's going on between you and the science team, I really don't, but you gotta let this go. Even I can see that you're getting fixated on this probe business, and it's not good for you,” you pause, “This isn't really about the probe, is it?”

Silence, save for the rhythmic tap of Yulia's pen against the pad of paper. A blot of ink spreads out from where the nib touches, but she doesn't seem to notice. “Why would they lie?” she asks simply, “For what purpose?”

“I don't know that either,” you admit, “I don't-”

“What DO you know?” Yulia snaps, looking around with a hard glint in her eyes. Your eyes meet, but you don't say a word. After a moment, Yulia tears her gaze away. “I am sorry,” she mutters, “That was not helpful. I just... I do not know what you are saying to me. I trusted these people, and now you say they were just showing me a false face?”

“I mean...” you pause again, “They are NERV scientists. That's like, a requirement for the job.”

Another silence, and then Yulia lets out a bray of disbelieving laughter.

[1/?]

>>3880486

You wait cautiously, giving Yulia time to think things over. “I recall one of the men saying a thing once. He told me that new ideas always have value. Even a foolish idea could inspire genius. At the time, I took it as praise,” she sighs, looking down at the soiled diagram, “But all along, I was the fool. I took their tests, let them draw blood and scan my brain and... and that was all they ever wanted from me, wasn't it?”

Briefly, you consider patting her on the shoulder. Probably not the best idea. You need to do something, though, anything but sitting here in a stunned silence. “They really love their tests, these guys,” you mutter.

Your words fall on deaf ears, vanishing like a stone thrown into some vast hole. Slowly, Yulia tears off the used sheet of paper and crumples it into a ball. A lazy throw sends the ball flying across the room, and then Yulia slumps back. “How long?” she asks quietly, “How long have you known?”

“I... only heard today. When we were in the hangars,” you answer, “One of the engineers there mentioned something about it to me, I got thinking, and... I guess the rest just fell into place from there.”

“So other people know,” she groans, covering her face with her hands, “I must be the laughing stock of the base!”

“C'mon Yulia, it's not that bad,” you offer, attempting to cheer her up even a little bit, “Hell, I was talking to my invisible friend for months, and the rest of you were playing along. When I found that out, how do you think I felt? By next week, we'll have some other embarrassing fuck up and you'll be yesterday's news. Just you wait and see!”

Maybe your attempts were a success, maybe not. Yulia does laugh a little though, sniffing slightly and rubbing her eyes. “You are not so good at this, are you?” she mumbles, “But you are trying your best, I think.”

“Yeah, uh, I'm working on that,” you concede, “Look, there isn't really much I can say to make things better, but... I don't know, is there anything you want to get off your chest? I can listen, maybe make a sympathetic murmur at the right times, and then we'll take things from there. What do you say?”

Another stilted laugh, almost a choked cough for how happy it really is. “There is one problem I have. What am I to do when I next see them? When they come asking for tests and samples?” Yulia asks, a pleading look on her face, “Can I really just... play along, knowing what they must think of me?”

>To hell with them. They don't deserve your help
>Their work is still important. You need to play your part in it
>I can't answer that, Yulia. You need to figure it out for yourself
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3880591
>I think... (Write in)
"Confront them. Drag this shit and them into the light and see how they respond. I think then you'll have your answer to whether you want to keep working with them. It's a very 'Holly' plan isn't it? I can go with you if you want some support as well, just ask."

>>3880591
>I can't answer that, Yulia. You need to figure it out for yourself.
If they are coming to you, the contributions that you have made were likely of some benefit to some project somewhere, as i doubt that they would tolerate having their time wasted in such a frivolous manor.

>>3880620
>>3880591
This

>Playing along and acting the fool eats at you.
We should know, we lose Ego because of it

>>3880591
>I can't answer that. It depends on you. Just don't feel obligated to do it if you don't want to. You don't owe them anything.

“I can't tell you exactly what to do. I can't give you all the answers. The best thing you can do is figure this out for yourself,” you tell her slowly, “But I can tell you what I'd do, if I was the one in your position.”

“Does this, ah, involve destroying everything?” Yulia asks cautiously, “Because I think that would not be productive.”

“Well no, that would be destructive. That's like the complete opposite, and... wait, we're getting distracted,” you pause, taking a few seconds to get your train of thought back on the rails. “Look, these contributions you're making must have SOME purpose. These guys, these scientists, wouldn't waste their time on something frivolous. They might not be honest, but that doesn't necessarily make them... malicious,” you continue, “So what I'd do is, I'd drag all this shit into the light and make them confront it. If they want to do their big important experiments, they'd need to do it honestly. If they're not happy about it, well, that's that. So much for that collaboration.”

Yulia purses her lips as she thinks. “You'd really do that,” she muses, “I can imagine it, actually. I imagine it with a lot of yelling. Maybe some breaking glass.”

“Why does everyone think I'm...” you begin, only for your words to trail off. You're not sure if you want to hear the answer to that question. “Well, yeah, I guess you're not far off,” you concede with a sigh, “It's the good old Holly Reynolds method of getting shit done. If you feel like giving it a try for yourself, hit me up and I'll have your back.”

Rising from her seat, Yulia crosses the room and retrieves her crumpled up diagram. Carefully smoothing it out on the table, she studies the creased paper for a moment. “I will, I think, talk to them. No yelling. Not at first. The yelling can come later, if they insist on treating me like a fool,” she decides, “Then, there will be plenty of yelling.”

“That's the spirit!” you remark with an uneasy laugh. Once you're happy that Yulia isn't about to burst into tears as soon as your back is turned, you gesture across to Dakota's room. “I'm going to check on the kid,” you tell her, “See if she's really sleeping. Can't imagine she would be, at a time like this. Still, you know where to find me if something happens.”

-

“Hey,” you whisper, gently closing Dakota's door, “You asleep?”

“Don't know how I could be, the noise you two were making out there,” the young girl grunts, turning around and squinting at you, “Why is your hair sticking up like that?”

“Had a squirrel in it,” you reply with an easy smile, “You know how it is.”

“Hey, that shit ain't funny. That little bastard pulled out clumps of my hair. I was damn lucky I didn't get fucking rabies or something,” Dakota complains, “Fucking... squirrel rabies. That's like the worst kind of rabies!”

[1/?]

>>3880692

“Squirrel rabies aside – and that's not a sentence I ever thought I'd say – I was just checking in,” you tell her, sitting down on the edge of her bed, “I almost think Juliet has the easy part here. All this waiting around is really getting to me, and it's only going to get worse once she goes in there. Wish I knew how long she was going to be on the other side. Maybe they don't even know how long it's going to take.”

“You're not really doing a good job of putting my mind at ease,” Dakota points out, “I mean, I was totally fine until you came in and started being gloomy.”

“Were you?” you ask bluntly, “Totally fine, I mean.”

Dakota pauses. “No,” she admits eventually, “I'm shit scared. I don't even know why. It's like when you get this chill down your spine, and you know that someone, somewhere, is about to have a really lousy day. Worst thing is, I can't even DO anything about it. All I can do is sit here and wait for the shit to hit the fan. Why do people say that, anyway?”

The change in direction is so sudden it nearly gives you whiplash. “Say... what?” you manage, “Shit hitting the fan?”

“Yeah,” Dakota answers, “Like, why would shit ever get near a fan? Are we talking about like a ceiling fan? A desk fan? Ain't none of these things gonna be NEAR a toilet, and if you're throwing your shit about then things are already pretty fucking bad. So like, why do people say that?”

You're speechless. Actually, genuinely speechless.

-

With your heart pounding in your chest, you watch the main monitor screen and listen to the disciplined murmur running through the bridge. Deadly serious now, with no trace of her usual whimsy, Commander Monroe issues orders to a small group of uniformed NERV staff before taking her place at the head of the bridge. You linger in a quiet spot, staying as out of the way as possible, and the rest of the pilots are doing the same. Nerves aside, none of you wanted to miss this.

On the main screen, Juliet's ADM Unit stands with the Dirac Probe tucked neatly under one arm. The rest of the ADM Unit is buried under a surplus of STUFF, ranging from a bulky harness securing the power cable in place – just in case it needs to be reeled back in, pulling the ADM with it – to supply canisters. In her other hand, Juliet carries a long trident. According to some brief snatch of conversation you overheard, it's to keep any “hostile natives” away from the probe.

“Approaching the entrance point now,” Juliet reports, her voice crisp and clear over the radio, “Ready to enter on your orders.”

You glance up at Monroe. She chews at her thumbnail, the mask of authority slipping just long enough to show the anxiety beneath. “Go ahead,” she orders, forcing the words out, “Go when ready.”

Like a man walking into a deep lake, Juliet guides her ADM Unit into the portal and steadily sinks into it. Then, in the space of a single blink, she's gone.

[2/3]

>>3880778

“This is normal, right?” Dakota whispers, tugging slightly at your sleeve, “I mean, is it too early to panic?”

“At least give it a few minutes,” you whisper back. The image of the Lilim portal remains unchanged on the main screen, almost seeming to mock you. Monroe leans heavily on a bank of computers, bracing herself as if she might faint. All around her, the bridge crew murmur and whisper to one another. One by one, though, their conversations fall silent. Soon enough, the room feels like a tomb.

With a jerk, Monroe stabs a button on the nearest computer. “Karina, we're all dying for some good news,” she calls out, “What have you got for me?”

“Ah, well, I don't want to get anyone too excited. It's still very early, but...” Karina pauses, her uncertainty carrying across the radio link, “I can get a vague feel for the probe. It's coming online, exactly as planned. I can, ah, “see” Juliet too, but we're having trouble communicating. I think she's ignoring me, to be precise. I'm sure she can hear me, but she just won't answer back!”

“Wow, rude,” Dakota mutters to herself.

“Understood. Keep tracking her, and let us know when she's reached the target area,” Monroe replies, “Keep trying to talk to her. We need to make sure there's a solid link. If we can't confirm it, I'll have to pull her out. Did you catch any of that, Juliet?”

There is no answer, of course, and then you're all left waiting for someone to speak. Finally, Karina breaks the silence. “The probe has reached optimal, ah, depth. If you really want to call it that. I'm really starting to worry about Juliet, Commander, I think... I really think I heard her whisper something, but I couldn't make out the words. I think she was talking to herself,” she pauses, only to continue with desperate optimism, “But the probe is working magnificently!”

Monroe hangs her head for a minute, staring at her feet before forcing her gaze back to the main screen. “I'm giving her ten minutes,” she announces, “Ten minutes, then we're pulling her out. You heard me, people, make it happen.”

A timer appears on the screen, ten minutes and counting. The clock seems to tick down agonisingly slowly, so much so that you can almost count the milliseconds as they leisurely crawl past. Finally, eventually, the timer hits zero with no change, and the order is given. Great machines grind into motion, and the power cable begins to retract. Slowly at first, but with gathering speed, the cable returns to the surface.

When it does, a groan of dismay spreads like wildfire through the bridge. The cable is cut, the shorn end still bleeding blue sparks, and Juliet is nowhere to be seen.

She's still in there.

>So I'm going to take a pause here. However, I'll be continuing this tomorrow
>Thank you for your patience today!

>>3880824
And here we go.

Thanks for running.

>>3880824
Thanks for the run.

So which one (or two) of the pilots is going to go in after her?

>>3880836
I guess we're just going to have to wait for our next orders. We DO follow orders, don't we?

File: 1562047684766.png (169 KB, 338x327)

169 KB PNG

>>3880888
>We DO follow orders, don't we?

>>3880824
Hmm. Maybe nows the time to mention the whole blue eye thing.

Having two hodgepodge minds in there might make for a fragmented landscape.

>>3880824
>She's still in there.
Called it. RIP Juliet.

>>3881671
Something that stood out to me is why exactly Monroe decided to give Juliet 10 minutes, she shouldn't have waited since an ADM Unit only has a five minute battery life while under load, so if Juliet was in any sort of trouble when she stopped responding, she's out of power and can't use the cable to retrace her steps to find the exit.

I would recommend that we take Yulia with us and a standard loadout in order to provide the greatest flexibility while we attempt to recover Juliet as we have no idea what the tactical situation looks like.

>>3881727
If we’re piloting the Adm we should prick our finger before going in. Not enough to really hurt, but I wonder...


How would human blood in the deepest part of an ADM affect it?