act25side

A lot of noise. Another delivery from your Engineering Director?

Final tests will take about forty-five minutes.

Plenty.

My greatest achievement will be complete once this data is transferred.

I will retain your research records.

I know. Give it to that girl, Ho'olheyak, or someone else... I don't care.

Being able to finish this research here in my final days almost lets me forget all the regrets in my life.

Haha... *cough*.

I still remember how hard it was to accept when you showed this to me for the first time.

...hehe.

Hahaha... *cough*, *cough*...

The irony. How it scorns every conceited researcher who walked the halls of science for the past few centuries.

It laughs in the face of our research, made all it worthless...

What is this, Kristen?

How are you able to speak of its theories and emerge with such confidence, when you've never performed a single experiment?

This thing... it's beyond my understanding. Even more frightening is that all those tales you tell of these black cubes are true.

Tell me, Kristen.

Tell me! What is this that I am about to study?!

That's your job.

Where did you find it? How did you gain this knowledge?

Don't be so hard on a dying man, Kristen.

Who gave you this?

...God.

Have I overestimated you, young genius? Do you believe in ghosts and spirits, look up to the unknown in awe?

No, you're not the kind of woman who would joke about this. You're not foolish or shameless enough for that, or to place your hopes in empty faith.

I'll take your word for it... hmph. The irony.

'God.'

Another month has passed since 'God' bestowed on me his mercy.

In this short period of time, I completed more work than I could have imagined for decades.

Hmph. Even I can't help but wonder...

What 'miracle' do you plan to bring us... bring to the people on his land?

Kristen does not answer.

She gazes at the stars outside the window silently, lost in thought.

Another half an hour... bah, I should start thinking about supper.

Donut? Fried fowlbeast? Hot dog?

All of Trimounts is up in arms over this place, but look how carefree the heart of the storm is.

*cough* Wh-Who are you?

I want the blueprints and efficiency data for the S.H.A.F.T. and the associated facilities, now.

S-Sir, that's highly classified...

Do you see my clothes? My security pass right here? Or do you need me to put Blake on the line for you?

N-No, sir, I'll put it together...

No need. This terminal right here. Turn it on.

But sir, this is raw data without visualization...

...I'm Ferdinand Clooney.

Rhine Lab's Director of Energy.

I designed the Trimountian energy circulation system. The processor of the terminal in front of you is based on an Originium energy conversion formula named after me.

The Clooney... Formula?! Y-You're...

You've wasted two minutes. Data, now.

Y-Yes, sir!

Seconds pass, then minutes.

Ferdinand could almost hear the sounds of military convoys moving through the streets. Blake could find Kristen any moment.

He must hurry... for what?

Here, and here.

Have these data been manipulated?

O-Of course not! All the data are transmitted in real-time to the army's labs! It's more than my life's worth to upload false data!

No one wants to get on the wrong side of the army...

It doesn't match.

I beg your pardon?

The structure of the S.H.A.F.T., the distribution of the pipelines and the performance of the existing propulsion system. None of them is right.

Just discreet enough to avoid notice... damn.

That can't be, you must be mista—no, I suppose not, you of all people.

Perhaps this is a temporary plan for experimentation and development, and adjustment will be made before the official launch.

What's the plan for the official launch?

Er...

H.A.M.H.R.R. should be on a mobile plate near the S.H.A.F.T.. Kristen stole the entire plate.

But the propulsion device is still here! The army has impounded all the launchers that were under construction!

Even if she manipulated the data, she couldn't... not with this propulsion performance...

Unless...

Get Blake on the line.

Huh?

Now.

This had better be important, Ferdinand, for you to bother me at a time like this.

Listen. Nasti Lunorey is one of Kristen's. The propulsion device that she designed does not have the performance to lift H.A.M.H.R.R. off the ground.

Justin Jr. must have bought out your scientists to cover up Kristen's real goal. They're working together.

So you're telling me everyone in Rhine Lab is complicit in Kristen's suspected treason.

I'm not...

You need to tell me something new.

What?

If the researcher you sent me is actually useful, then I'll drag that Control of yours from the stolen H.A.M.H.R.R. soon enough.

Which is to say, I will soon know how many insurgents there are in Rhine.

Then Rhine...

Is there anything more important that you want to report?

No, sir.

Congratulations in advance on your successful mission, Colonel.

Close the file.

Yes, sir... is there anything else you need?

Do you have a maintenance aircraft? The kind that can reach H.A.M.H.R.R.'s theoretical ceiling?

Yes, we do!

I need to borrow it.

But didn't you say H.A.M.H.R.R. wouldn't fly because of propulsion issues?

Or... can it?

(Whisper) You're right. We took our first steps together.

What?

I mean, you're right. Maybe I was mistaken.

Strong Transmitter reaction. I can feel a lot of it lying ahead.

Right in the middle of urban Trimounts.

Yes, sir. The area ahead is sewage treatment and garbage disposal. Very few people live here.

You mean Kristen Wright hid H.A.M.H.R.R. in some other building, right under our nose.

Target may have set up jammers in the area. Our guys didn't detect any signals when they passed through.

Those egghead sons of bitches and their tricks.