>>3426990

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

The Firebird – or rather ADM Unit four, as it is now called – is an ugly beast. The familiar silhouette of an ADM Unit is still visible there, but it's been buried beneath a small mountain of what could charitably be called “custom features”. One arm started life as a pile bunker, but now it looks like some kind of monstrous harpoon gun, with long spools of chain jangling with every step that the fighting machine takes. The other arm has been converted into a flamethrower, a bulky fuel tank mounted over one shoulder.

It's actually pretty neat. You've been given standard issue equipment for this training operation and it makes you feel, to put it bluntly, like a basic bitch. Her ADM looks clumsy, though, like it could tumble over from little more than a gentle shove.

“Maybe I should try it,” you mutter, giving Yulia's ADM a sour look, “Put you on your ass. How would you like that?”

“What was that?” Yulia replies, “I thought I heard something on the radio. Was that you?”

“Must just be a glitch,” you call back, closing the radio link before she can reply. Looking out across the snowy wasteland, you study the training exercise that has been set up for you. An observation bunker has been raised at a safe distance, while crude wooden targets litter the landscape. A few of them have sloppy images of humanoid Lilim painted across them, but most are just bare wood. Clearly, no expense was spared here.

“Reynolds, Kuznetsova, listen up. You've got an attentive audience today, so make sure to put on a good display. Just do this by the book, and work as a team. No showing off, no tricks or stunts, is that understood?” Fletcher explains, his voice firm, “The fate of our yearly budget may depend on this performance, and I don't want a pay cut.”

“Do not worry, Fletch,” Yulia replies, a smile in her voice, “I won't let you down.”

Is she trying to suggest that you WILL let him down? God, something about her just rubs you the wrong way. Ever since she dragged you out of the domed garden, she's been intolerable – half the time she's smug, and the other half of the time she watches you as if you were an unexploded bomb. As if that wasn't bad enough, now she's trying to ingratiate herself with your boss? That crossing the line.

“Kuznetsova, you burn the targets,” Fletcher continues, oblivious to your anger, “Then Holly, you shoot them down. Understood?”

Scowling hard, you study the targets stretching out before you. Burn them? They don't look so tough – you could probably shoot them down without input from your “copilot”. That would show everyone here who's the real star of the show...

>Just do this by the book, like your orders
>Take the lead and destroy the targets without Yulia
>Knock Yulia down, embarrass her in front of everyone
>Other

>>3426991
>Just do this by the book, like your orders
Relax Holly. Show everyone why you're the lead by not making a mess of things.

>>3426991
>>Just do this by the book, like your orders

>>3426991
>Damn girl just calm down and follow orders Jesus

Knocking Kuts over would be pretty funny tho.

>>3426991
>>Just do this by the book, like your orders
We can reign it in a bit. Besides Fletcher's reputation is at stake here too. We like Fletcher(one of the few people we also semi-trust). Let's not embarrass him.
We can always chew out the Russkie later

>>3427012
I get the impression our Russian friend has a crush on Fletcher. She's been practically schmoozing over him the whole trip

>Okay, closing the vote here for by the book. Nice and simple! Writing now.

>>3427020
They've got history. Yulia seems to have been with this program longer than the other pilots (maybe not Kaori).

>>3426991
>flamethrower and harpoon
Dumb bitch doesnt even have a gun

>>3427049
The harpoon might be launchable

>>3427069
Yeh but that chain has to limit range pretty harshly. And she'd have to rewind it. It's a wicked weapon but if she misses...

>>3427079
She traded range for a thermal option against physically impervious enemies. I don't think it's too bad of a move.

>>3427085
Holly did note that it looks 'clumsy' with all the additions.

I wonder if it's too top heavy and one hit with some decent force will knock it over. Don't know Yulia well enough to know if she accounted for that or not.

>>3427088
I mean her mech, like or not is about as stereotypically Russian as you could hope for. Big and hits hard. I'm worried that all came at the cost of speed.

Clenching your hands into tight fists, you bring them thudding down onto the ADM Unit's controls. The LCL surrounding you dulls the impact, robbing you of any real satisfaction. Small as it is, though, it's enough to clear your head. It's not just your personal satisfaction that's at stake here – you're representing Fletcher, NERV, and even your home country. Giving Yulia a bloody nose will have to wait for another time... not literally, of course. Maybe.

“Understood. Waiting on your signal now,” you reply, your voice sounding flat and dull in your ears, “Just tell us when to start.”

“Strange formation, these targets,” Yulia adds over the radio link, thinking aloud to herself. Considering this, you look out across the field again with a fresh and open mind. There are the larger targets painted with crude representations of Lilim, but a great many other targets are flatter, lower to the ground. Testing your ability to engage with targets of all different sizes, you assume.

“Once I give the signal, I'll be going radio silent. Coordinate with each other to take down the targets as efficiently as possible,” Fletcher adds, pausing for a long moment so you can prepare yourself. Then, finally, an electronic buzzer sounds and the test begins.

Yulia barks out her first set of targets, the leftmost flank, and you grudgingly obey. Loping around as she pivots her unbalanced ADM, you bring up the rifle just as a massive curtain of flames spray out. The targets catch easily, the smaller ones burned away to almost nothing before you can even fire. Heavy slugs from the rifle cut through the larger targets, cutting them apart and blasting them to splinters. All the while, a log of data scrolls across your visor – a timer ticking up, notifications of destroyed targets, ammunition expended...

“Moving on!” Yulia announces, turning to the next set of targets in line. She raises her flamethrower only to hesitate before opening up with it. You start to chide her for the pause – now your time is going to be ruined – and that's when it hits you too. The bottom seems to drop out of your stomach, and your heart begins to pound. The data scrolling across your visor takes on a more urgent tone, new messages appearing too quickly for you to properly read any of them. Words, just a few, jump out at you.

AT fluctuation, hostile presence, enemy activity...

“The dome!” you cry out, turning to see a dull amber light pulsing within the Garden. Melting snow streams off of it, a haze of steam rising up, and some silhouette writhes within. Tearing through the dome as if it was made from wet paper, two long and slender arms burst free and claw at the air. Just for a moment, you spot the great tree from the Garden – now split open like a cocoon, revealing the Lilim emerging from within.

[1/2]

>>3427092
Oh fuck
Time to get that Overdrive Berserker Mode ready Holly

>>3427092
You know, this might actually be the best possible timing for a Lilim attack. We're already inside the ADM unit with weapons ready, and it's gonna look hella good for Fletcher.

>>3427118
Assuming this isnt something kind of trick and we got put into a simulation.

>>3427124
If Fletch maintains radio silence even during an emergency then it's probably a test, but still got take it down like we mean it.

>>3427128
Right
We already have the Maiming and Killing part down. With Yulia we also get to Burn!

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310 KB PNG

>>3427092

This isn't part of the test... right?

Wet and glistening, the Lilim pulls itself free from its cocoon. The thing's flesh still seems malleable, not quite formed. The glossy black sphere of its Core is dimly visible for a moment, gleaming out from within the Lilim's gut, before a thick layer of flesh encases it, the outer shell of armour already twisting into an expressionless face. Dozens of smaller arms waver from up and down the length of its body, while the two larger arms arch overhead. Where a human head might be, the Lilim has a limp tube lined with lamprey teeth.

Raising your rifle, you pour a long burst of gunfire into the Lilim as it emerges. Shards of broken armour and scraps of flesh fly away with each shot, but the beast barely seems to notice – in fact, the injuries seem to close up almost immediately. Ignoring you, it half runs and half scampers towards the distant observation bunker. Already, you can see warning lights blazing as panic spreads. You turn, still firing at the Lilim, and Yulia turns too. Raising her harpoon, her entire ADM Unit rocks back as she fires it. Flying true, the spike slams into the Lilim's side and the chain snaps taut.

“Deploying AT Field!” Yulia snaps, her ADM Unit seeming to grow more... solid, more stable somehow. Before, it looked like the Lilim's charge would easily topple her over. Now, she seems as unwavering as a mountain range. Straining against the spiked harpoon, the Lilim claws wildly at the ground but to no avail. Raising her other weapon, Yulia hoses it down with fire. A curse escapes your lips as you watch the results – the Lilim burns, but not quickly enough to outpace the regeneration. But, if you were to attack it together then perhaps...

“Holly. I'm designating the target as the Lilim, Orobas,” Fletcher announces, his voice utterly calm despite everything. He's there, in the observation bunker with the rest of the bigwigs, but he sounds almost bored. “Be careful about getting too close. With those smaller arms, it could easily sneak in some minor damage no matter how well you defend yourself,” he continues, “Yulia, keep it bound. Holly – destroy the target immediately!”

Now there's an order you can get behind!

>Hang back and attack with your rifle
>Approach and engage in close combat
>Other

>>3427163
>Pew pew rifle fire

>>3427163
Looks like Claire is our ideal partner for Rip and Tear.
>Other
Tell Yulia to keep that Chain tight at all costs while we close in to gut the bastard. Let's not pop overdrive just yet.

>>3427176
Her flamer did fairly well against it. Together we should be able to destroy that core. Blade through the heart and all that

>>3427163
>Approach and engage in close combat

>>3427176
Override is only available if we get a success to up it to a Potent Success. So we roll first and then decide once we get the results.

>>3427163
>>Hang back and attack with your rifle

>>3427163
>>Approach and engage in close combat
Switching to this to keep the vote tied
It's still CQ

>>3427163
>>Hang back and attack with your rifle
Don't close yet. We can still score some free damage without risk of retaliation since it's bound. Soften it up first

>>3427192
Problem with ranged is that as was seen in the post, rifle damage is way too sporadic to Truly harm it. It's just gonna heal. Thing is basically a troll.

>>3427195
Yulia's ability is preventing that.

>>3427195
At the very end of the post it was hinted that if we shoot it while Yulia keeps roasting it the regen wouldn't be able to keep up.

>>3427196
You've got a point. Maybe we should walk and fire. Strafe the thing with rifle shots while getting in between it and the Observation post and prepare for a close range killing blow once it's softened up enough.

>>3427163
>Secure and Contain
I wonder where's Protect

>Hang back and attack with your rifle
If we close in Yulia will burn us as well. Flamethrowers aren't precision weapons.

>>3427163
Changing

>>3427184
to
>Hang back and attack with your rifle
and what I suggested >>3427206 here

>>3427206
I'm supporting this. We go full Rambo with our rifle. While marching towards it. Next round we can tear out it's Core.

>Okay, I'm going to close this vote here. Looks like we're going with rifle fire for now, and keeping the Lilim away from the observation bunker.

>So, calling for a dice roll - 1d100, aiming to beat a DC of 40. I'll take the first three rolls

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>3427225

Rolled 73 (1d100)

>>3427225

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>3427225
*click click*
Boom

>>3427226
All successes
Noice

Rolled 50, 67, 48 = 165 (3d100)

>Potent success!

“Keep that son of a bitch pinned!” you yell over the radio to Yulia, glancing aside to the local girl. The feet of her ADM Unit are sinking down into the snow, but that's the only indication that she's under any pressure at all. As she holds the Lilim at bay, you continue to fire burst after burst from your rifle into its sides. You walk as you fire, strafing the Lilim as you move to put yourself between it and the observation bunker. More flesh flies as your bullets carve through the creature, and Yulia is quick to light up the wounds to keep the flesh from regrowing.

Risking a glance behind you, you spot a flurry of activity around the observation bunker – tiny human figures, like insects from this lofty position, swarm out and crowd about the waiting transport trucks. “You evacuating the people?” you ask Fletcher, snarling the question out as you watch the Lilim shudder under your gunfire, “We'll keep this thing at bay, you get clear!”

“I'll leave when the battle is over,” Fletcher replies calmly, “Not a moment sooner.”

Grinning savagely beneath your bulky helmet, you empty the last of the rifle's magazine into the Lilim. It falls back, sprawling on the snow in an aimless flail of arms. An opening – a chance for you to slip between the thrashing limbs and strike deep. You have some reloads locked inside the ADM Unit's internal storage, but... you let the rifle drop down into the snow and draw your progressive knife instead. You can see the Lilim's core shuddering inside it, the gloss black gleaming against a backdrop of pallid white flesh.

>Total damage: 6

Raising the knife, you prepare to move in and strike the killing blow. As you get ready to charge, Orobas digs its larger arms into the snow and stretches its tube-like mouth wide open.

>Calling for a close combat roll. So, 1D100+15 against a DC of 40, and I'll take the first three results
>Additionally, rolling for Orobas' attack, rolling 3D100 against a DC of 40 as well

Rolled 36 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>3427272

Rolled 94 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>3427272

Is this related in some way to Evangelion? It has Nerv, but I haven't seen Shinji, Rei or Asuka in this one...

>>3427281
Complete AU

Rolled 88 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>3427272

>>3427281
spinoff, same general setup, completely different continuity

File: 1519057569409s.jpg (7 KB, 187x250)

7 KB JPG

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>3427272
>>Calling for a close combat roll. So, 1D100+15 against a DC of 40, and I'll take the first three results
Purge the Alien!

Looking we are doing the patented Holly 'Get hits hard but it's hard right back' maneuver

>>3427289
>Get hits hard but it's hard right back
Gets hit hard but hits hard right back

Man I botched that.

hard*

>>3427292
We looked damn good doing it tho
The Brass have gotta be impressed. We curbstomped this thing

>>3427295
>The Brass have gotta be impressed. We curbstomped this thing

Too busy running with their tails between their legs. I'm picturing Fletch alone up there.

>Potent Success!
>Potent Success from Orobas!

Yelling, you grasp the knife in both hands and charge towards the fallen Lilim. A bulge forms in the beast's throat as something within it swells, building and gathering before shooting out at obscene speed. Instinctively bringing your arms up in a block, you feel a sharp jolt of pain running up your arm as something hits you. Momentum carries you forwards a few paces more before you lurch, the ground seeming to grow unsteady beneath you. Stumbling down to one knee, you glance down to see a long tongue wrapped around one arm. It tightens, sending another wave of sickening pain running up your arm. It's not a localised pain so much as...

So much as a wave that rolls through your body like fire, crawling up through your arm and gnawing at your mind. No, it's not your arm. Not your arm. Sickness wells up in you at the sight of the tongue, at the thought of it coiling around what you keep telling yourself is not your own body, and your vision blurs. Looking down at your hands, you see a double image – the gunmetal grey of the ADM Unit, and the soft flesh of your own hands. Confusion for a moment, and then something you can always rely on – anger.

Grabbing the tongue with your empty hand, you crush the limp flesh in your fist. Colourless liquid bursts, spraying out, and the Lilim lets out a shrill squeal as the shorn half of the tongue recoils. As you pull the remaining half away from your arm, you see a long needle sliding out of the ADM Unit's arm. Poison? But how can a machine be...

>Integrity damage: 6
>Ego damage: 12

Yelling again, you grab the limp end of the Lilim's tongue and drag the creature towards you. Yulia, lingering at the opposite end of the Lilim, holds firm and a high squeal escapes Orobas as its pulpy body is pulled from both sides. The flesh grows thin, and the glossy black core is revealed once more. Without hesitating, you bring the progressive knife slamming down into the glassy sphere. Sparks fly as the blade carves into your target, your first blow leaving a deep scar in the surface of the core.

>Total damage: 9

As you prepare to finish the Lilim off with a second blow, a change seems to run across the surface of the core. The blackness flows like water, offering you a fleeting glimpse at the suggestion of faces – familiar faces, perhaps, but where have you seen them before? The images seem to be pulled out from some sealed box hidden away beneath your mind. A box that the Lilim is offering to throw open, but...

“Holly,” Fletcher warns, his voice calm over the radio, “Complete your mission.”

>Complete the mission. Destroy the Lilim
>Hold back. Show mercy
>Other

>>3427363
>>Complete the mission. Destroy the Lilim
It's a trap. Kill the angel and deny it's lies.
We can't let it get into our head.

>>3427363
>Complete the mission. Destroy the Lilim

>>3427363
>>Complete the mission. Destroy the Lilim

>>3427363
>Hold back. Show mercy.

Just for a moment. Just until we understand. It's not like it can escape from this situation.

>>3427396
I don't think escape is the worry. For all we know it could be some kind of psychological attack.

>>3427401
We can just stab it again if we start feeling weird

Rolled 61 (1d100)

The core shudders again, and this time you DO recognise the face – Claire's face. With her eyes half-lidded and her mouth open in a lustful gasp, she gazes up to you and-

Crying out in anger, in outrage, you bring the progressive knife slamming down again and again, striking the Lilim's core until it splits open down the middle. The obscure inner light – which isn't really light at all, but other word in the English language comes close – winks out, and a terrible convulsion runs through the Lilim's body. Fletcher calls something out, but his voice seems to come from a great distance. With the hot coal of anger still burning in your chest, you continue to hack at the shattered pieces of the Lilim's core. Even as the fallen monster's flesh begins to swell outwards, you keep up the senseless attack.

Then you're being pulled back, Yulia dragging you away from the Lilim before the corpse explodes outwards, torn apart from within by a nightmarish plume of twisted needles. Rapidly calcifying, the needles have solidified into crumbling stone within a matter of heartbeats, leaving you to stare silently at the remains.

“Target destroyed,” Fletcher reports, “Good work, Reynolds. I'm shifting your ADM Unit to idle, and we'll deploy recovery vehicles. Just wait there for now – you don't want to leave the entry plug just yet, I'm sure.”

“Right,” you agree with a tentative laugh, “Catch a cold or something. I've had enough fever bullshit for one lifetime. Don't take too long, okay?”

“Understood,” he replies, a wry note of humour in his voice. Following orders seems to come naturally to him, even when it's a teenage girl giving those orders. The entry plug hums softly as he powers the ADM Unit down, leaving you to float in the LCL and contemplate your victory.

>Integrity: 44/50
>Ego: 78/100

“Holly?” Yulia calls out quietly, her voice whispering through the radio, “That was a good thing for you to do, putting yourself between the target and the observation bunker. You fought to protect the innocent. That is a good thing to do.”

“A good thing for a tourist to do?” you shoot back, although your words have no sting to them. You're too tired to be angry at her... for now, at least.

“Are you going to make me apologise for a third time?” Yulia sighs, ending the radio call and plunging you back into silence. Now, you just need to wait.

[1/2]

>>3427443
Thats two Lilim kill boys. 3 more for Ace status. The Pain Train has no breaks.

>>3427465
This is the third. Eligor, Flauros, Orobas

>>3427465
Next we need to make Yulia apologize five times for Ace Conversationalist status.

>>3427465
Ten bucks that thing wasn’t a true Lilim but a mock up one made from the real Claire and the other kiddies we saw in our flashback.

>>3427488
That's dark

Wouldn't surprise me

>>3427488
Considering it was showing us Claire having an orgasm I sure hope not

>>3427443

”Yes sir, the mission was a success. Yes, exactly as you expected. The Lilim was destroyed, and neither of the children sustained serious damage. We'll keep the pilots under observation for another day, just to be sure – we believe that the Lilim attempted to make contact with them both. Yes, we're working on a countermeasure now. Thank you, sir. Thank you. I only wish we had been able to act sooner. They were allowed to study the dormant Lilim for far too long as it is. Sir, if I might make a suggestion...”

-

The sound of the entry plug opening up always reminds you of cracking open a can of soda, and you're not quite sure why. The faint hiss of the door mechanism, maybe. Whatever it is, it's making you thirsty. Opening your eyes, you clamber out of the entry plug and look around the hangar. A missile silo once, apparently, now put to a better use. Cold air whistles down from above, the silo doors still grinding shut. Yulia is in the next silo over and there's no sign of Fletcher, but Sasaki is waiting below you with the engineering team.

“Ah, very good work!” he begins, although he sounds less than enthusiastic, “A shame that the sample is destroyed, though. Without the sample, the Garden will have no purpose. But, perhaps that means we will be reassigned to a better installation?” He considers this for a moment, a smile spreading across his chubby face as he senses a chance for escape. Then, noticing that you're still dripping with LCL, he flushes and flaps a hand at a stern woman with him. “You should wash. Follow, please,” he urges, gesturing again to the woman, “Tanya will show you.”

The Russian woman barks out something in her curt native tongue, turning and marching away. Shrugging to Sasaki, you hurry after her until the woman leads you to an especially grim block of showers. At least they have hot water, judging by the billowing steam drifting out from inside. Another barked order, along with a blunt gesture towards an open locker, and the woman leaves you to it. Sticking your tongue out at her back, you cross over to the open locker and check inside. Small bottles of soap and shampoo, along with a towel and a set of spare clothes taken from your own luggage. You're not exactly happy about them rummaging through your things, but...

Yulia doesn't turn around as you enter the showers, with just a faint tensing of her shoulders to suggest that she noticed you at all. Eager to wash off the sticky traces of LCL, you pay her no mind and start lathering up the soap. As you're washing, though, you see a red weal on your upper arm - right where Orobas stabbed you with the needle-tongue. Brushing your fingers across it, you wince at the jab of pain that runs up the length of your arm.

[2/3]

>>3427518
Aw shit
They did this on purpose to wake the Lilim and have us kill it. Because studying them is bad?

>>3427563
Sounds like it. All these factions within NERV are going to get people killed.

>>3427565
We need to Fucking beat some info out of Wilson

>>3427582
Wilson's faction sounded like they were outside NERV I think. This one here sounds like some pretty important people in NERV wanted the Garden shutdown

>>3427563
They also had us shooting at make shift infantry and Tank Target in the ADM test.

>>3427518

As you're cautiously getting dressed, taking care not to touch the weal on your arm too much, Yulia speaks up. “That was my first time,” she admits, “The simulations do not capture how... intense it feels. It is not the same when you are doing it yourself.” Pausing, considering her own words, Yulia continues. “You used a knife,” she adds, “You're not afraid of getting so close to those things?”

“It's the best way to kill them,” you point out, “At least, that's how it seems to me. Anyway, what's the deal with your gear? Don't try and tell me that stuff is standard issue.”

“I designed it myself,” Yulia replies, a note of pride in her voice, “The simulations they gave me. I was tasked to prevent a target from escaping, so I came up with the grapple. It is... hard to explain. I use a localised AT Field to manipulate the effects of gravity, to keep Firebird stable. It is like... instinct to me. I cannot say how I do it. The doctors here have asked me many times, but I cannot help them understand.”

They trained her to restrain a target, not kill it. That's an interesting little thing to keep in mind.

-

“We'll be staying here for a while yet,” Fletcher announces, grimacing as he takes a tentative sip of his coffee, “Atmospheric conditions are looking grim for the next few days, it's pretty unlikely that we'll be able to get a flight out. I'm sorry, Reynolds. I'll try and find something to keep you busy, but no promises – there isn't much in the way of entertainment out here.” He sighs, risking another sip of the vile-smelling brew. “That's the bad news out of the way, at least. The good news is, you've got another confirmed Lilim kill under your belt,” he continues, nodding appreciatively towards you, “I know you weren't expecting a serious fight, but you took it in stride. Speaking of that, the training exercise itself was excellent... aside from the interruption.”

“You wanna set those targets back up again?” you tease, “I'm ready to give it a second shot.”

“Slow down, now,” he warns, holding up a hand to keep you from getting carried away, “Just sit back and relax for now. Take a moment to appreciate your victory.”

>Ego increased by 10
>Ego: 88/100

“I suppose you're right,” you sigh, still smiling to yourself, “So, what's next on the schedule?”

“Actually, I could use help. An extra pair of hands. Do you mind?” Yulia asks you suddenly, tilting her head your way before glancing back at Fletcher, “Ah, I'm sorry. Were you needing her for anything?”

“There was one thing, actually. Some of the men observing the tests were interested in talking to a pilot. Strictly voluntary, of course,” Fletcher adds, his expression souring a little, “They're a pack of tedious old vultures, so I won't blame you if you want to skip out.”

>Head back to your quarters and rest up for now
>Accept Yulia's request of help
>Talk with Fletcher's pack of vultures
>Other

>>3427603
Infantry and tanks aren't mentioned. Just large wooden targets with Lilim features painted on them.

>>3427609
>Hang with Yulia

Now we can push her over

>>3427616
see this
>but a great many other targets are flatter, lower to the ground.


>>3427609
>Accept Yulia's request of help
But make a point to tell Fletch we want to talk to him later on (about the welt)

>>3427609
>Accept Yulia's request of help
Teach us the ways of custom gear

"That sounds incredibly unappealing Fletcher."

>>3427627
Ah good catch. I just Ctrl-F'd tank and infantry

>>3427609
>>Talk with Fletcher's pack of vultures
Time to talk to the Brass. We did good out there. Might as well get recognition.
We cant talk up Fletcher too. We both win.

“You know, Fletch, you're not really selling this to me. This all sounds pretty unappealing to me,” you decide, shrugging before looking around to Yulia, “You got my attention now. What do you need help with, exactly?”

“An extra pair of hands, as I said. Holding things in place, moving things out of the way. No mechanical knowledge or experience required,” she states, and you can tell that she's holding back something else. A less flattering job description, perhaps, like saying that any idiot could do the job. “I have a friend in engineering who usually helps,” Yulia adds, “But they will be busy now, with the ADM Units. I would not want to distract them.”

“You don't fuck with engineering,” you agree, giving Fletcher a nod before following after Yulia. “Want to talk to you later,” you tell him quietly, “Work stuff, y'know?”

“It always is,” he replies, accepting your request with a solemn nod.

-

“Just get one finger in to start, then a second once you have it a little wider,” Yulia breathes, her eyes narrowing and her voice taking on a husky note. Grimacing, you push a little deeper in and listen as she gasps in pleasure. “There it is!” the Russian girl hisses, “Right there!”

When she said that she needed an extra pair of hands, this isn't what you had in mind. When you arrived at her workshop, you were greeted by the sight of a torso lying on her workbench. Inside was a mess of gears and clockwork, along with several dented layers of metal. Your job, as she explained, was to prise up one of the layers of metal so she could reach inside with her delicate tools. It's awkward work, and your fingers start to feel scraped and sore almost immediately. Still, you said you'd help her – you're not about to chicken out now.

“Just a little more,” Yulia grunts, leaning in until her face is barely an inch away from yours. Smelling the faint tang of LCL beneath the flowery perfume she wears, you pry the metal up a little more as something inside the torso springs free. Pulling back, Yulia holds up her tongs and peers at the twisted scrap of metal they hold. “Ah,” she murmurs to herself, “That explains it.”

“What does it explain?” you ask, “And what's with all the body parts around here? Are you building yourself a robot or something?”

“It is... not a robot. An automaton, perhaps. It served drinks, once,” Yulia explains. Tensing up, she holds her arms out ahead of her, bent at the elbow. Moving in a shuddery motion, she first turns at the waist before tipping her wrist as if pouring liquid. You can sort of imagine it in your mind – a clicking clockwork person pouring wine into a series of glasses placed out before it. “A toy,” Yulia adds, “A thing for the wealthy to show their wealthy friends. An antique now – very valuable.”

[1/2]

>>3427728
Phrasing!

>>3427728
I can see the grin you had writing that.

>>3427728

Stepping back from the torso – honestly, it just creeps you out – you find something else to focus your gaze on. There's plenty of stuff to look at here, mostly just old trash and spare parts. “I've got a friend who likes this sort of stuff. Antique clocks and stuff,” you remarks, wandering over to a pile and studying a cracked china doll, “I always thought it was a weird hobby for a girl, but I guess it can't be that weird if you're into it as well. If you ever visit our base, I'll introduce you.”

“I would like that,” Yulia agrees with a nod, her attention still focused on the mechanism. “I rarely get the chance to talk about such things here. Every few months, I visit the city and meet with the experts there. Dealers in antiques. I buy their broken pieces, sell them items I have repaired. There is good money to be made in such things.”

“If you've got the skills for it,” you point out, “How'd you learn?”

Yulia takes a long moment to answer this, picking at some stubborn gear in the torso before sighing and setting her tools aside. “I had a teacher. An older child who knew how to fix things. In either case, it was a good way to earn a little extra food, in the...” she pauses, “Where I grew up.”

The refugee camp, you recall from her file. Things must have been pretty grim there if she had to fix broken things just to earn enough to fill her stomach. As the conversation falters, you wonder if she's read your file. You sure hope not – you've not had the chance to read your own file, but it's probably less than flattering. Frowning to yourself, you start to poke through one of Yulia's toolboxes. Lifting out a tray of screwdrivers, you see a strange object lying at the bottom of the case. Stout metal piping, a set of springs, and a crude wooden handle...

So now two of your fellow pilots like to keep guns – the difference is, Kaori's guns are just models. Yulia prefers to build her own, apparently.

Hurriedly placing the tray of tools back into place, you turn around to check if Yulia noticed anything. Her attention is focused on the automaton torso, on the dents that have battered its outer shell. “I am sorry,” she announces suddenly, still busying herself with running her fingers across the damaged torso, “There was less work than I thought. Ah... feel free to go, if you are bored. I am not much of a host, unfortunately. Would you like to talk?”

“About what?” you ask, causing the girl to let out an exasperated sigh. She thinks for a moment, then nods briskly.

“I will answer one personal question,” she states, holding up a single finger, “One. And then I will ask one of my own. You will answer it.”

One question, is it?

>No question. You don't want to answer whatever she asks you
>Ask her about the camp she grew up in
>Ask her about her impression of Fletcher
>Ask her about the gun in her toolbox
>Ask her about... (Write in)
>Other

>>3427834
>Ask about the gun in her toolbox

This feels like a trap but at the same time I don't want to wimp out.

>>3427834
>Other
Get her to ask hers first.

>>3427834
>Ask her about her impression of Fletcher
"You two got history I take it?"

>>3427834
>ask her if she experienced anything odd during her initial simulations
The gun is probably a red herring and I predict her impression of Fletcher is that she has a crush as others have said. Also her refugee camp shit we know

>>3427834
>>3427842
Changing
>Ask what she thought of our file.

>>3427834
>>Ask her about her impression of Fletcher
Light teasing

Considering her offer for a moment – she gave it with all the seriousness of a pact with the devil – you gesture to her with a shrug. “You ask your first,” you tell her, “And if I like it, then maybe I'll give you an answer.”

“I see, I see,” Yulia frowns in thought, “Do YOU know Fletcher's first name?”

“What the fuck? You get to ask a personal question, and you don't even ask me something about myself? That's bullshit, and I'm not answering it!” you protest, “And besides, I don't even know that. Screw you, ask something else – and it had better be about ME this time.”

Brushing a lock of her hair aside with a sigh, Yulia thinks for a moment more. “Fine,” she states, “Have you ever... been with a man before?”

Suddenly, you wish you'd answered her first question. “...No,” you mumble after a moment, painfully aware of the camera following your movements. Hopefully, you spoke too quietly for it to overhear anything. Yulia nods sagely, with an expression that reveals precisely nothing about what she might be thinking right now.

“I see, I see,” she muses, “Have you wanted to?”

“That's two questions! I don't have to answer a goddamn thing!” you crow, savouring the opportunity to avoid the issue. Fine then – if she's going to go straight for the embarrassing stuff, then you can try the same thing. “So... you're interested in Fletcher, huh?” you tease, “Seems like the two of you have some history together. Since I graciously answered your question, how about you answer this – what's your impression of him? I want all the juicy details!”

“History? I... not as such. I met him once before, before he came here I mean. He asked me questions about my past, about my background. Security questions, questions he already knew the answers to. He seemed to know more about me than I knew about myself,” Yulia answers, her voice growing hushed, “It was perhaps... a little over two years ago, shortly after I came here to NERV. All the people here looked at me as if I was a lab animal, useful only because I could make their ADM Unit move, but Fletcher... he treated me like a human being.”

“And,” she adds as an afterthought, “I think he is very handsome. Do you not think so?”

“I don't have to answer that...” you murmur, distracted by some other thought. Two years? But that would mean that Yulia has been piloting an ADM Unit since long before the Berlin incident. Just how long has NERV really been operating?

“Holly?” Yulia asks, noticing your expression, “Are you unwell? Lie down, I can send for a medic. Just find a bed with no spare parts on it. You do not want to lie back down on a spark plug. I did that once, and it ached for-”

“I'm fine,” you assure her, although you can't quite assure yourself, “I just got distracted, that's all. I must be hungry after the fight.”

“Ah yes,” the local girl replies, “I can understand that all too well.”

[1/2]

>>3427905
Thirsty ivan confirmed.

>>3427905

“Those simulations you've been doing,” you ask as Yulia leads – practically drags – you down to the cafeteria, “Did you ever notice anything strange about them?”

“One question,” she points out, “That was our deal, was it not?”

“One personal question,” you argue, “This is a business question. This is work stuff. Totally different, now spill the beans!”

Yulia's eyes widen. “I would not waste food like-” she begins, only for her eyes to narrow as she realises that you weren't being literal. Language barrier, you remind yourself. “Fine. You have a point,” she admits, considering your question, “They were very crude, the simulations I first trained on. I am told that they have improved immensely in recent years. At the time, I did not ask questions, but now I wonder. They did not train me to fight, these simulations. Instead, they put me in strange scenarios and studied my reactions. Would I attack a target if it meant risking civilian lives? Would I do so if I was directly ordered to? These are the sorts of things I was tested on.”

“Seeing how far they could push you,” you guess, “So? What kind of results did you give them?”

“Now that IS a personal question,” Yulia remarks, pausing to dump a scoopful of hearty brownish stew onto a tray. Scooping out a portion for herself, she leads you over to an empty table. “But it troubles me,” she admits eventually, “I want to make the world a better place. Yet, what if sacrifices must be made for that? I have heard the reports from Berlin, I know what happened there... and I wonder if I would do any different. The Lilim must be destroyed, or mankind is forfeit.”

Prodding at your stew with a long spoon, you look up at her. “You gotta be careful with that whole “end justifies the means” thing,” you warn her, “People can justify a whole lot of shit with that kind of reasoning.”

“Yes,” Yulia agrees, taking a small scrap of metal out of her pocket and examining it closely. It's the broken piece she removed from her automaton, you realise. “But sometimes a defective piece must be removed,” she thinks aloud to herself, “Otherwise, the mechanism cannot function.”

Well that's not creepy at all.

>Going to pause things here for today. NERV: Second Daughter will continue tomorrow
>Thank you for your patience today!

>>3427971
>“But sometimes a defective piece must be removed,” she thinks aloud to herself, “Otherwise, the mechanism cannot function.”
Good girl. When we have to purge NERV of the Traitors she will be useful. Good to know she's pragmatic.

>>3427971
Thanks for running!

Is Holly ever going to call other cast members out on their ambiguous choices of words that can be interpreted lewdly by an unwitting observer?

>>3427971
>“But sometimes a defective piece must be removed,” she thinks aloud to herself, “Otherwise, the mechanism cannot function.”

Hope she doesn't extend that to Nate

>>3427997
I am sure that Nate would be willing to infect Yulia with Claire, in order help her with being able to activate an ADM unit.

>>3428008
>Mindmeld Claire epidemic

How horrifying

>>3428008
I'm eager to see us do a team up with Claire. That stacked CC bonus is godly. +30
Banzai Squad

>>3428013
Well if everyone can see her she must be a real Girl, Right?

>>3428016
Claudia excuse me

So When we get back to HQ Monroe is going to want a debrief how much are we going to tell her of what we saw when in the GARDEN.

>>3427989
Never ever. I mean, where's the fun in that?
>>3427984
When in doubt, initiate Order 66!

>>3428033
Didnt Monroe say or at least imply she knew about the Garden?

>>3428047
She will probably want to know what we saw after we touched the Chair.

>>3428021
>Claudia excuse me

Give it time. Claire will be inside everyone soon enough. And making that face she had with Orobas.

>>3428033
Thing is I can't tell if Holly is purposefully locking memories away due to trauma or if NERV did something to her memory. We could ask if we ever did a test with a bunch of kids at one point.

>>3428099
I have a sinking feeling that if we let on about any of that the thumbscrews are going to be put on and then we aren't going to have a fun time.
Also if we really wanted we could engage with the next Angel that we fight.

>>3428161
Possibly. We could try and be subtle about it, but subtly isn't one of Holly's strengths.

We just gotta get to the point where Fletcher and Monroe are more loyal to the pilots than their bosses.

>>3428169
I don't think that is going to happen unless we can somehow manage to guilt trip the both of them, hard. As they somehow manged to get into their positions. although i do think that they are working towards sightly different goals and they have a tendency to keep the other in check.
On the topic of bosses, whoever the last voice was in the Communion room is probably related to Holly somehow as i cant think of any other reason for them to try and rally us to their cause.

>>3428190
>I don't think that is going to happen unless we can somehow manage to guilt trip the both of them, hard.

I think it'll just take a bit of time. You don't work with/ look after children that have to go into combat without getting a little attached.

Thing is trust, is a two way street so there is going to have be a bit of give and take on both sides. We'll have to see what our options are when it comes up.

>>3428222
Then we can wipe out not only the Traitors that have infiltrated NERV, but also whatever corrupt elements may exist within it.
Treason shall be purged with fire

>>3428161
Also I don't think letting an Angel into the deepest recesses of our mind is a good idea. I really don't. That's bound to be a disaster

>>3428246
Well we all know where you stand on that Mr. Inquisitor ;)

>>3428250
But don't you want to find out what happened there would be no other reason for why we keep getting provided with all these plot hooks.

>>3428251
I just want to use the Big Knife, boss.
At some point I do hope we can upgrade our gear tho. Maybe like a custom paintjob too

>>3428260
theoretically it could have just been a trap by the angel. All it showed us was Claire moaning sexually. I'm not sure how that would be useful.

>>3428264
But how else would it know about Claire? especially earlier in the GARDEN.

File: HollyR.png (375 KB, 900x700)

375 KB PNG

It's strange, the difference between Fletcher's real gun and one of Kaori's models. You're not enough of an expert to tell them apart at a glance, and their weights are pretty much the same, but the real gun just FEELS that much more... gunny. It has a dangerous air about it, a sort of menacing aura that automatically warns you not to mess around. Even the training pistols you've used in the NERV firing range don't feel like this. Those were training aids – this is a weapon of war.

“It feels good, doesn't it?” Fletcher remarks, smiling wryly as you carefully pass the pistol back to him. Placing it down on the table, he starts to strip the weapon down for cleaning. “But never mind that now,” he adds, “What did you want to talk about?”

“I got this thing on my arm. Like a wound, but not really,” you reply, pushing up your sleeve to reveal the weal. It looks a little less red now, perhaps, but it still hurts like a motherfucker when you touch it. “Same place as on my ADM Unit, where that Lilim stung me. Stung IT,” you correct yourself, “So like, what's up with that?”

Fletcher is silent for a moment, concentrating on cleaning the inside of his pistol's barrel with a tiny brush. “Doctor Bergmann would be able to give you the scientific explanation, if you could understand that, but I know the basic idea. Both you and your ADM Unit have AT Fields. Those fields are similar enough that they... overlap, you could say. That's what allows you to pilot it, and to feel what it feels – including pain. When a sensation is intense enough, it can provoke a reaction in your body. A bruise, say, or a weal just like that one there.”

“So can I like... die?” you ask slowly, wincing at the thought of dying in a tube full of LCL goop. Talk about an undignified way to go.

“To be blunt, yes,” the mercenary tells you, “But if something is able to hit you hard enough for that, you've got more than enough to worry about as it is. So, I suggest that you don't fret about it too much – needless worrying will only hinder your performance.” Pausing here, he takes out an oily rag and starts to brush down some of the other parts of his pistol. “That's something else that mercenary life taught me,” he muses, “A lot of things in life are out of your control. Worrying about them won't change a damn thing, so why bother? Focus on the things you CAN change instead.”

There's a logic in that, you suppose, a sort of mercenary Zen. “You know, I was talking to Yulia earlier,” you remark, changing the subject, “We realised that neither of us knows your first name.”

“And I wouldn't expect that to change any time soon,” Fletcher replies, a gentle rebuke in his voice.

“Then I guess I shouldn't worry about it,” you decide with a wan smile, “Right?”

“Now you're getting it,” the mercenary agrees.

[1/2]

>>3429745

Conversation falters after this, and you watch with rapt eyes as Fletcher nimbly assembles his newly cleaned handgun. When he's finished, and the gun is safely back in its holster, you manage to find your tongue once more. “I gotta ask,” you blurt out, “Has NERV ever done any experiments on like, kids?”

“I wouldn't know,” the mercenary answers simply, “I'm just the hired help. That sort of thing, they'd likely keep the records sealed. If the experiments went badly, they might destroy the records. Fact is, you can get away with a lot if you don't leave a paper trail. The world's a big place, and not all questions have answers.” Nodding for you to follow him, Fletcher leads you out of his temporary office – a former supply closet, basically – and into the bland concrete corridors. “Why do you ask?” he adds, “Is there something bothering you?”

“It's just all this crap with Nate,” you reply vaguely. If he's going to give you an evasive answer, you can do the same.

“Well... I can't offer much reassurance there,” Fletcher admit, nodding to a pair of soldiers that bustle past. They greet him in Russian, and the group shares a rapid burst of conversation. Even without being able to follow the words, you'd have to guess that it's not exactly an exchange between friends. Fellow professionals, perhaps. “More good news,” he announces, “The long range forecast is looking favourable. We should be out of here by tomorrow.”

“That IS good news,” you agree, pausing for a second before adding, “So what's the bad news?”

Fletcher raises an eyebrow. “You're pessimistic... and correct, in this case. The bad news is, the flight back home might be a little more crowded. Some of the personnel here will be returning to Avalon with us. Yulia is among them,” he explains, “I know things haven't been entirely smooth between the two of you, but you can work together. That little training exercise proved that. What do you think?”

A strange question for him to ask. The decision has surely been made already. What does it matter what you think or how you feel about it? Still, his question deserves an answer. You feel...

>Enthusiastic. You'll be glad to have her on the team
>Hostile. There's no place for her back in Avalon
>Indifferent. Your opinion isn't going to change anything
>Curious. There has to be some reason for this
>You feel... (Write in)
>Other

>>3429748
>Enthusiastic. You'll be glad to have her on the team
"I wonder if she'll get along with the other girls though. I know I'm already a handful but I'm more... upfront about my issues with someone."
>Curious. There has to be some reason for this
"With the Garden Lilim gone there is no real reason to keep her here huh?"

>>3429748
>>Indifferent. Your opinion isn't going to change anything
Also I like how this trip has turned into Bonding Time with Uncle Fletcher

>>3429748
>Enthusiastic

>"Not like she could have been worse than Claudia!"

>>3429748
>Indifferent. Your opinion isn't going to change anything
>Her ADM is coming along too then? The ridiculous thing would be embarrassing to take the field with.

>>3429795
Did you miss last fight or something? The ADM is pretty good with her AT manipulation.

>>3429795
I think the thing with her ADM is that it's going to be a sitting duck against a speed based Lilim if she gets caught isolated. Presuming she's paired with someone armed with conventional weapons she should be fine. I just wouldn't send her out solo. That harpoon is highly specialized.

This is an opportunity, not a problem. You should treat it as such. “I'll be glad to have her on the team. I just hope she gets along with the rest of the girls,” you venture, smirking faintly to yourself as you imagine Yulia meeting the other pilots, “I know I can be a bit of a handful at times, but I'm pretty... open about things.” Fletcher considers this, a slight twitch passing across his face, but he says nothing. “I guess she can't be any worse than Claudia!” you decide after a moment, “Have you briefed her on the other girls?”

“Not yet,” he answers, “I'm saving that for the flight over. It'll give us something to talk about, at least. It might pass... oh, all of five minutes.”

“I'm curious, though. Why is she being reassigned?” you ask him, “Is it because the Lilim isn't here? No reason to keep her here, right?”

“Right. Aside from a skeleton crew to watch over the base, most of the staff are being reassigned. Some are coming to Avalon with us, and I imagine the rest will be going to Temple,” he pauses, searching his memory before adding, “That's another one of our installations. Avalon, Garden and Temple are the three major bases, although I hear the Berlin branch might be reopening soon. Couldn't really say why, though...”

Temple... You repeat the word to yourself, allowing it to roll around your mouth as you try to picture it in your mind. It's no use – NERV has a way of making predictions difficult. “So where is it?” you press, “This Temple place?”

“Up north, surrounded by places I couldn't even hope to pronounce,” Fletcher explains, “Near Greenland. Not exactly our most convenient location, but I didn't choose the site.”

Then, who did? Leaving that question unasked, you step aside to allow a cluster of engineers to bustle past. They don't even pause their argument for a moment, continuing to bicker even as they nod greetings. Through the flurry of technical terms, you make out the gist of their dispute – transport issues. “They're bringing Yulia's ADM too, I guess,” you sigh, “That thing can't be easy to move. I get that it's useful and all, but it sure looks ugly. Can't you build her a version that looks sleeker?”

“We can't just build them, we need to...” Fletcher begins, only to stop himself from finishing his thought. “We need to allocate huge amounts of resources to each unit,” he continues after a pause, his words carrying an oddly phony note, “Our budget can only stretch so far. Frankly, Yulia's custom equipment would never get the green light back in Avalon – not without a dozen different meetings and testing processes. Less green lights, more red tape.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” you murmur, already losing interest in the topic. Complaining about it won't change anything, even if it does make you feel a little better.

[1/2]

>>3429817
>“We can't just build them, we need to...” Fletcher begins, only to stop himself from finishing his thought.

Need to do something very dubious I imagine.

>>3429832
>inb4 ADMs are run by the EXAM system from gundam. Soul batteries.
Sacrifices must be made I suppose

>>3429832
Maybe sacrifice a bunch of kids?

>>3429817

Bundled up in a thick NERV parka, you shiver against the cold wind that slashes across what little skin you've left uncovered. Taking a walk outside the bunker was perhaps not the smartest move you could have made, but your pride won't allow you to back down now. No wonder that Yulia spends all her time tinkering with scrap – it was boredom that drove you out here, a desperate search for some way to pass the time.

It feels like an alien landscape, this place. Once you're a few paces away from the bunker complex, it seems to fade into a shapeless lump. The only visible signs of human existence are the emergency lights forming a wide circle around the bunker. They glow with a soft, reddish light, only adding to the unearthly atmosphere. The throaty roar of engines drifts over to you, but the distance has left them muted and unthreatening.

Beneath your heavy winter coat, your wounded arm throbs softly. Fletcher did his best to explain the weal on your arm, but you're still left hungry for answers – what are the ADM Units, really? His talk of resources and budgets felt hollow, a faint hint of the truth stretched out to cover a larger lie, but if you can't get the answers from him... then who?

“I wish you were here, Claire,” you sigh, looking up at the gloomy sky. She probably wouldn't have any brilliant advice to give you, but her irrelevant chatter has a good way of helping you think and she's always ready to listen. What would she say if she was here right now?

“Fuck me, it's cold”, probably. Aside from that, though...

Get outside the bubble you've fallen into, she'd probably suggest, talk to someone new and see what they know. Gratefully accepting the excuse to head back inside, you turn back towards the bunker and start trudging through the snow. Things are pretty unsettled right now, with the staff being reassigned – a good chance for you to slip about and ask some questions, perhaps. The local commander might have been a good choice, but they're no longer here and their replacement has yet to arrive. Does that mean that their office has been left empty?

A good chance to be sneaky, perhaps.

>Head down to the hangar and talk with the engineers
>Find Sasaki and question him
>Search the absent commander's office
>Other

>>3429893
The absent commander is the corrupt one that got sacked right?

>>3429893
>Search the absent commander's office.

>>3429893
>>Head down to the hangar and talk with the engineers
We should establish a rapport with the people who actually handle our suit
Could also learn some stuff

>>3429902
>That's right. At least, he was probably sacked. He's not here, which is all that really matters!

>>3429893
>>Head down to the hangar and talk with the engineers

>>3429931
In that case

>>3429893
>Head down to the hangar and talk with the engineers

Cause if the commander was removed NERV probably would have gutted his office when they escorted him off the base.

Head straight down to the guts of the system and mingle with the little people, that's what you'll do. You never really had a chance to meet the engineering crews back in Avalon, with the ADM hangars kept sealed when you're not boarding your unit. Things seem a lot less managed here, so you can probably get inside. Hopefully, you can find someone who speaks decent English. You won't get much done with gestures and curse words.

As you expected, nobody even seems to notice you as you stroll through the bunker. Your ID was thoroughly checked at the front entrance, of course, but things were smooth sailing after that. Down in the hangars, you get hit with a wave of industrial noise – the same engines you heard from outside, but far louder now, as well as countless different tools working away. Uniformed men scurry about, while UN soldiers with their blue helmets watch over the area. The ADM Units are held further within, as you recall, in the old missile silos. When you notice one of the UN soldiers studying you from afar, you realise how strange you must look – standing around and blankly staring at things, you really do look like a tourist.

Hurrying over to the closest engineer, you call out a greeting. “Hello there!” you call out to him, “I'm here to check on my ADM Unit. Unit two?” He stares at you, no real comprehension on his face. “The ADM Units?” you try again, speaking louder and slower this time, “NERV? Yes?”

Shrugging, he turns away and bellows out a long string of words in Russian – you recognise NERV, though, the familiar name dropped in like an island in the middle of an ocean. A moment later, a new engineer hastens over. He's younger, with a sheen of sweat glistening on his dark skin. “You're with NERV?” he calls to you as he approaches, a pleasant touch of North America in his accent, “Come with me. I'll show you about, and handle the translations. If we'd known you were coming, we could have had someone waiting to meet you.”

“Oh, well, you know how it is,” you bluff, “Things are all very disorganised at the moment...”

“Ain't that the truth,” the young engineer agrees with a weary smile, “I'm MacMillan. Just call me Mac. You were here to see ADM-02, right? This way. The repairs are going smoothly, although we did have a small hitch the muscle fibres. The Lilim injected some kind of poison, and we had to remove more than expected. I'm sure glad we had plenty of spare parts on hand...”

Muscle fibres? Not quite sure if you heard him correctly or not, you follow Mac through to the next hangar. He swipes an ID card at the door, leading you through to your ADM Unit. As you look up at the hulking machine, you stop dead in your tracks and gasp out in wonder.

[1/2]

>>3430002
Holly bluffing like the best of them

>>3430002
>while UN soldiers with their blue helmets watch over the area.
Wasn't it stated that the UN had appropriated a few ADMs for their own use?

>>3430008
Units 5 and 6 yeah.

>>3430010
More wheat for the scythe

>>3430002

“What's the matter?” Mac asks as you take a faltering step back, a faint note of alarm in his voice, “Is this... not what you were expecting? I can explain, if you just follow me back to the-”

“No, no, I'm fine,” you assure him, halting your retreat and gazing up at the ADM Unit. Parts of the armour plating have been removed, allowing the bare arm to be seen. Beneath the gunmetal grey armour and the scaled black underlay, pallid flesh – flesh! - gleams. The wounded section of the arm has been flayed open to reveal raw red muscle. Heedless to the gruesome sight, the engineers work on the inside of the wound. Taking wet strips of muscle tissue out of sealed containers, they graft the new flesh into place. Even at this distance, you see a grotesque regeneration take place – the old tissue bubbling up to fuse with the new grafts. Covering your mouth as you fight down a wave of nausea, you look back around to Mac. “I was briefed on this,” you lie, “But this is my first time seeing it for myself.”

God, you've been inside of that thing!

“Huh, well... like I said, we had to replace more of the muscle tissue than we first expected, but there isn't any risk of contamination. You can assure your boss of that,” Mac continues, “We're on track to have the repairs finished on schedule. Unit 02 should be ready by the time you leave. Got any questions?”

Questions? You're struggling to keep yourself from freaking out, let alone asking the right questions. Still, Mac seems to be expecting something from you. “What's the spare parts situation looking like?” you hear yourself ask, vaguely recalling something he said earlier, “Did you have to scavenge some parts from Unit 04?”

Mac clicks his tongue in irritation. “Doesn't work like that, sister,” he corrects you, “They wouldn't be compatible. No, your boss must have been a boy scout – he came prepared, both with specific parts and raw material. We didn't have to use any of that, thank god. I hate that stuff. The smell!”

“Ah, it can't be that bad,” you remark, flashing him a daring smile.

“Then you've never smelled it. Come on, follow me. Let's see if you can say that after taking a little sniff,” Mac replies, swallowing your bait, “Unless you're all talk?”

This time, he's the one to give you a goading look. Faint alarm bells begin to ring in your head. This feels like a test of some kind, maybe even a trap...

>Accept his offer. You need to see these raw materials for yourself
>Decline his offer. You've heard enough, now it's time to get out of here
>Ask him... (Write in)
>Other

>>3430063
>>Accept his offer. You need to see these raw materials for yourself
We came to learn

>>3430063
>Accept his offer. You need to see these raw materials for yourself
>Ask him... (Write in)
"Have you ever seen 'contamination' happen?"

See if we can subtly get some information that subject

“Oh no, I can walk the walk,” you assure the engineer, desperately hoping that you're not getting in over your head. Gesturing for him to lead the way, you follow close behind as Mac leads you from the main hangars and shows you into a small elevator – more like a wire cage, really, but you're only in it for a moment before your descent comes to a shuddering end. With the clanking noises from above muffled by a layer of concrete and steel, you can talk quietly once more. “I gotta ask,” you add, grateful for being able to lower your voice, “Have you ever seen any contamination?”

“You mean for real? No. I've seen the results, though. The science staff here did a little experiment, to show us what the warning signs are. They took a sample of the raw material, and tainted it using... something. I guess they extracted it from the Garden specimen,” Mac explains, digging a small cloth out of his pocket and tying it over his nose and mouth. “It scared the crap out of me, that experiment, because I couldn't see any difference. Not at first,” he continues, “The contaminated material looked normal to me. It looked like... hell, you'll see. Here we are now.”

Stopping outside of an industrial freezer – or something like it – Mac swipes his ID card through a reader, causing heavy locks to clunk open. Grateful for the parka, you follow him into the frigid air and watch as he takes out a large chest. He must be stronger than his wiry build suggests, as he carries the case over to a table without complaint. Checking that his mask is in place, he cracks open the seals on the case and lifts the lid.

Immediately, an overwhelming scent hits you like a hammer blow. It's like the fleshy scent of LCL, but a thousand times more intense. Clapping a hand over your mouth, you reel back and groan aloud. Then, slowly recovering your courage, you force yourself to approach the case. The “raw material” is a thick slurry of no particular colour – it looks grey, pink, even a dull orange in places. “Okay, okay, close it up again!” you insist, flapping your free hand at the case, “I surrender!”

Laughing, Mac slams the lid shut. “Better than expected. I was waiting for you to puke,” he jokes, “So yeah. That's the raw material. When we need to use it, one of the scientists comes down to work his magic. Any kind of spare part we need, they can grow this stuff into it. That muscle tissue we were using up above, that started life as raw material. Don't ask me where they get it, though – I just use the stuff, I don't understand it.”

Coughing a few times into your closed fist, you retreat from the freezer. Once the heavy doors have slid shut, you gesture to Mac. “So what were you saying?” you press, “About the contamination?”

With that, the engineer's face turns grave.

[1/2]

Is it made of people? similar to Onions Green I mean it may explain where the other's went.
The next theoretical question is if they can replace damage to the spinal chord.
As in NGE that would be irreparable damage requiring scrapping and a unit and having to start over with a complete rebuild. As EVA's were grown from the spinal chord samples taken from Adam, pre 2nd impact from the S2 engine testing site in Antarctica.

>>3430133

“Well, like I said, when they contaminated it with Lilim material, it didn't LOOK so different. Maybe a little paler, but that's all. The cell structure totally changed, though. It was being converted into Lilim matter,” Mac shudders, “So those scientists, those geniuses, decided to try forming the contaminated material into tissue. An organ of some kind, I don't remember what it was. The end product was just wrong, like it was mutated or something. Like it was cancerous. They took it out into the tundra and had Kuznetsova incinerate it. Good riddance.”

Yulia? She never mentioned anything about that to you... although you're not exactly best buddies, so maybe you shouldn't be surprised by the omission. Before you can ask Mac about this, a small radio on his belt crackles into life. Gesturing for you to stay silent, he fishes it out and listens to the tinny Russian voices ranting out at him.

“Looks like break time is over,” he laments, “I'll escort you back to the silo entrance, but then I need to get back to work. You'll probably want to take a shower and some clean clothes – that stench is hard to get out!”

Frowning, you sniff at the sleeve of your parka, recoiling at the faint echo of that ghastly meaty scent. “You're not kidding,” you groan, “I don't think washing this is good enough. Better to burn it and get a new one later.”

“That's the spirit!” Mac laughs.

-

As Mac is leading you back to the hangar entrance, you can't quite shake the feeling that you're being thrown out – albeit in a polite way. A few more soldiers seem to be guarding the hangar entrance when you arrive, which only adds to your unease. “Hey, look, I need to head back to work now,” Mac repeats, “But after this, I'm getting reassigned to Avalon. Hit me up when we get back. We can go out for pizza or something.”

“Pizza?” you repeat. Your thoughts are still unsettled, and the word seems absolutely alien to you.

“That's the worst part about being stationed out here. The food is shit, but you don't got any other choice. So, I've been craving a good slice of pizza,” the engineer explains patiently, “All the meat, and as spicy as humanly possible, yeah...”

Leaving him to his fantasies, you hurry past the impassive UN soldiers and retreat towards your quarters. Before you've even made it halfway there, you pause and take a deep breath. Focus, you think to yourself, you need to focus. Maybe even get some sleep – it's going to be an early start tomorrow, and a long flight home. But still...

>Head back to your quarters and rest
>There's something else you need to do... (Write in)
>Other

>>3430198
>Head back to your quarters and rest
Well it looks like the trip was not a complete bust.
We now have a reason to head to engineering
it has also given us more questions to ask Monroe.

>>3430198
>Head back to your quarters and rest

>>3430198
>Head back to your quarters and rest

>>3430198
>absent commanders officeeeeee

“Too tired for this bullshit,” you mutter to yourself, immediately wincing as you realise that you're talking to yourself again. If Claudia was here, she'd probably find it all kinds of amusing – you can just imagine her haughty laugh, the smug “told you so” look on her face. God, it gets you irritated just thinking about it!

When you arrive back in your quarters, you see Yulia lying on her bunk with a battered set of headphones blocking out the world. The faintest hint of classical music drifts out from them, something old and stuffy. Not your kind of music, really. As you slump down onto your bunk, the local girl jolts up and glances around at you, pulling off her headphones once she realises she's not alone. “Ah,” she begins, “I am told that tomorrow, I will be going to Avalon with you.”

“Yeah. You'll be joining the dream team,” you reply, looking over your luggage. Most of it never even got unpacked. Well, at least you won't have much work to do getting it all packed up again. “How do you feel about that?” you ask as an afterthought, “They didn't really give you much warning. I mean, this place has been your home for... what, a few years now?”

“Yes. But, it does not matter to me,” Yulia shrugs, “I will go where I am needed. What we are doing here, our mission, it is more important than what one person desires.” She shifts, wincing as a hard lump in her mattress digs into her side. “But,” she adds, “Perhaps it will be nice to stay in a place with more... modern facilities. Tell me a little about your quarters. I would like to know.”

Where to start? “Well, we've all got our own separate rooms,” you begin, “They're in like, sets of two rooms with a connecting door. When we joined NERV, we all got to bring a friend – a civilian, I mean, someone to keep us company. A friend, a family member... a maid. I guess you never had that kind of luxury, huh?”

“It was never offered,” Yulia replies carefully, “And even if it was, I would have no-one to choose.”

Christ, that's depressing. “Yeah, well, uh, we've got a big TV and our own little kitchen. A leisure room as well. You like pool? One of the other pilots, Claudia, she's pretty good at it. She could teach you, if you don't mind the idea of her lording it over you,” you continue, “The rooms aren't huge, though, so you probably wouldn't have any room to set up a workshop. NERV might be able to find an extra space for you, but... I dunno, you'd need to ask them about it. What do you think?”

“I will ask Fletcher, yes. Perhaps something can be arranged,” Yulia murmurs, nodding to herself, “Thank you, Holly. I am grateful for your help.”

“Hey, it's not like I helped you that much or anything...” you grumble back, looking away from her, “And I'd do the same for anyone, so... so yeah. Don't worry about it.”

[1/2]

>>3430328

You're not sure what wakes you up, but something causes you to jolt awake in the early hours of the morning. Sitting up in bed, you look about you for any hint as to why you're not dead asleep. After a moment, you hear Yulia mumble something to herself. That must be it. Throwing the thick woollen blanket aside, you slip out of bed and cross over to her. She sleeps like a child, huddled up and trembling, while the few words she murmurs are all in her native tongue. Slowly, you pull back the hand you had been extending, deciding against shaking her awake.

Instead, you pull on your shoes and coat before letting yourself out. The bunker is quiet, although not silent – there is always some small noise, either the hum of a ventilation fan or the echoing sound of unseen footsteps. You wander for a while before you realise that you're heading towards the absent commander's office. Is there anything to see there? Perhaps not – you expect that most of their stuff would have been confiscated along with the commander themselves. Still, it's worth a look. Not like you've got anything better to do – it's either this or watching Yulia sleep.

-

The commander's office is as gutted as your worst fears suggested, with all the signs of a recent ransacking. Filing cabinets and office drawers hang open and empty, while the semi-circular desk has a boxy monitor but no computer. Sitting down in the overstuffed leather chair, you lean back and stare at the bare concrete ceiling. What must it have been like for the commander, working here? They were corrupt, embezzling money, but was it to feather their own nest or to pass money along to those who needed it most?

The former, probably.

Sitting up suddenly, you lightly slap the desk. “Get me an update on the situation out there!” you whisper, pretending to bark orders at some imaginary subordinates, “I don't want excuses, I want results!” As these words fade into silence, you giggle quietly to yourself. That's the kind of dorky act that Claire would pull, especially if she was trying to cheer you up. Still smiling at your own foolishness, you push the chair back and prepare to leave. This wasn't a totally wasted trip, then, so-

Down on the floor, perhaps knocked free when you struck the desk, you spot a scrap of paper. With your heart pounding in your chest, you bend down to pick it up. Is this going to be some vital clue, you wonder, some vital piece of the puzzle?

Maybe it is, or maybe it isn't. Seeing as it's all written in Cyrillic, you can't tell either way.

[2/3]

The base commander was taken by the UN not NERV right?
So it's unlikely that NERV knows what actually went down.

We may want to take a photo of the page(both sides if anything else is on the it) as well as take the Page it would need to be translated for translation we could send it to:
> Turn it over to Monroe and Fletcher it's likely that we would never find out what it said if we are going to do this it may be best
Then
>Send Phantom the photo as Having already tuned it in they would be unlikely to suspect us as having made a copy this would go without repercussion until Phantom gets busted or our tablet and or phone gets taken.
OR
> Show the page or photo to Yulia or Mac we may want to hold off until we get to know ether better before showing this to them

>>3430378

With the scrap of paper thrust deep into your pocket, you skulk back to your quarters. Yulia seems to have settled into a deeper sleep when you return, and you carefully close the door so that you don't wake her again. Sitting down on your bed, you take out your phone and open up the translation function. “The wonders of modern technology...” you whisper to yourself, focusing the phone's camera on the paper and waiting for it to work its magic.

And you keep waiting, scowling as you realise that it's not going to work. For some reason – the handwritten text, perhaps, or just some perversity of technology – the program just can't give you any useful results. Occasionally it claims to pick out a single word, but never anything that makes sense – lunch, spanner, car... just random crap. You might as well open a dictionary to a random page and pick the first word you see. Useless.

Dropping your phone with a quiet scoff of disgust, you glance over as Yulia groans in her sleep. Why didn't you think of it sooner? You've got someone capable of translating Russian right here... but what if the note has something dangerous written on it? Then you'd have to trust Yulia with that information, trust that she won't do anything foolish. You can't even trust yourself not to do anything foolish!

So...

>Wake Yulia, get her to translate the note
>Keep the note to yourself for now
>Other

>>3430425
>>Wake Yulia, get her to translate the note

>>3430425
>Other
Hold off until we get back to HQ
This probably isnt a good time to wake her as it is still early in the morning

>>3430425
>Wake her

We cab always kill her if things go poorly.

>>3430447
No?

>>3430447
How would we even hide the body?

>>3430455
Feed it to our ADM

>>3430455
You know that's not the point here

>>3430425
>Keep the note to yourself for now
We can take it to Fletcher in the Morning. He can speak Russian. Hell know what to do with it

>>3430459
Do we even know if our ADM is able to do that?
So we have to drag her body down to engineering without anyone noticing.
Hope that our ADM unit eats her.
Then fool Fletcher that we didn't do anything.

>>3430473
If it's classified then we won't get shit. Have Yulia translate it and then we can maybe give it to Fletch depending on what is on it

>>3430481
Why not take a picture and send it to Phantom?

>>3430425
>Keep the note to yourself for now

>>3430482
Cause if it's something crucial to our operation we just gave Phantom who is a traitor.

My main goal here is to get information for Holly without fucking things up everybody. Wake Yulia up to translate and then we can decide together as pilots to inform Fletch or not

>>3430479
We can carry her down in chunks. It's the middle of the night and everyone is asleep.

>>3430482
Because Phantom is literally the enemy?

>>3430494
Why do think that Yulia wont tell Fletcher or that he will give it to us straight.

>>3430508
>Why do think that Yulia wont tell Fletcher or that he will give it to us straight.
Fletcher is the only member of NERV who has been straight with us at all. If it's something that isn't top secret he has no reason to lie. Besides we brought the hammer down on Phantom. Our loyalty is hardly in doubt

>>3430501
How do we explain to Fletcher what happened to Yulia when she can't be found for her flight out with us in a couple of hours.
Additionally how would we get past the cameras all over the base with being seen

>>3430508
If she tells Fletcher after we know what's on there who cares. Fletch knows we are impulsive already.

>>3430511
You are assuming Wilson is Phantom.
How would Willson the doctor be able to have put an App on our tablet and yet have Fletcher hand it back.

>>3430513
Phantom can deal with cameras. If Fletcher asks what happened to Yulia we can fire a question right back at him.

"Am I my sister's keeper?"

>>3430517
How will we contact Phantom without our Tablet?

>>3430518
Hold up our cell phone number to a camera.

>>3430525
Wouldn't they be CCTV cameras though why would Phantom have eyes on us when we are in a completely different base.

>>3430516
Even if Wilson isnt Phantom, we still reported them both. I'm not saying Wilson is that particular traitor. But we still need to be careful with this.

>>3430543
I'm not saying that we don't turn the evidence over.
i think that Phantom would be more willing to provide accurate feedback and we would have something to compare and contrast whatever Monroe and Fletcher come back to us with.

>>3430538
Why would he not? It's not like this trip was top secret.

>>3430562
It may not have whatever connection to where ever he is that would required to do so non obviously.

>>3430562
If we are assuming that Phantom has eyes outside Avalon. Which we do not know. For all we know he only has electric influence at home base

Also when we get back we may want to get Willson & Dr.Bergman to look at our arm.

I'm honestly surprised you guys were humoring him so much.

>>3430425
>Wake Yulia, get her to translate the note
I don't really see a downside tbqh

>>3430577
For all we know Yulia noticed when we got up and will confront us about it there is no reason this can't wait if we take a photo of the page we have a copy that we can do with what we want.
as this is not time sensitive why wake her up there is no reason this cant wait until we get up. For all we know it isn't in Cyrillic.

>>3430591
Sure take a photo, whatever. I'm still not seeing the downside of just asking Yulia when she gets up though and be honest that we were taking a midnight stroll and decided to peak in the old commander's office.

>>3430599
Are we blindly trusting Yulia now?

>Okay, I guess I'm going to close the vote here and keep things moving forward. Looks like showing Yulia the note wins. Though, we will keep the note just in case we want to show it to other people
>I apologise for this delay.

>>3430609
Well we seem to take everything anyone has said at face value so far. So why stop here?

>>3430616
We didnt take what Phantom said at face value. We called him out

File: 1552311700500.png (380 KB, 522x508)

380 KB PNG

>>3430609
Aren't you the guy that blindly trusts NERV? And being such a person if she did ''''betray'''' us she'd just go tell Fletch which is what you want anyways.

>>3430616
You guys are both shadowrunning hard over literally nothing right now. It could be fucking expense reports for all we know. Worst case scenario she doesn't tell us what is on there and tells Fletch the situation where we'd probably get a slap on the wrist but it's mostly on NERV for having shitty security

But please both of you please tell me what horrible outcomes you have concocted in those noggins of yours by daring to work with another pilot.

>>3430631
Because in the source materiel that the quest is based off everyone is basically playing daggers in the dark all the time, trying to get what they want witch tended to be mutually exclusive with what everyone else wants they just happen to need the same steps to be done.

any way if we found an expenses report that would be valuable as it would allow Section 2 to start to unravel exactly what the commander was doing at this before he got disappeared.

>>3430631
I dont blindly trust NERV. I just dont think everything and every character is part of some Grand conspiracy that we dokt know even exists or not. Until we are given solid evidence to turn on them I dont see the point. Unless we are wanting the Lilim to win?

>>3430652
Considering we have already had a meeting with SEELE and that Fletcher confirmed that they are "Head Office" we know that there is some sort of conspiracy afoot.

You spend a long while studying the note, wondering what to do with it. You photograph it, recording down images of the scrawled characters, and then you tuck it away under your pillow. It seems to follow you into your dreams, alien letters chasing you through an otherwise pedestrian dream. When your alarm wakes you, seemingly a matter of minutes later, Yulia is already up and making her bed. When you quietly call out her name, she turns and gives you a curious look.

“Got a favour to ask you. I figure you owe me once, since I helped you with that torso crap,” you murmur to her, gesturing for her to come a little closer. Still looking confused, but now also a little curious, Yulia sits beside you. “I need you to translate something for me. I think it's Russian,” you tell her, “But I need you to be, like, discrete about it. Secretive. Don't tell anyone else what this says, okay? Can you do that?”

“A strange request,” Yulia muses, “But yes, I will do this. As you say, I owe you a favour.”

Hesitating for a moment more, you take the note out from under your pillow and pass it to her. When her face screws up in a pretty frown, you feel a stab of panic. “What?” you ask, “Is it... not Russian?”

“No. This handwriting is appalling,” she mutters to herself, rubbing her eyes before focusing on the scribbles. Her lips silently move as she reads it to herself, trying to parse it into usable English. “It seems to mention projects. Two of them. The first one is Project Metatron,” she continues, fumbling over the unfamiliar word, “Simultaneous control of multiple ADM Units with one pilot. Project now discontinued. That is what it says.”

Controlling more than one ADM Unit... perhaps it proved impossible, which is why the project was cancelled. Silently nodding, you gesture for Yulia to give you the other half.

“Next. Project BLUE EYE. An alternative method of controlling the ADM Units,” she reads, “It talks of artificial pilots. The project is still ongoing, and it has yielded useful results so far. This information could be valuable, it says, although... I do not quite understand this last part. Whoever wrote this note, he says that the information is valuable, but then he talks about selling it to “nothing”. An alias, I presume. That is all it says.”

“Artificial pilots...” you breathe.

“Yes. Automata. Like our drink pouring friend,” Yulia explains, a rare smile touching her lips, “This is a strange thing you brought to me, Holly.”

“Yeah, but like, don't tell anyone about it,” you insist, “Okay?”

“Holly,” Yulia promises, “I would not know WHO to tell about this. Now, come – I want breakfast before we leave for America. Maybe double breakfast. Who knows when we will next get the chance to eat?”

This girl... you're thinking about robot pilots, but she's more worried about her next meal.

[1/2]

>>3430641
So because the of source material's higher up characters backstabbing and playing chess with each other you're going to mistrust everyone in this AU as having an ulterior motive and wants Holly to jump into the 'Daggers in the Dark' game even though like I said that was mostly SEELE/NERV and right now we are just dealing with a pilot that up until this point, beyond the initial meeting, has done right by us. Man that sounds like an awful way to play. Don't think I'm going to do that and focus on what the characters have done so far.

>any way if we found an expenses report that would be valuable as it would allow Section 2 to start to unravel exactly what the commander was doing at this before he got disappeared.

Which we'd turn into Fletcher

>>3430652
>I just dont think everything and every character is part of some Grand conspiracy that we dokt know even exists or not.

I agree. So why are you giving me shit about 'blindly trusting Yulia' when I'm just giving her a fair shake as a fellow pilot working for NERV?

Well Shit. That confirms at least one thing for stages for the Mass production series.

>>3430662
I wonder if Metatron has to do with the mindmelding. Like if Nate got a piece of all the pilots could she control all the ADMs.

I don't think I'd want that to happen. There would probably be nothing of 'Nate' left then

>>3430690

Metatron was previously mentioned in the Communion room as one of the quotes from the statue
“Enoch was but a man when God took him into Heaven and made him into an angel, granting unto him the name of Metatron,” the first voice intones, “We cannot yet make our own angels, child, but we are close.”
also Kaori is a candidate for the program

>>3430698
>>3403724
Initial Observations
Subject: Saitou, Kaori

Contrary to what many believed after Berlin, Saitou is NOT damaged beyond use. However, it may prove necessary to alter our plans considerably. I'll submit my full report in due time, but my initial observations are worth noting. Before the Berlin incident, I had high hopes for Saitou – she wholeheartedly believed in our overt cause, and she was willing to risk her life for that goal. Sadly, the Berlin incident went a long way towards changing that. It is my belief that she still supports NERV, but out of obligation.

More concerning is the indecision Saitou has recently shown in combat simulations. She has shown a tendency to freeze up under pressure, and a hazardous degree of hesitation when required to act under her own initiative. In her current state, I cannot recommend assigning Saitou as the lead pilot. However, she remains effective in combat when provided with careful instructions. If anything, the incident seems to have made her more obedient. If this continues, she may be an excellent candidate for the Metatron Program.

I have spoken with Saitou three times in the aftermath of the Berlin incident, and she has given me inconsistent accounts of the events. Her initial account claimed that she was ordered to engage the Lilim immediately. However, when presented with radio transcripts and recordings proving the opposite – that she was ordered NOT to engage – she claimed, instead, to have no memory of engaging the Lilim in close combat. I found her claims of a blackout to be unconvincing, and she herself clearly did not believe them. On a third interview, she gave me what is now believed to be taken as the official version of events.

Recommendation: Keep Saitou isolated from the media as much as possible. Have Public Relations manipulate the story, and bury it as soon as possible. Engineer some celebrity scandal if you need to. Exposure to a hostile media could be highly damaging to Saitou's compatibility.

Furthermore, I suggest replacing Saitou as lead pilot. Reynolds is a good candidate to replace her, but she may be more unstable than first thought. Moore would be my first choice, for obvious reasons, but Fisher is also a potential candidate.

>>3430662

Slop for breakfast again. Every day here, it's slop for breakfast. Yulia doesn't seem to mind though, spooning down mouthfuls of the stuff with gusto. Once her plate is clear, she sets down her spoon and gazes at you.

“Perhaps it is not such a bad idea,” she announces suddenly her voice low and thoughtful, “Artificial pilots. Fighting machines. Man would have a weapon against the Lilim, but one that does not call for children to wage war. That is a good thing, is it not?”

“Well... I guess,” you murmur back, glancing this way and that to make sure that nobody is listening in. “But then I'd be out of a job,” you point out, “All of us pilots, we'd be made redundant in an instant. I guess you could go back to the antique business, fixing up old salvage, but... I don't know what I'd do. Go back home and take up the family business, I guess, but I think I'd rather shoot myself in the goddamn head.”

“Ah yes,” Yulia replies, a sharp note in her voice, “It must be such a terrible thing, to have successful parents. I... No. This is a foolish thing to talk about. Neither of us will enjoy it, I think.” Dismissing the subject with a wave of her hand, Yulia leans back and stares up at the scarred cafeteria ceiling for a moment. “That note of yours...” she guesses, “Was it from the former commander here?”

That's a little too good to be a guess. Noticing your sour look, Yulia nods to herself. “He was a pig who loved only money. This note talks of selling information. I can put two and two together, you know,” she remarks, “If that is the case, then perhaps the UN know of this already. If he was arrested, I do not doubt that he would sell out every one of his friends and allies to escape a harsh punishment.”

“Even so,” you argue, “Don't tell anyone about this. I'm like, super serious about this.”

“It will be a secret, but on one condition...” Yulia states, holding up a single finger before pointing to your breakfast gruel, “Are you finishing that?”

That's what you'd call a win/win deal.

>Okay, I think I'm going to pause things here for today. I'm sorry for the abrupt ending, but I need to take some time to prep material for tomorrow's session
>Thank you for your patience today!

>>3430714
Thanks for running Moloch.

How is Yulia going to react to real food at Avalon?

>>3430729
I'm curious if Avalon actually has decent cafeteria food.

I just reread the Log and somethings stuck out to me; who is Moore, what unit was theirs, and where are they now as they aren't at Avalon additionally didn't they say that unit's five and six did not have pilots so how many units are there.

>>3430778
Yeah Moore is currently a mystery

>>3430778
oh i missed fisher as well. any one else think they "were" the pilots for units five & six

>>3430788
Maybe they are piloting for the UN now? Would make sense unless the UN trained more pilots for the suits they grabbed

>>3430714
Thanks for running!

>>3430795
>>3415457
Sasaki said that they had not found pilots for the units though.

>>3430729
Oh, it's going to be bliss. The regular food is a cut above what they served at the Garden, and that's before getting into the home cooked meal stuff. She's in for a treat!
>>3430730
It is currently approaching the end of April

>>3415695
Something else i noticed is that Fletcher doesn't seem know about what Monroe asked us to do while we were here as he implied that we were doing it for ourselves.

We also don't know exactly Who, When or Why the note we now have possession of was created or when the Commander was retired and how this note got missed by whomever cleared the office how ever long ago that was.
We will probably want to make sure at least that both Monroe and Fletcher have a copy of it.
We should feign ignorance of the contents as to prevent implicating Yulia and questions from being raised.
Even handing it over to Phantom as well this would definately be a break they may have been looking for and assist in derailing SEELE's plans.
As their plans would likely result in the MP series being released and retiring all of NERV in a similar fashion to EOE as they would be unneeded to proceed with the plan.

Time for a Shadowrun of epic proportions, all of the following is conjecture some based on the Source material for the Quest and otherwise deductive reasoning.
TL;DR: Someone's Shit stinks and it's not ours.
1/?

>>3431265
Assuming that units 5 & 6 never got assigned their pilot's and wondering who were and subsequently what happened to Fisher and Moore as they are not with us at Avalon got me thinking.


There is an irregularity with the unit's number designation and Pilot seniority as seen with Holly and Claudia as they are out of step with the others.
an explanation for this occurrence as to why we have more pilots then units would be if there was a unit 0 or the prototypes are under a different naming scheme( assuming they still exist )
and Fisher and Moore are holdovers from GEHRIN(NERV's predecessor)?


The pilots and their unit's designations that we know of "at present" are as follows:
>Unit #0 - maybe Nate if it ( still ) exists at all
>Unit #1 - Kaori Started piloting pre Berlin event
>Unit #2 - Holly Started piloting 3 years after Berlin
>Unit #3 - Claudia "
>Unit #4 - Yulia Sometime between Berlin and 3 years post
>Units 5 & 6 - Moore & Fisher ?
>Unit #7 - Nate? Same time as Holly
if this happens where are they producing / working up the ADM units we may want to look into engineering to find Nate's unit in whatever state it is in.
>Mass Production Series at least have an operational Dummy Plug System (BLUE EYE) techniques developed for Metatron may have been used to inter connect Blue Eye nodes together or have a singular director for all units in the Series
and are probably (hopefully) still waiting on a reverse engineered S2 Organ equivalent and reproductions of the Spear before being ready for deployment.

> Why not move the units off site then renumber them and move them back to keep up the charade.
> But then that leaves Nate why is she at Avalon if she doesn't (yet) have a unit and is incapable of piloting. why she was brought in?
Because if units are not unique to the Pilot and can be refurbished for a new pilot the limiting factor on the usefulness is no longer the success of Pilots but the inclination of Pilots.
2/3

>>3431281
But What happened to Fisher and Moore:

But why are they out of order as in the same log Kaori is mentioned as being a Candidate for Metatron the log also mentions getting Berlin out of the news implying the Log was made about 3 years ago
at would appear to have been we now have a time window for Metatron this log also mentions two unmet Pilots: Moore and Fisher.

They may have been the Pilots for 2 & 3 instead because why did they just have units 2 & 3 lying around without pilots.
>Why would Yulia not have been assigned to ether unit when she was inducted as a pilot?
But if they were looking for suitable/replacement pilots why would Unit 2 been readied for us not Yulia so early if we were not know as a candidate for Piloting
> Did they already have pilots when she was inducted?
> Would Yulia have met them?
> Does Yulia know when we started Piloting?
> Why would Yulia assume we are the "Monster" of Berlin
we have only been Piloting for a month. Berlin happened 3 years ago we also know that the Pilot was Kaori
Why is our unit #2 and Claudia's #3 instead of unit #7 & #8, as Yulia has been on the job longer than us and yet has a higher unit number or bring us in earlier.
> How long did it take to Bring us to Avalon after we were discovered? how long did it take?
We were still at Compass Academy when the tests were done. how long ago were they done?
Was the units were unready/ being remodeled the cause for the delay?
Something happened to those Pilots and it was covered up and Yulia is probably about to kick a Hornets nest when she meets Kaori.
3/3

>>3431265
>>3431281
>>3431295
The Lilim attacked Berlin last year, not 3 years ago. And we don't know how long it takes to build ADM units.

>>3431584
i went back and checked
and it's not even a year
December to April is 3 - 4 months depending on the exact time frame.

>>3431715
also i can't be the only one but
Moore => Monroe
Fisher => Fletcher

File: ClaireS.png (301 KB, 900x700)

301 KB PNG

The flight back to Avalon is less painful than you had been expecting, largely due to you sleeping through most of it. You wake at one point to see Yulia and Fletcher sitting nearby, the girl's head resting on the mercenary's shoulder as she sleeps. Pretends to sleep, rather – every so often her lips twitch with the effort of suppressing her smile. Fletcher just looks unimpressed, bored even, and he raises an eyebrow in wan amusement when he catches you looking. Flashing him a sympathetic smile, you close your eyes and drift off back to sleep.

When you next wake up, the cargo plane is thundering down to solid ground. A fleet of cars waits to bring you, and all the new staff, back to HQ. As you're looking out over the waiting security personnel, you glimpse a flash of pink. “Hey!” you call over to Yulia, “Claire's here to meet me!”

Yulia smiles politely to this, all too quickly returning her attention to Fletcher. She really needs to tone it down a little, you think to yourself, it's almost embarrassing to watch.

-

“Yo!” Claire shouts out, throwing up a peace sign at Yulia, “Welcome to America!”

Blinking in amazement at the loud, extravagant greeting, Yulia is left speechless for a second before Fletcher nudges her slightly. “Don't be rude,” he chastises her, “Say hello, Yulia.”

“Ah... hello,” the Russian girl manages, awkwardly bowing her head, “My name is Yulia Kuznetsova. I hope that we can work well together. We all share the same mission here, after all.”

“Not me. I ain't part of this fighting stuff. I'm just here to keep Reynolds here contained,” Claire continues, throwing a friendly arm around your shoulders, “God forbid I ever have to take off her power limiters. Nobody here would be safe!”

“Claire...” you warn, “This was supposed to be a very serious moment, and you're talking about Saturday morning cartoons again. Can you like, save it until later?” Laughing, Claire takes her arm away and backs off a cautious pace. Sighing, you look back to Yulia. “I'm sorry. Someone must have been feeding her sugar. She doesn't normally get quite so excited,” you tell her, giving Fletcher an apologetic smile as well, “I'll keep her under control from now on.”

“Quite so,” the mercenary replies dryly, nodding towards the waiting cars, “This way please.”

As he leads Yulia away, you catch up with Claire. “Sooooo, what happened while I was away?” you ask, elbowing her lightly, “I want all the gossip. Don't leave anything out!”

“Ah man, it was pretty boring without you here. Nothing really happened. Uh, we had lunch together, I guess,” Claire offers with a shrug, “Monroe kept trying to talk to me and like, I just wanted to eat some good home-cooked food, y'know? It's a good thing you're back – you can keep her distracted next time!”

“Lucky me,” you sigh to yourself.

[1/2]

>>3433238

You can't shake the feeling that something about Avalon HQ has changed. Maybe you're just looking at it with new eyes, comparing it to the miserable conditions in the Garden, but things just seem off. Unfamiliar, almost, as if you had been gone for far longer than just a few days. Even the mood in the dorm seems unusually sedate. The television is turned down to a whisper, while Hester works silently in the kitchen. Normally, she might hum some lively tune to herself as she worked. Not now, though.

“Ah, Holly. I wasn't sure when you'd be due in,” the maid announces, briefly turning away from her chores to smile a greeting to you. Even this feels stiff, like she's trying to be more cheerful than she really is. “Oh,” Hester adds as Yulia enters, the newcomer gazing about the dorm in wonder, “I wasn't aware that we were getting a new dorm mate. My name is Hester Ross, and I serve Miss Claudia Rainer. It is my absolute pleasure to meet you, miss...?”

“Yulia Kuznetsova. Just call me Yulia,” the Russian manages, her bag slipping off one shoulder with a heavy clunk. Tutting softly, Hester bustles over to help Yulia with her luggage. As she approaches, you gently catch the maid's arm.

“Hey,” you whisper to her, “Is there something I missed? This place feels like a graveyard.”

Hester frowns, her natural inclination towards discretion warring with her better judgement. “I wouldn't say it's anything that you need to worry about. I expect things will get back to normal soon. I don't know the full details myself, in fact, so I wouldn't be much help,” she whispers back, clearly trying to avoid the whole matter, “If you really wish to know more, you might try asking one of your fellow pilots. I believe they were... more directly involved, I should say. Excuse me, please.” Then, raising her voice, she approaches Yulia. “Allow me to take your bag,” she announces, “Do you have a room assigned yet? I can show you about the dorm, although there isn't much to see.”

“You did not see my old room,” Yulia remarks with an awkward laugh, “Now that, there was not much to see. It will take me some time to get used to this...”

And it might take you some time to figure out what's going on here. Where to start?

>Claudia usually has the best gossip. You'll start with her
>Kaori is a professional. She should be able to give you an unbiased explanation
>Nate probably had something to do with this. Trouble follows her about
>Maybe try someone else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3433239
>Kaori is a professional. She should be able to give you an unbiased explanation
Let's get the facts first

>>3433239
>Kaori is a professional. She should be able to give you an unbiased explanation
>Yulia’s reaction to ((((Claire))))
Jej

>>3433238
>>Kaori is a professional. She should be able to give you an unbiased explanation
Claudia would be indulgent but she's gonna give us gossip not truth

>>3433243
I was always under the impression that Holly would just hear Claire and respond, but now it almost seems like she is playing out Claire's 'part' out loud and responding to herself.

>>3433239
>Poke Claire some more. She should know SOMETHING
gotta fish for more foreshadowing. But really,
>Nate probably had something to do with this. Trouble follows her about

>>3433247
Maybe we have multiple personality disorder. Could explain out anger issues. We pour all our happy Girly shit into Claire's personality

>>3433253
It's in character cause Holly is unaware but OOC Claire only knows what Holly knows.

That's why Claire confirmed Monroe's made up story. Because Holly believed it.

>>3433239
>Hit up Kaori

ALSO YULIA REACTED TO CLAIRE. NO MIND MELD. SHE'S REAL.

>>3433271
Don't get too hasty anon, Fletcher had to prompt her to introduce herself to our "friend". I don't want to shadowrun too much but I'm more and more convinced of anons theory because of the little things that seem weird or don't add up.

>>3433239
>head on his shoulder
Fletcher the Chad

>>3433285
We should see what happens if we ask someone what color t they think of Claire's hair is then ask Nate.

You'll get the scoop from Kaori. Of all your fellow pilots, she's most likely to have all the facts. Claudia would likely sensationalise the issue – which can be fun, admittedly, but this isn't the time for that, and Nate... if this is something to do with her, which seems likely, she won't be able to give you an unbiased perspective. First, though, you need to get your bags sorted out. Stepping out into the corridor, you spot Claire leaning against the wall with her phone out, your bags sitting untouched beside her.

“C'mon, you could have helped,” you groan, picking up your luggage, “Instead of just sitting out here...”

“Hard work? Miss me with that shit,” Claire shoots back, sticking her tongue out at you, “Besides, you know how much I like to watch you getting all hot and sweaty.”

“Remind me why we're friends again...” you mutter, leading her through to your room, “Hey, do YOU know anything about this whole mess?”

“Me? Nope, not a thing. Secret pilot business, from what I can figure out,” sighing this, Claire flops down on your bed, “Nobody here tells me nothing. At least people tell you some vaguely ominous crap now and then!”

Laughing humourlessly at that, you leave her be and go to check on Kaori. Her voice, when she answers your knock, is subdued. Entering her room, you see her cleaning one of her model guns and feel a pang of familiarity – right now, she looks just like Fletcher. “I'm back,” you begin, helping yourself to a seat on her bed, “Believe it or not, Russia was cold. We've got a new pilot, by the way. Seems like she arrived at a bad time – what's this mess I've been hearing about?”

Carefully setting aside the dismantled pieces of her model, Kaori turns and studies you. “Welcome back,” she announces, “The time away seems to have done you some good.”

You're not sure about that... and is she avoiding the subject?

“Fine. The situation here. There was an argument,” Kaori sighs, “Commander Monroe and Doctor Bergmann had a disagreement over our training regime. Specifically, Nate's training. Monroe ordered it to be halted – she said that it was a waste of resources, and it wasn't producing any viable results. Doctor Bergmann disagreed. Openly and to the commander's face, Doctor Bergmann refused to follow her orders. We were all there to see it happen, although I wish I hadn't. It was an ugly scene, and it reflects badly on us all.”

You consider this. “So Bergmann is what, just doing whatever she feels like now?” you wonder, “That's not going to end well for her.”

“I wonder,” Kaori muses, “She didn't seem to have any concerns. When Commander Monroe threatened her with disciplinary action, the doctor just laughed it off. Like I said, it was an ugly scene.”

[1/2]

>>3433285
Seems pretty paranoid. Maybe we hallucinate her in places she isn't at worst, but Fletcher couldn't have known when to prompt Yulia to respond without seeing her too, and he isn't mind melded with us either.

>>3433295
that still makes >>3433247
possible

>>3433295
If holly was the one who said hey as claire then he would. If We are full on acting out Claire whenever she is around it would he fairly obvious to him.
>Hey welcome to America

>>3433297
It doesn't make sense that we'd say hello to Yulia after being in a copter with her for the last 12 hours. And she wouldn't introduce herself to us in return as we had already known each other for days.

>>3433299
See above for why that doesn't make sense. Yulia introduced herself because she met Claire for the first time. She wouldn't have used those words if she was replying to us, who she already knew.

>>3433307
...you don't get it? She's been briefed about "Claire" already.

>>3433307
Fletcher nudged her because he already briefed her on 'Claire' and these kind of situations

You can play devil's advocate all you want anon already listed a shitload of discrepancies last thread.

>>3433307
>“Yo!” Claire shouts out, throwing up a peace sign at Yulia, “Welcome to America!”
I believe this is Holly loudly shouting as Claire
>Blinking in amazement at the loud, extravagant greeting, Yulia is left speechless for a second before Fletcher nudges her slightly. “Don't be rude,” he chastises her, “Say hello, Yulia.”
Yulia is clearly startled and confused as fuck as to why Holly is larping as someone seperate. Fletcher literally has to goad her to say hello.
>“Ah... hello,” the Russian girl manages, awkwardly bowing her head, “My name is Yulia Kuznetsova. I hope that we can work well together. We all share the same mission here, after all.”
Again, Yulia is playing it out to satisfy us.
Granted we could be wrong but I think there is a 99% chance Claire is an illusion/alternate personality

>>3433315
I had Thread 2's ready to go but my computer crashed and i lost it i will have to get it ready again.
But the most obvious was:
Claire was never stated to have left our group when we went into a secure briefing nor do we say goodbye if we left.

>>3433315
>You can play devil's advocate all you want anon already listed a shitload of discrepancies last thread.

So because you listed these discrepancies, none of which are hard proof, you're going to just ignore all evidence to the contrary? Ok.

>>3433321
Sounds like this theory keeps changing for the goal of keeping Claire fake. How about we take her into town? Unless you're going to argue that NERV already briefed every civilian that one of the kids piloting a giant super destructive robot is a lunatic with an imaginary friend and they have to play along.

>>3433329
I'll just take a screen grab. You don't need to post the whole thing again.

>>3433334
You do you man.

File: Claire.png (53 KB, 1205x347)

53 KB PNG

>>3433329

>>3433334
Well we have only interacted with NERV people so far. Logic dictates they have read our file. Who have we talked to that wouldnt have read it?

>>3433334
go read the first few posts of
>>3388646
When did Claire leave the group and why didn't we say goodbye.

>>3433347
Clay and the baseball crew, but Claire doesn't go near them

>>3433350
...sometimes not every action is written? It jumps from the girls talking to Bergmann addressing them in her lab. Why wasn't us walking there written? Are you gonna argue that we have teleportation powers because that didn't appear? Maybe King Crimson? This is pretty weak dude.

>>3433370
Honestly this is fine. Believing Claire is real is absolutely IC so I'm not going to try to convince you of anything.

Holly forcing ways to prove or disprove Claire currently is OOC though so lets not do that.

>>3433374
I agree. No need to prove she exists twice when Fletcher and Yulia just proved it for us after all.

>>3433383
This guy

>>3433289

“This is actually the most I've said aloud about the whole incident,” Kaori adds, thoughtfully tugging at a few strands of her long hair, “We haven't really... talked about it yet. I don't think any of us really wants to address the issue. Even Claudia seemed a little shaken by it, and you know what she's like.” Closing her eyes for a moment, Kaori lets out a low sigh. “I don't want to get involved in this. In any of this,” she admits, “But shutting myself away in here isn't going to help. I suppose our new colleague might provide us with something to lift the mood. At the very least, she'll be a distraction.”

“Wow. I'll be sure to tell her you said that,” you joke, “A nice juicy distraction for when the Lilim come knocking again...”

“That's not what I meant, and you know it!” Kaori protests.

-

Leaving Kaori alone for now, you pause outside Nate's room before cautiously knocking. A second later, the young girl calls you inside. The room is brightly lit, and Nate sits at her desk with a notebook open in front of her. Schoolwork, you guess, some pretty basic chemistry stuff. Her desk is clean and orderly – you sense Vic's intervention – but the rest of the room is messy. Clothes are strewn about the floor, along with random stacks of books and CDs. Even some of her plush toys have been left in one corner, arranged in a circle. As your eyes linger on the soft toys, Nate clears her throat.

“Hey, no daydreaming!” she teases, “Was that holiday thing so great that you're already dreaming of going back?”

“Sorry. Jet lag,” you reply, shaking off your disorientation, “Mind if we talk for a little? I heard that Monroe and Doctor Bergmann had an argument.”

“Oh, yeah,” Nate's brow furrows with a sulky frown, “She was sticking her nose where it didn't belong. I get that she's the commander and all, but she doesn't really GET any of this science stuff. I mean, I don't get it either, but I'm not the one marching about yelling orders at people, am I?”

The anger in Nate's voice – not a childish tantrum, but something with real venom – causes you to hesitate. “That's harsh,” you venture at last.

“Yeah?” Nate snaps, only to pause and blink in apparent confusion as she silently repeats her words to herself, “Well... maybe, I guess. Yeah. It just sucks to hear, you know? Doctor Bergmann is trying to help me, we're trying to help each other, and then Monroe comes down to say it's all a waste of time and money!”

Frowning again as her anger – or perhaps your anger – returns, Nate gestures vaguely at you. A gesture that says nothing beyond demanding acknowledgement.

>Sympathise. It can't be pleasant to be written off like that
>Chastise her. She's acting like a demanding child right now!
>Rationalise Monroe's actions. She needs to prioritise things
>Evade the issue. Better not to get involved
>Tell her... (Write in)
>Other

>>3433383
Also why did Claire not Introduce herself in turn as well, we don't call her on it ether.

>>3433410
>Sympathise. It can't be pleasant to be written off like that
"But... are you sure Doctor Bergmann is helping you? This whole treatment seems more trouble than it is worth."

>>3433410
>Sympathise. It can't be pleasant to be written off like that

>>3433410
>Sympathise. It can't be pleasant to be written off like that
>Tell her... (Write in)
"Still I don't think we know the whole picture. Or at least I don't. I can talk to Monroe about it and get her side. Can you tell me how the training has been going and what the Doctor has been doing?"

>>3433410
>Other
Ask her how Claire was while we were away.

>>3433410
>Chastise her. She's acting like a demanding child right now!
Kinda wanna fight Nate desu.

>>3433446
You want to fight everyone though ;^)

>>3433410
I wonder if Doc Bergmann operates outside the chain of command secretly. Maybe that's why she laughed at Monroe When she threatened her

>>3433464
If she wants to act like Holly, she damn well better fight like Holly, dig?

>>3433410
>Evade the issue. Better not to get involved
>Ask her how Claire was while we were away.
>Wanna spar to work out the stress?

>>3433410
>Sympathize

When do we go ask Monroe how it feels to be cucked out of command by Bergmann?

“It can't be very nice to be written off like that,” you reply slowly, telling her what she so clearly wants to hear, “Especially not for a shitty reason like the budget.”

“I know, right!” Nate agrees hastily, nodding with almost pathetic eagerness, “And it's not like I can say anything about it! I bet I'd get in trouble if I-”

“But are you sure that Doctor Bergmann is helping you?” you interrupt her quietly, “This whole treatment seems like it's more trouble than it's worth. Maybe Monroe just doesn't understand what kind of progress you're making. I guess I could try talking with her, pleading your case, but I'd need to know what you've been doing lately. Were you paired up with any of the other pilots? Has Doctor Bergmann being trying anything new?”

“No paired experiments, no. The doc says that it wouldn't be a good idea – not with anyone else. It could just confuse things, she said. I... don't really know what she meant by that,” Nate admits, “We've been doing simulated training. It's pretty cool, like playing this big videogame, but they're so hard! Doctor Bergmann says that's the point. It's to, uh... provoke a reaction, like adjusting to new stuff. We ARE making progress, just... little tiny bits of it. It's like, not the sort of thing that looks good on an official report. It's not like, WOW.”

Nate speaks quickly, focusing on the parts of your questions that she likes. The topic of whether of not Bergmann is actually helping her remains untouched. Sighing inwardly, you move on. “So how's Claire been?” you ask, “What did she get up to while I was away?”

“Um, she's been around. We've got more in common than I thought, so we talk a bit more these days. She missed you a lot while you were gone, but like, she wouldn't say that aloud. I guess she didn't want to look clingy,” Nate giggles, “The two of you are pretty inseparable, huh?”

“Can't get rid of her,” you lament, allowing yourself a smile, “No matter how hard I try.”

-

Leaving Nate in a brighter mood than when you arrived, you return to the main dorm room. Some of the awkward air is bleeding away now, Yulia's excited explorations creating the distraction that Kaori had been hoping for. As you arrive, you hear the clack of pool balls from the games room, accompanied by a lively laugh. Peeking in, you see the Russian girl playing a game with Hester – the pair already look like fast friends, that thought accompanied by a pang of melancholy. She makes it look so easy.

Quietly retreating, you leave the pair be and head back to your dorm room. You really ought to unpack your things, but... a little lie down first, perhaps. You just need to rest your eyes for a moment. Once you're feeling more awake, you can think of something to do. Maybe invite Nate down to do some sparring, help her work off the stress...

[1/2]

>>3433498
We are going to need to go and see her anyway to drop off the Note.and maybe ask her directly if we can see our file.

>>3433527
>if we can see our file.

I bet there is a 'For Holly's eyes' version of our file that's even more redacted than the one everyone else gets.

>>3433529
We found he the leads she wanted.
I guess we could always just hand it over to Phantom and get the file and or compare and contrast between both versions.