>>3799415

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

Your eyes jolt open, and a familiar ceiling looms over you. There's something novel about waking up in your own bed, in the dorm, instead of the infirmary. It's nice, but you can't exactly say the same for your dreams. No real mystery with where they came from – there's a lot rattling around your head at the moment, ranging from Dakota's upbringing to Huang's experimental “treatment”. Mix it all up, add a few shots of whatever else your subconscious could dredge up, and you've got one hell of a cocktail.

Rubbing grit from your eyes, you wander through to the main room and see... nobody. Not the usual crowd that you've come to expect. The dorm isn't quite abandoned, though. Over in the kitchen, Hester and Vic work to clean up the breakfast dishes. Glancing over, Vic gives you a wave of greeting... splattering Hester with soapy water in the process. Scolding him with a low murmur, the maid lightly slaps him with her dishcloth before going back to drying the dishes.

“If you're looking for the others, I'm afraid that you just missed them,” Vic states, “They only left a few moments ago, actually, I'm surprised the noise didn't wake you. You could probably catch up with them, although you might not have time to get anything to eat. Oh, uh, they were going out to see the portal in person. I don't think there was any official reason for it, but... they got official clearance to take a look, so they're going to take a look.”

“Well, I hope they have fun. I must admit, I rather can't see the attraction,” Hester adds, sighing and looking around the dorm, “At least I can give this place a proper cleaning up. Honestly, I've been so lazy since coming here, I've let this place fall into such a disgraceful state!”

Disgraceful? The dorm is cleaner than most places you've lived in. If Hester really wanted to see something disgraceful, she should have seen your old room back in the boarding school. Never mind disgraceful, that place was probably a health hazard. “What about the boss?” you ask sluggishly, still shaking off your sleep, “Did Commander Monroe go with them?”

“I don't believe so. There was, I recall, talk of sneaking out without adult supervision. Humorous talk, of course, but still,” the maid remarks, “I'm sure it was all agreed and arranged beforehand. You're all very responsible young women.”

Is she talking about the same people you're thinking of?

Well... either way.

>Hurry and join the other pilots on their day out
>Hang out at the dorm and help with the chores
>Head down to the infirmary to check on Huang
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3799416
>>Hurry and join the other pilots on their day out

>>3799416
>Head down to the infirmary to check on Huang
Has Matheson tried to talk to Huang yet?
We may want to warn them off attempting to enter the portal with the protection of an ADM as we now know exactly how that turns out.

>>3799416
>>Hurry and join the other pilots on their day out

>>3799416
>Hurry and join the other pilots on their day out

>>3799416
>Hang out at the dorm and help with the chores
Maybe talk to Hester about what Claudia while we were comatose and to Vic about his new imou- if he might try to help integrate Nate.

“Yeah, uh, I think I should make sure these “responsible young women” of yours don't get in any trouble,” you reply quickly, brushing your hair into some semblance of order, “Plus, I don't want to miss out on any of the hot gossip.”

“Oh yes,” Vic remarks dryly, “I'm sure there's going to be a lot of gossip while you stare into a hole in the ground. And yes, I know it's not technically a hole, but...” Finishing this thought with a shrug, he offers a wan smile. Beneath the attempt at appearing casual, you see a flicker of unease. Under the circumstances, it's not hard to guess why – it's not a hole in the ground, it's a portal to some fundamentally inhuman place. Not exactly something that a crowd should be gathering around. If something were to go wrong...

“I gotta go,” you blurt out, feeling your happy thoughts rapidly slipping away.

-

You make it just in time, arriving at the main elevator just as the warning sirens start to wail. Sprinting the last way, you jump onto the platform and join the others. Heads turn, and Kaori starts to call out a greeting. Before she can get the words out, though, Claudia butts in.

“We were THIS close to having a nice relaxing day out!” she scolds, pointing an accusatory finger at you even as she fights to keep a smile off her face. Turning away with a dramatic flourish, and equally dramatic sigh, she leaves you make yourself comfortable... or as comfortable as you can be on a piece of oversized industrial machinery grinding its way towards the surface. Looking around, you scan the faces around you and try to gauge the mood.

Yulia paces with a kind of restless excitement, something she tries very hard to keep from showing on her face. Maybe she's afraid of being disappointed, or maybe she doesn't want anyone to ask her what she's hyped about. Kaori is equally cautious, although for different reasons – she's one of the few people to go inside that portal, after all. Dakota just looks happy to be having a day out, while Juliet is marginally less unreadable than usual... although you're not sure you could say what you're reading on her face.

“Hey,” you begin, brushing up close to Kaori and allowing the grinding machinery to muffle your words, “Have you seen Matheson around at all?”

“I don't think she's back yet,” Kaori answers, only speaking after giving the matter some serious thought, “The whole mood in the base changes when she's there, don't you think? It's like everyone tenses up.”

“Like they're holding in a fart,” Dakota butts in, joining you with a spring in her step, “Oh man, what if everyone in the base had to let one off at once. Do you think the ventilation system could handle it?”

That's a mental image you could have done without.

[1/2]

>>3799483

From the moment you step out into the city streets, you sense it. There's a nervous energy in the air that pairs unpleasantly with the humid summer air. Alive with traffic and pedestrians, all flowing in the same direction, the streets surge with motion and energy. All you can do is allow yourself to get swept along with the tide, borne towards the Lilim portal. All the while, you feel a growing sense of disorientation. Why are all these people rushing to the portal?

On the same day, of all times, that the other pilots decided to take their little day out.

“God, I hope this isn't...” you begin, fumbling and failing to find a suitable ending to that sentence. A complete fucking disaster, perhaps.

-

When you draw close to the Lilim portal, it's almost... disappointing. A tall fence has been erected around the portal, with uniformed police officers stationed nearby to watch over the gathered crowd. The crowd itself seems remarkably calm, almost placid, as if the fear and awe of approaching the portal drained away all the enthusiasm they had to offer. Like a living thing, the crowd constantly shifts and moves about as people leave and arrive. As you watch, a group of school kids breaks away from the wire fence and slinks away, only to be replaced by an almost identical group a moment later. They gawp down at the portal, a few of them take selfies, and then they just... leave. The whole thing has an element of rote to it, of routine.

“Well, this is bloody awful!” Claudia groans, looking at the churning crowd, “Why are these people HERE? They don't understand any of this stuff, they're just here to stare like cattle and squawk inanities to each other.”

“Claudia,” Juliet replies, “Isn't that what we came here to do?”

“That's different,” the heiress snaps, “We're professionals. We should be here to examine the scene and give it our professional opinion.”

“Okay then,” you tease, “What's your opinion, fellow professional?” Claudia looks up into one of the viewing screens and lets out a disdainful sniff. The screens have been erected, you presume, in an unnecessary attempt at keeping the crowd placated. If the ones at the back have something to look at, they won't push to the front and cause a crush. “Well?” you press, nudging her with your elbow, “Thinking it over?”

“It's ugly,” Claudia decides at last, “I find it offensive to the eye. We should figure out a way to close it as soon as possible.”

“No,” Yulia argues, and you realise that she's been listening in, “This is an opportunity for study. The portal, we think, is stable. We may never have another chance like this.”

“Oh please...” the heiress groans, rolling her eyes.

>It sure is ugly, that's bad enough in my book
>Yulia's right, we need to understand this thing
>I don't care how it looks. It's dangerous to get so close to it
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3799534
>I don't care how it looks. It's dangerous to get so close to it
"We should only experiment with this thing from the inside of an ADM"

That said
>Other
"Do you have an idea in mind Yulia?"

She's got them unique AT abilities

>>3799534
>>I don't care how it looks. It's dangerous to get so close to it

>>3799534
>I don't care how it looks. It's dangerous to get so close to it.
We're just waiting for the next one to emerge then we kill it, and repeat until it closes, there aren't all that many left after all so it won't be open for much longer.
Anyway this isn't the first time a portal has appeared, so i'm sure that there is relevant information somewhere in one of the archives that NERV has access to.

“I don't care how it looks. It's dangerous to be around something like that. I mean, what if it's spitting out radiation or some shit? We barely understand how any of this stuff actually works,” you answer, feverish images of Reed's fate boiling through your mind, “All I know for sure if, the only things that should even be getting close to that portal are ADM Units. God forbid anyone managed to climb that fence and go IN there...”

“That is, I presume, what the police are here for,” Claudia remarks, “It would be nice if we could just assume that these... people wouldn't eagerly hurl themselves into the abyss, but that's not quite realistic. Thus, our friendly local law enforcement.”

“Nobody would actually be dumb enough to jump in that portal,” you argue, only to yelp softly and glance around at Kaori, “Uh, I didn't mean...”

“I had an ADM Unit,” Kaori points out, dismissing the slight with a tiny sweeping gesture, “Although I do wonder what these people think when they look at a thing like this. I can understand the fascination, I suppose. It's something genuinely alien, but unlike the Lilim themselves...”

“Less chance of it stepping on them,” Dakota finishes cheerfully. Kaori winces a little at the comment, but she doesn't exactly deny it either.

Interrupting you here, a bark of aggression rolls across the otherwise genial background chatter. Somewhere deeper within the crowd, although you can't see exactly where, a brief argument flares up and dies away. Dimly, you see bodies pushing against one another as a group of police officers wade into the crowd to investigate. It's a necessary reminder that no matter how calm the crowd might seem, there's a volatile mood in the air. The mood of the crowd could change on a dime.

“Let's all just keep away from that thing,” you remind the group, “We'll just treat it like any other Lilim portal. We wait for the bad guys to come crawling out, then we stomp on them until the portal closes itself up. No need to let this whole thing get out of hand.” Nodding wisely to yourself, you spot Yulia slinking away with a pensive look on her face. Following her, although she never goes more than a dozen paces away from the others, you give her a nod of greeting. “Study it, huh?” you begin, “That sounds like your kind of thing alright. Got any ideas?”

Yulia purses her lips, torn between sharing her secret with someone and keeping it confidential. Eventually, she goes with the former. “There is a device being prepared,” she murmurs to you, “A probe. A machine. They believe it will be capable of surviving inside the portal. With it, they can learn more. Closing it up so soon would be a waste, I think. I... would like to see this probe succeed. It was made with my theories – crude, unfinished things – as a foundation. This is my work, and I want him to-”

Ugly silence, then, as she bites back the rest of that thought.

[1/2]

>>3799585
>A probe. A machine. They believe it will be capable of surviving inside the portal
Aw yeah, Jet Alone time.

>>3799593
I was wondering if this was going to go the same way as the previous investigation into the portals, at first they sent a drone, when that failed they sent a team of people when they failed to return, they sent Reed when she didn't either, they gave up actually we don't know if they sent anyone else or if and when the portal closed.

>>3799601
I think the difference this time is that they have Yulia's innate AT and machine knowledge to work with. Who knows if it'll be enough though.

>>3799585

“I don't think machines can survive in the... in that place,” you point out, “They've tried it before. I mean, in Nevada...”

“They lack an AT Field, yes,” Yulia replies with an absent nod, replying half-heartedly before shaking off her slump. “This new device will be different. I am not certain about some of the details, but they say there will be an... organic component. A thing capable of generating an AT Field like our ADM Units,” she continues, “That is, in theory. There will need to be further tests, further trials. This is a process, Holly.”

An organic component. Now why does that phrase send a shiver down your spine?

“This probe could be the first step towards creating a weapon,” you venture, the prospect hardly filling you with enthusiasm, “Right?”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. I believe there is an element of... fragility at work,” Yulia answers vaguely, “But as I say. This is a process. Development builds upon itself in iterations.”

“Hey!” Dakota calls over, jumping up and down on the spot and waving her arms, “Heeeeeey!”

“I think we'd better go,” you remark with a wry smile, “But hey, how do you know all this stuff?”

“There are reports from the science team, here and in other regions,” the Russian girl answers with a slight smile, “Commander Monroe, she sends me some of them. She knows that I like to read them. I... do not always understand them, but it is fascinating to see what the future might hold. Of course, this is just the public knowledge – sometimes, I wonder what does not make it into the official reports.”

Forcing a bland smile, you just nod to this and hurry back over to Dakota. “I wanna go up front and look this dumb old thing right in the eye!” the young girl boasts, “I'm gonna prove that I'm not scared of it!”

“Did you like, miss the part where I said that even getting close to that thing is dangerous?” you sigh, “I just...”

“I will take her,” Juliet offers, “She should not be alone. It would be easy for her to get lost in these crowds, especially given her size.”

“Hey!” Dakota squawks, pouting at the comment.

Sighing loudly, Claudia rolls her eyes. “This is stupid,” she declares archly, “I'm going to find a nice, quiet place to get a cup of tea. You can all mingle with the herd if you really want, but don't drag me into this.”

“We shouldn't split up...” Kaori tries to protest, but Claudia is already turning away. As you stand on the sidelines, the group begins to part – Juliet and Dakota begin to make their way towards the portal itself, Yulia and Kaori linger behind, and Claudia is poised to flounce off. Caught between three points, you...

>Join Juliet and Dakota on their way to the front
>Hang back with Kaori and Yulia
>Go with Claudia and find somewhere quiet
>Other

>>3799660
>Go with Claudia and find somewhere quiet
Tea sounds good.

>>3799660
>Hang back with Kaori and Yulia
Did they say where they were doing the work?
is this what they are working on at Berlin, or is this just one more thing that Matheson is working on.

Also if i had to guess the active component is a Juliet clone.

>>3799660
>Go with Claudia and find somewhere quiet
Lewd

“Don't quote me on that “herd” shit, but I'm kinda done with this place,” you admit, gesturing at the crowds as you take a tentative step after Claudia, “A quiet place to chill out sounds way better.”

“Wait-” Kaori begins, only to realise the folly of protesting and fall silent. “You've got your phone, don't you?” she asks, and you hold your phone up, “That's good. We can stay in contact if anything...” Another unfinished thought, another shrug. Hesitating just long enough to give her an apologetic smile, you turn and hurry after Claudia.

-

When she realises that you're following her, Claudia's posture changes slightly. Her back draws taut, as if she's trying to make herself as tall as possible, and her chin juts forwards just that little bit more. You imagine her, for a brief second, as an anatomical model - “female ready to fight for dominance” - and a slight giggle escapes your lips. Glancing around, Claudia raises one eyebrow in a provocative gesture but says nothing.

Without ever discussing it, you return to the same jazz bar as before. It seems like the place hasn't changed at all since you last came here, even down to the sedate band cloaked in the shadows. It's not hard to imagine them playing non-stop, whether they have an audience or not. On the other hand, it's equally easy to imagine them powering down like robots once the last patron has left for the night. The hardest possibility to imagine is, strangely, the most normal – the idea that they might actually be normal people, people who pack up their instruments and go home at the end of their shift.

You really are losing your mind.

“You know, I meant what I said before,” Claudia remarks, without prompting, as you sit at a booth in the back of the bar, “That sad little fence, those overworked police officers, they might as well have been the only things keeping those people from diving into the portal like lemmings. That's the sort of thing that makes me wonder if Matheson has a point – they're like children, these people, and they need someone to teach them how to live.”

“Yeah, but Matheson?” you point out, “C'mon...”

“Yes, she wouldn't be my first choice either,” Claudia admits, grimacing as if biting into something bitter, “But good lord, if the alternative was letting these people roam free...”

She leaves this thread dangling in front of you, almost daring you to argue or protest against it. Instead, you just sigh. “I wish I knew how... sincere you were about this stuff,” you muse, “How much of this is really you, and how much of this is just you trying to be hardcore.”

“When am I ever – EVER – anything less than completely genuine with you?” she replies, her eyes widening with mock horror. Once again, you refuse to take the bait. Slumping back in the padded booth, Claudia pouts for a long moment before murmuring something that you can't quite believe you just heard.

“Sorry.”

[1/2]

>>3799702

Leaning forwards and propping her chin up with one hand, Claudia delicately traces a mindless looping pattern on the table in front of her. “It's easier to be like this,” she continues, “It's easier to be insincere, to mock and pour scorn upon everything and everyone. Those people back there, happily going about their stupid little lives. I can't... be like them. So, it's just easier to be...”

“A bitch?” you suggest.

“If you like, yes,” Claudia agrees, “At least then, I know where I stand.”

Leaning back in the booth, you study her with a thoughtful eye. Even now, she's playing a role – her head is tilted just perfectly to catch the light at the best angle, and her breasts rest lightly against the tabletop. It's an image that suggests inner turmoil and deep contemplation, whilst suggesting at a sensuality that never becomes crass or forced. It's impressive, in a way. She probably doesn't even realise she's doing it.

But in a way, it's not hard to understand her problem. Living most of her life as the pampered princess of a distant, isolated estate, only to have that whole world ripped away from her. What are you supposed to do, when such a huge part of your own identity is destroyed like that? Easier, as she says, to adopt some convenient persona. It might be a cruel and mocking personality, it might make enemies wherever she goes, but at least she knows where she stands.

Until she doesn't.

“I think you understand me,” Claudia muses, almost seeming to skim the thoughts from your mind, “You know a thing or two about putting on an act yourself, Miss Delinquent.”

“Miss me with that psychoanalyst shit,” you shoot back, “You've been spending too much time around Matheson. I mean, ANY time at all is too much time around her. What I mean is, don't do that “always looking for a weakness” shit. Being a bitch is one thing, but there's a line. I'm supposed to be the responsible adult here, so I'm telling you this. For the good of the entire team, do not cross that fucking line.”

Raising an eyebrow – even now, so casually mocking! - Claudia straightens up and gives you a simple nod. “Message received and understood,” she assures you, “Although it really is a shame. You go to all the trouble of learning exactly how to get under someone's skin, and then you can't use any of that knowledge!”

“Tough shit, princess,” you mutter. Sighing wistfully, Claudia leans forwards and gives you another artful pose. Conversation tapers off, with the muted jazz music providing sophisticated background noise.

The background noise might be sophisticated, it's just a shame that you can't say the same thing about the company.

>I'm done. I'm out of here
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3799766
>There's something else... (Write in)
"You seem like a regular, what's good here? I haven't eaten since I got up."

>Other
Just hang with her for a bit. Don't always need to be super serious and then immediately leave. It's supposed to be a 'Relaxing day off' yeah?

>>3799766
>There's something else... (Write in)
Ask her if she has seen Adrian lately.

>>3799766
I suppose these work:
>>3799776
>>3799778

>>3799766
>There's something else... (Write in)
What exactly happened back in China?

>>3799803
We already went over that. The driver in her eyes shamelessly begged for his life and tried to bribe her and that annoyed her enough to kill him.

>>3799766
>There's something else... (Write in)
We're all human, you, me, DAkota, the only thing that seperates us from them is what's happened to us instead of them. Have you noticed that every pilot candidate except MAYBE kaori, Nate, And Juliet have had something horrible or multiple horrible things happen to them prior to coming here?

>>3799827
Well Juliet is an artificial human we think.

“I'm pretty hungry,” you think aloud, glancing across at the bar, “Seems like you come here pretty often. What's good to eat here?”

“I don't think people really come here for the food,” Claudia replies, taking a measured glance around the near-empty bar, “Actually, I don't think people come here at all. This place is doomed, dead in the water. I give it six weeks at the most. Maybe that's why I like it so much here – it feels... exclusive.”

“It makes you feel like a vulture, you mean,” you tease, “Oh man, now I want wings. You think they do hot wings here?”

“Holly, whether or not it's going to survive the next month, this is a very sophisticated establishment,” the heiress replies, one corner of her mouth twitching up in an aggressive smirk, “No, they do not do “hot wings”. Honestly...” Shaking her head in mock dismay, she rises from the table and crosses over to the bar to speak with the heavyset man looming behind it. Just going by the gestures, there does seem to be an element of familiarity there. A short while later, she returns with a plate of pale almond cookies and a jug of equally pale liquid. Some artisan lemonade, judging by the corrosively sour smell.

Not what you'd call a meal, but it'll pass for a snack. Claudia watches as you crunch down the first cookie so fast that you can barely taste it, and your hand pauses halfway through lifting the second cookie to your lips. “What?” you ask, “What are you looking at?”

“Oh, nothing much,” she murmurs back, “I had a little bet with myself, whether you would be polite enough to let me take the first taste or not.”

“Hey, I said I was hungry. You put some food down in front of me, what were you expecting me to...” you begin to argue back, only to let the matter drop with a low chuckle. Taking a bite out of the second cookie, you chew it more carefully and nod with appreciation. “These are pretty good, though,” you admit, “In a sort of dainty way. Not as good as a basket of hot wings though. Sizzling in their own grease, dripping with barbecue sauce...”

“You know, when you put it like that...” the heiress muses, looking down at the plate of cookies, “These do seem rather inadequate, don't they?”

You're not crass enough to break out the “told you so” routine, but you do allow yourself a smug nod. “Anyway, speaking of unpleasant disappointments...” you begin, “Have you seen Adrian around lately?”

“Adrian?” Claudia raises an eyebrow, “Pining for him, are you?” When you don't answer this, just giving her a very serious scowl, she shrugs. “I can't say that I have. Should I have seen him?” she asks, “The way you ask, it makes me wonder if I should be worried. If I DO see him while walking down the street, should I turn and walk the other way?”

“I'd prefer it if you pushed him into traffic,” you counter, “Just... watch out for him. He really gets around.”

[1/2]

>>3799839
We know, more like.

Also Yulia's name is literally Julia but Russian.

>>3799845
>He really gets around
How come I read this as "he really gets aroused"?

>>3799839
We could always check for any similarities with Karina while we're at the beach.

>>3799845

Ice clinks as Claudia pours herself a glass of the acidic lemonade. Then, as an afterthought, she pours a second glass for you. “How about a toast, then?” she suggests, “Here's to Adrian, may he end up squashed to a pulp in some horrible accident!”

For all your animosity, you can't quite bring yourself to repeat that. It's a little too close to China for your liking. Tapping your glass against hers, you drink in silence for a moment. “I've been thinking,” you begin, “And if you make some smart comment, you're going to end up wearing this lemonade.”

“The thought never crossed my mind,” Claudia assures you, offering a look of wide-eyed innocence, “But please, continue. I eagerly await your thoughts.”

Scowling at her for a moment, you sigh and gather your thoughts back together. “What I was going to say is, we're all human. Those people out there, they're not so different from either of us. Biggest difference is what we've been through to get here,” you explain, “Most of us, we've been through some pretty tough shit. Most of us, but maybe not all of us. There's Kaori...”

“As I understand it, she was involved with military training from rather a young age,” the heiress interrupts, “Perhaps that laid the foundation for her current, ah, position.”

“Yeah, right, maybe,” you continue, “Then there's Juliet – do we even need to start with her? - and that leaves us with Nate.”

“Who, by all accounts, sucks at being a pilot,” Claudia points out, “It rather does seem like trauma is a recurring theme with us. I have a few ideas about that myself. Theory one – these traumatic events have made us stronger, forced us to push through when other, weaker people might have given up. Theory two – these traumas have given us nothing else to go back to, binding us to NERV and everything that comes with it. I mean, neither of us can just quit and go home, can we? That's not even getting into Yulia's rather pitiful circumstances...”

Risking a drink, you wince at the sour taste and hastily push the glass away. Definitely not to your tastes. “I don't like the sound of that second theory,” you venture, “It sounds way too plausible for my-”

On the table, your phone starts to buzz. Picking it up, you glance at the screen – Kaori's name flashes there – and raise it to your ear. Immediately, a blast of static and garbled yelling stabs out at you. Sunken somewhere deep in the middle of the raucous noise, you can make out little bits of Kaori's voice – the occasional word like “trouble” or “escape”. For every word of hers that you can understand, though, there seem to be dozens of yelling, howling voices. Pulling the phone away from your ear, you hear a new sound.

Sirens. Lots of sirens.

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

>>3799922
Thanks for the Run.

And so the thawing of relations begins,baby steps at most but at least Claudia's making progress.I mean; she even poured us a drink, unprompted.

>I'm new, pls no bully
>Are we playing Asuka? Or do none of the canonical Children exist in this game? Thx

>>3799922
Thanks for running Moloch! Glad you could make it today.

>>3799965
Complete alternate universe

>>3800007
> Complete alternate universe

>A fanboy can dream. Thanks anyway guys.

>>3800017
Your loss. I think separating yourself from 'canon' is way more interesting and gives way more freedom for the players and QM.

>>3800033
> Your loss. I think separating yourself from 'canon' is way more interesting and gives way more freedom for the players and QM.

In general I would agree with your sentiment but something like Eva can't be separated from it's core charas and themes the way other shows can be. Take the Children away and what you have is just Anno's take on Gundam. Might be fun, but it isn't Evangelion. Eva is Rei, Asuka, Shinji, Misato, and Gendo being selfish, sick, traumatized, and (in some cases) reaching out for healing and growth.

But thanks again for the answer.

>>3800051
So you never heard of NBS?

Also
>take away the Children and you get Anno's take on Gundam
That's not right at all.

>>3800051
>Gundam
Gundam is nothing like Eva at all :/

>>3800051
Pleb.

>>3800051
>Take the Children away and what you have is just Anno's take on Gundam
your loss indeed, if that's what you think.

>>3800051
The last QM's post is literally about how all pilots have traumas to some degree. How is that not core theme of the original? Also the original has explored their characters quite extensively which is why it is so popular. What's the point in writing the same characters again and again?

File: KaoriS.png (231 KB, 900x700)

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The party is well and truly over by the time you arrive... by the time you're allowed through the police cordon. Without the crowds taking up space, the area surrounding the Lilim portal seems very large and very empty. Without the crowds to fill the air with a constant background noise, you can hear the portal itself. It's a sound that no one word can describe – the portal sighs and groans and grinds and rasps and...

With that awful noise gnawing away in the background, is it really so surprising that a riot would break out eventually?

“I heard a couple of scuffles, but none of them really developed into anything serious,” Kaori explains, a white stretch of bandage wrapped around her head, “They were mostly just... just people bumping into each other, pushing and shoving, that sort of thing. Then, it's like the whole mood changed. Things got ugly, seriously ugly.”

You're not quite sure what to call this place. It's not quite a field hospital, and not quite a police holding pen, but it feels like both of these things. Row after row of hastily erected tents with low cot beds and folding chairs, it's like a massive, open air waiting room. A place for people caught up in the “disturbance” to sit and wait for their friends or family to pick them up, or to endure the long wait to see one of the overworked medics.

“There were protests. People were demanding answers, explanations for what they were seeing. Why? Any explanation they could give, it would not mean a thing to them,” Yulia adds, “That did not matter. I heard a lot of talk, spreading through the crowd. Wild theories, about how the portal was slowly spreading wider or... or government experiments. They spread like a forest fire, then people were chanting, pushing forwards towards the fence even as the people at the front tried to get away....”

“I should have been here,” you mutter, “I should have-”

“It would not have made any difference,” Juliet interrupts. She has a dishevelled look about her, the paleness of her face only highlighting the dirt and dust ground into her skin. The medics haven't had a chance to see her yet, and she clutches a rigid arm against her chest. She was right at the front, with Dakota, when the unrest really kicked off. Caught up in the churn of the crowd, the young girl had fallen. Without a thought towards her own safety, Juliet had shielded Dakota with her own body... and this is the result.

Dakota herself is silent, her face pinched with a numb frown so unlike her usual expression that your stomach clenches at the sight of it. Approaching her, you begin to say something only to be cut off by the sound of Claudia clearing her throat. Glancing around, you see the heiress lingering at the edge of the tent. Her expression wavers, aiming for a knowing smirk but coming up short. “Monroe is on her way,” she announces, “She's sending a car.”

[1/2]

>>3801331

As the others file out of the tent, you stalk over to Claudia. “Don't say it,” you murmur to her, “I know what you're thinking, and don't even go there.”

“You'll have to slow down a little. I'll confess to being a little confused,” Claudia answers, “What am I not supposed to say?”

“You're thinking that this just proves everything you said before, that these people can't be trusted to look after themselves,” you reply wearily, “And this is just not the time for that.”

“Well, that thought hadn't crossed my mind quite yet, but now that you mention it...” she shrugs, flashing you a teasing smile. The smile doesn't last, though, soon falling away to reveal a more thoughtful expression. “Still,” she muses, “I never expected things to get this bad. When I saw that crowd, I didn't think about violence. I expected placid stupidity, with the occasional flourish of foolish bravado. Not... this. It seems rather convenient, doesn't it?”

Convenient. “You mean, that it happened when we were here?” you ask slowly, carefully, “Are you saying that someone... made this happen?”

With a deliberate insolence, Claudia just shrugs. Ahead, a minivan begins to draw close and immediately gets caught up in the flow of traffic in and out of the area. You're not the only ones waiting for a lift, it seems. As Monroe delicately navigates through the packed road, you consider Claudia's words. Of course, it's a possibility – a few emotional tweaks here and there, and the underlying fear would do the rest. Like scattering a few hot coals onto dry grass and watching the fire spread. Staging an incident like this just to try and prove a point... the idea has “Matheson” written all over it.

Finally, the minivan pulls up in front of you and Monroe opens the door, giving you all a dose of manufactured cheerfulness. “Hey kids, sorry I'm late!” she calls out, “Juliet, I heard you got hurt. Is it bad?”

“Just bruised, ma'am,” Juliet replies stiffly, “I can still perform my duties.”

“Right now, your duties are to rest up. I'm sending you to the infirmary as soon as we get back. Have Doctor Weick take a look at that arm – if he's happy that it's “just bruised”, then we can talk,” Monroe scolds, “Besides, you want to be fighting fit for your little holiday tomorrow, don't you?”

“It's tomorrow?” Dakota yelps, pushing past the rest of you, “For real?”

“No fooling,” the commander replies, smiling at the sudden burst of enthusiasm. As the others pile into the back of the minivan, you hop up into the passenger seat beside Monroe. “So,” she murmurs to you, “When we get back...”

>We need to talk about what happened here
>I think Juliet could use some company at the infirmary
>Can I go down to visit the guys in engineering?
>I had something planned... (Write in)
>Other

>>3801334
>We need to talk about what happened here.
At least no one got hurt to badly.

>>3801334
>>Can I go down to visit the guys in engineering?

>>3801334
>We need to talk about what happened here

>>3801334
>We need to talk about what happened here
>This stinks of emotional manipulation either Amon, another Lilim, or even just someone else like me.

“We need to talk about what happened here,” you finish for her, your voice pitched low, “It could have been worse, I know, but... this shouldn't have happened.”

“I know. I've requested that the police send their information our way as soon as they get it. Technically, this is being treated as a regular case of civil disobedience, but I want to make sure that there's nothing more than that. If there's any chance that these people came under Lilim influence, we need to know about it,” Monroe replies, hesitating for a moment before adding, “Although if there is some kind of Lilim contamination here... God, I don't want to think about what might happen.”

Containment, you realise, she's talking about containment. The drastic steps that might be taken to stop an infection from spreading any further. Cold fear seeps through you as Monroe starts to guide the minivan out onto the main road. Waving amiably to a car that snarls by with a casual disregard for speed limits and road safety, she starts you back on a path towards HQ. “It won't come to that, will it?” you ask softly, “Will it?”

“Honestly Holly, I don't know much more than you do right now. I'd need to read the latest set of reports, and then I'd need to call up a few friends to see how accurate the “official” reports really are. It's a process,” Monroe sighs, “I agree, though, I absolutely agree – we need to talk about what happened here.”

Easier said than done.

-

Back at HQ, you part ways with the others. Juliet heads to the infirmary, while the others creep back to the dorm like sullen children. You follow Monroe to her office, pausing halfway to help take a delivery of newly arrived files. With the paperwork tucked under one arm, you enter the office and smile faintly at the chaos. The old reports are still scattered across the desk, some of the papers already having spilled down onto the floor. “Can you believe that they send us everything by fax?” Monroe mutters, gesturing at the mess, “So we have all this paper to deal with, and then we need to shred it when we're done, and then...”

“You've got to burn the shreds and scatter the ashes,” you joke, “Have I missed anything?”

“I think a vat of acid might be involved at some point,” Monroe laughs, pushing a set of files aside and gesturing for you to place the new lot down in their place. Glancing across the desk, you spot aerial photographs of crowds and long lists of what look like online conversations. “I think I'd prefer a vat of coffee, though,” she adds with a yawn, “Then I might have the energy to deal with... well, complaining about it won't get these files read any quicker. Go on, you take a pile and I'll take a pile.”

“Really?” you ask, the offer taking you by surprise, “Aren't these supposed to be confidential?”

“I'm just delegating part of the task to my reliable assistant,” Monroe assures you, “What's wrong with that?”

Reliable...

[1/2]

>>3801364
I don't know, sounds like paranoia to me. If there was some influence, I suppose it wouldn't be precise and the rioters could've just as easily breach the cordon and crowd the portal. After that, a huge anti-NERV sentiment could rise. It would take only a couple of very loud nutcases to proclaim that portal literally leads to hell and sucked souls out of people, only to fuel the giant machines of the devil himself.

Crowds being stupid around dangerous stuff isn't exactly news. What point was there to make by starting a riot?

>>3801334
Hey Adrian

>>3801398
Like Claudia was alluding to, Matheson might be trying to prove her point of humanity needing shepherding... which undermines her point a bit if she needs to manipulate things to spark something.

>>3801398
Like Holly said that the event be seen as an attempt to help reinforce the influence that Matheson has been attempting to create over Claudia that would improve the likelihood that Claudia would assist her in enforcing her vision for the world as needed.

To get rid of her and making it look like an accident i would be in favor of contaminating her supply of biomass

>>3801380

For almost a full hour, you skim through the fresh reports with a bare minimum of conversation. You read witness statement, almost all of which say the same thing – things just kicked off, with no one event setting the whole process in motion. Some accounts contradict others, with some people claiming to have heard gunshots while others report nothing of the sort, and together they paint a confused picture. Closing the latest witness report with a groan, you toss the file aside.

“This crap isn't going to tell us anything,” you sigh, “They won't tell us what really happened.”

“Oh?” Monroe glances up from her file, raising an eyebrow, “So you've figured it all out, have you?”

“Emotional manipulation,” you answer simply, “Whether it came from a Lilim or from... from someone like me. This just seems like someone was starting shit.”

“I wonder,” the commander muses, setting her file aside with a gentle breath. Her shoulders tense up, as if she's expecting a fight or an argument. “I'm starting to get an idea of what happened too, although my explanation is rather more... conventional,” she continues, “Shortly before the first outbreaks of violence, a group arrived. I suppose you could classify them as a protest group, if you were being charitable, but they're mostly just a bunch of conspiracy theorists. We've got pages and pages of online conversations from them, talking about their plan to, ah, “to force the oppressive shadow government to show their hand and reveal the truth”. Their words, not mine.”

“I mean, there IS an oppressive shadow government, and they ARE concealing the truth,” you point out, “But go on.”

“So this group shows up and starts rabble rousing, shouting about how dangerous the portal is. For the most part, the crowd doesn't react well – after all, these people are yelling all manner of unpleasant things and generally just ruining the mood. So now the crowd is starting to get annoyed,” Monroe pauses here, fishing out a medical report and placing it down in front of you, “That might have been the end of it, if not for someone at the front of the crowd fainting. Heatstroke, according to the doctors, but in the heat of the moment...”

“It seemed to prove everything that the protesters were yelling about,” you finish, frowning down at the medical report.

Monroe waits a moment before continuing. “It fits, doesn't it?” she suggests lightly, “We're still going to investigate a few things ourselves – namely, checking some of the more violent protestors for signs for any Lilim influence – but... it fits, doesn't it?”

>I... guess so. You might be right about this
>You're wrong. Matheson did this. She DID this!
>I don't know any more. This is all just such a mess
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3801416
>There's something else... (Write in)
What do you know about a man named Amon.

>>3801416
>I don't know any more. This is all just such a mess

>>3801416
>There's something else... (Write in)
How would we check for Lilim influence anyway? How do we establish a baseline? This is really important, because it could give us tools to check who's being straight up brainwashed.

>I... guess so. You might be right about this
I'm going to accept whatever sounds the simplest at this point. If we get a way to check, we should, but until then it's speculation and Holly sounds more paranoid by the day, which can't be good.

>>3801416
>I don't know any more. This is all just such a mess
"It fits yeah. At the same time it feels calculated. Bleh, this life is getting to me."

>>3801420
I don't know why we tip toe around this anymore. I feel like we should tell everyone in our trust circle for their safety that 1. SEELE is working with a Lilim called Amon and 2. He takes the guise of Adrian.

>>3801435
It's a similar reason why we haven't told anyone about what Coraline has done, it's going to cause stress, won't really do anything that keeping quiet about it won't, it may cause them to do something stupid and could cause the subject of these briefings to move up their schedule and do something.

Of course if there was a direct or impending threat we would tell them but otherwise it's just going to be more work then it needs to be.

>>3801416
>Simplest is best, still should check for signs of manipulation though. Best to be safe yeah?

>>3801445
I think there is a difference between what telling Caroline *has* done and what Amon is capable of and will continue to do. He's already messed with Kaori and I think even Fletcher, not to mention what he has done under Adrian. Being aware of it's presence might cause stress yes, but it's better than being caught unaware of the shit that's happening around them from Amon's direct manipulation.

>>3801460
Whatever happens we're going to need to deal with Amon eventually hopefully Matheson has a plan for that that we can borrow. though we shold probly let Fletcher and Monroe decide whether or not to inform the other pilots once we catch them up on what we know.

The reason why we haven't revealed where Dis is located is they haven't done anything of note left and we're hoping that they can weaken the position of the remaining council members before we have to go and deal with them.

“I don't know,” you murmur, leaning forwards against the desk and letting out a low breath, “This is all such a mess.”

“Yes. Yes it is,” Monroe agrees gently, “But we're going to get to the bottom of this, no matter how much paperwork we have to wade through to do it. You never know, you might get back from your beach holiday and find that we solved it already!”

As if it's really going to be that simple. “I wish I could be that confident,” you admit, “I mean, how would we even check for a Lilim influence? We don't have baseline readings to use as a comparison. Do we have some other way to check?”

Monroe's face falls a little. “I wish there was an easier way to do it, but we'll need to interview them carefully – as you say, we don't have a baseline comparison to rely on, so we'll need to look at any inconsistencies with their memories. Obviously, if they had a whole chunk of their minds wiped clean, that would be a definite red flag, but it might be more subtle than that,” she explains, “We'll need to gather as many testimonies as possible, then compare them to see if anything stands out. As you can guess, that's going to be one hell of a task.”

“These reports are already telling a dozen different stories,” you complain, waving a hand at the scattered papers, “How do you expect to-”

“It's going to be hard work, yes, but we need to make sure,” she interrupts, “As sure as we can be, at least. But hey, why don't we take a break?” Rising from behind the desk, Monroe takes a handful of change from her pocket and slips out of the office. A few moments later, she returns with a pair of drinks. Setting one can down in front of you, she pops open her own canned coffee and takes a deep sip. “So, I have a question for you now,” Monroe ventures, “You said that this... emotional manipulation could have come from someone like you. Do you know about anyone who could do something like that?”

A cold silence descends as your mind whirls. Fumbling for the can of soda, you busy yourself with opening it and taking a drink as you think. Eventually, you have to speak. “Maybe,” you risk, “Do you know anything about Amon?”

“Answering a question with another question...” Monroe muses, pursing her lips, “That sounds like a Lilim name, doesn't it?”

“Because it IS a Lilim – their pet Lilim,” you spit, “It's been working with head office since Second Impact, hiding in human form. It's... for God's sake, it's Adrian!” Throwing the name out, you find yourself breathing heavily. Saying this feels like a release, like you're letting out something that has been sealed up for far too long. “I know how crazy this sounds,” you add, “I know how paranoid I must seem right now, but-”

Holding up a single finger to silence you, Monroe thinks for a moment. A long moment, growing longer by the second.

[1/2]

>>3801488

“A Lilim that works with mankind, working against its own kind...” Monroe thinks aloud to herself, finally breaking her silence, “Why would it do something like that? We have only the barest understanding of what motivates the Lilim, so for one of them to act so... unlike the rest is-”

“I don't understand it myself, but I've spoken with it... with him. He's not even trying to hide it from me. Listen, I'm not just blowing smoke here, I've got proof. Karina hates him – just ask her, see what she says about him. He was here when we fought Malthus, and my ADM nearly went berserk on me. He was in Germany when we fought Nebiros, and my ADM really DID go berserk. It KNEW what he was!” you insist, feeling a mounting sense of desperation, “Hell, if he shows his face around here again, just ask him! He probably won't even hide it!”

“Holly,” Monroe says quietly, her voice shocking you into silence. You can see the doubt in her eyes, in the way she avoids your eyes. “I think we should keep things simple for the time being,” she suggests carefully, “What you're saying about the Malthus and Nebiros operations makes sense, but the Forneus operation...”

“That was different,” you mumble, feeling the threads of the conversation slipping out of your grasp, “I know Adrian wasn't around for that, that one was just... just an accident.”

Pity, then, in her eyes. You can already tell what she's thinking – you're under a lot of stress, you're seeing enemies everywhere, you're using Adrian as a convenient target for your anger...

“This is a lot to take in,” Monroe admits eventually, “But... I don't think you're making this up. You really believe this, don't you?” You nod, pathetically eager for even the slightest hint of agreement, and Monroe holds up a hand again to calm you. “I don't know if I believe this or not,” she concedes, “But I'm willing to consider it. I've heard head office talking about their own “Lilim experts” often enough. I assumed they meant someone like Ingrid, but... maybe not. For now, Holly, I want you to do something for me. Don't... tell anyone about this.”

“Anyone?” you mutter, your heart sinking. She doesn't believe you. Not really.

A brief flicker of hesitation. “Well... try to keep this out of any official records,” she suggests tactfully, “I don't want to scare you, but you're on pretty thin ice as it is. Accusations like this could harm your reputation around NERV.”

“So just keep my mouth shut and pretend that everything is okay,” you conclude, “Got it, chief.”

“We all have to do it sometimes,” the commander sighs, “That's just... part of life.”

“Yeah, well...” you pause, lost for words, “Life sucks.”

Monroe laughs, and you don't have the heart to tell her that you weren't joking.

[2/3]

>>3801548
"Do you remember when I first came here? You guys got a Lilim spike when I was at a movie theater and called me in a panic? Or that time I was walking in the park and couldn't remember what happened? You also got a spike then didn't you?"

We can't really prove it's Adrian to anyone. Though we do have Kaori's testimony that she did see him around the same time we did at the festival.

>>3801572
We should see if we can transfer / recreate the memory's of the occurrences to her.

>>3801548

“Look, Holly, just take a few days off. Relax, take a dip in the ocean, work on your tan. I promise, it'll do you good,” Monroe urges, “Leave the investigation to boring adults like me.”

Wearily, you nod. “You really think it was just... panic, don't you?” you admit, “I mean, it's the most simple explanation, but...”

“Before I came to NERV, I saw something like this. I was with the air force then, remember? Mostly just liaising work, but it gave me the opportunity to travel a lot. One time, we were flying in a shipment of aid supplies. Food parcels, basically. A big crowd had gathered to greet us, and these people... I mean, they were legitimately starving to death. We were handing out supplies as planned, and then-” she snaps her fingers, “Just like that, in the space of a few moments, they were throwing rocks at us and shouting all manner of curses. They were attacking armed soldiers with whatever they could pick up and throw, and they were half-dead from starvation besides, but...”

“Why...” you murmur, “What happened?”

“Later, we learned that a rumour had started – the food we were handing out was poisoned,” Monroe concludes with a grimace, “That's all it took. A few rumours, and a few fanatics spread throughout the crowd. When emotions are running high, it doesn't take much to sway a crowd.” Toying with the can of coffee in her hand, the commander lapses into a grim silence. For a moment, she's left alone with her memories. “Things look calm here, but look beneath the surface and you'll see the real story. People are scared. I think... I think Belial was what did it,” she continues, “Knowing that that thing is still up there, doing God knows what to the atmosphere, it's not good for public morale. Even if it's NOT doing anything, it's a reminder of what we're up against.”

“But we're doing something about Belial, aren't we?” you ask, “There was a plan in place, wasn't there?”

“But these things take time. It's a work in progress, and the people don't want that,” Monroe gestures wearily, “They want a quick fix, no matter how impractical that might be. We're working so hard to protect these people, and sometimes I wonder...”

But the rest of that thought is left unsaid.

-

“Do you remember when I first came here?” you ask as you're leaving the office, “You picked up some Lilim activity and called me. Then there was the time I was walking through the park, you got another alert then too. They're all connected. Amon, Adrian... he's got a thing for me. Right from the very start, he's been following me.”

“He's got a thing for you,” Monroe repeats slowly, considering the words, “A thing?”

>You know what I mean. A thing
>It's because of what I am. It has to be
>I don't understand either. Just forget I said anything
>I think it's... (Write in)
>Other

>>3801548
I think we can have a five-step plan here to lure Amon in, but it's error-prone and sounds kinda stupid.
1. Have Bergmann prepare much stronger subsonic chamber (from what we can gather, it can seriously reduce Lilim AT-field capacity). Do not tell her why.
2. Play out Holly's paranoid breakdown in public with Monroe.
3. Put Holly in the chamber, which will hopefully isolate her from Amon. Have Fletcher invite UN delegation with Adrian to consult on what to do with the pilot (give bullshit reasons), do not tell him why. Keep Monroe out, so she can't be mind scanned. Lure Adrian into chamber, have him restrained, analyzed and shit.
4. ?????????
5. PROFIT

All this hangs on the magical properties of subsonic chambers though and whether or not Amon will take the bait. And keeping really important people to us in the dark. And the whole isolation thing, so Holly isn't accidentally sprung up before the time comes. But yeah, how about this?

>>3801613
>Other
If he's a literal alien from outer space, he has a hard-on when I get angry at all this bullshit. If not, he has one for some other reason. He's a creep in any case.

>>3801613
>I think it's... (Write in)
I don't quite know, I guess I'll ask next time i see him.

The most effective memory to convince her of this would probably be what we saw when we were helping Huang, followed by the memory blank we from just after Willson died


On that note there is one that we are still missing, whatever happened after Unit 02 picked us up that one time.

>>3801613
>I think it's... (Write in)
Monroe he is what they used to disintegrate all those kids during Circle Eleven. Only I and part of Claire survived that experiment. Don't believe me? Ask Bergmann.

Other than that he claims he likes my anger and wants to see me fail. So yes he's got a thing for me.

>>3801613
>Other
Also by the way Fletcher literally has a recording of Elrow talking about Amon and how he Matheson is going to use Amon to assassinate them just like Konstantin. Amon's existence should not be in question.

Only the Adrian guise is tough to prove.

>>3801613
>You know what I mean. A thing

“He's an inhuman space alien with a hard-on for watching me get angry,” you reply with a harsh shrug, “So you figure out what kind of “thing” I'm talking about.”

“IF he's a Lilim,” Monroe points out.

“If he's a Lilim,” you concede, “If not, he's a real fucking creep. Look, Monroe, you gotta realise what he IS. He was there during the Circle Eleven trials – he was the one who made it all work. He just disintegrated those kids like it was nothing, he... I was almost destroyed because of him. Now, he's just following me around like I'm some kind of pet fucking project. You don't believe me? Ask Bergmann. It's not just that, either. He's been killing people on orders from head office. He killed Elrow, Fletcher literally has a recording with Elrow talking about it!”

“Fletcher has...” Monroe pauses, your words causing her to pause mid-step, “I'll... Holly, I'm sorry, but I think I need to check this for myself. This is all news to me. I can't believe he'd keep something like this from...”

Muttering to herself, she turns and starts back towards Fletcher's office. You watch her leave, feeling a strange mix of unease and guilty satisfaction, then you head down to-

-

Down to engineering. Why engineering? You're not sure yourself. It just feels like the right place to be – you've got friends down there, true, but that's not it. Following some nameless instinct, you wander down to the ADM hangars and think about the perfect trap. Your prey is, of course, Adrian. Matheson must surely have some contingency plan in place, something to use in case her pet Lilim developed a taste for independence, but she's hardly likely to share that knowledge. Maybe if you spiked her illicit biomass supplies with a dose of poison and held the antidote over her head, but...

Setting that delightfully wicked thought aside, you go back to your original conundrum. Adrian. Subsonic frequencies seem to have some ability to disrupt AT Abilities – at least, on the level that Huang is capable of manifesting. Maybe if you were to use a more powerful version of those...

“Wait a minute,” you mutter aloud to yourself, “Would powerful subsonics become supersonic, or-”

“Talking to yourself?” a voice asks, causing you to jolt around. “First sign of madness, that is,” Mac remarks with a bright grin, “Long time no see, stranger. What can I do for you?”

You hadn't even realised that you arrived down in engineering. “I, uh...” you flounder, “I just wanted to take a look at my Unit. I know it's not exactly conventional, but-”

“Hey, it's no problem. I'll take you inside. You know what they say, though,” Mac replies, “Look, but don't touch.”

With a weak smile of agreement, you allow the young man to lead you deeper into the hangars.

[1/2]

>>3801682

ADM Unit 02 looms over you, the blank metal mask of a face seeming to scowl down at you despite the lack of any expression. Standing before it, you feel acutely aware of how small you really are. Closing your eyes, you think back to Claudia scooping her victim up, staring down at him for a moment before clenching her fist and-

“I'll, uh, I'll give you two some time alone,” Mac quips, already backing off, “Just don't, you know, try and take it for a test drive. Not that you really could anyway, those things are kept locked down tight. Can't do a thing without orders from the bridge.” He pauses here, and you sense the lingering unease as he debates whether or not to say anything more. “Swear to God, though, I've heard some shit down here,” he admits eventually, “Like metal grinding together, like these things are fidgeting about in their pens. The older guys, they say it's just your mind playing tricks on you. Hope to God they're right.”

Nodding mutely, you open your eyes and look up at the ADM Unit. Behind you, Mac leaves the enclosure and you sit down beneath the metal giant's blind gaze. Sitting there, you allow your thoughts to empty out of you. It's... calming. “Hey buddy,” you whisper, looking up at the ADM Unit, “You've been giving me a pretty hard time lately. What's up with that? I thought we were cool with each other.”

No answer.

“You want to dump me for a younger, cuter girl, don't you?” you continue, “That's so cold. Didn't your father ever tell you not to make girls cry?”

No answer, of course. What exactly were you expecting?

“Anyway, look, I'll cut you a deal. If you stop fucking around with me, I promise we'll squash Amon to a pulp eventually. I just need a little more time, okay? And I really, really need you to stop tearing strips out of me. It's... I don't know how much more of that shit I can take,” you admit softly, “So work with me here, okay?”

Still no answer. At least, not a spoken answer. You do hear something – the deceptively faint groan of metal against metal. The ADM Unit's arm trembles slightly, trying to move by itself. Staring in disbelief, you watch as it shifts a little. It's like watching a man trying to ease the tension out of a stiff shoulder muscle, except...

Except this shouldn't be possible. There's nobody IN there, there's no PILOT to make the fucking thing move, so why is it-

“It's reacting to you,” a voice calls out from behind you. It's an odd voice – both familiar and strange at once. Nate, almost, but an older and sadder version of Nate. “You're overflowing with soul, Holly. You've got too much for one girl. Sometimes, it leaks out. Sometimes...” a pause, “Sometimes, things happen. You need to be careful. I wish I could do more to help you, but... I can't. Not yet.”

“Not yet?” you repeat, unshed tears pricking at your eyes as you try to turn and look behind you.

But you can't move. You're rooted to the spot.

[2/3]

>>3801759
Can... can Nate time travel? Or will be able to in the future?

I wonder if that was Reed? As no body was recovered and she was lost to the portal so may be body less It could be a reversal of Huang's position or even could be like Claire apparently sounds like Nate and Nate is from California.

>>3801797
More likely she got hooked up to that tree and is now in broadcast mode.

>>3801759

“Never a dull moment around here, huh?” Dakota mumbles, pausing with her spoon half-raised to her lips. Her pudding, a lurid pink lump, wobbles in place as she waits for your answer. Eventually, you nod wearily. “It's crazy. Before I came here, my whole world was like... couple dozen people and a shitload of trees,” she continues, “But what I saw today... I ain't ever seen so many people all in one place. It was almost creepy. Like they stopped being people and just turned into this... blob.”

“We'll get some peace and quiet tomorrow,” you reply quietly, “We can go to the beach and just relax for a day. I wonder who'll be driving us out there. Cam probably isn't fit for driving yet, so...”

Dakota shrugs slightly, the motion barely visible beneath the thick layers of her coat. “She never even blinked, man,” the young girl mutters, “Soon as I fell down, Juliet just threw herself over me. I saw feet stamping all around me, and I felt her getting hit, but... she never moved. I got out of there without a scratch, all because of her. Guess I should write her a thank you card or something, huh?”

Now it's your turn to shrug. You can already imagine Juliet's reaction to receiving something like that. She'd open it up, read it without really understanding the feelings behind it, then set it aside. That's no slight against her, she just... doesn't get it.

Maybe it's easier that way.

“Not too late to go out and do some shopping. Get her a little present or something,” you suggest, only to wince at your thoughtlessness, “Uh, I mean... have you got any-”

“I'm good for it. Actually, the chief gave me some money. Said I might need to buy clothes or... or just whatever,” Dakota explains with a crooked, guilty smile, “I've barely touched it though. Like, I'm looking at all these shops here and thinking “what can I even buy?”. It's crazy.”

>Better hold onto it. You never know when you might need some cash
>Let's go and spend some money. We can buy whatever stupid crap we see!
>I've got an idea of what Juliet might like... (Write in)
>Other


>Sorry for the delay. I hit a serious block, took way longer than I expected to get moving again

>>3801901
>Better hold onto it. You never know when you might need some cash.
She isn't really the kind of person that needs anything, it would make a greater impact on her if you were to go and do something together.

We totally just blanked again didn't we, I wonder what we did this time.

does anyone think that it may be a good idea to search underneath that marked tree that we found the last time we went there.

>>3801901
>Let's go and spend some money. We can buy whatever stupid crap we see!
>I've got an idea of what Juliet might like... (Write in)
Maybe one of those speakers that lets you hear the ocean's waves as you go to sleep? This girl would be tough to shop for. Honestly a genuine thank you in person (along with stopping her before she says something about how it was her duty) might have more of an impact. And a hug.

>>3801901
>>I've got an idea of what Juliet might like... (Write in)
If she's going to be all weird about it anyway, why not turn this around. Get her a good notepad with fancy pens, ask for a favor - write or draw something there every day.

The point being, if she's suspecting that she can be replaced, she can prove her uniqueness by filling this journal. No one else could create an exact copy of it.

“You're better off holding onto that cash,” you warn, lowering your voice, “You never know when you might need an emergency stash. Like, if you needed to get a bus ticket out of here in a hurry. If Monroe gave you that money, it's because she figured it would be important one day – I mean seriously important. Consider that a bit of advice from my boy Chekhov, okay?”

“Who the fuck is Check-Off?” Dakota asks, genuinely confused.

“He... uh, ask Yulia,” you answer with a vague shrug, “Point is, you might end up needing that money one day. When that moment comes, you don't want to be left high and dry because you spent the money on lace panties.”

“But what if lace panties were the answer to all your problems?” Claudia drawls, intruding on your conversation with her usual charm, “What are we talking about?”

“I was thinking about going shopping, but some guy called Jack-Off says I shouldn't spend all my money,” Dakota answers, glancing aside at you, “I... think that's what we were talking about? I kinda lost track of things for a little while. It's not like I was gonna blow all my money on myself either, I was thinking of getting Juliet a present. Since, you know, she did me a real solid back there.”

Sighing, you lean forwards on the table. “I'm not saying you can't spend some of it,” you concede, “Just don't waste it all without good reason. If you really want to do something nice for Juliet, just let her know how grateful you are... and absolutely do not let her wave it off with some stale talk about duty or purpose. That would mean more than any kind of gift you could give her.”

“Yeeeeees, maybe,” Claudia teases, “But you don't get to unwrap a thank you. Unless you're unwrapping the person giving their thanks, but you are ENTIRELY too young for that kind of talk, little Dakota.”

“I am so confused right now,” the young girl complains, glaring down at her unfinished pudding. In a few hasty gulps, she polishes the last of it off as if you or Claudia might steal it away from her.

“Look, Juliet likes the ocean. Maybe get her one of those ambient noise machines, something that goes woosh all the time. At least then I can steal... I can borrow it from her if I'm having trouble sleeping too,” you conclude, abandoning the conversation with an expansive shrug, “And speaking of sleeping, I need to go and get an early night. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow.”

“Oh yes,” Claudia teases, “I'm sure you'll be very busy sunbathing and playing by the ocean. Do make sure you don't work TOO hard, won't you?”

“No promises,” you shoot back, meeting her smile with one of your own.

[1/2]

>>3801944
That's a pretty good idea

Trekking back to the dorm with Dakota at your side, a new thought crosses your mind. “If you really want to do something for Juliet, don't just write her a nice note,” you suggest, “Get HER to write YOU something. Get her a diary, a journal, and then tell her to fill it with reasons to live. Ask her to write down everything that she enjoys, everything that connects her to the world. Whatever she writes, that diary is going to be HERS. No one else's.”

Dakota gazes up at you, her eyes widening as she realises your point. “Wow. Wowee,” she murmurs, “That's... super cool. So whenever she's feeling sad or weird or whatever, she can just look in her “don't die” book.”

“I... wouldn't call it that,” you remark, “But yes, that's the idea. What do you say?”

“I'm gonna do it! No, I'm gonna go one better – I'm gonna get two diaries, and I'm gonna fill one of them in myself,” the young girl boasts, “And the first thing I'm gonna write in mine is, I'm gonna make you proud of me!” Grinning broadly, she turns and hurries away towards the surface elevators, clearly unwilling to let even a single moment go to waste. You start to call out a protest, to follow after her, but then you let her leave with a sigh. You just can't match her energy.

-

“Bring her here. Without as little unpleasantness as possible,” the old man orders, “We must speak with her, before it is too late.”

“Understood,” Reyes answers with a smirk, “This won't be the first time I've snatched a high value target. Normally, though, I have a little extra time to plan things out. A rush job like this... it could get messy.”

The old man says nothing to this, and Reyes leaves. You let out a held breath once he's gone, allowing yourself to relax a little. “I want to see her too. You know I do,” you hear yourself murmur, “But she's not in any danger. She's too important to them. NERV wouldn't just throw away a pilot like that. For all their sins, they're not like that.”

“There are things about NERV that you do not understand,” he whispers, his voice like the crackle of dry paper, “Coraline. I dearly wish that I didn't have to tell you this now, of all times, but... I fear that if I don't tell you this now, I might take this secret to my grave. Do you really think that our enemies would not throw away one of their pawns if it suited their purposes?”

Doubt, now. “Not one as important as her,” you venture, “The others are expendable, but-”

“What I have to tell you is...” the old man coughs, his body wracked with convulsions for a few seconds. “Coraline,” he rasps, “They lied to you. About Reed. About... about everything.”

-

You wake with a muffled scream, clawing at the tangled, sweat-soaked bedsheets gathered around you.

Not exactly the most relaxing way to start the day.

>Going to pause things here for today. However, I'll be continuing this tomorrow as planned
>I apologise for the delays today!

>>3801994
Thanks for the run.

At least we now know that she knows what happened to Reed, though I kind of wish that they had told us why we are so very important, I mean there hasn't been anything we've done that none of the other pilots could have bar some ancillary things that don't have anything to do with what they want.

>>3801994
Thanks for running!

When will Matheson quit SEELE and embrace her true profession of rabble rouser?

>>3801994
Thanks for running!

Why do SEELE have creepy freaks for days but no good PR people? We wouldn't have these problems at all if there was at least someone with a public coherent vision of what the hell they are actually doing.

>>3801994
Thanks for running.

How nervous does Mac get whenever he lets Holly go near 02? We should really thank those guys down sometime for what they do being near those giant psychic robots sometime.

Also speaking of did we black out again after Nate's appearance or was that a normal scene transition?

>>3802041
Monroe is for all intents and purposes their hand picked PR person, as they are going to intercede in any of the important decisions. Not that she is any good at her job, but at least she tries, not that it will count for much if they get their way.

>>3802019
That's certainly a very bald ambition for a young not so young woman to have!

>>3802041
Don't let them know I said this, but things aren't going so smoothly for SEELE. In fact, things have been gradually falling apart for them for about, oh, twenty years now. Their glory days are well behind them now, I think

>>3802051
Why would they be nervous? Any unsual noises or other irregularities are just tricks of the mind!
My original intent was for just a regular scene transition. I ended up spending way too long trying to get a more elegant way of moving from point A to point B. I'm keeping my options open, though, so maybe something more might come of it!

>>3801994
>“But she's not in any danger. She's too important to them. NERV wouldn't just throw away a pilot like that. For all their sins, they're not like that.”

lol. As far as we know from their perspective Holly's only importance is duo souls and her leadership (which might be considered a threat). Otherwise she's just a defective pilot that can't control her ADM anymore and asks too many questions. If Kaori is the most expendable then Holly is 2nd.

>>3802467
Pretty sure Juliet is the most expendable, since they have a hundred backup clones.

>>3802098
>a very bald ambition
>bald
wow Moloch, burn.

>>3802773
They would have trouble getting her replacement into position though, as I doubt that Bergmann would be okay with it.

>>3802931
I feel like
1. Bergmann wouldn't give a shit
2. Even if she were opposed to it for some mysterious reason, Matheson has a way bigger dick and Bergmann would have even less chance of stopping it than Monroe.

>>3803016
I guess the other pilots would notice her changing again, like we all noticed after we returned from Germany we would assume the worst look into exactly how they are doing it.

File: IngridB.png (369 KB, 900x700)

369 KB PNG

Two surprises when you get ready to leave for the beach. First of all, your “minder” for the day or so that you'll be away is Bergmann herself. Maybe she doesn't trust you not to go poking about in her private study this time, or maybe her decision to come along has something to do with the OTHER surprise. There was already a slumped figure in the car when you arrived, an oversized hoodie hiding the figure's face from view. Even so, it takes you just a few seconds to realise who your new unexpected “guest” is.

Huang.

“This is unconventional,” Juliet announces, the bland tone of her voice causing Dakota to snort laughter.

“Yes, well, hurry up and get in the car or we'll leave without you,” Bergmann snaps, her single eye narrowed with restless unease, “I have a schedule to keep. Explanations can wait until we're on the road.”

Oh, you can't wait to hear this one.

-

Of course, there was one last delay – an impromptu tournament of Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who got to sit in the front. Dakota's idea, and she ended up winning the whole thing. Frankly, you think it was all rigged from the start. With that out of the way, Dakota scrambled into the front seat and immediately started to fiddle with the radio, playing with it as the main cargo elevator carried you up towards the surface.

By the time you arrive at the surface and get moving, Dakota has grown bored with the radio. Leaving it tuned to some dadrock station, she turns and gazes out the window as Bergmann methodically guides her car down the city streets. She drives with deliberate precision, always lingering just slightly below the speed limit. The only time you've ever seen people drive like this, you realise, is when they're trying not to get noticed. When they're doing something they really shouldn't be doing.

“Doc, I'm seriously starting to think that this is going to compromise our relaxing day off,” you warn, your tone deadpan, “You want to tell me what's going on here?”

Bergmann doesn't answer this immediately, her hands tightening on the wheel as she focuses on driving. “Huang is an unknown element,” she replies eventually, “Nobody expected her to exist at all, let along expect her to survive. She was never a part of anyone's plans. If SEELE find out that she's alive, I don't know what they'll do with her. Maybe they'll take her into their custody, run tests of their own on her. Maybe they'll cut her open to see how she works. They might just eliminate her for the sake of tying up a loose end. I just. Don't. Know.”

As she hisses these words out, you glance aside to Huang. The white hood covers most of her face, but her expression doesn't seem to change at all. Bergmann could be talking about someone completely different, someone distant and unimportant and definitely not on a fucking kill list.

One thing's for sure, you'd hate to play poker with her.

[1/2]

>>3803639

“According to the official report, Huang is dead. She died, so to speak, on the operating table. We tried our best, but it wasn't good enough,” Bergmann continues, “It won't fool them forever, of course, but it'll give me some time to think. She can stay in my cabin for the time being. It's not exactly luxurious, but compared with a Chinese internment camp...” Bergmann leaves this thought unfinished, leaving it for Huang herself to finish off.

“She doesn't talk much, does she?” Dakota remarks, craning around in her seat to peer at Huang, “You don't talk much, do you?”

“I'm sorry,” Huang replies, finally breaking her silence. Her voice is halting, as if she was still getting used to the act of speaking.

-

You must all make for a sorry sight as you trudge up to Bergmann's cabin. Huang walks with the tentative gait of an infant, of someone unsure of their own body and the strength of their limbs. Juliet follows with a lopsided limp, her injured arm hanging at her side. It's not broken, according to Doctor Weick, but the limb is lurid with bruising and Juliet is reluctant to use it for much. She seems quiet, her gaze never straying too far from Huang. Dakota, by contrast, is... Dakota. She rushes about, trying to stare at everything at once as if it might all be snatched away from her.

“There's something else going on here,” you murmur to Bergmann, watching the others from afar, “Huang... Look, what are you planning?”

A cold smile drifts across Bergmann's face. “I'm not planning anything... yet. I do have an idea, though. Little Huang is proof, indisputable proof, that we can purge a Lilim infection. That sort of thing has value,” she muses, “Say there was a poison that only we possessed the antidote to. Now say that Matheson just happened to take that poison. That would put us in quite a powerful position, wouldn't it?”

You're not sure how you feel about this.

“A tiny sample of Lilim material slipped into her illicit biomass supply. That's all it would take,” Bergmann continues, a sickly light entering her single eye, “The best part is, she wouldn't dare tell the others. If they learned that she was tainted... well, she might suddenly find herself in a rather precarious position. It would be in her best interests to keep it a secret and just do as she's told.”

“This is like, biological warfare or something,” you mutter, “Aren't there laws against that?”

“I don't remember signing anything,” Bergmann counters, her lips drawing back in a snarl of satisfaction, “Well? What do you think?”

>We'd be using Huang like a bargaining chip. I don't like it
>Matheson started this, so fuck her. She deserves this
>This whole plan sounds way too risky
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3803640
>Matheson started this, so fuck her. She deserves this

>>3803640
>>Matheson started this, so fuck her. She deserves this.
Do you have any Idea of how Huang was actually cured, would it even be applicable for Matheson?
Would you even care when she doesn't make it, What are you going to try and get Matheson to do while you have her. Are you prepared to have to deal with Leighton, Kinsey or even Amon after the fact?

She should have an answer to these if she thinks she is ready to kick the Hornets nest.

>>3803640
>She's proof, sure, but this still involves me diving into someone's brain and kicking Lilim ass.
>I get the feeling Matheson's hiding more in that head of hers than a teen girl.

>>3803640
>I think... (Write in)
Blackmailing a crazed megalomaniac and potentially giving her a Lilim headspace partner seems like it can be a double edged sword, but it's not like we have many moves against her at this point.

Another wild card is Amon. Will he just sit by and laugh at her plight or will she command him to help somehow? Both of these are likely. I'm for this, but we need to consider both long term and short term to be able to protect ourselves and Huang from the backlash.

Also since our inclusion is required for the antidote it may be possible to 'feed' on Matheson and kill her like that. Repair ourselves on someone that actually deserves it unlike Huang.

“I mean, Matheson started this war so... fuck her. She deserves whatever she gets,” you breathe, “But I don't think it's that simple. Huang might be proof that this cure works, but that doesn't mean the cure is easy to do. Someone – and let's face it, that someone is me – still needs to dive into her head and kick the Lilim out. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if I want to go there. Matheson probably has a lot more shit hiding in her head than a teenage girl.”

Bergmann gives you a tiny shrug, dismissing the thought with an equally tiny gesture. “Okay,” you continue, irritated by the flippant response, “So we'll take it one step at a time. Do you actually know how Huang was cured, and would that still work for Matheson?”

“Huang was injected with Lilim material. If the same thing happened to Matheson, the same procedure would work,” Bergmann replies, “And the procedure works by attacking the Lilim infection directly, using your own opposing AT Field. A positive and a negative cancelling each other out, essentially. The theory is sound.”

The theory. “Fine. Next question. Say you can get Matheson infected, get her to play along with this,” you press, “What then? What do you actually hope to get out of her?”

“Ideally, she would fuck off and let us do our jobs,” the doctor answers curtly, “That's the most important thing.”

The most important thing, she says, but not the only thing. A terrible idea, Bergmann ascending and taking Matheson's place, flickers through your head. “You'll have to deal with the other guys from head office,” you warn her, “Are you prepared for that too?”

“If everything goes to plan, Matheson would deal with them for us. After all, I dare say that she would be keen to keep them from learning the truth. To explain how she was poisoned, she would need to tell them about her little biomass habit. She might have them eating out of the palm of her hand now, but if they realised how much trouble her petty vanity was bringing down on them...” Bergmann shrugs, “No, Matheson would toe the line. I don't doubt that she'd seek some kind of retribution, but we're already pushing our luck.”

That's the thing, isn't it? Even if this plan works, it won't solve all your problems – you'd just be replacing them with a new set of complications further down the road. Amon is chief among them. Would he move to prevent this, or would he see the funny side of it all? When you're dealing with an inhuman monster like him...

“You know, Matheson might not survive an attempt at the cure. She might “die on the operating table” too,” you point out, “Do you even care about that possibility?”

“I'd still consider that a victory,” Bergmann admits, “One way or another, it would get her out of the picture.”

[1/2]

>>3803686
Wait, what makes Bergmann think this will work. She tries to blackmail Matheson, next thing we know security team threatens to shoot half the pilots (or just Karina) if Holly doesn't cure her. Bergmann may not give up the details of the cure on her own, but I presume the rest of the office actually knows a thing or two about how to use AT-fields and can figure the important parts out.

Bergmann can't be threatened, but Holly can. And most likely will be. I'm not even sure whether this concern should be shared with Bergmann because then she will come up with idea how to make Holly cooperate.

>>3803721
How will Matheson provide justification for shooting half the pilots?

>we're gonna soul vore Matheson
Nice.

>>3803721
Does she need one? She is one third of the head office after all and they already have replacement pilot project in the works. But I'll give you that it probably won't be a public move at that point, more like a covert op. Still, the threat can be delivered.

>>3803686

The waves slowly roll in, crashing softly against the sand. Sitting on the edge of the cliff, looking out over the beach below, you dimly listen to the light footsteps approaching from behind you. Juliet. You know it's her even before you look around. Dakota would never be so quiet, and Huang's pace would be far more tentative. With a soft grunt that hints at the pain in her aching body, Juliet sits down beside you.

“Doctor Weick examined my arm. It is not broken,” she announces, “Although it is quite uncomfortable.”

“That's an understatement,” you remark, “Looks like it hurts like a motherfucker.”

“Yes,” Juliet agrees, tilting her head slightly to the side, “Like a... It is quite painful, yes.” Nodding slowly to herself, she reaches into her pocket and takes out a tiny black book, a stub of pencil jammed into the spiral binding. Taking the pencil out, she writes a tiny note down in the book. You watch, both amused and curious, as Juliet laboriously erases something and rewrites it. Noticing your look, Juliet half turns and offers the book out to you. Taking it after a pause, you read the newest entry.

“Today, I went to the beach,” you read aloud, “Holly said something funny about my arm. I don't know if I should write it down.”

Juliet nods slightly. “I want to remember these things,” she explains, “I... do not want to forget them again. Even something as simple as this, I do not want to lose it.”

Passing the diary back to her, you gaze out at the ocean. The morning sun is already climbing high in the sky, but the breeze rolling off the ocean keeps the day from getting too hot. Allowing your eyes to drift shut, you savour the peace and quiet. Like you told Dakota, the rest of the world feels so far away in this place. Bergmann picked a good stop for her cabin... for her hiding place.

“Is it odd, to write down a thing like this?” Juliet asks suddenly, and you open her eyes to see her brow furrowed with a hint of concern. For her, that's a pretty serious expression.

“Nah, it's fine,” you assure her, “It's your diary. You can write down as many curse words as you like. I won't tell anyone.”

“That is good,” the strange girl breathes, nodding with a subdued relief. Turning the diary over in her hands, she flicks through the pages. Most of them, you notice, are still blank and untouched. Not surprising really, she's not even had it for a full day. “Dakota suggested that I write these things down. Anything that I wanted to remember. Anything that meant something to me. Things that I wanted to see or do, or say to people. She said that I should write it all down in this,” she continues, “That was nice of her, wasn't it?”

>Yeah, it was a good idea. I'm glad I gave it to her
>She's pretty thoughtful in her own way
>It's a useful tool. We don't want to lose you again
>Just make sure you write lots of nice things about me, okay?
>It's... (Write in)
>Other

>>3803745
>She's pretty thoughtful in her own way

>Just make sure you write lots of nice things about me, okay?

>>3803745
>She's pretty thoughtful in her own way
>Just make sure you write lots of nice things about me, okay?
>Other
"Thank you by the way. For protecting her."

>>3803745
>She's pretty thoughtful in her own way.
after all we wouldn't have come up with the idea without her wanting to do something nice for Juliet.

>>3803745
>She's pretty thoughtful in her own way

“Well, you know, she's pretty thoughtful in her own way,” you reply, smiling a little at Dakota's version of events. So what if you gave her the idea? It was her idea to do something nice for Juliet in the first place. You'll let her have this one – there's no point in souring the mood with petty objections now. “Thank you, by the way,” you add, slapping Juliet lightly on the arm, “For keeping her safe back there.”

“It was my-” Juliet starts to reply, only to stop herself short. Her brow furrows again, and you wait patiently to see what she's going to say. “She is my friend,” the blank-faced girl says at last, “I could not just stand by and do nothing, could I?”

Blinking in amazement, you accept her words with a stunned laugh. “No way,” you agree, “Just make sure you keep filling that diary in, okay? And make sure you say lots of nice things about me!”

“Of course,” she replies, looking down at the book again. Once again, you sense something unsaid lingering between you. “The other girl,” Juliet offers at last, her eyes flicking briefly back towards the cabin, “I thought she was... like me.”

“Like you,” you repeat, “What does that mean?”

Juliet runs a hand down her face, as if assuring herself of the existence of her own flesh. “I do not know,” she admits, “It was a... feeling I had. I could not explain it then, and I still cannot. But now, I know she is different. She has no purpose. I do. WE do. How can she live without a purpose?”

“She'll have to find her own purpose,” you suggest, “Most people live that way, I guess. Some people find a job and dedicate themselves to it, some people fall in love and dedicate themselves to that. It doesn't have to be something important like saving the world. She's got a future now, she can do what she likes with it. That's a hell of a lot more than she had before all this. If nothing else, we've given her that much.”

“It sounds hard,” Juliet muses, “It sounds confusing. I wonder if she has any ideas.”

“Why don't you ask her?” you reply with a laugh, “Although that might be a little heavy for a first conversation. I'd suggest starting with something smaller...”

“Maybe later,” the blank-faced girl decides, turning away and fixing her gaze on the horizon, “I want to listen to the ocean some more.”

-

Like a haunting presence, Huang is aimlessly drifting through the cabin when you enter. She makes for an eerie figure, with a long white skirt flowing around her feet and her hood falling low over her head. She still seems to be getting the hang of... existing, the limits of her repaired body still untested. Still, she walks a full circuit of the cabin's main room without stumbling or falling, so you'll take that as a good sign.

“I guess you'll be staying here for a while,” you begin, for want of something to say, “You're not gonna be... bored?”

No answer.

[1/2]

>>3803804

Huang turns, reaching up and cautiously drawing back her hood. She's still pale, pallid like some deep sea creature, but it's not the inhuman sheen of Lilim flesh. Thin wisps of colourless hair crown her scalp, reminding you in some strange way of a newborn baby. Maybe that's not so strange – in a way, she IS newly born. Gradually, you realise that neither of you has said a word. You've just been... staring at each other.

“Must be nice to get out of that tube, huh?” you remark, inwardly groaning at how lame your words must sound. Huang nods slightly, her head barely moving at all. “Uh, have you seen Dakota?” you continue, “You know, the young girl who was sitting up front on the drive over? Short and kinda sassy, you know?”

“She went out,” Huang replies after a pause, articulating the words with deliberate care, “She wanted to see the forest.” Of course she did. As you glance out the cabin window, Huang carefully eases herself down onto the low sofa. She's still looking at you, her eyes narrowing with polite confusion. “You don't look... how I expected,” she admits, “I thought you... your hair, and-”

“Pink, right?” you remark with a wan smile, “Yeah, that's kind of a long story. Long, and not particularly pleasant.”

“Oh,” Huang stares at you for a moment before deliberately averting her eyes, “I know what that is like. I think.”

Sitting down beside her, you let out a weary sigh. “So what was it like?” you ask, trying and failing to dampen down your curiosity, “You know, sharing your head with that Other. Did it... tell you stuff? Show you stuff?”

Her mouth twisting down in a grimace, Huang thinks back. Several times, she starts to say something only to stop herself at the last moment. Despite your best efforts, you feel your patience starting to wear thin. Finally, and in a voice so low that you can barely hear her, Huang forces out a few words. “Mother Lilith-” she begins, only for the rest of her words to be lost as the cabin door creaks open. Juliet enters, marching directly across the room and opening up her bag, pulling out her swimsuit and marching back out again. The whole thing couldn't have taken more than a few seconds, but that was enough to silence Huang once more.

“Yes?” you prompt, hoping to tease a few more words from her, “Mother Lilith?”

Flinching at the name, Huang just shakes her head. Or maybe she just trembles – the motion is so slight you can't be sure one way or the other. Sighing, you slump back on the sofa and think about what to do next.

>Get your own swimsuit and follow Juliet
>Head into the forest to look for Dakota
>Stay behind with Huang. Maybe she just needs time
>Other

>>3803904
>Stay behind with Huang

Damnit Juliet

>>3803904
I want to do all the things.

>Get your own swimsuit and follow Juliet
We did promise we were going to try that submerge, ocean of thought thing.

>>3803904
>Get your own swimsuit and follow Juliet

We should let Huang think about what she wants to say, get her thoughts in order. We came here for a reason, and it shouldn't take too long.

for all we know Dakota's going to find that tree and tactlessly ask Bergmann about it, that's going to be a fun conversation.

>>3803904
>Drag Huang out to the beach. She'll have plenty of time to sit inside while at the HQ.

“Well, I'm going to head out and get some fresh air. Maybe go for a little swim,” you announce, rising from the sofa with a deliberate yawn, “I can't imagine that I'll be out for very long. When I get back, maybe we could talk some more. How about... if you tell me something interesting, I'll tell you my long, stupid story. How does that sound?” A tiny shrug, that's all the reply you get from Huang. Turning away so that she doesn't see your scowl, you start to dig around in your bag for your swimsuit. “Or, I could always drag you down to the beach and MAKE you have fun,” you warn, “You'll have plenty of time to sit about doing nothing when we're gone. Don't say-”

The sofa creaks softly as Huang lies back on it, shifting herself around until her back is facing out at you, at the world in general. Not exactly the friendliest reaction in the world – was it something you said?

“It wasn't that long ago that you were boiling the flesh from her bones,” Amon drawls, the voice drifting in from some unseen place, “That probably spoils the mood a little.”

“I don't remember anyone inviting you along on this little outing,” you shoot back, “So fuck off, okay? And if I get even the slightest suspicion that you're creeping on me while I'm getting changed, I'm going to come over there – wherever “there” is – and kick your ass, okay?”

No reply. Maybe he got the message.

-

Juliet is already changed by the time you join her, sitting on the hot sand as the waves wash over her bare feet. Her expression is tense, the unease showing through her usual blankness. “I gotta get my swimsuit on. Don't turn around,” you warn her, unbuttoning your shirt and tossing it down to the sand, “What's up? You look... worried.”

“What if this doesn't work?” she murmurs, “What if there is... nothing there?”

“Then we'll enjoy a nice relaxing swim, then we head back up to the cabin and make the most of our day off,” you tell her, kicking off your skirt, “You know, like something normal people might do?”

“Normal people,” Juliet breathes.

Making one final adjustment to the clinging material of your swimsuit, making sure that everything is where it should be, you reach down and slap Juliet lightly on the arm. “Never mind about any of that. Just... let's just DO it, okay? We'll get in the water and take it from there,” you urge, “Just see what happens, you know?”

Juliet nods, rising to her feet and brushing loose sand from her thighs before following you down into the water. Cold at first, shockingly cold, you let out a quiet hiss as the first waves lap at your feet. Pressing on regardless, you soon grow accustomed to the water. It really is nothing like the swimming pool, just as the forest here is nothing like the park back in Avalon City. Even on a calm day like this, the ocean holds the faint promise of danger.

It could swallow you up, no different to the “sea” that took Reed.

[1/2]

>>3804005

Treading water, you wait for Juliet to swim out and join you. She does so tentatively, although she takes to the water itself with an easy familiarity. “Well?” you prompt, watching as she draws in a deep lungful of air, “What are you waiting for?”

Without dignifying that with a response, Juliet splashes you with chill water as she forcefully dives down beneath the surface, kicking herself deep underwater. The seconds creep by, and then Juliet emerges once more. Panting for breath, she shakes droplets of water away from her face and grimaces. “One more time,” she whispers, more to herself than to you, “Just... one more try.”

“Juliet-” you begin, but she angrily shakes her head. Actual anger and frustration, not just a manufactured pretence. Shrugging, you gesture for Juliet to go ahead. She can go and drown herself, if that's what she really wants.

Well... that might be a little much. Oblivious to your irritated thoughts, Juliet takes another deep breath dives back beneath the surface of the water. This time the seconds turn into a full minute, and they keep on counting. “Hey...” you whisper, your stomach clenching up with a sudden fear, “I didn't... I didn't mean it!”

There's nothing else for it, then. Floundering in the water for a moment, you dive down and plunge into the cold depths. Salt stings your eyes as you open them a crack, squinting into the gloom. What you see almost causes you to gasp, to throw away a precious lungful of air as the impossible sight crashes over you. You're barely any distance away from the coast, but the ocean seems to drop infinitely far down beneath you. Impossibly deep, impossibly dark, the abyss yawns open to claim you. A tiny spot of white against the sea of black, Juliet hangs suspended at the edge of precipice.

Kicking yourself into motion, you dart down towards her. As you claw through the cold waters, Juliet shudders. She convulses, her hands flying up to her throat. A rush of bubble floods from her mouth as she lets out a silent scream. Fighting your way deeper and deeper, you reach out your hand and-

And you see a city in ruins, two giants brawling without regard for those caught beneath their feet.

You hear screams, sirens, all the distant sounds of chaos. Someone sobs, or are you just hearing your own voice?

Pain explodes through your body, through your burning lungs and your aching limbs. You can feel your body failing you, giving up in protest at the cruel treatment you keep subjecting it to. Everyone has their limit, and you're finally at-

Made sluggish by the clinging water, Juliet's hand slaps lightly against yours. The moment of contact is brief, all too brief, as she slips away again. Her fingers brush against yours, and then she dives forwards. Stronger this time, her hand finds yours and you grip tight, entwining your fingers with hers.

[2/3]

>>3804080
>Stronger this time, her hand finds yours and you grip tight, entwining your fingers with hers.
WEE WOO WEE WOO

>>3804080

Bursting through the surface of the water, you drag in a desperate lungful of air. Beside you, Juliet does the same. Both of you taste the air like a starving man at a banquet, feasting upon the clean air. For the longest time, that's all you can do – tread water and gasp down one deep breath after another. Then, eventually, you feel Juliet's hand skittering across your shoulder. Meeting her wide eyes, you jerk your head towards the shore. She nods, clumsily swimming beside you.

Clawing your way up the beach, dragging yourself across the sand, you collapse down beside you heaped clothing. Blinking away saltwater, you see a familiar pair of boots marching closer. Forcing your head up, you see a mocking smile leering down from a darkened silhouette, the sun forming a halo behind the insolent, inhuman man. “You...” you rasp, “Told you I'd... I'd kick your ass if I saw you-”

“Charming,” a different voice laughs. Blinking, you look up into Dakota's face as the young girl kneels down beside you. “See,” she continues, “This is why I'm sticking to the swimming pool.”

-

With a single oversized towel draped around you both, you feel Juliet tremble as the warmth returns to her body. “I saw her,” Juliet whispers, “Me. I saw... all of me.”

“I don't understand,” you reply slowly, your voice low. Inside the cabin, you can hear Bergmann pacing about. Her pace is lopsided and uneven, a relic of the same roadside bomb that took her eye. Strange, you think to yourself, the little things you notice. “Look, Juliet, what happened out there...” you continue, trying to find the words to describe what you just saw, “I don't know how much of that was... real, but this has gotta stop. This is dangerous. I can't just sit by while you try and drown-”

“I remember it all now,” she interrupts. Slowly, you realise that her voice has changed – there's a vitality to it that she never had before, the rise and fall that a... a normal person might have. “Everything that happened to... me. Everything from before,” Juliet continues, “I remember it all now.”

>Then that's... good. Isn't it?
>You... (Write in)
>Other

>Sorry for the delays today. My pace has been shot to hell this weekend, I guess.

>>3804135
>You... (Write in)
Saw a glimpse of a fight between giants in a city, but that's about it. Sounds like you remember way more than I'm aware of though.

>Other
"Then I guess I need to apologize. If I hadn't left you alone at the memorial in Germany they wouldn't have been able to take you. I'm sorry."

>>3804135
Backing >>3804147

>>3804135
>You... (Write in)
If something like this were to happen again, is there anything you think that I should know.

Bergmann was Injured around the same time that they recovered the Akashic Record from Syria

This should come as good news, and yet... there's an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach, a fearful air that you just can't name. Maybe it's just the oxygen deprivation talking, but this all feels... wrong. But then, if there really was something wrong here you'd surely have SOME idea where to start. This is just...

Off.

“I think I saw some of it too, down there,” you murmur, “There was a city, a fight between giants. Sounds like you remember more than I saw, though. Was that... Berlin?” Juliet nods slowly, confirming your worst fears. It seems like every bit of her memory has been dragged to the surface, the good times and the bad. Old wounds have opened up, and the blood is flowing as thick as ever.

Her memories?

Really?

If someone feels something, is MADE to feel something, does the truth really matter? As far as they're concerned, it's the truth. Tell them it's all a lie, will that really take the pain away? Hardly. You might just make things worse, and-

“Holly?” Juliet asks, her voice causing you to flinch with a sudden rush of guilt. Looking around, you give her an awkward smile and shake your head. With the kind of probing look that would have been impossible for the old version of her, Juliet studies you for a moment. “It's not so bad,” she assures you, “I remember... Berlin. But I remember watching baseball with my parents. I remember burning my mouth on hot food. I remember the first time we came here, and all the other times we've spent together. I'll happily accept the bad, if it means I get to keep the good as well.”

A hard lump rises in your throat, threatening to choke you. “I'm sorry,” you murmur, forcing the words out, “I never should have left you alone in Germany. If I had only stayed with you, this whole thing... Was it bad? When they took you, I mean, was it...”

“It is still a blur. They injected me with something. I remember them asking me questions, about NERV and the rest of you. I didn't tell them anything,” she pauses, and you see her eyes clouding over slightly, “Did I? It's like... sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and I don't know where I am. I feel like I am still back there, still being asked those questions.” Another pause, and she shakes her head. The cabin door creaks open, and Bergmann emerges with two mugs of hot cocoa.

“Sorry it took so long. I had to remember where I left that stuff,” she mutters, setting the mugs down beside you, “It might be a little stale, but it's still edible. I think.”

“Uh, thanks,” you reply weakly, looking at the mug as if it contains radioactive waste. With a curt nod, Bergmann retreats back inside and slams the door shut behind her. Blinking away the distraction, you fumble for your thoroughly derailed train of thought.

[1/2]

>>3804240

“If this ever happens again, and I seriously fucking hope it doesn't, but if it does...” you begin, trying to get things back on track, “Is there anything I should know? Anything we should do? We won't have to drown you again, will we?”

“I hope not,” Juliet admits, and you both laugh. Like a needle puncturing a balloon, that laugh allows the tension to bleed away. Finally, you allow yourself to believe that things might actually be okay. “I do not know. I DON'T know,” Juliet adds with a sigh, the more casual tone still not quite automatic yet, “If I think of anything, I will let you know. Of course, I do not want this to happen again either.”

“I should hope so,” you scold, risking a sip of Bergmann's hot cocoa. Choking, you turn away and spit it out. Stale? Bergmann was optimistic there – the stuff tastes like cobwebs.

Juliet pauses, her own mug half-raised to her lips. Slowly lowering it, she takes your mug and rises to her feet. “I will get rid of this,” she murmurs, “In the forest, so Doctor Bergmann won't see.”

“Thanks,” you mutter back, letting out a sigh of relief once the vile drink is out of sight. When the time comes, maybe you'll volunteer to make dinner. Anything to prevent Bergmann from cooking. The door creaks again, and you glance around with a sudden guilty fear. You almost expect to see Bergmann standing there, a plate of hot food held out before her like a weapon. Instead, you find yourself looking up into Huang's pallid face.

Sitting down beside you, the uncanny girl holds her tongue for a few seconds more. It seems like a token gesture, like her heart isn't really in it. “M... Mother Lilith,” she mumbles eventually, “She's not here.”

“Too bad for her. This is a nice beach,” you quip, “So where is she?”

Huang shakes her head. “Not... here. Not in this world,” she answers slowly, “In the Before, she fought Adam. She was wounded, and she fled into her own world. Somewhere beyond the sea.”

“The Dirac Sea?” you ask, frowning at the thought.

Again, Huang offers a vague gesture. “Dee... rack? I don't know that word,” she apologises, “But so long as Mother Lilith hides herself away... I don't know, I don't remember much of what the Other showed me. It's like trying to remember a dream.”

“Huh,” you murmur, “You know, I've got a little trick that might just help jog your memory...”

“You do?” Huang asks, her eyes widening slightly.

“Sure,” you tell her, grinning to yourself, “We just gotta take a little dip in the water, and-” The sound of Juliet clearing her throat interrupts you. Turning around, you see her holding two empty mugs and frowning severely at you. “Hey, c'mon,” you complain, “I wasn't actually gonna...”

If anything, Juliet's expression just grows more disapproving.

[2/3]

>>3804321

Slowly, night extends one clawed hand and spreads across the land. The rest of the day is lazy, an idle mix of sunbathing and napping. After everything else that happened, you don't have the energy for much else. After darkness falls and the temperature starts to slip lower, you feel some of your energy return. Wandering out of the cabin, you spot Bergmann standing at the edge of the forest. You start to turn away, but then she glances around and fixes you with a stabbing look.

“Well?” she asks, “What is it?” This, you answer with a shake of your head. Even so, you find yourself drawing closer to the older woman. “Have you thought any more about what we said?” she asks softly, “About... Matheson?”

“I still think this is a massive fucking gamble,” you reply, “Say we do try and blackmail her. What do we do if she threatens to shoot half the fucking base if we don't give her the cure?”

“She might very well do that, but that's the thing about hostages – they only have value so long as they're alive. If she harmed even one hair on, say, Kaori's head, the deal would be off. She could just enjoy dying... or worse,” Bergmann shrugs, “The most important thing, in a situation like that, is holding your nerve.”

“Easy for you to say,” you mutter.

“Yes, it is,” Bergmann agrees, a cold smile creeping across her face, “A lot of things get easier once you accept that you're a monster.”

Letting out a sharp breath, you look away from the doctor. Sometimes, she fools you into thinking that she's a decent person, that she's on anyone's side but her own. Then something always reminds you of the truth. “That's... whatever,” you mutter, “Why are you bringing Kaori into this?”

“She was just an example,” the doctor replies with a coy smile, “Although she leapt into a Lilim portal for you, and I saw how worried you were when she fainted. I wonder...”

“It's not like that!” you protest. Bergmann just tilts her head to the side, silently weighing up your words.

It's not... like that.

>So I think I'm going to pause things here for today. Current plan is to continue this next Friday, since I can probably get the time off. Updates or changes of plan to come
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>3804392
Thanks for the run.

Bergmann seems to be forgetting that we had Claire, I don't see Holly attempting to replace her for a while yet.

>>3804392
Thanks for running.

Personality restored Juliet is great.

>>3804399
Claire and Holly were best friends mate. There is a difference between that and what Bergmann is implying.

>>3804392
Thanks for running Moloch! This has been a really good thread for us! Can't wait to see where it all goes wrong.

>>3804392
Thanks for running!

How many times has Amon peeked in on Holly changing?

>>3804409
At this point Holly hasn't really done anything to reciprocate.

Some of the things that Claire has said imply that they quite close.

>>3804439
>Some of the things that Claire has said imply that they quite close.


Close as you can get to another soul at this point. :^)

>>3804422
Would it make things better or worse if I said that Amon preferred older women?

>>3804415
What's with this suspicious act? Things are just going to go from strength to strength from here on out!

>>3804399
Best not to take anything Bergmann says too seriously, I think, especially when she's talking about biological warfare

>>3804468
Depends on how much older, I guess. Honestly I'm surprised a Lilim goes for human women at all.

>>3804468
So has Bergmann known Matheson has been 04 since the beginning?

Do they hate each other from a previous encounter? Or maybe that their goals are the opposite of each other?

>>3804510
the big point that we know of is that at some point, pre impact Matheson published a letter that ended up ruining Bergmann's career while boosting her own.

>>3804392
I truly think Holly is way more like Bergmann than she might want to admit.

>>3805005
nah

>>3805005
In what ways?

>>3805095
The ends justify the means part and wishing to get back at someone no matter the cost. Granted, it is actually us who make the decisions and drive (and even write little bits of) the character, but the current version looks like she is ready to commit premeditated murder for mere convenience.

>>3805352
Yeah I don't really see that at all. If what you said was true Huang would be dead and our Ego maxed out due to ends justifying the means. And we would have fucked up Bergmann for her part in Circle Eleven if we went by your 'getting someone back no matter the cost'.

Angry and a little vengeful? Sure. She'd probably cave in Anon's face if she could, but she's consistently hated the ends justifying the means attitude of head office and has tried to protect the other pilots from it. Hell even when discussing the idea of poisoning and blackmailing Matheson she's looking at all the risks and how it could backfire on the people she cares about. How is that 'No matter the cost'?

>>3805352
The way that I see it, is that Holly understands that if Matheson were to be left to her own devices that (at the moment) she would likely end up being the victor of the remaining candidates (they also include but are not limited to ; Bergmann, Coraline, Leigton, Kinsley, Claudia and Amon ) and implementing her vision for the world,
witch would not be the best outcome for the world that we know of as many more people would die than already have, so something needs to be done to stop her and as she has discovered that she is unlikely to be able to be persuaded or intimidated into stopping her progression towards her goals.
And as such an opportunity to take action to prevent a possible "bad" end has arisen and so she is assisting laying the ground work for the attempt to stop Matheson.
Also assuming that attempt at poisoning her is successful Matheson is effectively dead, as any sort of reveal to anyone of her contamination would likely result in her extermination.
also even if we were to cure her of the poisoning Bergmann would be likely to just shoot her while she is recovering and hide the body
Something else to consider that we know that after Matheson's death Bergmann will likely be in a good position to replace her as the local commander or at least in control of Temple as she already has a support network in place there .
Also I feel that Bergmann isn't quite off the hook yet for the actions she has undertaken and so we should look into exacting our own owed pound of flesh from her at some point in the future as we are likely going to run into the same problem as she will not be able to be convinced to stop her own attempts to change the world for the worse.

>>3805447
Agreed.

>>3805447
As it stands now Bergmann is way too useful in being the only one willing and smart enough to explain some of the meta physics of all the AT stuff to us that we desperately need to know so it's good to keep her around. With Matheson deposed she'll probably be free to delve deeper into her human evolution plan. Perhaps we can temper that idea by continuing to argue with her before we wake up one morning and everyone is AT wizards.

>>3806063
If we absolutely need to we could probably convince Fletcher to go out and find and return with Lindgren by claiming that Coraline was going after him and use him as bait to get her to return to Avalon increasing the likelihood of her being captured if she were to personally attempt to get revenge for his actions in the lead up to Reed's death.
and once we have him could get his advice on what Bergmann is actually doing.
I also don't think that her endgame is going to to be something that could be completed over night without some sort indication that she is beginning work on it, as it deals with uplifting whomever remains alive across the entire world it will likely require similar components (some way of projecting a powerful Anti - AT field, and some way for one of the pilots to control said field, if I had to guess the likely pilot that would assist Bergman is Nate ) and be mutually exclusive with the other plans that we know of.

Realistically if we do end up having to deal with Bergmann before we have finished with the research tree it will probably stop our progress cold and we are going to struggle to find an appropriate replacement for her that would allow us to continue improving the combat aspects of our ADM Units. In order to find a replacement I think it may be worth looking into whatever base Juliet was at before she was sent to Avalon as we know that there was a UN team that was working along similar lines to Bergmann.

>>3806299
Ok, so I have been thinking about Questions to ask Matheson while we can before she dies:
1. What Happened to Johanna, we know that they had been monitoring Nebiros for a significant period of time before NERV was notified of it's existence and sent in to deal with it. It also may be worth taking precautions in order to preventing her from 'singing', hopefully all we will need will be Earmuffs and something to project subsonics when we move to take her into custody
> This would be useful information to know as it may assist us when we have to deal with Bergmann as it may allow us to talk her out of her plan, without resorting to killing her.
2. What she knows about Bergmann in general.
> Is going to be helpful in our attempt to talk her down or eventual plan to kill her. as we are heavily limited in our knowledge of her motivations, and how to get her to listen
3. What Leigton's and Kinsley's plans are and how she was planning to deal with them.
> We have no indication as to anything regarding either of their plans as to what they indeed to have happen
4. What her plan was to deal with Amon, regardless of whether or not he is present for the interrogation, he probably will be. it would be interesting to get his input on whatever plans she has made.

This poison plan should not happen until Avalon base is on board. This is basically treason and Bergmann and Holly alone wouldn't be able to keep Matheson secure.

File: Interlude13.png (1.02 MB, 900x700)

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NERV Observation Footage, Avalon Base
July 2021

Camera 34-1. The secondary laboratories. On one wall, a large monitor plays live footage of the Lilim portal (cross reference, file “Dirac Sea”) as two subjects linger. Neither of them watches the screen, but both subjects sneak brief glances at it when the other is not looking. Subject 01, Kaori Saitou (KS) appears calm, although analysis of her posture suggests tension. Subject 03, Claudia Rainer (CR) paces restlessly.

CR: You're not special, you know. You're not the only one who has been inside one of those things.

KS does not answer this. There is a book resting in her lap, the detail too vague to reveal the cover. CR balls her fists with obvious anger, but she makes a deliberate effort to smirk.

CR: Did you hear me? I said that you're nothing special. I've been inside a Lilim portal too. In fact, I was the first one to do it. So really, if anyone around here is special...
KS: You weren't the first.
CR: EXCUSE me?
KS: I said, you weren't the first person to go into one of those things. When I was in there, I felt a... presence. I felt like there was something, someone, else there. Maybe it wasn't even a person, but it knew we were there. It was aware of us on some level. So no, I don't think you WERE the first.

Turning, CR looks up into the hidden camera. She cannot, of course, see it. Looking away from KS, she gives the camera a direct view of her grimacing face. Listening to something only she can see, she makes a decision and turns back to KS.

CR: Whether I was the first or not, that doesn't change anything. I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work. I'm not rising to your bait, so there's no point in being jealous.
KS: Jealous.
CR: She likes ME more. You know that, don't you? Deep down, I think you're a very boring person. You do your duty and you follow orders. All very respectable, of course, but that's hardly a basis for any kind of REAL affection.

CR turns away with a scoff, and the stage grows dark. Lit by the single spotlight, KS turns to the camera and thinks aloud, heard only by the audience.

KS: But what do I know about love or affection? My own mother was engaged to marry, but she cast her fiancée aside in favour of work. Then, she let my father chase and chase after her. Is this the power that affection holds? To hold the human heart in your hand, to nurture or destroy it according to whim alone... If that is true, our own affections are greater and more terrible than any of the weapons I've ever carried.

The lights return, and the play resumes its normal flow. Entering from stage left, subject 04, Yulia Kuznetsova (YK) approaches the players.

[1/2]

>>3810314

YK: Are you arguing again? What is it this time?
CR: Oh, it's terrible. Ever since the Belial operation, Kaori here has been getting too big for her boots. I wish I hadn't let her fire the killing shot – I've created a monster!

KS sighs heavily, turning to the audience and rolling her eyes.

YK: I think that is... not the case. But anyway, we have more important things to do, yes?

Pointing, YK gestures to the monitor. CR and KS look around, finally looking directly at the pictures unfolding on the screen. Behind their backs, YK turns to address the audience.

YK: Always squabbling and bickering! They act as if there was nothing at stake here, as if they were still civilians!
CR: Yes yes, it's all very ugly and something must be done about it. We HAVE discussed this, you know.
KS: Don't be obtuse, you know what this is about. Sooner or later, someone is going to have to go back in there. I'm worried that they'll send Holly, whether she's on active duty or not. I don't think she's... I don't think it would be good for her.
CR: She CAN handle it, you know – or do you want to be the one doing the handling?
KS: You-
YR: I have already volunteered. If anything goes wrong, I will be the best person to fix it. This mission, I think, must not fail.

A silence. KS nods solemnly, while CR lets out a scornful laugh.

CR: We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

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

>>3810317
>>3810314
This begs the important question: Who is the office nerd that edits the logs of the footage to make it sound like a play?

>>3810317
We need to get laid already so we can walk out on Claudia with a "later virgin"

>>3810317
Anyone else in favor of taking Juliet with us into the portal now.

It really feels like Amon could have used the time he spent time this better.

>>3810712
Sounds like Yulia is going in regardless, only question who her partner is going to be.

>>3810314
Clearly, Claudia is in love with Holly while Kaori wants some of dat Claire. And Vic is just sitting around wondering why he's neck deep in thirsty women when he should be chilling with his sister.

Soooooo, do we want to try pulling Reed outta there?

>>3811073
All Yulia said was that she volunteered, the choice will likely still be up to Holly.

We should see if we can get more of Juiet's traits unlocked.

>>3811076
If we do get the chance i say we go for it as we have the Ego to burn, as we should get the chance to use Matheson to repair our Ego

>>3811076
Pretty sure Victor wants to give Holly the Vick too.

Whether or not if it's because he likes her for her or if it's because she's a replacement Nate he can bone without taboo remains to be seen.

>>3810557
Don't you think Amon has been fucking us yet enough for that?

>>3812535
Needs to be literal fucking

>>3812566
What about literary fucking?

>>3812574
What about shut up

>>3812574
BOOK'D

>>3812610
u mad bro?

File: NERVop13.5.png (1.02 MB, 900x700)

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The crash and clatter of Dakota's packing drifts out from the cabin. Bergmann turns her face towards the building, her expression as blank as anything Juliet used to wear. Leaning against the hood of her car, she cuts a remarkably youthful figure, but that expression... it's an old face, showing every bit of her age. Without ever looking around, she notices you lingering at her side and gestures, with a curt twitch of her hand, for you to come a little closer. “I don't know when Matheson is going to be coming back,” she murmurs, “But be careful not to say too much around HQ. In fact, don't say anything at all about this.”

“About what?” you ask, rolling your eyes, “The whole blackmail and maybe murder plot?”

“Yes. Exactly that,” she replies, her voice dry, “It remains a theory, an incomplete plan. I have a lot more information to gather before we can even think about putting anything into action. I'll need to push my contacts hard, to see if they can dig anything up. Then there's the matter of the others. Unless I can be sure that they'll support us, I'm wary of making any move that would expose either of us to too much danger.”

“That's unusually cautious of you,” you mutter, watching as Dakota pokes her head out of the cabin door and waves. You wave back, surprised at how easily you can fake good cheer.

“We're approaching the final stages of the game,” Bergmann concludes, finally looking around at you, “A single mistake could be fatal.”

This isn't a game. Your life is not a fucking game.

-

Dangerous place to park a truck,” Bergmann mutters, carefully guiding the car around a truck sitting stalled at the side of the road, “Someone's going to have an accident, sooner or later.”

“Better not be us,” Dakota remarks with a nervous laugh, “How dumb would that be? All this space alien shit, and we end up getting wasted in a car crash.”

A choked groan of dismay slips from your lips, the young girl's words sending your thoughts rushing back to Reed's untimely fate. The chime of your phone saves you from another fit of brooding, and you hasten to fumble it out. Reading the text message, you feel a weary smile clawing its way onto your face. “It's Monroe,” you announce, reading aloud, “Hope you've worked on your tan, can't wait to see it... and then she posted like ten smiley faces.”

“That sounds like Diane,” Bergmann sighs, “Make the most of what remains of your time off, then. When we get back, it's back to business as usual.”

“Just another day at the office,” Dakota sighs, “So much for our holiday...”

“Wait,” Juliet replies, looking about in confusion, “We were supposed to be on holiday?”

[1/2]

>>3814616

At an unusually brisk pace, Commander Monroe leads you down the corridors towards your destination. You're nervous, more nervous that you'd ever like to admit. Monroe's text had been so cheerful, the sight of her grim face when you arrived at her office was jarring. You had an appointment, apparently, the sort of appointment that you can't refuse. After all, it it wasn't serious, you wouldn't be heading to your current destination.

The Communion room.

Monroe waits outside, lingering at the threshold as you creep into the blank room. When the door clenches shut behind you, your stomach lurches slightly. Beneath the faint hum of machinery and slumbering power, you can sense a deeper subsonic rumble. Maybe it's always been there, and you've just never noticed it until your visit to Huang's prison taught you a few more of their tricks. Knowing what it is doesn't make it any less unpleasant, though.

“Well?” you call out, standing in the ring of darkened statues, “I'm here now, so can we get this over with?”

“Enoch was but a man when God took him into Heaven and made him into an angel, granting unto him the name of Metatron,” a voice intones from behind you, “A great thing, yet at times I wonder. Was there not a part of Enoch that protested against this, that yearned to hold onto his humanity?”

This shit again. Turning, you look up into the statue's illuminated face and wait a moment, waiting to see if any others speak. None do. Just 01 this time, then?

Beneath your feet, a map of the world lights up. A few points blaze brighter than the others – Avalon City, Berlin, somewhere far out in the foreboding northern sea. “These are the other installations,” you announce, feeling vaguely foolish as soon as the words have left your mouth. Of course they are, and 01 doesn't need you to explain that for him. “Okay, that's real cool and all,” you continue, feigning bravado, “But so what?”

“I wish to offer you an invitation – a chance to travel, to see these installations for yourself. Academy, in Berlin, and distant Temple. You have, of course, been to the Garden once before,” 01 explains, “The world is far larger than you could ever know. I would have you see a little more of it, so that you were aware of the... context surrounding you.”

A pause. “Do the others know about this?” you ask suddenly, “Do they-”

“You will be escorted by your chief of security, working alongside a local liaison,” 01 interrupts, “Arrangements will be made. Make your choice.”

Seems like everyone wants to send you on holidays lately. A more cynical person might wonder if they were trying to keep you distracted.

>You're not going anywhere. You need to be here
>You'll visit Temple. Maybe you can meet up with Nate again
>You'll visit Academy. There's something going on in Berlin
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3814617
>Other
"I need a guarantee that 02 will not be deployed while I am away. Dakota isn't ready and I will not allow her to be thrown into that portal unprepared while I am not there to stop it."

>>3814617
Is there any sort of reason as to why, we would need to go somewhere, is this going to be an immediate trip and for how long would we be gone, as the Portal is still open we would prefer to not go anywhere till it is closed.

>>3814630
>>3814617
Otherwise

>You'll visit Temple. Maybe you can meet up with Nate again

I want to visit the Academy too, something important is happening there, but checking up on our fellow pilot/little sister takes priority. Maybe we can convince Fletcher to take the time to visit both.

>>3814617
>"I'll visit Temple, but this better be all expenses paid."

Staring down at your feet as you consider 01's words, you try to shut out the pulsing hum of the subsonics. Now that you're aware of them, you can barely hear yourself think for their unceasing drone. “I don't understand what you want from me,” you mutter, your eyes never wavering from your feet, “Why this? Why NOW?”

“Now?” 01 repeats. Or maybe it's just an echo.

“Now! There's a Lilim portal right fucking outside, and you want to send me on some... some all-expenses paid bullshit!” you snap, forcing your eyes up to glare at the statue. A shame, then, that frozen stone can't react. “You won't even tell me shit about it!” you continue, “When do you want me to go? For how long? Why let me choose, why not just order me away and-”

“This should be your choice,” 01 interrupts, “A man I once knew, and I fear that I could not call him a friend, once said that he was leaving the future in your hands. Now, I wonder if he knew what he was talking about. But first, I must see what you would DO with that future. I want to see you... choose.”

A man who said he was leaving the future in your hands. Elrow. This is all about Elrow.

“I need you to... promise something,” you begin, picking your words with care, “If I leave this place, I want you to guarantee me that Unit 02 will NOT be deployed. Dakota isn't ready for combat in this world, let alone that... that awful fucking place.”

The statue is silent for a moment. You imagine the man on the other end tapping keys, making hurried exchanges with his silent partners. Or maybe not, maybe he really IS doing this alone. What a risk to take if he is, considering what happened to Elrow. “Done,” 01 announces at last, “Unit 02 will be kept in stasis while you are away. If there is an emergency, the remaining units will be more than sufficient.”

“And I want you to answer the rest of my questions,” you add, “When, and for how long, do you want me gone?”

“It will take time to make the arrangements. You could leave tomorrow,” 01 announces, “And the excursion will not be long. A few days will be long enough, I think.”

A few days. Leaving tomorrow. Turning the possibilities over in your mind, you feel your thoughts solidifying around a single idea. “Temple,” you breathe, “You'd really let me see it with my own eyes?”

“By now, you have more than earned the right to see the father of our entire race,” 01 remarks, and there might be a faint hint of bitter humour beneath the emotionless static of the digitised voice, “But you may find him a distant, impassive father.”

The strong and silent type, in other words. “Temple, then,” you announce, your voice hollow, “Make the arrangements.”

[1/2]

>>3814680
>“But you may find him a distant, impassive father.”

We are pretty used to that!

>>3814680

“Hey,” Monroe teases gently, looking you up and down, “You don't even look that angry.”

“Yeah, well, it was only one of them this time, and he was giving away free holidays,” you mutter back, “Felt like I was on a fucking game show.”

“Oh dear...” the commander sighs, “Did you walk away with the top prize, at least?”

“Can we drop this goddamn metaphor already? Yeah, I agreed to go to Temple for a few days. Might be leaving tomorrow, I don't know. Fletcher is supposed to be going too, I guess,” you continue, gesturing about with vague stabs of your pointing finger, “Does HE know anything about any of this?”

“I'm still catching up, but I'm not entirely ignorant,” Fletcher announces, causing both you and Monroe to jump in alarm. “Excuse me,” the mercenary adds, nodding towards the door to the Communion Room, “Holly, I'll discuss the arrangements with you later... once I figure out what the situation actually is. Don't wait up – this might take some time.” With that, he squeezes past you and vanishes into the Communion Room, the metal doors slamming shut behind him.

With a wistful sigh, Monroe nods for you to follow her as she starts down the corridor. “You didn't miss much, by the way,” she explains, “Karina has been working hard to try and test the portal, too hard, and Doctor Weick made her take a day off today. The others have been... well, you know what things are like around here. I have it on good authority that we WILL be making an attempt at exploring the portal, but not for a few weeks. They're building some kind of probe that they think will help, but... well, we'll just have to see how that plays out.”

A probe. Just like Yulia said. If that attempt isn't due for a few weeks, you'll have plenty of time to visit Temple and return. It's hard to really... know what to expect from Temple. Bergmann seems to think she has people there, although a more paranoid part of you wonders if they're really still “her” people. Matheson has a long reach, after all, and she doesn't like competition.

“Oh right, I think Juliet took your bags back to the dorm,” Monroe adds, snapping her fingers in sudden recall, “Did you make sure that you packed everything before leaving? I can't imagine Ingrid would like to drive back to the cabin just because you left your favourite pair of underpants behind.”

“Can we... not talk about my underpants?” you plead, feeling a faint flush of heat rising in your cheeks. With a grin, Monroe tilts her head in a crooked nod. Time, you suspect, to be somewhere else.

>Head back to the dorm and check on your under... your luggage
>Visit Bergmann's lab and see if she can give you any tips on Temple
>Stop by Karina's quarters and check in. If she's been pushing herself lately...
>There's something else... (Write in)
>Other

>>3814756
>Other
"So uh... how'd it go with Fletcher? About Elrow. I feel like a dropped a bombshell on you the other day, but I still like you deserved to know what we are up against even if it made me sound crazy. ...Crazier."

>Stop by Karina's quarters and check in. If she's been pushing herself lately...

>>3814756
>There's something else... (Write in)
Drop by Vic, on the way to Bergmann and get him to write letters for Nate, that we'll hand deliver, hopefully we'll be able to bring some back if Nate doesn't return with us.

>>3814756
>Head back to the dorm and check on our undies

“So, uh, how did it go with Fletcher? You know, that thing about Elrow...” you ask slowly, your blood cooling as you creep into uncertain territory, “It sorta seemed like I dropped a bombshell or two on you.”

“It went... well, it didn't,” Monroe sighs, and you see a flicker of betrayed pain in her eyes, “Fletcher told me to butt out, basically. He was nice about it, and I'm sure it really is for my own good, but that doesn't change the fundamental fact. He asked me to just look the other way, to pretend that he wasn't up to something incredibly suspicious.” Pausing at the end of the corridor, Monroe reaches up to touch her brow. The gesture makes her look frail, suddenly uncertain. “I'm sure he has a good reason for it,” she admits after a moment, “It's just... am I really that unreliable?”

Unreliable? Maybe there was a time when you would call her exactly that, but that time has passed. However, she is still a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve. Unlike Fletcher and Bergmann, she remains open and... almost innocent. In this brave new world that you all live in, that's a liability.

“I'll speak with him later,” you offer weakly, “Gotta stay busy on those long flights somehow, huh?”

Both weary and wise, Monroe nods.

-

“You're going to visit Temple?” Vic repeats, trying very hard to keep his voice down, “Really?”

“That's what they're telling me,” you reply, sifting through your luggage. What are you even supposed to pack? Warm clothes, presumably. You've still got your cold weather gear from the trip to the Garden, and that'll have to do it. No time or energy to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe today. “Look, Vic, I don't want you to get your hopes up,” you add, unable to meet the young man's eyes, “I might not get the chance to see Nate. I hope to God that I do, but right now...”

“I know. Things are uncertain, and this whole trip IS rather sudden,” Vic agrees, nodding slowly, “But if you do see her...”

“I'll pass a message along. Just tell me, or... or maybe you should write it down instead,” you suggest, “I won't peek. I'll see about bringing you a reply too.”

“A reply. Yes,” he grimaces, trying and failing to smirk, “It might even be from Nate.”

Now he's really getting his hopes up. Of course, you don't say this aloud. You don't say anything for a while, trying and failing to find something to say that might put his mind at ease. Instead, you focus your luggage. “I think I AM missing something,” you mutter aloud, “Did you see anyone messing with my stuff?”

“Not a soul,” Vic replies, “And I was in here messing with your stuff, so I would have noticed.” He laughs awkwardly to himself, paling as you turn to send a glare his way. “I'm kidding, of course,” he quickly assures you, “I didn't see anyone in here, if that's what you're asking. Juliet brought your bags in, but she wasn't here long enough for any... funny business.”

[1/?]

>>3814837

Leaving Vic to write a letter for his sister, you take the elevator down and head towards Karina's quarters. There, sitting at the doorway, you spot Cam's familiar face. She still wears a brace on her injured leg, but it seems like she's been cleared for active duty at last. Not so active, though, considering that most of her time is spent as Karina's live-in companion. Not such a bad job, really.

Cam nods a hushed greeting as you arrive, touching a finger to her lips and gesturing inside. Karina is lying on the sofa, the TV playing silently away in the background. Creeping inside her quarters, you look over the sleeping girl. Her skin is pale, even compared with her usual pallor, and every breath she takes seems to rattle in her chest. Lightly brushing your hand against her forehead, you feel a fever heat boiling away beneath the surface.

“She's sick,” you hiss, glancing back to Cam, “I mean really sick.”

“This is... apparently... normal,” Cam replies, the corners of her mouth turning down as she says that last word, “Like an overworked engine venting excess heat, I was told. As if she was just a piece of fucking machinery. At least they're letting her rest. If they forced her to keep working, I seriously think she might have hurt herself... or worse. I hate seeing her like-”

“Cam,” Karina mumbles, one eye cracking open slightly, “I WANTED to work. Nobody was forcing me.” Drawing in another shuddering breath, she opens both eyes and studies you. Her eyes have a glassy look to them, but she's lucid enough beneath the exhaustion. “There's a Lilim somewhere inside that place. Maybe more than one. I can sense it. Any day, it could wake up and emerge,” she continues, her voice a low monotone, “We need to know what we're up against. We need to make... to make preparations.”

Tutting, Cam stalks over to the kitchen and starts to rattle cups and saucers together. Behind the guise of making tea, she's sulking. Awkwardly looking away, you kneel down beside Karina. “Have you found anything?” you ask her, unsure if this is the right question to ask, “Or...”

Slowly, laboriously, she shakes her head. “It's too dark in there,” she answers, as if that meant anything, “It's like... staring into a darkened room. I just need to let my eyes adjust.”

“Sure. Maybe they'll adjust to the darkness,” you reply quietly, your voice softening, “But then what happens when you come back into the light?”

Karina doesn't answer this. From the way her lips draw tight, you know that you're not the first one to ask that question.

>Do what you have to do, Karina
>Karina... (Write in)
>Other

>>3814920
>Karina... (Write in)
"Is there a way to light up the 'darkened room'? Like shooting a flare out to see what's out there. Yulia is working on a probe, maybe you two can coordinate. You don't have to do this alone."

Ironic that last line coming from us, but 'Do as I say, not as I do', etc.

>Other
Hang out and watch TV for a bit with her. She seems like she could use the company.

>>3814920
>Do what you have to do, Karina
we don't need to rush this at all, so please take your time.

Based on the fact that she keeps mentioning multiples it may be worth it to recommend that the pair that gets sent to investigate is Yulia and Juliet.

Is it worth mentioning what happened to Reed

>>3814920
>"That's some worrying silence. I was hoping you'd say you could let yourself adjust just like on the way in."

“Rather than staring into this darkened room of yours, would it be possible to... I don't know, just turn on the lights?” you ask, trying not to sound too flippant, “Or bring a light in somehow. Don't adapt to it, make that place adapt to US. They're already planning to send in a probe, something they think can survive that place. Maybe they can find a way to help you sense what's inside. Have you been working with them?”

“Ah. I know they had plans to send in...” Karina pauses, struggling for the word, “A machine. Even that, I fear, is a danger. What if sending their probe in rouses the Lilim inside? If they need to send in an ADM Unit, it could be ambushed. At the very least, the machine would be put in danger. I still need to-”

“You need to take your time. Don't rush it and put yourself at risk,” you interrupt, tapping her lightly on the forehead, “I've got hot gossip off the inside track, and it tells me that we've got weeks before the probe is even ready to be deployed. Weeks, Karina. Nobody is trying to rush you.”

“I'M trying to rush me,” she mutters, pouting with a sudden grumpiness. Just for a moment, she looks very old indeed. Sitting upright, she pulls her legs up and hugs her knees to her chest. It takes you a few seconds to realise that she's clearing space on the sofa for you. Feeling vaguely foolish, you sit down and toy with the remote control. “Channel 41,” Karina adds, glancing aside to the clock. Obediently flicking through the channels, you end up on a cookery program – achingly serious men assembling tiny and delicate flowers from translucent slivers of fish. How... exciting.

With the sound turned low, the cookery show – although there isn't really enough food for it to count as real cooking in your book – has a vaguely surreal air. Maybe it's because of how serious the chefs all look, as if the lives of their firstborn children were riding on the edible constructs they piece together. Strange – or maybe you're just reading too much into all of this.

“So you can sense Lilim in the portal,” you muse after a while, “Have you sensed anything... else?”

“Anything else?” Karina repeats, looking around, “Like what?”

Like a human being. “I was hoping you could tell me,” you admit with a fake shrug, “A place like that, who knows what could be inside? The idea that it's nothing but monsters that want to kill us all doesn't exactly thrill me.”

Karina says nothing for a while, watching the TV as a rail-thin man folds smoked salmon into the shape of a crown. You swear, you can see beads of sweat on his forehead. High definition television, as it turns out, is a curse as well as a blessing.

“I don't know,” the sickly girl murmurs after a long pause, “I just don't know.”

[1/?]

>>3814993

The cookery show has a soporific effect on both of you, but Karina is the first to slip into a slumber. Slumping against your shoulder, she almost seems to be trying to pin you in place. Gently easing her aside, you slip off the sofa and creep over towards the exit. Cam notices you, gesturing for you to linger a moment more before hurrying across. Looking you up and down, she finally nods to herself. “Thank you,” the young soldier decides, “For talking some sense into her.”

“I didn't really...” you begin, but Cam cuts you off with a shake of her head.

“She just needed someone to reel her back in a little. I tried, but... I don't think she listens to me any more,” Cam laments, “I mean, she's not unfriendly or anything like that. She's just getting reckless, pushing herself too hard. She wants to help, sure, but this isn't the right way to go about it. Getting herself sent to the infirmary isn't going to help anyone. She listens to you, at least.”

“No pressure, then,” you groan quietly, “I'm doing my best, Cam. We're ALL doing our best.”

Accepting this with a curt nod, Cam glances back across to where Karina dozes. Taking this as your cue to leave, you slip out of the sterile room.

-

Deep down, you're left wondering if Konstantin – or rather, his death – might have something to do with this. The whole thing might have left Karina off-balance, just enough to cloud her judgement. Facing the truth is one thing, but a girl can only take so much. You're a testimony to that. With her father discovered and lost in quick order, what does that leave her with? An unknown mother... and her fellow pilots. Hardly what you'd call good role models.

Leaving Karina's quarters, you glance in on Doctor Bergmann. She sits in her laboratory, surrounded by computers as normal, but she seems idle, at a loss for what to do. Missing Huang, perhaps, or just deep in thought about the next step in her insidious plan. Whatever she's doing, she tenses up at the sound of your footsteps. With a deliberate, measured glance, she sizes you up and nods for you to enter. Well, to continue entering – you showed yourself in already.

[2/3]

>>3815049

“Temple,” you begin.

“Temple,” Bergmann agrees, “What about it?”

“I'm going there,” you explain, “Tomorrow, actually.”

“I don't think so,” the doctor concludes, one corner of her mouth twitching up in a humourless smile, “There's no way that any of those old bastards would let you, of all people, wander about in-”

“Ask Fletcher if you don't believe me,” you interrupt, gesturing towards the cellphone sitting on her desk, “Go ahead and call him. I'll wait.”

Bergmann actually reaches for the phone before pausing, thinking, letting out a clipped laugh. “Well, so that's their plan, is it?” she murmurs to herself, “That's a daring play. They must be getting desperate.”

You wait for her to continue, to maybe elaborate on that a little, but she just lets out a low, husky chuckle.

Worrying. Very worrying indeed.

>So I think I'm going to pause things here for today. However, I will be continuing this on Saturday
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>3815053
Thanks for the run.
On a scale of 1 to 15 what is Karina's level of burn out.

>>3815053
Well that's ominous. So par for the course really. Gib Temple tips Bergmann.

Thanks for running Moloch.

>>3815064
Nobody's melting yet, so I'd say it just warrants a 5 or so. Smooth sailing!

>>3815053
Thanks for running!

Why is Holly so averse to seeing sweaty foreheads? Forehead sweat visibility is like the prime reason to get high definition.

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

375 KB PNG

Page after page, you look at the haggard, dishevelled faces staring back at you. A motley collection of aged hippies, acid casualties and assorted madmen, Bergmann's list of contacts is... not as impressive as you had been expecting. Oh, sure enough, they all come with long lists of what you can only assume to be impressive credentials, but they also look like homeless people. Going beyond your expectations, Bergmann prepared a short dossier about her friends in Temple for you.

A security risk, you thought, but Bergmann dismissed the idea. Her people have never hidden their loyalties, just as the rest of Temple's staff have never hidden their loyalty to Matheson and the rest of SEELE. The base exists in an uneasy peace, both factions working together for the good of the entire NERV program. Beneath the surface, of course, they both have their own secret projects and agendas. How much of their time, you wonder, is wasted on these secrets and schemes?

But that's none of your business. Flicking back through the dossier, you consider how old most of Bergmann's contacts are. Most of them have connections that go way back, too, shared universities or collaborations on various research projects. There are other connections too, vaguer ones that talk about quiet little clubs and social groups. Slightly more open, and rather less sinister, versions of SEELE itself, you assume.

“The world was different before Second Impact,” Bergmann had told you, “Those old fools from head office talk about how terrible it all was, how every day dragged us closer to annihilation, but I remember it differently. I remember the freedom and creativity, the sense of wild abandon that drove us forwards. There were no rules or restrictions in those days, it seemed, no taboo that we would not break. It couldn't last, of course. The scene broke up and drift apart. We grew up, got respectable jobs in safely orthodox fields, or we faded into obscurity... until Second Impact gave us a chance to crawl back into the light.”

The bitterness in her voice had been impossible to miss. After all, she had been making no effort to hide it. Perhaps she thought that you might understand, that you might sympathise with her – you're both trapped in the guts of a larger, uncaring system, kept around because of how “useful” you both are.

As for why bring you to Temple would be a risk, Bergmann was coy and evasive. She offered the vague theory that 01 wanted you to see something, something that might either convert you to their cause or make an enemy of you once and for all, but she neglected to say what that “something” might be. Adam himself? Itself? For all the talk of Mother Lilith and Father Adam, you're still not sure if human terms really apply to them. Maybe they-

You're getting distracted again, aren't you?

[1/2]

>>3816562

Monroe finds you later, as you're sitting in the cafeteria with the remains of a meal you didn't really want. You glance up at the sound of her arrival, moving the tray aside – you were just pushing the food around the plate, anyway – and gesturing for her to sit. She does so gratefully, her smile suggesting that she's been looking for you. “I've been looking for you,” she announces, instantly confirming your suspicions, “I wanted to give you an update on the, ah, the disturbance at the Lilim portal.”

“The riot,” you suggest. Considering this for a moment, Monroe shrugs.

“I think “riot” has some specific legal connotations, but that's not the important thing right now. The inquiry is still ongoing, but basically...” a pause, “Basically, it looks like this was nothing more than human panic. No outside influence needed... save for those kids who started it all.”

“Maybe they were pushed into it,” you wonder aloud, “Paid off, or just told to start some trouble by an inside man. Maybe-”

“I did think about that, actually, so I made sure the police checked and double checked their records. No financial irregularities, no new friends pushing them into radical action... if they WERE influenced, the inside man has been ready for a very long time. They're just kids, Holly, only a few years older than you are. They got fired up about what they saw as a righteous cause, and they ended up in something way over their heads.”

Rash, impulsive action leading to the worst kind of trouble. If you didn't know any better, you'd think that Monroe was trying to make a point.

“I wish I had something more to give you, about this OR about Temple, but I'm flying blind here,” the older woman sighs, leaning forwards and resting her chin on one hand, “Until that probe is complete and we get the orders to deploy, it's just... hurry up and wait. Speaking of waiting, are you doing anything today? If you're due to head out tomorrow, I wondered if...”

“If I had anything planned? I dunno,” you admit with a shrug, “I still feeling like I'm playing catch-up, honestly. Coming back from the beach, then getting sent away to... to fucking who knows where, it's left my head spinning.”

This gets a laugh from Monroe. “Well, there's no pressure. Stay in and rest, or go out and have some fun. I'm thinking about taking the day off myself, actually,” she thinks aloud to herself, “Seems like everyone else is out and about. Let's see... Claudia mentioned going out to a cafe, and Yulia was out shopping. Juliet is still here, on active duty just in case, but Kaori went out as well. I think she went in to school, actually – she mentioned something about studying.”

“What would you do?” you ask, “For your day off, I mean.”

“Me?” Monroe blinks, “Probably go for a drive. It doesn't matter where, just get behind the wheel and go with the flow.”

Sounds nice. But you...

>You've got plans... (Write in)

>>3816568
>You've got plans... (Write in)
Maybe we should take Karina and Dakota out somewhere? Karina seemed like she could use a break from being cooped up and working though she'd never admit it and Dakota probably is bored shitless being stuck inside alone.

Also I know it's random, but we should try calling Dad again. I know last time Mom picked up and it scared the shit out of Holly, but she should try to reach out again. Steel yourself in case of Mom pick up though.

>>3816568
>You've got plans... (Write in)
Call Home, see how our Father is doing and get an update on the Farm.

We should suggest to Monroe that she keep an eye on Karina while we are gone, as she seems likely to overwork herself if left to her own devices.

How long do we have until the Flight?

Should we suggest that Juliet be deployed alongside Yulia if something comes out of the portal while we are away.

>>3816568
>>You've got plans... (Write in)
School sounds relatively safe. We can find out what Kaori went to go study and maybe see if she wants to have a sparring match later or something.

>>3816568
>You've got plans...
Watch stupid anime with Karina and Dakota. Make Dakota into a weeb.

“Hey, chief, can I take Karina out for the day? I'm kinda worried about her, especially after she's been working so hard. I think the fresh air would do her some good,” you suggest, “I'm not talking about anything crazy or anything, maybe just taking a stroll around the city with Dakota. She's not on active duty either, so...”

“I think that's a lovely idea,” Monroe decides, smiling brightly at you, “It's not good for a girl to be cooped up so much, especially when the weather outside is so lovely.”

Which girl she's referring to, she doesn't say. Any of you, you assume. “So we can do it?” you ask, “We'll be back before it's dark, and we won't get in any trouble. I mean, uh, I won't go looking for any trouble. If something comes looking for us, that's not my fault, is it?”

Hushing you with an amused gesture, Monroe tilts her head slightly. “I certainly wouldn't hold you responsible. Now, I will need to sign off on this first, okay? So, I need you to wait for a little bit,” she explains, “Is that okay? I can run this past Karina, then if everything works out you can meet up front.”

“Neat,” you conclude, “And, I can wait. Actually, I got a thing I need to do first. A... a thing.”

A thing.

-

Sitting down on the edge of your bed, you stare at the cellphone sitting on the pillow beside you. Some part of you wishes, desperately wishes, that the phone would just... spontaneously catch fire or something, anything to prevent you from making this call. Even an incoming call would be enough of a distraction, but you're having no luck there. Eventually, you pick up the phone as if it might sting you and scroll through the list of contacts. When you settle over “Home”, you hesitate again.

“Last chance, okay?” you whisper, “If anyone else wants to call, now is your chance.”

Nothing, of course. With a sigh, you jab the call button and immediately fumble the phone, almost dropping it in shock. Raising it to your ear, you listen as it rings and rings. Maybe nobody is going to pick up. That sure would make things easier, but-

“Hello?” he announces suddenly, and you almost drop the phone again. Your mouth goes dry, your throat closing up to a pinhole as you try to choke out a reply.

“Hey, d-dad...” you manage at last, stumbling over the word, “Is this a... a bad time? I can go if you're busy, and-”

“Holly,” a pause, “No, I'm not busy. I was thinking about mowing the lawn, but that can wait.”

“Yeah,” you agree with a weak laugh, “It's not going anywhere, is it?”

“It's not going anywhere, but it is GROWING everywhere,” your father replies, a stiff silence descending over the phone line. Neither of you can say anything for a moment, anything at all, and then he clears his throat. “That was supposed to be a joke,” he explains eventually, “I can't claim responsibility, either. One of the new workers...”

[1/?]

>>3816629
Ah, Holly and her dad. The boomer and the 15 year-old boomer.

Even if he's probably an X'er.

>>3816629

Finally, after a long delay, a startled bray of laughter escapes you. He joins in after a second more, chuckling softly to himself. “That was terrible,” you groan, “I sure hope you didn't hire that guy for his sense of humour.”

“No. He's an excellent engineer, and very keen to learn the trade. It's rare to find someone as bright as he is out here. Most of these smart young types head into the city instead, but...” he pauses, “Not that there's anything wrong with going to the city. It just makes things harder for me if I don't have any talent willing to do a little hard work. I thought that one day...”

He trails off here. Silently, you complete his sentence - “I thought that one day, I might have a son to carry on the family business”. Something like that, at least. “So...” you murmur, trying not to think about it, “So how are things? Um... how are things on the farm?”

“Good. We're expecting a ten percent increase in yield on the previous season,” another pause, “The nights are strange. I looked up into the sky the other day – the other night - and it looked like someone had spilled dust across it. Maybe not dust. Iron filings, something that glitters. It's because of that thing, isn't it?”

“Belial,” you reply automatically.

“Belial...” he repeats the word slowly, “Is that what you call these things? Belials?”

“No, we call them Lilim. Belial was just one specific...” you sigh, “It doesn't matter. We're trying to fix this, okay? It... it's all going to be alright, okay? We're going to fix this, I'M going to fix this, and then-”

“Holly,” he interrupts. You fall silent, and so does he. On the other end of the phone, you can hear him shifting about slightly. It's a faint whisper, the rustle of cloth, but that's all you hear. “...Are you eating well?” he asks eventually, “You used to skip meals all the time. I hope you're not starving yourself.”

It's not that you were trying to skip the meals. You just couldn't bear to be around the pair of them, never knowing when something was going to blow up. Whenever the three of you were together, it was like creeping through a minefield. “I'm eating fine,” you assure him after a hesitant moment, “We take turns cooking here. This girl I know, she makes a mean plate of curry. I should get the recipe from her one day, but she says it just comes in a box so...”

Rambling again.

“So you're making friends,” he decides, “That's good.”

Is this how things are always going to be between you? Long, awkward pauses and the safest, most banal remarks possible? It might be better than fighting and arguing, but not MUCH better. Taking the phone from your ear, you stare sadly at it for a moment before saying...

>I have to go now. Got places to be
>I've got friends, yeah. I'll tell you about...
>What about HER? You haven't mentioned her at all
>We need to talk... (Write in)
>Other

>>3816701
>I've got friends, yeah. I'll tell you about...
Kaori and Claudia are probably the safest bet.

>>3816701
>I've got friends, yeah. I'll tell you about...
>Dakota
We can always work on fixing things after we win or get sent home.

should we let him know that 10 of the 14 or 15 total are dead.

>>3816701
>I've got friends, yeah. I'll tell you about...
Maybe tell him a bit about all the pilots. It's safe enough and can keep the flow of conversation going a bit. Baby steps.

>>3816701
>>I've got friends, yeah. I'll tell you about...
Kaori and Claudia.

>>3816701
>I've got friends, yeah. I'll tell you about...
Dakota. He might actually have something to say about her. Not likely anything that interests Holly, but it's something.

>Hey dad, don't go to South America. Just Don't.

>>3816701
>I got friends
Kaori and Yulia

“Yeah, I've been making friends,” you tell him, pressing the phone back to your ear, “Kaori, that girl I mentioned before. Uh, the one who made the curry. She was really quiet at first, really kept to herself, but we've been through some real shit together.”

“Language,” he points out gently.

“Stuff, right,” you concede, “But I like her a lot. She's still pretty quiet, and maybe she takes things a little too seriously sometimes, but she's always had my back. She's been here the longest, actually. She was here even before I was. There's this other girl as well, Claudia, but she's totally different. She tries so hard to act superior to everyone, but sometimes it seems like her heart isn't really in it. Maybe it's an English thing? Because, uh, she's English.”

“I guessed,” he agrees. You hear a faint rattle as he shifts the phone from one ear to another. “This girl, Kaori. It sounds like she's looking after you. That's, uh... I'm glad to hear you've got someone to take you under her wing,” he offers eventually, and you smile faintly at the idea, “But this other girl, she sounds strange. Are you sure she's...”

“When it comes to her, I'm not sure about anything,” you admit, “I don't even know if she's sure about herself.” He sighs heavily, and you smile again. He might have some funny ideas about Kaori, but that sigh captures your feelings towards Claudia exactly. “Oh, but we've got a new girl here too. She's called Dakota, isn't that a funny name?” you continue, “I kinda ended up mentoring her. I never imagined myself as a teacher, but I guess all of this is... not exactly what I expected.”

“Your superiors must see something in you. A responsibility,” he thinks aloud, “Leadership material, maybe.”

That's what Monroe said too. “I worry about her,” you admit after a pause, “If something goes wrong and Dakota gets hurt, it'll be because of me. What if I'm not good enough for this?” Another silence greets this. He should be saying something to reassure you, something to put your mind at rest, but instead you're left with this... nothing. “Hello?” you ask, forcing the word out, “Are you... can you still hear me?”

“I'm still here,” he replies. But that's all he says.

“So, uh, that's the new girl,” you mutter, feeling your heart sink, “I guess that's it. That's all.”

Papers rustle as he mutters something too muffled for you to hear. Then, he comes back on the line. “It's your birthday soon, isn't it?” he asks, “I'll send you something nice. Is there anything you'd like?”

That's it then, is it? He's going to send you something, probably something expensive, and that'll be his family commitments done for another year. Swallowing down a wave of uncertainty, you shake your head. “Surprise me,” you conclude, “Uh, but nothing that might give the security people a headache, okay?”

Murmured agreement, the words barely audible.

[1/]

>>3816789
How delightfully awkward

>>3816789

“You idiot,” you whisper, looking in the bathroom mirror, “What were you expecting? You dumb idiot asshole, what were you expecting him to say?”

Something. Anything.

Shaking your head, you focus on more productive tasks. Straightening out your clothes, splashing some water on your face, you take a deep breath and leave the bathroom. Marching out of the dorm, you soon arrive at the main entrance. Karina and Dakota are waiting for you when you arrive, Monroe standing behind the sickly girl's wheelchair. Forcing a smile onto your face, you give them a wave as you hurry over. “Ready to leave?” you call out, “I thought we could use some fresh air. Better than being trapped here all day, y'know? Chief, can I just get a quick word with you first though?”

“Sure thing,” Monroe agrees, leading you a few paces away, “Are you okay? You look a little...”

“Family stuff,” you interrupt, “About the portal, uh, if something comes out... who's going to be on active duty?”

“Right now, Juliet is on her own. I normally wouldn't let so many of you leave the base at once, but Karina seems fairly certain that the Lilim are still dormant. Keep your phone on, just in case. If anything changes, I might need to recall you immediately. I don't want you to stress out over this, but...” she shrugs, “Don't go too far, okay?”

“I won't,” you promise, “But I think you should keep Yulia on active duty too, just as a backup option.”

Monroe raises an eyebrow, as if considering your suggestion, but she nods nonetheless. “I'll work up a rota,” she thinks aloud, “Keep two pilots on duty every day, and let the others go out and have fun. I'll need to organise it, but...”

She's so lost in thought, she doesn't notice you slipping away.

-

People seem to give you a wide berth when you're pushing a wheelchair. Nobody wants to be an asshole about it, although you do get a few strange looks now and then. Then again, between Dakota's heavy winter coat on a hot summer's day and Karina's unhealthy pallor, you probably make for an unusual sight. In either case, you're used to people giving you strange looks. With the benefit of hindsight, you finally know why. Every time that you were talking to “Claire”, you must have looked...

Well, crazy.

“Is it always this busy?” Karina asks brightly, looking around as you pass by a huddled group of older teens, “And do people usually just... stand around doing nothing?”

“It's called hanging out,” you answer, “Doing nothing is kind of the point.”

“How strange!” she laughs. Her mood certainly seems brighter now that you're out in the afternoon sun, and she hasn't mentioned work at all since leaving the base. There's always something else to distract her, some gaudy display in a shop window or an ad poster that catches her eye. Dakota is much the same, her eyes darting about in search of new and novel attractions.

[2/?]

>>3816851

Although you pass by a lot of shops you only stop at one, and that's to buy a large pair of sunglasses for Karina after she started complaining of sore eyes. Hardly surprising really, considering how much time she spends underground. You can't exactly say that the sunglasses – huge things, bulky and with thick lenses – suit her, but Karina seems to like them. Every time she catches a glimpse of her reflection, she giggles softly to herself.

Eventually, your wandering takes you to the school gates. “Want to stop inside for a bit?” you ask, wiping a few drops of sweat from your forehead, “Kaori is here, I think. We can save her from the boredom of studying!”

“It's a public service!” Dakota chirps, her loud voice causing a few curious eyes to turn your way. Clapping her hands over her mouth, the young girl lets out a muffled yelp and quickly scurries inside.

-

“I don't want to sound rude,” Kaori begins, giving you a thoughtful frown, “But what are you doing here?”

“Heard you were doing some studying,” you reply with a grin, “Thought we'd stop by and keep you company.”

“You...” Kaori sighs sightly, shaking her head, “Just don't make too much noise. This IS a library, after all. There are other people here. Oh, and can you fetch a book for me? I need a copy of Oedipus Rex. Any version will do.”

“Oedipus what?” Dakota asks, “Is that like a dinosaur?”

“You're thinking of a Tyrannosaurus...” Kaori begins, only to sigh and shake her head, “It's a play. Greek tragedy. I need it for a report.”

“I'll get it,” you assure her, turning and hurrying away into the library stacks. It takes you a moment to find the right section, but soon you're running your fingers along neat rows of books. When you find a copy of the book Kaori was looking for, you start to take it out of the shelf and then...

Then you pause, feeling a sudden shift in the air.

“Oedipus Rex,” a sickeningly familiar voice murmurs, “That was always HIS favourite play too. A man destined to mate with his own mother and shed with his own hands the blood of his own sire. I think the sense of inevitably appealed to him.” Amon. Adrian. Whichever fucking name he wants to use now. You don't look around, but your hands slowly clench into fists. “Now now, calm down,” Amon continues, “You don't want to cause a scene in a place like this, do you?”

“I'm not afraid of you,” you lie, “I don't think you're as strong as you think you are. Or maybe I'm stronger than you think. If you want to throw down, I won't back down.”

“Well I won't throw the first punch, but you're welcome to try your luck,” Amon teases, “Wouldn't you rather stay and talk instead?”

>You came for a book, not a conversation. You're done here
>Maybe it can't hurt to stay and talk for a while...
>This has gone on long enough. Time to throw down
>Other

>>3816898
>You came for a book, not a conversation. You're done here
"Don't you have something better to do? Like being Matheson's dog. Go fetch Amon. Kill you later."

>>3816898
>Maybe it can't hurt to stay and talk for a while...
Ask him if he knows anything about what they want us to see at Temple and wants anything while we're there.

>>3816898
>Time to D-D-D-Du-
>Have you considered letters? Email? I HAVE a phone, you know. It can't be that hard to get my number even if I didn't give it to you.
>So how long have you known Matheson? Did any hanky panky?

>>3816898
>Other
"Do you, by chance, have any hobbies that don't involve stalking me? Must be lonely in... there. Wherever you are."

>>3816898
>Maybe you can stay and chat

Y u helping humanity bro?

“Don't you have anything better to do? I mean, stalking me has to be getting boring by now,” you hiss, still refusing to turn around, “If you're really THAT lonely, you could call me like a normal person. Can't be that hard for a... thing like you to get my number.”

“I've got your number already,” Amon murmurs, and this time you actually feel his hands settling on your shoulders. This causes something inside you to snap, and you spin around with sudden anger. He's THERE, all boyish smirks and artfully messy hair. Even his outfit is exactly as you remember it. “But I don't like telephones. I don't like machines in general, actually,” he continues, “They're so... impersonal.”

Deep breaths, you tell yourself, don't let him get under your skin. Try and get under HIS skin instead, see if you can shake loose any useful information.

“Yeah, and I know that you like things to be personal,” you sneer, “Especially where Matheson is concerned. Is she too busy to play fetch with her little dog, and that's why you're here bothering me?” Amon's face doesn't change, but you sense something – like a ripple on the surface of a pond – regardless. “Yeah, that must be it,” you jeer, “Feeling lonely? Sad and rejected, maybe?”

“I was under the impression that YOU'RE the one who's been rejected – by your own parents, no less,” the Lilim shoots back, and you just barely stop yourself from flinching. Amon grins, plucking the book out of your hand and making a show of flicking through it. “When they first woke me up, I was like a newborn. Like a blank slate. I only learned to be a man after reaching into them and ripping the knowledge from their minds. I hope I was gentle. I probably wasn't,” he continues, “That was how I learned about... parents. Murdering the father and coveting the mother, isn't that right?”

What the fuck kind of books is Kaori reading?

“Old news, of course. I've held up my end of that prophecy. It's strange, though. I never felt any urge to blind myself,” Amon shrugs, grinning at you, “Maybe I'm just made of stronger stuff than normal men.”

“Look, if you're just here to be annoying, you can go back to tonguing Matheson's asshole or whatever,” you hiss, jabbing a finger into his chest, “But if you really want to talk, talk about something useful. Give me some fucking answers. Why are you doing this?”

“That's not a very specific question,” he points out.

You should have brought your knife. Then again, gutting someone in a public school wouldn't exactly be good publicity for NERV. “Why are you helping mankind?” you spit, “You're a Lilim. You're our enemy. Why help us fight your own kind?”

“Because I find them terribly dull. No art, no culture, not even any real free will. As far as I'm concerned, they're all fundamentally defective,” he answers simply, “Humans, though... you've done well for yourselves, haven't you?”

[1/?]

>>3816983

“Ah, so that's it,” you murmur, “If your Lilim buddies wiped us out, you'd be all alone. You might even have to deal with Mommy Lilith herself. Can't imagine she'd be too happy to find out that you've been playing house with the enemy, especially-”

“Enough!” Amon snaps, and you hear a thin cry from the main area of the library. Karina's voice, her pained gasp causing a wave of alarm to run through the library. You start to hurry back, but Amon's hand flashes out and closes around your upper arm. There's a terrible strength in his grip, and his eyes blaze with a quick flash of murderous anger. Just for a second, he isn't human at all. Then, the moment passes and Amon lets go of your arm. “Well,” he mutters, allowing himself a bashful smile, “That was rude of me, wasn't it? Then again, I think we've both been a little uncouth today. Shall we start over?”

Rubbing your arm, you feel tender flesh beneath the thin jacket you wear. You're going to have a bruise there tomorrow. “We can start with you fucking off,” you suggest, “But I don't think that's likely to happen. So sure, let's start over. Let's start with Temple.”

“Lovely at this time of year, I've heard,” Amon drawls, “What about it?”

He doesn't know? Maybe he hasn't been told yet, or at all. If that's the case... “Have you “heard” about the local tourists attractions as well?” you ask, rolling your eyes, “Anything a visitor would want to see while they're there?”

“I assume you mean ASIDE from the giant corpse of a pre-human alien god,” the Lilim thinks aloud, “In that case... well, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, so-”

“You don't know, do you?” you interrupt, your lips drawing back in a sickly grin, “What's the matter, can't you get security clearance for a quick visit? Maybe they don't trust you... or maybe you're still scared of Adam. Even dead, you're still scared of him. That's... actually pretty sad. I mean, wow, I never thought you'd be scared of ghosts or ghouls. I guess everyone has-”

Amon's hand twitches, and your words are cut off. He doesn't even raise his arm, but you feel your throat clenching tight. “You ought to be more gracious,” he warns, “I came here for a friendly chat, and you've been nothing but vile since we started. One day, I might take offence to that kind of behaviour.”

Snarling, you manage to reach up and touch your neck. The flesh there actually feels tight, crushed by an unseen grip. Fuck him, fuck this force choke bullshit, and fuck-

The hold releases suddenly, and you slump forwards. Gasping in a lungful of precious air, you look up to find Amon gone, vanished into thin air. Lurching back up to your feet, you start to hurry back to the others. Pausing, almost as an afterthought, you reach down and grab Kaori's book.

Oedipus fucking Rex.

[2/3]

>>3817075
>Oedipus fucking Rex.
So... he's the offspring of both, should that be our take on it? Kills his dad, but doesn't know it, (Adam) and fucks his mom (Lilith) because he or someone else tried to thwart 'the prophecy' (the Akashic Records or whatever).

Because it seems like the phrasing is intentional and I wonder whether it's me being stupid and missing something obvious or it's just a coincidence.

>>3817115
No I think the idea is that he killed his dad (Konstantin) and fucks his mom (Matheson). Konstantin called him his son before he died.

>>3817121
That makes more sense, thank you.

>>3817115
If we can at least get him to start looking at his actions and their long term implications, it has the chance of denying Matheson assets that will provide her the leg up she is going to need to win this game outright.

Lilith will eventually return to this plane of existence,(Considering that Konstantine's plan requires her body its retrial is going to be something that at least one of the pilots are likely going to have to participate in doing potentially what Coraline will be doing / is doing right now, i mean it would explain why they wanted to find Dis ASAP. ) hopefully we will be around for that or we are going to need to take the fight to her, assuming Amon doesn't want to have to deal with the potential consequences of his actions it would be in his interest to allow us to at least get that far before killing us.

>>3817075

The good thing about being in a wheelchair, you suppose, is that nobody is that surprised when you have other health troubles. Karina is slumped in her chair when you return, but the other students have already lost interest in her. Kaori looks sharply around at you when you return, the blood draining from her face. “Holly...” she whispers, “What-”

“I got your book,” you tell her with a shaky smile, holding up the play, “What kind of fucked up books are you-”

“Never mind the BOOK, what about your throat?” Kaori gasps, just barely keeping herself from crying out, “Your throat... did someone DO this to you?”

“Long story, hard to explain, and this isn't the place,” you answer, “Let's get out of here.”

-

“I don't understand this at all,” Kaori whispers, the roar and rumble of traffic almost drowning her out entirely. A few paces ahead, Dakota pushes Karina's wheelchair back towards HQ. Karina herself is still slipping in and out of a daze. Amon's flash of rage hit her hard, and in her weakened state... well, all you can do is hope that she's only stunned. If he's hurt her, really hurt her, you're going to tear him apart. You'll find a way to tear him apart, if that's what it takes. “I really don't understand this,” she repeats, “What does any of this have to do with... anything?”

“Maybe nothing. Maybe he was just trying to get under my skin,” you reply, “Or maybe he really was trying to talk to me. Trying to...” You can't bring yourself to finish that sentence. The words just rebel against you.

“Trying to help you?” Kaori offers, saying what you couldn't bring yourself to say, “I don't know. I can't see it.”

“He's with Matheson, and Matheson is... technically still on our side. For now. If helping us helped her, he might do it. So long as it amused him, at least. God, I hate that petty bullshit!” you snap, almost slapping Kaori with an angry gesture, “Even Matheson is doing her bullshit for a good reason, not just because she's bored. Amon could fucking,.. wake up tomorrow morning and change his mind about everything, and then we'd lose what little we actually know about him!”

Kaori shakes her head slightly, gesturing for you to calm down. Grimacing, you give her a slow nod. “Well,” Kaori begins, “What new information do we have?”

Good question. He reacted badly when you mentioned Lilith, and when you talked about Temple. Was he reacting to the taunt about Adam, or not knowing what's going on in Temple? Maybe you should have been more specific with your taunting, but how were you supposed to know this would be important?

“Holly?” Kaori prompts, concern darkening her eyes, “Talk to me.”

Once upon a time, you'd bounce your ideas off “Claire” and see what she/you thought. This isn't the same, but...

>Later. I need some time to take this all in
>I've got some ideas... (Write in)
>Other

>>3817220
>I've got some ideas... (Write in)
Nothing that is immediately actionable, or obviously relevant to anything that we are going to be doing other than that he feels that his actions would be seen unfavorably by Lilith if she were to return and that he hasn't been to Temple recently, if ever.

>>3817220
>>I've got some ideas... (Write in)
Lillith and Adam
those were the two that got under his skin most, Lillith cause the anger that leveled Karina, Adam, the fear he feels about him, got me choked out.

>>3817220
>I've got some ideas... (Write in)
Alright let's break it down. So first off we know he's Adrian triple confirmed now. That might be useful in having the UN make him do something as his job in order to distract him.

He's a lot closer to Matheson and Konstantin than first thought (way closer if you know what I mean). His initial knowledge in being human was based out of what he ripped out of their heads. Matheson is pretty twisted so the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

We know now he's not omnipotent. He only knows what he knows and can only be in one place at a time. He does have the advantage in being able to teleport around I think though, but we can keep secrets from him if his attention is elsewhere. Whatever we learn at the Temple should be secure from him.

He reacted badly to both Lilith and Adam. Anger and fear respectively I think perhaps due to the fact that Lilith would kill him for fornicating with humans and Adam would kill him for what he is.

He's got force powers. Subsonics should work on him like they worked on us and Huang's Lilim.

>>3817220
Also Moloch how common knowledge is the fact that Matheson is 04 now? I thought it was a big secret that we only told Monroe and Fletcher, but they we are talking right now it seems like it's common knowledge. Like I felt that one of our big aces was Matheson believing that no one knows that she is 04 and make her keep up the act. That still might be true though.

>>3817220
>I've got some ideas... (Write in)
His outburst was genuine, he cares about some things, but he has control of his emotions like a kid. He bursts out, but can be remorseful. Called my behavior vile, but recognized his own 'rudeness'.

Do you have any experience dealing with very angry kids? Holly's dad sure does, dohoho. Could Matheson promise him a solution to his loneliness, since he can't relate to dull aliens? OOC we know that Lilim are driven to reunite with their mother, right?

“I'll break this down. Grab a pencil, because this might be a list. Oh, and correct me as I go. Any ideas, just butt in whenever,” you begin, “So first of all, Adrian is Amon – unless a regular UN agent can force choke people, we can mark this one down as confirmed. Next up, Amon got his ideas about being human from Konstantin and Matheson. Ripped the knowledge right out of their heads, that's how he described it. That explains a thing or two, considering how twisted Matheson is.”

“Unless she only became like this afterwards,” Kaori suggests, “Ripping the knowledge out of their heads? That sounds violent to me, maybe violent enough to leave lasting damage. Just coming in contact with a fundamentally alien mind, maybe that was enough to unbalance them both.” This gives you pause. Maybe this rot has been spreading, slowly but surely, since that moment twenty years ago. Maybe Matheson really DID start out with noble intentions, only to fall from grace as time went on. “Just an idea,” Kaori adds, “Please, go on.”

“Yeah, uh, right. Amon isn't all powerful. There ARE things he doesn't know, and he really doesn't like having that pointed out to him. I don't think he's been to Temple recently either. Maybe he CAN'T go there. Whatever I see there, I can... probably hide from him,” you continue, “He can teleport somehow, I guess that's what you'd call it, but he can only be in one place at once. That's something. Ready for the next one?”

Kaori nods, gesturing for you to continue. “Adam and Lilith are sensitive subjects, I know that much. He got angry when I mentioned Lilith, when I said that she might not... approve of his lifestyle choices. When I mentioned Adam, I think he got scared. Actually scared,” you tell her, “I guess it makes sense. Adam must be on the same sorta level as Lilith, and those things are on a whole other level. If Lilith wanted to, I bet she could make short work of Amon.”

“Like Saturn devouring his children,” Kaori suggests.

“What?” you ask sharply, the words ringing an oddly familiar bell. Saturn...

“More Greek myth. History class has been covering Greek myth lately, and my mind keeps coming back to it. Sorry,” she shakes her head, “It's just a shame we can't get Adam to do the hard work for us.”

Typical deadbeat dad, leaving his kids to carry on without him. What a loser. “Yeah, well... where was I?” you mutter, “I don't know. There were points where Amon almost seemed like a kid. He lost his temper, but he was remorseful about it later. He called me rude, but he knew that he was being rude too. It just... I can't puzzle him out.”

>>3817260
>Things are kinda "one step removed" at this point. Matheson being up to no good is getting to be common knowledge, but her positon as 04 is less known. Largely, that's because SEELE isn't talked about as much. She's from "head office", but that doesn't mean much

>>3817308

“Maybe he's looking for a surrogate mother,” Kaori thinks aloud, her gaze creeping up towards the sky, “That sounds... wrong, but what if that's really the case? As you said, he's acting like an impulsive child. Acting out like this might just be a plea for attention.” She lapses into silence for a long moment, shaking her head as a new idea occurs to her. “I think...” she pauses again, “I think he really IS lonely. Or perhaps “lonely” isn't the right word. Lost, maybe. Think about it. What kind of purpose could a thing like that actually have? Animals are driven to reproduce, but he... can't.”

“God, I hope he can't,” you admit with a laugh, “From what he said, I think he's given it a few tries.”

“Oh God,” Kaori pales, “That's... I really didn't need to hear that.”

“Sorry,” you apologise, “But go on. He doesn't have a purpose, right?”

She shrugs. “He doesn't any any innate purpose... beyond fighting the children of Adam. That's what he was made to do, but he was also given free will. Maybe it was an experiment, I don't know. That's not the point right now,” Kaori continues, “He doesn't grow old, he's essentially the only one of his kind, and he's got no... no future to work towards. That must be a terrible way to exist.”

“You almost sound like you feel sorry for him,” you point out, frowning slightly at her words.

“I... suppose I do,” Kaori admits, “But that doesn't mean that I would be merciful, should he become our enemy. If anything, death might BE a mercy.”

“So does that mean you wouldn't kill him?” you tease, “I mean, if you wouldn't be merciful and death would be a mercy, then...” Flustered, Kaori stumbles over her words for a moment before scowling enormously and slapping you on the arm. “Sorry, yeah, I know what you mean though,” you continue with a low chuckle, “But man, you're so easy to wind up!”

“Not if it's anyone else doing it,” she complains, looking away in an attempt at hiding her darkening cheeks. Not a very good attempt, as it happens.

>So I think I'm going to pause things here for today. I apologise for the late start today, I'll try and stick to schedule tomorrow
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>3817374
Thanks for the run.

We haven't updated Fletcher for some time about what we have learned about Amon yet have we, I guess we'll have something to go over on the flight.

>>3817374
Thanks for running!

Are there any girl Lilim? Will Amon be our buddy if we capture one alive?