level_act28side_07_beg

New Year's came and went, but the freezing wind and snow continue to nip at Davistown, leaving not a shred of warmth.

Amidst the crowd outside the plate waiting for their ride, Miles drowsily thinks to himself—how long has it been since he's waited for a bus like this in the cold.

So what kind of place are you headed to in the frontier, old man?

...Somewhere warmer than here, at least.

Don't worry about me. They showed me mercy by allowing me to be buried along with my old neighbors.

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...

What's done is done, kid. Best to just move on, and stay out of trouble.

Right, I just remembered. The last time I was waiting for a ride like this, it was to head to a nomadic city to attend my little sister's funeral.

It was a cold day just like this one. Helena, Woodrow, and Leone... They all stayed with me while I waited for the convoy to show up.

I was holding a bouquet stuck inside a vase from Helena's diner, and wearing an old suit Leone lent me. Freezed my ass off for hours.

Weirdly, I can even clearly remember how long Woodrow's beard was that day. But everything after I got on the bus is just a blur, like looking through a layer of frosted glass.

I think I went to a huge city, but it also seemed smaller than Davistown. I think I cried a lot, but it also feels like I didn't cry at all...

After that, it's just me hopping on a bus back to town, and my friends helping me get off.

I actually do remember what happened after that. I went to Helena's place and started drinkin' and drinkin'. Got pretty sloshed, but I somehow still remember everything I said that night.

The convoy to the frontier has arrived! Hop on the bus, people of Davistown!

'Even my precious baby sister's gone. All I got left is Davistown, and I'm gonna follow her to the grave, dammit.'

'You hear me, Leone? I'm gonna dig my grave here! And when the time comes...'

Don't you act like I've forgotten, Miles!

You told me, 'when the time comes, stuff my body into the plant's furnace, and see if... my ashes can... make the people here sneeze...'

The engineer throws his head back and takes another huge swig.

As soon as you finished talking, the town was perfectly fine, but I was the one who got the mother of all sneezes.

Haha... Hahaha...

Back then, nobody laughed. Nobody could laugh at all. But now, it seems so damn funny. What do you think?

Don't just sit there all quiet! Drink, Miles, drink!

Sorry we're late.

Woodrow, Helena... Where's Leone?

Right before we left, he said he needed some time to figure things out. Said he'd be back later, then popped open another bottle.

...But we're out of time.

No big deal. If anything... maybe it's better this way.

Tch, damn weather... Why does it have to be so cold?!

Well, once you're on that bus, you can kiss this weather goodbye.

Woodrow!

Ain't nothing wrong with what he said.

I'm sorry...

*sigh*... Stop apologizing, Jessica. This whole damn time, it was the bank's fault, Blacksteel's fault, and sometimes, even our own fault. But you... you never did nothing wrong.

So stop blaming yourself. We weren't expecting much from you in the first place—

Miles realizes his mistake the moment the words leave his lips, but before he has a chance to explain himself, the convoy leader has already grabbed his arm.

If you had something to say, you should've said it earlier! Now get on, you're the last one!

Jessica, I...

If we wait any longer, I trust you'll take personal responsibility for any Rusthammers or Catastrophes that show up?

Now get a move on!

Don't take it the wrong way, Jessica. That's not how he meant it.

I know... But, he's not wrong either...

I've done so much here, but in the end... I never actually accomplished anything.

...Nothing changed.

Who is it? Oh, Woodrow? Or is it Helena? Stop rushing me, I already said I'm over it. I'm gonna go see Miles off—

What do <i>you</i> want?

Hah, what, you're here to chase me out too?

Unlike what Leone is used to seeing, Sylvia does not apologize, bow her head, and run off.

She stands there for a moment, tightly clutching something to her chest, then stiffly puts one foot forward and walks into the diner.

She keeps walking until she reaches the seat closest to the counter, sits down with her back to the door, and stares straight at the empty chair in front of her.

Mr. Theremin... Are Woodrow and Helena... going to come back?

Woodrow? And Helena? How's that any of your business? They went to see Miles off—

The cold wind blowing in from the crack in the door Sylvia left behind whispers as it circles past the mouth of the empty beer bottle.

It sends a shiver down Leone's spine.

They went to see Miles off and will be back in a bit. But nobody wants to see you, got it? If you do, then scram. Just... leave me alone.

Sylvia's fingers are tightly clasped together on top of the table.

She gulps down a mouthful of water and forces herself to turn and look at Leone's face. It is then that he finally sees what she had been clutching.

A ring, silver in color, with a few diamonds inlaid across it.

Mr. Theremin, I can't—

Who gave you that ring hanging around your neck?

The ring?

Couldn't have been me or Benny... So that leaves...

...Him?

Their eyes meet.

Sylvia nods slightly and clutches the ring once again, her eyes burning with an almost crazed determination.

The look in her eyes reminds Leone of someone. Carl's eyes.

The night before he departed, he disappeared for a few hours. And when he returned, his eyes looked exactly like those of the person now in front of him.

You know, Jessica... our team also has to pull out of Davistown the moment we receive the order. Whatever else happens here, we have to return to the ship.

I know. I know that...

We're leaving. Miles has already left. Woodrow and Helena said they're leaving too. Leone probably won't stay either... Everyone will be gone.

But I... What have I done for them?

Well, if you ask me... You cleaned up the bandits terrorizing the place, helped Leone save his house, and told Cliff that the bank had overstepped its authority. Even if you don't want to acknowledge it.

But in the end... it was all in vain. I... I let everyone down.

Or maybe even worse, it's just as Miles said... Nobody expected anything from me in the first place. It's all because I went and stuck my nose where it didn't belong...

Jessica!

No, even so, I still...

Laura, I need to go out for a walk.

Now's not the time for that. We're about to return to the landship... I'll help you pack your stuff, so just take a nice nap. I'll wake you up when it's time to go, okay?

...I have to do this.

Where are you going?

I don't know.

You sure about this?

Mhm.

Don't take too long, okay?

I... I'll try my best.

Stop drinking already, Leone.

—Wait, you're sober?

As sober as I ever am.

Wait... and Sylvia? What's she doing here?

She insisted on waiting for you two to get back, so she could have a chat with all of us.

Sylvia stands up from her seat, still gripping the ring tightly. Blue veins are visible across her white knuckles.

Helena, Woodrow, Mr. Theremin...

I...

I know of... some money in the bank.

Of course there's money in the bank. What's the point of telling us that?

I mean... Blacksteel delivered a large sum of cash to serve as reserve funds. And it's all... sitting in a vault right now.

Why?

The bank wants to prepare for Davistown's new residents.

They're going to clear out the entire plate to welcome the precision technicians, R&D personnel, and managers that form the cornerstones of the new industries...

To meet the demand for their deposits and loans, there's... a lot more cash in the bank than usual.

Maybe... enough to let a large group of people start a new life in the frontier.

...So, that's the situation.

That's it? What are you getting at, Sylvia?

...Someone actually sober wouldn't be asking that, Leone.

But here's my question.

If you're saying what I think you are, I need to know.

Sylvia, do you expect us to return the money to its rightful owners?

Or do you want us to take it...?

By force.

Sylvia nods slightly in an almost unrecognizable manner, then continues fidgeting with the ring on her chest while waiting for the final judgment.

The diner is deathly quiet.

...At least we're all on the same page.

Leone, you in or not?

Say something.

No, I... I know this money should've been ours, but... I don't wanna be criminal scum. Like those bandits.

You really think the bandits were the biggest crooks in Davistown?

So, you're with her, Woodrow?

...No.

No?!

I admire her courage, but this is too much of a long shot.

For example... Sylvia, you got a map of the bank?

...Yes.

Give it here.

I don't have anything on paper, but I do know that it's a hundred paces from the bank's front entrance to the master control switch. Based on my stride, that'd make it about two hundred feet...

Before that, there are three turns, at steps forty-four, seventy-four, and ninety-three. The landmarks are a potted plant, a floor lamp, and a counter.

From the master control switch to the entrance of the vault, you have to pass through the reception room, go through a hidden doorway, and then down a thirty-six-step stairwell. Afterward, there will be a straight path, which will take—

You... You actually memorized all that?

Doubtful.

Sylvia, how far is it from your seat to the entrance of the diner?

I just walked eighteen paces, and after the sixth step, I made a right-angle turn for a total distance of about thirty-six feet.

She didn't memorize it... She's just been there countless times. As you just heard.

Woodrow, what do you reckon our odds are if you joined us? And what about with Leone?

How're we supposed to get all this cash out to the frontier without leaving any traces?

I can take care of that.

I don't doubt you can survive out there, but what about the money...?

Helena lets out a sigh. She nimbly hops over the bar counter, picks up the knife on the table, and bends down to pry up the floorboards.

Creak, creak...

Pop.

A cloud of dust, ancient and full of history, rises from her feet.

Don't act like you got me all figured out just 'cause you found that box when the water leaked.

The man who left me this place as well as his passbook... Any idea when I met him?

Surprise me.

When I was eighteen.

At the time, my old man was trying to sell me to his boss's son, so he could climb up the ranks.

When I heard the news, I ran to the bar and hid there all night, which is where I met him... In the end, we hopped on his burdenbeast in the dead of night and rode until that stifling old place was nothing but a distant memory.

Wait, you eloped with him when you were eighteen, but by the time you got here...

We'd broken up. Hadn't seen him for over two decades.

I lived by my lonesome in the frontier for over twenty years.

You think after all that time, I wouldn't have learned how to line my petticoats with goldbacks?

Helena flashes a sweet smile, removes the weapon from her shoulder, and places it on the table in front of Sylvia.

If you boys ain't in, I'll do it myself.

You and Sylvia... are going to rob a bank? Just the two of you?

Maybe I'll be caught outside the vault, maybe I'll get trapped inside and end up a pile of bones buried in cash. Maybe I'll die trying to escape... Either way, as long as I draw breath, I <i>will</i> see this done.

That's how I'm approaching this, anyhow.

Now, I need to know where you two stand.

Leone takes out a wrench from his toolbelt and places it next to Helena's weapon.

Your move, Woody.

Who's there?!

Jessica? What are you— Why now of all times?

I... I don't know.

You don't know?

But... I need to do something. I need to make a difference.

If what Miles said is still bothering you, you'd best just forget about it.

You still got the time, the energy, to do so many great things. No need to tie yourself down to Davistown and a bunch of old fogeys past their prime.

No, Woodrow...

Too many times now, I've had the drive, but kept falling short for any number of reasons... I didn't have the ability, or the time. The situation changed on me. Orders, or requests.

Even now, I'm not sure what it is I can do.

I'm stuck watching helplessly as you're all driven away one by one, to an uncertain future in the frontier.

If I don't make a difference this time, I feel like... I might get used to it. To never making a difference.

And if that happens, I can see myself believing—to protect my own mental health—that I've always been incompetent. That I could never protect anyone.

I can see myself thinking there was never any special meaning to picking up a gun. That I'd just made a wrong turn somewhere in life and was stuck with it.

I... I don't want that to happen.

So much so that I'd die to make sure it doesn't.

Um...

Sylvia?

If you truly see this as your last chance... Well, this is also our last chance to take back what's rightfully ours from the bank. Will you help us, Jessica?

As soon as Sylvia stands up, Jessica sees the look on her face.

Her complexion is frighteningly pale, but her cheeks are unusually sanguine in a way that only serves to make the former more shocking.

Enough.

Woodrow? Why are you pointing your gun at me?!

Forget everything you just heard, and scram.

Why? What's the meaning of this?

We have to get to the bank...

Sylvia...

...and take back what belongs to Davistown.

...Take back?

Go, Jessica. Go back to your friends.

Woodrow!

You came here for a shoulder to cry on, and we offered you a hot drink and a pat on the shoulder. No more, no less.

You're still young. Every day of your life is a new beginning. I'm serious.

As if her tears had frozen over and evaporated, Jessica's vision suddenly becomes clear.

She sees the unusual blush across Sylvia's cheeks. She sees the wrench and the unfamiliar weapon sitting on the table. She sees the dark hole in the muzzle of Woodrow's gun.

For the first time in her life, she makes up her mind in a split second.

She walks towards Woodrow's pistol, approaches Sylvia, and draws her own gun from her waist before placing it in on the table front of her.

I'm in.