>>4087269

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

September

A phone call from home. Not the best way to start off a new month. From the moment you saw the name on your phone's screen, you felt your heart sink. Reluctantly taking the call, you held the phone to your ear and waited. Now, a few long seconds later, you're still waiting. Just as you're about to end the call, you hear a voice.

“It's your mother,” he begins, his voice numb and flat. With a breath caught in your throat, you wait for him to continue. It has to be bad news, you realise, but you can't force out a word in reply. “I found her... reading... this morning. Reading my notes, the business ledger. She told me... she told me I was keeping sloppy books. Just for a moment, it was like we used to be,” he pauses, and you hear the rasp of a shuddering breath, “Just for a moment, she was the same woman I married.”

“But that's... good, isn't it?” you manage, searching blindly for something to say, “Isn't it?”

“She was lucid, but not for long. I could see it creeping back into her. The nervousness, the paranoid glances. The distraction. I managed to give her a pill before she went... away... completely. She's sleeping now,” he hesitates again, “I talked to her doctors. They don't want to get too optimistic. It's too early to say if this is a good sign or not. We don't even know if it will happen again, but...”

He trails off here, leaving that thought unfinished.

“I just thought you should know,” he concludes, holding the line for a few more moments as if waiting for an answer. When no answer comes, he finally ends the call.

What are you supposed to feel right now?

-

Blinking away the last remnants of your confusion, you stumble out of your room and pause at the sight of the crowd gathered there. The gang's all here, sitting around the table and talking in low, conspiratorial voices. “Uh,” you begin, your voice causing the crowd to look around, “I'm not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No. Quite the opposite, in fact. I'm glad you're here,” Monroe answers, gesturing towards the lone empty chair and smiling, “It saves me having to drag you out of that room of yours!” She's joking, of course, but you don't have the energy to laugh. Nodding weakly, you sit down in the empty chair and gesture for her to continue. Distracted by your sullen response, Monroe fumbles to get back on track. “Ah, right. Well, I just wanted to give you all a little status update. As you've probably noticed, progress has, um, stalled a little,” she explains, “The Dirac Sea has opened up for us, and we have a path leading straight to Orcus, the Great Gate. There's a problem, though.”

“The Akashic Records are clear,” she concludes, “The Great Gate will open for one reason alone – to allow Lilith into our world.”

[2/3]

>>4087270

“So obviously that's a bad thing,” Monroe laughs suddenly, “If the Great Gate opens, and Lilith is able to enter our world, that's game over as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, if we ARE able to break through the Great Gate while Lilith is still dormant... that might give us an advantage. I'm told that we've got our best people working on a way to break through, and that brings me to the reason I'm here today. Who wants to go on a road trip?”

A road trip? You must have missed a beat somewhere in this conversation. “Uh,” you reply, “What?”

“Mister Elrow has invited us to his new lab – to discuss his new ideas, apparently, but I think he wants to show off. You're all invited too, if you want. He says it's likely to be very, er, educational,” she shrugs, “Do I have any volunteers? I need to know now, so-”

“Yes,” Yulia interrupts, nodding firmly. After a moment, Kaori nods her own agreement.

“Boring!” Claudia drawls, leaning back and shaking her head, “Sorry, but I'd rather stay home and do literally anything else.”

“Yeah, count me out of the school trip shit,” Dakota agrees, laughing easily and flapping a hand towards Juliet, “What about you?”

“I think I've had enough of labs for the time being,” Juliet replies, her tone carefully neutral, “Besides, I think someone should stay here with Karina. Just in case.”

Monroe looks up from her notes, the list of names she's been taking down. “About that,” she points out, “Karina is going to be taking a little trip. Just an overnight thing. Um, there's an observatory up in the mountains – she saw it on the internet, apparently, and she wanted to visit. We thought it might be a nice treat for her, since...” A pause. A long pause. “Since she's been working so hard lately,” Monroe finishes lamely, “You've ALL been working hard, of course. Not just lately either!”

That familiar paper-thin cheer. Christ, why does she have to make it sound so fucking FINAL? Your head is still filled with the call from home, whatever you're supposed to think or feel about that, and now she's dumping this crap on your plate? It's such a pain, sometimes you really do wish that the whole world would just... go away. Maybe then you'd be able to-

“Holly?” Monroe asks, interrupting your gloomy thoughts, “Should I put your name down for the lab visit?”

>Sure, I guess. I'm sure it'll be, uh, fascinating
>I don't feel like going out. I'm staying here
>I've always wanted to visit an observatory. Sign me up
>Well... (Write in)
>Other

>>4087273
>Sure, I guess. I'm sure it'll be, uh, fascinating
We need to talk about our problems, if we want them to get better.

Lilian becoming more Lucid is totally not a sign of the times.

>>4087273
>I've always wanted to visit an observatory. Sign me up
"I'd rather not be appointed as Lab Inspection Committee Chief or something equally boring as that. I don't think we have anyone in particular to hide from, so if Elrow wants something, he just can call."

>>4087273
>>I've always wanted to visit an observatory. Sign me up

Welcome back Moloch

>>4087273
>observatory

Mom gets healthy when we're absent? Guess we better find a way to die on this final mission for her sake.

>>4087273
>>I've always wanted to visit an observatory. Sign me up

“Actually, I've always wanted to visit an observatory,” you reply, shaking off your dark mood, “Sign me up, chief.”

“The observatory? Ah, right. Just let me...” Monroe fumbles with her phone, flashing a hesitant smile before hurrying a few paces away. A short burst of hushed conversation later, and she gives you a quick thumbs up. “Consider yourself signed up,” she continues, nodding briskly, “Remember, it's an overnight trip so you might want to pack a bag. Apparently they rent the place out for parties. I saw the website – school trips, science conventions, anything you like. They even had a wedding once. It must have been so romantic...”

As Monroe lets out a wistful sigh, you glance aside and meet Kaori's eyes. She shrugs slightly, the gesture so faint that it's barely noticeable. “Have fun,” she urges, “Do you want me to take care of anything at the lab? Anything – anyone - you want me to keep an eye on?”

This time, you're the one who shrugs. “If Elrow wants to talk, he knows where to find me. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm certainly not hiding from him,” you tell her, “But I dunno. If you see any top secret super weapons lying around, I want a photo. A cool one, though!”

“A cool photo. Got it,” Kaori agrees, giving you a deadly serious nod.

-

“Is your seatbelt on?” Cam asks, for what might be the tenth time. There's being careful, and then there's THIS – maybe she's got bad memories of the last time you were in a car together. Not that a seatbelt would have helped much against a group of armed men, but never mind that. You've mostly tuned her out by now, nodding along with her exaggerated care as Karina obediently checks her seatbelt. Glancing around, the ailing girl meets your eye and gives you a bright smile.

“I'm excited!” she declares, pumping her fists, “Aren't you?”

“Well...” you tease, “Maybe a LITTLE bit. Just a little.”

“Hmph!” Karina pouts, folding her arms across her chest and looking pointedly away from you. Up ahead, Cam chuckles softly and guides the car out into the city streets. “Actually, ah, I'm glad you're here,” the girl continues, fidgeting slightly and lowering her voice to a breathy whisper, “I thought it might be a little, ah, quiet with just the two of us. I like quiet, but... not like this. So, ah, thank you.”

She's doing that “sincere” thing again, and it never fails to leave an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. “Hey, don't mention it,” you assure her, falling back on flippant humour, “How could I resist a big-ass telescope?”

Laughing at this, Karina leans against the car window and closes her eyes for a moment. The humour lingers on her face for a long while, but it can't fully hide how tired she looks.

[1/?]

>All these death flags
Why the hell did I think playing this quest would be a good idea?

>>4087333

The drive, Cam assures you, isn't going to be THAT long. Even so, you take a quick stop somewhere around the halfway mark. Once you've left Avalon behind, the trappings of the city quickly fall away and give way to something more rustic. The asphalt is cracked and scarred, the road lined with dry grass and weeds. More than once, you spot the decaying remains of a billboard still advertising some long forgotten product or the gutted husk of a derelict car. Sometimes, but only rarely, you spot other cars passing you on the other side of the road.

But despite all this, Cam manages to lonesome diner for you. All tarnished metal and dusty windows, it sits by the side of the road with a crumbling town looming some distance away. The place looks like a tomb, like something forgotten by time. In the rear view mirror, Cam's face shows a strange mix of nostalgia and sadness. “Pretty bleak out here, huh?” she remarks, leaning forwards on the steering wheel, “The proverbial road less travelled.”

“It's, uh, real scenic,” you manage, “Are you sure we're not lost?”

“I'm sure. Call it a detour,” the soldier explains, “Avalon is nice and all, but there are still a lot of places like this. If I had to guess, I'd say this place hasn't seen a dime of reconstruction funds since Second Impact. Still a lot of work that needs doing out in the places like this.”

There's a long silence as you all stare out at the diner. You're not sure what she's thinking. Hell, you're not sure what YOU'RE thinking. Finally, Karina is the one who breaks the silence. “Are we going in?” she asks, “Because, ah, I think I need to, ah...”

“Right, right,” Cam answers hastily, throwing her door open and hurrying around to help Karina out. Eyes turn to stare mutely at you as you enter the diner, and you feel your hackles rise at the unspoken challenge. This isn't your territory, and the locals want to make damn well sure that you know it. Cam ignores them, slipping you a thin fold of money before nodding to the counter. As she helps Karina to the bathroom, you order some food and sit down at an empty booth.

You're not sure what Cam is trying to prove here. To teach you how lucky you are, how much harder other people have it? You're no stranger to any of that. The more you think about it, the more irritated you get. Is she trying to make you feel guilty for this, for how expensive the ADM project must be? You're saving the world here, that HAS to be worth the investment, but-

“Hey,” Cam calls out, interrupting your thoughts, “What's that scowl for? Don't you like pancakes?”

“I'm neutral on the subject,” you reply slowly, “You?”

“Love 'em. Crappy diner food is a guilty pleasure of mine,” Cam answers, “Half the reason we're out here, really.”

Scowling even harder, you take a bite of the syrupy pancakes. “Okay, yeah,” you admit, a grudging note of respect in your voice, “There ARE pretty good.”

[2/3]

>>4087424

“I've never seen a place like this before...” Karina murmurs, gazing down into her glass of water. That's about the only thing in this place that she could stomach, everything else being too sugary or too greasy or too meaty. “And you said, ah, there were a lot of places like this?” she asks, “That's so... sad.”

“When I said there was a lot of work to do, I wasn't kidding,” Cam continues, washing down a mouthful of food with some strong coffee, “But because of the work we're doing, these people will have a chance. I don't know how long it'll take, but things WILL get better here. It's not just Avalon, or Berlin, or any other city that benefits. It's the whole world. That's why I wanted you guys to see this place.”

“Oh,” you murmur, feeling vaguely foolish. So it wasn't a guilt trip after all...

“Although I've heard some people – some people in high up places – want to leave towns like this to rot. Take the people and move them – by force, if necessary – into the new cities. Clean, modern cities. A more controlled way of living,” she sighs, “Sounds nice, huh?”

>At least it would be safe. Avalon was built to survive the worst of the worst
>Sounds boring, you mean. You'd never get me to live like that
>You can't force people to live like that. They'd fight against it, just on principle
>Maybe the control would be a good thing, if it keeps the peace
>It sounds... (Write in)
>Other

>>4087432
>At least it would be safe. Avalon was built to survive the worst of the worst.
With what we know is coming, it's never going to be enough and since nowhere is really safe, even if people out here survived, once the trucks stop flowing things are going to grind to a halt, at least the people out here are somewhat self reliant, not that it's going to help.

>>4087432
>You can't force people to live like that. They'd fight against it, just on principle
"It's shortsighted trying to force people out of their homes. Their little modern 'utopias' would get an influx of very angry people. If they want people to move they need to make their cities *worth* moving to so people can choose for themselves. Also I think just abandoning parts of the country is pretty damn wasteful. That's a lot of real estate for farms and such just wasted."

>>4087432
>It sounds... (Write in)
"This sounds uncharacteristic of people 'in high places' I know of. They don't do things out of goodness of their hearts. Moving people means some place needed whatever working hands it could get. Now that they can produce those hands... I'm not really sure what would be the catch. There must be one."

“It would be safer,” you venture, “I mean, Avalon was built to survive the worst of the worst. All those bunkers and tunnels...”

“I sense a “but” coming,” Cam suggests, “And not just the butts we're sitting on. C'mon, let's hit the road.” She stands, slipping out of the booth and helping Karina up. The ailing girl slips a little as she rises, and Cam's attention is immediately focused on the task at hand. Breathing a hushed apology, Karina allows the soldier to guide her towards the door. “What were we-” Cam continues, “Right, the “but” part.”

“Avalon might be protected from a Lilim attack, but it's not invulnerable. It's still dependent on food and supplies,” you point out, “Once the trucks stop coming, we'd WISH we were as self-reliant as the people out here.”

“Absolutely. Even Avalon isn't the complete package that these people imagined. Call it a stepping stone on the way,” the soldier agrees, “The cities they imagined were closed systems, completely self sufficient. I'm sure they had lots of clever ideas about how THAT would work, but that's beyond a grunt like me.”

Giggling, Karina tugs lightly at Cam's sleeve. “Don't say that!” she protests, “I hate it when you call yourself that. It's so... I don't know. Ugly.”

“It's an ugly job sometimes. I... eh, never mind,” Cam shakes her head. Busying herself with getting the car started, she holds her silence for a long while. Leaving the diner, she takes a sharp corner and sets you on a path towards the mountains. High up in the broken rocks, you see a smudge of concrete grey – the observatory, you assume. Karina glances around at you as the silence draws out, her eyes holding an unspoken question.

“Sorry,” you murmur, “Didn't mean to bore you with all this... city talk.”

“No!” she whispers back, “I'm interested. This is all so new to me, and... um, would you tell me a little more?”

Well, now you've been put on the spot. “At the end of the day, it would never work,” you decide after a pause for thought, “People would never accept it. Being forced out of their homes and moved into these new cities, that would just make people angry. Now, if these cities were so great that people CHOSE to move there... that's different. That's their choice.”

“I don't think “choice” is the goal here,” Cam jokes, although her laugh is – to say the least – strained.

“There is that,” you concede, “These high up people, I don't think they'd do this out of the goodness of their own heart. It wouldn't be about giving people a nice new alternative. It would be like...”

“Like starting from a clean slate,” Cam finishes for you, her voice grim, “Deep down, that's what it's always been about. Building up a new world from nothing, a world in their own image.”

And look at how well that worked out for them.

[1/?]

>>4087518

From a concrete grey smear against the darker rocks, the observatory grows and grows as you approach it. The mountain trail has been scrupulously maintained, but every time Cam guides the car around a sharp bend or a narrow path beside a sheer drop, your heart quickens. No matter how much you prepare, you can never be perfectly safe, can you? Glancing up into the rear view mirror, you meet Cam's eyes for a fleeting second.

“Of course, it was only ever an idea. A theory,” she announces suddenly, “Even putting aside the practical problems of making all these new, self sufficient cities, you got it exactly right. Making people move there, forcing them to move there, would just be more trouble than it's worth. It would never work. Just one more impossible dream.”

-

The observatory staff take your arrival in stride, politely unconcerned with the small size of your party. With a brisk, professional act, the “head caretaker” gives you a quick tour of the building, marking out the areas you're not allowed to access. Overnight, you'll have free rein over the main telescope and the viewing platform outside – provided, he didn't need to add, that you don't break anything.

Then you're alone. Hardly the austere building that you had imagined, the observatory seems more like a rich fool's plaything – decked out in faded luxury, all soft seats and thick carpets. The ceiling, a high dome, has large screens that can be opened to allow a wider view of the night sky. Out here, far from the city lights, you know it'll be a sight to behold. Despite your best efforts, that thought leads you to memories of home, and the long nights spent gazing up at the stars.

“Hey,” Karina whispers, nudging you with one bony elbow, “What are you thinking about?”

“Pancakes. I shouldn't have eaten so much,” you reply, hesitating for a moment before adding, “And home, I guess. I'm thinking about home.” A long pause, growing longer with each second that ticks by. Karina waits, somehow knowing that there's more to come. “My old man called. He said that my... my mo-” a pause, “That she might be getting better. She had a lucid phase. He said it was like seeing the woman he married again. It scares me.”

“It scares you,” she repeats, “Why?”

“Fuck, I don't know. Because this could be the start of something far worse? Because she might get better, only to relapse as soon as she sees me?” you shrug, almost aggressively, “Because hell, I'm scared of getting my hopes up. When things are bad, at least then I know where I stand. This whole thing is like uncharted territory for me.”

“Hmm...” Karina thinks for a moment, “Me too, actually.”

A short silence, then you both burst out laughing. “Oh god, we're doomed,” you groan, “We're both doomed.”

[2/3]

>>4087600

“I think...” Karina muses, “I think it's normal to be scared. I mean, ah, for anyone in this position. But, ah... but think about it. In Great Fighter Mokoto, Moko-chan spent years searching for her father. When she finally found him, he threw her into a volcano!” She holds up a finger as she says this, the gesture triumphant, but all you can do is stare in confusion. “I, ah, I mean that whatever happens, it won't be as bad as that,” she explains awkwardly, “That's, ah, that's what I meant.”

“No, wait, back up a minute,” you splutter, “He threw her into a VOLCANO?”

“It's okay!” Karina yelps, “She got better!”

She got... better.

Of course she did.

>I'm going to have to close this here for today, I'm pretty worn out. Current plan is to continue this tomorrow, though
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>4087674
Thanks for the run.

Are we going to get a better look at Belial while we are here?

>>4087674
Thanks for running.

Missed opportunity to have Great Fighter Miho! be a show in this universe ;)

>>4087688
Great Fighter Mokoto was rescued by Miracle Mohi, who teleported her out of the volcano. Or was it teleporting the volcano, spilling lava all over the countryside? Basically the same thing.

>>4087688
Great Fighter Miho's father wouldn't throw her into a volcano though.

File: KarinaT.png (191 KB, 900x700)

191 KB PNG

The moon, seen through this high powered telescope, blazes with a cold light. You can feel your heart quicken as you stare up at it, your body reacting in some strange way to the enigmatic glow. Unimaginably distant, yet seemingly close enough to touch when magnified like this, the moon makes for an uncanny sight. Why, you ask yourself, should it stir up these feelings inside you? Just what is it that you're responding to?

But the moon, as silent as ever, leaves these questions unanswered. Shuddering slightly, you step away from the telescope and watch as Karina moves forwards to take your place. What kind of reaction, you wonder, might SHE have?

“It's amazing, isn't it?” she breathes, “I can scarcely believe that men actually walked on the moon.”

“That's because they didn't,” you joke, “It was a film set in Nevada. They got that director to fake it. You know the one, the famous one.”

This time, Karina is the one who's left in a confused silence for a long moment. Then, eventually, she lets out a soft giggle. “That's so silly!” she laughs, “Who would believe something like that?” You did, actually, for an embarrassingly long time. Of course, you're not about to tell her that. Simply shrugging the comment off, you watch as Karina goes back to the telescope. “It's amazing,” she repeats, “I mean, ah, it's amazing what human beings are able to achieve. For all his power, Adam could never achieve something like this.”

“Does it ever bother you?” you ask suddenly, the question coming unbidden to your lips, “How little we understand them, I mean. Lilith and Adam. We don't know where they come from, why they do... the things they do. We don't really know anything about them.”

“They...” Karina begins, only for her voice to trail off as she steps back from the telescope. She waves, stumbling back a step, and you hurry in to catch her. Easing her down to the thickly carpeted floor, you give Cam a quick gesture of calm. The soldier nods, silently moving back and leaving you be. “They were never meant to be like this,” Karina whispers, her eyes growing unfocused, “They never should have met. This place, this planet, was never meant for two of them. Something went wrong.”

“Something went wrong,” you repeat. That one simple sentence could summarise your entire goddamn life.

For a moment, Karina's hands flutter in a confused, meaningless gesture as she tries to force her thoughts into words. “They, ah, they fought against each other, constantly adapting to try and gain an advantage. But as soon as one of them grew stronger, the other changed to match. It was, ah... an arms race? Yes, I think so,” she nods slowly to herself, “The more they fought, the more they evolved to fight. In the end, there was nothing else left. No art, no culture, nothing but violence and a will to dominate. An evolutionary dead end.”

[1/2]

>>4088902

Karina's words still echo through your head as you step out onto the observatory's balcony, feeling the cold mountain air wash over you. The idea, perhaps pulled from some ancient race memory she inherited from Adam himself, drags you from one insinuation to the next, each one growing stranger and more terrible. Are there other things like Adam and Lilith, somewhere out in the undiscovered corners of space? Was there some power, something higher still, that created them and scattered them across the stars?

Questions that are, in some form or another, as old as mankind itself. Questions that are far bigger than a girl like you, in other words. Leave that shit to the philosophers. Thinking of your own problems instead, you take out your phone and stare down at it for a long time. You're on the verge of calling home before you reconsider, punching a different number into your phone and listening to the distant, lonesome ringing sound.

“Hello?” Vic answers, “Ah, Holly. How's the observatory?”

“Very, um, observational,” you reply, watching your words puff out in clouds of cold air. Summer feels a long way away, out here in the mountains. “I just wanted to check in,” you add, “You know, make sure you're not getting up to any trouble. Wait, that doesn't sound clingy or anything, does it? I didn't mean-”

Vic interrupts you with a polite laugh. “Don't worry about it, I know what you meant. No, things have been fairly... well, I'm not sure if I could call it quiet here, but I don't see anything burning down. That's good enough for me,” he pauses, and you hear a distant flurry of voices. “Sorry. Like I said, not exactly quiet here,” Vic continues with a sigh, “Never mind that, um... what's the weather like out there? It would be a shame to go all that way and stare at the clouds all night.”

“Clear skies, as far as the eye can see,” you assure him, looking up at the sky, “And a full moon too. Just about perfect weather for this, I'd say.”

“You know, people once thought the moon was covered in an ocean of dust. When they were talking about landing the first probe on the moon, some people thought it would just sink without a trace. It didn't, obviously, and that was the end of that theory,” Vic thinks aloud, “I read a book about it recently. A novel. It was about a ship, sort of like a tour bus, that got into some trouble and sank under the dust. In the end, they-”

“Hey, don't spoil the ending!” you interrupt, “I might want to read that one day!”

“Oh,” he pauses for a suspiciously long time, “I didn't think it was your kind of thing, but...”

>Never too late for a bit of self-improvement, is it?
>Hey, what are you trying to say here?
>Maybe you don't know what my kind of thing is
>Well... (Write in)
>Other

>>4088904
>Never too late for a bit of self-improvement, is it?

What if we put Adam and Lilith in separate rockets and shot them in opposite directions!

>>4088904
>Well... (Write in)
>Never too late for a bit of self-improvement, is it?
It's not like we can do what we are doing forever it will end eventually, and we're going to need some sort of marketable skills for that.
>>4088913
Send Adam to Mars and, Lililth to the Moon Or Venus.

>>4088904
>Hey, what are you trying to say here?

>>4088904
Oh, I read that one!

>Hey, what are you trying to say here?

>>4088904
>Hey, what are you trying to say here?
But don't escalate, just find out what was his impression.

“It's never too late for a bit of self-improvement, is it?” you point out, “I mean sure, maybe I don't spend much time at school these days, what with everything that's been going on, but I'm not a lost cause, am I?”

Another long pause. “Well...” Vic begins, his voice tactful. Even before he can finish that thought, you let out a loud groan of dismay.

“Hey hey HEY, what are you trying to say here?” you demand, scowling hard at the night sky as if blaming the moon for all this. In a way, that stupid moon really IS to blame for this. Yet, after a moment, you hear a muffled laugh coming from the phone. “Oh, so that's how it is,” you growl, “This was all just a massive joke, was it?”

“Sorry. I couldn't help it,” Vic concedes, “I suppose Claudia is a bad influence on me, but... Even so, that's no excuse – I shouldn't have laughed. What I meant was, it's a very old book. Never mind the outdated science, some of the language might seem a little awkward. It's strange how quickly these things change.” He pauses again here, and you sense something else, some other thought waiting to take form. “Sometimes I wonder what the next generation is going to think of us – the stories we'll leave behind, the works of art we'll pass down,” he ventures, “Will any of them be remembered for decades to come?”

“Some of them might be remembered,” you suggest, thinking of the... dubious... artworks you've seen in Avalon's gallery, “But maybe not for the right reasons.” Taking the phone away from your ear for a moment, you hear Cam calling out from inside the observatory. Leaning around the doorway, you spot her unfolding a pair of sleeping bags. Giving her a hasty gesture, you return to the balcony outside. “Sorry. Just had to check things,” you explain, “Nothing burning down here either.”

Not yet, at least.

“That's a relief,” Vic remarks dryly, “Anyway, that book. I'll lend you my copy when you get back. It's not long, and I'll be curious to see what you think.”

“Sure. Call it a date,” you promise, letting out an awkward laugh, “I guess we really CAN call it a date, huh? Still not used to this whole thing...”

“Ah, well, it's still a novelty for me too,” he agrees, “I'll tell you what, I'll go and find that book. You're just staying overnight, right? I'll have it by the morning.”

“Right, I should be back tomorrow morning and... uh, there's one last thing,” you bite your lip as you try to find a non-paranoid way of wording this, “When you said that Claudia was a bad influence on you...”

“Oh. That,” Vic pauses, “We got talking today, although she didn't really give me much choice. She cornered me and, in her own unique way, made me promise that I wouldn't... mistreat you. She made me promise not to say anything, so don't... tease her about it, okay?”

“No promises,” you reply, “Teasing her is one of the few pleasures I have left these days.”

[1/?]

>>4088966


The observatory ceiling has been opened up as much as possible, the screens retracted to reveal the night sky above. With the lights out, the sky comes alive with the twinkling glow of countless stars. The three of you lie back and take in the sights, staring silently up into the night sky with something approaching reverence. Deep down you know that it's nothing special – you've seen stars before, after all – but the mood remains unbroken.

“Wow...” Karina whispers at last, “Have you ever seen anything like it?”

“A few times, when I was a kid. That's one perk of growing up in the middle of nowhere. I never really appreciated it, though,” Cam answers, “But there's one time I remember, one time that was really special. It was a few years back, when I was deployed in Mexico City. That was just after their big earthquake, and the city was still in a pretty bad shape. There was a blackout, power all across the city got knocked out, and the officers got worried about looting. So, they sent everyone out to run patrols. Imagine, patrolling the pitch black streets in a city that barely tolerated us at the best of times.”

You close your eyes for a moment, picturing it in your mind. As if tasting some of the soldier's memories, practically feel the weight of a rifle in your hand, hear the muffled whisper of the city around you...

“But there was no looting. There was no trouble at all, in fact. Everywhere we went, we saw the same thing – people were out on the streets, just gazing up at the sky. Without any lights down on the streets, the stars seemed brighter than ever... just like tonight,” Cam breathes, “I don't think I'll ever forget that night.”

Karina lets out a low sigh of yearning, of longing. It's a taste of a life she never could have led, both tantalising and infinitely frustrating. Silence descends once more as the memories fade, all three of you lapsing into your own private thoughts. Then, piercing the silence like a blade, your phone chimes. Fumbling it out with a muffled curse, you glance at the screen. It's a message from Kaori, a photograph that brings a startled laugh to your lips.

The photograph shows Kaori and Monroe, both throwing up peace signs with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Monroe grins brightly, but Kaori just looks embarrassed by the whole thing. Leaning over your shoulder to peer at the picture, Karina giggles. “Oh, they look like they're having fun!” she remarks, “But what's that in the background?”

The background. You didn't even NOTICE the background. Feeling vaguely foolish, you look past the two women and study the slightly blurred shape. A long spear, similar to the one Ava carried at Berlin – even down to the blade, pieced together from the shards of Excalibur.

“Well,” you murmur, “I guess I DID ask her for a cool photograph...”

2/3]

>>4089082

It might not be elegant, but you suppose it makes sense. If this “Great Gate” is blocking your way, cutting through it is the obvious answer. Too obvious, perhaps. You were expecting something more convoluted, some wild theory that you could never hope to understand, but breaking through? That's something you can grasp. It's strange, though. Bergmann went to inhuman lengths to create her own weapon, her own version of Excalibur, and they still need this... thing. A lack of confidence in her device?

Perhaps they don't trust it, you consider, they don't know if they can control it. Hard to blame them, really. You consider it for a long time, slipping in and out of a fitful sleep, until a gentle touch on your shoulder causes you to snap fully awake. Rolling over, you see Karina peering over at you.

“Ah, Holly, could you help me? I'd like to go outside for a little,” she whispers, nodding over to the door to the balcony, “But I don't want to wake Cam. She'll be driving in the morning and, ah, and I don't want her to be tired.”

Nodding silently, you help the sickly girl to her feet and offer her your shoulder. Almost carrying her, you step out into the cool air and allow her to lean against the railing for support. The cool wind brushes against your face, stirring your hair as the first hints of the morning sun peek over the horizon. It must be later than you thought, but-

“Holly? Thank you for coming with me,” Karina breathes, gazing out at the mountains, “I know, ah, I know that it might be foolish, futile, in the end, but I want to make as many memories as I can. There's so much to see in this world, more than anyone could see in a dozen lifetimes, and I thought... I thought that if I could see even a tiny fraction of it, that would be enough for me. But I was wrong.”

“You...” you begin, her words taking you by surprise.

“I want to keep going. I want to see more of the world, the good bits and the bad. I don't want to stop now,” she insists, almost pleading now, “I know it's selfish, I really do, but I... I don't ever want this to end!”

Her eyes, wide with yearning and sheened with tears, bore into you as you...

>... (Write in)

>>4089144
>Grab her shoulders and swear to make a ton of memories with her hard enough to drown out our inner voice.
>Get filled with DETERMINATION.

>>4089144
>... (Write in)
"I know. It's not selfish. I don't want to lose you either. You have my word that I'm going to try to find a way to save you even if it means talking to the big man Adam himself or wrestling him to the ground."

>>4089144
>... (Write in)

Well shit, we knew this was going to come up at some point.


We have a couple of theoretical methods that might save her.

Bring up Johanna, what Nebrios did to her, that Matheson somehow managed to fix her, and there is a slim possibility that something similar may work.

A soul transfer similar, to what happened to Claire ( candidates for this would be any of the pilots or a cloned body via the first half of the Blue Eye program).

We could sustain her, until Lilith's AT field would take her as well, allowing for her rebirth along side the rest of humanity. Or we simply don't kill Lilith, if we could make Orcus inoperable in such a way that would trap her on the other side, would give more time to think of a solution to her other problems everything.

>>4089144
>... (Write in)
"Then you'll have to fight for that. It is cruel, but it is true, I can't just make it happen. Together we'll have to figure it out somehow. Will you help me?"

She probably knows something.

>>4089187
>Bring up Johanna, what Nebrios did to her, that Matheson somehow managed to fix her, and there is a slim possibility that something similar may work.

Our current Johanna is a clone. The real one is gone.

>>4089205
That is the point, she somehow has the original's memories.

That's is also why it's not included with the soul transfer, also i guess "Julia" and "Juliet" also would count as an example of this.

“It's not selfish, Karina. It's NOT. I don't want to lose you either, and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to stop that from happening. I don't care if I have to march up to Adam and force him to change the rules – I'll do whatever it takes,” you insist, reaching across and grabbing her by the shoulders, “No, we'll do it together. It might seem cruel, but we'll have to fight for it – we'll fight against the world, if it comes to that!”

“But... how?” Karina whispers, “If Lilith is destroyed, Adam will fall dormant once more and I'll... But so long as Lilith is alive, mankind will be at risk. I can't put myself before the world!”

“We'll think of SOMETHING,” you press, “And in the meantime, we'll make so many memories that you won't know what to do with them all! This only ends when we give up, and I don't plan on giving up. Do you?”

Karina's lips part in a silent gasp, and she raises her hands to her chest. Clenching them into tiny fists, she nods with sudden decisiveness. “I won't give up!” she promises, “W-when Moko-chan was in the volcano, she almost gave up but it was the memories of her friends that gave her the strength to escape. You've all done so much for me, given me so many cherished memories. If Moko-chan can do it, I can do it too!”

“That's right!” you cry, matching her nod with a slightly unhinged version of your own. Deep down, there's a part of you that wonders if this is really happening. Is THIS what you've been reduced to? Placing your trust in low budget anime and the power of friendship?

No. Not just that. But if this is what gives Karina hope, if this is what lets her face the days to come, you'll take it. Before you can say another word, Karina lunges forwards and throws her arms around you. Her body is almost weightless, as if she's already started to fade away. She feels delicate, almost too fragile to touch, but you cling to her for dear life regardless. With a desperation that neither of you wants to linger on, you hold each other tight.

>Ego increased by 5
>Current Ego: 62/70

In the end, what causes you to pull back is the rising sun – the growing light jabs at you from the corner of your eye, causing you to turn away. That slight movement stirs Karina, causing her to draw back. She looks up at you with an embarrassed smile, not quite sure what to say. “So...” you venture, “In that volcano thing, what kind of memories did Moko-chan have?”

“Um...” Karina scratches her head, looking away as her cheeks darken, “You know, ah, you know I can't really remember. It's been a while since I watched that episode so... um, I couldn't really say.”

“I'm curious now,” you remark, “I'll have to look that up later.”

“Well, ah...” the sickly girl looks around, peering back inside the observatory, “Oh, Cam is up. I'd better, ah, I'd better help her with the sleeping bags!”

With that, she hurries – as much as she can ever hurry – back inside.

[1/?]

>>4089292
Yeah definitely in favor of control rodding Lilith

>>4089299
The problem is that without help, Karina likely won't last much longer even if we stop her from ending up in a coma, anyway.

We should probably lean on Brahms, Bermann, Laing , and Elrow for help, since they kinda owe us big time especially if they want us to pull through, also their insight into the processes and mechanics underpinning the Blue Eye program, and the Circle Eleven Trials, A good starting point would be attempting to revive Wilson and his daughter to see if there are any problems relating to length of time since their death. (If it works there would be other reasons, that would be beneficial, if it was successful, Holly getting one of her mistakes undone, and closure for Karina if we can't figure it out in time.), via cloning, in order to start figuring out what Matheson actually did, Unless they already have that figured out because of how they replicated Julia .

>>4089292

“You're just giving her false hope, you know. That's not going to help.”

“Shut up,” you whisper, gripping the metal railing until your knuckles turn white, “Just shut up.”

“You can't win this fight. You might as well stick your head under the water and fight against drowning. It doesn't matter how hard you fight, or how much you believe in yourself. You'll lose eventually.”

“Shut up,” you repeat, clenching your eyes shut as you wait for the hateful voice to continue. When, mercifully, it remains silent, you slowly open your eyes and return to the observatory.

-

The drive back is longer, with more detours and distractions. Karina's vague suggestion - “let's go somewhere interesting!” - takes you to a small, but surprisingly prosperous, town at the edge of a small forest. According to the sign you find at the edge of town, the forest is home to an incredibly old tree – the only tree in the area to come through Second Impact unscathed. Between fire and flood, all the rest were destroyed.

“Hmm,” Cam muses, “That's very impressive and all, but it's still just a tree. Should we go and look for it? We've got trees back in Avalon, after all.”

As Cam and Karina debate the various merits of the trees here versus the trees in Avalon, you read the sign again. At first, it's hard to imagine that people would come from miles around to stare at a tree, but you slowly start to understand it a little better. It's not about the tree, not really, it's about an all too rare link with the world before Second Impact. A tree like this is proof that the slate wasn't wiped completely clean. It might not mean much to you, to someone born after the end of Second Impact, but to the older generations...

“Hey, wake up!” Cam calls out, slapping you on the shoulder, “We'll have to save the tourist act for another day, we've been ordered back to base. It's not priority one, so the world isn't ending yet, but it seemed pretty urgent.”

“Although I don't feel... anything,” Karina points out, “If, ah, if there was a Lilim coming, I would have noticed something.”

“No point in arguing with HQ,” Cam concludes, “If they want us back, we're coming back. Orders are orders.”

You hate that phrase.

-

As you're speeding back to Avalon, Kaori sends you another message. It's simple, almost terse despite the lack of tone inherent to text - “Where are you?”

“On our way back to base,” you text back, “Where's the fire?”

“Nothing. No fire. Just waiting around for you to get back,” she replies immediately, “Team briefing. Commander Monroe is getting restless. Excited. Did you see my pic?”

“I did. Peace signs,” you message, “Very cute.”

This time, there is a delay before Kaori replies. “That's what you noticed?” she writes, and you have to imagine her irritated tone, “You're hopeless!”

“Hmm?” Karina asks, looking around, “What are you laughing at?”

[2/3]

>>4089386

Breaking a few speed limits along the way, Cam soon has you back in Avalon. As she takes care of the car, you head to the briefing room with Karina. The others are waiting for you when you arrive, and the air hums with excitement. “Sorry I'm late,” you whisper, flashing a peace sign, “Hi Kaori!”

“Will you stop-” she begins, only to stop and let out a breath through clenched teeth, “Look, that wasn't my idea. Blame Commander Monroe, she INSISTED that we... oh, forget it.”

Chuckling softly to yourself, you sit down as Monroe clicks the projector on. The opening image causes your laughter to die instantly. The vast, almost mountainous teeth that loom out of the projector screen are unmistakable – Orcus, the Great Gate. “Okay team, I'll make this brief,” Monroe begins, “This is our target. We need to breach this gate before we can tackle Lilith herself. Fortunately, our science team think they've got a solution.”

Click. The hideous image changes, replaced by a sterile diagram of the spear you saw in Kaori's photograph. “This is the, um... Sorry Kaori, but I'm going to butcher this. This is the Kusanagi Project,” Monroe pauses, “Was I close?”

“Close enough,” Kaori answers, “Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, if you want to be-”

“Close enough, right,” Monroe interrupts, “We've pieced together all the fragments of Excalibur left in our possession, and we believe this will allow us to force the gate open. We've run extensive simulations using data gathered by the Dirac Probe, and this is our only plan that works. There's a catch, though – we need someone to hold the gate open, otherwise our intrusion team would be stranded on the other side.”

Which is, obviously, a bad thing.

“It's a risky job. Kusanagi needs a strong AT Field to maintain structural integrity. Um, think of it as a magnetic field holding pieces of metal together. The problem is, that could cause a lot of strain on the user. If you're not strong enough, the backlash could be, um... dangerous,” Monroe clears her throat, “Fatal, actually. So, obviously, we need to pick the right person for the job. Claudia, I want-”

Claudia leaps to her feet, rising so fast that her chair clatters backwards. Like a cornered animal, she casts a wild glance around her and backs off a step. Then, forcing a ferocious expression onto her face, she scowls out at you all. “You want me to risk my life so I can be a gloried DOORSTOP?” she snarls, still backing off, “This... this is an insult! I won't have it!”

With a sudden lurch, her wounded leg almost giving out under her, Claudia turns and sweeps out of the briefing room. “Claudia, wait!” Monroe cries out, starting to chase after the fleeing heiress.

>Let Monroe handle this. She understands the plan better than you do
>Chase after Claudia instead. You can handle her better than anyone else
>Or... (Write in)
>Other

>>4089509
>Chase after Claudia instead. You can handle her better than anyone else

>>4089509
>Or... (Write in)

Wouldn't Yulia be a better choice? She might have a little less raw power than Claudia, but thematically and mentally she's way more fitting.

>>4089509
>Or... (Write in)
We should ask for an explanation of why they think this is a good idea, period. Because as far as we know, we still don't have a concrete plan to kill Lilith.

Ultimately the only thing i can think of is that this would tie up all of the loose ends regardless of what actually occurs, since we are definitely going to be one of the people on the other side.

>>4089509
>Or... (Write in)
We could have two people hold the door. One can switch with the other if the strain becomes too much.

>>4089534
This sounds reasonable.

“Chief, wait!” you interrupt, grabbing Monroe's arm as she hurries past, “I'll go after her. I know how to handle her better than anyone else here. I can explain this to her.”

“Holly?” Monroe pauses, “But you don't know the plan yet. If she just gave me a chance to explain, I'm sure she would-”

“Explain it to ME,” you tell her slowly, “So I can explain it to HER. It won't hurt to give her a few minutes to cool off, anyway.” Monroe considers this briefly before giving you a stiff nod, steering you away to the far end of the briefing room. “Okay. First question. Does it HAVE to be Claudia? I've seen what Yulia can do, she's like a goddamn anchor when it comes to stuff like this,” you point out, nodding slightly over towards the Russian girl, “Gravity manipulation or whatever she does. If we're trying to lever the gate open...”

“If it was just a case of leverage you'd be exactly right, but it's more complicated than that. We need to cancel out Orcus' AT Field, which is no easy feat. Yulia has talents, but in terms of raw power she lags behind Claudia,” Monroe explains, “Her compatibility score is top notch, second only to you – and I need you leading the attack. We've run the simulations again and again – Claudia has an eighty percent chance of pulling this off. Once we drop down to Yulia, we're looking at sixty percent at the most. I don't like either of those odds, but... we don't have anything better.”

Sixty percent. That's a pretty steep drop. “What about two people?” you suggest, “That way, they could swap over if the strain is getting too much.”

“We ARE planning on keeping a backup on hand, but that's not an ideal solution. The swap would need to be perfect, and even then it's not guaranteed to work. Here's the problem – if Orcus' AT Field overwhelms Kusanagi, it could destroy the weapon itself as well as the wielder. We're only likely to get one shot at this,” Monroe sighs, closing her eyes for a moment, “It sucks, doesn't it? But right now, we're working with what we've got. We can't postpone this operation forever.”

“And we still don't have a solid plan for Lilith herself,” you sigh, “Jesus...”

“Right. Lilith herself is the next step, but with Orcus blocking our way...” she shakes her head, “We've got almost nothing to go on. Once we're through that Gate, it's all improv.”

You were almost happier when you didn't know about any of this. “I guess that's that,” you breathe, giving the commander a vague gesture, “I'll see what I can do with Claudia. I won't force her into this, but maybe... I don't know. I'll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Holly,” Monroe concludes, “I'm not suggesting this lightly. You know that, don't you?”

You know. Beneath all the phony cheer, beneath the “cool mom” act, Monroe has always taken this seriously. Now, this is no different.

[1/?]

>>4089584

You catch up with Claudia in the dorm. She's lingering in the kitchen, leaning heavily against the counter with her back towards you. Even so, you see her shoulders tense up as she hears you approach. The air crackles with the possibility for conflict, and some small part of you – some bitter part of you, something you've been trying to forget – shivers with excitement. Pushing the dark thoughts aside, you march across and take a cold soda from the refrigerator.

“So,” you begin, speaking up when Claudia doesn't, “Some plan, huh?”

“If you can really call it that,” she spits, “Honestly, I don't know why they pay these people. It's hardly strategic genius. Anyway Reynolds, just don't start. Don't even bother to start.”

You wait for a few seconds, counting off your heartbeat. “It's a pretty important part of the plan, you know. One of the MOST important parts, in fact,” you point out, “So if you're letting your pride get in the way, just because you're not the one who gets to claim the kill at the end of this, that's pretty-”

“It's not about that!” Claudia snaps, giving you a ferocious look. Behind the anger, the fear is all too obvious. “It's not a matter of pride. Not really,” she adds, her voice lowering to a brittle whisper, “It's NOT.”

“I assumed as much,” you agree, leaning back against the kitchen counter and popping open your soda, “So what's the problem?”

Claudia's eyes narrow with contempt. “You really are an idiot, aren't you?” she drawls, “I know that I'm the best girl for the job, I know that I HAVE to do this, I just... I don't want to fail, that's all! I know that if I fail, it won't just be ME who goes down. You'd be stranded over there too, and that... I'd really hate for that to happen.”

“Claudia-” you begin, but the heiress interrupts you with a harsh gesture.

“Believe it or not, I actually think of you as a friend,” she admits, gathering up her resolve and forcing the words out, “And if that means I need to step up and take one for the team, so be it. I'm tired of living with this anger, this... spite. It's time to put it to good use!”

>Claudia gained the ability AT Avenge
>AT Avenge: Reflect 50% of Ego damage back as HP damage

“Well?” Claudia snaps, scowling at you as she waits for your answer, “What are you waiting for? Monroe sent you to drag me back to the briefing room, didn't she? Lets get this show on the road!”

“Okay okay, don't get carried away!” you sigh, “There's just one other thing – don't give Vic a hard time, okay?”

“That...” Claudia curses, her cheeks darkening, “He promised he wouldn't say anything!”

>Going to pause this here for today. Current plan is to continue this tomorrow, though
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>4089618
Thanks for the run.

>>4089618
Thanks for running!

It's ok Claudia, they wouldn't have picked you if there was someone who could do it better.

Well ok, I could do it better, but that's why I'm leading the mission!

>>4089618
Thanks for the run. Looks like a milk run: get in, hold the door, kick ass, get out. What could possibly go wrong?

>>4089626
Famous last words

>>4089618
What has Vic done , again?

>>4089638

>>4088966
>“When you said that Claudia was a bad influence on you...”

>“Oh. That,” Vic pauses, “We got talking today, although she didn't really give me much choice. She cornered me and, in her own unique way, made me promise that I wouldn't... mistreat you. She made me promise not to say anything, so don't... tease her about it, okay?”

>“No promises,” you reply, “Teasing her is one of the few pleasures I have left these days.”

>>4089644
How did I manage to miss that whole post

File: QuentinB.png (306 KB, 900x700)

306 KB PNG

There are some fights that you just can't win, and this might be one of them.

Marking your page with a scrap of paper, you toss the book down on your bed and let out a low groan. You're not ready to admit defeat just yet, but the odds are against you. Vic wasn't kidding when he guessed it wasn't your kind of thing. It's not a bad book, not by any stretch of the word, but you weren't expecting there to be so much... science in it. Even as you think that to yourself, you wince at how stupid it would sound aloud. Too much science. In your science fiction novel.

Yeah.

Deciding to take a break instead, you sit up and march out of your room. You'll feel much better once you've had a chance to wander about, you decide, once you've cleared your head a little. As you're leaving, though, you see Vic emerging from his room. Your eyes meet, and he gives you a friendly smile of greeting. “Hello there,” he begins, starting to wave before thinking better of it, “How's the book?”

“It's going great!” you blurt out, “I'm just taking a quick break for now. I, uh, I don't want to finish it too fast, you know?”

God, you're so lame.

-

Thoughts of Karina bring you down to the lab, where Bergmann and Brahms are working away in a stubborn silence. Photographs and diagrams from Project Kusanagi are taped across the wall on Brahms' side of the room, as if deliberately defying Bergmann and her Saturnalia Device, and you wander over to take a closer look. “Ah, Miss Reynolds,” Brahms begins, looking around from his computer and giving you a polite nod of greeting, “I presume you've seen Project Kusanagi already, is that correct?”

“Sure,” you remark, “The world's most advanced crowbar.”

“I suppose that's one way of looking at it. Now, I have to ask. Are we going to have any problems with Miss Rainer? I was told that she reacted badly to the idea,” Brahms continues, “We've been working on alternative ideas. A backup plan, essentially. We may have something.”

“We?” you repeat, looking between Brahms and Bergmann. It's hard to imagine them sitting down and discussing what to have for dinner, let alone any complicated scientific matters.

The scientists trade an unreadable look. “It was his idea,” Bergmann concedes at last, giving Brahms a grudging nod, “I'll let him explain.”

“I believe that Juliet and Julia may be able to, if you'll excuse the simplification, combine their powers. Juliet will be in the field, piloting her ADM Unit, while Julia will occupy one of the test plugs here. Together, their combined AT Fields should be potent enough to maintain Kusanagi. Of course, this remains a theory – we're running simulated experiments now,” Brahms explains, his words clipped and precise, “The theory has one main flaw. If the connection is disrupted, even for a moment, the plan could fail outright. A disaster, of course. For everyone involved.”

[1/2]

>>4099661

“It's an additional point of failure,” Bergmann points out, “Every additional factor we bring into play increases the risk. An additional pilot – more risk. A connection between those pilots – even more risk. Our ideal situation STILL involves one pilot wielding Kusanagi.”

“Which brings us back to my original point,” Brahms concludes, “Can we rely on Miss Rainer?”

You shrug. “She's scared, but she's willing to do it. Monroe's numbers give her an eighty percent chance of success. I don't see things getting much better,” pausing here, you gesture over towards the door, “Mind if we have a word outside? Got a question for you.”

Brahms frowns, but he follows you outside without complaint. You're not sure why, but you don't want Bergmann to overhear this. She might not be... sympathetic. “I've been thinking about Karina,” you explain quickly, quietly, “I don't want her to go dormant, but I don't know if we can let Lilith live either. It's a really shitty choice, and I hate shitty choices. There HAS to be another way. Some way of, I don't know, connecting her to THIS world instead of Adam. Can't we just... change the rules? Hell, break them if that's what it-”

“Miss Reynolds, please,” Brahms interrupts, holding up a hand to stop your protest before it can begin. He thinks for a moment more, his expression revealing nothing. “You must remember what Karina IS. Her genetic stock may be human, but she was born from Adam himself - created in an act that was as much a ritual as it was an experiment. Her connection to Adam is a fundamental aspect of her being and she is, as far as we can tell, unique.”

“So what are you SAYING, man?” you hiss, trying not to snap aloud, “That we should just throw our hands up and say “it's impossible”, huh?”

“I'm saying that I don't have any answers for you. We don't know, we don't understand, enough about Karina's nature to propose a rational solution,” Brahms pauses for a weighty moment, “What little evidence we do have suggests there is no solution. What you're asking may be impossible... but Ava was able to return from her bodiless state. That too was impossible, according to our theories.”

So if one “impossible” thing could be achieved, perhaps another could also be within reach. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

“I know what my colleague would say,” Brahms nods slightly over to where Bergmann is very deliberately not listening, “She would say to trust in the strength of the human spirit. To have... faith.”

>I believe in Karina. I just hope that's enough
>That's not good enough, doc. I need more than just faith!
>I never saw you as the type to put his faith in miracles, doctor
>If Karina is as unique as you say, she might not HAVE a human spirit
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>4099663
>>That's not good enough, doc. I need more than just faith!
Ava's restoration came from doing something, not waiting. Can't we just commune with Adam again and ask if he can leave Karina here?

>>4099663
>That's not good enough, doc. I need more than just faith!
How did they even mange to replicate Julia's memories and transfer them to Juliet.

>>4099663
>I think... (Write in)
"Well, what evidence do you have? How killing Lilim and Karina's state are connected? If we were to shoot her to space in the rocket, would it have the same effect on her as killing the Lilith would?"

As an autistic foray into magical AT-field science, I'd suggest that AT-field is basically electromagnetism, but somehow different. Then one could say that Adam & Lilith are just broadcasting on different frequencies, which either resonates/helps some "innate" AT-field of a living creature or interferes with it, causing disruption. But one could just as well 'overwhelm' the field, which is what happens when Holly attacks other humans, even though they should resonate similarly.

“That's not good enough, doc!” you snap, “I need more than just faith! I can't... I can't lose her too!” These last words coming, unbidden, to your lips. Blinking in a sudden shock, you bite off the flow of words before your foolish tongue can betray you again. You can almost sense Bergmann smirking to herself, off in her distant corner of the room. “Ava came back because I acted, not because I sat around and prayed,” you hiss, when you finally trust yourself to speak again, “This is DIFFERENT.”

“Yes. It is,” Brahms says simply. His voice is flat, neither mocking nor soothing. A simple statement of fact. Nothing more. Somehow, that manages to be more infuriating than any insult he could have dredged up.

“Can't we commune with Adam and ask HIM to spare her?” you persist, “Ask him to cut her off, to leave her here with us, whatever it takes!”

Brahms looks away here, glancing back towards his colleague. Bergmann still doesn't turn, refusing to come to his aid even now. Stubborn, spiteful almost, the way she does that. “We don't know what might happen if Karina was cut off from Adam,” he concedes, “In terms of research, it was... heavily discouraged. Without her connection to Adam, Karina would have been useless in their eyes.”

Because that's all she ever was to these people. A tool. A thing for them to use. She was disposable from the start – like Juliet, like the BLUE EYE team. Like... Juliet. “They made another Juliet. The same mind, the same... the same soul,” you point out, “How did they do it?”

“You said it yourself, they share the same soul. They were connected from the moment they were created,” Bergmann announces, breaking her silence at last, “No easy feat, actually. It took a man with a very special set of skills to arrange.”

A cold silence. “Amon?” you snap, “He-”

“I want to see Karina. To speak with her – alone,” Brahms interrupts, “We're getting distracted. Miss Reynolds. I don't wish to be rude, but I'd like you to go now.” As if anticipating your fury, he holds up a careful hand to silence you. “This is to help her,” he explains, “You wanted something more, but I need time to think. To study the situation with objective eyes. I can't do that while you're around.”

Baring your teeth in a silent snarl, you turn around and march out. Bergmann follows at a casual pace, her long stride easily keeping up with yours. “Amon,” you hiss, “If that bastard was here, he could-”

“He could torment you in some new and imaginative way,” Bergmann points out, “If he could help Karina, even in the tiniest possible way, do you really think he'd do so without some disgusting price? We say things like “whatever it takes”, but real life is never so simple. There are always limits, lines we can't bring ourselves to cross. Amon would have dragged you to that line and beyond.”

But even then...

[1/?]

>>4099750
I wonder how Amon would have reacted. In a warped sense Karina is his sister via Konstantin and the crazy bastard seemed like he wanted 'kin' like him.

>>4099760
They met right after Nebrios happened, Karina really didn't want anything to do with him.

>>4099750

You walk aimlessly through the lower level, only dimly aware of Bergmann following a few paces behind. When you arrive at the elevators, you stab at the button with one finger and turn. “What's he doing?” you ask, “Brahms. Does he have some grand idea?”

“I couldn't possibly say,” Bergmann answers coolly, “But I rather expect he thinks he does. It's quite unusual for him to act so suddenly without good reason. Even if it's just a theory that he wants to consider, it's worth taking the time. As much as I hate to admit it, he's quite brilliant in his own way.” Slowly, she taps a finger against her lips as the elevator arrives, brushing past you and entering it. Before the doors can close, you hurry in beside her. “If he DOES have a theory, I'm sure it concerns Karina's connection to Adam,” she muses, “It's the big mystery here. The black box, if you like.”

Great.

“Cheer up,” Bergmann concludes, slapping you on the shoulder as the elevator doors slide open, “At least we're not sitting around doing nothing!”

-

Bergmann sweeps away in the direction of Monroe's office, leaving you to resume your wandering. It's all you CAN do, really, until Brahms is ready to talk. The thought of going back to the dorm, with all the inevitable hustle and bustle, hardly appeals right now. The infirmary, instead, for a little bit of peace and quiet. When you arrive, though, you can see that you're not the only one who had the idea. Yulia lies on one of the infirmary beds, stretched out on a crisp white sheet.

“Uh, hey,” you call out, awkwardly raising your hand, “What are you doing here?”

“I like it here,” Yulia replies, “I spent a great deal of time here when Dakota was unwell. I came to, how do you say, appreciate it.” Even lying down, you notice her tiny shrug. Sitting down on the next bed over, you wait for a reaction – any kind of subtle “go away” signal. Nothing comes, so you assume you're welcome here. “I have been thinking a lot lately. About Elrow,” she continues, pronouncing the name strangely – like two distinct words, like El Row. “He has made me, us, an offer. When this is over, he will provide us with education, training. Whatever we want,” a pause, “It is, I think, his way of making things right for us. He would not say that directly, of course, but I could tell.”

“Gonna take a lot more than some fancy schooling to make things right,” you mutter. Yulia, politely, pretends not to hear. “So what, you're gonna take him up on the offer?” you ask instead, “I thought you were done with all their science stuff.”

“We all need an education. This, NERV, will not last forever. We have a future,” Yulia pauses again, “And I think, perhaps, I will be a doctor. I want a future where I can help people. That will not be easy, of course, but I am prepared for this.”

[2/3]

>>4099794

“When we visited his lab, I was not interested in weapons. That was not what I was there to see. I think El Row saw that. He showed me a new project – no, not new. Old, but pushed to the side when the UN...” Yulia hesitates, “It was a project, he said, that should not have been forgotten. A device to protect people, to shield them against a Lilim's destructive AT-Field. Small, this thing, only capable of protecting a single person. But that, he said, was the most important part. It meant something to him, I think.”

You hesitate. This seems to be something she's been dwelling on for a long time – ever since visiting the lab, you suspect.

“For all their great plans, their great works, they forgot about the people they were meant to protect. Not now. Of course, there will be no need for this device if we are successful,” she nods firmly, decisively, “There will be no need for this device, or for NERV. We will have earned our future.”

A future where she can apply her fascination with fixing broken little things to flesh and blood. Kinda creepy, when you think about it that way. A moment later, you feel a flash of guilt – she's doing a good thing here, planning for her future, and you're poking fun. Totally not cool.

“It frightens me, sometimes,” Yulia admits suddenly, her thoughtful expression giving way to this confession, “What might happen if we are not successful. El Row has been preparing for it, preparing for the worst. It would be a terrible thing – a world, he said, that would not belong to us. With great effort and ingenuity, perhaps men might cling on for a while longer, but how long? Even when I signed up to be a pilot, I did not imagine pressure like this. I wonder, sometimes, if I made a terrible mistake...”

>I know how you feel. Sometimes I wish none of this ever happened
>You made the right choice. I'm glad you've been here with us
>Seems like becoming a pilot was the right call. It got you out of that camp, after all
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>4099837
>You made the right choice. I'm glad you've been here with us

>>4099837
>I know how you feel. Sometimes I wish none of this ever happened.

>>4099837
>I think... (Write in)
"I'm just glad to have you. If we're not successful, there won't be anyone to blame us. That's gotta count for something, right?"

>>4099837
>>You made the right choice. I'm glad you've been here with us
>You've been great, and honestly could you live with yourself if the world ends and you didn't give it your all?

>>4099837
>I think... (Write in)
"I think back to when I made the choice to come here. Wanting some excitement compared to the monotony of board-school. I got *way* more than I bargained for. Still I'm glad I came here. Meeting all of you and being the first line of defense. And I'm glad you're here with us too."

“You know, I think we all feel that way sometimes. I know I do. Sometimes, I wish none of this ever happened,” you reply, lying back on your bed and staring up at the white infirmary ceiling. How many times have you woken up here, aching from phantom wounds or sick with grief? If it's not here, it's some other hospital or laboratory. Sheets rustle as Yulia sits up, peering your way with a silent curiosity. “I didn't really have a good thing going before coming here. I mean, it was a pretty good deal compared with what you had, but... it wasn't great,” you continue, allowing the words to flow, “Even so, I miss it sometimes. Less pressure, like you said. Worst thing I had to worry about was some girl getting bitchy.”

“No space monsters,” Yulia remarks.

“No space monsters,” you agree, “Maybe that was the problem. It was so boring, I had to go looking for excitement.”

Looking for trouble, more like. Like the tourist Yulia once accused you of being. It's an ugly thought, and your mood turns ugly to match.

“If not for us, this awful task would have fallen on some other girls,” Yulia thinks aloud, her words filling the sudden silence, “This would be their burden, not ours.”

The infirmary ceiling, the white so bright that it seems to swim before your eye. “Yeah? So?” you murmur, “Why do WE have to shoulder this weight all by ourselves? Why shouldn't someone else deal with this crap for once?”

Yulia is silent for a long moment. “Holly,” she says at last, “Do you really think that?”

Do you? There's a part of you – something deep down, something that burns with a hot coal of anger – that does. Just a few short months ago, that would be the end of it. Now, you've got perspective. An idea of the bigger picture, an idea of what's really at stake here. You're seeing the world through new eyes... a new eye, at least. Yulia waits, patiently, as you think and eventually, you shake your head. “No. I guess not. As much as I resent the crap we've gone through, the crap they've put us through, I can... I guess I can understand it a little now. We HAD to do this,” you decide, “You made the right call, signing up. I'm glad you're here with me. With us, I mean.”

“That... means a lot,” Yulia sighs, “I think perhaps I am not a very good pilot. I do not like to fight. Can you imagine that? It is something I realised quite recently. While I was watching over Dakota, I thought about it. How little I enjoyed hurting people, against how much I enjoyed caring for her. That, I think, is not something I would have realised unless I came here. That camp, even when the UN took over, was a hard place. If I had remained there, I think I would have been...”

A pause here, as she searches for the right word to use. You hold your tongue, waiting to see what she'll come up with.

“I would have been deformed,” Yulia finishes at last, pressing a hand to her chest, “But here. In the heart.”

[1/?]

>>4099870

You wake from a dream of drowning in moondust, the soft buzz of your phone wrenching you awake before the nightmare can reach its inevitable conclusion. Fumbling for the phone, you see a message from Bergmann. It seems wrong, somehow, getting a text message from her. Like she wouldn't normally lower herself to such a simple means of getting her point across. Maybe this one time is fine, just because of how simple the message is – a single sentence summoning you back down to the laboratory.

As you're leaving, you spot a notepad left beside Yulia's now vacant bed. Another message awaits, longer this time.

“Thank you for listening to me, and for helping me understand many things,” Yulia writes in a maddeningly precise script, “I feel bad that Mister Elrow's work will go to waste, but I know that we will not lose. Even if there are many things that go wrong, we will find a way. Always remember that we are a team – we will all face this future together.”

“PS,” you murmur, reading aloud, “You are very restless when you sleep. I hope this is not a problem when you and Victor-”

Probably best if you don't read the rest of that aloud. You never know who might be listening.

-

When you see Karina, her sleep is so deep and absolute that you automatically fear the worst. Perhaps worse is her expression, fixed in a troubled grimace. It's the sort of expression that implies bad things about her last living moments, as if she didn't go out peacefully. Turning, you shoot Brahms a poisonous glare. He doesn't notice, or pretends not to notice, as he writes the last of his notes.

“Huang,” he begins, choosing his words with immaculate care, “Doctor Bergmann told me all about her, and the isolation plug she was kept inside. It made me wonder about Karina's connection with Adam, if it could be influenced – suppressed or interrupted – in the same way. There was a risk, of course, that tampering with this connection could prove dangerous, but Karina was willing to take that chance.”

“I must say, Quentin, I never expected you to be so impulsive,” Bergmann jeers, “From theory to experiment in just a matter of hours. You didn't even stop to write a thesis about it. I must be a bad influence on you.”

For all her mockery, you can sense a grudging respect from Bergmann – the sort of admission that she would never, ever speak aloud.

“The circumstances require an uncommon degree of haste,” Brahms replies stiffly, “There are times when normal scientific rigour must give way to-”

“Can we leave the squabbling until later?” you interrupt, “Like, after you tell me what the fuck you DID to her?”

“The simple version, then,” he decides, spreading his hands wide, “I managed, temporarily, to interrupt Miss Teufel's connection with Adam.”

“Without killing her, apparently,” Bergmann adds, “Well done!”

[2/3]

>>4099893

“Miss Teufel described the experience as “uncomfortable”, but I suspect she was understating it. Putting on a brave face, so to speak. Her vital signs showed extreme levels of stress while the interruption was in place, and it proved to be physically draining. She's unharmed, but exhausted,” Doctor Brahms explains, “She needs to rest now. Please, don't bother her until she's good and ready.”

You stare at Karina, at her pinched features and furrowed brow. “Uncomfortable,” you repeat at last. It's the only thing you can think to say.

“I think we've all underestimated just how much of an influence Adam has over her,” Bergmann suggests, “A subconscious influence, like background noise. You might not notice it, but when it's suddenly gone...”

Brahms clears his throat, and you both look back to him. “We've proven that we can interrupt the connection between Karina and Adam without any immediate harm. My theory is as follows. if Lilith is destroyed, Adam will enter stasis along with everything connected to him. If Karina is isolated while Adam is entering dormancy, she may remain awake. The question, then, is what happens once she leaves isolation. It may be that her connection to Adam will resume, and she will immediately follow him into dormancy,” he pauses here, casting a serious eye across you, “Or. She may remain here, awake, with us.”

“There's a third option, doctor,” Bergmann points out, her voice low. No mockery now. It's rare to hear her sounding so... sincere.

“Yes,” Brahms concedes, tilting his head slightly, “We don't know the long term consequences of separating Karina from Adam. We may spare her from dormancy, only to condemn her to dissolution instead. Regardless, I think we should continue with-”

“NO!” a voice snaps, and you look around to see Cam marching over. Her face is dark, twisted into a fearful grimace. “I'm not letting you near her again, Doctor,” she spits, that last word laced with contempt, “All you've done is hurt her, traumatise her, and for what? You haven't proven anything! I was watching the same experiment as you, and I don't see anything to be optimistic about. All you've got are empty ideas, and you're building them up into some... some miracle cure!”

Stunned into silence by this sudden attack, Brahms stares blindly at Cam. This kind of protest was not, you suspect, part of the plan. Not part of the plan, not something he could have prepared himself for. Now, all he can do is fumble for something, anything, to say.

>Back off Cam, Brahms is just trying to help Karina!
>This needs to stop, Brahms. These experiments are going nowhere
>C'mon Bergmann, can't you talk some sense into these guys?
>I... (Write in)
>Other

>>4099925
>I... (Write in)
"She told me she wanted to live, Cam. What's her other options? Die without even trying?"

>>4099925
>>I... (Write in)
Think you should ask her. Cam she WANTS to live, to be more than a sickly girl who's tied to an uncaring alien deity. If this was hard on her maybe, once she wakes up, ASK.

>>4099937
>>4099925
Seconding.

"Cam, Brahms isn't Lindgren. I can promise you that. We have to try to find something."

I spelled that doc's name wrong, but the asshole one that called her a disposable tool.

>>4099925
Supporting.
>>4099937

As Brahms flounders, fumbling for something to say, Cam takes a step closer. Despite being a full head taller than her, Brahms retreats back from the soldier. Before she can press the attack, you step forwards and place yourself between them. “Karina wants to LIVE, Cam. She told me that herself,” you hiss, fixing her with a firm glare, “What other options does she have? Just give up and die without even trying?”

“No, but that's...” Cam is the one who falters this time, your question cutting through her bluster like a knife. “You weren't HERE. You didn't hear him,” she insists, shooting Brahms a dark look, “He wasn't talking about the “long term consequences” then!”

You turn, giving Brahms a questioning look. “I told her that the experiment had a potential for failure. I didn't force her into anything. I explained my theory, and she volunteered to test it. It was her decision,” he explains, his voice tight, “Yes. I admit, I could have refused her request. I could have insisted on explaining every factor that could have gone wrong, every risk or danger that she might have faced, but that wasn't what she wanted.” The doctor pauses, giving you the tiniest of nods. “Karina wants to live,” he concludes, a grave and solemn note creeping into his voice now, “Even if that means accepting a risk.”

“Cam,” you continue, quieter now, “Have you asked Karina what she wants?”

“...No. I never had the chance,” Cam breathes, her shoulders slumping, “She spoke with the doctor, then she asked me to... to get her some things. A new movie, for tonight. I forgot my wallet, came back here and she was... he was already HURTING her. She didn't want me here.”

“She didn't want you to see her like this,” Bergmann points out, looking over to where Karina sleeps, “Perhaps she knew you would react like this. She knew you would be... worried.”

The fight well and truly gone from her, Cam hangs her head. “Cam. He's not like Lindgren,” you murmur, touching her arm lightly, “He's not doing this for the hell of it. We're all aiming for the same thing – we're all trying to help. You can help too.” Slowly, she looks up and studies you, a flicker of hope replacing her anger. “When Karina wakes up, she's going to want a friendly face nearby,” you suggest lightly, “And, I guess, that movie. You see where I'm going with this?”

“I...” Cam draws in a shuddering breath, nods, “I hate seeing her like this. Makes me think that she's already...” Another pause, the unspoken implication hanging heavily in the air. “I'll sit with her,” the soldier decides, nodding with sudden decisiveness, “She might want some tea when she wakes up. I'll fix it for her and... well. We'll see.”

Squaring her shoulders, Cam starts back towards Karina's bed. She turns back only once, fixing Brahms with an unreadable look before continuing back along her way.

[1/?]

>>4099979

“Thank you,” Brahms breathes, watching as Cam sits stiffly down by Karina's bedside, “I was afraid that she'd react like this. Karina was too, I think. That's why she wanted Miss Merrill to be... elsewhere for this. I think she realised, before anyone else, how unpleasant it might be for her.” He thinks for a moment, glancing down at his half abandoned notes. “She said it was like being blind and deaf, every sense numbed to the barest possible minimum. With time, perhaps she could adapt,” he sighs, “But I wonder what kind of life that would really be.”

“It would BE a life,” Bergmann points out, “What other options are there?”

Brahms considers this, accepting her point with a slight nod. Then, taking another glance down at his notes, he turns and wanders out. There's work to be doing, you assume. He's got that thesis to write. Bergmann watches his leave with a weary smile, her expression twisting into something more obscure when she turns to you. “What?” you ask, fighting the urge to look away from her piercing gaze, “What are you staring at?”

“Nothing. I'm just thinking,” she explains, her smirk growing a shade wider, “You've got a way of convincing people to see things your way. I could have used an assistant like you back in the day. Things would have gone so much more smoothly if-”

“Yeah, no,” you interrupt, “Keep on dreaming, Doc, but I'm not interested.”

Unconcerned, Bergmann gives you a casual shrug. “Your choice”, that shrug seems to say.

>So I think I'm going to pause this here for today. I'll be aiming to continue this on Saturday, however.
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>4100004
Thanks for the run.

If Karina ends up undergoing the procedure during the final battle, she probably won't be able to assist us at the same time, right?

>>4100004
Thanks for running!

>>4100004
Thanks for running.

>She said it was like being blind and deaf, every sense numbed to the barest possible minimum
So is it like locked-in syndrome or just plain coma? Doesn't sound good in either case.

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

227 KB PNG

You're in the elevator, riding up towards the dorm, when you feel it. You were planning to go out, to visit Clay at the hospital before opening hours ended for the day, but in the space of a single moment, your plans are wiped away. The world around you seems to lurch, jumping like there's some flaw in the elevator's mechanism, but then everything fades out. Even the sensation of your own body bleeds away and grows distant. With the link between mind and body severed, your thoughts start to drift down – or maybe up? -to somewhere colder, darker. The sensation doesn't last, reality slamming down around you as the elevator doors slide open with a chime.

Launching into a run, you squeeze through the slowly opening doors and sprint for the dorm. Bursting through the door, you look around for someone, anyone. Kaori is leaving her room as you arrive, her brow furrowed. “Hey!” you call out, breathless with your mad run, “Did you-”

“I felt it too,” she answers, nodding curtly as she lifts her phone to her ear, “Commander Monroe? I think we might have a problem. I'm with Holly now, we both felt... Is that right? Her too? We'll be right there.” You give Kaori an urgent gesture as she drops her phone into her pocket, but she just shakes her head. “Whatever that was, we all felt it. Juliet was with the Commander when it happened. Now, we're all being summoned for a meeting,” she pauses, her expression faltering for a moment, “Do you think... this is it?”

“Don't know,” you admit, “I guess we'll just have to wait and see.”

Shuddering as some unspoken thought makes its way through her mind, Kaori brushes past you and sweeps out of the dorm.

-

“Okay. So, first order of business. I'd just like to confirm that the world is NOT ending,” Monroe begins, sitting on the corner of her desk and looking out at you all. Even without looking around, you can tell that you're all thinking the same thing – considering the unspoken “yet” in her remark. “But on a more serious note, we might need to accelerate our plans a little. You all felt the same thing, right? That feeling of... whatever it was,” she shrugs, “I didn't experience it myself, so I'm a little lost for words.”

“I think we should focus on practical matters right now,” Kaori suggests, “Do we have a report from the science team yet?”

Monroe nods, reaching back around the desk and tapping a key on her computer. “Are we on? I see a blinking red light, so I'm assuming we're on. Right then,” Bergmann begins, her disembodied voice filling the room, “I've checked our instruments, and the data stream from the Dirac Probe. Around the same time as this “event”, there was a spike in Lilim activity. There's something big moving down there. Just looking at the scale of this event, I'd say Lilith just rolled over in her sleep. If you ask me, I'd say she knows that we're up to something.”

[1/3]

>>4101012

“How?” Kaori asks bluntly, “How CAN she know-”

“We've been tampering with Dirac, flooding it with the human subconscious so we can navigate inside that space. The issue is, there's no real filter on what we're sending down there – it's like trying to control your dreams. Considering how much effort we've devoted to planning this operation, it was always optimistic to assume we could keep it secret forever,” Bergmann drawls, “Really, this was only a matter of time. I'm surprised it didn't happen any sooner.”

“That's really something you should have told us earlier, but-” Monroe bites back a sharp comment, forcing a strained smile as if Bergmann could see her face, “Well, never mind that now. How worried should we be, Ingrid?”

A pause. You can just imagine Bergmann savouring her words before speaking them aloud. “We're not looking at any immediate hostilities, if that's what you're asking. The Lilim activity seems contained within Dirac itself. However, that may not last,” she pauses, “I recommend discarding any non-essential preparations and gearing up for an immediate operation. There's no sense in leaving this until the last minute, is there?”

“Damn it, we're not...” Monroe grimaces, allowing her attempts at good cheer to slip for a second, “Do we still have time for the dress rehearsal?”

“I'd consider that an essential part of the operation, yes, but we mustn't delay,” the doctor answers, “Send Claudia down here immediately, I'll get the test plugs set up.”

Before Monroe can answer this, Claudia loudly clears her throat. “Excuse me,” she barks, “But nobody told me ANYTHING about this... this dress rehearsal, or whatever you want to call it. Were you actually planning on giving me an explanation, or-”

“That, um, must have slipped my mind. Hey, don't give me that look, I've been busy!” Monroe complains, “We, um, want to run a test. To confirm that you're able to use Kusanagi. Simulations are one thing, but they're not the real deal. So, um, we need to test how your AT-Field reacts under the projected levels of stress. But don't worry! We'll be able to end the experiment early if things go wrong, so you'll never actually be in any, um, danger.”

Claudia scowls, a cold silence descending over the whole room. “Well then,” the heiress sighs, “I suppose I don't have much choice. And with a ringing endorsement like that, I'm sure I'll have nothing to complain about.”

“That's the spirit!” Monroe yelps, “Now, the rest of you, I'll need you to stay close to home. We might need you to deploy in a hurry. You're on active duty, but... try not to stress out about it, okay? We'll need you fresh and ready for action.”

You might be plunging into hell at a moment's notice, but don't stress about it. Sure, that'll be real easy.

[2/3]

>>4101015

The others start to leave, filing back to the dorm to wait, but you linger for a moment more. “Yes, Holly?” Monroe asks, tilting her head slightly as she gives you a curious look, “Was there something else?”

“I...” you begin, glancing around to make sure that Claudia is gone, “This test thing. That's not going to hurt her, is it?”

“It won't HARM her, but that's... well, that's not quite the same thing,” Monroe admits, “It might not be pleasant, but the real thing won't be pleasant either. That's the point – we can't risk her getting a surprise and faltering in the field. She needs to know exactly what she's getting into. The simulations can measure her compatibility, her AT-Field potential, but they can't account for the personal factor. If she doesn't have the stomach for this...”

Then you'll need an alternative solution – the Juliet/Julia dream team, most likely. Slowly, you nod.

“What's the matter?” Monroe asks, “Are you worried about her? You could always keep her company – she might not say it, but I think she'd appreciate having a friend there.”

“Yeah, I... maybe,” you hesitate, “Do we have to stay here? I wanted to visit Clay at the hospital while I still had the chance. They've been keeping him under observation for like, ages now, and he's probably bored shitless by now. I thought-”

Monroe interrupts you with a sad sigh. “Holly, I really shouldn't... You understand the situation we're in, don't you? If something happens, we might need you here,” pausing, biting her lip, she considers the situation before relenting with a weary smile. “Look. If you really have to go, go – but get Fletcher to drive you over. And if he tells you that it's time to go, then it's time to go, no questions asked,” she offers, “Deal?”

>It's a deal. I'll go and tell Fletcher right now
>It's fine. I guess I should stay here with the others for now
>Sounds like I should stay with Claudia for now, actually
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>4101017
>Sounds like I should stay with Claudia for now, actually
Throw Clay a text apologizing that we haven't been able to visit in a minute. Things have been pretty hectic.

>>4101017
>There's something else... (Write in)
How close are we to installing the "Engine" in unit 02, and what will the strike team for the upcoming operation look like, are we going to be alone, or are others coming with us.

Call home while they are setting up for Claudia's test, since this might be the last bit of time that we have before things start heating up and we need to focus on getting things done.

>>4101017
>Sounds like I should stay with Claudia for now, actually

But call Clay and Dad too.

>>4101023
Supporting this.

Just in case I'd add a question whether he felt something weird.

>>4100004
So would that AT shield that Yulia mentioned help Karina out? It should run on a different concept from the isolation plug, but do they cancel each other out or can we leverage something?

>>4101017
>Call Dad
I'm wondering if Holly's mom felt that.

Where IS Huang? Has she had a chat with Karina yet?

>>4101017
>Sounds like I should stay with Claudia for now, actually

“Sounds like I should stay with Claudia, actually,” you admit after a long pause, weighing up the options and coming up with your plan of action. “I mean, she's got this test thing going on and Clay... I guess he doesn't,” you continue, “I feel kinda shitty, though. Every time I think about checking in, something happens and... well, you know how it is.”

“I know all too well,” Monroe agrees, sighing heavily, “Every time I try to go steady with a guy, something happens and it fizzles out. That's the problem with saving the world – it doesn't really give you much time for anything else.” Pausing, she laughs nervously and shakes her head. “Ah, I didn't mean to bore you with this, um, stuff. Don't pay any attention to me,” she concludes, “You'd better go, before Claudia gets started. Once the test has begun, we can't have anyone distracting her.”

Because there won't be any distractions in Dirac, after all. It'll all be smooth sailing once you're in that abyss. Yep.

“Got some questions first,” you tell her, “Bergmann's device, the Saturnalia Engine thing. Has that been fitted to Unit 02?”

“It's fitted and ready for use, whatever that means,” Monroe answers with a nod, “Ingrid says that you'll be able to use it as a weapon, but I can't see anything that might, you know, be a weapon. It's all internal.”

Another unknown variable. That's just fucking great. “And what's the operation team looking like?” you ask next, “Are you sending me in with a partner?”

“I'm sending you ALL in,” the commander remarks, her words causing your eye to widen, “This is the big one, after all. We're going to be throwing everything we've got at this. I'm hoping to have a formal briefing before we deploy, but... I don't know. If things go south in a hurry, we might have to improvise. But hey, don't worry! This might seem like a lot of pressure, but there's a funny thing about pressure. Do you know what it is?”

Silence.

“Without pressure, we wouldn't have diamonds!” Monroe chirps, giving you a wink, “Now get a move on!”

-

As you're riding the elevator down to the test lab, you tap out a quick message to Clay. A stiff, overly formal message apologising for everything. Wincing a little at the wording, but unable to think of a better way, you send the message on its way and wait for a reply. When the reply comes, you blink in surprise – not a message, but a proper phone call. “Uh, hi,” you begin, “Didn't know you were allowed to make phone calls in there.”

“That's prison you're thinking of, not the hospital,” Clay teases, “Nah, they're pretty cool about stuff like that. I've got this TV with like a million channels. Movies for days in here. Feels more like a luxury hotel than a hospital, especially now I'm in the private ward. Only thing is, I kinda miss school. Never thought I'd say that, but... well, here we are.”

“Here we are,” you repeat, your voice low.

[1/?]

>>4101066

“Hey,” Clay adds, “You want to know something funny?”

“Is it one of your jokes?” you shoot back, “No wait, those are never funny.”

“Wow, you're really gonna dunk on a sick kid like that? What a bitch!” he laughs, “No, but seriously. I don't think they're really... doing the whole “hospital” thing any more. They don't bother with any tests or any of that medical shit. So like, I'm wondering if there's any reason for them to be keeping me here. But they're in no hurry to throw me out either, so I'm kinda wondering what's going on.”

The elevator glides to a halt, and you squeeze around a pair of junior staff as they take your place. “Sounds pretty weird,” you reply, half-listening as the elevator glides away behind you, “But if they're keeping you comfortable, is it really that bad?”

“Hmm, I'm fine with it. The food is pretty decent, considering, and there's a cute nurse that stops by every now and then,” Clay pauses, “I guess... it's better than anything I've got waiting for me back home.” An awkward silence follows this, and you sense a murky regret bleeding through the phone. He shouldn't have said that, you sense, he shouldn't have ruined the mood.”

“Clay?” you ask, breaking the silence, “Have you felt anything... strange today?”

“Now that you mention it, I did feel something strange,” Clay answers, his voice lightening, “When my cute nurse visited today, I got this strange feeling in my-”

“You pig!” you interrupt, laughing aloud at the crude joke.

-

“You!” Claudia snaps, narrowing her eyes as she spots you, “What are you doing here?”

“Thought I'd come and keep you company,” you answer breezily, strolling over and giving her an easy nod. She's already dressed in her plugsuit, a thick blanket draped around her shoulders like a cape. It's cold in the lab, but you suspect that's not why she's shivering. “Look, I've got a pretty good idea about what you're getting yourself into. When you're in that plug, and things start getting tough, it's going to seem like the world's loneliest place,” you continue, lowering your voice, “But I'll be right here, waiting for you to come out in one piece. Remember that, won't you?”

Claudia scowls for a moment before letting out a sharp laugh. “Well, now I've got to succeed!” she crows, “I can't make myself look bad in front of an audience like this, can I?”

“That's the spirit!” you tell her, thinking absurdly of Monroe. Strange, just how much she's come to influence you. Pushing this thought aside for now, you look back to Claudia and search for something encouraging to tell her.

“Don't,” she murmurs, shaking her head slightly, “You don't need to say anything else.”

[2/?]

>>4101114

The test plug closes with a harsh clang of metal, and Claudia is gone. You wander back to where Bergmann waits at a bank of computer monitors, their screens lively with streams of meaningless – to your uneducated eyes, at least – data. “So,” you ask quietly, “How's this gonna work?”

“We're going to induce a traumatic environment and monitor her reactions. We're going to introduce it gradually, starting with a minor potency and increasing until we're as close to Orcus' AT-Field as possible,” Bergmann explains, without ever taking her eyes from the computers, “That way, we'll be able to pinpoint the exact threshold at which she fails. IF she fails.”

“Hmm,” you murmur, thinking back to the infirmary, “Yulia says Elrow is working on a device. A way of protecting people from Lilim. Do you know anything about it?”

“An AT-Organ. They're created, grown, from Adamic biomass and human DNA, connected up to the wearer in order to strengthen their natural AT-Field. Each one is unique, obviously, created from the user's own DNA. No chance of rejection, that way. I've seen the prototype – like an especially ugly backpack,” she shrugs, “In essence, it replicates the protective capacity of being inside an ADM Unit.”

The way she talks about it, you'd think she hated the idea. Then again, she probably does – it's a crude, mechanical solution to a problem better solved, in her eyes at least, with evolution. Meeting Bergmann's eye, you see her nod ever so slightly as if confirming your suspicions. Turning away with a grimace, you spot one of the smaller computer monitors – a camera feed from inside Claudia's test plug, the focus tight on her face. Her hair swirls around her in the churning LCL, sometimes hiding her face and the taut, tense expression fixed there. With the guilty feeling of a voyeur, you look hurriedly away.

“How long is this going to take?” you ask, for want of something to say.

“Forty minutes,” Bergmann answers, “Less, if she crashes out before the test reaches full power. Why?”

“I need to make a phone call. Wanted to make sure I had time,” you reply vaguely, wandering back to the far end of the lab. You can keep an eye on the test plug from here, and you'll be able to hear any alarms that might go off, but you should – hopefully – be out of earshot. Bergmann is the last person you want listening to this. Tapping away at your phone, you look down at the number and prepare yourself for the worst. Before you can lose your nerve, you hit the button to call home.

Ring, ring, ring...

God, why does he always take so long to answer the fucking phone? You've only got forty minutes, maybe less, you can't just sit here forever and-

“Hello?” he answers, his voice coming so suddenly that you almost drop the phone, “Holly?”

[3/4]

>>4101165

“Uh, yeah. It's me. Hi,” you begin, “I just thought I should, um, call. I don't know when I'll get another chance. Call it gut instinct, but I think it's going to be pretty busy at the office soon.”

Static crackles softly on the line, whispering out from countless miles away. “Holly,” he points out, “You don't work at an office.”

“I know, dad. It's a figure of speech,” you sigh, a tiny and unlikely smile finding its way onto your face, “What I mean is, we've got a big mission ahead of us. The biggest one there is, I guess. Win or lose, it's all going to be over soon. Um, that's probably classified information, so don't tell anyone I said that, okay?” A thought occurs, then, and you hesitantly continue. “Do you have anyone to talk to, down there?” you ask tentatively, “Anyone other than... Well. I worry about you, you know?”

“Oh, it's not so bad. We've got a lot of workers helping out around the place. Even machines need people to maintain them, after all. The suppliers come around every so often as well, and we always take the time to catch up. These days, we barely talk about business!” he laughs, although it sounds forced, “Do you remember... no, you probably don't remember him. Kowalski, with Allied Fertilisers, he still visits a lot. Getting old now, though. When you were younger, you just called him-”

“The dung man,” you remember, the memory flashing back, “Yeah! Man, does he still have that little moustache?”

“It's not so little, now,” the old man recalls, “He asks about you. I have to tell him that you're at school, but... but I tell him that I'm very proud of you. At least that's true.”

Barely noticing, you reach up and brush at your misty eye. “T-thanks dad,” you mumble, “And what about, um... is SHE okay?”

“She is. We had breakfast together this morning. She cooked it, just like old times. It still doesn't feel real to me, but...” he hesitates, “Um, she's napping now. She sleeps a lot these days. I could wake her, if...”

>No. No, just let her rest
>Please. I need to talk to her
>Just give her a message for me... (Write in)
>Other

>>4101202
>Please. I need to talk to her
We should probably leave our phone with Vic when we go, so if he calls again someone can give him the rundown of what is going on.

So, how badly are things going to go wrong when she wakes up.

>>4101202
Oh boy. Uhhh
>Please. I need to talk to her
Might be the last time to touch base before we all get tang'd win the war.

>inb4 relapse

>>4101202
>Please. I need to talk to her
I don't know, it's almost certainly ego damage to talk to her. On the other hand, there is some connection between her and Lilith, which I can't figure out. And it's kind of a plot point to the whole mysterious 'Second Daughter' thing, unless it has been dropped.

>>4101234
Second Daughter is the codename given to the 02 pilot which is Holly. Kaori is the First Daughter, etc.

>>4101246
Oh well, my mistake. But it sort of fits that Holly is 'another' daughter or something.

Your heart hammers in your chest, so loud that you're sure Bergmann must be able to hear it. Sneaking a glance over, you see her working away at computer without any sign of noticing it, noticing YOU, but... she could be pretending, couldn't she? Dimly aware that you're thinking of anything BUT the task at hand, you stare hard at the doctor and watch for any sign that she's secretly listening to-

“Holly?” he prompts, his voice soft.

“Yes!” you yelp, the word escaping your lips before you realise it, “Yes, I... please, I need to talk to her. Just... is this a good idea?”

A long pause. “I don't know,” he admits, “I'll get her now.”

-

The wait is tortuous, every terrible possibility rushing through your mind as the silence draws out. Just as you're shifting the phone from one ear to the next, you hear a muffled voice. Hurriedly clasping the phone to your ear again, you listen closely. “Hello?” the woman's voice calls out, thin and flat with recent sleep, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

“I'm here,” you blurt out, immediately regretting the vague words. Just who is she going to think about when she hears “I”? Swallowing heavily, you force yourself to continue. “Hello. I'm sorry for waking you,” you begin, quietly amazed at how quite , “It's Holly. Um... do you... know who I am?”

Oh god, this was a terrible idea. This is already turning into a massive garbage fire and you've barely said two sentences. Oh god-

“It's hard,” she breathes, “I feel like I've been dreaming for so long, and now I can't tell where the dream ends and reality begins.” There is a quiet rustle of cloth in the background, the steady ticking of some distant cloth. Aside from that, silence. “Holly. That was my child's name,” she murmurs at last, “She went away. For the longest time, I thought she was taken from me. Now, they say she was sent away. Because of me.”

She's correct, of course. You WERE sent away, and it WAS because of her. But if it's right, why do you want to deny it so badly?

“Sometimes, I don't know what to believe. I was cleaning, today, and I found a note. It was my handwriting, but I don't remember writing it. A strange thing, a wild tale about some... other world, full of other people. It couldn't be real, I know that,” she pauses again, drawing in a shuddering breath, “But I felt it. Today. I felt the world twist around me, and my mind was pulled to that OTHER place. If he hadn't been there to pull me back, I don't know what would have happened to me.”

The lurch, the event, whatever you want to call it. She felt it too. Despite the cold air in the laboratory, sweat gathers on the back of your neck.

She FELT it.

[1/?]

>>4101279

Over at her computer, Bergmann raises her hand and gives you a thumbs up. All good so far, the gesture seems to say. If only you could say the same thing. There's so much you need to ask, so many questions you have for the woman on the end of the phone, but they constantly slip through your fingers whenever you reach for them. The minute you try to put them into words, words you can speak aloud, they flee from you. All you're left with is silence.

“I saw something. A ghost, perhaps. Except I touched her skin, her face. I felt her,” the woman whispers, “A girl, in the house. She said her name was... Claire, but that wasn't right. I KNEW it wasn't right. Then she was gone, and I... I realised something. I realised that she was more real than anything else I'd seen for... for so long. Then, slowly, I started to remember things. It's hard, to remember. Sometimes, I wish I didn't have to.”

“I...” you breath, unable to say anything more than that. What a useless, pointless sound to make.

“Holly. You said your name was Holly,” she states finally, “Are you... her?”

You look around. Claire stands beside you, her face caught somewhere between solemn and serene. Slowly, gently, she nods encouragement. “I am,” you reply, your voice brittle, “I'm your Holly.”

A long silence, then. The longer you wait, the more you expect a shriek of denial, of rejection. Instead...

“Oh Holly,” she groans, “I must have hurt you so badly...”

You don't know what you're supposed to say. You don't even know what you're supposed to FEEL right now. Faced with the unknown, you search for your voice and say...

>... (Write in)

>>4101324
>Just sob into the microphone

>>4101324
"You can make it up to me by us catching up after I finish my business here. It's... good to hear you like this."

>>4101324
"So you did. But I'm still here. Hope you get better."

Don't cry, don't cry, don't goddamn cry. You're supposed to be tough and cool, not whimpering into your phone like some kind of-

Swiping a hand across your face, brushing away fat tears, you choke back a sob. “You can make it up to me though, right?” you manage, “We can make up for lost time later. I'll come and see you both. I'm... I'm real busy here, you know? Has dad told you?”

“It was... school, he said,” she replies slowly, her voice strained with the effort of remembering fact from fiction, “He told me... he told me you're working very hard, even though it's difficult for you.”

Wow. That's a bittersweet compliment if you've ever heard one. Over at her desk, Bergmann waves for your attention. Things are happening on those screens of hers, you realise. No alarms yet, but it can't be long now. There's a tension in the air that you can't solely blame on the call from home. Realising, then, that you've been silent for too long, you force out an answer. “R-right, it's not always easy here. Some of the science homework I get stuck with, you wouldn't believe what it's like...” you lie, “Um, I'll tell you about it one day, okay? We've got a lot to catch up on. If you want to, I mean, I wouldn't-”

“I want to see you again,” she stresses, sudden strength – almost ferocious in its intensity – in her voice, “I WANT to see you.”

“And we will! We will!” you hurriedly assure her, silently wondering if this isn't just some new mania, “Is dad still there? I gotta ask him something.”

Another rustle on the other end of the phone, then his voice again. “Holly? I was listening in. I'm sorry. I had to,” he murmurs, “Just in case she got...”

“I know. I understand. I really think she's getting... better,” you whisper, scarcely able to believe your own words, “I need to go now, okay? But I'll call again real soon, and maybe we can talk about, um, a visit. I don't want to go too fast, but um... Look after her, okay?”

“I will,” he replies, “I promise.”

He ends the call, and silence descends like a pall. Slipping your phone back into your pocket, you bury your head in your hands and let out a long, ragged sigh. You feel... you don't even know how you feel, but something deep inside you – a knot, perhaps, all gnarled sinew and angst – loosens up for the first time in forever.

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

Then an alarm really does begin to sound, and you don't have time to think. Hurrying across to Bergmann and her computers, you watch the wild streams of data playing across the multiple screens. Even with only a passing understanding, you can grasp what you're looking at – danger signs, all across the board. Claudia's face, visible in the small window, is twisted into a snarl of determination as the LCL roils and bubbles around her.

[1/?]

>>4101414

You watch the screen for a long moment, as if hypnotised by what you see there. The ordeal seems to have burned right down to Claudia's core, stripping away everything but a ruthless drive for... for success, you suppose. For power, for triumph, for whatever it is that drives her. She's beautiful and terrible at once, blazing with a power that could consume her just as easily. “Is she... okay?” you ask, fearfully watching the screens.

“The hostile AT-Field is running at full capacity. A little bit higher than strictly necessary, actually,” Bergmann explains, a cold look of triumph on her face, “I decided to push her a little, to satisfy my curiosity if nothing else.” Turning, you fix Bergmann with a vile scowl. Undaunted, she spreads her hands wide in a mocking gesture. “Well, I had to entertain myself somehow. You seemed awfully busy,” she drawls, “But I think Claudia has been cooking for long enough, don't you? Time to take her out of the oven. Be a dear and take her a fresh towel, now.”

Scowling once more for good measure, you snatch up a soft white towel and march over to the test plug as Bergmann flips a switch. The plug opens with a pneumatic hiss and Claudia tumbles out into your waiting arms. Her body feels like something ripped straight from a furnace, burning so brightly that you almost drop her in sheer alarm. Fighting the urge, you bundle her up in the towel and ease her trembling body down to the laboratory floor. Coughing up a froth of LCL, Claudia opens her eyes to show blazing blue.

You recoil from that burning hue, watching as they fade down into their usual tone. “Bloody hell,” she rasps, “Bloody HELL. I think I bit my tongue. Can't get the taste of blood out of my mouth. Disgusting.”

Then Bergmann is beside you, kneeling down and flashing a small penlight in Claudia's eyes. “Any other problems? Dizziness? Nausea? Hearing our thoughts?” she asks quickly, reaching down and poking the heiress in the cheek, “No signs of physical deterioration. That's good.”

“Oh, would you go and bother someone else? I'm FINE,” Claudia stresses, flapping a hand at the doctor, “Despite your best efforts, I'm not about to melt. Now, did I pass the test?”

“With flying colours,” Bergmann purrs, giving the heiress a reptile smile.

-

Doctor Weick comes to help Claudia away to the infirmary, the girl protesting all the while. You're about to follow her away when Bergmann calls out your name. Turning, you gesture for her to speak – to get it over with. “That phone call of yours,” the scientist muses, “Something important?”

“I don't want to talk about it,” you reply curtly, “I'm going now. Is that okay with you?”

“Fine with me. You might want to stop by little Karina's quarters, though. I'm told she has a guest at the moment,” Bergmann drawls, “You can all have a little tea party together.”

A guest?

[2/3]

>>4101516

Huang looks different now, but you can't put your finger on exactly what's changed. She's still hairless – that's unlikely to change, you suspect, unfortunately for her – but her expression suggests something more... human. Not just her expression, though. She's dressed differently too, no longer looking like she grabbed the first set of spare clothes she was given. Wrapped in carefully cut cloth and gauzy fabrics, she almost seems to be playing up the faintly unnatural cast of her features.

Somehow, you just know Bergmann had something to do with this.

“Holly,” Huang begins, nodding to you. Her voice hasn't changed, still as flat and toneless as ever.

“Long time no see,” you reply, “Not to sound territorial or anything, but what brings you here?”

“Doctor... Brahms wanted to run some tests,” Huang explains, pausing for a second as she struggles to remember the man's name, “That's done now. I thought I'd stay a while longer, visit you all. Doctor Brahms wanted me to spent some time with Karina.”

“We're being watched,” Karina adds, her voice a stage whisper as she nods up towards a small camera set into the ceiling.

“Karina,” you point out, “We're always being watched. Like, always. Maybe not when we're in the bathroom, but... I'm not even one hundred percent sure about that.”

“Gross!” Karina groans.

-

“I wanted Huang here for one reason,” Brahms begins, his voice pitched low as you watch Huang and Karina chatter away in the distance, “I thought her long term condition might hold some clues about what Karina may be facing.”

“Life after monsters, huh?” you guess, “So what are the results?”

“Inconclusive. Unfortunately, their cases are too different to get any meaningful results. In Huang's case, there was a definite inhuman influence that was removed, then replaced. A physical corruption, in her case. Karina's case is different, there is no “corruption” to be removed. Adam's influence seems to be more of a... spiritual matter,” he explains carefully, “Which presents an obvious problem for us. However, there may be an unexpected benefit from this experiment.”

Watching the pair laugh and talk, you've got an idea of what might be. Seeking confirmation, you turn back to Brahms and give him a tiny gesture.

“Hope,” he confirms, “She sees Huang, and she believes that the future is within her grasp. She believes in... a life after monsters, as you said. If this problem is spiritual in nature, that may prove more important than any scientific solution I could offer.” Brahms sighs quietly to himself, taking off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. “But tell me, Miss Reynolds,” he asks, “Do YOU believe in a future like that?”

“...Yeah,” you reply after a long pause, “I'm starting to.”

>Going to pause this here for today. Planning to continue this tomorrow, though
>Thank you for your patience today!

>>4101610
Thanks for the run.

>>4101610
Thanks for running.

>>4101414
Everything went better than expected.

But bloody hell. Did Adrian just torment her by throwing illusions every second she was awake or something?

File: HollyR2.png (320 KB, 900x700)

320 KB PNG

The smell of coffee, rich and dark, surrounds you. In its own strange way, that smell feels like a barrier keeping the outside world at bay. In only a short time span of time, you've come to appreciate things like that. Secret things, private things. This time, though, you're not here to savour the mood. You've got business on your mind. “The event today, the thing with Lilith,” you begin, fixing Brahms with an inquisitive look, “Not everyone felt it. Just the pilots, the people with some connection to all this.”

“Correct,” Brahms confirms, peering mildly at you over the rim of his coffee cup, “I experienced nothing. What little I know about the event, I learned afterwards.”

“Just the pilots... and my mother,” you point out, leaving the words hanging in the air, “Explain that, doc.”

Brahms takes his time before answering, considering your words with his usual care. “I can't explain it,” he decides at last, “Doctor Bergmann would be better equipped to-”

“I don't want to tell her, man. Not about my fucking mother,” immediately, you regret your sharp tone and pause, “Look, I'm sorry, it's just... it's weird, between us. Bergmann and me, I mean. It's always going to be weird. I was told you're the only other person in the business who really gets her work, so I want your professional opinion. Why would my mom feel something that only pilots can feel?”

Bergmann would love nothing more than an excuse to launch into a frenzy of wild guessing and theories, but Brahms seems uncomfortable just considering it. Despite this, he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and begins. “There is, perhaps, one explanation,” he offers slowly, “If your mother came into contact with a Lilim's AT-Field and somehow survived, the experience could have induced a rapid adaptation – a defence mechanism, to use a simple term – that countered it. The Adamic material dormant within her body could have been stimulated, remaining active in some form and, yes, reacting to the events of today.”

“That... fits,” you murmur, “She told me something once, but I wasn't sure if it was really... her. It was a hallucination, a Lilim's nightmare world. After I was born, she went out for a walk around the farm. On the way back, she looked through my window and saw a Lilim. I mean, it looked like a man at the time, but it was a Lilim. That was IT. She just saw the thing, and things went downhill from there. One look, and she lost her goddamn mind. Is that really all it takes?”

“Perhaps so,” Brahms muses, “This kind of rapid, forced adaptation could also lead to certain side-effects. Certain... instabilities. Does that answer your question?”

“I guess it does,” you sigh, looking down into the murky remains of your coffee, “I'm just not sure if I like the answer.”

[1/2]

>>4102993

Amon. Sometimes, you wish that son of a bitch was here so you could kill him again. Again and again and again. No matter how many times you could do it, it might never be enough.

“C'mon, stop sulking. You're ruining the mood!” Claire scolds, leaning over to flick your forehead, “This should be a good day, shouldn't it? Sure, he might have done you some damage, but even those old wounds are starting to heal. Small steps, I know, but this is something REAL. Do you really want to spoil it now by moping around and being edgy?”

“No,” you admit, grudgingly, “I still don't get it, though. If people, like, adapt to defend themselves against Lilim, why wouldn't more people-”

“Well, because most people get fucking wrecked, duh!” Claire interrupts, shaking her head as she paces around you, “Now Amon, he was trying to hide in public. So, naturally, he needed to dim his lights a little – so people didn't realise something was fucky. When he visited little baby Holly, he wouldn't have needed to do so. Remember, like ninety percent of this stuff is still theoretical. Smarter people than us are struggling to figure out how it all works, so what hope do WE have?”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” you sigh, but Claire is already gone by the time you look up.

-

A knock at your bedroom door. Opening it, you see Dakota and Juliet waiting outside. “Got a message from the chief. Super special meeting in, um, half an hour now,” the younger girl begins, her face unusually grave, “This is IT, isn't it?”

“We're certainly closer to “it” than we were this morning,” you reply, “Claudia passed all her tests, so unless there are any last minute disasters...” Trailing off here, you give the pair a shrug. Don't start, you silently warn yourself, don't tempt fate. As if you're all thinking the same thing, and not liking the results, an awkward silence falls over the three of you.

“I heard about the tests, and the backup plan. I must say, I'm glad that I... we... won't be needed,” Juliet admits, tilting her head slightly, “Call it gut instinct, but I had a bad feeling about the whole idea. I spoke with Julia, and she felt the same way.”

“I mean, yeah,” Dakota points out, “Like, you're kinda on the same wavelength.”

“Point taken,” Juliet concedes, smiling wearily, “But the fact remains the same. When I thought about being the backup plan, and the possibility of it going wrong, I came to realise something. Maybe it's selfish, but I'm done with burning myself up for some greater purpose. I want to live for myself for once. We both do. Does that make me a bad person, do you think?”

>The whole world is at stake, Juliet. We all need to do our duty!
>If anyone deserves a little bit of selfishness, it's you
>No, you're not a bad person. You don't owe these people anything
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>4102994
>No, you're not a bad person. You don't owe these people anything.

>>4102994
>If anyone deserves a little bit of selfishness, it's you
"When this fight is over we are all deserve to put our feet up. Hey have you and Julia talked to Ava yet?"

I think she mentioned wanting to speak with BLUE EYE and was pretty understandably, depressed when they all died.

“No, I don't think you're a bad person,” you answer, shaking your head, “I mean, if anyone deserves a little bit of selfishness, it's you. And, uh, Julia. Both of you.” The soft sound of Dakota's muffled giggle causes you to look around, giving her your best attempt at a scolding look. Her eyes widen as she gives you an innocent look, covering her grinning mouth with both hands. “As I was saying,” you stress, looking back to Juliet, “We ALL deserve to put our feet up after this. All of this, not just Lilith.”

“Of course. Things aren't going to change overnight,” Juliet agrees, “We might spend the rest of our lives dealing with what we've done, what we've lived through – and when I think of Ava, I feel like I got off lightly.”

Ava, of course. “Have you spoken with her at all?” you ask quietly, lowering your voice, “I thought you and Julia might...”

Slowly, Juliet shakes her head. “We want to see her, of course, but... we don't know what to say,” she sighs softly, a lock of her hair slipping over her face as she hangs her head low, “And the longer we put it off, the harder it becomes. Now, if the operation really IS today...” Squaring her shoulders, Juliet looks up and nods with sudden resolve. “If the operation IS today, we might not get another chance. It's now or never,” she decides, “I've got to go find her. If I'm late for the briefing, tell Monroe... just stall her, okay? Tell her I had to do something important.”

“Sure, but-” you begin, only for Juliet to turn tail and hurry away. She pauses at the doorway, looking back and yelling her thanks before fleeing from the dorm. “Thanks? For what?” you mutter to yourself, “I didn't DO anything.”

“Nah, see, she just needed someone to talk her around. Just happened that that person was herself,” Dakota suggests, “You just gave her a push.”

“Jeez...” you breathe.

-

“Y'know, it's pretty fucking weird,” Dakota muses, following you as you wander through the corridor, “Like, thinking that this might be it. That it could all be over soon.” Pausing in her tracks, she leans against the wall and beckons you over with a gesture. You approach, the furtive expression on her face giving you a moment's pause. “See, I don't pay much attention to office politics, but I ain't stupid either,” the young girl begins, forcing the words out, “I know that the only reason I came here was to light a fire under your ass. “Do what we say or we'll have you replaced”, that kinda thing.”

“No, that's not...” you protest, although you she's got it dead right.

“Nah, don't bother. I know the score. Thing is, see, I don't mind,” she shakes her head, “Coming here, I got to see a whole new world, see a new way of living life. If I never came here, I don't know what would have happened to me. So, uh, I guess what I'm saying is...”

And then, in lieu of words, she lunges forwards and hugs you tightly.

[1/?]

>>4103025
>And then, in lieu of words, she lunges forwards and hugs you tightly.
At this point you just have to wonder how far down the tumbling will go.

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>>4103075

>>4103075
If there is a tumbling (Lilith making it through the portal) we probably won't witness the worst of it. We'll probably be right on her tail but when we emerge it'll just be LCL ocean.

>Ego -70

>>4103025

“Okay team, are we all...” Monroe begins, looking around the briefing room, “Wait, where's Juliet?” Before you can answer that, the door bangs open and Juliet hurries inside. Mumbling a hasty apology, she collapses down into the first empty chair she sees and gestures for Monroe to continue. “Well then, the gang's all here. Isn't that nice?” she announces, clapping her hands together, “I'll jump straight to the point. We've been given the green light to begin the operation. Head office wants us to deploy as soon as possible.”

You've all been expecting this, but a murmur of unease ripples through the group regardless. Monroe pauses, letting you get it out of your system before continuing with her briefing. The projector flickers into life as she clicks her remote, the first image showing a blunt harpoon like device. “What you're looking at is one of the UN control rods. We have three available. Just one should be enough to do the job, but I wanted us to have spares. If our theories are correct, piercing Lilith's body with one of these control rods should pacify her,” she explains, “And that, as far as I'm concerned, is mission accomplished.”

“Until the control rod burns out, at least,” Bergmann points out, “But I suppose that's someone else's problem, isn't it?”

Monroe's cheeks darken, and you see her take a steady breath. No answer, though, to Bergmann's jibe. “Wait a minute,” you insist, “The control rods are all well and good, but what happened to killing Lilith? Is that not an option now?”

The commander is silent for a long moment. Eventually, she casts a pleading look at Bergmann. Sighing, the doctor steps forwards. “It's stupid, really, that I didn't see it sooner. The Dirac Sea is Lilith's domain. So, destroying her may cause the Dirac Sea to collapse – potentially while you remain inside it. We can't predict how rapidly it might collapse. It's possible that our navigation efforts may slow the process, granting you ample time to escape, but we don't know for sure,” she explains, “Apparently, Diane isn't prepared to accept that risk – she'd rather leave the problem for the next generation to solve.”

“Look, we can keep Lilith passive. Isn't that good enough?” Monroe protests, her expression turning desperate, “So long as she's passive, we can continue our research into the Dirac Sea – we can find a permanent solution, even if takes ten... twenty more years! I just can't accept even the possibility of... of sacrificing you, after everything you've done for us!”

Bergmann spreads her hands wide, as if resting her case. Dragging in a rough, ragged breath, Monroe shakes her head. “So now that's out of the way,” she states bluntly, “Can we perhaps continue with the briefing?”

[2/3]

>>4103292

“Apollyon, Orcus, and Lilith herself. We don't know their exact capabilities, but we could be looking at three possible hostiles,” Fletcher begins, taking over the next phase of the briefing, “As such, we've made the decision to deploy the entire team. Rainer will be carrying Kusanagi, and Reynolds will be leading the operation – you'll be deployed with a partner, same as usual. The rest of you will be running support as and when you're needed.”

“Improv,” Kaori mutters, “I don't like it.”

“It might be necessary. We might not be able to provide accurate orders inside Dirac,” Monroe adds, “And once you're inside Lilith's inner sanctum, you could be cut off altogether. We just don't know. If you stay sharp and adapt to the situation, you'll make it out in one piece. I'm sure of it.”

Karina, sitting in her wheelchair, clears her throat. “Once you're inside Lilith's inner sanctum, I won't be able to provide you with any information either. I'm going to be...” she pauses, “I'm going to be, ah, indisposed. I'll be waiting for you back here though, okay? So, ah, so you'd better not disappoint me!”

“Hear that, you lot?” Monroe cries out, feigning cheer, “So now you've all GOT to come back!”

That's emotional blackmail.

>I'm sorry, but this isn't really working today. I'm going to close this here for today, and I'm not entirely sure when I'll be able to pick up again. Next weekend, hopefully
>I apologise again for the disruption today

>>4103295
Thanks for the run.

>>4103295
Thanks for running!

>>4103295
Thanks for running. Some related (not going to point fingers) quest took its sweet time to post the ending, but still it was worth the wait. I'm sure most of us will still be here when you find the time!

>>4103295
Thanks for running.

Mechanically speaking I'd probably want to take Claudia the most as our main co pilot. Her skill set is works with ours the best (melee) and is more specialized for a longer gauntlet brawl that is taking down 2 Lilim and Lilith in a row. Still Kaori + big gun works well.

>>4103295
Thanks for the run. Take your time, and don't worry - we'll be here when you feel ready, as we've always been.

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“After Berin, I came to hate this thing,” Kaori murmurs, reaching up and pressing the flat of her palm against the side of ADM Unit 01. “Hate?” she repeats then, questioning her own choice of wording “No, it was never as strong as that. I resented it, which might be worse. Resentment is... it's like a poison, it creeps in and eats away at you. It colours the way you look at the world, and slowly everything – your friends, your family, your duty – start to seem distorted.”

Around you, the hangar shudders with the sound of industry. The ADMs are being prepared for this final operation, weapons and pallets of supplies clattering on towards their destination. Even with all the noise, Kaori's words find their way to you – their message so familiar that it could have been ripped from some of your lowest moments. Taking her hand from Unit 01, Kaori looks around at you.

“Things are different now,” she decides, “Knowing that I'm not alone, knowing that we're all in this together, that makes a big difference. It means a lot to me.”

“No matter how bad things got, we had each other,” you agree, gesturing at the hangar and the work going on around you, “Not just us, either. Pilots, scientists, engineers... we all had our roles to play. Even Bergmann, and everything she did...”

With a sombre expression painted on her face, Kaori nods slowly. “But sometimes, I wonder about how history will remember this,” she muses, “I think about my father, the things he did for his country. In the years after Second Impact, he fought against separatists and militants in order to hold the country together. Now, he's viewed as a man of honour, even a hero, but I wonder... what if he hadn't been successful? Would history remember him as a villain, a thug in service to some oppressive government?”

“I don't know. Maybe,” you concede, shaking your head at the unexpected change in subject, “History is written by the winners, they say.”

“Yes. Yes, it is. Except if the Lilim win here, they won't write ANY history,” Kaori thinks aloud, her brow furrowing with a frown, “We won't let that happen. I'm sure of it. Even so, I wonder about how we'll be remembered. Will history remember us fondly, brushing over all the horror and ugliness we endured? Or will it be the other way around, and our triumphs will be a footnote to this whole nightmare?”

“History is a complicated thing, Kaori. It's never simple,” Monroe announces, approaching across the metal gangway with an echoing clatter, “If you want my advice, I'd say forget about history – don't stress about what future generations might think. Just make sure there ARE future generations.”

“And you,” she adds, turning to you, “I'm surprised you're here. Don't you have somewhere you need to be?”

“Do I?” you ask, looking across at Unit 02, “I thought I should-”

Then, of course, you realise what she means.

[1/3]

>>4107134

Sitting there, in the dimly lit dorm with your back leanings against Vic, you try and think of a name for this... thing you have. You've read some love stories, trite things, with their sweeping gales of passion and romance, but they get it all wrong. This is something quieter, something calmer – the kind of comfort and security that might come some twenty years after the opening volleys of passion. You don't need any extra drama from this thing, whatever you want to call it. You get enough of that in your job.

“Not for much longer, though,” you murmur aloud. Vic stirs, sitting up slightly in response to your words. “I was just thinking,” you explain, “Things are going to get a lot less exciting around here soon. I'm going to have to find a new hobby.”

“I suppose you will,” Vic agrees, “If school leaves you with any spare time, that is. You're going to have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Aw man...” you groan, “Don't remind me!”

“Someone has to be the responsible adult around here,” he scolds, “You're going to need to get a decent job after this. A decent job means decent qualifications, and decent qualifications mean working hard at school.” He pauses here, waiting a long moment to see if you've got anything to say. You do, you've got so much you'd like to say, but you can't put the thoughts into words. Sensing this, Vic sighs. “What's wrong?” he asks softly, “If there's something on your mind, you shouldn't keep it bottled up. Not now, right before a mission.”

Not now, when you might not come back alive.

“It's... hard to explain,” you offer lamely, “Kaori was talking about history before, about what the next generations might think of us. We've got a chance to kill Lilith – we've got a plan, and the weapons to do it, but Monroe doesn't want us to try. If the Dirac Sea closes up when Lilith dies, we might be trapped inside. Trapped inside forever, I mean. She doesn't want us to risk our lives like that.”

“I don't want you to risk your life like that,” Vic points out, reaching back and touching your hand, “I don't want to lose you.”

“I don't want to lose me either.” you reply. “But I can't ignore the fact that we're just delaying the problem – we're forcing it on some other group of girls, some next generation. They might go through the same crap we've been through, or something worse,” you continue, “It's not just that, though. It's... Nate. If we just put Lilith back to sleep, that means she would have been... lost... for no reason. I don't know if that's something I could live with.”

No answer, but you feel Vic's shoulders tense up at the mention of his sister.

“Sorry,” you murmur, “I shouldn't have-”

“No. It's... fine,” he breathes, “I think I understand the problem. I wish there was some easy answer I could give you, but...”

There are no easy answers here. There never were.

[2/3]

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>>4107135

When you can't delay things any longer, Monroe comes to fetch you. Leading you back down to the hangar, she avoids conversation as much as possible. When she can't keep it up for any longer, she reluctantly glances around. “Well, this is it,” she begins, “Are you feeling okay?”

“I'm okay,” you reply, “I'll be even better when people stop asking me if I'm okay.”

“Sorry. Bit of a nervous moment for me. For everyone, really,” Monroe explains, offering you an awkward little laugh, “I'm almost hoping for something to go wrong. Nothing serious, of course, just something minor – just enough to get the operation cancelled, postponed. Terrible, I know. I just feel like...” With a sudden force of effort, Monroe stops herself from saying anything more. Narrowing her eyes and looking around for any eavesdroppers, she gives you a worried frown. “Not very good for morale, to hear your commanding officer talk like that, is it?” she whispers, “You should probably pretend I didn't say that.”

“Say what?” you ask innocently, “I didn't hear anything.”

“That's the spirit!” Monroe laughs, slapping you on the shoulder, “Now, I was talking with Ingrid – she confirmed that the Saturnalia Engine is fully operational now. Apparently you can use it both ways, as a close quarters weapon and at range. I'm not really sure how that works, but...”

>New equipment acquired: Saturnalia Engine
>Base Ranged damage: 10
>Base Close damage: 12

“But anyway, there was one other thing,” Monroe adds, “I was working up the roster now, and I need to assign your partner. Claudia won't be able to join you for the second phase of the operation, since she'll be busy with the Kusanagi, but she's available for the first phase. So who should I assign?”

>I'll take Kaori. I'll need her to provide fire support
>Give me Claudia. She'll help me up close
>I'll bring Yulia. She'll be useful to me
>I'll go with Juliet. We make a good team
>Other

>>4107136
>I'll take Kaori. I'll need her to provide fire support
The extra dice should help things run smoothly, we should consider Yulia for the second stage in order to prevent regeneration.

>>4107136
>Give me Claudia. She'll help me up close
Hopefully she'll help keep Ego losses to a minimum so we have a healthy amount going into the rest of the operation. Only time we can use her too.

>>4107136
>Give me Claudia. She'll help me up close

>>4107136
Pure mechanics question.
From what I've seen damage on partner isn't tracked. Is this going to be the case here?
If there's no scenario where Claudia gets too damaged by combat to help us in the second part, then of course we should take her. In other case, maybe Yulia in the first phase (least bonuses), Juliet second (for max Ego, reducing AT fields, if applicable).

>>4107159
>Damage on the partner isn't tracked here, no, barring any complete disaster - IE, total defeat in battle

“Give me Claudia,” you decide, “She'll be able to help me up close. Once we're past the first phase, I'll tap in someone else. Do we decide that now or...”

“Later. We don't know what the exact situation is going to be, so decide at the time. For now, I'll let Claudia know,” Monroe replies, nodding to herself, “I think I mentioned this before, but... communications might get a little difficult once you reach Orcus, and we're expecting a total blackout once you're inside. You'll be on your own in there. Well, um, not precisely “on your own”. You won't have us on the other end of the radio, I mean.”

“Hey, so we'll get some peace and quiet?” you joke, “That's great news!”

“Ouch,” the commander replies, wincing at the jibe, “You really know how to hit a girl where it hurts.”

-

As you're standing beside Unit 02, waiting for the armoured shell to crack open and reveal the entry plug, you glance back across the hangar. No matter how hard you try, you can't shake the feeling that this might be the last time you'll ever see it. Driven by a sudden cold ferocity, you engrave this sight onto your memory – the engineering crews working below you, the towering ADM Units resting in their cages, the oversized crates filled with ammunition, everything.

The Kusanagi rests beside Claudia and Unit 03, held within a surprisingly delicate cage. The schematics made it look like a clean, clinical thing – more like a scientific instrument, really. In person, the weapon looks cruel and baroque. The long haft is gnarled and laced with long thorns, jagged hooks of metal – or something like metal - that threaten a careless grip. Just how is Claudia supposed to hold that thing?

The control rods are stacked nearby, protected within a bulbous armoured shell. Three of them, you recall, just in case you need a spare. Hopefully, you won't need too many spares. You can't exactly run down to the store and pick up a few more. As you watch, a crane lifts the armoured case up towards Kaori's ADM. Moving with surprising delicacy, she takes the case and clips it to her back.

Above, Unit 02 splits open with a pneumatic hiss. As you're climbing up towards the entry plug, you spot a new addition – a glittering crown of gold and silver thread waiting to close around the entry plug. Part of the Saturnalia Engine, you assume, but that knowledge hardly helps to steady your nerves. Between this crown and the twisted spear Claudia will carry, this is feeling less and less like a military operation, more like some kind of... ritual.

“Fuck you, Bergmann,” you whisper, putting your head down and climbing the rest of the way, “Screwing around with my mech like this. You don't fuck with someone's ride. That's like, rule one...”

“Holly?” Monroe asks, her voice crackling over the internal radio, “Did you say something?”

“Nothing!” you call back, “Just talking to myself!”

[1/?]

>>4107168

This entry plug is feeling awfully crowded all of a sudden. Not literally, of course, but you can't ignore the sensation of someone leaning over your shoulder. It's oddly familiar, in a way, and a memory swims unbidden to the surface of your mind – sitting at home and struggling with some homework, then suddenly realising that Vic is standing behind you, reading the textbook over your shoulder and-

Except that never happened – not to YOU at least.

“Chief,” you radio, shaking off the intrusive memory, “You getting any weird readings from me? I don't know if this engine thing is... working properly.”

Static hisses for a long moment. Down below you, engineers step back from the launch platform as they prepare to hurl you up to ground level. “Ingrid says that everything is within acceptable levels. Nothing unexpected going on,” Monroe answers eventually, “But I am seeing some abnormalities. Nothing dangerous, but “weird” is definitely the right word to use. Do you need to-”

“No!” you cry, “No, we can't abandon the mission. I'm fine, I'm just... I'm just making sure.”

“Quite right,” Claudia adds, butting in to the radio link, “Once we're on the road, there's no turning back. I don't want to hear any complaints – if you need the bathroom once we're moving, that's your problem!”

-

The city seems to grind to a standstill as you move out, the whole world frozen around you as you march towards the Dirac portal. Everywhere you look, you see awed faces gazing up at you – standing on street corners, on the roofs of buildings, peering out through windows... seeing so many ADM Units deployed at once must be a strange sight for the people of Avalon, especially with no signs of fighting. There were no warning sirens, you heard, just a polite order to clear the streets - squashing someone underfoot might spoil the mood, after all.

When you reach the edge of the Dirac portal, you pause. “Are we all ready to go in?” you ask, “I sorta feel like someone should make a speech or-”

Stepping forwards, Juliet plunges into the portal and vanishes.

“Oh goddamnit!” you groan, urging Unit 02 forwards and following her in. Stepping into the portal, you fight off the usual wave of nausea as you descend down into the alien dimension. Distance becomes irrelevant and time almost so as you fall through the weightless water, only for your feet to find unexpectedly solid ground. For a moment, it's almost like you never entered the portal at all – there's another city around you, reassuring in the banal familiarity of it all.

Except this is no city that ever existed or ever WILL exist – it's an amalgamation of cities from around the globe, the entire concept of “city” manifested into being all so you can navigate this strange place. Stretching on for what seems like forever, the main road beckons you forwards.

[2/3]

>>4107197

The further into the dream-city you go, the stranger it becomes. The buildings grow taller and taller, often leaning at unnatural angles or sprouting odd protrusions. Sometimes you spot trees looming up in place of tower blocks, their gnarled trunks still studded with windows and balconies. Billboards advertise products that no company has ever sold, and the stars above twinkle in entirely new constellations.

Then the main street widens out, splitting in two paths around a glittering fairy tale tower – the home of a particularly adorable princess, perhaps. The balcony door opens, and Neun – girl number nine, the Dirac Probe's human pilot – leans out to give you a wave. “Hello down there!” she calls out, her frail, flat voice somehow reaching you, “Good luck with the mission!”

As the others call back greetings of their own, Monroe comes on the radio. “When you're leaving Dirac, I want you to bring the probe with you. We'll need to perform some routine maintenance, and this is a good a time as any,” she orders, “Assuming the Dirac Sea remains stable, we can deploy the probe again later. Need to make sure we've got eyes down there for the future. Sorry for the extra inconvenience, but...”

“I'll take care of it,” Juliet answers promptly, “We're family, after all.”

-

You're over halfway down, according to Neun, over halfway towards your destination. It's awkward news to receive, the thought suggesting both relief and apprehension. Not long to go now, one way or the other. The feeling of being watched, of not being alone, returns as you're leaving Neun's tower, and you feel your pace slowing. The others continue ahead for a while, not noticing your pause until you stumble forwards. Yulia reaches you first, grabbing your arm before you can fall. She calls out something, but her words are lost in the sudden roar of voices that sweep over you.

Shrill squeals, hoarse roars, guttural screams, sickly groans and urgent whispers, the voices batter you from all sides. One voice in particular, though, rises up from the churn – a familiar voice, the words stabbing out at you.

“Where am I? Why can't I feel anything, feel my body? I'm scared, I... I don't know what's happening to me!” Nate's phantom voice pleads, thin with breathless fear, “Vic? Mom? Dad? Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?”

“Holly... careful... readings going crazy...” Monroe hisses, static almost swallowing her words up, “Need to... calm and keep moving... don't let it...”

Too many voices. It's too much. You need to...

>You need to shut it out. Focus on the mission
>You need to... (Write in)
>Other

>>4107232
>>You need to... (Write in)
Reassure and comfort the Nate

"I'm here Nate. It's Holly."

>>4107232
>You need to... (Write in)
We're not there yet, so we can to take some time to see if we can reach out to Nate, because having this happen in combat is going to make things dangerous and get us dead really quick.

We should inform Monroe that we need to talk in private then relay what we saw to her, I have a feeling that Bergmann wasn't exactly telling the truth when she said that Nate wanted this.

>>4107232
Let's go with >>4107237

>>4107237
Sure, let's keep it simple.

>>4107242
I think she wasn't completely informed, we've had a diary entry intermission somewhere.

You need to get this under control, right now. You can't afford to lose your shit in a fight, but if this gets any worse than you might not have a chance to see combat. Like standing on the edge of a cliff while the furious winds tug at you, it wouldn't take much to send you plunging into the abyss. The frenzy of voices threaten to rip away what remains of your mental defences, tearing into your soul and-

“Nate! Nate, it's me!” you cry out, unsure whether you're shouting aloud or not and hardly caring either way, “Nate, it's Holly!”

The world around you seems to freeze in an instant, the voices culled into silence. A curtain of darkness descends and blots out the world around you, but the sensation is warm, almost comforting. Floating in the liquid darkness, you curl up and clutch at yourself. Now, the only sound is the hollow thump of your heartbeat. A thought occurs, how easy it would be to let go and allow your body to disintegrate. Strangely, the idea is a peaceful one.

Finally, a voice.

“Holly?” Nate whispers, “Holly, is it really you?”

“It's me, Nate. It's really me,” you reply, feeling your words stir the darkness around you, “You're not alone now. There's no need for you to be afraid. In fact, I need you to be strong, okay? Can you do that for me? Nate?”

Your question goes unanswered for what seems like a long time. “I'm not afraid. I'm definitely not panicking, before you even ask. Panicking would be like, so not cool,” Nate scoffs eventually, the brash tone of her voice brittle and phony, “I just... why can't I feel my body?”

“That's...” you begin, your brow furrowing as you try to answer this, “Nate, what's the last thing you remember?”

“Huh? I was going in the machine, the tube thing, for a test. Um, long term LCL exposure or something,” she answers slowly, “Jeez, that stuff gives you crazy dreams. I thought that...” Her voice trails off here, and you see a volley of images flickering through your mind – visions of combat, of Adam's children locked in endless cycles of bloody conflict with the Lilim. The voices start to creep back in, inhuman voices roaring praise for Father Adam, only to be cut sharply off. “Holly?” Nate asks, her voice very small and very frightened, “Do I... do I still HAVE a body?”

“...No,” you whisper eventually. Lying, you realise, would be pointless – she's inside you now, just like you're inside her. You can't lie to her, any more than you could lie to yourself. Even speaking these words aloud is a formality, a lingering habit left over from your human life. Would Konstantin's world have been like this, you wonder, was this comforting blackness what he wanted?

“Konstantin?” Nate asks softly, “Who... oh, the old man. He's dead now, isn't he? Am I dead too?”

That's one question you can't even begin to answer.

“Sorry,” Nate adds, giving you a sad little giggle, “I'm really hitting you with the hard ones today, huh?”

[1/?]

>>4107283

Opening yourself up, you allow your thoughts to wash over Nate. Her initial panic is gone now, and she accepts the knowledge with a solemn calm. Occasionally she gasps, the sound trembling through your body, and when she's finally finished she lets out a long sigh. “I can't believe so much has happened since...” she murmurs, “I mean, you and Vic?”

“THAT'S the thing you pick up on?” you remark, “Not the whole “Bergmann” thing? Not anything else?”

“Well... that's kinda confusing, and I don't really know what to say about that,” Nate replies, with the mental equivalent of a shrug, “But I understand enough to know that... that I'm not really gonna come back. So it's sorta nice, knowing that he's got someone there for him. I think he's gonna be okay, if he's got you to lean on. I don't really get any of this other stuff, but I don't want Vic to be sad. He's not being too annoying, is he?”

“He gave me this book to read,” you answer, a rueful smile on your face, “I can't really get into it, but I don't want to disappoint him so I'm pretending it's great. How lame is that?”

Nate laughs, or maybe sobs. “Totally lame!” she teases, her voice quickly fading into nothing. Just when you think she's gone for good, her voice drifts back. “Holly?” she asks, whispers, “There's... one thing. One thing I need you to do. Lilith.”

“Lilith,” you breathe, your blood turning cold.

“She has to die, Holly. We have a chance to put an end to this, once and for all. We can't just pass this problem on, let someone else deal with it. Look at everything that happened to me, to us. Look at everything that mankind did. We can't let that cycle repeat. We just CAN'T,” Nate pleads, “This needs to stop, even if it means...”

But that thought is left unfinished, the curtain of darkness lifting once more.

-

“Holly? Holly, can you hear me?” Monroe cries, “Holly, you... Oh thank god, you're back. We lost your signal there, and I really thought... I really thought we lost you for good.”

You barely hear her panicked words, distracted by the sudden tingle in your hands and arms. Something builds up within you, sparks of light building around your hands as the Saturnalia Engine activates. With a sound like ripping cloth, a blade of pure white light forms in your hand and stabs out at the abyss around you. This is the TRUE Excalibur, the true form of Adam's weapon – not those pale remnants that men collected and clumsily studied – and Nate's final wish.

“I'm okay now,” you murmur, finally remembering to answer Monroe's call, “I'm ready to finish this.”

Like clenching a muscle you didn't know you have, you banish the glowing sword and step forwards. The other pilots back off automatically, fear and reverence driving them back a pace. Well, not all of them. One ADM remains stubbornly motionless.

“Are you finished?” Claudia asks, acid frustration in her voice.

[2/3]

>>4107323
>So it's sorta nice, knowing that he's got someone there for him. I think he's gonna be okay, if he's got you to lean on.

>“She has to die, Holly. We have a chance to put an end to this, once and for all. We can't just pass this problem on, let someone else deal with it.

[Nervous laughter]

Rolled 12, 21, 15 = 48 (3d100)

>>4107323

Mountains. That's the first thing you think of – a jagged mountain range, reaching up to stab at the heavens. Except this time, the mountains don't meet sky. Instead, they grind against a matching set of spires reaching down from the blackness, the jagged rocks locking together to form an impassible wall. Orcus, the Great Gate and the final barrier before Lilith herself. Out here, the city has been wiped clean and replaced by featureless black void. Even Neun's manipulations fail here, drowned out by the alien influence seeping out from the gate.

“Wait,” Karina whispers, her voice faint in your mind, “I can feel something close. It's getting closer...”

With neither sound nor force, something ripples through the Dirac Sea and blasts away the last lingering traces of Neun's dream-city. Gold light pours over you as something unfolds, the darkness peeling apart like the petals of some great flower to reveal three long stems. Long, sinuous necks ending in blank, mask-like faces, Apollyon looms up to block your passage with wings of burning gold light. Just looking at the Lilim causes alarms to shriek out through your entry plug, forcing you to hastily silence them with a gesture.

You look back up just in time to see the dragon's three heads lunging down towards you. Before they can make contact, a volley of rifle fire blasts into the left head and knocks it aside. The right head is speared by Yulia's harpoon, yanked aside by the chain before it can strike home. Leaping back, you call up Excalibur as the final head swoops through the empty void.

“We'll keep the other heads busy!” Kaori shouts, “Cut a path through, then focus on Orcus!”

>Target identified as the Lilim Apollyon
>Target HP: 60/60
>Current Integrity: 50/50
>Current Ego: 70/70

“C'mon Nate,” you whisper, raising Excalibur like a blazing brand as Claudia's cunning sorceries flow into your AT-Field “Let's do this!”

>Calling for an initial close combat attack. This is going to be 1D100+35 with all our bonuses, aiming for a target of 70 and I'll take the first three results for this
>Additionally, rolling an attack for Apollyon – 3D100, each with a target of 40

Rolled 99 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>4107355

Rolled 44 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>4107355

Rolled 75 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>4107355

Is it worth overdriving?

>>4107360
We've hit 70 though? You rolled 79 total.

>>4107365
I guess i did, think my eyes are broken.

5 Am is no time for maths.

Rolled 96, 66, 31 = 193 (3d100)

>Calamity from Apollyon!
>Potent Success!
>Lilim Intrusion detected: Ego reduced by 5

Apollyon's central head dives out at you, streamers of burning gold trailing behind it as it twists and winds through the void. Even silenced, the alarms filling your entry plug continue to wrestle for your attention. You look past them with a snarl, ignoring them as best you can. You don't need their luminous warnings to tell you that you're in danger here – you can FEEL Apollyon's presence searing at you, the Lilim's radiance burning your soul.

But you don't back down. Excalibur reforms in your hands, lengthening out to form a great lance as the dragon descends. Throwing yourself forwards, beneath the lunging head, you plunge the lance into its neck and allow the Lilim's own momentum to do the rest. The blade splits it open, carving a long gash down the length of its serpent neck before it can pull away. Liquid gold spills from the wound as it begins to close up, the fluid warping to form waving human hands.

>Total damage: 32
>Lilim regeneration: Target HP increases by 5
>Hope: Ego increases by 3
>Current Integrity: 50/50
>Current Ego: 68/70
>Target HP: 33/60

As Apollyon's central head pulls away, you risk a glance at the other two heads. Kaori is keeping her target at bay with careful rifle shots, heavy calibre bullets punching the Lilim in the muzzle whenever it moves to attack and forcing it to jolt back. Yulia is wrestling with the third head, the chain of her harpoon wrapped tightly around the head like a noose. Juliet moves between them like a dancer, picking up the slack whenever there's a need.

“Another hit like that, please,” Claudia drawls, watching the conflict from a safe distance, “You're making my job seem a LOT easier.”

“God forbid that you actually lift a finger to help,” you grunt, watching as Apollyon's central head circles above you, “Maybe put that fancy weapon of yours to good use?”

“This is a priceless artefact, I'll have you know. You might as well bash someone over the head with a precious china vase,” she shoots back, “Ah, looks like its coming down for another pass. Bet you ten pounds you can't cut its head off in one swing!”

“You're on!” you snarl, Excalibur's light forming a heavier sword, “What the fuck is a “pound”, anyway?”

>Calling for another close combat attack. Still 1D100+35 for this, aiming for a target of 70 and I'll take the first three results
>Additionally, rolling an attack for Apollyon – 3D100, each with a target of 40

Rolled 74 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>4107394
Bet our luck will run out soon.

Rolled 80 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>4107394

Rolled 25 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>4107394

Overdrive it. 32 damage + Claudia's reflect should kill it before the Regen happens

>>4107411
Ok, let's do that.

OK, this time. should we overdrive?
I say yes.
>>4107411
The Calamity that Apollyon rolled allows for an additional 100% damage.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3350410/ post # >>3351067

>>4107421
Apollyon only rolled a normal success thankfully but the extra Ego damage should just be enough for the reflect to kill

>Okay, taking this as an Overdrive and writing now. Should have the next post in 10-15 minutes.

Rolled 61, 34, 29 = 124 (3d100)

>Success from Apollyon!
>Success – increased to Potent Success with Overdrive
>Lilim Intrusion detected: Ego reduced by 5

“Well, a pound – also known as a pound sterling – is...” Claudia begins, preparing herself for a lecture. Before she can get up any momentum, Apollyon's head stabs out at you with sudden swiftness. Before you can leap back, the Lilim's burning eyes spear you in place and gouge into your soul. Your body fails, freezing in place when every instinct you have is crying out for you to defend yourself.

Too late. Impact alarms scream out as Apollyon slams into you, pain stabbing into you as the Lilim hurls you across the abyss. You seem to fall endlessly, passing through what was solid ground just a few moments ago. Just as it seems like you might fall forever, you hit something. The pain quickly fades as Claudia works her magic, some cunning manipulation of your AT Field sending a convulsive ripple of energy through Apollyon's head. The Lilim rears back in surprise, granting you a precious moment to see just what broke your fall.

A brick wall, formed out of nothingness and decorated with a bright spray of graffiti, a yellow smiling face above the words “DON'T GIVE UP”.

>Integrity damage: 12
>Ego damage: 8
>AT Pacify: Ego damage reduced to 4
>AT Avenge: 4 damage inflicted

“Thanks Neun,” you mutter, patting the wall as it stretches outwards, forming a road back to the others. Ahead, Apollyon is rounding on Claudia in preparation for an attack. The heiress stands firm, the Kusanagi resting lightly over one shoulder as she gazes up at the Lilim. How she can remain so calm is a mystery, but you've got a few ideas. She would never risk looking uncool with an audience like this. Death would be preferable.

Apollyon swoops down towards its target, descending as you lunge towards it. You land first, slamming into the Lilim before its blow can find its mark and driving Excalibur deep into the creature's neck. Gold blood sprays out, almost blinding you as you saw through the rapidly regenerating flesh. Before you can cut the bastard's throat completely, it rears back in a rain of blood.

>Damage inflicted: 24
>Overdrive: Ego decreased by 5
>Lilim regeneration: Target HP increases by 5
>Hope: Ego increases by 3
>Current Integrity: 38/50
>Current Ego: 57/70
>Target HP: 10/60

“Nice hit!” Claudia jeers, “But you owe me ten pounds!”

“Shut up, stop distracting me,” you hiss, watching as Apollyon begins to climb. Before it can escape into the sky, its neck stretching infinitely out, Yulia's harpoon strikes it from the side. Brought down with a crash, Apollyon flops like a beached fish. “Now!” you yell, Excalibur's blade burning brighter still.

>Calling for a close combat attack here. This will be 1D100+30 due to our damage, still aiming for 70 and taking the first three results
>Rolling another attack for Apollyon, 3D100 against a target of 40

Rolled 27 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>4107482

Rolled 60 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>4107482

Rolled 62 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>4107482

No Overdrive, that'll do it. Flat 16 + whatever Clash damage Apollyon takes.

>Clash from Apollyon!
>Success!
>Lilim Intrusion detected: Ego reduced by 5

You saw something once, in some old samurai movie whose name you've long forgotten. The guy, the samurai, charged across an open field as arrows rained down upon him, his sword held up in both hands. The arrows rained down, but not one of them hit him. As if the gods themselves had been protecting him, he charged across the battlefield and struck his enemies like a thunderbolt. Whether it was your memory or Nate's, the image bursts into your mind then as you lunge towards the grounded dragon. Karina would like it, you decide, you'll have to tell her about it later. Shame you can't remember the name, you could have watched it together when-

With a burst of gold, a beam of light rips out from a third eye freshly opened in Apollyon's forehead. The beam tears towards you, scything through the abyss and leaving a fuzzy afterimage on your vision. Not even a full second later, a trail of explosions rip out along the beam's path. You sway aside, jinking away from the searing light, but not before you feel the heat washing over you, warping and melting your armoured hide.

>Integrity damage received: 6
>Ego damage received: 4
>AT Pacify: Ego damage reduced to 2
>AT Avenge: 2 damage inflicted

With a trail of that same burning gold streaming from Excalibur's blade, you lunge towards Apollyon and drive your sword into the Lilim's third eye before the mask can close up again. Carving deep into the Lilim's head, your blade sweeps through without resistance and leaves the target split in two. A heartbeat later, blood fountains around you like a spray of triumphant confetti.

>Damage inflicted: 24
>Lilim regeneration: Target HP increases by 5
>Hope: Ego increases by 2
>Current Integrity: 32/50
>Current Ego: 52/70
>Target HP: 0/60

“Target destroyed!” you call out, unable to resist shaking the Lilim's blood from your sword with a flourish, “Claudia, get up here and do your job!”

“If you INSIST,” she groans, hurrying towards you, “Just watch my back. I'm going to need to concentrate for this!”

You look back around at the remaining two heads. Yulia has already speared the second, pulling it low and wrestling against the monster's constant attempts to break free. Kaori and Juliet have the final head kept in check with measured volleys of gunfire, bullying the creature into submission. Satisfied that they have the situation under control, you follow Claudia up to the foreboding gate. Bringing the Kusanagi down, Claudia grasps the long haft in a tight grip. Iron spikes pierce her palms with two spurts of blood, and the relic's blade comes alive with a coursing blue energy.

“Christ, that hurts,” Claudia breathes, trembling a little as the blade warps, “Here goes nothing...”

[1/?]

>>4107533

With a thin cry, Claudia drives her spear into the thin crack where Orcus' rocky teeth meet. The blade reshapes itself to fit the gap exactly, splinters of the old Excalibur shifting around in accordance with some inhuman will. It seems impossible that Claudia should be able to force the Great Gate open, even with this power at her disposal, but the jaws slowly begin to part. Gasping softly, you watch as the gap widens. First large enough for a man to crawl through, then large enough for a truck to drive through, Claudia pushes harder and harder. Less a test of strength and more a test of will, she pushes the Kusanagi to its absolute limit.

Or maybe the Kusanagi is pushing HER to her limit.

“Almost... there...” Claudia hisses, “You bloody peasant, don't just... stand there gawking. Get ready to move, damn it!”

“I've got the control rods!” Kaori barks, hastening over and snapping the canister free from her back. Grunting, she pushes the case through the gap in Orcus' teeth. The case vanishes without a trace, swallowed up by the void beyond. For a moment, nobody says anything. “Oh shit,” Kaori whispers after a second, “I didn't think they would just vanish like-”

“You IDIOT!” Claudia shrieks, “Go in there and get them RIGHT THIS INSTANT!”

As if her anger lends her new strength, she forces Orcus' jaws open a fraction wider. Wide enough, you realise, wasting no time in attacking the gap. Ignoring the sparks that fly as your armour grinds against the stone, you force your way through the narrow gap. The thought of what lies beyond, the black void and, of course, Lilith herself, doesn't slow you down. You don't LET it slow you down. You just push through, and on the other side...

-

Even before you open your eyes, you can tell how different this place is. Your stomach lurches as your weight shifts oddly. It almost feels like moving through deep water, but not quite. It feels like nothing you've ever experienced. When you can't put it off any longer, you force yourself to open your eyes... only to wince and narrow them again, assaulted by the brilliant white light that surrounds you. It's hard to see anything here, let alone...

There. A dark smudge against the blinding white light. The control rods, still safe within their canister. Still fighting against the curious atmosphere, you stoop down to grab the case only to pause. The ground here is covered in statues, countless thousands of humanoid figures seemingly grown from the perfect white ground itself. Some pose like classical Greek sculptures, others stand twisted by pain or glare lifelessly into the sky. All of the are masked, the faces as blank and expressionless as any Lilim. Maybe they could be Lilim one day, if allowed to reach maturity. If so...

“Holly!” Kaori grunts, her voice crackling over the radio. Looking back, you see a dirty black smudge against the ground, Unit 01's hand reaching desperately through to you.

[2/?]

>>4107553

Lunging, almost swimming back to the gash, you grab Unit 01's hand and pull. Her upper body soon emerges and claws at the ground around her, smashing aside the statues as she scrabbles for purchase. Throwing all your strength into it, you rip Kaori out and fall back, crushing more statues beneath your weight as you stare up at the...

Oh god.

There is no sky here, just a smooth curve that bends up from the horizon until both ends join at the peak. You're inside a vast – unimaginably vast – sphere, the surface of the entire thing cast from the same perfect white stone. Floating at the centre of it all is an orb of light, as bright as the sun but far, far closer. Cold, though, with none of the sun's heat. Even through it hurts, all you can do is stare up at the white light. You can almost... see something inside it, the faintest suggestion of a figure curled up in the fetal position.

“Hey...” Kaori whispers, her voice hushed and almost drowned out by the static on the radio, “Look. I think we're in trouble.” You look back, searching for the hole you both crawled through. After a moment of searching, you turn to Kaori. “It's gone,” she breathes, confirming your worst suspicion, “I don't know what happened. Claudia seemed to be struggling, she told me to hurry up. To not look back. I could hear rock grinding as I was crawling, but I didn't think... Do you think she's okay?”

You remember what Monroe said. If the Kusanagi failed, the backlash could be dangerous... fatal, even. You just shake your head. “We'll worry about her later,” you tell Kaori, “Right now, we need to concentrate on... this. Whatever THIS is.”

“My instruments are going crazy,” Kaori murmurs, “GPS says we're nowhere on Earth. I guess that shouldn't surprise me at this point. We're not in Dirac either, though, I'm sure of it. Gravity is all screwed up as well, that's why it's so hard to move normally here. Looks like... less than a fifth of normal Earth gravity. Wait a minute...”

But you barely notice those last words, unable to tear your gaze away from the glowing light. Either your eyes are adjusting, somehow, to the terrible radiance, or it's starting to dim. The shape within is stirring, unfolding itself with an unhurried grace. The first thing you see is a hand emerging from the light, stretching out and groping blindly at the air. Fingernails, you notice, it has beautiful fingernails.

This must be what losing your mind feels like. Of all the stupid things to fixate on...

One beautifully manicured hand is followed by another, the light continuing to dim as the creature, Mother Lilith, rouses herself from her age-long slumber. With an unnatural calm, you soak up the details of her form – the second pair of arms, smaller and clutched lovingly to her breast, the cluster of three mask-like faces gazing out at you both, the halo of light burning around her head...

[3/4?]

>>4107592
Now how do we get back from the Moon?

>>4107592

With inhuman grace, Lilith descends down to ground. Up close, she towers over you – easily three times the size of an ADM, maybe even more than that – but she has a weightlessness that can't just be blamed on the strange gravity here. Lilith's cluster of faces pass over you, and you feel your heart skip a beat. The masks are all different – one frozen in a rictus of fury, one twisted with grief, the final mask gazing out with a beatific smile – but their eyes are the same. They all have the same hollow blackness behind them, the same emptiness.

Then her gaze passes over you, and you feel your heart beat again.

“We just need to...” Kaori whispers, “To hit her with a control rod. That's all.”

“Right,” you murmur back, watching out of the corner of your eye as Kaori breaks the case open and draws out one of the control rods. Lilith crawls past you, on hands and knees now, and you catch a fleeting glimpse of the back of her head. Here, at last, you see something that distracts from her flawless beauty – an ugly crack across the back of her hairless head, like the shell of an egg that has been broken to reveal the hollow inside. Lilith leans down and examines some of the statues – examining them, you wonder, rather like a farmer might examine their crops before the harvest. That thought alone is enough to send a shiver running through you.

With a sudden convulsion of movement, Kaori dashes forwards and raises the control rod like a harpoon, bringing it slamming down into Lilith's ankle. The control rod shatters on impact, smashing uselessly against the vast creature's impervious hide. It seems impossible that Lilith could have felt such a minute, pitiful blow, yet... she feels it. In an instant, the light around you turns blood red as she turns, her massive hand sweeping through a crushing arc. Yelling in alarm, you jump back from the blow, finding your leap taking you far higher than expected. Weak gravity here, you remind yourself, and it pulls you in strange directions.

Kaori's leap took her away too, the curve of the sphere almost causing her to appear floating above you. Just moving around this place is going to be a nightmare, and fighting in it...

But how can you fight something like Lilith? With only two control rods left, you're going to need a plan.

>You've got an idea... (Write in)

>>4107627
Well the weak point for the control rods is obviously that crack in the back of her head, so we should aim for that.

>>4107627
>You've got an idea... (Write in)
I say we need to get a control rod in that crack on the back of her head. We can distract while Kaori does a moonman jump for the back of the head.

>>4107627
>You've got an idea... (Write in)
In all of the diagrams we have seen the control Rod goes in her head, so that is where we need to put it so we should split the remaining rods between us.

We should use "True" Excalibur to attract Lilith's attention while Kaori circles around to strike from behind, she should only use the rod if she can guarantee it will connect correctly.

>>4107627
>distract Lilith so Kaori can hit her with a control rod
We should destroy all the little statues growing in this realm. Maybe even try ripping apart the realm itself. Just wantonly trample over Lilith's creations to draw all of her attention and give Kaori a chance to hit her with the control rod while she's focused on us. I want revenge on Lilith for all the pain and suffering she's caused. I don't know if she can understand us, and I wouldn't want to touch her mind and try to communicate, but I want to try to let her know how we feel, even if we're screaming into the void.

Lilith's children were animalistic monsters. The only one who could have been more was Amon. He could think and act, and he could have used the gift of intelligence to create something: to make the world better. Instead he was cruel and vindictive. He toyed with people, with us and our family. He took a cruel world and just amplified its cruelty. He never tried to be anything different. He was the worst monster of all, because he can actually be held responsible for his actions. He was also Lilith's favored child. We killed him. Sometimes we still hear echoes of Amon's influence, and if we ever do touch Lilith's mind, we should bring out those to hurt her and distract her.

>>4107637
Also if we are feeling particularly suicidal today, or as a last ditch measure we could try to Intrude using the Engine to boost our Field strength, in order to get Lilith to sit still.

Also if we get the chance we should see if we can find out what Bergmann told Nate, about Kaori's actions during the first Berlin indecent in theard #1 post >>3370043

“Kaori, I've got an idea!” you call out, leaping back again as Lilith brings her palm smashing down towards you. Another floating leap away, another lurch of your stomach, but you manage to stay out of the monster's reach. “I'll keep her busy, distract her, and you get behind her,” you continue, “There's a crack on the back of her head, a wound or something. You need to get a control rod in THERE, now!”

“Right, I get it!” she snaps back. No hesitation in her voice, no lingering doubt over your dwindling supply of control rods, she just gets right to it. That's the kind of obedience you could come to appreciate.

With a flick of will, Excalibur roars into life and casts a new light over the sphere. Holding the weapon aloft, you see Lilith's attention immediately drawn towards it. For good measure, you scythe the blade out and shear one of the statues in half. Whether they're her unborn children or just her decorations, you're pretty damn sure she won't appreciate your act of vandalism. Even before you can bring the blade down upon a second statue, Lilith attacks.

No more wide, sweeping blows this time, these strikes are both precise and vicious. As much as the reduced gravity helps you evade, it's exhausting to keep launching yourself out of the way. Lilith isn't going to tire, you can tell that much immediately and the knowledge seems to make everything twice as hard, your task twice as tiring once you realise you're on a countdown. Between her crushing blows, Lilith sometimes rears back and cloaks herself in the blood-red light, beams of explosive force ripping out around you regardless of whatever collateral damage they might cause.

“Oh, but I'M not allowed to break shit?” you grunt, throwing up a hand to protect your face from a hail of explosive shrapnel. Something pierces your armour, cutting deep into your flesh and causing blood to spill. Hissing a curse, you lower your arm and risk a look around for any sign of Kaori. She's opposite you now, laboriously climbing up the sphere's wall with the remaining control rods slung on her hips. She's got a plan of her own, but-

Distracted. No good. Rookie mistake.

Lilith's hand catches you in a wide slap, smashing into you and hurling you across the sphere. If it wasn't for the bone-breaking ache gripping your entire body, the sluggish flight would almost seem luxurious. As it is, it just gives you longer to dread the moment of impact when you hit the far wall. When you do hit home, the pain is every bit as bad as you feared. Something inside you breaks, something you probably can't live without. Not for very long, at least.

Slowly, gracefully, Lilith leans down to examine you. Like a wave crashing against the shore, her mind washes over you in a wordless stream of... Curiosity? Nostalgia? Spiteful satisfaction, maybe? Delicately placing one finger under your chin, she lifts your head to face hers.

[1/?]

>>4107686

With the taste of blood in your mouth, you stare up as Lilith digs her elegant fingernail into the metal plate that muzzles your ADM. Like someone picking a scab, she peels the armour up and flicks it away, gazing into Unit 02's bare face. They have hideous faces, the ADM Units, almost disfigured in how awful they are. Lidless eyes, lipless mouths, jutting teeth and pallid, drowned looking flesh. For all their flaws, the Lilim probably got a better deal. At least their masks had a certain... dramatic flair.

You're back in “thinking about stupid shit” territory again. Well, so be it – so long as it keeps Lilith distracted long enough for Kaori to strike.

And strike she does.

It's a little thing at first. Lilith jolts slightly, just barely flinching forwards as – you assume – the ADM lands on her back and drives the control rod home. Then Lilith begins to lean back on her haunches, and you see Kaori tumble sluggishly to the ground. With her motions growing slower and slower, Lilith raises her two main arms and clasps her hands together in silent prayer, tilting her head back to gaze up towards the roof of her chamber. Now, lurching to the side, you see the tip of the control rod jutting out from her broken skull.

“I think... I got her...” Kaori pants, “I don't know what I got. Just light, inside there. Burned me to look at it, wasn't sure if my aim was good. Must have been, but...”

“Look,” you murmur, turning and pointing as something catches your eye. A dirty stain spreads across the white floor, the ground peeling away to reveal a hole – an escape route, hopefully. Kaori starts over towards it, tentatively leaning over to peer through the gap and shrugging. Nothing but blackness on the other side, of course, just the same as when you came in. You test the radio, cycling through all active channels, but only Kaori's link is the only one active and Karina doesn't answer your hails. She's probably in isolation right about now, you recall, preparing herself for her new life.

Slowly, you look back to where Lilith sits paralysed. With her head tilted back like that, it almost seems like she's offering you her throat. As if sensing your intent, Excalibur burns with a hungry light – the blade curved like a sickle.

You could end this all, right here and right now. Give Kaori a head start, long enough to make sure she gets away before Dirac collapses. You, on the other hand, might not be so lucky – but if that means no-one else has to face the things you've faced, maybe that's worth the sacrifice.

“Holly, c'mon,” Kaori calls over, “We need to move!”

>You'll leave Lilith pacified, knowing that future generations may face this danger
>You'll stay and cut Lilith's throat, knowing that Dirac may end up being your tomb

>>4107718
>You'll stay and cut Lilith's throat, knowing that Dirac may end up being your tomb
Fuck Lilith.

>>4107718
>You'll leave Lilith pacified, knowing that future generations may face this danger.

>>4107718
>You'll stay and cut Lilith's throat, knowing that Dirac may end up being your tomb
"Hop in. Right behind you..."

Let's end it. At the very least we'll have Claire, Nate, and 02 to keep us company if we don't make it.

>>4107718
>You'll stay and cut Lilith's throat, knowing that Dirac may end up being your tomb

>>4107718
>You'll stay and cut Lilith's throat, knowing that Dirac may end up being your tomb
Fuck Lilith, fuck Matheson, and fuck jannies

>>4107718
>>You'll stay and cut Lilith's throat, knowing that Dirac may end up being your tomb
>I'm pretty sure the only reason i'm alive right now is my ego barrier Kaori.... Lillith got me good. Get out, I'll give you time to pull out with Claudia and the others.

>>4107718
> Leave Lillith pacified.

Killing everyone is how we got into this mess in the first place. WE NEED TO LIIIIIIVE.

>>4107736
>Something inside you breaks, something you probably can't live without. Not for very long, at least.


we're dead already.

>>4107739
While I agree with staying, that wound can probably hold until we get out of the test tube and get immediate medical care back at base. Otherwise it would make this final choice a non choice.

>>4107739
We're not dead. We'll be right behind Kaori. I'm sure this will be quick and easy, like going to the store or popping Matheson.

>Okay, so I'm going to close this vote here. Seems like we're going to be staying behind and finishing the job. I'm going to pause things here and focus on writing up the next section, which I hope to have ready by the weekend - Friday at the earliest, or possibly Saturday
>Thank you for your contributions today, and stay tuned!

>>4107750
Thanks for running.

Get your sad music playlists ready boys.

>>4107718
I wanted to ask what would happen if we stuck TWO rods in there.

Or if we can chop up a fingernail to use on karina or something. And the rest of the baby lilim statues, for that matter.

File: NERVEpilogue.png (394 KB, 900x700)

394 KB PNG

Standing there, in this place that has become Lilith's resting place, you feel the weight of history pressing down on you. Every cut and thrust exchanged between NERV and the UN, every move that let to NIHIL's downfall, the Circle Eleven trials and, so long ago now, Second Impact itself. You consider every moment that led you to this place, and the road that might stretch out ahead of you – a road without end, a machine that could consume any number of girls just like yourself.

For now, Lilith is passive. Lulled back into slumber by the control rod piercing her skull – the control rod that is already starting to degrade, broken down by Lilith's power. How long before it will need replacing? And what about the next rod, and the rod after that? A terrible idea forms, each control rod burning out sooner than the last until they last days apiece, hours...

It has to end here. It HAS to.

“You go on ahead, Kaori,” you order, finally tearing your eyes away from Lilith and turning back to the pilot, “I need a minute here. Go on, get outta here.”

She lingers, because of course she does. “I don't think that's a good idea, Holly,” she replies slowly, and you can just picture her serious frown, “This place seems stable, but we shouldn't push our luck.”

“It's fine, Kaori. Really. I just want to remember this moment,” you insist, dimly aware of your fists clenching tightly at your sides. Why does she have to make this so fucking hard? “And, uh, maybe find a decent souvenir. I mean, this is like the definition of a once in the lifetime moment. I'd really kick myself if I wasted this opportunity,” you continue, “So go on. Get back to base and take some time off. You've earned it.”

Silence. A screen blinks into life before you, a link with Unit 01 and Kaori. She gazes at you, wanting to say something but unsure of what.

“Go on,” you repeat firmly, fixing her with a hard look, “Don't wait up, okay?”

Maybe it's the look on your face that does it. “I understand,” Kaori murmurs, nodding slightly, “You're really sure about this?” The question hangs between you, unanswered, for a long moment. “I'd better go, then. I'll tell the others to hurry up too,” she concludes, “I think this place might get unstable soon.”

“I think you might be right,” you agree sadly, looking around the hollow sphere, “It's been a ride, Kaori, a hell of a time. Thanks for sticking with me.”

“No,” she insists, shaking her head, “I should be the one thanking YOU, Holly. This is too much for-”

“Hey, cut it out. You're making me embarrassed here,” you interrupt, giving her a cocky grin, “I'll see you around, okay?”

The lie lands badly, but Kaori pretends not to notice. Closing the screen, she turns and walks back to the exit rift. Hesitating for a few seconds more, she steps into the rift.

And vanishes.

[1/6]

>>4114534

All alone now, as much as you're ever alone. You've got some waiting to do, if you're to give Kaori a decent head start. Plenty of time to plan out the best way to finish this, although it feels uncomfortably like plotting a murder. What else can you call it, when the victim is sitting defencelessly before you?

Shaking off that unwelcome thought, you leap up towards the kneeling giant and let the weak gravity carry you through the air. Scrabbling at her smooth flesh, more stone than skin, you pull yourself up onto her shoulder and wince, clutching at your side. You felt something break before, and there's definitely something there. If you were able to strip out of the clinging plugsuit, you're sure that you'd see a bruise already spreading down your side. Tentatively touching yourself, you search for the source of the pain. The kidney, maybe?

“Big deal. I've got two,” you mutter, smiling grimly as you pat the side of Lilith's motionless head. “Hear that, lady? You couldn't even break something irreplaceable. Talk about an underachiever,” you tell her, swaying in place like a drunkard, “Still, at least you had a decent sense of style. Like, those masks were pretty cool. We made masks like that ourselves, you know. Maybe that's something we learned from you...”

Sighing quietly to yourself, you watch as the mission clock ticks up second by second. It's hard to know exactly how long you should wait, how long Kaori and the others might need to get clear. Pulling the mission logs up on the ADM's internal computers, you scroll aimlessly through lines of meaningless data. You've never really needed this before, so your search is a clumsy one, but you're in no hurry. Eventually, you find the mission clock and start to count back from there. The calculations, at least, give you something to occupy yourself with.

-

It's time.

You wondered how you might feel, when this moment came. Now, with the clock sitting at zero, you just feel numb. No fear, at least, and no anger. That's good. Whatever happens, you'll meet it with a clear head. Excalibur senses your intent as you shift about on Lilith's shoulder, the blade stretching out and forming a smooth curve. Leaning forwards, you study Lilith's exposed throat for a few long seconds. With her head tilted back like that, she almost looks like she's inviting your blade.

She's praying, you think deliriously, what could she be praying to?

Before you can hesitate any further, some force – perhaps Nate, perhaps Excalibur itself – makes the decision for you. Pulling your hand forwards, you draw Excalibur's edge across Lilith's exposed throat. Silver blood flows like quicksilver, and the world around you begins to tremble. Jostled loose by the tremors, you lose your precarious grip on Lilith's shoulder and fall – but there's no solid ground left to break your fall.

[2/6]

>>4114538

Normal gravity returns like a fist closing in around you, the sudden shift causing your stomach to lurch alarmingly. A moment later, you hit something solid – another jolt of pain, barely noticeable now – and roll over to see concrete beneath you. Just for a fleeting second, you allow yourself to believe that you're back in Avalon. Then, looking up, you see the featureless abyss above you. Still in the depths of the Dirac Sea, and Neun's dream-city is fading fast. Dimly aware of how futile your actions must be, you drag yourself to your feet and stagger a few paces forwards.

The road stretches on into the distance, every step seeming like an insurmountable obstacle. Regardless, you press on with grim determination as the city collapses around you. It's a silent collapse, and strangely undramatic – the buildings sink slowly beneath the surface of the road, fading out like mist and taking the road with them. More than once, you have to veer around a gap yawning open ahead of you.

Neun's tower is gone, and the Dirac Probe with it. Juliet stayed true to her word, as expected.

Something catches your foot, and you feel your balance fail. Ponderously falling forwards, you hit the ground with a dull crash of metal. The road, you realise as you look back, your foot must have caught in a torn part of the ground and... and now you're down. Down and out. A wave of fatigue washes over you, and you quietly accept that you're not getting up this time. Looking up, you watch as the road ahead is slowly eaten up by the void. The last shreds of the dream-city drift apart and fade, then you're falling once more.

So be it.

-

After a while, even the sensation of falling is lost. Taking its place is something harder to describe – not quite floating, or drifting, or lying motionless. You're just existing here, in a place where things don't NEED to be described. They just... are.

“So is this it?” you ask the void, “I guess this isn't so bad. Could get pretty boring, though. Might be nice if I had someone to talk to...”

“Would I do?” Claire asks, her voice drifting out from the darkness. Slowly, the scenery around you warps and twists until it takes on a familiar appearance. A classroom, but not from Avalon. This is from before, from the boarding school, but not quite. “Right,” Claire agrees, nodding at the windows and the golden light spilling through them, “The real thing never caught the sunset like this. Wrong angle or something, I dunno. Still, this is nice, isn't it?”

“Yeah,” you whisper, tracing your fingers across the closest desk, “This is nice. Might as well set the mood, right?”

“Right,” she replies, brushing a lock of dyed pink hair away from her face, “I'm proud of you, kid. I mean that. Everyone else from Circle Eleven, I figure they'd say the same thing. You really did us all proud.”

[3/6]

>>4114540

“It's funny,” you muse, sitting lightly on the corner of the desk opposite her, “I felt like I'd failed you. All of you, but... especially you. I mean, when I vanish that's it for you – you're gonna vanish right along with me. That's hardly fair, is it?”

“There you go, making yourself feel guilty again. You've been told a million times to knock that shit off,” Claire scolds, leaning across to flick your forehead, “Fact is, you'd find some way to make yourself feel bad whatever happened. If you bailed out with the others, you'd be crying about the future generations now. So how about this? Instead of feeling bad about all the things you think you've done wrong, why don't you try feeling good about what you've achieved? Like, you know, saving the fucking world?”

It's weird, hearing her say that. You've joked about it often enough, but you've never really... grasped the magnitude of it. “I guess we did save the world,” you admit, “All of us, working together. But, you know, mostly me.”

“Hey, I never said you could get cocky!” Claire teases, tilting her head as if hearing some far-off voice, “Looks like I'm not the only one who wanted to talk. I'll see you around, okay?”

“Not the only one who... wait!” you cry out, the sudden fear of being left alone ripping through you like a knife. You leap forwards to grab Claire's hand, but the scene changes before you can make contact. The classroom becomes a shopping mall, brilliant white and full of murmuring shoppers. This place is familiar too, but not from your own memories. “Nate?” you whisper, afraid to look around, “Is that you?”

“Yo,” she replies, slapping you lightly on the shoulder, “Is this okay for you? We could go somewhere more private if you like. This place... I dunno, I kinda like it. Brings back happy memories, I guess.”

The hum of background voices fades, the already indistinct conversations growing even more muffled. “This is fine. I mean, anything works,” you assure her, numbly shaking your head, “Nate... looks like Vic is gonna have to find someone else to keep him company, huh? I hope he's going to be okay. Losing both of us, so close together, that's going to be rough. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but...”

“But it was always a contradiction. I know. Life is like that sometimes. Take this place. I said it brought back happy memories, but that's only because of the bad bits as well. I got lost here, as a kid, but Vic came to find me. So there's fear, but if it wasn't for that fear, I wouldn't have felt the relief afterwards,” Nate explains, sounding more mature than ever in life, “Sometimes, you have to hurt to be healed. To get what you want, you have to turn away from it. You have to fight through the bad to get to the good.”

“I guess so,” you breath, nodding slowly, “And Vic?”

“Vic?” Nate repeats, “I think he's gonna be okay. He just needs to realise that.”

[4/6]

>>4114543

You're left on your own for a while, left to your idle speculations about the prospect of eternity here – how long would it take for you to run out of things to talk about? How long, after that, would it take to lose your mind? Maybe you would never get that far, slipping into some peaceful oblivion instead. Before you can dwell on the idea, you sense a new presence behind you. Behind you? You're still thinking in terms of distance and position here, in a place where those are less than consistent. Have to stop doing that, or-

“Holly,” Coraline begins, her voice uncommonly tentative, “It's good to see you again.”

“Coraline,” you reply awkwardly, “You're looking very... um...”

“Not dead?” she suggests, raising a delicate eyebrow. As you're fumbling for an answer, Coraline gestures down to a set of newly formed chairs, delicate ironwork placed either side of some artisan table. The rest of the scene fills in as you sit, the streets of Paris – you assume – spreading out around you. “So. Mankind will have its chance to face the future, with neither Adam nor Lilith influencing things,” Coraline muses, “A future truly shaped by human hands. Whatever happens, then, they'll have to take responsibility. They won't be able to blame it on anyone – anything – else.”

“But the good they... we... achieve, that'll be ours too,” you counter, “Maybe this is how it should be. We own up to our mistakes, and we bask in the glory of our triumphs.”

“Maybe so. I wonder, though, which one will prove more common,” she thinks aloud, tapping her chin with one delicate finger, “You might have done all this, sacrificed everything, just so mankind can wipe itself out in some ugly little war. Their world still has want, and greed, and hunger. Men still sin, and take delight in that sin. I'm sure you've thought of this before, but the world might not be worth saving.”

“You're right. I have thought of that before,” you reply quietly, watching as her smile grows, “I know it's wrong. This world IS worth saving, even with the ugly bits. Mankind might never be perfect, but I've given us a chance to improve – to atone for the mistakes of the past, and build a brighter future. I believe in that future, and I believe in mankind.”

Coraline's smile grows wider, and she rises to her feet once more. “I'm glad we could talk like this,” she concludes, carefully smoothing down her skirt, “For one last time.”

“One last time?” you repeat, automatically standing as well, “What do you mean?”

But that question is left unanswered. Coraline backs off a pace and slowly vanishes, fading into the darkness beyond. You start after her, but then... but then you're falling again. You're falling, in this place without anywhere to fall to.

Someone, somewhere, is calling your name.

[5/6]

>>4114545

Wind. There shouldn't be wind here, should there? The scenery you saw before – the classroom, the shopping mall, the Parisian streets – were all oddly flat, without any real attention given over to the little details. Here, though, you can feel the wind on your face. You can smell fresh grass and a slight chemical scent. You can even here the drone of a distant engine. Familiar scents and sounds, but impossibly so. It can't be...

Daring to hope, you open your eyes and stare up at a cornflower blue sky. Lazy clouds crawl across the sky, and some insect buzzes past your head. It all FEELS real, even down to the sickening ache in your side. If this was just some comforting illusion, you wouldn't dream up a damaged kidney, would you?

Long grass brushes against you as you sit up, looking around at the fields around you. A short distance away, you spot the old Bushmaster trapped in a sea of corn. Beyond that are the long white tents covering delicate new crops, and off to the side is the house. YOUR house. Moving on numb limbs, you start to stagger towards the house. The pain in your side flares up before you can make it more than a dozen paces, and you slump low. For the first time since the operation began, you feel a real, raw fear. You've come this far now, you can't let it end here. Dragging in a ragged breath, you force yourself back upright and-

This time, when you poke your head up above the long grass, you see that you're not alone. Your parents. Confused by the sight of you, of course, but healthy and sane and REAL. New strength floods into your limbs as you stare out at them, and soon you're lurching towards them before you even realise what you're doing. “Holly?” your father calls out, blinking in amazement, “I don't understand... what are you doing here? HOW can you be here?”

“Long story. Explain later,” you gasp, crashing through the long grass and collapsing down into his waiting arms. “Right now, need a favour,” you add, tasting blood in your mouth, “Think you could call for a doctor?”

>Going to pause here for a few hours while I finish writing up part two. Please wait warmly!

>>4114547
Thanks for part 1! Waiting warmly.

>>4114547
So did our connections to our family drag us out of the Dirac?


Also I wonder given there is no ADM unit anymore.... did we eat it or did it just fade away?

>>4114570
Maybe it (and Nate? Coraline?) sent Holly home? Amon managed to teleport Holly here one time.

>>4114570
We should probably try and find it, the black boxes on board should help provide something for Brahms to go over, in order to figure out what actually happened, though Kaori's should do if we can't find Unit 02, and Neun and her probe should still be able used in order to facilitate the recovery if it still exists somewhere in the Dirac.

>>4114605
Take a load off mate. We are in epilogue territory. Just enjoy the show.

Also the ADMs have probably disappeared due to Adam going dormant. Presumably anyways.

>>4114667
It makes me wonder if their Armour went with them though, it would make a interesting centerpiece for a museum display, or a statue out the front of the UN's HQ or something.

I really, really hope this isn't an illusion created by the remnants of the Void to make Holly feel better.

December, 2021
Avalon City, United States of America

It's Christmas time, and the world hasn't ended yet.

Stepping off the bus, you look around at the familiar streets and the unfamiliar decorations glinting above you. They certainly didn't spare the budget, with long strings of lights strung between every street light and signpost available. Shop windows are glazed over with fake frost, and you can hear cheerful music playing somewhere nearby. You've never really been super into Christmas, but this is... nice.

“When you said you'd see me around, I never thought it would take this long,” a voice calls out, “What's your excuse?”

You turn, spotting Kaori as she emerges from the crowd. She looks different, somehow. Her hair is a little longer, and she's taken to wearing a pair of yellow-tinted shooting glasses, but the real difference lies in her expression – the calm, confident smile she wears. “Blame my doctor. I wanted to discharge myself earlier, but he wasn't having any of it. Talk about a stick up his ass!” you reply, hurrying over, “No joke, I was missing Doctor Weick pretty hard by the end of it.”

“Well, I suppose it's better late than never,” Kaori sighs, “How's the kidney?”

Automatically, your hand goes to your side as you imagine the neat little scar there. “Still feels weird, thinking of it as “my” kidney. Not that I'm trying to sound ungrateful or anything, but I told the old man I could get by fine with just one. He insisted,” you explain, “Said that he hadn't been very good at doing his fatherly duty until now, wanted to make up for lost time. So it's, I dunno, it's a thing.”

“It certainly is a thing,” she agrees, nodding to herself. With nothing more needing to be said, you both lapse into an easy silence as you take the scenic route back to HQ... what you still think of as “HQ”, that is. “It's weird, being back here,” Kaori mentions once you're a street away, pausing and looking around, “It feels like a totally different world, but it's all so familiar. Well, except for the decorations. I could live without those.”

“Where's your Christmas spirit?” you joke, poking her with your elbow, “Anyway, what have you been up to? You were super vague on the phone. Keeping secrets from me?”

“Don't make it sound so devious! I just didn't want to tell you everything over the phone, then have nothing to talk about later,” Kaori protests, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I'm back at school now. Tokyo Military Academy – although really, it's more than just the military these days. They train diplomats there, government officials too. Father pulled a few strings, secured me a place there,” she sighs, “It's not much fun, but it's a good opportunity. Plus, I joined the shooting team.”

“Shooting, huh?” you muse, “I figured you'd be done with all that stuff.”

“I'm done with fighting,” Kaori replies, “This is different.”

[1/6]

>>4114802

Life after NERV isn't just for people, it seems. Stepping into the old NERV base, you find yourself in the midst of a hive of activity – the formerly empty warehouse is being transformed, but nothing you see gives you any idea of what. You breathe a sigh of relief as you spot Monroe emerging from deeper inside. Grinning and self-consciously adjusting her white hard hat, the older woman jogs across to you. “Holly! I'm so glad you made it!” she calls out, eagerly shaking your hand, “It feels like it's been so long. Come on, the others are below. You remember the way to the elevators, right?”

“Like the back of my hand,” you assure her, “What's going on here?”

“Elrow. He's taking over, converting this place into the head office for a new project of his. Cortex Laboratories. Sort of a general... research institute thing. A bit aimless at the moment, unfortunately. He's just looking for the right problem to throw at it. At us,” Monroe explains, “I'm on the payroll, although I'm not totally sure what my position is. Human resources, admin stuff, corporate leadership... mostly, I'm flying around and negotiating deals I barely understand with people. It's fun!”

Fun. Right.

“It must have been hard, getting this little reunion organised,” Kaori ventures, raising her voice slightly over the rumble of the central elevator, “And you're already so busy...”

“Boy, no kidding! The way you guys scattered, I almost thought you wanted to get away from this place!” Monroe laughs, “So it took a bit of work, tracking you all down again. I don't begrudge the effort, of course. I'm just glad... I'm just glad we're all back together!”

You've seen that fake, phony cheer before. There's something she's not telling you.

-

The dorm has the cold, lifeless feeling of a room left empty for too long, but that's already starting to change, the dead air forced out by Yulia's perfume. A sweet, flowery scent, the perfume slaps you in the face as soon as you enter the dorm. The owner of that particular smell is sprawled across the sofa with a book lying across her chest, rising and falling with her soft snores. Delicately reaching down, you pick up the book and glance at the cover. A medical book, an introduction to nursing.

“Mmph?” Yulia mumbles, sleepily opening one eye. A moment later, both eyes jolt open. “Ah! I'm awake, I'm awake!” she yelps, sitting upright and flapping her hands at you, “How long have you been-”

“Chill out, I just got here. Didn't mean to disturb you,” you answer quickly, gesturing for her to calm down, “So you're studying, huh? Anywhere local?”

Slowly, Yulia shakes her head. “Berlin,” she answers, glancing away from you, “A college there, part of a hospital. They have very good hospitals there, in Berlin. After Second Impact...”

It's just like Monroe said. After NERV, you all went your separate ways.

[2/6]

>>4114804

“After the operation, it was... awkward, yes?” Yulia begins, rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes, “We won, but when Kaori explained what happened, it did not feel right to celebrate. Nobody seemed to know what to do, nobody wanted to talk about it. I do not know who was first, but... we all started to drift apart, to move on with our lives. Then we heard that you were... back... and that was strange too. I did not believe it at first.”

And she feels guilty about it. You can tell that straight away from the way she won't meet your gaze. When you put a hand on her shoulder, she flinches. “I'm sorry it took me so long. I was in the hospital for a long time, and my dad... well, he said there problems getting in contact with NERV. Security, I guess, and it must have been a pretty hectic time for everyone,” you reply, “Talk about making a mess of things, huh?”

“Well, could you make a mess of things quietly?” Claudia snaps, and you both jolt around to see the heiress standing at the doorway. “Honestly, you've been back all of five minute and you're getting on my nerves already!” she continues, glaring at you, “But, I suppose it's been getting rather dull around here without you, so I'll let you off the hook just this once. Don't go expecting a second chance, though!”

She hasn't changed a bit, although you almost don't recognise the girl standing behind Claudia – Hester looks very different in casual clothing, in jeans and a neat shirt. “You're always so generous, Claudia,” you sigh, rolling your eyes, “So forgiving too. But I'm surprised you decided to join us today. I thought you might be back in England.”

“England? God no, there's nothing left there for me. I think I might set down roots here. In America, I mean. We're still looking at options for a permanent residence, still narrowing down the options. We've been staying here, in Avalon, for the time being,” the heiress explains, “It's as good a place as any. Unlike everyone else here, I've been in no hurry to move on with my life. We've earned this time off. Why not enjoy it?”

“I'm going,” Yulia decides, shaking her head in weary irritation, “Juliet will want to know you're here. I will go and find her.”

Claudia watches as the studious girl leaves, her expression changing slightly once the dorm door closes behind her. “Never thought I'd see you again,” she admits quietly, “When Kaori came back, alone, I nearly went through that portal to drag you back myself. You're just lucky that that beastly Kusanagi thing took so much out of me, or I would have done it too. As it is, I... might have needed some help just crawling out of that pit before it all fell apart. Talk about lame!”

“Super lame,” you agree, offering her a wan smile, “Are you going to blame me for that too?”

“Of course I am!” Claudia laughs, slapping you lightly on the arm.

[3/6]

>>4114807

It's weird, being able to tell Juliet and Julia apart so easily. Julia has cut her hair aggressively short, darkening it with dye, and she wears a gleaming steel ring through her nose. Juliet, on the other hand, hasn't changed a bit. “So,” you begin, looking between the two girls, “I'm guessing there's a good explanation for... all this.”

“We went to a show. Live music, punk rock,” Juliet explains, “It was...”

“It was great,” Julia interrupts, her blackened fringe flopping over her face as she nods eagerly.

“Terrible,” Juliet counters, giving her sister a stern frown, “It was terrible. Way too loud and vulgar, and-” Your laugh cuts her off, and soon Julia is laughing along with you. Eventually, Juliet gives in and allows herself a weary smile. “But it's interesting, isn't it?” she continues at last, once you've all calmed down, “We have the same bodies, the same minds and memories. By all accounts, we should feel the same way... so how can we have such different tastes? We're changing, I think, growing apart from each other.”

“I don't know how to feel about that,” Julia admits, “In a way, it's sad. I wonder if one day, we'll lose our connection completely. We'll be strangers to one another.”

They pause, glancing at each other with sudden unease. Then Juliet forces a laugh, holding up her phone. “We'll stay connected, even if we have to use more normal methods. Which, by the way, reminds me. I got this yesterday, and I knew you'd want to see it,” she holds her phone out to you, so you can see the photo there. It shows Ava standing outside a dirty burger joint, an enormous frown on her face. “She's in New York now. That restaurant there, that's the one from Emma's memories. She – Ava, I mean – has been tracking them all down, following in the footsteps of her BLUE EYE team,” Juliet explains quietly, “Her way of honouring them, I guess.”

“Hey, what's with the gloomy mood?” Julia complains, “She's happy, despite that scowl of hers. We should be happy too. Now, Commander Monroe... wait, is that just “Monroe” now? Anyway, she booked us a table for dinner later, so-”

“Karina,” you interrupt, “How's Karina doing?”

Slowly, Juliet and Julia lapse into a fearful silence.

-

The soft hum of machinery dances at the edges of your awareness, the only thing preventing the room from falling into complete silence. Karina lies motionless on her bed, her hands clasped delicately to her chest and her face serene. Serene, but lifeless. “It didn't work,” you mutter, touching her hand and feeling the coldness of her skin, “I thought...”

“It did work... initially. We kept Miss Teufel isolated during the second stage of the operation, exactly as planned. Adam entered a dormant state, but she remained awake. For a time,” Doctor Brahms answers quietly, “But her life signs slowly faded. She began to sleep more and more. Then, she didn't wake up at all.”

[4/6]

>>4114809

Brahms retreats, leaving you alone with Karina. Sitting at her bedside, you give her hand a tiny shake. No answer, of course. “Hey, I thought we agreed that you wouldn't do this,” you whisper, shaking her hand again, “We agreed. I'd beat the crap out of Lilith, and you'd stay here with me. With all of us. I did my part, I beat Lilith. I even came back... but I don't really understand how. It's impossible, isn't it?”

“Maybe not impossible,” you sigh, correcting yourself, “Amon could do it. He could do damn near anything he wanted. Even brought me back home once, dragged me through Dirac and practically dropped me on the doorstep. Did I do the same thing? Not deliberately, not consciously, but... maybe. Or maybe it was a miracle. A legit, god-given miracle.” Pausing, you look up towards the blank metal ceiling. “A miracle, huh?” you murmur, “Could use another one of those right now...”

No answer, of course.

“Where did we go wrong?” you ask, pleading with anything that might be listening, “Was it because we split up, because we all went our separate ways? It... it wasn't supposed to be like this! I should have done better, done something more, and-”

“Hey,” a quiet voice interrupts you. Falling silent, you turn to see Vic standing a few paces away. He has a sad smile on his face, the expression so brittle that it might shatter at any minute. “Sorry I'm late,” he continues, crossing over to sit down beside you, “I wanted to do a little shopping before you arrived. Then, I started feeling nervous about seeing you again. I, uh, I kept thinking that it was all a dream, and I'd wake up the minute I saw you. I got so scared I ended up wandering around in circles, and I lost track of time, and-”

“But you're here now,” you breathe, leaning over and resting your head on his shoulder, “I'm sorry. I'm doing it again, aren't I? Blaming myself for everything. How lame is that?” Slowly, he puts his arm around you and holds you close. Closing your eyes, you allow yourself a guilty pleasure from the comforting touch. “I almost left you alone,” you whisper, “After everything that's happened, I chose to... stay there. I abandoned you.”

“You did what you had to do,” Vic insists gently, patting you on the shoulder, “I don't think there's a single human alive who could really understand the choice you were given. When you told me, before, I didn't know what the right thing to do was. If the choice was mine, I don't know what I would have done. But, you made your choice – and here you are.”

“Here I am,” you repeat, “However that works.”

“I don't care how it works. I really don't,” Vic murmurs, “I'm just glad it worked, whatever it was.”

“So am I,” you agree.

[5/6]

>>4114811

You're not sure how long you spend together, but eventually that moment comes to an end. Murmuring an excuse, Vic gently takes his arm from your shoulder and slips out. Now you're alone again, just you and the lifeless girl lying opposite you. “Just you and me, huh?” you whisper to her, “Hope you don't mind if I ramble on a little. See, I've got an idea. A theory, Brahms would call it. I think I know why I came back. Can you guess why? No? Not even gonna take a wild guess?”

No answer, of course.

“It's because I WANTED to come back. Pretty simple, huh? But maybe it doesn't need to be super complicated. I feel like I've actually got my life back now – my folks are back, and I've got a good thing going with Vic. The world isn't gonna burn down any time soon, and I feel... at peace with myself. With all the things that I've been through. I worked so hard to build this up from nothing, and now...” you pause, taking a shuddering breath, “And I guess it paid off in the end. I got my reward. So hey, if I can do it, you can too... right?”

No answer, of course.

“Suit yourself,” you sigh, shaking your head as you rise to your feet. The door glides open with a cold hiss, and you turn to see Vic leading the whole group inside. Kaori and Claudia, Yulia and the Juliets, even Dakota looking stiff and awkward in her new school uniform. They file in, sitting down around Karina's quarters and making themselves comfortable. Monroe is last in, looking out at the assembled group and wiping her eyes. “Hey, look at this,” you begin, forcing a smile, “The gang's all here.”

“I thought we should all get together,” Vic explains, shifting awkwardly in place, “We never really had a chance to celebrate before, did we? I don't really feel like celebrating now either, and I think we all feel the same way, but... well, I think we should make the effort.”

“I know you're all underage,” Monroe adds, pouring a small slosh of wine into a glass and passing it to you, “But I'll turn a blind eye, just this once. Does anyone want to make a toast?”

Gazing down into the glass of white wine for a moment, you look up and meet Vic's eyes. “I know,” you decide, raising the glass, “To absent friends.”

“To absent friends!” the group repeats, their voices grave. Glasses are raised, and you all take sips of the wine. Dakota coughs and splutters, nearly choking on the cheap wine, and you feel the tension bleed away as the group laughs. With all the laughter, you barely hear the machines chime, the rustle of sheets. Then, finally, the soft whisper of a voice.

“Holly?” Karina mumbles, “I think I had a dream about you...”

NERV: SECOND DAUGHTER – END

>>4114816
……. Best end.

So did Karina go comatose helping to keep the way open to Holly could come back or did we just logic bomb her death away? Either way glad she's ok.


Thanks for running Moloch, you've been a consistently amazing qm and I appreciate it.


Any ideas when you're running next and what you might run?

>>4114816
Thanks for running!

I have a question though: what was the purpose of the Blue Eye team from the literary point of view? It seemed like they appeared, then immediately died and that's thst.

>>4114816
Thanks for running!

How many kids did Vic give us?

>>4114816
Thanks for another great quest Moloch.

How is the old warhound Fletch doing after all this? Did he ever talk to Yulia about his secret?"

>>4114836
>It seemed like they appeared, then immediately died and that's thst.

There was a good many threads between our first meeting and their deaths.

>what was the purpose of the Blue Eye team from the literary point of view?
They were Matheson/UN's executioners, a real tangible, human threat aside from the Lilim for us to contend with. Also complicated by the fact that they were just sweet girls that didn't know any better outside their suits.

>>4114831
>Any ideas when you're running next and what you might run?
I'm not going to be jumping into another quest straight away, but I do have some ideas about what to do next. I've been throwing around ideas about a frontier settlement, maybe with some slight civ builder aspects. Really not sure how far to take that, though, so don't take that as confirmed yet

>>4114845
>How many kids did Vic give us?
That's a very personal question to ask!

>>4114846
>How is the old warhound Fletch doing after all this? Did he ever talk to Yulia about his secret?"
Oh, he's not the sort of man to stick around once the job is done. He's very much a rolling stone, our boy Fletcher, and there's always work that needs doing. Besides, if he stuck around too long he might NEED to take responsibility with Yulia!

>>4114836
>I have a question though: what was the purpose of the Blue Eye team from the literary point of view? It seemed like they appeared, then immediately died and that's thst.
BLUE EYE were, at least partially, a replacement for the NERV team. If, for example, we decided to jump ship to the UN, we likely would have ended up with them as partners. As potential antagonists, they also provided a way of countering ADM Units. On a more meta perspective, the BLUE EYE team - along with Coraline - were intended to represent the idea that the world isn't worth saving. The BE team, to me, embodied bad things happening to the innocent.
Which is all pretty hard for me to put into words. I hope some of that made some kind of sense

>>4114944
Is Cam going to adopt Karina?

>>4114962
Well, they make a pretty good team. Even if it's never made formal, why mess with something that works?

>>4114944
>Besides, if he stuck around too long he might NEED to take responsibility with Yulia!
RIP Yulia's golden ending

Is Nate and Claire off on their isekai now?