>>3888974

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

Far from panicking, you feel an odd sense of relief as you gaze around the featureless black expanse. It's impossible to say how far this place stretches, or even if you're resting on solid ground. With nothing to provide a contrast, and a pleasant numbness suffusing your body, you could easily be floating through the empty space. Staring into nothing, you let out a low sigh. The sound doesn't carry, seemingly swallowed up by the void, but... does someone call out your name in response?

“I'm scared,” you announce, giving these words to the void, “I'm scared of my Unit 02, and I'm scared of piloting it. Bad things always happen when I pilot it, and I'm tired of being hurt, so if this is the way things have to be... I guess I'm okay with it.”

Is that selfish? Maybe so, but you already know how this is going to end. You're going to fight, you're going to lose control, and the cracks in your brittle soul are going to get that much worse. If this time doesn't finish you off, the next time might. Or the time after that, or the time after that, or-

“There's nothing for you back there,” a solemn voice announces, “Not in that other world.” Looking up, you gaze across the void and see Coraline sitting far opposite you. Or maybe she's close by, and your sense of distance means nothing in this place. Her earlier anger is gone, replaced by a deep melancholy, and the change is so intense that she seems like a whole other person. “There's nothing there for you,” she murmurs to herself, “That's what HE said. I don't...”

Coraline pauses, tilting her head as if listening. You listen too, but you don't hear a thing. Even long after the sound has faded, if it was ever there at all, Coraline remains silent. “Who said that?” you ask, but Coraline doesn't seem to hear your question. “There's nothing for me here either,” you point out after a long pause, “That other world out there, at least that's real!”

“That's right,” Coraline answers at last, “A real world, where you bleed real blood and cry real tears. Why would you want that?”

>Maybe I shouldn't. This place is peaceful, at least, and I'm sick of pain
>I have to go back. There's someone waiting for me on the other side
>If I don't go back, I'll never get even with the ones who've wronged me
>I'm not ready to give up on the real world, and I'm not ready to give up on you either
>I... (Write in)
>Other

>>3888975
>>I... (Write in)
"It can be pretty awful huh? My parents want nothing to do with me, I've had to witness NERV commit atrocity after atrocity, my best friend has been dead for years and the world lied to me about it. I've only been on that Earth for 15 years and it's been almost nothing but bullshit and cruelty. Almost. There are a few people there waiting for me and I need to protect them with all I have. And I didn't know her very well, but if you say Reed was at all like me then I don't think she would have given up either."

>I'm not ready to give up on the real world, and I'm not ready to give up on you either
"Even if I have to kick your ass to save you."

>>3888975
>I... (Write in)
Like you said, I can rest when i'm dead, so I'm going to do what little I can, while I can. I know I can't change the past, but I can change the future. If that future still has you in it is up to you, just so you know we can undo the injection that you took, we managed to cure Huang completely.

>>3888975
>I guess I'm a masochist, who knew?
>I still have people to go back to and protect and if I have to fight the world to do so I will.

>>3888975
>Other
"We live in a brutal, garbage world full of incomprehensible assholes. If either of us were born a generation earlier, I might have agreed with you, fuck the real world, let the dreaming start. But I wasn't born into the world before the second Impact. Our world is new and insane and beautiful as it is terrible. We fight gods and the terrible things that command them, from places men can scarcely understand. Now is not the time to give up. I will spit in the face of Lilith and Adam. For the first time in human history, we are finally able to peer into our own true faces. Coraline... I want to save my girls. I want to kill the gods... And at the end of the day, I want to save you too. I've seen it. The sea of souls is real, and just as Seele is pumping it like oil to make soldiers, we can dip our feet in and meet the dead. You don't have to give up. We can kill them, the gods, SEELE, and we can bring back everything they took from us. We can bring her back Coraline, just like I can take Lilith out of you. Come back with me before you die and go to the sea of souls. I want you by my side."

Is this out of character? Hell if I know. FUCK IT, FIRST POST! NERV SECOND DAUGHTER IS BACK ON BABY!

>>3888975
>Because its not hopeless. Ive saved one girl. Two, actually. Wait, four? Does Fletcher count?
>I think I've got a pretty good track record for a simple girl who can only punch things.
>Frankly I don't like you very much, but saving you seems like the biggest way to prove you wrong.

>>3888975
>There are good real things out there too. Real good things even.

Lying back in the formless, shifting void, you listen to the nothingness. From somewhere far away, you hear it again – the sound of someone whispering your name. Not just any name, YOUR name. “Maybe I'm just a masochist, but I have to go back,” you breathe, “I still have people waiting for me on the other side. People, and the whole world. If I have to fight to protect them, then I'll fight.”

A shudder runs through your body as you whisper these words, blood pulsing sluggishly through your veins as your heart beats harder. With each word, the unnatural apathy slides away from you. “It's an awful world, isn't it? It's garbage, full of garbage people, but it's the only world I've ever known. My folks don't want anything to do with me, NERV is overflowing with assholes, my best friend was dead for years and nobody thought to tell me...” you pause, “But goddamn it, I am NOT giving up! I won't give up on the world, and I won't give up on-”

Clutching her hands to her ears, as if realising what you're about to say, Coraline lets out a keening wail. Raising your voice to drown her out, you press on.

“And I won't give up on you, even if I have to kick your ass until you see sense!” you snap, “It's not hopeless. I've saved girls before, and I'll do it as often as I have to. I might just be a girl who punches things, but I've got a pretty good track record. It's not too late! Coraline, I can fix this – I can fix everything!”

Coraline screams again, and her voice causes a flash of light to rip through the void. Turning and shielding your eyes, you see a disfigured shape silhouetted against the churning red clouds. The shape reaches down and grabs you by the throat, pulling you up as the thickening black fluid sloughs off of your body. Your body? No, the ADM is back again like an armoured cocoon. For a fleeting moment, you're in perfect harmony. Gazing through the ADM's eyes, you look up at the thing that pulled you from the morass.

It's an ADM, except it's not. Emaciated and scarred, with pallid flesh bloating out from cracks in the tarnished armour, it looks like some decaying relic. The familiar head of an ADM is gone, replaced by the mask-like face of a Lilim – or perhaps a more familiar face. It holds you up for a moment more before letting you fall back down to the ground, leaping back and vanishing into the reddish cloud. Was that...

“Holly!” Juliet's voice crackles over the radio, “Give me a status report! I lost contact for a moment, are you-”

“I'm not dead!” you call back, “Where are you?”

“Home base. Neun is inside,” she snaps back, “They're trying to get her, but I can't hold them off forever. I need-”

“On my way!” you interrupt, already up and moving. Getting back to home base isn't as easy as it sounds. The world seems to be unravelling around you, thick curtains of red fog swirling up to consume the buildings and city streets.

[1/2]

How much until 'local teenager ruins everything' scene? Taking bets.

>>3889095
Never. We aren't local.

>>3889095
I thought we did that already in Germany with Rat. Unless you mean 'everything' as in Third Impact in which case I'd say Soon™.

>>3889052

When you arrive at the centre of this place, you almost want to stand back and watch the spectacle. There are five Lilim, or the Lilim has five bodies, and Juliet is somehow managing to keep them all at bay. A short burst of gunfire knocks one of the Lilim back, giving her an opening to hurl the long trident at a second. The blade spears through its target, pinning the Lilim to the ground as Juliet drives a third away with a lunging kick. For all the spectacle, though, you can see that she's struggling. She might be pushing the monsters back, but she can't capitalise on her openings and the Lilim soon rejoin the fight with their wounds healed.

The Lilim themselves are fluid things, their white masks the only part of their bodies to remain unchanged. The rest constantly changes, shrunken humanoid forms flowing across the greater whole like armies marching blindly across a battlefield. Sometimes waving blunt swords, sometimes throwing fluid spears, it's like being menaced by an army of toy soldiers.

In a rare break in the fighting, Juliet grabs the rifle at her feet and throws it over to you. Catching the rifle, you take aim at one of the Lilim. As you do, you feel a presence descending over you. Closing your eyes, you imagine slender arms draping themselves around your neck, sense the slight weight of another body leaning against yours. “I'm here now,” Karina murmurs, “I called your name.”

“I heard your voice,” you reply, opening your eyes, “Later. We've got work to do.”

“Ah, that's right,” Karina yelps, “The enemy has been designated as the Lilim “Leraje”. It seems capable of controlling multiple bodies at once. Each one contains a fragment of the core, and you'll need to hit that weak spot to do any, ah, lasting damage, so-”

“So kill 'em all, I get it,” you reply, leaping over a moat of bubbling black slime and crossing over to Juliet, “You ready to do this?”

“I've been ready for...” Juliet groans, exasperated, “Just help me kill this thing!”

Suitably chastised, you bring your rifle up to aim at one of the skulking Lilim.

>Current Ego: 64/70
>Current Integrity: 50/50
>Target HP: 40/40

>Calling for a ranged attack here. This is aiming to beat a DC of 70 Since there are 5 Lilim targets, this will be at a total bonus of +35, and I'll take the first three results.

>This battle is going to be a little different – the Lilim will be rolling one dice per active target, and targets will be destroyed as we deal damage

Rolled 69 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>3889113

Rolled 37 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>3889113

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>3889113
Let's ruin everything then.

>>3889117
>>3889118
>>3889119
this is just every possible way to interpret what kind of dice to roll.

>>3889121
I'm not a smart man. At least I know we're rolling d100. Do I need to re-roll?

>>3889121
It should be

>104
>72
>115

>>3889123
You're fine.

so that's 15 damage done.
6+(6*1.5) = 15

File: HollySheet.png (412 KB, 1600x1200)

412 KB PNG

Rolled 96, 93, 50, 54 = 293 (4d100)

>Potent Success!

Pulling back on the trigger, you dump a volley of gunfire into the first Lilim. Fluid black flesh explodes apart and flies away in clinging clumps, the individual lumps already crawling back together to reform the Lilim's body. There's something inside it, a glowing orb that seems to change with every fleeting second you get to watch it. It's like watching a moon flash through its phases in rapid succession, the flickering image leaving you feeling sick to your stomach.

“Can't hit it!” you yell, “Can't hit the fucking-”

Cutting you off, Juliet hurls her trident into the wounded Lilim. The weapon hits home, slamming down with enough force to knock away more of the Lilim's outer flesh. The moon/coin/core freezes in place for a moment, and you fire a second volley into it. With a sound like breaking glass, the core turns jet black. As you let out a triumphant cry, Juliet leaps past you and retrieves the trident, slashing it around and knocking back a second, lunging Lilim body. One down, it looks like.

>Total damage: 9
>Target HP: 31/40
>Hope: Ego increased by 3
>Current Ego: 67/70

“Holly!” Juliet calls out, and you turn to see a new Lilim lunging towards Neun's hiding place. The rifle clicks empty, and you rush to meet the Lilim with your knife. The Lilim itself is bristling with spikes and hooked claws, the toy soldiers waving their weapons with impotent anger. They might be small, they might not bite deep, but it feels like you're about to dive into a bush of thorns. Bracing yourself for the worst, you plunge in with the point of your knife.

>Calling for a close attack next. This is aiming to beat a DC of 70, and it'll work out to a total bonus of +45 due to Juliet's abilities. Again, I'll take the first three results.
>Additionally, rolling an attack for Leraje. 4 dice now, each aiming for a DC of 40

Rolled 87 + 45 (1d100 + 45)

>>3889146
This is going to be rough.

Rolled 24 + 45 (1d100 + 45)

>>3889146
We are going to get torn up

Rolled 88 + 45 (1d100 + 45)

>>3889146
An offering of blood. That hasn't happened in a while.

>>3889155
>69
Yeah that's my luck alright

>>3889157
do you think it's worth overdriving?

>>3889161
I guesssss, since we're almost topped up for once.

>Just going to put this to a confirmatory vote

>Use Overdrive (Cost: 5 Ego)
>Don't use Overdrive

>>3889161
Fuck I dunno. Ending the fight sooner is better, but we need all the Ego we can get because 02 is going to break our balls again after the fight, but the longer the fight goes on the more Ego we lose cause we will be taking more damage and around and around we go.

At the end of the day though we are only doing 9 damage max so it's at least going to take 5 whole rounds to kill this thing if we roll crit successes always and unless Moloch rolls uncharacteristically low I feel like we are resigned to going berserk after this will all the damage we are going to take.

>>3889166
>Use Overdrive (Cost: 5 Ego)

>>3889166
>Use Overdrive (Cost: 5 Ego)
We need the Damage, depending on it's health regen, and the rng this may take a while.

>>3889167
If we get the chance we should probably take it early to minimize the Ego losses.

>>3889166
>Use Overdrive (Cost: 5 Ego)
I expect that we're not going to use it next turn

Rolled 38, 36, 53 = 127 (3d100)

>4 Successes from Leraje
>Success – increased to Potent Success.

Thorns? It's like diving into a bushel of razorwire. The Lilim seems to open up as you lunge in, claws and blades closing around you like a cage. They seem to get everywhere, creeping between the cracks in your armour and digging into the flesh beneath. Cords snare your limbs and pin them in place, the point of your knife suspended mere inches – or so it seems – away from the next core segment. Straining against the grip only hurts you more, the hooked blades gnawing deeper at your flesh. It's no good, it's too much, and you try to recoil. Even that is futile, and all you manage to achieve is lolling your head back. The Lilim stares down at you, the expressionless mask glaring as-

>Ego damage: 8
>Integrity damage: 16

A shot rings out, Juliet's bullet causing the Lilim's head to snap back and the grip around you to slacken down. You don't waste the opening, forcing every drop of your will into the point of your blade as you plunge it forwards. The blade seems to just skip off the Lilim's core, but that's enough to turn it jet black. The forest of daggers loses its hold on you as the Lilim's body dies, sloughing away to leave you panting for breath.

>Overdrive: Ego reduced by 5
>Hope: Ego increased by 3
>Damage inflicted: 9

>Target HP: 22/40
>Total Integrity: 34/50
>Total Ego: 57/70

“Three targets remaining!” Karina reports, “Um, Holly?”

“I'm fine, I'm fine!” you rasp, forcing yourself to stand up straight. Unit 02 fights you, blood from your slashed joints already clotting and stiffening up your limbs. The remaining Lilim skulk around you in a loose circle, less certain of their assault now. Whenever one of the remaining bodies creeps closer, Juliet jabs at it with her trident. It's about all she can do, one leg dragging behind her as she strains to keep up with the monsters. “I'm fine,” you repeat to yourself, forcing your numb hands to ram a new magazine into the rifle. As you load, the toy soldiers swarm together to form a single, vast bow and arrow. Drawing back, it takes aim at Neun's hiding place.

>Calling for a ranged attack here. This is aiming to beat a DC of 70, with a total modifier of +20 due to Juliet's abilities and our current damage. Again, I'll take the first three results
>Rolling for Leraje's next attack, with three dice this time against a DC of 40

Rolled 28 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>3889180

Rolled 99 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>3889180

Rolled 41 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>3889180

I wish someone left a sniper or a pilebunker in the hanger instead of these jack of all trades, but don't do enough damage to be worthwhile junk.

>>3889194
Just be glad that Unit 02 managed to find a knife somewhere, it's significantly better than only having our hands, and that it doesn't appear to regenerate at all.

>1 success from Leraje
>Clash!

Leraje draws back their massive bow, while you and Juliet both open fire on it. Your shots drive it back, pushing it backwards as the Lilim lets their arrow fly. It shoots harmlessly into the sky, even blowing away the churning red clouds for a fleeting moment. A flash of light booms far above you, and Juliet cries out a shrill warning. Too late, with a rain of smaller arrows coming lancing down out of the sky. Throwing an arm up over your face, desperate to protect your eyes, you feel a stab of pain shooting down your arm.

Pulling back, you cry out in both disgust and horror as you see the arrow piercing your hand. Already losing form, losing cohesion, the brackish water bubbles over your palm and clings to your flesh. Even your best efforts can't seem to shake it off. Worse still, the Lilim you shot down is reforming.

>Ego damage: 3
>Integrity damage: 6
>Damage inflicted: 3

>Target HP: 19/40
>Total Integrity: 28/50
>Total Ego: 54/70

The rifle falls from your grip as you stare down at your ruined hand, the fingers spasming aimlessly as you try to move them. The Lilim, sensing weakness once more, pounces for you. This time, Juliet manages to barge between you and the monsters, catching its reaching paws before they can grab you. Grunting as the Lilim's flesh grows thorns, the spikes stabbing out at her, Juliet struggles to hold it back.

“Holly,” she snarls, “Get... get Neun and go! You're still tethered, they can pull you out. Grab Neun, go for the mists. They're the... the edge of this world, they're the way out of this place!”

“No!” you cry, “I can't leave you-”

“Then save the other me!” Juliet orders, her knees buckling as she tries to hold the Lilim at bay. Behind you, the other two bodies skulk ever closer. Thoughts of Neun's hiding place flash through your mind – hidden away in the basement, the impossible Dirac Probe waits. You could retreat for now, return with reinforcements, and maybe...

>Pull out while Juliet has the Lilim distracted
>You've still got your knife. You can still fight!
>Other

>>3889204
>You've still got your knife. You can still fight!
We are yet to leave anyone behind, don't see why we should start now, we should see if we can rouse the ADM.

>>3889204
>You've still got your knife. You can still fight!
"Fuck you, I didn't steal 02 and dive in here just to leave you behind. Besides you're the one that made that promise to Julia aren't you?"

>We're not backing down! We're going in with the knife, so I'll call for another close attack. This is against DC 70, and our bonuses/penalties even out to +30. I'll take the first three results for this

Rolled 11 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>3889219

Rolled 96 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>3889219

Rolled 97 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>3889219
We're going to burn Holly to the bone with these heroics.

>>3889232
should we overdrive?

>>3889236
Im gonna go with no

>>3889236
Yeah we need damage. Otherwise we are going to lose via integrity

>Vote time. Our Ego is currently 54/70, should we use Overdrive?

>Use Overdrive (Cost: 5 Ego)
>Don't use Overdrive

>>3889249
>Use Overdrive (Cost: 5 Ego)
Otherwise we may end up needing to sit around for an additional turn, it's also going to be important to remove an additional dice from the Lilium's pool.

>>3889249
>Use Overdrive (Cost: 5 Ego)

>>3889249
>Don't use Overdrive
we can bleed a bit more

>>3889249
>Use it

Rolled 20, 87 = 107 (2d100)

>Success – increased to Potent Success

“I didn't steal Unit 02 and dive into hell just so you could throw your life away in some stupid sacrifice!” you snap, tightening your grip on the knife and charging into the pinned Lilim. Yelling aloud, you slam into the monster and plunge the blade deep into its side. You feel it die more than you see it, the Lilim's core winking out with a flash of power that sends a shiver running down your spin. As it falls back, Juliet slumps down onto her hands and knees.

“Behind you!” Karina cries out, and you turn to see one of the two remaining Lilim creeping over the top of Neun's hiding place. Even with her wounds, Juliet reacts quickly. Grabbing a lump of shattered concrete, she spins around and hurls the improvised missile at the Lilim. It connects with a loud crack, knocking the Lilim back down in a flurry of flailing limbs. Karina lets out an excited cheer, and you find yourself smiling despite everything.

>Total damage: 9
>Target HP: 10/40
>Overdrive: Ego decreased by 5
>Hope: Ego increased by 3
>Current Ego: 52/70

“Be careful,” Juliet warns, her voice strained, “It's not dead yet. I think-”

She isn't given the chance to finish that thought. The wounded Lilim flows around the base of the building like a living oil slick, painting a black arrow across the broken ground as it lances towards you. Exploding up in the form of a spear, the Lilim forces you into a desperate dodge sideways. As you force the stubborn, wounded ADM to its feet, you find yourself wishing for a bigger gun. A heavy rifle, a railgun, a fucking nuclear missile, anything. At this rate, you're going to be beating each other to death with sticks and stones.

The tip of the spear blossoms open like a flower, the Lilim seeming to turn itself inside out as it reforms in the same vaguely human silhouette as before. You don't have time to think about the physics of it – as soon as it can stand, the Lilim is already lurching towards you with its bladed arms outstretched. Behind you, Juliet readies her trident as the final Lilim launches its own attack. Back to back, you prepare for this final assault.

>Another close combat roll against DC 70, and our bonuses even out to +25. So I'll take the first three results as normal
>Additionally, Leraje makes their attack with 2 dice against DC 40

Rolled 58 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>3889284

Rolled 81 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>3889284

Rolled 44 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>3889284

>>3889290
>69 again

Dice is taunting us

>>3889290
Wow short by one.

Let's not overdrive this time. Only two left and our Ego needs to be high for the rampage roll

>>3889296
We should though, it needs 2 successful rolls to kill it, we should leave as little to chance as we can otherwise we're going to have a repeat of the Malthus fight.

>Success!
>One success from Leraje

The paired Lilim dive towards you, and you dig your heels in. Meeting your target head on, you drive your blade into it as the Lilim's bladed claws grope for your head. Before they can do more than gouge long scratches across your face – painful scratches, to be sure, but not dangerous in the long run – you graze your knife across its core and, as if you flicked a switch, the Lilim is done. Juliet meets her own target with a precise thrust, sticking it on the point of her trident and driving it back.

>Ego damage: 2
>Integrity damage: 4
>Damage inflicted: 6
>Hope: Ego increased by 2

>Target HP: 4/40
>Total Integrity: 26/50
>Total Ego: 54/70

As you're pulling back from the corpse, you turn to see Juliet standing over her target. She has it pinned, leaning heavily on her trident, but her shoulders are slumped with exhaustion. Heaving and shuddering, her ADM Unit looks like it's about to throw up. Cautiously approaching her, watching for any sign of some final suicide attack from the trapped Lilim, you realise that this is no normal exhaustion. Her hand claws weakly at her face, trying to pull free the armoured muzzle that her ADM wears.

“Juliet?” you ask slowly, “Juliet, are you-”

Abruptly turning away from you, Juliet lurches back into the wide city streets and collapses. It's like her ADM is trying to go berserk, but it just doesn't have the strength. All she can do is wait it out, and you-

You... feel something stir within you. This is something new, a feeling quite unlike anything you're used to. It's not that the ADM is trying to wrest control away from you, it's more subtle than that, but you can FEEL the ancient creature's influence. Staring down at the wounded, pinned Lilim, you feel an urge to...

To feed.

>Give in to the urge, feast upon Lilim flesh
>Fight off the hunger, finish the Lilim off quickly
>Other

>>3889315
>Give in to the urge, feast upon Lilim flesh
I'm morbidly curious

>>3889315
>Stick your hand in there and pull Coraline out

>>3889315
>Fight off the hunger, finish the Lilim off quickly
If It's not going to try and help at any point during the battle let's not reward it.

>>3889322
That's not Coraline. Her corrupted ADM did a ninja smoke bomb vanish earlier. This is the Lilim Leraje

>>3889332
It'd be really convenient if that's JUST the manifestation of the lilim crap they stuck into Coraline, but I'm still voting along these lines incase there's some bits in there she needs.

>>3889335
I guess that's more in line with finishing it off quickly then? Since you are plunging your hand/knife into it? Not sure how Lilim flesh is going to help her though.

>>3889315
> Give in and feast

If Juliet won't we may as well

To feed, to feast, to rend and tear and sate your hunger for one more day. To tear into the flesh of your enemy and gorge upon the vital fruits of their body. Digging thick handfuls of bloody meat out, cramming them into your mouth and-

With a thin cry of distress, you stagger forwards and cling blindly for the support of the trident. Grabbing it badly, fumbling, you end up knocking it aside as you collapse down onto the Lilim. Thorns prickle at you, but the monster doesn't have the strength to do much more than that. Your own weight pins it, preventing it from rising as you slump lower, pressing your forehead against the blank mask.

“Coraline?” you whisper, searching those hollow, expressionless eyes for any trace of humanity, “Are you in there? Any of you, any part of you, are you...”

But the Lilim just stares back. Those eyes aren't even hateful or furious. They're just... nothing. Two dead pits leading down into a place you don't want to visit. Even as you plead for a a flicker of humanity, you reach down with your uninjured hand and trace the ragged wound left by Juliet's trident. The Lilim's flesh sucks weakly at your hand, but you pay it no heed. Plunging your arm inside the creature, you grasp for a moment before finding your prize – the core. Holding the core for a short moment, you clench your fist and crush it into dust.

>Target destroyed
>Current Ego: 54/70

-

You're dimly aware of the movement behind you, Juliet cautiously approaching. “Stay back,” you warn her, your voice hollow, “It's not... safe. You know what's coming, don't you? It's going to happen again, I know it is.”

“You don't know that,” Juliet protests, although she doesn't sound convinced, “You might-”

The rest of her words are cut off, a rising wall of white noise seeming to sweep up over you. It's not fair - it happened so easily this time, like you never even had a choice. Like you never had a chance. Maybe Coraline was right, you never should have come back into this shitty, painful world. All it has to offer you is...

I won't let you!

And the world turns white.

-

This, at least, is a different kind of void. It's warm and strangely intimate, a world apart from the black abyss that you shared – briefly – with some part of Coraline. This place feels far smaller, but... nice. It feels nice. Looking around, you realise that you're not alone here either. Karina sits in her wheelchair, gazing at you with a sad smile on her face. “I heard what you two were talking about. It was faint, but I heard it. I'm, ah, pretty good at eavesdropping,” she begins, “Sorry. It's terribly rude, isn't it?”

You shrug. What are you supposed to say to that?

[1/2]

>>3889377

“Every time you get in Unit 02, you're scared of what might happen. It hurts you, and it frightens you, but you keep doing it. For us, and for all of mankind,” Karina continues, her voice low and sad, “I'm sick of it. I'm sick of sitting by and doing nothing while everyone else... gets hurt or goes away. But what CAN I do? I can't fight, and it's getting harder and harder to see what's coming. Sometimes, I feel so useless.”

“You're not-” you begin weakly, but Karina shakes her head. Pressing one finger to her lips, she gently hushes you.

“But maybe there IS something I can do,” she murmurs, “Something to share some of your burden. Compared with what you've been through, I can accept a little bit of pain... if you'll let me.”

>Karina gained the ability: Serenity!
>Serenity: When Ego is above 50%, automatically pass any checks to resist a berserker incident

“There's only so much that a girl like me can do, and maybe this is too little and too late,” Karina apologises, tilting her head a little to the side, “But...”

But the soft, white glow closes around you both before she can finish this thought. It doesn't matter – even without speaking the words aloud, even without putting her thoughts into words, you understood.

Sometimes, that's good enough.

>So I think I'm going to pause things here for tonight, it's getting pretty late over here. I'll be continuing this tomorrow, though
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>3889384
Thanks for the run.

This new ability of hers isn't going to have any negative impacts on her quality of life is it, after all, the last thing we want to do is give Cam a reason to be mad at us.

>>3889384
Thanks for running!

OG Karina coming through to make us a viable pilot once again.

Well, until our max Ego drops below 50.

What has this been like for Monroe and the other pilots?

>>3889384
Thanks for running.

We are going to have to apologize to Mac for really wrecking 02 this time huh?

Does that ability mean above 50 or above half of current max Ego, in this case 35?

Also what would have happened if we ate the flesh?

>>3889396
>>3889384
And also since we apparently didn't berserk for the first time since China do we get the hot blooded bonus or am I looking the gift horse in the mouth after gaining that ability?

>>3889390
>What has this been like for Monroe and the other pilots?
I think "hurry up and wait" might be a good way to describe it. Lots of urgently waiting on reports and orders, not a lot of actually doing things. Where's the fun in that, though?

>>3889396
Half of our current Ego, so it would be 35 at the moment. Also, we will be getting an ego boost for this victory
Eating the flesh could have increased our max Ego, or it could have decreased it. You pay your money, and you take your chances. Also, it would have been like, super gross

>>3889423
>Eating flesh could have increased our max Ego

Wow all these cowards don't want to gamble our soul for mad soul gainz. SAD!

>>3889423
>I think "hurry up and wait" might be a good way to describe it. Lots of urgently waiting on reports and orders, not a lot of actually doing things. Where's the fun in that, though?

For morale purposes Juliet and Holly need to come out of that portal together and raise their arm in victory.

File: DianeM.png (227 KB, 900x700)

227 KB PNG

You hear the humming long before you open your eyes. It's a soft sound, soft and warm, and you pretend to be asleep just so you can listen to it for a while longer. Listening to that soft humming, you feel a sense of nostalgia creeping through you – but can it really be nostalgia if you're yearning for something you never experienced? Whatever it is it offers a sense of safety and calm, and you're not keen to let that slip away.

But it can't last forever. Maybe you shift slightly, or maybe a breath catches in your throat, but the humming cuts sharply off. Sighing to yourself, you finally crack one eye open. Just based on how white everything is, you must be in the infirmary. Of course you are. How many times have you woken up here? This time, at least, you don't have the sickening suspicion that something went horribly wrong.

“Oh, you're awake,” Commander Monroe gasps, paper rustling as she sets her magazine aside. Sitting up in bed, rubbing your eyes, you allow your gaze to roam around the room. No armed guards waiting to throw you in the brig, so that's a good sign. Stretching, you feel tense muscles cry out in protest.

“How long was it this time?” you ask quietly, “How long was I out? And if you say nine years-”

“Okay, so I won't say it,” Monroe jokes, “It was only about a week. You did miss your birthday, though – and to think, we went to so much trouble preparing a surprise party for you. We had to eat all that cake by ourselves!”

Groaning softly, you finally give in and lie back down in bed, allowing your aching muscles to rest. “Sorry. Next time, I won't try to save the world,” you shoot back, smiling faintly to yourself, “Did... was there any trouble? I mean, that security crash you-”

“Oh, we got a slap on the wrist for that. Apparently, we're not taking enough care with our routine maintenance. I asked head office what they expected us to do with such a low budget, and they told me not to push my luck,” she laughs at this, but you sense a very deliberate note of forced humour in her voice, “I'm almost certain that they know what really happened, and they're letting us get away with it. Feels kinda like they're dangling a sword over my head, but... well, that's pretty much normal, so I've decided not to worry about it.”

Sometimes you wish you could do that, just decide not to worry about something.

“Believe it or not, things have been going smoothly. The Dirac Probe is still operational, and we're getting a steady feed of information from it. It's all above my head, but the science team seem happy about it,” Monroe continues, “They're telling us just to wait until they know the bigger picture, and then... uh, and then we'll see what happens. Until then, I want you to take it easy.”

“I just spent a week asleep,” you point out, “If that's not taking it easy, what is?”

Considering this, Monroe gives you a wan shrug.

[1/2]

>>3890181

Monroe gets up, stretching and yawning. “Oh right, you got a delivery. Security had a field day with it, making sure it wasn't a bomb or a vial of anthrax, but it should be okay. They even wrapped it back up again, so you can open it fresh. Hey, why don't you film it and put it online? Isn't that what the kids these days are...” she pauses here, frowning in thought, “Wait, that might be considered a security breach. On second thoughts, scratch that thought.”

“Consider it scratched,” you assure her, “Is it up in my room?”

“That's right. So you'll have a nice little surprise waiting for you. Maybe not so much of a surprise now that I've told you, but... uh, try and look surprised when you open it. It's the thought that counts, after all,” Monroe laughs, looking for a moment like she might ruffle your hair. Thinking better of it, she gestures across to the door. “I've got to get back to work. I've got a mountain of paperwork waiting on my desk, and it's not going to do itself,” she announces, “Just... Holly, I'm not officially allowed to congratulate you on a successful operation – since it wasn't, you know, sanctioned – but you did the right thing. We both know that, and I hope that's enough for you.”

>Ego increased by 10
>Current Ego: 64/70

“Yeah, it's enough for me,” you agree, giving her a weary smile, “I mean, I wasn't expecting a parade and a national holiday. Would have been pretty cool, sure, but I keep my expectations nice and low.”

“That's the spirit!” Monroe laughs.

-

After Monroe leaves, you spend a while stretching out your tired body. Pacing from one end of the infirmary to the next, you quickly feel your usual strength return. That's the thing about being young and healthy, you can bounce back from these things. Even if you slept through your birthday, you're still sixteen now. You were fifteen, and now you're sixteen. Nothing really changed from one day to the next, but you feel different – or maybe you're the same, and it's the world that feels different.

“C'mon, stop with the gloomy stuff,” you mutter to yourself, “You've got a good thing going right now, don't ruin it. Go out, have some fun, celebrate that dumb birthday of yours.”

Which is a fine idea, but you're not really sure... how. You spent your last birthday alone, even if you didn't realise it at the time. Flush with the money your old man had tucked into an unsigned card, you visited the fanciest cake shop you could find and spent the whole afternoon talking to Claire. Talking to yourself. You must have looked so lame, sitting alone with two portions of cake, but-

“STOP,” you groan, your voice causing Doctor Weick to peek out from his office.

“Stop what?” he asks, “Oh, you're going?”

>Head to the dorm and see what your gift is
>Sounds like Monroe could use a hand with that paperwork...
>You haven't had the chance to thank Karina in person
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3890183
>You haven't had the chance to thank Karina in person

>>3890183
>Head to the dorm and see what your gift is
Something else we could do is see how Juliet is doing.

We still need to talk to Dakota.

>>3890183
>Head to the dorm and check out the gift

Holly needs more me time.

Also it isn't a security breach if we make an unwrapping video and just never upload it.

“Yeah, I'm heading out to the dorm. The chief said that I've got a package waiting for me,” you explain, “Uh, is that fine? I mean-”

“Yes yes, you're free to go. You're not a prisoner here!” Weick laughs, “If you feel unwell, though, you really should come back straight away. Call me a silly old man if you want, but...” Finishing this thought with a shrug, he retreats back into his office and clicks the door shut behind him. With a shrug of your own, you leave the infirmary behind. Relishing the sensation of walking, you hasten over to the dorm.

Claudia is there when you arrive, watching the television with spectacular disinterest. When she turns her eyes to you, her expression doesn't change. “Oh, so you're awake,” she drawls, “What are you doing here?”

“Heard I've got a package waiting for me,” you explain.

“You're too late,” Claudia teases, “Victor went out for a walk.”

“Oh yeah, that's real funny,” you groan, giving her a disgusted sigh before sweeping into your room. A small box is waiting on the desk, the pretty wrapping paper wound with a glossy length of ribbon. Looking at it, you let out a hollow laugh. The security people must have done this – your old man would have used brown wrapping paper and left it at that. Slowly easing the ribbon open, you carefully open the package and set the paper aside. Ripping it open might have been faster, but...

Under the wrapping paper is a padded box, deep blue leather creaking softly as you turn the box over in your hands. Inside, resting on a plush pillow, is a gleaming watch. You stare at it for a long time. It's obviously expensive, but aside from that it's so... nothing. There's nothing about it that suggests it was chosen specifically for you. You try to chide yourself for being ungrateful, but it doesn't stick.

“I need a birthday present for my girl,” you murmur to yourself, imagining what the old man might have said, “I don't know what she likes or what she wants, but I've got deep pockets.”

As you're sitting at the desk, turning the watch over and watching the light glint off the polished glass face, you hear a knock at the door. When you call out a vague greeting, Kaori enters and holds out a plastic bag. “Claudia said you were back. I got this for you, but...” she clears her throat, “It's nothing special. I saw it when I was out shopping, and I thought you might like it. That's a nice watch, by the way. Is it from your parents?”

“Well, it's from my father,” you grunt, placing the watch back in its case. Taking the bag from Kaori, you pull out a neatly folded T-shirt with a design of two boxing robots on it. One is punching the other right in the face, sequins glittering to suggest flying sparks.

“You got me a silly T-shirt for my birthday,” Kaori explains, “Now I'm getting my revenge.”

“It's perfect,” you reply with a broad grin.

[1/?]

>>3890218
The virgin dad gifts vs the chad kaori gifts

>>3890218
>but aside from that it's so... nothing
Yeah, no, keeping track of time is actually useful. Too bad Holly founds herself submerged in LCL or in someone else's mind when it's really needed.

>>3890231
Honestly I'm just surprised he remembered and decided to do something, even if he knows nothing about his daughter. Shows how low my expectations are.

>>3890218

Your new T-shirt fits perfectly, clearly chosen with more care than Kaori suggested. She keeps glancing across at you as you ride the elevator down to Karina's room, her eyes flicking over to you when she thinks you're not looking. “It suits me, doesn't it?” you remark, tugging slightly at the open collar, “And hey, I like punching things too!”

“That's what I thought when I saw it,” Kaori agrees, glancing at your wrist, “You're not wearing your new watch?”

“It's not really my style,” you admit with a shrug, “And honestly, who wears a watch these days? If I need to check the time, I'll just use my phone.”

“Mm,” she murmurs, looking away again. The elevator glides to a halt, the doors open, and then you're walking through the hushed corridors. Cam glances up as you approach Karina's quarters, but she looks down at her book just as quickly. Asian cooking, according to the cover. It's not hard to guess why she'd be studying that, considering Karina's... tastes. Karina herself is sitting in her wheelchair, her wide eyes fixed to the TV screen. You almost call out a greeting, but Dakota holds up a hand to silence you. The young girl lies on the sofa, nearly invisible until the flash of movement gave her away.

Obediently falling silent, you watch the screen along with Karina. One androgynous character makes an anguished declaration of love to another, equally androgynous character as the music swells dramatically. “Hey,” you whisper to Kaori, nodding across at the screen, “Is that a girl or a dude?”

“How should I know?” Kaori whispers back. The credits begin to roll, and Karina finally notices that you're here. Gasping softly, she fumbles for the remote control and mutes the TV. “No no, don't stop on our account,” Kaori adds, shaking her head, “Isn't that right, Holly?”

“Sure,” you agree with a grin, “You can watch your girly cartoons, I don't mind.”

“They're not “cartoons”, they're...” Karina begins, only to pause and squint at you, “You're, ah, you're just teasing me, aren't you?” Trying hard to look stern, she manages to scowl at you for a few seconds before breaking down into a fit of giggles. “I like your shirt, Holly,” she continues, “I'm glad it fits. Kaori was telling me how long she spent looking for-”

“How about some tea?” Kaori yelps, “I'll... I'll make it”

Trading a look with Dakota, Karina giggles again. Sitting down on the sofa, you wait for her laughter to die down before speaking up. “I wanted to thank you,” you tell Karina, “It's... good, knowing you've got my back out there.”

“Ah, well, I...” Karina stammers, “I just wish I could have done something sooner. I think-”

“I'm gonna help with the tea,” Dakota interrupts, hopping to her feet and scurrying away.

“Um...” Karina mumbles, giving you a nervous smile, “What were we talking about?”

>Oh, nothing much
>We were talking about... (Write in)
>Other

>>3890292
>Did you see Coraline at all in this recent mission? Do you think you could pick up impressions of her the same way you do for Lilim?

>>3890292
>We were talking about... (Write in)
"Me. Thanking you. For stopping something I've been terrified of since that mission in Germany."

>>3890292
>>We were talking about... (Write in)
>I was thanking you, but if you want the subject to change we can talk about that thing you said when we first restored contact out there. Something about me not leaving you.

Where ever I go, I must tease.

>How are Juliet and Nuen doing?

>>3890292
>Other
Try to assess what amount of damage did that protection cost through AT-field contact. Or whatever you call that telepathy.

“I can't believe you've forgotten already!” you gasp in mock horror, “And it was something really, really important too!”

“Ah!” Karina yelps, “I don't... what...”

“We were talking about me!” you laugh, almost slapping her on the arm before thinking better of it. Considering how skinny she is, you might end up snapping her in half. “Just, you know, to be clear, I'm kidding. But we were talking about me. More specifically, how you've helped me,” you continue, “You've stopped something that I've been terrified of ever since Germany. I feel like I've got my life back, thanks to you.”

Karina tilts her head to the side, studying you with curious eyes. “What a funny thing to say,” she remarks, “You have a life outside of all this, don't you?”

The worst thing is, you're not sure if you do. You couldn't just go back to your old life as if nothing happened. What would you even do? Go back to the boarding school, sleepwalk your way through the rest of your school years, and then... a job, any job that would accept a washed up wreck like you. This must be how Coraline felt all those years ago, retired from NERV and looking for a new place in life.

Coraline...

“Did you see Coraline at all when I was... over there?” you ask, “Do you think you could sense her, like you can sense Lilim?”

Karina presses her fingers to her temples. “I think so,” she answers at last, “I felt... something. It wasn't the Lilim, it wasn't the Dirac Probe, and it definitely wasn't an ADM Unit. It was like a little bit of all of those, all mixed together. I can't think what else it could have been.” She pauses, wincing as a crash drifts over from the kitchen. Dakota scurries past you, flashing you a sheepish grin before returning with a dustpan and brush. “It's hard to track her, though,” Karina adds, picking up where she left off, “It's like her, um, her scent is easily masked. A Lilim is more more... if there's a Lilim about, it's hard to notice anything else. Coraline included.”

You consider this in silence. Karina, mistaking your thoughtful pause for disapproval, lets out a quick yelp. “But I'm working on it!” she insists, leaning forwards and clutching clumsily for your hand, “I recognise her now, so next time will be-” As if cut off by a knife, her words are replaced by a breathless gasp. Flinching back, Karina presses a hand to her side. With a clatter of footsteps, Cam rushes over to check on the ailing girl, but Karina manages to wave her back. Unsure, Cam slowly retreats a few paces away.

“This is because of me, isn't it?” you ask quietly, “This burden.. Karina, can you really take this?”

“I have to,” she whispers, struggling to force a smile onto her pale face, “You said it yourself. You've got your life back now. I can't... take that away from you, can I?”

[1/?]

>>3890394
Is it really worth it for Karina to lose her life to give ours back?

>>3890416
Nah. It would go against everything Holly has been standing for recently. Sharing a burden is one thing, but if it's actively killing her on top of all the other shit she has to deal with (Life tied to Lilim count, seizures, etc) I don't think it's worth it.

>>3890416
Currently to the best of our knowledge she is going to go into a coma after all of the Lilium are dead, so unless we can figure out a way to prevent that , it's not going to make much of difference in the end.

We could repeat Circle Eleven with her, in order to have her soul jump ship to another host (One of the pilots?, or even a cloned body) though even that may not save her as it may be caused by her soul not body.

>>3890431
It's something to do more research on. Why a Child of Adam would have her life tied to the Lilim strikes me as odd and I think we should look into it more.

Worst comes to worst, we can always keep Amon alive...

>>3890435
Getting him on board with that may require us to keep Matheson unmolested by Bergman though.

>>3890416
It is her choice in the end. She knows she doesn't really have much time left (debatable, but I don't think there are any developments on that front), she wants to help and she doesn't have much outside of this room. But it would really suck for Holly if another friend of her just dies to make her stronger. It's basically Claire situation all over again, but this time there's no one forcing this to happen. This can be pointed out and discussed, whether Holly still wants that sacrifice.

>>3890394

“Karina, it's just...” you begin, struggling to find the right words. In the end, her own words come back to you. “What was that you said back there?” you ask, “I think it was... I don't want to lose you too.”

“I don't... remember saying that,” Karina mumbles, looking down at her lap. Sighing softly, you throw an arm around her shoulders. It's a little awkward, considering the wheelchair between you, but Karina manages to rest her head against your chest. You sit together like this for a moment before she lets out a silent little giggle. “I can hear your heart,” she whispers, “It sounds like... dum, dum, dum.”

“Hey,” you scold lightly, “Who are you calling dumb?”

Laughing aloud this time, Karina pulls back as Kaori carries over a tray of tea. “I broke one of your bowls,” Dakota apologises, “Uh, sorry about that. It looked like a real nice bowl too. I'll, uh, I'll pay for a new one. Just gotta borrow some cash off the chief first. Can we-”

“Forget about the bowl,” Karina orders, giving the young girl a gentle smile, “Let's just enjoy our tea.”

-

“Say, how are Juliet and Neun doing?” you ask, setting down your bow. As always, the tea tasted like watered down grass, but you're not going to complain about it.

“When you were in the infirmary, Juliet stayed by your bedside for a very long time. She only left when Commander Monroe ordered her to take a break. She's been awfully quiet. I know she spoke with Doctor Weick, but I don't know what about,” Karina answers, “And, ah, Neun, was it? We're getting good readings from her, and the probe itself doesn't seem to be, ah...”

“The Lilim don't seem to be reacting to it,” Kaori explains, her clipped tone replacing Karina's vaguer words, “Head office seems to think that it's safer to leave the probe alone, and only deploy an ADM if there are definite signs of Lilim activity. I know, I don't like it much either, but that's the current situation.”

“At least Juliet gets to sleep in a comfy bed!” Dakota chirps. You start to laugh at this, only to hesitate as you feel a chill run down your spine. Glancing around, you see Doctor Bergmann leaning against the doorway. Karina looks past you and spots the doctor too, giving her a wave of greeting.

Bergmann enters, sauntering over and nodding to you. “Holly. Just the girl I wanted to see,” she begins, “I hope I'm not interrupting anything. No? Splendid. Holly, I need to borrow you for a moment. Can you come with me?”

You look down to your empty bowl of tea, shrugging after a moment. “I guess so,” you concede, “You're just going to keep pestering me until I do, aren't you?”

“Absolutely,” Bergmann agrees, “Come along then. I'll make this quick.”

With that, she turns away and marches off towards her laboratory. Mouthing a silent plea for help, you grudgingly follow her out.

[2/3]

>>3890493

“You're worried about Karina,” Bergmann states bluntly as she walks, speaking without sparing you a backwards glance, “Am I correct?”

“I mean... yeah, I'm worried about her,” you admit, “She was already pushing herself too hard, and now she's taken a whole bunch of my fucking baggage onto her shoulders. She's going to hurt herself because of me, and I feel like this has all happened before. I keep hurting the people around me, starting with Claire, and I don't want to lose-” Realising, with a start, how hysterical you must sound, you force yourself into silence.

“You're right. She IS hurting herself,” Bergmann confirms, “She's chosen this for herself, fully aware of the consequences. Maybe she's happier this way. After all, you know what's waiting for her.”

Silent here, you enter the laboratory and take the seat Bergmann offers. “I don't get it. I really don't,” you murmur, “When the Lilim are gone, she's just going to... stop. Why? Why would a child of Adam be so strongly dependent on the Lilim?”

“Because when the Lilim are gone, the children of Adam will have no reason to exist. The ADM Units will, we suspect, go dormant too. Of course, our esteemed masters don't want this to happen. Losing the foundation of their power? No, that wouldn't be... acceptable,” Bergmann shrugs, “But that's all in the future. For now, you're worried about Karina. Will she destroy herself for your sake? No, I don't think she will. She may look frail, but I think she's far more resilient than you think.”

“Oh...” you mutter, “Was that what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Hm? Oh, no, we're actually getting distracted,” Bergmann taps a few keys on her keyboard, summoning up a familiar image, “Research! The Dirac Probe is sending back some very useful information, and I'm eager to put some of it into practice. Now, here are our options...”

>AT Bunker: Reduce Integrity damage by 50%. Cost: Ego equal to damage reduced
>AT Revive: Ignore the effects of Integrity damage penalties. Cost: 5 Ego per attack
>Ranged Combat Training 2: Increase ranged attack bonus to +20
>Close Combat Damage 1: Increase close damage bonus to +2

>You've got other questions... (Write in)

>>3890577
>AT Revive: Ignore the effects of Integrity damage penalties. Cost: 5 Ego per attack

Can we use multiple AT abilities a turn?

>>3890577
>Close Combat Damage 1: Increase close damage bonus to +2
Damage is king

>>3890590
>We can, yes

>>3890577
>Close Combat Damage 1: Increase close damage bonus to +2
No more Ego costs. Just kill them faster.

>>3890577
>Close Combat Damage 1: Increase close damage bonus to +2
>You've got other questions... (Write in)
'I remember there was some twitchy character back at the Temple. Jolly? Jenny? Said something about mankind being descendants from Lilith. Think that could somehow help Karina if that were true? Balance out her ADM proportion or something.'
'Talked to a few of your esteemed colleagues... Is there some sort of ethics test you take before employment at NERV?'

>Okay, I'm going to close this for Close Combat Damage. Writing now!

>>3890577
>AT Revive

We have more Ego leeway now

>>3890577
>You've got other questions... (Write in)
"Aren't we all children of Adam? There seems to be no threat of us going dormant when the Lilim are gone. The ADMs I can understand deciding on their own to shut off, they were made as weapons of war, but Karina is different isn't she? She may be a Child of Adam, but she's also 05's daughter too genetically yeah? She doesn't act like a ADM unit outside of growling at Amon that one time. Maybe he would have a better idea of what's going on this subject."

Looking down at your new T-shirt, you feel a thin smile forming on your lips. “You can make me hit harder, right? Then do that,” you decide, “The quicker I can bring these Lilim down, the better.”

“Faster isn't always better, you know,” Bergmann muses, turning to her computer and typing out a quick burst of notes, “Sometimes in life, you need to slow down and savour the moment.”

“Yeah, well, not when “the moment” is trying to rip my head off,” you counter, “When you got half your face blown off, were you savouring THAT moment?”

Bergmann actually stops to consider this. “Perhaps you're right,” she admits at last, “A debate for another day, then. Will you be rushing off, or shall we savour this particular moment for a while longer?”

You're not exactly going to savour it, but you're not quite done yet. “I got some questions about Karina. Figured you might be able to answer them, even if I don't like the answers,” you begin, “So like, you say that the children of Adam are going to go dormant when there are no Lilim left. But aren't we all children of Adam? What's going to happen to us?”

“More like grandchildren, I would say. There's no direct link between men and Adam – the ADM Units form an intermediary stage. In Karina's case, though, she was born directly from Adam. A human egg and human sperm – oh, stop blushing! - were combined within the Great Father's body. Karina was the result – proof of mankind's covenant with Adam. Of course, a peculiar birth leads to a peculiar life, as you've already seen.”

Squinting, you try to imagine the family tree in your mind. Maybe not the best choice of words, where Adam is concerned. “So Karina was made from human, uh, material, and humans are Adam's grandchildren. But Adam is her father, directly, which makes her...” you pause, “Unit 05's... sister?”

Bergmann shrugs. “At this stage, terms like “father” and “sister” are just technicalities,” she points out, “Frankly, I try not to think too hard about it. It just gives me a headache.”

“Well, okay, but that doesn't solve my other problem,” you continue, “Over at Temple, I met a colleague of yours. Nervous girl, pretty twitchy. Can't really remember her name, but-”

“Ah, Redpath,” Bergmann purrs, “HER.”

“Her,” you agree, “She said that humans like us are partly children of Lilith. So what I'm wondering is, would we be able to... balance out Karina's ancestry? If she's too close to Adam, could we-”

“Could we introduce Lilim material into her body, in the hope of bringing her close to “normal” humanity?” the doctor interrupts, “Theoretically, yes. In practice, I'd rather not try. For one thing, we have no idea how much Lilim material would be needed. For another thing, it might not be as simple as balancing the scales – mixing things up could lead to entirely unexpected results. Two plus two, in this case, may very well equal five.”

[1/?]

>>3890710

“Besides,” Bergmann adds after a pause, “Even if everything worked out... what would be the point?”

“The point?” you repeat, “The point would be helping Karina! Saving her!”

“Does she want to be saved?” the doctor asks mildly, shaking her head, “Look, that wasn't my point. What I'm trying to say is, Karina was made to be like this. Trying to make her into a common example of humanity would be going directly against SEELE's wishes. Now, that would ordinarily be a good motive, but I appreciate the insight Karina has. It's an important tool in NERV's arsenal, and that aside... she's useful to me.”

Of course that's what it all comes down to. Nodding wearily, you give Bergmann a bitter smile. “I've just got one last question,” you tell her, “Is there some kind of ethics test you science guys need to take when you apply to NERV?”

“Of course there is,” Bergmann replies, “Anyone who scores too highly is disqualified.”

The worst thing is, you can't tell if she's joking or not.

-

Your talk with Bergmann left you with an appetite. After checking in with Karina and the others, more or less making your excuses, you head up to the cafeteria. You're not in the mood to make your own food, and you don't want to give Hester any extra work to do, so this is the next best option. The food isn't terrible, and the background rumble of conversation is somehow soothing. After the strange ambience of the Dirac Sea, there's a comfort in the hum of massed human voices.

Halfway through your meal, Monroe collapses down onto the seat opposite you and lets out an enormous sigh. Even before she's finished yawning, her hand has snaked out to snatch a few fries from your tray. “Finished with your paperwork, then?” you ask, politely ignoring the theft, “What was it about, anyway?”

“Repair forms, requisition forms, official reports... busywork, mostly,” she explains, “Did you know that I need to sign off on every single separate repair procedure? Even something as simple as, say, replacing a damaged armour plate can involve almost a dozen pages. Then there's the ammunition requests, the resource allocation, estimated manpower required to repair the ADMs within the appropriate time frame...”

“Sounds like a load of shit to me,” you decide, “We're fighting for the sake of mankind, and they're dumping a bunch of trivial paperwork on your desk?”

“It's pointless, I know, but it has to be done,” Monroe sighs, “That's what being an adult is all about. Oh, um, I didn't mean that to sound so... condescending.”

>It's fine. You're not even wrong
>You really need to stop treating me like a kid
>I just don't get it. It's such a waste of time!
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3890795
>It's fine. You're not even wrong
>I think... (Write in)
"I thought working for the Illuminati would help circumvent all the bureaucracy. Seems like they've only added to it. Hey speaking of repairs could you send something to help take the load off to Mac and his team? Like apology pizza and beer or something for wrecking 02 a lot this time from me."

>>3890795
>It's fine. You're not even wrong.
The only upside here is that most people have to keep meticulous records and archive every little thing that they do, all so it can be used against them later, it is also a useful as it keeps everyone busy, while they wait for their next set of orders.

>>3890795
>How's Dakota? Never heard your take on her.
>Met some girls in Academy. They're alright. It'd suck if they had to kill us, but it also sucks leaving a different girl caged up in there. You've met her before. She used to go by Juliet.

>>3890795
>It's ok Diane. I pardon you.

>>3890795
>I think... (Write in)
'So... you're in charge, but not in charge, because you stamp papers all day. Who's in charge then? Do you reckon something could be happening while you're busy with nothing of importance?'

>You really need to stop treating me like a kid
'Look. All of this mess could get really ugly very quick. You trusted me to do the right thing. I trust you to keep them off my back while I'm doing the right thing. And I would appreciate it if you could trust me when... When the right time comes. I'm sure you'll know when it does.'

“It's fine,” you sigh, “You're not even wrong. Getting old is... if there's one thing I'm not looking forwards to, it's all the forms I'll need to fill out.”

“Hey, I'm not old!” Monroe protests, “I'm an adult. You might not understand now, but there's a world of difference between them.”

“Okay, okay, I retract my statement,” you concede, smiling softly to yourself, “It's weird though. I thought working for the Illuminati would cut down on all the paperwork. If anything, they seem addicted to all the bureaucracy. Still, if they're keeping records on all this stuff, at least we... at least someone would have plenty of evidence of what happened here. Evidence someone could use against them.”

With a sad sigh, Monroe shakes her head. “I doubt we – sorry, “someone” - would ever get that chance. No amount of evidence would be enough to bother these people,” she laments, “No, the paperwork is to make sure that the little people like us do everything by the book. Plus, it keeps us nice and distracted. Too busy to do any extra-curricular activities, if you know what I mean. That sounds awfully cynical, doesn't it?”

“It might, if I didn't agree with you,” you remark, “So you're in charge here, but not really because you're busy stamping papers all day. In that case, who really calls the shots around here?Could there be something else going on while you're... busy?”

Monroe reaches out again, stealing another fry off your plate. “You're right, I'm NOT in charge. I get my orders, and I pass them further down the chain. Sometimes, my orders are to handle things as I see fit. Sometimes, they're more rigid than that. Most of the time, I'm just supposed to sign papers and play at being...” she pauses, unwilling to finish that thought, “Play at being babysitter.”

Or, perhaps, mother.

“Babysitter, huh?” you muse, “I sure hope you don't think of us like that. This whole situation we're in could get real ugly real fast, and if it does... I can't have you treating me like a kid. You've trusted me before, and I'll need you to trust me again. When the time comes.”

“When the time comes,” Monroe repeats, mulling over the words. They seem to leave a bitter taste in her mouth, but she seems to understand what you mean perfectly well.

“You'll know when it does,” you explain. Monroe nods to herself, and you both lapse into silence as you finish off the last of the fries. When your plate is clear, you push it aside and lean forwards. “How do you think Dakota is holding up?” you ask the older woman, “I don't think I've ever really asked.”

Monroe taps a finger on the table as she carefully considers her answer. So it's going to be one of those answers, is it?

[1/?]

>>3890894

“I don't think she should be here,” she says at last, “But I've read about where she came from. I don't think she should go back there either. I don't really... understand her. My gut instinct tells me that she doesn't think very highly of me. I've tried talking to her, telling her that I'm always here if she needs someone, but she just brushed me off. Getting blanked by a kid like her... man, that's not going to be the high point of my life.”

You pause. Monroe pauses. For a long moment, neither of you says a word.

“Feeling better now?” you ask at last, just for the sake of breaking the deadlock.

“Much,” Monroe admits with a guilty laugh, “I guess I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while now. I don't know, maybe she doesn't trust adults. You've been looking out for her, haven't you? She probably just feels better speaking to someone closer to her age. I'm... I appreciate what you're doing, looking after her. Feels like you're doing my job for me, but still...”

You might take that more as a compliment if you hadn't just talked about how pointless most of her job really was. “I guess every team need someone to look out for them,” you muse after a silence, “I met some girls in Berlin. Nice lot, although I'm not sure about their leader. I'm sure she looks after her own, but she's not exactly the friendly sort. Still, I hope she makes it okay. Her, and all the girls in Berlin – even the one they're keeping locked up in a cage.”

“A cage?” Monroe repeats, her eyes widening, “Holly, what are you-”

“Maybe you know her,” you answer, “Her name is Juliet.”

“Juliet?” Monroe yelps, confusion darkening her features, “But she's... I don't understand... I just spoke to her this morning!”

This version of her, maybe.

>So I think I'm going to pause things here for today. I'm aiming to continue this tomorrow, though
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>3890949
Thanks for the run.

We should call our Father and let him know that we got his gift, he has to be wondering why we haven't called yet.

>>3890949
Thanks for running!

>>3890949
Guess we got some explaining to do

Thanks for running

tfw I'll never get Mac and his team the pizza he asked for back when we met Yulia for the first time ;_;

>>3890949
Thanks for running!

How many more girls will Holly need to save personally until the end of the quest? They just keep coming!

>>3890949
Thanks for running!

Maybe we can tell Monroe to start leaving animal heads in Dakota's room. As endearment.

Also yea we should call dad. He may be a turbo autist but he's our turbo autist.

>>3890986
All of them. Every single girl. Only then will our quest be done

>>3890991
I don't know, leaving animal parts around might traumatise the poor girl. Worse, it might turn her into a furry

>>3891060
Either die a yuri, or live long enough to aee yourself turn into a furry

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

375 KB PNG

There's something very odd about this entire scene. ADM Unit 02 looms in the background, its hideous skull face revealed by the missing faceplate. A segment of replacement armour waits nearby, ready to be mounted into place, but until then you're just going to have to put up with the sight. Red raw flesh and oversized teeth grimace out at you, but at least the eyes are covered. You're not sure if you could bear it, having some giant staring down at you.

The engineering team, on the other hand, seem perfectly at ease here. It hasn't dampened their appetites one bit, as the empty pizza boxes can prove. Maybe the beer helps, or maybe they've grown used to the grisly sight. Either way, the end result is the same. You're here eating pizza under the foreboding glare of Unit 02, and Mac is telling you about his philosophy for the world.

“See, these guys over in the science division... they're assholes. And the reason is, they don't get their hands dirty,” he remarks, “They don't deal with real stuff. Now, your engineering type, he's going to spend all day getting his hands dirty. He's going to understand how the real world works, because he has to. If he gets something wrong, like if he forgets to carry the fucking one when he's doing his calculations, someone could get hurt. Seriously hurt. A scientist makes that mistake, they just wipe their chalkboard clean and start over. An engineer, he's-”

“Why is it always a “he”?” you ask, just for the sake of breaking his rhythm, “It's 2021, girls can be engineers too.”

“What? I mean yeah, I guess,” Mac shrugs, “We don't actually have any here, but I guess you're not wrong. Now what was I saying?”

“I think you were getting to the bit where everyone you don't like is an irredeemable asshole,” you suggest.

“Hey, I said they were assholes!” Mac protests, “I never said they were irredeemable!”

“So you knew exactly what you were saying!” you cry out, “Why bother asking me if you already knew-”

Mac cuts you off with a burst of slurred laughter. For all his boyish bravado, he's kind of a lightweight. From what you've seen, he's only had a few cans of beer, and now he's like... this. It's pretty funny, but it's hard not to feel a little worried for him. There's a lot of crap lying around here, and he could easily trip over something with the state he's in. It's all fun and games until someone breaks their face open on a discarded spanner.

Taking another slice of pizza from the closest box, you allow your gaze to wander through the hangar. You were a little worried that you might not be welcome here, after the damage Unit 02 sustained in the last battle, but they greeted you as if you were family. It's all a little...

Do you really deserve such a warm welcome?

[1/2]

>>3892574

As you look around, you spot Yulia chatting with a group of the younger engineers. Whatever might be going on between her and the science team, she's in her element here. Every so often you catch a snippet of their conversation, enough to know that they're discussing heavy industry. Talking shop, in other words. That's hardly surprising – she only has eyes for one man.

Stalking through the crowd as if he heard you thinking about him, Fletcher approaches you. He hasn't been lulled by the prospect of pizza and beer, and his eyes are deadly sharp. Not angry so much, just... sharp. Tense, almost. “Reynolds,” he begins, giving you a curt nod of greeting, “How's your health?”

“Uh, fine?” you answer, “Still got my arms and legs, still got both eyes, so I can't really complain.”

“Good, good,” he replies, “And... mentally? Emotionally?”

“Yeah, uh, you're starting to get creepy now,” you tell him bluntly, “What's this about?”

“If you're able to sass me, you must be doing okay,” the mercenary decides, “I need you to be ready, Reynolds. You know as well as I do, there's no such thing as a quiet moment around here.” With that, he sweeps past you and retreats from the hanger, waving off any attempts at getting him to slow down and have some fun. You watch him leave for a few moments before glancing back to the impromptu party. High up on one of the overhead platforms, Claudia looks out across the scene. A young man seems to be talking with her, but he soon skulks away dejected.

Later, as you're getting a can of soda, you spot the young man again. He's with Mac, the two guys trading furtive whispers. Before you can slip away, Mac notices you and drags his buddy over. “Hey, Holly, long time no see,” he jokes, “Wanted to introduce you to my boy Irvine.”

“Uh, hey,” Irvine says. He's not bad looking, in a kind of unremarkable way. He'd probably look better if his nose wasn't so crooked, probably the relic from some bad break long ago, but then he'd look even more bland. He seems like a quiet one too, or so awkward that he doesn't say anything past those two first words.

“See, I'll cut to the chase,” Mac continues, taking over, “My boy here needs some advice. You're friends with Rainer, aren't you? Well, you know, Irvine here wants to be friends with her too. She's been coming in here a lot lately, and he's been sneaking glances. That, uh, that kinda makes him sound a bit creepy, doesn't it?”

“Maybe a little,” you admit.

“So, what do you say? He's tried just talking to her, all friendly like, but it didn't go down so well. Takes a lot to break through her armour, doesn't it?” Mac concludes, “Think you can help us? Maybe give us some pointers, or... I don't know, put in a good word for us?”

>Give it up, dude. It's never going to happen
>I mean, I can talk to her about him. No promises though
>Come with me, I'll make the introductions
>Here's my advice... (Write in)
>Other

>>3892576
>Here's my advice... (Write in)
"Punch her really hard in the nose. That's how I got through to her."

In all seriousness though
>I mean, I can talk to her about him. No promises though
"And I mean no promises. Like expectations should be low okay and don't take it personal. Even I don't know what she is thinking half the time."

>>3892576
Also thank you for pizza Moloch. The weight has been lifted. Also your Holly picture is out of date!

>>3892576
>Give it up, dude. It's never going to happen.

We don't have the time or patience for the micromanagement that this would require to be successful.

>>3892576
>Here's my advice

"Look up a lot of tea facts and read a book on formal etiquette. She's all about that shit. When she isn't going off her rocker at least."

>>3892576
>>I mean, I can talk to her about him. No promises though

Fletcher should get an award for being incredibly unsubtle about shit about to pop off there.

“Give it up, dude,” you sigh, “It's never going to happen.”

“Hey, never say never,” Mac protests, “Besides, you're friends with her now, aren't you? There's gotta be some way to-”

“Well, I punched her right in the nose. That seemed to do the trick,” you interrupt, planting your hands on your hips and frowning at the pair, “You really want to try that? I mean, I won't stop you, but I don't know if Chief Fletcher would really approve.” You continue to scowl at them, but you can already feel your resolve wavering. Maybe you're just in high spirits, what with the unplanned celebration, but... it might be worth a shot. Even a dismal failure might be funny. “Okay, look, I'll talk to her if it stops you giving me those puppy dog eyes. Just... no promises, okay?” you concede, “I'm serious. Set your expectations so low they're underground, and don't take anything personally.”

“Yesssss!” Mac hisses, and Irvine even cracks a small smile.

“I suggest studying up on tea drinking and formal etiquette. She's into that stuff. Some kinda weird English thing, I guess,” you tell them, “Now give me something to work with. What do YOU like?”

Irvine thinks for a moment. “I like playing chess,” he offers at last, “Played it all the way through high school, even played in a few tournaments. I never really won any, though. I got to the final once, but...” He shrugs, leaving the thought dangling. Even without hearing the words spoken aloud, you get a sudden flash of intuition. He got to the final, choked, and made some stupid mistake that cost him the match. Oldest story in the book.

“Chess, right,” you decide, “I'll see what I can do.”

-

Your footsteps rattle on the metal steps as you hurry up to join Claudia on the platform, the background conversation fading into a low murmur. “Whose idea was this?” Claudia remarks as you approach, “I came here for a little bit of peace and quiet, not a party.”

“You could always try having fun,” you suggest. “You might actually enjoy it.”

“Hah!” she laughs, “Nice try, Reynolds, but I know all of your tricks. You lure me in with the promise of “fun”, and then we end up making the world a better place. Well, I won't have it!” Turning, she leans back against the low railing and grins at you. The fact that a gentle push would be enough to send her tumbling down to the hard floor below never seems to occur to her. “I suppose you came all this way, though, so I won't chase you off,” she continues, “Make yourself at home. Or don't, I don't really mind one way or another.”

Joining her by the railing, you look out over the hangar. “That guy down there,” you begin, pointing to Irvine, “He said-”

“Oh god, they got you to do their dirty work for them,” Claudia interrupts, groaning with dismay, “Really Holly? Really?”

“Really,” you agree, “What can I say? I'm a sucker for hopeless cases.”

[1/?]

>>3892620

With an enormous sigh, Claudia peers down at the young men talking below. “Well, go on then. Say what you have to say,” she urges at last, “We can get it over with, at least.”

“For a guy I met like, two minute ago, he seems decent enough,” you begin, “Not a total scumbag, and he's probably not planning to destroy the world. He likes chess, apparently, so he's clearly an intellectual.” Hesitating here, you shrug helplessly. Even with the chess anecdote, you really don't have much to go on. “Look, why don't you at least give him a chance to introduce himself?” you suggest, “I think he actually likes you.”

“He doesn't know the first thing about me,” Claudia argues, “That's the only reason he likes... he thinks he likes me!”

“Well, then you just need to have a conversation with the guy. If you're really as horrible as you think, he'll leave you alone,” you point out, “He won't be able to run away fast enough!”

Throwing back her head, Claudia lets out a loud laugh. “You might be onto something there,” she concedes, “But really, I don't see much point. He was up here earlier, you know, and I told him to go away. Do you know what I did? He just.. left, without so much as a protest or a complaint. If he's going to give up that easily, he can't have been very motivated in the first place. Where's his drive? His determination?”

“Jeez,” you breathe, “Aren't you being a little harsh on the guy?”

“There's nothing wrong with setting a high standard,” Claudia insists, her voice growing haughty, “You, dear Holly, would tear the world apart to get what you want. You wouldn't let anyone stand in your way. If they tried, you'd cut them down or crush them underfoot. That's the sort of drive I want to see. Do you understand me?”

>Claudia, are you hitting on me?
>You're wrong about me. I'm not like that
>Yeah, I understand. I did tell him it was pointless, but...
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3892675
>You're wrong about me. I'm not like that
If I was how are Bergmann, Matheson and Amon still alive. There is a large amount of consideration, and deliberation that goes into each decision that I make where time allows, not that i always make the best decisions though.

>>3892675
>Context, Claudia. When a girl tells a guy to go away, and he tears the world apart to get what he wants instead, it ends with a prison term.
>I'll tell him to give up, and that he dodged a bullet.

>>3892675
>Other
"Heeey, I like to think I'm a little conscientious about the world! You just made a joke about us making the world a better place. I can't argue the 'anyone' part though, specially if they are assholes which seems to be 90% of the people we deal with."

>Yeah, I understand. I did tell him it was pointless, but...
"Still he made an attempt to talk to you instead of just eyeing you from a distance. In front of your ADM guardian no less. That took some courage I think. Imagine the novels that could be written: The Dutiful Engineer and the Pretty Enigma Princess Pilot. Oh god I'm starting to sound like Mia and Fiona..."

>Tell Claudia about the Shipping Chart™. She'd get a kick out of that.

>>3892675
>I think... (Write in)
'Not liking the guy is one thing, not liking him because he can't read your mind is another. But you're not entirely correct about me, I think. The thing I want the most right now is for this madness to stop, so that the world would not get torn apart. Doing it myself, so that the other party does not get the pleasure to do the same doesn't sound great.'

File: 1468351055204.png (21 KB, 180x204)

21 KB PNG

You guys are so serious. This was supposed to be a funny conversation damnit.

>>3892675
>Oh I see. When you turn down a guy you want him to do this to you don't you...
>Initiate Cicada Block example on Claudia.

>>3892675
>Kabedon her and say girls can't love girls

>>3892704
No kidding, it's a bit of a buzzkill. Taking something as light as talking about boys and tastes and then getting angry/spouting about idealism is fucking weird.

>>3892675
>>Claudia, are you hitting on me?

>>3892704
>>3892732
"I wanted him to be more persistent" and "Don't you know that no means yes?" are a real fucking problem, creating a culture that not only encourages sexual harassment, but looks down on men if they don't try it. This is fucked up, and as long as people will see this as a "lighthearted talk about relationships". the situation will remain fucked up.

>>3892747
Sure but you're roleplaying as a 16 year old girl chatting with her friend. You're not anon trying to prevent culture in a fictional universe. Relax bud.

“I understand what you're saying, you're just wrong,” you reply, “I'm not like that. I'm not... I'm a little more conscientious about the world than you seem to think. You said it yourself, we could end up making the world a better place.”

“Undeservedly, one could argue,” she counters.

“The point is, if I really was the girl you think I am, there would be a few less assholes in the world... and probably a bit less world in general. I'm trying to stop that from happening,” you sigh, shaking your head, “Anyway, these are all just excuses. Fancy talk to cover up the real problem. Not liking the guy is one thing, not liking him because he can't read your mind is another thing. At least he made an attempt at talking to you, rather than just eyeing you up from a distance. Doesn't that count for anything?”

Begrudgingly, Claudia holds up a hand with her fingers a millimetre apart. “It counts for about this much,” she remarks, “Maybe a little more if I was feeling in a more charitable mood.”

“So, never then,” you point out with a laugh, “Fine, I'll tell him that he dodged a bullet. Still, you could be missing out on a good thing. The dutiful engineer and the aloof princess – sounds like it could be a pretty decent romance novel, huh?”

For once speechless, Claudia just stares at you. “What are you talking about?” she manages at last, “No, really, what the hell are you talking about?”

“These girls I met in Berlin, they had this game where they'd pair members of their team up. You know, romantically,” you explain, thinking back to Mia and Fiona, “They had a chart and everything. I guess they rubbed off on me a little. I saw a chance to try it out for myself, and I took it.”

“Well...” Claudia begins, hesitates, continues, “Well stop using me as your test subject!”

Turning on Claudia, bringing your hands down to grip the railing either side of her, you lean in until your head nearly brushes against hers. She tries to lean away, but with her back already against the low railings, there's nowhere for Claudia to run to. “Make me,” you breathe, your words causing her eyes to widen in shock. She tilts her head up in unspoken expectation, but then you pull away with a laugh. “See you later, Claudia!” you call out, turning and walking away, “I'll save some pizza for you.”

“You... you...” the heiress stammers, “You idiot! You uncouth ape! You-”

Her voice continues to ring out as you walk away, chuckling softly to yourself. Joining up with Yulia and her new friends, you give them a nod of greeting. “Hello,” Yulia begins, reluctantly glancing over to where Claudia is still raging, “She is, I think, angry about something, yes?”

“Oh, her?” you ask with an innocent smile, “She's fine. Just a little flustered, I think.”

[1/?]

>>3892783
Got her. Holly has turned the tables this round.

>>3892835
I'm getting kind of nervous since we haven't heard from Amon in a while, something is definitely up.

>>3892860
Clearly we arent actually controlling Holly and this is Adrian aiming for some hanky panky with Claudia

>>3892783

Eventually, you can't put it off any longer. The party was nice, even if it wasn't really for your birthday, but you've got a duty to attend to. Your old man remembered to send you a gift, so the least you can do is call him up and give your thanks. You might have to remind him about it, but still. Taking your phone and punching in the number, you lie back and listen to the sound of a phone ring on the other side of the country.

Ring... ring... ring...

“Hello?” he begins, his voice somehow managing to take you by surprise, “Holly?”

“Uh, right. Hi,” you reply, clearing your throat, “It's kinda late, I know, but I wanted to tell you I got my present. I was out of town for a while, so I wasn't able to call like, straight away. I just got it, and... well, you know, thank you.”

“Oh, I'm glad you like it,” he remarks, his voice strained with concentration, “Does it... um, does it fit?”

He forgot what he bought you. Of course he did. “It's a watch, dad,” you answer, “It's got an adjustable strap. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it fits.”

“A watch? Didn't I get you... no, wait, I thought about...” the old man mutters to himself, “Well, ah, a watch is a useful thing to have. You know, when I married your mother, her father gave me a watch. I still have it, um, somewhere around here. Did I leave it in my drawer? Or was it... my other drawer. I never wear the thing. Too much risk of dropping it into the machines. Oh, that reminds me. Do you remember that old Bushmaster XF400?”

“The... what?” you blurt out, searching your memory, “The big green tractor?”

“Holly, I keep telling you, it's not a tractor. A tractor is something entirely different. No, it's...” he pauses, “Well, the engine finally gave up the ghost. It died right out in the middle of field 14. I should have replaced the thing years ago, but I couldn't bear the thought of getting rid of it. I remember how you used to climb all over it, even though I told you not to. You'd climb all the way to the top of the rigging and, well, and then you'd just sit there for hours and hours.”

He can't remember what he bought you for your birthday, but he can remember which piece of farm machinery you climbed on when you were a kid. Figure that one out.

“I guess... moment of silence for the Bushmaster,” you reply weakly, “What are you gonna do now?”

“I suppose I'll have to get a replacement. There's a company representative coming out tomorrow, we'll talk it over then,” he explains vaguely, “I've been hearing excellent things about their XF600 model. It's the newest model, you know, a real cutting edge design. I was reading an article about it the other day, and the fuel efficiency is... Oh, um, I'm not boring you, am I?”

“No way,” you lie, “I'm just...”

You're just what, Holly? You're just what?

>I'm just a little busy, dad. I can't talk more now
>I'm just... (Write in)
>Other

>>3892898
>Keep a seat from the busted one. Maybe next time I'll fit in it.

>>3892898
How are you guys doing, other than tractor replacement? Did all that Belial dust affect you too badly?

>>3892898
>I'm just... (Write in)
A little tired i guess, NERV had me sent to the Berlin installation for a while and i got back recently, so that has been playing with my sleep schedule.

Should we ask if he remembers anything about about Elrow's letter, also the way that they had it replaced makes me think that they may have taken whatever gift he sent and replaced it as i can't think of why it would necessitate destructive analysis, normally these things would just get X-ray'ed like it would have by the postal service while it got transported.

>>3892898
>I'm just... (Write in)
"A little confused. Did you keep the Bushmaster out sentimentality because I climbed on it a lot? Like the trees a stayed around often?"

Our dad really is a little touched in the head isn't he? He obviously cares in some way about Holly because he doesn't want to get rid of things he thinks were important to her, but could just never connect to her or try to at any rate. He's an odd one.

“I guess I'm just a little tired. Jetlag, you know?” you answer, “I was in Berlin for a few days, on business, and it really burned me out. It seems like I never get the chance to stand still these days, I'm always rushing from one place to another. What I really need is a comfy seat.” Pausing, you let out a nervous laugh as an idea occurs to you. “Hey, why don't you keep the seat from that old Bushmaster?” you suggest, “Next time I come around, I can see if my butt still fits!”

On the other end of the phone, he splutters with startled laughter. “That might be an idea!” he remarks, although his laughter soon fades, “But, ah, I'm not sure if you should really...”

A cold fist closes around your heart, squeezing tight. “She's... not good, is she?” you guess, “It's better if I stay away. I... I understand.”

“Doctor Henson – er, do you remember him? - prescribed a new set of pills for her, but I think she's been spitting them out. I try my best, but I can't watch her all day. I tried hiring a girl to help around the house, but...” he hesitates, falling silent here, and a vivid image cuts into your mind. You see a young woman, bleeding from the head with the shattered remains of a thrown plate scattered across the ground. You hear shouting, the voice sharp and vicious. You-

“It's exhausting,” he murmurs, his voice causing you to snap back to reality.

“Well, um, aside from the tractor and... and that, how are things?” you ask, hastily changing the subject, “Is the dust causing you any trouble? They keep talking about doing something about it, but nothing ever really gets done and...” You pause again here, taking the phone away from your ear and listening as the dorm door closes. Getting out of bed, you open your door and peek out. Fletcher sits at the main table, constantly glancing down at his watch. Closing the door before he notices you, you listen to the phone again.

“...like the sun sets earlier and earlier these days, but maybe I'm just imagining it,” the old man continues, “I don't really think about it much. Growth yield hasn't decreased any, but I'm keeping a close eye on that. Might need to tweak the enviromentals a little if there is a change, but...”

He probably does finish that thought, but he certainly doesn't do it aloud. After listening to a blank silence for a few moments, you clear your throat. “That old Bushmaster. Did you really keep it because of me?” you ask bluntly, “Because I liked climbing on it?”

He doesn't answer straight away. “I don't really know,” he admits at last, “I kept meaning to replace it, but I never got around to it. I replaced just about everything else, but... well, I don't know. It was a good piece of machinery. Very reliable, until it broke down.”

“Man, I really know how that feels,” you remark, letting out a surprised laugh of your own.

[1/?]

>>3893007

The old man laughs along with you for a moment, although he sounds like he can't quite understand why he's laughing. As he quietens down, you clear your throat again. “Hey, uh, do you remember a guy called Elrow?” you ask on a whim, “He was on TV not so long ago, after he, uh, died. Didn't he send you a letter once? Do you still have it?”

“Did I mention that to you? I suppose I must have, but I don't recall... well, he did send me a very nice letter,” the old man confirms, “I don't think I wrote back. I always meant to, but there was always something else that needed fixing or sorting and... er, well, you know how it is. I'll see if I can find that letter. Maybe I filed it away in-”

With a sharp click, he hangs up. Blinking at the sudden end to the conversation, you take the phone from your ear and stare mutely at it. “Uh...” you whisper, “Did you mean to do that?”

No answer, of course.

-

After ten minutes, you decide that the old man isn't going to call you back. Maybe he's still searching for the letter, or maybe he just forgot about you. Either way, you leave your room and join Fletcher at the table. For a moment, neither of you says a word. Then, Fletcher speaks. “Something I wanted to talk to you about,” he begins, “My office. We'll talk more then.”

“There's no such thing as a quiet moment around here,” you quote, “I knew you were up to something.”

With a grimace, Fletcher gestures for you to follow him out. Reluctantly, you allow him to lead you back to his office. Once you're settled in, he leans forwards and meets your eyes. “I want to ask for your help,” he says bluntly, “I have a bit of a problem, and you might be able to solve it for me.”

“A problem,” you repeat slowly, “More spy shit?”

“Essentially, yes. It's something of a sensitive situation, and it involves Doctor Bergmann. The simple version is, Bergmann and Matheson have agreed to meet, tonight, at Bergmann's cabin. This is an unofficial meeting, strictly off-the-books. I don't know why they're meeting, but I'm concerned. It's too sudden, and the choice of meeting place is all wrong. Ingrid would never volunteer to use her cabin like this. That place was meant to be her secret, not...” Fletcher pauses, grimacing again, “I want to know what this meeting is about. I'd like you to do a little, as you say, spy shit for me.”

In other words, he wants you to go bodiless and follow them. Spy on them, report back on what happens. But if Matheson is there, she's likely to have Amon watching over her. The thought of butting heads with that particular devil is far from appealing, but...

>I'll do it. I can handle a little spy shit
>I don't like this. Count me out
>I've got questions... (Write in)
>Other

>>3893064
>I've got questions... (Write in)
"Are you asking or are these orders from the other two."

There is an important distinction there and I want to know it before agreeing to anything. Because if it's the latter we might be able to squeeze a deal out of them: Julia for bodiless spying.

>>3893064
>I'll do it. I can handle a little spy shit
we've got a lot of things to distract Amon with, at least.

Questions about Elrow, lilimized humans, etc.

Is Matheson about to sing Bergmann a pretty little song?

>>3893064
>I've got questions... (Write in)
You account for Bergman using subsonics or Matheson the same? Both of them know about Amon and likely about me. If they want it private me getting in is unlikely.

>>3893064
>>I've got questions... (Write in)
'Do we have any reason to believe that Bergmann will get to the cabin? Or that Matheson would actually show up? Who initiated the meeting? Do you have specific orders at the moment?'
On one hand Matheson doesn't really need to lure anyone out when she has her pet about her. But this time he could simply refuse because he finds our doctor 'amusing'. If Bergmann was the initiator, she must really have some good dirt, not any of that ADM biomass stuff or she wouldn't feel safe doing this. This all sounds really sketchy.

>>3893064
>I'll do it. I can handle a little spy shit.
Bergmann got a call right after Belial, when we went with Dakota down to Karina the first time and overheard her crying to someone on the phone I don't know who she was talking to but she said that it was her sin to bare so this might be related, I'm going to reserve the right to bug out, or not report back what i find, if I feel i need to, I haven't seen Amon around for a while either , so he might blow my cover, or I might need to step in to stop either of them from doing something stupid.

>>3893064
>I'll do it

Maybe we can bomb the cabin

>>3893064
Wait hold on, is nobody worried about Holly's father? The call got cut as soon as Elrow appeared on the conversation, at least try to call him back!

“This meeting...” you ask, “How'd you hear about it?”

“I AM Chief of Security,” Fletcher reminds you, as if that explains everything.

“Yeah, okay, fair point,” you grumble, “So are you asking me to do this, or is this an order coming from above?”

“This is me asking you for a personal favour, on a strictly unofficial basis. So, officially, I'm not able to offer you anything else in return,” he grimaces, “That's what you were going to ask next, wasn't it? As far as head office is concerned, this isn't something I should be touching. Unfortunately for them, I'm feeling curious about this. I suspect that you're very much the same. Is that correct?”

You give him a vague gesture, unwilling to commit to anything too early. “Whose idea was this meeting? Bergmann or Matheson, who made the first move?” you press, “Because this all seems dodgy to me. What makes you think that Bergmann will be allowed to make it to the cabin, or that Matheson will decide to show up at all?”

“Matheson. She requested a meeting, somewhere private. She left the choice of location up to Bergmann – a show of trust, I assume,” Fletcher explains, “As for the rest, I really don't have any answers to give you. It's true, this could all be a setup, a trap, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Ever since I learned about this meeting, I've been torn on what to do. Part of me wants to step in and put an end to it – even if that means taking Doctor Bergmann into custody for the night.”

“But you won't do it,” you state bluntly, “Why?”

“For good or for ill, Matheson is going to make her move. Whatever happens, it's going to shake things up,” he muses, “This has been coming for a long time, and in a way I just want to get it over with.”

“But without losing all control over the situation,” you conclude, “Fine, fuck it, I'm down for some spy shit. One last thing, though. If Bergmann or Matheson bring any subsonics, I'll be useless. If they really want a private meeting, they might have taken steps. Did you think about that?”

“If they can block you out, so be it. I'll accept this as a defeat,” Fletcher decides with a shrug, “But so far as I know, Bergmann's cabin has no subsonic capabilities. Matheson might be able to bring something with her, but I can't confirm that one way or another. If she does, well, so be it.”

So be it. With a sigh, you nod. “I guess there's nothing else we CAN do,” you decide, “Right, well, I guess we're in this together. When does this show get on the road?”

Fletcher glances down at his watch. “Doctor Bergmann left the base fifteen minutes ago,” he answers, “So... soon.”

“Well shit,” you breathe, “I guess I'd better go and slip into something more comfortable.”

[1/?]

>>3893166
>slip into something more comfortable
>[insert innuendo about slipping into someone else]

>>3893165
We should be able to call him back after this, and hopefully give him some time to find the letter, something else to consider is that Huang may be present for the meeting depending on which house Bergmann goes to.

>>3893186
Yeah. I thought Huang was supposed to be Bergmann's big secret and ace in the hole if the Lilim contaminated biomass Matheson plan ever took off.

>>3893195
It's more that she is definitive proof that the process works, and that she isn't just blowing smoke to Matheson.

>>3893166
I'm betting Bergmann's gonna be killed, but I'm judging purely from meta standpoint, so I could be wrong.

>>3893166

Freed from the limits of your physical body, you soar through the noosphere and descend upon Doctor Bergmann's cabin. A car is already waiting outside, and you enter the cabin to find Bergmann and Huang sitting, alone, on the floor. A chessboard sits between them, but Huang seems more interested in studying the pieces themselves. Bergmann herself wears a taut, rigid expression, her face as cold as any mask.

“Okay Huang, that's enough for now,” Bergmann murmurs, quickly gathering up her pieces and placing them into a cloth bag, “I'm going to need you to stay in my study for a few hours. Whatever happens, whatever you hear, you mustn't come out. Do you understand me?”

Huang looks up, her eyes widening slightly. “I do not understand,” she admits, “But I will do as you say.”

“Good girl,” the doctor whispers, placing her hand on Huang's arm and guiding the girl into the study. Closing the door behind her, she leans back against it and lets out a low sigh. At once, the cold mask drops away and her face grows slack. She remains like this for a long moment, a frown slowly returning to her face. Finally, she reaches into one of her deep pockets and produces a scalpel, slipping off the plastic cap and eyeing up the delicate blade.

“Oh my,” a snide voice whispers, “Planning for a little emergency surgery, doctor?”

Spinning around, you spot Amon sitting casually on the sofa. “You!” you hiss, “What are you doing here?”

“Me? I'm here to enjoy the show,” Amon answers with a sly smile, “What are YOU doing here?”

“I'm...” you hesitate, “I'm here to stop things from getting out of hand. If that means ruining your fun, that's just a bonus.”

Amon just grins, shifting aside a little as Bergmann crosses over and sits heavily down on the sofa. She hangs her head low, drawing in a heavy breath to steady her nerves. You've... never seen her like this, seen her looking so human. That doesn't change who she is, you scold yourself, it doesn't change what she's done. Bergmann doesn't seem to notice the devil perched beside her, and soon you hear the faint rumble of an approaching engine.

-

“What a charming place you have here,” Matheson muses, her eyes wandering around the cabin, “Very... quaint. Very isolated.”

“I try,” Bergmann answers, her voice tight, “You wanted somewhere private. This is private. You said you had something you wanted to discuss with me, so start talking.”

“No small talk at all, is it? Well, that's fine with me,” Matheson sighs, “Ingrid, I want you to stop. Give up. Hand over your research, disarm whatever nasty little traps you've laid down, and retire peacefully. We're willing to allow you that much. We've given you far too much freedom for far too long, and maybe that was our mistake, but this is where it ends. Things are getting serious, and it's time for us to stop these silly games.”

[2/?]

>>3893264

Slowly, a reptile smile finds its way onto Bergmann's face. “Give up? Stop?” she repeats, “You stupid cunt, you have no idea who you're talking to, do you? Why should I listen to a single word you're saying? What could I possibly stand to gain by doing what you ask?”

Matheson clicks her tongue with irritation. “I was hoping that you might consider the greater good,” she murmurs, “But if you're really going to be selfish about it... You can come in now!”

The cabin door opens, and a slight figure tentatively enters. The girl has dark hair, dusky skin that hints at some ambiguous ancestry, wide and fearful eyes. At the sight of her, Bergmann leaps to her feet and gasps. The scalpel falls from her hand, hitting the cabin floor with a tiny sound. “No...” Bergmann whispers, “Johanna? But you're...”

“When Nebiros came, she was camping in the woods with a friend. Did you know that she loves camping? I suppose you wouldn't. When Nebiros sang, she was on the very edge of the effective radius. Oh, she tried to walk into the sea like all the rest, but she couldn't make it in time. By the time she reached the village, the beast was already gone. She was still there when we arrived, her mind left in pieces by the Lilim's spell,” Matheson purrs, “We took her in, cared for her. There was nobody else to look after her, after all.”

“...Mama?” Johanna whispers, “They told me... so many strange things about you. Are you-”

Bergmann strides across the room, sweeping Johanna up into a tight embrace. Clinging to the girl as if she could be ripped from her grasp at any minute, Bergmann runs her hands through Johanna's hair. Perhaps she whispers something, but you can't hear the words. You feel something, though, as if the air was trembling. Then, a sudden rush of sensation hits you. Memories, emotions, fragments of fleeting thought, they all wash over you as the walls Bergmann built around her heart begin to crumble. Before, touching her mind was like trying to find a grip on polished glass. Now, she's wide open – open for a thing like you to control her, to blast her ego barrier or force her into compliance. A thing like you, or a thing like Amon.

“Think of your family, Ingrid. We're giving you a chance at a happy ending,” Matheson urges, reaching down and picking up the scalpel as if it was something distasteful, “Isn't that much better than... this silly grudge of yours?”

“Johanna, I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry...” Bergmann whispers, taking the young girl's hands and placing a delicate kiss on them.

“What a touching scene,” Amon murmurs, “I love a good family reunion, don't you? Ah, but this is the best bit.”

Bergmann's shoulders tense up. She lets go of Johanna's hands, pulling back slightly. Then, she raises her hands towards the girl's throat.

“Mama?” Johanna whispers.

>... (Write in)

>>3893342
>... (Write in)
"We doing this again Amon? Fine."

>Save Johanna. Prevent Bergmann and I assume Amon from killing her. Whatever else happens, she is innocent.

>>3893342
>if she’s about to strangle her daughter (not convinced it isn’t a clone of her) stop her. Otherwise attempt to ground Bergman down.


Maybe snipe at Amon about how both his mothers never cared about him as much as this stone cold heartless bitch cared about her daughter. Sad ain’t it?

>>3893342
>Turn Bergmann to goo

It's the only way guys

>>3893358
We both know it isn't. You've always wanted her dead.

>>3893342
>... (Write in)
Get Huang to come and render Aid to Bergmann by Stoping Matheson from singing or Amon from influencing Bergmann If we can convince her to grab the scalpel and hurt Matheson with it If Bergmann came prepared, it may even be coated with Lilium biomass, Amon is going to have to change tacks here, and stop focusing on Bergmann.

>>3893342
If possible, make Johanna go berserk by messing with her. This feels staged, as suggested by Amon. She needs to start resisting.

>>3893361
Only after we found out she killed Claire

>>3893342
It's a shame that Holly can't ORAORAORA right now

>Check if Amon is doing any of this
>Check what Matheson is thinking right now. If there's actually a sense of relief in there.

not done thinking

>>3893342
>Control Bergmann and stop her from strangling Johanna.
>Alternatively make Matheson stab herself with the scalpel if possible

>Okay, so I'm going to close this vote here. Tallying everything up, it looks like we're going to prevent the murder of an innocent child. Good plan!

>>3893342
>>3893376
fuck it
>try to get Matheson to "unconsciously" stab herself

File: JohannaB.png (267 KB, 900x700)

267 KB PNG

You watch as Bergmann's hands go for her daughter's throat, but you can't quite believe what you're seeing. It has to be some kind of mistake, some kind of misunderstanding. This CAN'T be right, it just can't. Yet, no amount of denial changes the events unfolding before your eyes. Doctor Bergmann places her hands around the young girl's throat and squeezes, Johanna's hands slapping weakly against the older woman's chest. Even Matheson is taken aback, taking a step backwards as a horrified look passes across her face.

“What...” you stammer, looking up into Amon's smug face, “What's going on? What are you doing to her?”

“Me? I'm not doing anything!” Amon laughs, “I told you before, I'm just here to enjoy the show. Why don't YOU do something?”

Do something. Do something. DO something. DO-

“STOP IT!” you scream, the psychic force of your shout causing the windows to rattle in their frames. Bergmann jolts as if slapped in the face, her grip on Johanna's throat easing up. The young girl wriggles free, collapsing to the ground and gasping for air. Ashen-faced, Bergmann stumbles a pace away and braces herself against the sofa. Frozen in place, your mind still reeling, you look around as you hear the sound of a door. You're not the only one who looks around – Bergmann turns, her eye widening with both guilt and fear as she sees Huang staring out through a crack in the door.

“Huang, go back inside!” the doctor rasps, “I told you, go back-”

Matheson lunges. Swiftly stepping around Johanna, she drives the scalpel into Bergmann's back. You try to stop her, try to hold her back, but your thoughts just slip off of her. Either Amon is protecting her, or her determination is just too great for you to overcome. Either way, the result is the same. The blade bites into Bergmann's flesh, the doctor arching her back and letting out a thin cry. Johanna cries out too, her voice hoarse and strained, but nobody seems to notice her.

Stepping back, Matheson lets Bergmann collapse down to the ground. Johanna stumbles to her feet and tries to flee, but Matheson catches her arm with almost nonchalant ease. The young girl's struggles finally end, her body growing limp in Matheson's hand, and she collapses back to the ground when she's released. “What was that?” Matheson murmurs, kneeling down as Bergmann tries to speak, “Something you want to say?”

“Made... a mistake...” Bergmann groans, “Scar... on her hand. Burned it... when she was young.”

“Tch,” Matheson tuts, glancing around at Johanna, “I suppose nobody's perfect. Well, she served her purpose. Amon!” With a final wink your way, Amon takes on material form. He looks more solid like this, more... there. “Look into her thoughts. Rip them from her mind if you have to,” Matheson orders, “What do you see?”

Crouching down beside Bergmann, Amon stokes her bloody cheek with one hand. She tries to recoil from his touch, but she doesn't have the strength.

[1/?]

>>3893458

“I see nothing,” he whispers, “No tricks, no traps. Nothing. It was a lie, that's all it ever was.”

“Oh Ingrid, I really believed you. If anyone was spiteful enough to destroy the world, it would have been you,” Matheson murmurs, rising to her feet and wiping her clothes down, “Amon. Get the girl. We'll deal with her later.”

“Of course,” Amon agrees, bowing his head before gesturing vaguely at Bergmann, “Do you want me to...”

“Leave her,” Matheson decides, shaking her head, “She's not going anywhere, and the girl is the only witness. Let her bleed to death. After all the trouble she's given me, she deserves worse than this. Is there a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” Amon remarks, looking up and meeting your eyes, “As you say, the girl is the only witness.” Smirking slightly, he turns and throws open the door to Bergmann's study. A shrill shriek of fear answers him, Huang kicking and struggling against him as he drags her out. Matheson watches, impassive, as-

“Holly!” Fletcher shouts, shaking you roughly by the shoulders, “Holly, what's wrong?”

“Bergmann's hurt!” you blurt out, “She's hurt real bad, I don't-”

“I won't let you hurt her!” you yell, lashing out at both Matheson and Amon with tendrils of power. With the light of your soul as a weapon, you're going to burn them both to fucking ash. Light flares off Matheson's skin as Amon deflects the energy, his face contorting in a terrible grin. He freezes in place, oblivious to Huang kicking at him.

“Amon? Adrian!” Matheson snaps, “What's wrong?”

“Do excuse me,” he whispers, pushing Huang across into Matheson's reach as his eyes blaze with a ghoulish light, “I need to swat a troublesome fly.”

>Okay, I'm going to need to pause things here. However, I'll be aiming to continue this tomorrow. I have a few errands to run, so the start time might be a little uncertain, but I will be running.
>Thank you for your patience today!

>>3893468
Thanks for the run.

>>3893468
Thanks for running!

Hpw hard are we about to be swatted?

Will Amon acknowledging our presence motivate Matheson to finish Bergmann off?

>>3893468
Another day, another girl to save. We gotta get Huang back.

>>3893482
>Hpw hard are we about to be swatted?
Ask any lady, Adrian goes HARD when he's in the mood
>>3893482
>Will Amon acknowledging our presence motivate Matheson to finish Bergmann off?
Fortunately (?) for Bergmann, she's got her hands full right now!

>>3893468
Shit is popping off now. It's going to be an absolute free for all isn't it?

Thanks for running. I have no idea if we can even touch Amon's power.

File: AdrianH.png (358 KB, 900x700)

358 KB PNG

“You've had this coming for a long time!” Amon snarls, lunging at you, “It's time you learned just how powerless you really are!”

The cabin fades out around you as the Lilim attacks, layers of reality stripping away until you're left standing on the surface of a perfectly still lake. The sky above stretches out, and the moon leers down. Even this isn't real, it's just an image pulled from some ancient recess of your mind. Real or not, it's the stage you've created for this moment. Amon's dive comes to an abrupt halt as he hits some unseen barrier, lights flaring where he makes contact.

That's your soul, you realise, the light of your soul granted visible form. The Lilim claws at it for a few seconds before grunting and digging his fingertips in. He never lays a hand on you, but pain gnaws its way into your body regardless. Pressing harder, pushing through your barrier with the tips of his fingers, Amon smirks. “How does it feel?” he hisses, “How does it feel, knowing that you just made everything worse?”

“Shut up!” you snap, “I was helping her! She would have killed-”

“That paper doll?” Amon laughs, slowly tearing a slit in your barrier, “She was never anything more than a disposable asset. You saved nothing, you helped no-”

Through the gap in your protective shield, your fist streaks out and slams into the monster's face. Taken by surprise, he stumbles back and hits the surface of the lake. Water sprays up, and you hastily cover your face with a hand to shield yourself. When you lower your hand, Amon is gone... but his laugh booms out from above. Shuddering, convulsing, the moon rolls to stare down at you with a terrible, unblinking stare.

As his laughter echoes out, the water around you begins to fall up towards the sky or maybe you're the one who falls DOWN because then you're tumbling end over end as the world flashes past your eyes. You try to cry out in panic, but before you can get the words out you hit solid ground. Groaning, you claw at the ground and feel dirt under your fingers – actual, honest dirt, not a ghost or an illusion. Rolling over in sudden alarm, you see the last lurid traces of a Lilim portal – a gateway into the Dirac Sea – fading out above you.

Lying very still, you stare up into the night sky and listen to the sound of crickets screeching. A soft winds blows, stirring the long grass around you. It's a strangely nostalgic scene, and it takes you a long moment to realise why. The field has hardly changed since you were a child, and you even spot the old broken-down Bushmaster sitting out in the open. You DO remember climbing it, you realise, although it was no childish game. You recall sweat pouring from you as you pushed your aching muscles to their limit. You remember bloodying your hands on the bare metal. You remember it as a trial of endurance, a grim test of your strength.

You're home.

[1/2]

>>3894654

The shock and confusion doesn't last long, soon replaced by a drumbeat of panic pounding away within your chest. Jolting around, you search the night for any sign of trouble. White light gushes down from the swollen moon above, and you can see almost as clearly as if it was day. Even at a distance like this, you recognise your old home at a glance. The lights in the windows burn like signal fires, seemingly both inviting you in and warning you away.

You start to hurry towards your home before pausing, forcing yourself to stop and think things through. Patting down your pockets, you come up with nothing. No phone, no cash, nothing you could use as a weapon. Hardly surprising, considering the circumstances. You were lying in bed before you were rudely interrupted, not geared up for a spot of field work. Out in the middle of nowhere like this there's only one place you can turn for help... but you'd be leading Amon right to your doorstep.

“He already knows where it is, dumbass,” you whisper to yourself, “He might already BE there. Oh fuck, he might already be there...”

Throwing caution to the wind, you run for the house. As you run, you desperately fumble for some semblance of a plan. You could let yourself in, go for the phone and call Fletcher for help. How long would it take for him to get help out here? Way too fucking long – you're a long way from Avalon, and you're not sure what kind of local help Fletcher might be able to chase up. Then there's the idea of taking shelter at home, waiting out the night there, but you almost prefer taking your chances with Amon.

Which leads you to the third option – go bodiless, see where that takes you. You were able to travel HERE, so maybe you could find your way BACK. Maybe – or maybe you'd draw Amon down like a corpse draws scavengers.

“I don't know what to do...” you whisper, hugging yourself and shivering.

>Sneak home and use the phone to call Fletcher. Staying home is just too dangerous
>Take shelter at home. You need help right now, no matter what
>Go bodiless and take your chances with Amon
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3894657
>Go bodiless and take your chances with Amon
As far as we can tell we aren't in any immediate danger we can let Avalon know that we are safe after we make sure that the others are safe.

>>3894657
>Go bodiless and take your chances with Amon

We didn't get swatted as hard as I thought. It was, in fact, almost like we were swatting him.

>>3894657
>Sneak home and use the phone to call Fletcher. Staying home is just too dangerous
Give him the rundown, see if he can get medivac for Bergmann. They can decide together whether it would be better for her to pretend to be dead or not. She owes us now and she's the only one that can help Nate once she surfaces. Afterwards we should probably get away from home before Amon does something to our parents.

>>3894657
>Sneak home and use the phone to call Fletcher. Staying home is just too dangerous

>>3894657
So did Amon teleport us or was that defense mechanism of ours? If it's the former he should already be here.

>>3894726
If he did, he left Matheson to deal with Huang,Johanna and Bergmann, alone and if Fletcher had a team ready to go if he needed them, they should be getting there shortly, he will probably need to return soon otherwise Matheson isn't going to be able to get away cleanly.

Stopping just short of the house, you crouch down in a deep pool of shadow. It might not protect you from anything supernatural, but you feel better for being out of sight. Hunkering down, you try to slip loose from your body once again. It's hard, with the constant hammerblow of your heart distracting you. Clenching your eyes shut, forcing your breathing into a slow rhythm, you gradually regain some measure of calm. Fighting against the clinging grip of your own flesh every step of the way, you eventually manage to cut yourself loose.

No immediate assault, which is a good sign. Once that's out of the way, you allow yourself to look around. The world looks completely different like this, the colours cool and muted while the proportions shift and bend. Seen from the corner of your eye, the house looks so much larger. That's how it looked to your younger self, you realise, a haunted house looming over the surrounding fields. Shaking off the uncanny sensation, you look back to where you... woke up. The air shimmers like a heat haze, ribbons of silver weaving in and out of reality.

Fascinated, you gaze into the shimmering haze. Flickers of an image wink back at you, and it takes you a while longer to realise that it's your bedroom. You were taken from there to here, and this... this silver thread seems to lead the way back. Then the image shifts slightly, and you see mocking eyes staring back at you. With a sharp gasp, you draw back into your body.

Amon. He's waiting for you.

That thought drives you back towards the house. You're reluctant to stay here for too long, but you need to touch base with Fletcher. Creeping over to the house, you circle around to the backdoor and crouch down next to an ugly stone dog. Lifting the hollow ornament, you take the spare key and quickly unlock the door. Even after all this time, it's still here. There's something oddly comforting about that. Gently closing the door behind you, you sneak into the main room and snatch up the phone. Your mind goes blank as you try to punch in Fletcher's number, and you're left holding the phone like an idiot.

Finally, you manage to get the number in. Listening to it ring and ring, you look around the room and shudder. The dining room is just barely visible as you lean back, and you've got nothing but bad memories of that place. Turning away, you-

“Who is this?” Fletcher barks, “Who gave you this number?”

“Fletch, it's me!” you hiss, “I don't know how to explain this, but I'm... I'm home. I was in my room, and then I was here. I think I can get back but I'm not sure and this is all a horrible mess and-”

“Holly,” he interrupts, “Breathe, Holly. You're at home? But that's-”

“The other side of the fucking country, I know,” you whisper, “I don't get it either. I just... I need help.”

On the other end of the phone, Fletcher falls silent.

[1/?]

>>3894767
Hey Moloch does Juliet's AT Null work outside her ADM?

>>3894774
>Unfortunately not. At present, she requires her ADM to function as an amplifier

>>3894767

The silence draws out. “You think you can get back,” Fletcher repeats at last. He sounds dubious, but you can't exactly blame him there.

“I don't know, maybe,” you answer, “There's like a tunnel here, or not really here I guess, but nearby, but I don't know if it's safe or not. None of this feels safe. I just... I just want to go home. I mean, back to Avalon. Is it... is it bad over there?”

“I have everything under control,” Fletcher answers, his voice flat. He probably does, you think to yourself, but that doesn't mean he has good news. It just means that nothing is burning down... yet. “Holly. I can try to get some local help, but they won't be able to reach you for at least an hour. Probably multiple hours. If you think you have somewhere safe, I can see what I can do,” he continues, “I don't have any advice regarding this... tunnel. I have no way of telling you whether it's safe or not, and I can't exactly turn to Ingrid for advice.”

“Is she...” you begin, your words trailing off.

“Focus, Reynolds,” Fletcher warns, “I'm going to need you to focus. Don't waste time worrying about things you can't change right now. Let me worry about that. Do you understand...”

Maybe Fletcher says something else, but you don't hear it. You hear the faint whisper of cloth against polished wood, the faintest sound of movement from nearby. Turning, you stare down the hallway at the ghoulish figure waiting there. Her nightgown trails low on the ground, while long-uncombed hair hangs low over the woman's face. She stares back at you, her eyes seeming to glint as the moonlight catches them. Lowering the phone, you watch as she takes a few uneven steps closer before reaching up and pushing her tangled hair away from her face. Metal gleams in her hand, a pair of long scissors held tightly in her fist. With her hair out of the way, you can better see the confusion and fear writ large across her face.

“Who are you?” she croaks, that old familiar voice sending a shiver running down your spine. All your instincts are telling you to run, to flee, but you remain rooted in place as she takes a few more tottering steps closer. The phone slips from your hands, the thick carpet underfoot muffling the thud as it hits the floor. You glance down at the ground, but not because of the phone. Because you can't look at her. “I... know you,” the woman whispers, reaching out with a trembling hand and brushing your cheek. Her skin feels cold, clammy, but still somehow...

You don't know... what are you supposed to do? At a moment like this, what are you supposed to do?

>... (Write in)

>>3894842
>Run away

oh geez oh man oh geez

>>3894842
Everything we have heard about this woman is that she is crazy, violent, and hates Holly to the core. And she has a pair of scissors that she is intending to use on an intruder.

Fuck. Uh get some distance and watch those scissors. Maybe just leave.

>>3894842
>Hi there, I'm Claire Sutton.
>I got lost and needed to call home. The door was open, so I wasn't sure if anyone was in.

>>3894842
>>3894856
scratch that. Don't lie about the door, just apologize for intruding, we weren't thinking straight.

>>3894842
Supporting
>>3894856

I mean it's technically not lyeing, if we are careful we may even be able to attract the attention of our father while we talk to her, depending on the layout of the house, the only thing we need to be careful of is if he comes to investigate the disturbance armed.

>>3894842
>Metal gleams in her hand, a pair of long scissors held tightly in her fist.
It's like Holly's dad wanted to be stabbed or something. Aren't you supposed to hide dangerous items from people with psychotic tendencies?

Try to calmly state something like 'I was just passing by. Thank you for understanding and helping me out, I'll be on my way'. And leave.
On non-violent attempt to stop us from leaving, try requesting "I need to be on my way, I'm late. I'll chat with you in the morning".
In case she gets violent, just run. Apply violence (tackling, pushing) if necessary to run away.

Slowly, the woman strokes your cheek again. In her other hand, hanging slack by her side, the scissors remain a constant reminder of danger. Somehow, you manage to shake off your hesitation just long enough to take a faltering step backwards. Bumping into a low table as you retreat, you flinch at the harsh rattle of vases clinking together. “I'm sorry...” you mumble, hanging your head low so she can't see your face, “I'm sorry, I needed help. I shouldn't have come in here, but I...”

“You needed... help?” she repeats.

“Yes, but... I mean no, I'm... I'll go, okay? I'm sorry for intruding, I'll leave you alone now,” you continue, backing off a few more paces. She follows, but at a dazed pace that allows you to steadily widen the gap between you. When your back bumps up against the closed door, you freeze again. Not daring to look around, you fumble blindly for the door handle. It should be here, it should be right here, but-

“What's your name?” the woman murmurs, an edge entering her voice, “Tell me your name!”

“Claire!” you yelp, your voice moving faster than your thoughts, “My name's Claire, ma'am, Claire Sutton.”

Silence, and then the woman's shoulders slump. With a soft thud, the scissors fall from her limp hand. “I thought...” she whispers, “I had a girl once. She... she would have been your age. They took her from me.” Your fingers just brush against the door handle as she says this, but you pause. Part of you wants nothing more than to turn tail and flee, but another part of you is almost desperate to hear more. To hear it in her own words, no matter how mad they may be. “There's a whole other world out there,” she breathes, “A world of... fake... things. Nobody believes me, but I know it's real. I've seen the things they leave behind, like silver ribbons that vanish into mist so nobody else can see them...”

“I don't... understand,” you stammer, finally fumbling the door open. As you wrench it open, her hand lashes out and grabs you by the arm. Her grip, so tight as to be painful, causes you to jerk around in alarm. Despite your best efforts, your eyes finally meet. She stares, her eyes wide and very white, and her hands fly to her mouth. Before she can recover and grab you again, you lunge through the ajar door and flee into the night. Crashing through the long grass, you don't stop or look back even when you hear the piercing shriek echoing out from behind you.

Running blindly into the night, you tumble forwards as your foot catches on a rock. A thin cry of pain escapes you as you hit the ground hard, lying very still until your mind slowly drifts apart from your body. As if drawn to it, you glide towards the shimmering tunnel.

“Okay Amon,” you murmur, “Do your worst.”

[1/?]

>>3894935
Dropkick him through the portal

>>3894935
So Holly’s ability to perceive AT fields and connections literally runs into the family.


Did her mom go crazy before or after the trials?

>>3894944
Pretty sure it was shortly after Holly was born.

>>3894935

“You see now, don't you?” Amon purrs as he paces around you, “How powerless you really are.”

“That was a cruel trick,” you reply, your gaze fixed straight ahead. You're back at the lake again, although this time you're sitting on a high-backed wooden chair. It's stiff and formal, deliberately designed to be as uncomfortable as possible without causing actual physical harm. “Was that real?” you continue, “Was any of that real?”

“Every last bit. Every word and gesture,” the Lilim answers, “You see now, don't you? It doesn't matter how tough you think you are. Deep down, you're as weak and frightened as any other human. Look at your dear friend Ingrid. She built a fortress around her heart and thought herself impenetrable, but she was wrong. Every fortress can be breached. It's just a case of finding the right... leverage.”

The wooden chair creaks slightly as he leans on it, leaning over you as you try very hard to ignore him. “I bet you feel really tough, bullying kids and... and paper dolls,” you spit, “I know what your problem is. You've never been loved. Mommy Lilith wrote you off as a failed experiment, and Mommy Matheson just sees you as a tool. A tool in more ways than one. If she had a better option, she'd kick your ass to the curb as soon as-”

With a wordless cry of anger, Amon throws the wooden chair up and hurls you to the unbroken surface of the lake. Glassy sheets of water spray up around you, and then you're falling again. You don't seem to fall far, but you jolt up with the sense of having travelled an incredible distance. Thrashing against your sheets, you gradually realise that you're... here. Home. Avalon, NERV HQ.

Slumping back down in bed, you pull your knees up to your chest and hug yourself.

You're... tired.

>I think I'm going to pause things here. I'm having some tech problems, so posting is a bit unreliable at the moment. Current plan will be to continue this next Friday
>Thank you for your contributions today, and I'm sorry for the early finish!

>>3895031
I know what your problem is. You've never been loved. Mommy Lilith wrote you off as a failed experiment, and Mommy Matheson just sees you as a tool. A tool in more ways than one. If she had a better option, she'd kick your ass to the curb as soon as-”

>Finally banted back at Amon
>he throws a bitch fit.
Welp we know how to fuck with his focus now.


Thanks for running and I hope all is well for you Moloch!

>>3895031
Thanks for running.

If the implication in >>3894944 is true, does it mean that humanity would produce AT-wizards in some generations anyway? Making the whole humanity debate not entirely pointless, but with different conditions.

>>3895031
Thanks for the run.

We are probably want to explain what just happened and apologize, to our Father when we call him next somehow.

>>3895043
All Bergmann wants to do is speed up that process.

>>3895031
Thanks for running!

How will Amon ever recover from our bantz?

>>3895043
It involves pairing absolute nerds with SEEN TOO MUCH crackpots. I don't think it's scalable.

Who should Holly pork to accelerate mankind's evolution then?

>>3895054
Amon.

>>3895054
The answer is harvest her eggs she won't ever actually use because the human body makes way too many, and spread it far and wide and hope something sticks.

This lets humanity advance and let's her be discriminating with her romantic partners.


>inb4 the most wizardy offsrpign are the ones made by romantic love.

>>3895031
Thanks for running.

Now that Holly heard her mom's claim she can actually ask someone about it. Cause who knows, I can see the NERV chucklefucks being involved in Holly's birth or swapping a baby.

We also need to get our AT-fu stronger and I don't think Amon is going to be willing to teach us since he knows we are doing it to kill him. Hopefully Bergmann is still alive.

>>3895053
>How will Amon ever recover from our bantz?
He can't. He's going to have to live with this burn, and that could be for a VERY long time.

>>3895043
That's a tricky question to answer. What I can say is that Second Impact changed a lot of things, but not all the consequences were immediately visible.

>>3895031
Huh. That was a tad anti climatic after that build up. Was expecting more of a scrap. Maybe we got off easy.

File: Interlude16.png (1.04 MB, 900x700)

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Dis, Central Brazil

This place looked like nowhere on Earth. It was an alien place, with strange vegetation and pools of reddish water. A strange and almost lifeless place, with just one single living soul left in it. The creature that was once Coraline LaPlante drifted across the surface of one pool, staring up at the sun with unblinking eyes. Her mind was completely empty, a blessed peace, but she was wrenched back to awareness in as something in the air changed, an electric charge seeming to run through it.

Moving at last, Coraline rose up to stand atop the surface of the LCL pool. She walked to the shore, each footstep leaving delicate ripples on the surface of the lake. There, waiting for her, was another thing that wore the form of a human. A young man this time, his indifferent gaze fixed on the inhuman landscape around them both.

“You shouldn't be here,” he began, without looking around, “This isn't your world any more.”

“Neither is that other world,” Coraline replied, “So where do I belong, Adrian?”

“You don't,” Adrian answered bluntly, “There isn't a single place on this world where you truly belong. You're not human enough for this world, and you're not Lilim enough for that other place. Sooner or later, you're going to have to decide what you really are.” He turns, at last, and gives her a dubious look. “That's a problem you're going to have to solve by yourself,” he told her, “I could solve it for you, but I don't think you'd like my methods.”

“Did you really come here just to threaten me?” Coraline groaned, shaking her head, “That's no way to treat your sister.”

“Half-sister at most,” Adrian remarked, laughing aloud as he threw his arms out wide, “No, not even that. Anything we have in common came out of a syringe. If you really think that makes us anywhere near equal, you're even more pathetic than I thought!” He marched forwards here and Coraline, despite herself, took a faltering step backwards. “You really ARE pathetic,” the Lilim mused, his face twisting with a vicious grin, “Still human enough to be afraid of me, not human enough to be worth a damn. Why don't you go running back into your pond, before I-”

With an enormous groan of tortured metal, ADM Unit 05-2 burst from the lake behind Coraline. The disfigured machine tore its way into the world with a spasm of rage, a howl of wordless anger seeming to yell out from all directions at once.

[1/2]

>>3898418

As the droplets of LCL fell like rain, Coraline thrust her hand forwards. Mimicking her gestures, ADM Unit 05-2 brought its hand slamming down towards Adrian, set to crush the insolent Lilim into the swamp. Yet, for all its force and fury the blow never landed, the Lilim halting the attack with a gesture. It almost looked like he was trying to hold hands with the ADM, with nothing more than a shimmering screen of light separating the two figures.

For a moment, they were held frozen in place.

“I'm sure that looked much better in your head,” he grunted, only the faintest hint of strain in his voice, “You get full marks for effort, but the execution...”

Adrian snapped his fingers, and the giant collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Coraline fell too, slumping down to one knee and letting out a thin gasp.

“It needs work,” Adrian breathed, with a smile like a mass grave, “Now it's my turn.”

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

>>3898422
This is one more secret he was keeping from Matheson, if he was truly interested in seeing out her plan he would have provided the location of Dis too her and allowing her to be able to prevent Coraline from ascending / recover the segment of Excalibur, this also reinforces that he was lying about Bergmann not having a plan, hopefully he hasn't wiped or changed her memories of it so we can figure out was she was going to do.

We are probably want to go and dis close everything to Bergmann if she is still alive, Also Unless Matheson has developed a way to recover the souls of the dead, Johanna definitely survived her encounter with Nebrios.

>>3898422
Ha. We at least managed to land a punch Coraline.

But yeah Adrian has gotta die.

How are we going to get Huang back bros? Are we going to have deploy 'Spike Matheson with Lilim Biomass' and then blackmail? Or follow the trail some other way?

File: NERVop16.5.png (1.05 MB, 900x700)

1.05 MB PNG

“You remember that old antique place near school?” Claire asks as she rattles around in the kitchen, “You know, it was always like totally messy. God, what was it called?”

“I can't remember. No, I don't think I ever noticed a name. It was always just “that shop” or something,” you recall, leaning on the dinner table as you try to think, “It WAS messy, wasn't it? Whenever we went in there, I kept expecting you to, you know, help yourself to something. You never did, though.”

“So maybe I had some standards back then. God, don't look so surprised!” she replies with a laugh, striding over and setting a plate down in front of you, “There you go, scrambled eggs. My speciality!”

You look at the plate of eggs. They do look good, but...

“But scrambled eggs were NATE'S speciality,” you point out, prodding the eggs with your fork, “Not yours.”

Claire just shrugs. “Things are getting a little mixed together, boundaries are getting a little blurred, but that's fine. That's basically not a big deal,” she explains, “But I'll tell you what IS a big deal – you, pulling yourself together. You're sixteen now, so your sulking privileges have been officially revoked. Hey, wipe that scowl off your face! Are you even listening to me?”

You ARE listening to her, it's just that you can't believe what you're hearing. “It's hard,” you murmur, “People around me keep getting hurt, getting hurt BECAUSE of me, but... but I always come out okay. I'm not the one who gets stabbed, or burned, or... or sacrificed.”

“You finished? Good,” Claire laughs, “Bad shit happens all the time, sister. This is the real world, where we bleed real blood and shed real tears. Isn't that what Coraline said? Well, she wasn't fucking around. The way I see it, you've got a choice. You can keep moping around, blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong, or you can go out there and punch life in the dick. I know Holly Reynolds, and I know which one she'd pick.” She pauses, studying you with a pitiless – but not quite cruel – gaze. “Oh, I know what this is about,” the dead girl breathes, “This is about HIM, isn't it?”

“He's... toying with me,” you mutter, scowling down at your untouched meal, “Every time I think we're going to fight, he just turns it into something else. I just want a chance to throw down, even if-”

“Even if you end up getting burned?” she asks.

“Even if I end up getting burned,” you agree with a slow nod, “If we don't do something, we're just going to keep circling each other forever. The longer it goes on for, the more it's going to hurt the people around us. They'd be dragged in, destroyed, then thrown aside. I won't let that happen.”

“So you're gonna stop it,” Claire remarks, raising an eyebrow, “Got a plan?”

“Not yet,” you admit.

[1/2]

>>3901077

When you wake, you cling desperately to your pillow as if it might bring back some lingering trace of your dream. You want to go back there, back to the peaceful solitude of the dream, but the sad, rational part of your mind is adamant – that won't happen, no matter how hard you try. Claire is back there, in that other place, and you're here - in a world where you bleed real blood and shed real tears.

Tears. Finally sitting up, you brush your cheek and feel the faintest remains of moisture there. Wiping them away with an angry swipe of your hand, you bid farewell to the dream and climb out of bed.

-

“We have new orders” Commander Monroe begins, her eyes still red and her voice still hoarse, “Our next mission is to... is to...”

“Our next mission is to deploy a second team into the Dirac Sea,” Fletcher continues, taking over from Monroe, “Our current monitoring suggests no Lilim activity, so this is a good time for it. We want you all to have some experience with that place. So, what we want today is to send in one new pilot, with an experienced pilot running escort. That means Reynolds or Moore are confirmed, and the second team member-”

“I want to go in!” Dakota blurts out, raising her hand, “You need one new girl and one uh, one uh experienced girl. So if I go with Juliet, that works out just fine, okay?”

Fletcher says nothing for a moment. His eyes flick over to you, seeming to ask the question that he doesn't speak aloud. Shaking off your disorientation, you grab Dakota's sleeve and drag her a few paces away from the others. “This isn't a joke!” you hiss, “This is... it's enemy territory in there, Dakota. It's a hunting ground, and we're the prey. Considering your experience-”

“Juliet told me about that place,” the young girl whispers back, “She said it's a place where the truth is revealed. The TRUTH. Not what I think happened, not what Doc Matheson thinks happened, the real deal. If that's true, I gotta see it for myself. I GOTTA go down there and see for myself!”

Clearing his throat, Fletcher draws your eyes back to him. “While she lacks combat experience, Fisher is still capable of piloting an ADM Unit,” he points out, “There's no reason to explicitly deny that request. At least, that would be how I interpret the situation. Commander Monroe?”

With a guilty look on her face, Monroe snaps to attention. “What...” she begins, awkwardly looking at the faces gazing her way, searching for some hint of an answer. “Um, I agree,” she mumbles after a pause, “Holly, what do you say?”

She barely knows what the situation is, barely understands what she's asking you. She's just lost in her own world, and...

Focus, Reynolds, focus.

>I'm fine with it. Dakota could use some field experience
>This is a bad idea. I'll lead this operation
>This whole mission is bullshit. A waste of our time
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3901080
>I'm fine with it. Dakota could use some field experience
If Dakota is going to go, send an additional Unit with them, to provide security.

If she goes in our place we're going to have time to figure out what happened with Bergmann and call our Father again

>>3901080
>What do I say? Am I the fucking Commander now? Are you putting this responsibility on my shoulders too now? Fuck, I appreciated the opportunity to get Juliet out, but that too sounded a lot like you were putting the final decision in my hands...

>>3901080
>I'm fine with it. Dakota could use some field experience
>On one condition
"If Juliet is going to be protecting you while you 'learn the truth' then you need to tell her about the Dark Place and the situation. For one she needs to know what she is getting into since the place is going to warp to your mind, and two you don't need to be alone going through that, specially if the truth isn't something pleasant. Trust her. Trust each other to help one another. Deal?"

>>3901080
>I think... (Write in)
'I haven't heard the actual reason to deploy inside the sea. What's the goal exactly? One can get very disoriented in there and it is better we send someone while there are no Lilim lurking, but they need to know what exactly are they doing there.'

I'm fine with Fisher facing whatever truth she wants; either she can handle it and helps us later or she doesn't and stays out. But no deal if they just want to send people for the hell of it - she will get stuck in there without a mission.

>>3901087
Judging by Monroe fresh from crying, Bergmann isn't doing too hot. Or dead. Although I'm not certain you can merely stab someone with a scalpel fatally in the back, the blade's too short and narrow.

>>3901094
Only do this after we pull Monroe to the side to have a one on one, which I do think we should do as something is seriously bothering her. Doing it front of a crowd only hurts everyone's morale.

>>3901105
I could get behind that if you have an alternative for not having to make that choice now.

>>3901113
Oh no worries, it's a valid vote for the current prompt. Just something we can do at the tail end of the discussion here.

>>3901103
Unless she is dead whatever is actually wrong with Bergmann should be able to fixed, if we try hard enough.

>>3901103
>>3901123
My guess is paralyzed. ...I hope I didn't give Moloch an idea.

>>3901124
If Matheson can beat Cancer(I would assume it's only temporary, so it needs to be continuously applied to keep working), The medical grade of Biomass should be able reconnect the broken pathways (we should see what Elrow can do as it was his pet project)

“What do you mean, what do I say?” you ask, irritated and confused in equal measure, “Am I giving the orders now? Did I get a promotion while I wasn't looking?”

“No, it's just...” Monroe pauses, floundering for the right words, “It's just, we can only send one of you down in Unit 02. Dakota made her claim, I wanted to know if you had a problem with that. A problem with, um, sharing.”

“Right,” you reply slowly, drawing the word out, “You're not trying to dump the responsibility on my shoulders. Not like you did before either, with Juliet and-” A tiny gesture from Fletcher cuts you off here, but you've said enough. Just from the pained look on Monroe's face, you know that your words cut close to the truth. She IS running from this. “Fine, whatever, I'm not going to object. Dakota could use some field experience, I guess,” you concede, “But I still don't know what this mission is all about. What's the objective? Why are we deploying?”

Again, it's Fletcher who takes this question. “We want a chance for you all to experience the Dirac Sea for yourselves, particularly during a quiet spell. That other world can be disorientating the first time around, and if we were forced to deploy untested units in an emergency...” he shrugs, “This training might mean the difference between life or death. As for the objective, it will be an observation mission. Enter the target area, see the sights, then come back home.”

“Sounds easy!” Dakota chirps, giving you a look that almost dares you to argue. You return her gaze with a calm stare, and she soon lets out a flustered curse. She grabs you this time, dragging you away from the others. “What's up with you?” she hisses, “If you got something to say, just say it!”

You say-

This isn't safe. You're going to get yourself killed.

What are you trying to prove?

How DARE you take Unit 02 away from me?

“If you're going in there with Juliet, you should tell her everything,” you warn, “Chances are, it'll make itself known soon enough. It'll be better for both of you if it doesn't come as a shock. Tell Juliet about the Dark Place, about the deer, about everything. You're going to have to trust her, and she's going to have to trust you. If you can't trust each other in that place, you'll be in serious trouble.”

For a moment, you anticipate a tantrum. Instead, Dakota nods solemnly. “Got it. Trust, honesty, all that greeting card shit,” she agrees, “Seriously though. I'll... I'll find a way to tell her. Chances are, it's gonna suck but what the hell. If I can't tell HER, that place is gonna shit all over me.”

“That's, uh, that's one way of putting it,” you mutter, giving her a helpless gesture.

[1/?]

>>3901132
I don't think Elrow and Leighton want Bergmann alive is the thing. Her out the way is one less wild card they have to deal with. If Fletcher is keeping her being alive a secret, it's probably a secret from those two as well.

>>3901139
Assuming that she would need a continuous supply of the biomass it would provide them with a possible measure of control over her actions,it would also allow for her to continue her work, and find information and possibilities that other may overlook when the rest of the Lilium come knocking, so everyone would come out ahead in the end.

>>3901137

Juliet and Dakota leave together, heading somewhere private to talk, and the rest of the pilots file out of Fletcher's office. Monroe quickly follows them out, and you start to reach out for her before Fletcher grabs your arm. Frowning slightly, he gives his head a quick shake. It's only after the door closes behind her that he speaks. “Sit down,” he instructs, sighing when you make no move to obey, “Or stand. Your choice.”

“What's going on?” you snap.

Fletcher pauses. “You'll need to be more specific than that,” he replies eventually, sitting down behind his desk.

“Stop playing games with me!” you snarl, marching over and slamming your hand down onto his desk, “Bergmann! Monroe! All of this!”

“I don't know how much you remember. You seemed like you were asleep, but then you woke up and yelled that Doctor Bergmann was in trouble. As soon as I heard that, I sent some of my people to investigate. When they arrived, they found Doctor Bergmann in a critical condition. They administered first aid, then evacuated the doctor,” the mercenary explains, his voice low and flat, “On the way back here, they were intercepted by a group of UN military police. They took Doctor Bergmann into their custody.”

“You mean like...” you hesitate, “You mean like they arrested her? For what?”

“Do you really think they need a reason?” Fletcher asks, too weary to sound angry, “I'm told that she's being treated in a “secure location”. That's all. You probably noticed this already, but Commander Monroe is not handling the news very well. They were never... close, but this seems to have hit her harder than I would have expected.”

So that's it. Alive, incarcerated, and powerless. For a woman like Bergmann, that must be worse than death. The thing is, though...

“Why keep her alive though?” you ask slowly, “Like, they don't exactly have much reason to keep her around.”

Fletcher spreads his hands wide, his expression turning exasperated. “Your guess is as good as mine,” he concedes, “Maybe they hope to use her as leverage against us, in which case they're either foolish or desperate. Maybe she's decided to cooperate with them, which seems even less likely. I'm pushing them for more information, but so far they've been pretty tight-lipped. This entire situation is... frustrating.”

No kidding.

“I guess it would be,” you murmur, “Dakota. This operation. If I suggested deploying an extra unit, just to be on the safe side, you'd ignore me, wouldn't you?”

“Actually, I'm planning to have either Kaori or Claudia standing by on this side of the portal. If there's any hint of trouble, they'll go live and move in,” he replies, “Until then, they'll stay out of the way. If the Dirac Sea reacts to individual pilots, having too many people active at once might make things messy. I don't want Dakota to get overwhelmed.”

Very charitable of him.

[2/3]