act19side

'Hello, Mary. When was the last time I wrote to you? I'm afraid I was never able to muster the courage to speak to you after the incident.

I could not sleep at all last night. Memories from childhood kept intruding into my mind.

Remember when you were fifteen, and we climbed up the judge statue in the center of town?

You joked that it was illegal, and that you would arrest me when you became a cop.

And I... what did I say?

'Everyone has the right to enjoy fairness and justice.'

I could not have imagined what would become of me in just a few years.

Civilization is a fragile thing. Not much separates us from the burdenbeasts outside the nomadic cities.

Fairness and justice have become alien concepts. All I think of, day in, day out, is how to survive.

Yes, I have become the kind of man you most despise. The kind that I used to most despise.

(Signs of erasure)

What if I have the chance to return to the embrace of civilization? To go back to the man I used to be?

Your birthday is just a week away. You have no idea how much I would love to surprise you.

(Long blank, then hastily scribbled words)

They're performing dangerous experiments on us. All I can do is try to keep living.'

S-Sir. Our bolts...

They... stopped in mid-air?

The bolts headed towards her and the lab equipment are frozen in mid-air.

It is as though they are being held by countless invisible hands.

Dorothy raises a hand.

She touches one of the bolts with her finger.

It gives off a light hum.

Hit the deck!

What the...?

There is a loud bang, like a heavy metal object being dropped to the floor.

The bolts have fallen to the ground—but only part of them. The heads of the bolts have disappeared, leaving behind only an eerily smooth cross-section.

No, they did not disappear.

Did you hear that, Elena?

It sounded like...

Like metal vibrating at an extremely high frequency.

The heads of the bolts shook themselves apart.

How powerful could Director Franks's Originium Arts be?

It's not all Arts.

It's her technique. She's THE authority on applied Originium Arts.

The Pioneers won't be able to lay a finger on her.

You're right. There's someone else we should be worried about...

Oww...

Take care of Joyce. She's still in bad shape.

Not to mention Sonny and his men...

Firebomb!

On it!

Don't aim, just throw!

Good god...

Why... why won't you listen?

I don't want to see you hurt.

Why don't you tell that to the men you tricked onto your lab table?

I didn't trick them.

They're safe. Very safe.

If the experiment succeeds, they'll never have to face the dangers of the wastes again.

Isn't that what you wanted, Sonny?

Watch out!

Sam...?

Sir... Sonny, run...

Take the others and get out...

Out to the barrenlands... where the corporations can't find you.

The barrenlands...

Yes... we're Pioneers...

Ha... haha! They're afraid of the wastes... we're not!

Run?

Turn, and run from your friends, run from your answers.

Run away and live. Isn't that what I've always wanted?

What's that, Sonny... a letter? Someone back in town waiting for you to write? Man, you lucky bastard.

Maybe it'll become evidence.

Evidence?

To let the people out there know what happened to us.

I thought we were just gonna save Dirk and the others.

What if we fail?

I wanna leave behind something, Sam. If we don't make it, I want people to know that we tried.

He wants to live.

But more than that, he wants someone to hear his voice.

Why do we have to wait for you to give us a chance?

That's not fair.

He finds one of the bolts on the ground.

It's missing the head, but he still has his hands.

He's lost much to Oripathy. But he also gained a little bit—a sliver of power.

In the grand scheme of things, that power can't make a difference. Here and now, though, it is enough to snap the bolt in half.

The sharp cross-section could be a weapon against the enemy before him, to break the shackles imposed upon him.

Don't come any closer.

Grr...

He loses control of the bolt he's holding, then his hands themselves.

A powerful but invisible force grabs his wrists, forcing him to stop.

My research was never intended to be used against you.

It was designed to help you deal with the beasts of the wastes, overcome harsh terrain, and survive Catastrophes. To give you a chance.

It's supposed to protect you!

Hah... protect us?

Did you ever ask what we wanted?

He will move forward. The more it is denied him, the more he will struggle.

The broken bolt tears through his skin, causing blood to drip from it.

Won't you just let this go?

Ha... haha!

No.

No, I don't wanna.

What's the situation at the site?

Defense says no one has left it.

If all goes according to plan, Dorothy's 'Hub' should be complete by now.

Any news from Elena?

Negative.

As of the last communication, she had not arrived at the observation station. Defense staff have not seen her.

Go and prepare the latest batch of Transmitter.

How much do you need?