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Muelsyse...
Urgh... nngh...
I never expected to see you here.
Sorry.
Sorry...?
I would have killed you if the Doctor didn't warn me.
Is that what the enemy wanted? Did they want you to murder your former colleague?
Not necessarily.
It wasn't just because of the Doctor that I stayed my hand.
She said, 'Don't be too eager to make an enemy of anyone.' She was alluding to Muelsyse.
That would explain her behavior.
She was guiding us to Muelsyse.
She wanted us to find her?
But one wrong move, and we might've killed Muelsyse...
Alright, I get it. She doesn't care if Muelsyse lives or dies.
She's treating this as a test.
A test of the power armor technology, and a test to see how Rhodes Island and I react.
Every word she said in the bar was calculated to probe my response.
She wants Saria to act quicker.
She's guiding us in the direction that she wants.
Ugh...!
Feeling better, Muelsyse?
You were injected with a sedative a few hours ago, but you'd regained consciousness by the time we saw you in the power armor.
The nausea and numbness that you feel are mainly lingering effects of hypoxia and extreme stress.
I patched you up a little, but it'll take you another half hour or so to fully recover.
Stop... stop...
Stop?
Stop... who?
The one who put you in the power armor?
The Liberi?
No...
Muelsyse begins sweating from her brow and the back of her hand.
She grabs your hand, and the drops of sweat rise into the air, splashing against your clothing.
The stain quickly spreads to form a message.
It is not the name of the Liberi, nor of Ferdinand.
...359.
Site 359.
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Not often I see you here.
You did give me a temporary work permit, didn't you?
'Bibliology consultant'. What's a tech firm like Rhine need with that?
You're in a good mood. I take it your experiments are going well?
Don't talk about experiments right now.
Ten minutes. A man like me only gets ten minutes to himself a day.
I could spend it on a video call with the children, or dinner with Elena and the others.
But I prefer to spend it doing nothing but standing here and watching.
It's just an ordinary street out there.
Yes. It's everything.
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They must be tired after a long day of work. Why is there no sign of dejection on their faces? Why are their steps so springy?
Because they have a chance.
They believe their hard work is giving them a chance at better lives for them and their families.
Just like those Pioneers outside the city.
Yes, them too.
Trimounts. The city of three burdenbeasts.
Three burdenbeasts carried seven Pioneers to build the first settlement on this soil.
And now? Look at the streets below.
The Pioneers and their descendants bring a constant stream of vitality to this place. No other country can claim to rival Columbia's enterprising spirit.
Our country's prosperity has given people confidence, which in turn feeds into our vitality.
If the country keeps advancing, so will the lives of everyone across all the lands.
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I know what you think of me. You, Kristen, Saria... you call me an opportunist.
It takes a smart man to take a chance when he comes across it.
Thank you.
I can't deny that I would rather be up here than down there.
But I've earned the chances I've been given.
My projects have generated wealth, which fed into the next project, and driven technological progress.
We stand on the cutting edge, leading Terra into a new era.
They will build monuments, and our names will be immortalized upon them.
Our?
Victory belongs to each and every trailblazer.
—
My ten minutes are almost up.
You didn't give me any time to talk.
I know what you came for, Ho'olheyak.
Oh?
I forgive you.
......
Kristen, Muelsyse, Saria, Parvis... and you. I'm not wasting my time trying to guess your petty little thoughts.
Dorothy's experiments are one step away from success.
All I care about is the final result.
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S-Sonny...
Dorothy says we're safe here... why do you have your crossbows out?
Safe?
You're not stupid, Doctor.
The biggest danger is right there.
...Dorothy?
I thought you were willing to hear us out?
I'm sorry.
Out of the way, you and the other docs. We're not here for you.
But...
We've been tricked, Elena.
Stopping the attack on Joyce was just a show.
He showed us his anger, his hesitation, and his bottom line, all of this to hide one thing.
He was always prepared to commit a crime.
......
I didn't think it'd be Myers. The whole part of making you trust me... especially Dr. Urbica... I was gonna make Sam play the bad guy.
But that's all behind us now.
We're here, right at the source.
Me...?
You planned the kidnapping and came all the way here to kill me?
May I ask... why?
A voice so soft it could melt the hardest heart.
Watery eyes opened slightly wide.
Filled with innocence, surprise, even hurt.
As though it was those who picked up arms to defend themselves who should be reproached.
Why? You can still ask why?
I saw it all.
The monsters you made, stalking us. How you fed them the blood of my friends.
You... evil...
There are no monsters!
Those are byproducts of the experiments, made of a special material that's sensitive to neural signals...
No, Elena. He's not making a blind guess.
It really does seem like he's seen those silver things before.
And more.
Yeah.
Three days ago, I snuck into the lab complex to find you.
I wanted to ask if I could volunteer to be a test subject.
Sir! Didn't you say it was too risky? That the corps could be lying to us?
Risky? Haha... hahaha!
Sorry, Sam. I was the one lying.
But I wanted to fix my mistakes.
Listen, everybody.
I saw silver monsters taking shape around her that night. She talked to them like they were her pets.
Dorothy Franks is the one behind all this.
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Do you find it hard to accept what I'm telling you?
Can't say I'm into sci-fi.
Then maybe you could take a look at this letter.
Letter?
Mr. Sonny gave it to me. He might've known he'd be in danger.
He said to me, and I quote, 'Give this letter to Mary Banner if anything happens to me.'
I'm sure he wouldn't mind you reading it... a little early.
Give it to me.
............
Er... what does it say?
Where the hell did that guy go?!
Er...
You don't know Sonny Romano, Greyy.
He's a ball of anger and hate, all over his insurance.
Insurance again...
Yes, every Infected in Columbia deals with that word a lot.
People outside think Columbia is kind enough to the Infected.
You get to live a normal life, as long as you can pay for your health insurance. That sounds pretty darned fair, doesn't it?
That's what Sonny told me when he first got sick.
But where did that end up?
Was it... very expensive?
On a cop's salary? I couldn't afford it, even if I quit eating altogether.
It wasn't meant to ensure keeping the Infected healthy. The premiums are way out of line with the treatment they actually get.
It's more like a fine. Or a little trick that forces the Infected to go down a certain path.
Sonny Romano never wanted to face the truth.
If he's not stopped, he could end up going down a path you don't come back from.
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What you saw were neither monsters nor pets.
But they do have something to do with my experiments.
So you admit it.
The truth will do you no good.
The more you know, the more danger you're in.
People up high always like to make decisions for the little guy.
Why don't you put down those pointy things? My instruments can be fragile.
Or if you have to aim, aim this way.
I don't mind.
She takes a step towards the Pioneers, almost touching the crossbows.
Sonny's hand trembles ever so slightly. He forces himself to look away from that warm pair of eyes.
This is a ploy. A trick to get them to submit again.
Aren't you afraid to die?
I am.
But I'm more afraid that you'll hurt yourselves.
You're not a murderer, Sonny, and neither are your friends. You're just ordinary men, trying to live better lives.
Didn't you consider participating in my experiments?
You still have a chance. Join us, and you'll get what you've always wanted.
I'll never turn you down.
She extends a hand to the Pioneers, as though waiting for them to clasp it.
Does she not understand that they came to kill her?
No. Don't look at her. Her eyes, her hands, they're too soft and warm.
They, the people who walk the barrenlands, have never known anything but cold refusal from the cities and those who live in them.
She is controlling them, like she controlled the others whose wills were weak.
But, the word 'chance'...
When was the last time we heard it?
......
Hm...
—
It's those silver constructs!
Where did they come from? I didn't see...
Sonny... was right.
This lab is where they were born.
They're protecting Dorothy.
Stop. Don't hurt each other...
—!
It's coming!
More over there!
Look out!
Grab Dorothy Franks—no, destroy the lab!
We gotta destroy this cradle of evil to stop the monsters, once and for all!
No!
That is the one thing that I will not permit.
The experiments must continue.
It was my promise to you... to them.
