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==Character info== | ==Character info== | ||
M4A1 is often described as a rather unreliable T-Doll lacking in decisiveness. Despite this, [[AR Team]], while not as capable as other elite T-Dolls teams, enjoys a much greater autonomy and is at its best under M4A1's command.<ref>{{cite|gfl|9-4}}</ref> According to {{doll name|M16A1|AR|4}}, M4A1's indecision is due to her being “too smart” | M4A1 is often described as a rather unreliable T-Doll lacking in decisiveness. Despite this, [[AR Team]], while not as capable as other elite T-Dolls teams, enjoys a much greater autonomy and is at its best under M4A1's command.<ref>{{cite|gfl|9-4}}</ref> According to {{doll name|M16A1|AR|4}}, M4A1's indecision is due to her being “too smart”<ref name=C84E /> because of the independence granted by her special Neural Cloud.<ref name=ISO2C2 /> According to [[Angelia]], M4A1 is naturally kind, but has been regularly burned by the consequences of her kindness.<ref name=ISO1C1 /> | ||
M4A1 has a tendency for self-blame and second-guessing herself because she was told she is more important than other T-Doll since her creation.<ref name=C122 /> As such, she is often told she is the only one able to win against impossible odds, which puts her in situations where she needs to sacrifice her comrades to achieve victory,<ref>{{cite|gfl|c+|E2-1}}</ref> or where others sacrifice themselves to protect her.<ref name=C102 /> She also resents that her importance robs her of control over her own life.<ref name=C122 /><ref name=ISO2C2 /> This leads M4A1 to put much less importance on her own life than others do, despite her inability to backup her neural cloud (making her effectively “mortal” unlike other T-Dolls). In simulated instances where she was separated from AR Team's protection, she chose to die in a dignified fight to save her allies instead of putting them in danger to save herself.<ref name=CUBE24 /> | |||
After the seals on her neural cloud were removed, M4A1's true personality was able to manifest<ref name=C84E /> and she became more proactive and ruthless.<ref name=SinguSP2 /> Encouraged by [[Angelia]] and [[Dandelion|her own OGAS]], M4A1 started to search for ways to get stronger and defend her allies in spite of the dangers she would attract, though her reckless abandon worried AR Team and Angelia.<ref name=ISO0 /> Eventually, M4 grew more focused and less subject to her emotions as she wields more dangerous powers to protect the people important to her.<ref name=C121 /><ref name=C131E /> | |||
M4 is considered an elite T-Doll and has strong combat abilities. In her original body, she wasn't strong enough to defeat {{enemy name|Agent|boss}}<ref name=C04 /> but defeated {{enemy name|Executioner|boss}} on her own.<ref name=C26 /> After her upgrade, she easily defeated multiple special ops soldiers in close combat and her body was bulletproof to medium calibers<ref name=PL26B /> and was capable of heavy firepower thanks to inheriting M16A1's [[Inherited Weapon Arsenal|particles cannon]]. | |||
[[Persica]] think of M4A1 like her own child<ref name=CUBE24>{{cite|gfl|c+|E2-4}}</ref> and highly value her, even after she designed RO635's neural cloud to be better in the role of leader.<ref>{{cite|gfl|8-3E}}</ref> Persica was uneasy to see M4A1 and AR Team being deployed in dangerous operations,<ref>{{cite|gfl| | M4 is considered the most perfect recreation of [[Lunasia]]'s original mind by the [[Paradeus#Isomers|Isomers]] though they don't recognize her as a Chosen One,<ref name=SC36 /><ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E4-5}}</ref> while Elisa called her “the only blessed one” bearing no flaws.<ref name=C132E /> Due to her nature, she has a special connection to the [[Nyto]]s and Isomers, some of whom have an appearance close to her own<ref>{{cite|gfl|13-2}}</ref> and share some of her hidden memories.<ref name=SC33 /><ref name=C125 /> [[Lunasia]] recognized M4 as the last critical part for her completion, as she held the emotions needed to give meaning to her mission to “save the world”.<ref name=Cart21 /> | ||
===Relationships=== | |||
{{StoryQuote|–[[Elisa]]: You never hesitate to save others. What bothers you is the sacrifices that others make for you. You only ever step into the dark yourself so that everyone else can bask in the light.<br/> | |||
–M4A1: What's wrong with that?<br/> | |||
–Elisa: I'm just trying to tell you, magic that creates miracles always comes at a price. They have helped you with part of that price, and it'll be up to you to pay off the rest. They didn't sacrifice themselves for you. Rather, they chose to make a stand together with you.|<ref name=Cart22 />}} | |||
{{doll name|M16A1|AR|4}} is the only one in AR Team to know the true value of M4A1's existence<ref>{{cite|gfl|8-6}}</ref> and while she knows M4A1 is not a particularly efficient T-Doll,<ref>{{cite|gfl|8-5}}</ref> she takes every action for the sake of her safety and growth.<ref>{{cite|gfl|8-2E}}</ref> While she claims to have found freedom after defecting to Sangvis Ferri,<ref name=SinguEG /> this freedom actually entailed the renewal of her loyalty to M4 as she willingly preserved her base order to protect M4 at all cost.<ref>{{cite|gfl|fp|E4-10}}</ref> | |||
M4A1 and {{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|4}} initially had a tense relation because AR-15's prime directive prevented her to freely pursue her career as an elite T-Doll.<ref name=C64E>{{cite|gfl|6-4E}}</ref> Furthermore, since their creators chose M4A1 as team leader over her, she believed they viewed her as less worthy.<ref>{{cite|gfl|{{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|4}} MOD Story 2}}</ref> This led AR-15 to hate M4A1, but she eventually found worth in being part of AR Team and felt guilty about her harshness toward her. She left M4A1 a message explaining her feelings as she sacrificed herself to destroy Mastermind.<ref name=C64E /> Though annoyed that she could not escape M4A1's influence<ref name=SinguSP /><ref name=SinguSP1 /> even after the deletion of her core order,<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Cat and Mouse I}}</ref> AR-15 still cared for M4A1 after they were reunited in [[Task Force DEFY]], worrying about her new behaviour<ref name=SinguE2B1 /> and sharing her own thoughts on how she should change.<ref name=Singu33 /> During their time in DEFY, M4 realized AR-15 and herself didn't know each other that well.<ref name=ISO3B1>{{cite|iso|Shark and the Sea I}}</ref> | |||
Unlike the other AR Team members, {{doll name|RO635|SMG|5}} was made to develop a genuine respect and admiration for M4A1 even before their first encounter rather than relying on her prime directive, giving her a strong loyalty.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ct|E1-9 Neural Fragment}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|{{doll name|RO635|SMG|6|costume=costume3}} Neural Upgrade story}}</ref> RO tried emulating M4A1's tactical thinking in her own decisions<ref>{{cite|gfl|aw|E3-4}}</ref> and didn't mind being viewed as a substitute M4A1 as temporary leader of AR Team,<ref>{{cite|gfl|aw|E2-4}}</ref> though she warned M16A1 not to personally treat her like M4A1.<ref>{{cite|gfl|8-4}}</ref> According to SOP-II, M4A1 spends more time preparing missions than RO, but is less decisive in the field.<ref>Chapter 9-3</ref> {{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4}} has great loyalty<ref>{{cite|gfl|ct|E1-1A Nightfall}}</ref> and respect for M4A1's command abilities.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ct|E1-8 Sangvis Elite Outpost}}</ref> M4 was at first afraid of SOP-II's over-the-top violence but eventually warmed up to her<ref name=C92E /> and became able to anticipate her bouts of mischief.<ref>{{cite|gfl|{{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4|costume=costume2}} Cocktail Party Exterminator costume story}}</ref> | |||
[[Persica]] think of M4A1 like her own child<ref name=CUBE24>{{cite|gfl|c+|E2-4}}</ref> and highly value her, even after she designed RO635's neural cloud to be better in the role of leader.<ref>{{cite|gfl|8-3E}}</ref> Persica was uneasy to see M4A1 and AR Team being deployed in dangerous operations,<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2A3}}</ref><ref name=CUBE24 /> but theses efforts in protecting her directly led to M4A1's insecurities.<ref name=Singu33 /> Persica later realized the heavy burden she had given to her "visionary masterpiece",<ref name=SC14 /> and was relieved that she didn't resent her for it.<ref name=SC32 /> | |||
{{doll name|AK-12|AR|5}} recognized M4's fighting abilities, but considered that her and AR-15 were “suicidal maniacs”. In return, M4 responded coldly to 12's malicious curiosity.<ref name=ISO3B1 /> | |||
== Story Involvement == | == Story Involvement == | ||
{{StoryQuote|It all began with her...and it will all end with her.|[[Dandelion]] about M4A1/[[Lunasia]]<ref name=C121 />}} | |||
M4A1 is the squad leader of [[AR Team]], which initially consisted of {{doll name|M16A1|AR|4}}, {{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4}}, {{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|4}} and herself. During the course of the story, she begins a quest to find the power to protect her allies after blaming herself for the loss of friends, and slowly discovers the reasons she is considered a unique and important T-Doll. | M4A1 is the squad leader of [[AR Team]], which initially consisted of {{doll name|M16A1|AR|4}}, {{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4}}, {{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|4}} and herself. During the course of the story, she begins a quest to find the power to protect her allies after blaming herself for the loss of friends, and slowly discovers the reasons she is considered a unique and important T-Doll. | ||
===Early AR Team=== | ===Early AR Team=== | ||
M4A1 was created by [[Persica]] from a scan of | M4A1 was created by [[Persica]] from a scan of the brain<ref name=SinguSP2 /> of a clone of [[Lunasia]] sent by [[William]].<ref name=SC41>{{cite|gfl|sc|E4-1}}</ref> Making this her final answer to [[Lycoris]]' work,<ref name=C81E>{{cite|gfl|8-1E}}</ref> she first perfected the process on the prototypes M16A1, M4 SOPMOD II and ST AR-15.<ref name=C131E>{{cite|gfl|13-1E}}</ref><ref name=C64 /><ref name=C92E /> To protect M4A1, Persica would assemble all her creations into [[AR Team]],<ref name=SC14 /> with M4 as the leader.<ref name=C81E /> Persica chose to imprint her with the most basic weapon she knew, the M4A1 rifle, which also presented the advantage of having many variants she could name the rest of AR Team after. During the same test, M4A1's neural cloud reacted violently to seeing the weapon and went into meltdown, forcing Persica to deactivate her.<ref>{{cite|gfl|8-3E}}</ref> | ||
One of M4A1's first non-encrypted memories is her encounter of AR-15, who proclaims dejectedly that she is tasked with being her first friend.<ref>{{cite|gfl|6-4}}</ref> However, M4A1 refuses to become friends based on orders and declares she will wait as long as necessary for them to form their bonds.<ref>{{cite|gfl|6-3E}}</ref> During their first exercise as a team, M4A1 made many mistakes no normal T-Doll could have done, such as misreading the map and terrain, shooting wrong targets and fumbling grenade throws. At the time, M16A1 was the only one willing to talk to her because of AR-15's hatred and SOP-II's uneasiness with the team, but M4A1's clumsiness still managed to anger even her.<ref>{{cite|gfl|9-2E}}</ref> AR-15 warmed up to her as she found her place in the team<ref name=C64E /><ref>{{cite|gfl|M4A1's MOD Story 1}}</ref> but M4A1 was also scared of SOP-II's violent fighting style, which in turn affected SOP-II's integration into the team<ref>{{cite|gfl|9-3E}}</ref> until M4A1 became used to her behaviour.<ref>{{cite|gfl|4-2E}}</ref> As the rest of AR Team, especially M16A1, had experience in battle prior to the formation of the team, M4A1 was allowed to join real battles and gather experience despite her flaws.<ref name=Singu33 /> | One of M4A1's first non-encrypted memories is her encounter of AR-15, who proclaims dejectedly that she is tasked with being her first friend.<ref name=C64>{{cite|gfl|6-4}}</ref> However, M4A1 refuses to become friends based on orders and declares she will wait as long as necessary for them to form their bonds.<ref>{{cite|gfl|6-3E}}</ref> During their first exercise as a team, M4A1 made many mistakes no normal T-Doll could have done, such as misreading the map and terrain, shooting wrong targets and fumbling grenade throws. At the time, M16A1 was the only one willing to talk to her because of AR-15's hatred and SOP-II's uneasiness with the team, but M4A1's clumsiness still managed to anger even her.<ref name=C92E>{{cite|gfl|9-2E}}</ref> AR-15 warmed up to her as she found her place in the team<ref name=C64E /><ref>{{cite|gfl|M4A1's MOD Story 1}}</ref> but M4A1 was also scared of SOP-II's violent fighting style, which in turn affected SOP-II's integration into the team<ref>{{cite|gfl|9-3E}}</ref> until M4A1 became used to her behaviour.<ref>{{cite|gfl|4-2E}}</ref> As the rest of AR Team, especially M16A1, had experience in battle prior to the formation of the team, M4A1 was allowed to join real battles and gather experience despite her flaws.<ref name=Singu33 /> | ||
===Raid on Safe House 3=== | ===Raid on Safe House 3=== | ||
[[File:BG Story 2-6.png|thumb|M4A1 recovered by Griffin troops after she destroyed {{enemy name|Executioner|boss}}.]] | [[File:BG Story 2-6.png|thumb|M4A1 recovered by Griffin troops after she destroyed {{enemy name|Executioner|boss}}.]] | ||
Some time after AR Team's activation, they were sent into Sangvis territory to recover data concerning [[Lycoris]] in Safe House 3.<ref>{{cite|gfl|0-1}}</ref> The mission was compromised when {{enemy name|Agent|boss}} launched an attack on the building, breaking through the defenses of stranded Griffin dolls commandeered by M4A1<ref>{{cite|gfl|0-3}}</ref> and came close to killing her. M4A1 was saved by M16A1 and AR Team split up to shake off Sangvis troops and regroup in Griffin territory.<ref>{{cite|gfl|0-4}}</ref> [[Dandelion|M4's OGAS]] first gained consciousness during the raid, under the influence of M16's [[Parapluie]] virus.<ref name=C121>{{cite|gfl|12-1}}</ref> | Some time after AR Team's activation, they were sent into Sangvis territory to recover data concerning [[Lycoris]] in Safe House 3.<ref>{{cite|gfl|0-1}}</ref> The mission was compromised when {{enemy name|Agent|boss}} launched an attack on the building, breaking through the defenses of stranded Griffin dolls commandeered by M4A1<ref>{{cite|gfl|0-3}}</ref> and came close to killing her. M4A1 was saved by M16A1 and AR Team split up to shake off Sangvis troops and regroup in Griffin territory.<ref name=C04>{{cite|gfl|0-4}}</ref> [[Dandelion|M4's OGAS]] first gained consciousness during the raid, under the influence of M16's [[Parapluie]] virus.<ref name=C121>{{cite|gfl|12-1}}</ref> | ||
During M4A1's run, her path was calculated by {{enemy name|Scarecrow|boss}}, who was eliminated by [[the Commander]]'s troops but transmitted her results to {{enemy name|Executioner|boss}},<ref>{{cite|gfl|1-5}}</ref> as M4A1 had been discovered to be of special interest to {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}}.<ref>{{cite|gfl|3-4E}}</ref> The Commander was ordered to resume their normal activities as other units would handle tracking down AR Team,<ref>{{cite|gfl|2-1}}</ref> until more sightings of M4A1 were reported in the area under their command. [[Persica]] then took the matter into her own hands with [[Berezovich Kryuger|Kryuger]]'s approval, ordering the Commander to resume the search.<ref>{{cite|gfl|2-4}}</ref> Executioner was eventually destroyed and M4A1 recovered.<ref>{{cite|gfl|2-6}}</ref> When {{enemy name|Hunter|boss}} captured {{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|4}} and tried to exchange her for M4A1, she considered taking the offer but was scolded by AR-15 after she escaped by herself.<ref>{{cite|gfl|3-6}}</ref> M4A1 in turn scolded M16A1 for her nonchalant attitude after she was recovered despite the dangerous battle they had to fight against {{enemy name|Intruder|boss}}.<ref>{{cite|gfl|1-5}}</ref> | During M4A1's run, her path was calculated by {{enemy name|Scarecrow|boss}}, who was eliminated by [[the Commander]]'s troops but transmitted her results to {{enemy name|Executioner|boss}},<ref>{{cite|gfl|1-5}}</ref> as M4A1 had been discovered to be of special interest to {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}}.<ref>{{cite|gfl|3-4E}}</ref> The Commander was ordered to resume their normal activities as other units would handle tracking down AR Team,<ref>{{cite|gfl|2-1}}</ref> until more sightings of M4A1 were reported in the area under their command. [[Persica]] then took the matter into her own hands with [[Berezovich Kryuger|Kryuger]]'s approval, ordering the Commander to resume the search.<ref>{{cite|gfl|2-4}}</ref> Executioner was eventually destroyed and M4A1 recovered.<ref name=C26>{{cite|gfl|2-6}}</ref> When {{enemy name|Hunter|boss}} captured {{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|4}} and tried to exchange her for M4A1, she considered taking the offer but was scolded by AR-15 after she escaped by herself.<ref>{{cite|gfl|3-6}}</ref> M4A1 in turn scolded M16A1 for her nonchalant attitude after she was recovered despite the dangerous battle they had to fight against {{enemy name|Intruder|boss}}.<ref>{{cite|gfl|1-5}}</ref> | ||
===Area S08 assault=== | ===Area S08 assault=== | ||
| Line 41: | Line 57: | ||
Despite the successful defense, Elisa deactivated all T-Dolls except M4A1 and launched a new intrusion on her neural cloud.<ref>{{cite|gfl|7-5}}</ref> Elisa failed again to decrypt her earliest memories and tried to bring her to Sangvis HQ, but she was interrupted by {{doll name|RO635|SMG|5}}, enabling SOP-II to bring M4A1 into the facility's underground bunker to prevent her capture. Elisa's attack left M4A1 in a catatonic state and RO was designated as the new temporary leader of AR Team until Persica could awaken M4A1 again.<ref>{{cite|gfl|7-6}}</ref> While her neural cloud was made functional again, her Imprint needed much more work to repair and make her able to use a weapon again.<ref>{{cite|gfl|aw|E1-1}}</ref> Persica subjected her neural cloud to dozens of battle simulations with increasingly difficult odds against the captured neural clouds of {{enemy name|Ouroboros|boss}} and {{enemy name|Architect|boss}} both as an experiment in comparing [[IOP]] and Sangvis neural cloud structures and as an attempt to awaken her, but M4A1 always took the final decision to sacrifice herself for victory.<ref name=CUBE24 /> | Despite the successful defense, Elisa deactivated all T-Dolls except M4A1 and launched a new intrusion on her neural cloud.<ref>{{cite|gfl|7-5}}</ref> Elisa failed again to decrypt her earliest memories and tried to bring her to Sangvis HQ, but she was interrupted by {{doll name|RO635|SMG|5}}, enabling SOP-II to bring M4A1 into the facility's underground bunker to prevent her capture. Elisa's attack left M4A1 in a catatonic state and RO was designated as the new temporary leader of AR Team until Persica could awaken M4A1 again.<ref>{{cite|gfl|7-6}}</ref> While her neural cloud was made functional again, her Imprint needed much more work to repair and make her able to use a weapon again.<ref>{{cite|gfl|aw|E1-1}}</ref> Persica subjected her neural cloud to dozens of battle simulations with increasingly difficult odds against the captured neural clouds of {{enemy name|Ouroboros|boss}} and {{enemy name|Architect|boss}} both as an experiment in comparing [[IOP]] and Sangvis neural cloud structures and as an attempt to awaken her, but M4A1 always took the final decision to sacrifice herself for victory.<ref name=CUBE24 /> | ||
M16A1 eventually went on a mission to Sangvis Base 0 and turned herself into a Sangvis doll to recover data for the sake of awakening M4A1, sending back the data by drone along with her particle cannon for M4A1 to use. Persica transmitted M16A1's voice to M4A1's neural cloud, which helped stabilize it and made it easier to remove the seals she had originally put in place, with the goal of releasing her original personality. In her last transmission, M16A1 asked M4A1 to wait for her no matter what she may turn into. Previously locked deep into her neural cloud with memories of her human base, M4A1's wish to speak with M16A1 led to her awakening.<ref name=C84E>{{cite|gfl|8-4E}}</ref> With the restrictions on M4's neural cloud gone, her OGAS accessed a new stage of consciousness by realizing it was an entity different from M4, but living in her mind. Understanding the perfection of {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}}'s neural cloud and wanting to merge with her OGAS, she tried to convince M4 to establish contact with the Sangvis Mastermind.<ref name=C121 /> | M16A1 eventually went on a mission to Sangvis Base 0 and turned herself into a Sangvis doll to recover data for the sake of awakening M4A1, sending back the data by drone along with [[Inherited Weapon Arsenal|her particle cannon]] for M4A1 to use. Persica transmitted M16A1's voice to M4A1's neural cloud, which helped stabilize it and made it easier to remove the seals she had originally put in place, with the goal of releasing her original personality. In her last transmission, M16A1 asked M4A1 to wait for her no matter what she may turn into. Previously locked deep into her neural cloud with memories of her human base, M4A1's wish to speak with M16A1 led to her awakening.<ref name=C84E>{{cite|gfl|8-4E}}</ref> M16A1 secretly stored the access Persica had granted her to M4's Neural Cloud and would reuse them much later.<ref name=CartE10>{{cite|gfl|cartesian|E10}}</ref> With the restrictions on M4's neural cloud gone, her OGAS accessed a new stage of consciousness by realizing it was an entity different from M4, but living in her mind. Understanding the perfection of {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}}'s neural cloud and wanting to merge with her OGAS, she tried to convince M4 to establish contact with the Sangvis Mastermind.<ref name=C121 /> | ||
=== | ===[[Great Retreat]]=== | ||
[[File:BG Story 9-4E 1.png|right|thumb|A vengeful M4A1 collects {{doll name|RO635|SMG|5}} and {{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4}} for the joint assault.]] | [[File:BG Story 9-4E 1.png|right|thumb|A vengeful M4A1 collects {{doll name|RO635|SMG|5}} and {{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4}} for the joint assault.]] | ||
After awakening, M4A1 immediately set off to participate in the joint assault of Griffin and [[KCCO]] against Sangvis HQ. While Persica worried that her newly unrestricted neural cloud could affect her performances, she lent her her personal air transport to reach the battlefield. Persica also hired [[Angelia]] to help and protect M4A1.<ref name=C101>{{cite|gfl|10-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|dd|E1-1}}</ref> While Angelia was initially unwilling to take the offer due to heavy Military presence, she agreed with the promise of good payment and the opportunity to help M4A1 become an ally in her own future battles. Upon reaching the Military air interdiction zone, M4A1 resolved to reach the Griffin camp on foot, and was helped into the Military camp by Angelia using a false identity. After Angelia explained her connection to Persica, M4A1 asked her for advice on reaching the Griffin camp and getting revenge against Sangvis for killing two of her friends. While Angelia was surprised M4A1 had taken action without orders or a concrete plan, she simply said that M4 lacked the power to reach her objective but that she had taken a first step by deciding on a path to follow. M4A1 expressed her lack of confidence in making the right choices without being given orders, but Angelia encouraged her to make use of her exceptional ability to make her own choices despite being a T-Doll. She also explained that while making choices meant suffering their consequences, it was the only path to taking control of her life and finding the power she needed to take revenge. She then directed M4A1 to a nearby outpost<ref name=C101 /> and sent an anonymous tip to [[the Commander]], who diverted {{doll name|XM3|RF|4}}'s echelon from their logistic mission in the Military camp to pick her up.<ref name=C102>{{cite|gfl|10-2}}</ref> | After awakening, M4A1 immediately set off to participate in the joint assault of Griffin and [[KCCO]] against Sangvis HQ. While Persica worried that her newly unrestricted neural cloud could affect her performances, she lent her her personal air transport to reach the battlefield. Persica also hired [[Angelia]] to help and protect M4A1.<ref name=C101>{{cite|gfl|10-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|dd|E1-1}}</ref> While Angelia was initially unwilling to take the offer due to heavy Military presence, she agreed with the promise of good payment and the opportunity to help M4A1 become an ally in her own future battles. Upon reaching the Military air interdiction zone, M4A1 resolved to reach the Griffin camp on foot, and was helped into the Military camp by Angelia using a false identity. After Angelia explained her connection to Persica, M4A1 asked her for advice on reaching the Griffin camp and getting revenge against Sangvis for killing two of her friends. While Angelia was surprised M4A1 had taken action without orders or a concrete plan, she simply said that M4 lacked the power to reach her objective but that she had taken a first step by deciding on a path to follow. M4A1 expressed her lack of confidence in making the right choices without being given orders, but Angelia encouraged her to make use of her exceptional ability to make her own choices despite being a T-Doll. She also explained that while making choices meant suffering their consequences, it was the only path to taking control of her life and finding the power she needed to take revenge. She then directed M4A1 to a nearby outpost<ref name=C101 /> and sent an anonymous tip to [[the Commander]], who diverted {{doll name|XM3|RF|4}}'s echelon from their logistic mission in the Military camp to pick her up.<ref name=C102>{{cite|gfl|10-2}}</ref> | ||
While waiting for Griffin troops, M4A1 first talked consciously with her OGAS, though she didn't yet know its nature. While M4A1 tried to reject OGAS, OGAS insisted that she was part of M4A1 and encouraged her to act beyond orders, proposing to help her learn how to think freely.<ref name=C101 /> When trying to explain to XM3 how she could act independently, M4A1 ascribed her actions to her standing order to eliminate the Sangvis Mastermind. XM3 expressed that she was excited to take part in an important battle, and that the ability for T-Dolls to be resurrected from a backup was a positive opportunity and part of their growth, which worried M4A1 as she felt she could not relate to other T-Dolls. The convoy was then attacked by numerous Sangvis units, and XM3's echelon was wiped under M4A1's command while she was saved by the intervention of Captain [[Yegor]]'s forces. As OGAS explained that the attack was another attempt by Elisa to capture her and Yegor refused to salvage the short-term memories of XM3's echelon, M4A1 mourned the death of new T-Dolls destroyed for her sake. OGAS then argued that as she was cursed with a special status, her only way to prevent such situations was for her to become stronger, and that she would do so by becoming "her true self" after taking revenge on Elisa. M4A1 worried that this quest for revenge would lead to more casualties, and OGAS replied that it was the price of finding power, and that she should honor those that sacrificed themselves for her in the past because she lacked power.<ref name=C102 /> When picking up RO and SOP-II, M4A1 responded coldly to RO's introduction, saying that they shared no connection beyond having similar weapons. RO, who had been described M4A1 as a kind doll with a gentle personality, was shocked to find her vengeful and ruthless<ref>{{cite|gfl|9-4E}}</ref> and worried that M4A1 might hate her. As an attempt to be more decisive, M4A1 went as far as declaring Mastermind's defeat a priority over finding M16A1.<ref>{{cite|gfl|10-3}}</ref> | While waiting for Griffin troops, M4A1 first talked consciously with her OGAS, though she didn't yet know its nature. While M4A1 tried to reject OGAS, OGAS insisted that she was part of M4A1 and encouraged her to act beyond orders, proposing to help her learn how to think freely.<ref name=C101 /> When trying to explain to XM3 how she could act independently, M4A1 ascribed her actions to her standing order to eliminate the Sangvis Mastermind. XM3 expressed that she was excited to take part in an important battle, and that the ability for T-Dolls to be resurrected from a backup was a positive opportunity and part of their growth, which worried M4A1 as she felt she could not relate to other T-Dolls.<ref name=C102 /> XM3 would later feel that there was no conviction in her words that day.<ref>{{cite|gfl|{{doll name|XM3|AR|5|costume=costume1}} Neural Upgrade story 1}}</ref> The convoy was then attacked by numerous Sangvis units, and XM3's echelon was wiped under M4A1's command while she was saved by the intervention of Captain [[Yegor]]'s forces. As OGAS explained that the attack was another attempt by Elisa to capture her and Yegor refused to salvage the short-term memories of XM3's echelon, M4A1 mourned the death of new T-Dolls destroyed for her sake. OGAS then argued that as she was cursed with a special status, her only way to prevent such situations was for her to become stronger, and that she would do so by becoming "her true self" after taking revenge on Elisa. M4A1 worried that this quest for revenge would lead to more casualties, and OGAS replied that it was the price of finding power, and that she should honor those that sacrificed themselves for her in the past because she lacked power.<ref name=C102 /> When picking up RO and SOP-II, M4A1 responded coldly to RO's introduction, saying that they shared no connection beyond having similar weapons. RO, who had been described M4A1 as a kind doll with a gentle personality, was shocked to find her vengeful and ruthless<ref>{{cite|gfl|9-4E}}</ref> and worried that M4A1 might hate her. As an attempt to be more decisive, M4A1 went as far as declaring Mastermind's defeat a priority over finding M16A1.<ref>{{cite|gfl|10-3}}</ref> | ||
{{ThumbSlider|width=300|align=right|list= | {{ThumbSlider|width=300|align=right|list= | ||
{{p|[[File:BG Story 10-2E 9.png|thumb|M4A1's visions after connecting with Elisa.]]}} | {{p|[[File:BG Story 10-2E 9.png|thumb|M4A1's visions after connecting with Elisa.]]}} | ||
{{p|[[File:BG Story 10-2E 4.png|thumb|M4A1's visions after connecting with Elisa.]]}} | {{p|[[File:BG Story 10-2E 4.png|thumb|M4A1's visions after connecting with Elisa.]]}} | ||
}} | }} | ||
As AR Team trailed behind KCCO's prong toward Sangvis HQ to defend their counter-jamming stations, M4A1 | As AR Team trailed behind KCCO's prong toward Sangvis HQ to defend their counter-jamming stations, M4A1 talked Yegor into authorizing the reactivation of KCCO units to facilitate their defense, taking upon her own neural cloud to establish [[Zener Protocol]] connections and relay the Commander's orders to the units. She also apologized to RO for her previous harshness, praising her abilities and asking her for the guidance M16A1 and AR-15 gave her in the past.<ref>{{cite|gfl|10-4}}</ref> AS AR Team tried to catch up to KCCO's forces, they were attacked by {{enemy name|Judge|boss}}, who acted both as Elisa's bodyguard and transmission relay as she launched a new electronic assault on M4A1's neural cloud.<ref>{{cite|gfl|10-5}}</ref> Under [[William]]'s orders, Yegor's troops observed the events from afar to ensure the quick capture of the “Key” they expected to be formed if the connection between M4A1 and Elisa was complete. While rejecting Elisa, M4A1 ordered AR Team to run away without her, but they refused to comply, arguing that M4A1 should take into account their own wish to put their life on the line for her. Seeing AR Team act as a whole again filled M4A1 with the thought that she could betray the expectations put on her as long as she fulfilled AR Team's own expectations, and that the sacrifices she would have to make would not be as heavy as she thought as long as they had the same meaning that enabled AR Team to die for each other without regrets. | ||
As M4A1 passed out under Elisa's assault, RO brought her to a safe house and used her electronic warfare capabilities to repel the attack.<ref name=C106 /> M4A1's OGAS then tried to meld with Elisa's OGAS, saying that one last strong blow was needed for M4A1 to be liberated from human control.<ref name=C106>{{cite|gfl|10-6}}</ref><ref name=C121 /> OGAS explained that the other times Elisa tried to connect with M4A1, the artificial personality of her neural cloud automatically rejected the connection, but that she was now free to make the choice of accepting the connection after Persica removed the seals on her neural cloud.<ref name=C103E /><ref name=C121 /> Rejecting both OGAS' pressure, M4A1 tried to keep up with RO's efforts to pull her back from Consciousness Level III to Level II and cut the external dataflow from Elisa. Confused by visions, M4A1 suddenly rejected RO's will to save her as fabricated emotions, but RO argued that fabricated emotions were no less important that “genuine” ones, and that if M4 couldn't put faith into her, she had to put faith into the rest of AR Team and their collective will to save her. As M4A1 came back to her senses as she remembered her promise to stay with AR Team until the end,<ref>{{cite|gfl|10-1E}}</ref> | |||
RO's efforts were cut short when Yegor shot her in the head to keep her from preventing the formation of the “Key”.<ref name=C103E>{{cite|gfl|10-3E}}</ref> Without RO's support, Elisa continued to steer M4A1's mind, annoyed that she would keep asking her questions and get surrogate orders instead of getting the answers by herself. M4A1 was eventually steered toward the vision of a garden, which was the common memory between her and Elisa, but the process was interrupted by Yegor waking M4A1. Seeing RO's destroyed body,<ref>{{cite|gfl|10-2E}}</ref> M4A1 angrily rejected OGAS and severed the connection to Elisa, leaving her petrified in the safe house.<ref name=C104E /> | |||
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{{p|[[File:BG Story 10-4E 3.png|thumb|{{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|5|costume=costume2}} rescues M4A1.]]}} | {{p|[[File:BG Story 10-4E 3.png|thumb|{{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|5|costume=costume2}} rescues M4A1.]]}} | ||
{{p|[[File:BG Singularity 3.png|thumb|{{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|5|costume=costume2}} rescues M4A1.]]}} | {{p|[[File:BG Singularity 3.png|thumb|{{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|5|costume=costume2}} rescues M4A1.]]}} | ||
}} | }} | ||
After Sangvis forces started their retreat, {{enemy name|M16A1 (Boss)|boss}} forcibly reactivated a dramatically damaged SOP-II to check on M4A1. As she could not move her due to her unstable neural cloud and was rejected when connecting on Level II, SOP-II resolved to leave M4A1 and regroup with the Commander,<ref>{{cite|gfl|ct|E1-2 Safe House}}</ref> using her database of M4A1's tactics to fight by herself.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ct|E1-5 The Last Day}}</ref> After obtaining M4A1's coordinates from the Commander,<ref name=C104E>{{cite|gfl|10-4E}}</ref> Angelia sent {{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|5|costume=costume2}} and {{doll name|AK-12|AR|5}} to retrieve her. AK-12 performed a forced disconnection procedure, and lied to AR-15 by telling her Angelia had left to AR-15 the choice to take M4A1 back or abandoning her. Lamenting that M4A1 kept pushing her into difficult situations, AR-15 chose to take her back with them and induce her into [[Task Force DEFY]].<ref name=SinguSP>{{cite|gfl|sg|Starting Point}}</ref> | After Sangvis forces started their retreat, {{enemy name|M16A1 (Boss)|boss|alt=M16A1}} forcibly reactivated a dramatically damaged SOP-II to check on M4A1. As she could not move her due to her unstable neural cloud and was rejected when connecting on Level II, SOP-II resolved to leave M4A1 and regroup with the Commander,<ref>{{cite|gfl|ct|E1-2 Safe House}}</ref> using her database of M4A1's tactics to fight by herself.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ct|E1-5 The Last Day}}</ref> After obtaining M4A1's coordinates from the Commander,<ref name=C104E>{{cite|gfl|10-4E}}</ref> Angelia sent {{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|5|costume=costume2}} and {{doll name|AK-12|AR|5}} to retrieve her. AK-12 performed a forced disconnection procedure, and lied to AR-15 by telling her Angelia had left to AR-15 the choice to take M4A1 back or abandoning her. Lamenting that M4A1 kept pushing her into difficult situations, AR-15 chose to take her back with them and induce her into [[Task Force DEFY]].<ref name=SinguSP>{{cite|gfl|sg|Starting Point}}</ref> | ||
Due to the forced Level II disconnect and M4A1's complex match of old and new modules, M4A1 lost control over her body even as she came to on AR-15's back, but quickly passed out again from her neural cloud instability when she insisted to go back and check on RO.<ref name=SinguSP1>{{cite|gfl|sg|Splinter Point I}}</ref> Stopping by a safe house, AK-12 used the Level II debugging software in her electronic warfare package to repair M4A1's control on her body while providing her with the same enhancements as AR-15, releasing some of the behavioural restraints on her neural cloud to make her stronger.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E1B1}}</ref> While AK-12 made quick work thanks to M4A1's unusual spare neural cloud capacity ,and numerous unused ports provided by her military-grade parts, AR-15 updated her on the Commander's situation and Yegor's involvement. M4A1 then declared she would join DEFY until she could kill Yegor and have revenge for RO, to which AK-12 commented no normal T-Doll would freely seek to kill a human.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E1B2}}</ref> | Due to the forced Level II disconnect and M4A1's complex match of old and new modules, M4A1 lost control over her body even as she came to on AR-15's back, but quickly passed out again from her neural cloud instability when she insisted to go back and check on RO.<ref name=SinguSP1>{{cite|gfl|sg|Splinter Point I}}</ref> Stopping by a safe house, AK-12 used the Level II debugging software in her electronic warfare package to repair M4A1's control on her body while providing her with the same enhancements as AR-15, releasing some of the behavioural restraints on her neural cloud to make her stronger.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E1B1}}</ref> While AK-12 made quick work thanks to M4A1's unusual spare neural cloud capacity ,and numerous unused ports provided by her military-grade parts, AR-15 updated her on the Commander's situation and Yegor's involvement. M4A1 then declared she would join DEFY until she could kill Yegor and have revenge for RO, to which AK-12 commented no normal T-Doll would freely seek to kill a human.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E1B2}}</ref> | ||
| Line 65: | Line 83: | ||
===Tracking Elisa=== | ===Tracking Elisa=== | ||
[[File:BG Singularity 14.png|thumb|M4A1 and {{doll name|AN-94|AR|5}} witness the effects of the [[Collapse bomb]]s.]] | [[File:BG Singularity 14.png|thumb|M4A1 and {{doll name|AN-94|AR|5}} witness the effects of the [[Collapse bomb]]s.]] | ||
After rallying with Angelia and {{doll name|AN-94|AR|5}}, Angelia helped M4A1 activate M16A1's particle cannon<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E1B4}}</ref> and made her team leader. Angelia refused her request to search for SOP-II<ref name=SinguSP2>{{cite|gfl|sg|Splinter Point II}}</ref> as she planned to use M4A1 to lure Elisa into the open, where DEFY would capture her before KCCO could, though the plan worried Persica.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2A3}}</ref> While explaining how she survived the explosion back at Area S08, AR-15 revealed to M4A1 that all members of AR Team were given a prime order to protect her. M4A1's colder eyes let AR-15 wonder if she had changed for the worse rather than the better,<ref name=SinguE2B1>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2B1}}</ref> and her fear worsened after M4A1 gave unusually reckless orders, decided to ignore Griffin troops under attack as DEFY was seizing a repeater station<ref name=SinguE2B2 /> and executed {{enemy name|Gager|boss}} with no trace of satisfaction,<ref name=SinguE2B4>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2B4}}</ref> shocking even the members of [[Squad 404]].<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2C4}}</ref> M4A1 still asked to tap into Griffin transmissions to check on the status of the Commander and their troops after the assault.<ref name=SinguE2B2>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2B2}}</ref> Meanwhile, OGAS congratulated M4A1 for becoming more like her original self. Despite still not trusting OGAS, M4A1 proposed to contact Elisa again if OGAS could give her SOP-II and M16A1's coordinates,<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2B3}}</ref> but OGAS felt that her thirst for revenge was then stronger than her faith that her comrades were still alive, which she also recognized as part of her original self.<ref name=SinguE2B4 /> OGAS accepted the bargain, but she only gave M4A1 the coordinates to find Elisa.<ref name=SinguE32 /> | After rallying with Angelia and {{doll name|AN-94|AR|5}}, Angelia helped M4A1 activate M16A1's particle cannon<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E1B4}}</ref> and made her team leader. Angelia refused her request to search for SOP-II<ref name=SinguSP2>{{cite|gfl|sg|Splinter Point II}}</ref> as she planned to use M4A1 to lure Elisa into the open, where DEFY would capture her before KCCO could, though the plan worried Persica.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2A3}}</ref> While explaining how she survived the explosion back at Area S08, AR-15 revealed to M4A1 that all members of AR Team were given a prime order to protect her. M4A1's colder eyes let AR-15 wonder if she had changed for the worse rather than the better,<ref name=SinguE2B1>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2B1}}</ref> and her fear worsened after M4A1 gave unusually reckless orders, decided to ignore Griffin troops under attack during the [[Great Retreat]] as DEFY was seizing a repeater station<ref name=SinguE2B2 /> and executed {{enemy name|Gager|boss}} with no trace of satisfaction,<ref name=SinguE2B4>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2B4}}</ref> shocking even the members of [[Squad 404]].<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2C4}}</ref> M4A1 still asked to tap into Griffin transmissions to check on the status of the Commander and their troops after the assault.<ref name=SinguE2B2>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2B2}}</ref> Meanwhile, OGAS congratulated M4A1 for becoming more like her original self. Despite still not trusting OGAS, M4A1 proposed to contact Elisa again if OGAS could give her SOP-II and M16A1's coordinates,<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E2B3}}</ref> but OGAS felt that her thirst for revenge was then stronger than her faith that her comrades were still alive, which she also recognized as part of her original self.<ref name=SinguE2B4 /> OGAS accepted the bargain, but she only gave M4A1 the coordinates to find Elisa.<ref name=SinguE32 /> | ||
Made aware of M4A1's suspicious lapses in attention, Angelia tasked {{doll name|UMP45|SMG|4}} with monitoring her data traffic.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E3-1}}</ref> Through her surveillance, M4A1's bargain with OGAS became known to Angelia, which made her confident in pushing her original plan of using M4A1 as bait for Elisa.<ref name=SinguE32>{{cite|gfl|sg|E3-2}}</ref> While running the plan through M4A1, Angelia also warned her not to consider revenge her only possibility and to keep faith in M16A1 and SOP-II's survival, more so since revenge would not be as satisfying if she had no goal after it. This angered M4A1, who felt content with anything, even her own death, as long as she could be different from her past self, who was cowardly and caused the death of her allies. To this, Angelia answered that her plan matched her expectations, as it would end either in the successful capture of Elisa, sparing the lives of many, or in Elisa and M4A1's destruction to prevent their capture by KCCO. | |||
While burying the [[Collapse bomb]]s that would secure the site of the encounter with Elisa, AR-15 asked M4 not to act rashly like she herself did when she tried to sacrifice herself, since her death could have consequences on SOP-II due to her prime directive.<ref name=Singu33>{{cite|gfl|sg|E3-3}}</ref> During the encounter, Elisa asked M4A1 to call her by her original name instead of “Mastermind”, and she called M4A1 by her original name, “Lunasia”. M4A1 rejected her concerns about names, and when Elisa revealed that OGAS had not mentioned any bargain related to SOP-II and M16A1 but only that M4A1 would come see her, M4A1 drew her weapon and a fight broke between Agent and DEFY, quickly followed by the arrival of Yegor's armored troops.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E3-4}}</ref> As DEFY and 404 tried to capture Elisa in the crossfire, UMP45 saved {{doll name|HK416|AR|5}} from a KCCO tank by using a TNT block at close range, getting gravely injured in the process. M4A1 saved UMP45 by pulling her into cover, and 45 entrusted her with the detonator of the Collapse bombs. Hesitating to use it because of Angelia and the Commander's presence in the radiation fallout radius, Angelia directly ordered M4A1 to detonate the bombs.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sg|E3-5}}</ref> Spotting Sangvis troops evacuating Elisa to an Intercontinental Railway station amid the chaos of the detonation, DEFY mounted bikes and provided cover fire for M4A1 to reach and board the train about to depart. As she was about to reach Elisa, M4A1 was faced by the converted M16A1, who claimed M4A1 was not ready to meld with Elisa yet. M4A1 failed to beat M16A1 in combat and she fled with Elisa by air transport, saying that she was still helping M4A1 in her own way. She refused to meet Persica to remove the Parapluie virus and bid M4A1 farewell until she had gotten stronger.<ref name=SinguEG>{{cite|gfl|sg|End Game}}</ref> | |||
{{StoryQuote|<ruby><rb>Lunasia</rb><rt>M4A1</rt></ruby> suffered from trauma that's far beyond your imagination. She had been second-guessing and blaming herself this whole time. But [[Dandelion|I]] couldn't let her destroy herself just like that. She's worth more than anyone could fathom.<ref name=C122 />}} | |||
AR-15 then helped M4A1 escape the exploding train, catching her on her bike. After crashing and failing to establish transmission with G&K or DEFY, M4A1 was overcome with the despair of M16's betrayal and AR Team falling apart, and blamed herself for the failure of her mission to capture Elisa and the damage caused by the Collapse bomb to her allies. Despite AR-15 efforts to support her, M4A1 tried to commit suicide by overloading her [[Inherited Weapon Arsenal|particles cannon]], but she was stopped by her OGAS who forcibly took control of her body, making M4A1 resentful that this choice too was taken from her.<ref name=C122>{{cite|gfl|12-2}}</ref> While it was obvious M4 was controlled by another entity, AR-15 accepted to follow her orders and steeled herself against her harsh criticism, which disturbed her since they came from M4A1's voice.<ref name=C122 /><ref name=C123>{{cite|gfl|12-3}}</ref> After tapping into KCCO's network, OGAS revealed to M4 that the Commander and Ange were still alive, but refused to give back her body until she judged she could take rational decisions.<ref name=C123 /> | |||
Trapped in her Level III, M4 mused that she could never escape suffering even in a completely empty place, as the inability to feel emotions was a form of distress. As OGAS infiltrated the Paradeus battle network, she found that she could not reach the mind of the Nyto girl at its core. However, the girl reacted to M4's presence and entered her Level III to declare that M4 was the only one of her kind who had not been abandoned. OGAS pulled M4 up to Level II, eager to find more information in the network, and promised to give back her body if she also projected her consciousness into the network to explore it, despite the risk of a neural transfer failure. | |||
In the Nyto's memories, they saw an entity similar to OGAS absorb the mind of the young Nyto, which further eroded M4's trust in OGAS. When the Nyto detected OGAS and activated counterintrusion measures, M4 took the opportunity to get back to Level I before OGAS and cut their connection, trapping OGAS into the Paradeus network and taking back control of her body after a full day. AR-15 and M4 traveled to a civilian signal tower to get a working transmission to Angelia.<ref name=C125>{{cite|gfl|12-5}}</ref> | |||
[[File:BG Continuum Turbulence 11.png|thumb]] | |||
With no ammo left in their primary weapons and the low reliability of captured weapons, M4 and AR-15 used stealth to get past the Paradeus units. As they risked missing Angelia if they progressed too slowly, M4 relied on hacking to haste their advance, but she was found back by OGAS. Angry at M4 for trying to abandon her,<ref>{{cite|gfl|12-2E}}</ref> OGAS hacked into a {{enemy name|Nyto Black|boss}} while the local {{enemy name|Nyto White|boss}} commander was distracted by her capture of [[the Commander]]. Rather than force her way back into M4's neural cloud, OGAS physically attacked M4 and AR-15 to demonstrate that M4 needed her power to protect her companions. M4 relented and allowed OGAS back. While M4 warned OGAS she couldn't trust her, OGAS warned M4 in return that her fate was already written and that she would eventually accept her role as Lunasia.<ref>{{cite|gfl|12-3E}}</ref> | |||
After reaching the transmission tower, M4 and AR-15 located DEFY's transport but remained stranded while Angelia recovered from the battle.<ref name=C124E>{{cite|gfl|12-4E}}</ref> M4 and AR-15 didn't disclose what had happened during their disappearance from DEFY.<ref name=ISO1C1 /> | |||
===Belgrade events=== | ===Belgrade events=== | ||
M4A1 and DEFY followed Angelia to investigate [[Paradeus]]' presence in Belgrade after she was recruited by [[K]]. While M4 had abandoned the idea to reform AR Team, she regained hope after learning she would be deployed in Belgrade at the same time as SOP-II and RO.<ref name=C124E /> | |||
M4 criticized Angelia for visiting the local memorial to the dead of [[World War Three]], claiming their sacrifice had been in vain. Ange retorted M4 herself had started a sacrificial journey that could end in vain, but M4 refused to consider this possibility. Ange warned M4 she was falling into escapism, and M4 retorted that Ange herself had told her to be ready to sacrifice herself for AR Team. Ange expressed regret for telling her this, and M4 accused Ange to be growing weak. Ange closed the conversation by warning M4 that she might understand the meaning of sacrifice by the end of the operation.<ref name=ISO0>{{cite|gfl|iso|Souvenir}}</ref> | |||
As the conference between the Neo-[[Soviet Union]] and [[Pan-European Union]] approached, Ange dispatched AR-15 and AN-94 to track down Paradeus while keeping M4 and AK-12 with her to monitor the growing [[ELID]] infected activity at the city's walls. At the time, M4 managed to create a more collaborative relationship with her OGAS.<ref name=ISO1C1>{{cite|gfl|iso|Beyond the Border I}}</ref> After a Paradeus signal appeared at the wall, Ange deployed 12 and M4 there to eliminate the Paradeus agent among the city guards.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Beyond the Border II}}</ref> Against 12's insistence, M4 stopped to heal the wounded guard [[Dragović]], who turned out to be a Lieutenant able to mark them as friendlies for the other guards.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Beyond the Border III}}</ref> | |||
M4 managed to get to the Paradeus agent who was about to open the city's gates, but he ignored her warnings and she was forced to kill him. M4 was frustrated that she always forced to resort to violence. The others agents then used explosives to breach the wall.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Beyond the Border IV}}</ref> Dragović ignored M4's pleas to retreat and instead led the remaining guards in a suicidal resistance against the ELIDs, and Ange recalled M4 and 12 away from the wall.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Under the Wall I}}</ref> Though this was also difficult for Ange, she denied M4 the risky move to close the breach with her cannon. While mercy-killing a guard who was starting to turn into an infected, M4 again lamented her lack of power to change the situation. OGAS promised the [[Pike]] Node Ange was searching for contained a power only she could use by right, though this brought little comfort to M4 as her special status had only caused her and others suffering, and she started to understand Ange's words at the memorial earlier.<ref name=ISO2C2>{{cite|gfl|iso|Under the Wall II}}</ref> | |||
After rallying the opera house to assist AR-15 and AN-94,<ref name=ISO3B1 /> M4 and 12 battled with the [[Sangvis Ferri]] ringleaders inside. M4 was attacked by {{enemy name|Executioner|boss}}, who was eager to end the hunt she had started back at Safe House 3, but she was destroyed by M4's cannon after 12 knocked her down with explosives planted on the front of the building. M4 entered the undergrounds alone while 12 fought with {{enemy name|Hunter|boss}}.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Shark and the Sea III}}</ref> Following the sound of 94 and 15's shots, M4 reached the site of the battle between them, M16A1 and the Nytos {{enemy name|Nimogen|boss}} and {{enemy name|Mercurows|boss}}. Following OGAS' advice, M4 and 15 coordinated their shots to destroy the headpieces blocking OGAS from hacking into the Nytos' minds.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Shark and the Sea V}}</ref> | |||
Nimogen suffered a mental breakdown and fled after losing her headpiece, and Mercurows' personality changed into a meek girl. M4 tried to interrogate her, but M16 killed the Nyto to prevent M4 from gathering information about her nature. She also warned M4 not to trust her OGAS and captured the Pike Node before running away on bike.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Shark and the Sea VII}}</ref> M4 and the rest of DEFY gave chase to recover the node and capture M16.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Above the Hubbub II}}</ref> M4 and M16 made sure not to kill each other during the pursuit.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Above the Hubbub III & IV}}</ref> | |||
To deny M4's OGAS access to the node<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Wolf and Owl III}}</ref> as their escape route was cut by Griffin troops, M16 gave it to her own OGAS, who emptyid it of data before abandoning its shell and causing an EM pulse taking down all Dolls in the vicinity, except M4 shielded by her own OGAS. Having once again failed to reach her objective of capturing M16, M4 became more convinced of the necessity to collaborate with OGAS, in spite of M16's warning. | |||
M4 and AR-15 left DEFY and rejoined SOP-II and RO635 at Griffin.<ref name=ISO46 /> 15 had noticed earlier how M4 had seemingly gained the power to hack two Nytos at once, but elected not to confront her about it.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Shark and the Sea VI}}</ref> As OGAS claimed that both she and M4 would grow in power as they remembered their pasts, M4 insisted to take over guard duty on the Pike Node for {{doll name|HS2000|HG|5}} and {{doll name|KSVK|RF|4}} so she could connect to it. OGAS could only recover fragments of memories, but also accessed the coordinates of other nodes. M4's ability to withstand the overwhelming load of data from the node without even noticing it also reinforced OGAS' conviction that M4 was a "chosen one".<ref name=ISO46>{{cite|gfl|iso|Above the Hubbub VI}}</ref> | |||
===Tallinn events=== | ===Tallinn events=== | ||
[[File:BG Shattered Connexion 8.png|thumb|M4 confronts {{enemy name|Isomer Black|boss}} in the field of [[Epiphyllum]] near Tallinn.]] | |||
{{StoryQuote|[[M4A1|You]] once sought to find your past, but it would seem [[Lunasia|your past]] has now found you.<ref name=SC25>{{cite|gfl|sc|E2-5}}</ref>}} | |||
As [[Statesec]] sent the Commander to the Paldiski Submarine Base in Estonia to seize the Starfish installation before the KCCO, AR Team was deployed to open the gates through the ruins of Tallinn. As she approached the city, OGAS warned of a signal similar to them in the city and M4 was distracted by more hallucinations of OGAS' origins.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E1-1}}</ref> As [[the Commander]] couldn't and was not willing to pull M4 from the frontlines,<ref name=SC14>{{cite|gfl|sc|E1-4}}</ref> [[Persica]] had hired [[Squad 404]] to monitor her, but {{doll name|UMP45|SMG|5|costume=costume3}} found it more difficult to determine when M4 was talking with OGAS as she had gotten used to hiding it.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E1-2}}</ref> | |||
While securing the Tallinn City Station, M4 managed to hack into the closed-circuit automated turrets system using OGAS, which raised RO's suspicions.<ref name=SC14 /> As the {{enemy name|Isomer (Enemy)|alt=Isomers}} were roused by the destruction of the local power station by 404 and M4's arrival,<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E1-5}}</ref> AR-15 and M4 were the only Dolls unaffected by the data fog caused by their incoming connections.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E2-1}}</ref> As M4 suffered from more auditory hallucinations, OGAS suggested allowing the connection in order to search for the access authorizations to Tallinn's gate, but M4 refused at first to rescue the Griffin squads lost in the city.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E2-4}}</ref> After AR-15's<ref name=SC25 /> and OGAS' encouragements, and on Persica's order, M4 allowed the connections. Before that, she had OGAS promise not to control her body while she was away and entrusted AR-15 to connect to her neural cloud and pull her out of the network if she became lost.<ref name=SC32>{{cite|gfl|sc|E3-2}}</ref> | |||
In the network, M4 found the same garden from her memories, but was caught in a loop of discovering new familiar memories and became unable to leave after she realized the memories were from the viewpoint of someone else than Lunasia.<ref name=SC33>{{cite|gfl|sc|E3-3}}</ref> The Isomers forcefully tried to merge with her, as her neural cloud was perfect enough to "accept" them and eventually "bring them home" even if she wasn't a Chosen One, and they took control of her body to order AR-15 not to shoot on any approaching Isomer. Seeing the images from inside the network relayed by UMP45, Persica understood that the Isomers were clones from the same source as M4, explaining their similar appearance.<ref name=SC36 /> Suspecting [[William]] had enabled the situation after M4's nature had been revealed by her run-in with the Nytos, Persica ordered not to let M4 merge her neural cloud with the Isomers. With OGAS' assistance, AR-15 entered M4's neural cloud to rescue her.<ref name=SC36>{{cite|gfl|sc|E3-6}}</ref><ref name=SC41 /> | |||
As OGAS managed to reestablish a connection to M4, they witnessed the final memory in the gestalt mind: the discussion between {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}}, M16 and the Isomers. Accepting her role as a part of the network and M4's role as their dominant mind outfitted with the perfect neural cloud, OGAS let herself be absorbed and attempted to coalesce with M4, but AR-15 saved her.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E4-4}}</ref> Growing impatient, the {{enemy name|Isomer White|boss|alt=Failed Isomer}} neutralized Squad 404 to physically approach M4,<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E4-3}}</ref> and connected with her to explain her role as the most perfect copy of Lunasia sought by [[William|“Father”]], ignoring M4's remark that their memories were about Lunasia, but not from Lunasia. While M4 empathized with the Isomer's grief, she wouldn't accept the role of their savior.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E4-5}}</ref> | |||
With M4, AR-15 and UMP45 freed from the network, M4 concluded that she had lost her OGAS, but this did not sit well with 45 as it would hamper her discovery of the truth behind the [[Butterfly Incident]]. 45 argued that their connection was too fundamental to be broken, and lashed at M4 for being willing to let this power escape her.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E5-1}}</ref> M4, who had been silent about OGAS in fear that it could endanger not only herself but AR Team as a whole, was forced to reveal OGAS to her comrades, but they only reassured their full trust in her. In order to open the city's gates, M4 went to find OGAS while the Griffin troops kept the arriving KCCO forces at bay.<ref name=SC54 /> Due to their symbiosis, M4's acceptance of her path influenced OGAS's growth. Having gained sufficient ego, she started assimilating the Isomers into herself rather than melding with them.<ref name=C121 /> | |||
== | Confronting [[Isomer Black]] in the [[Epiphyllum]] field near the city, M4 stalled long enough for OGAS to fully absorb the minds of the Isomers and give them peace,<ref name=SC54>{{cite|gfl|sc|E5-4}}</ref> open Tallinn's gates, and return to M4.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E5-5}}</ref> | ||
The night before her first live combat mission, M4A1 is too nervous to sleep and decides to pass time by drawing more contingency plans in the operations room. AR-15 enters the room and asks why M4A1 is preparing so much for a simple recon mission. M4A1 replies she wants to be able to complete the mission flawlessly, which | |||
{{StoryQuote|I didn't come here to kill... When I saw those memories, I realized... ...that I had better luck, and that's all there is to it. The more I learn about myself, the more I resent what's behind everything. But I am not like them... We may possess the same memories and are placed on the same scales of destiny, but we're on completely opposite ends. So I want to put an end to her miserable fate and help all those who experienced such misery because of me. If I don't do that...I can't bring myself to walk forward with my head held high. It's time we wrapped up this absurd farce. May these Isomers find peace.<ref name=SC54 />}} | |||
M4 then joined AR Team for Operation Golden Fleece, using her cannon to destroy the last generator of the attacking military train.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E5-6}}</ref> With Griffin's original field server abandoned in their original train, M4's exceptionally vast Neural Cloud was used to store the backups of the Griffin Dolls and act as their central Zener coordinator. After the newly captured train passed through Tallinn and put some distance with the enemy, M4 left OGAS camouflaged on the roof of the train while she explained her situation to the Commander. | |||
M4 used her processing power to unfreeze SOP-II, who had crashed after finding and attacking OGAS, and OGAS explained her story from her awakening to the present. She then asked M4 to give her a name as a new semi-independent entity, and M4 named her [[Dandelion]], since “OGAS sows in the neural cloud of numerous Dolls, just as dandelion florets scatter in the wind and take root in the soil.”<ref name=C121 /> Voicing M4's unspoken thoughts, Dandelion proposed to replay some of their memories from the [[Great Retreat]] to explain what they went through.<ref name=C122 /> | |||
{{clr}} | |||
===Paldiski Incident=== | |||
{{StoryQuote|Coalescence is not necessarily a mistake. Ego and acceptance are not entirely opposed to each other. <ruby><rb>Lunasia</rb><rt>M4A1</rt></ruby>, the change you can bring will be far greater than what [[Dandelion|I]] can do, and when the time comes, I hope you will not refuse.<ref name=PL312 />}} | |||
[[File:BG Polarized Light 5.png|thumb|M4 runs after {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}} and {{enemy name|M16A1 (Boss)|boss|alt=M16A1}} in the depth of the Paldiski Submarine Base.]] | |||
As the Commander formed defensive lines on the way to the Paldiski Submarine Base to meet [[Yegor]]'s troops while waiting for the base's gates to be opened by [[Squad 404]], M4 and AR Team were dispatched to seize the base's shore guns.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Propagation I}}</ref> Using a breach in the northwestern section of the quarantine wall, they reached the bunker complex housing the shore guns server hub in a buggy,<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Refraction Point}}</ref> but were slowed down as the terrain was rougher than predicted<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Total Internal Reflection I}}</ref> and arrived at the same time as KCCO's Quartz Team.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Interferometer I}}</ref> | |||
While AR-15 pinned down the main force of KCCO soldiers in the bunkers and RO and SOP-II guarded the entrance, M4 was guided by Dandelion to the guns control room. Outside the control room, she quickly bested a KCCO team commander in a gunfight, but the wounded soldier cut her off by splashing the room with oil and setting it on fire with a flash grenade. Pushed by his pride, he removed his anti-radiations armor and rushed into the control room to compute a shot on Griffin's defense lines. M4 recovered and shot his hand and arm, but the soldier threw himself on the firing switch.<ref name=PL26B>{{cite|gfl|pl|Aperture}}</ref> M4 overheated from the fire and crashed shortly after, while the KCCO cut the connection to the cannons' magazines. | |||
After being brought back online by RO, Dandelion advised AR Team to repair the cannons and use them to cover the Griffin troops' retreat. They received the unexpected help of {{enemy name|Executioner|boss}} against the KCCO<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Spectrometer I}}</ref> and AR Team successfully hit KCCO's mobile command center, but had to retreat as their armored units started firing on the cannons.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Recrystallization Resolution II}}</ref> As they retreated towards the base to link back with the Commander, M4 searched for a way to slow down the KCCO troops, and Dandelion proposed a solution. Meeting AR Team in a nearby building, M4 assisted Dandelion in absorbing the consciousness of the frozen Nytos and Sangvis Ferri troops trapped in. As M4 would need to fully dedicate her neural cloud to help, Dandelion asked if M4 had come to trust and not fear her, and she was pleased that M4 had to ponder her answer instead of rejecting her outright like before. M4 somehow felt sympathy and nostalgia for the Nytos that Dandelion absorbed.<ref name=PL312>{{cite|gfl|pl|Optical Isomer}}</ref> | |||
AR Team arrived at the base just as Yegor's Amber Flight of [[Ares|Sinner mechs]] breached the main entrance and made a beeline for the Starfish at the bottom of the base. The Commander transferred command of AR Team to [[Angelia]] in order to stop them,<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Annealing II}}</ref> but as {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}} was coming close to activating the Starfish, Angelia dispatched M4 alone to stop her<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Cutting I}}</ref> despite the impending flooding of the base.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Unfathomable Singularity}}</ref> After taking down Amber-1 with her cannon, M4 confronted M16 in the elevator descending to the Starfish. M16 refused to join back AR Team and let M4 access Elisa and the Starfish, unless she proved she had grown strong enough.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Observable Limits I}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|13-3}}</ref> As the flooding of the base began, M4 and Dandelion overcame M16 and her own OGAS, the latter willfully merging with Dandelion. Dandelion then pushed M4 to invade M16's memories in order to understand her goals, and M4 discovered the origins of OGAS and the [[Butterfly Incident]]. As she determined that Sangvis Ferri were victims of William's plans, she decided to save Elisa and her troops.<ref name=C134>{{cite|gfl|13-4}}</ref> | |||
===Reverse Collapse=== | |||
{{StoryQuote|Sangvis Ferri are victims just like us. We still have a chance of getting them out of here. Elisa is no different. She shouldn't perish where she isn't meant to. I have made a promise to myself. I won't let any of you die here, I swear.<ref name=C134 />}} | |||
M4 also realized that M16 had been opposing her in order to prevent her from merging with OGAS and losing herself. M16 didn't want to join AR Team back as she resented [[Persica]] for using them as experiment subjects, but M4 promised that [[the Commander]] would shelter them. M16 was impressed as M4 declared she had grown strong to make up for the pain she had caused in the past, and that this reinforced her identity as M4 rather than Lunasia. However, M4's attempt to save Elisa would play into William's hand, so M16 attempted to activate the explosives she had planted on the Starfish beforehands. M4 and Dandelion hacked and stopped her, as M4 wanted to break the cycle of hatred and sacrifice started by William. Moreover, M4 wanted to enlist Sangvis Ferri's help to stop him.<ref name=C131E>{{cite|gfl|13-1E}}</ref> | |||
M16 revealed that Elisa's attempt to connect with [[OGAS#OGAS consciousnesses|the Source of OGAS]] through the Starfish was doomed since she had failed to coalesce with M4 and become perfect enough. M4 invaded Elisa's neural cloud,<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Blackbody Radiation I}}</ref> but Dandelion warned that the Source would try to absorb her.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pl|Escape Acceleration I}}</ref> As they attempted to deactivate the Starfish, the voices in the Source recognized M4's face, though they knew she wasn't Lunasia. They warned M4 that she would “bear her own destiny”, “even if [her] future is far removed from Heaven” and her “spirit and soul are crushed to dust”, and that “the world needs her”, though she didn't “have to be someone whom [she doesn't] wish to be”. However, Elisa pushed back M4 and Dandelion's attack, and M4 had to physically sever the connection by attacking the Starfish.<ref name=C132E>{{cite|gfl|13-2E}}</ref> | |||
After Elisa was disconnected, Dandelion planned to use the Starfish and local reserves of Collapse fluid to perform a mass teleportation of all present through [[Collapse Technology|Reverse Collapse]], but could only rely on the unknown coordinates of the Pike node as a destination. Moreover, she needed to coalesce with M4 to process the necessary data, thus making her the Key to the [[Relic Technology|Relics]] sought by William. After the teleport, Dandelion lost her connection to M4.<ref>{{cite|gfl|13-4E}}</ref> As M4 was worried about [[the Commander]] before her disappearance, Dandelion elected not to go her own way in search for M4 and to stay with Griffin, waging that the Commander and M4's paths would naturally cross again.<ref>{{cite|gfl|dr|Departure Time II}}</ref> | |||
===Berlin=== | |||
[[File:BG Mirror Stage 16.png|thumb|M4 takes remote control of [[Dandelion]]'s body in Berlin.]] | |||
[[File:BG Poincaré Recurrence 5.png|thumb|{{enemy name|M16A1 (Boss)|boss|alt=M16A1}} prevents {{enemy name|Morridow (Enemy)|boss|alt=Morridow}} from capturing M4 at Berlin Airport.]] | |||
{{StoryQuote|...There's no place for you in this era. Know when to let go and make a timely exit. M4...|{{enemy name|M16A1 (Boss)|boss|alt=M16A1}}, moments before saving M4's from [[Morridow]].<ref name=PR312>{{cite|gfl|pr|E3-12}}</ref>}} | |||
The Reverse Collapse sent M4, M16 and Elisa to the Tarot Paradise, a [[List_of_Locations#Relic spaces|Relic space]] dedicated to making Lunasia complete. The space's guardian, {{enemy name|Laplace's Demon|boss}}, had M4 live as Lunasia, convincing her that her life as M4 had been a delusion.<ref>{{cite|gfl|cartesian|E6}}</ref> Elisa also pushed M4 in this direction.<ref>{{cite|gfl|cartesian|E13}}</ref> The [[AR Team]] from a different world line had also joined the Relic space. In their world line, M4 had successfully escaped the [[Paldiski Incident]], but the entire base had collapsed from the activation of the Starfish, killing M16 in the process. Having witnessed the content of the Starfish System, M4 had taken the role of a bargaining chip between the players of the world stage, but she and the Commander had eventually been killed in Frankfurt.<ref name=Cart18>{{cite|gfl|cartesian|E18}}</ref> | |||
M16 used her privileged communication channel to M4's Neural Cloud to attempt to reason with her,<ref name=CartE10 /> but ultimately had to rely on her power as the Wheel of Fortune to undo the spell on M4 and reveal Laplace's identity.<ref name=Cart18 /> When Laplace's Demon was defeated by the alternate AR Team, M4A1 met with Lunasia herself. Lunasia demonstrated her influence on causality by allowing M4 to temporarily merge with her in order to extend the lifethread of [[the Commander]].<ref name=Cart21>{{cite|gfl|cartesian|E21}}</ref> | |||
As [[AR Team]] and [[the Commander]] were pinned down by {{enemy name|Narciss|boss}} and {{enemy name|Morridow (Enemy)|boss|alt=Morridow}} in Paradeus' Sector D8 lab, M4 took remote control of [[Dandelion]]'s body just as [[Squad 404]] took down the inhibitors jamming her signals. She stopped Narciss' flying blades<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Chaos’ Abyss III}}</ref> before destroying 80% of her body and captured Morridow<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E1-2}}</ref> before falling comatose.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E1-7}}</ref> The specifics of the fight have not been explained. | |||
M4's awakening at the Griffin safe house produced a strong EM interference that took down RO and SOP-II and caused a neural attack on AR-15 and UMP45. M4 informed the Commander that she could not talk about her present situation for their own safety and that Dandelion's body would not be able to withstand control for an extended period of time. The Commander made it a priority for her to subdue Morridow for interrogation, but M4 expressed her will to “save” Morridow instead.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E2-2}}</ref> Ignoring Morridow's provocations as she called her “[[Nimogen]]”, M4 entered her Virtual Consciousness Image and forced Morridow to confront her status as a flawed version of [[Machlian]] and rejection by [[William|“Father”]], all the while displaying the pity she felt for her. M4 claimed she had only crippled Morridow's ability to transmit to the outside world and “made some simple alterations”, but Morridow had clearly suffered heavy psychological damage and offered to reveal Paradeus intel to the Commander.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E2-4}}</ref> | |||
As AR Team investigated a Paradeus base to locate [[Iaso's Box]]es, M4 was unbothered by the traps faced by the team members, claiming every life-or-death situation they experienced made them stronger, and she started strangling Morridow to stop her taunting. Morridow tried to make M4 join Paradeus in exchange for releasing the transmission jamming in the base, but M4 managed to restore them by herself.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E2-8}}</ref> Later, as AR Team was attacked by {{enemy name|Grig|boss}} during their investigations of another Iaso's Box stash, M4 used a strong invisible force to stop Grig from executing Morridow, which drained a lot of her power.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E2-14}}</ref> Later, when Morridow asked why M4 had helped her and put herself in danger, M4 replied that she couldn't let her go until she had seen “the real Morridow”, before confronting her with her past again. [[KH2002|Khaybar]] felt M4 might have changed, but AR-15 assessed that she retained both M4's indecisiveness and inner goodness.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E2-15}}</ref> | |||
Following a new lead provided by Morridow,<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E3-2}}</ref> AR Team investigated Berlin Airport, and Morridow was left under M4 and RO's guard. However, M4 convinced RO to allow her to be alone with Morridow, making it the proper talk she meant to have with her. RO only overheard M4 say she would fulfill Morridow' wish<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E3-9}}</ref> before she was taken down by a neural cloud attack, and Morridow seized an helicopter to kidnap the unconscious M4 and bring her to Father. She was stopped by {{enemy name|M16A1 (Boss)|boss|alt=M16A1}},<ref name=PR312 /> who returned M4 and Morridow to the Commander,<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E3-14}}</ref> though she cryptically warned that she was not the “true” M4.<ref name=PR41>{{cite|gfl|pr|E4-1}}</ref> When she awakened days later, [[Dandelion]] had taken back control of the body, and had no information regarding M4's whereabouts.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E5-5}}</ref> | |||
Back into Tarot Paradise, M4 realized that her intervention through Lunasia had only slightly extended the Commander's lifethread. To create a world line where AR Team and the Commander all survived, M4 accepted to abandon her life and memories to make Lunasia complete. AR Team also willingly sacrificed themselves to complete the fusion.<ref name=Cart21 /> Before disappearing, M4 made Lunasia promise to carry on the wishes of her loved ones.<ref name=Cart22>{{cite|gfl|cartesian|E22}}</ref> Lunasia and M4's situation is similar to [[Angelia]] and [[RPK-16]]'s. | |||
{{StoryQuote|–[[Elisa]]: You never hesitate to save others. What bothers you is the sacrifices that others make for you. You only ever step into the dark yourself so that everyone else can bask in the light.<br/> | |||
–M4A1: What's wrong with that?<br/> | |||
–Elisa: I'm just trying to tell you, magic that creates miracles always comes at a price. They have helped you with part of that price, and it'll be up to you to pay off the rest. They didn't sacrifice themselves for you. Rather, they chose to make a stand together with you.|<ref name=Cart22 />}} | |||
A special Dandelion sprite with M4's eyes appears in the special chapter [[Poincare Recurrence#Chapter Infinity|Alaya-Vijnana]] at the end of [[Poincare Recurrence]]. | |||
After escaping the Commander and returning to Paradeus, Morridow used what she had learned of M4's true nature to make up for her mistakes to William.<ref>{{cite|gfl|fp|E4-3}}</ref> M4 and AR Team nominally participated in the defense of the Griffin Base in Area S09 during the [[Fireworks Incident]] when [[Persica]] took remote control of the team's dummies.<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|E6-1}}</ref> | |||
==Side stories== | |||
===Neural Upgrade story=== | |||
The night before her first live combat mission, M4A1 is too nervous to sleep and decides to pass time by drawing more contingency plans in the operations room. AR-15 enters the room and asks why M4A1 is preparing so much for a simple recon mission. M4A1 replies she wants to be able to complete the mission flawlessly, which pleases AR-15. Then they talk about the mission, their personal goals and their similarities. As AR-15 goes back to sleep, M4A1 says she will count on her during the mission and STAR responds this is only expected. M4A1 thinks that victory is then expected of her as team leader. A longer version of this story is told in AR-15 MOD Story. | |||
The next stories are retellings of chapters “Splinter Point 1”, E1B2 and E1B3 of [[Singularity]], with some thoughts of M4A1 added. After lamenting that her weakness led her to lose both her comrades and objectives, M4A1 is upgraded by {{doll name|AK-12|AR|5}} and learn that Captain [[Yegor]] attacked SOP-II and RO. As she goes into battle with her improved body, M4A1 concludes that if she lacks comrades to bring victory to, she will find victory in exacting vengeance against her enemies. | The next stories are retellings of chapters “Splinter Point 1”, E1B2 and E1B3 of [[Singularity]], with some thoughts of M4A1 added. After lamenting that her weakness led her to lose both her comrades and objectives, M4A1 is upgraded by {{doll name|AK-12|AR|5}} and learn that Captain [[Yegor]] attacked SOP-II and RO. As she goes into battle with her improved body, M4A1 concludes that if she lacks comrades to bring victory to, she will find victory in exacting vengeance against her enemies. | ||
===Chapter 9N=== | |||
During Chapter 9 Night, {{doll name|M1 Garand|RF|3}}, {{doll name|M3|SMG|2}}, {{doll name|T77|AR|3}} and {{doll name|T65|SMG|3}} are shooting a fake video showing {{doll name|M16A1|AR|4}} alive to cheer up {{doll name|T91|AR|5}}. M3 disguises herself as {{doll name|M4A1|AR|4}}, but they get into a heap of troubles as {{enemy name|Judge|boss}} appears and tries to capture her. | |||
===Notebook Story - Symphony No. 4 (Suspender of Time costume)=== | |||
Wearing the dress commissionned for the Dolls to {{doll name|QBU-88|RF|5}} by [[the Commander]], {{doll name|M4A1|AR|4|costume=costume2}} attends the Griffin banquet with [[AR Team]]. Her hopes to use the photo booth to take a new picture of her team are plain to see, so {{doll name|ST AR-15|AR|4|costume=costume3}} and {{doll name|RO635|SMG|5|costume=costume1}} have ensured the venue is up to their standards. M4 also spent her salary on liquor to gift her team members, especially {{doll name|M16A1|AR|4|costume=costume1}}. But when {{doll name|MG34|MG|2}} delivers the package to AR Team's dorm, it is received by {{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4|costume=costume2}}, who ignores the warning slips M4 included in the package to ward her off and starts drinking her bottle. | |||
As M16A1 arrives late to the party from an unexpected mission, she soothes an angry M4 and invites her to a dance. SOP-II's drunkenness throws a wrench in M4's plans to take a group photo, but the team eventually manages to catch {{doll name|KSVK|RF|4|costume=costume4}} at the end of the party to take the picture. | |||
== | === Anniversaries === | ||
For the 4 years anniversary of the CN server, players received a message from M4 with a gift of {{Icon|Resource Bundle}} x520 and {{Icon|Gems}} x100. <!--(Did you know 520 in chinese is a play on "I Love You"?)--> | |||
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | {| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | ||
| Line 102: | Line 219: | ||
We experienced so much together that many things already couldn't be conveyed by words alone. Our bond and trust, don't need candied words to decorate... The only thing that must be said, the only thing that I can clearly convey is, Commander, the path that we walked together is surely, by no means, false. | We experienced so much together that many things already couldn't be conveyed by words alone. Our bond and trust, don't need candied words to decorate... The only thing that must be said, the only thing that I can clearly convey is, Commander, the path that we walked together is surely, by no means, false. | ||
... If I get the chance next year, I will reconsider being more "touching" in my words. Not just me, SOP, 15, RO --- and everyone in | ... If I get the chance next year, I will reconsider being more "touching" in my words. Not just me, SOP, 15, RO --- and everyone in Griffin, and... 16-nee. We all have so much to tell you, I am but a representative. But even so, at the end, I cannot even convey my thoughts in a sentence for you. | ||
If words cannot illustrate our story, then let us write them on the water surface. | If words cannot illustrate our story, then let us write them on the water surface. | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
In her 5th anniversary dialogue, M4 laments that she couldn't be with the Commander for long this year, but says that her nature allows her to experience a sort of embellished version of her memories of the Commander, which comforts her. | |||
The 6th anniversary dialogue is an anonymous message received by the Commander containing an excerpt of ''The Hollow Men'' from T. S. Elliot: | |||
...Let me be no nearer<br> | |||
In death’s dream kingdom<br> | |||
Let me also wear<br> | |||
Such deliberate disguises<br> | |||
Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves<br> | |||
In a field<br> | |||
Behaving as the wind behaves<br> | |||
No nearer-<br> | |||
Not that final meeting<br> | |||
In the twilight kingdom. | |||
In M16A1's 6th anniversary dialogue, she says she also heard a voice in her dreams reciting another part of the poem: | |||
There, the eyes are<br> | |||
Sunlight on a broken column<br> | |||
There, is a tree swinging<br> | |||
And voices are<br> | |||
In the wind's singing<br> | |||
More distant and solemn<br> | |||
Than a fading star. | |||
==Mail - May 2021== | |||
'''Arrangements Regarding 3rd Anniversary''' | |||
Dear Commander, | |||
First of all, Happy 3rd Anniversary! | |||
We have finished the preparation work for the 3rd anniversary celebrations, and they will take place according to the schedule that we have previously agreed on. Please arrive on time. Today might be very tiresome for you, because everyone is dressing up and eager to dance with you. Even SOP-II is plotting to snatch up your first dance. | |||
After all, such jubilation is a rare treat for us, so please bear with us... | |||
I'll save the rest for when we meet at the ball. I look forward to dancing with you, as well as celebrating the next anniversary. | |||
Yours, | |||
M4A1 | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
Latest revision as of 13:58, 3 November 2024
| M4A1 | Story | Quotes | Live2D |
"This is classified information!"
This article contains unmarked spoilers. You have been warned.
Character info[edit]
M4A1 is often described as a rather unreliable T-Doll lacking in decisiveness. Despite this, AR Team, while not as capable as other elite T-Dolls teams, enjoys a much greater autonomy and is at its best under M4A1's command.[1] According to AR M16A1M16A1M16A1, M4A1's indecision is due to her being “too smart”[2] because of the independence granted by her special Neural Cloud.[3] According to Angelia, M4A1 is naturally kind, but has been regularly burned by the consequences of her kindness.[4]
M4A1 has a tendency for self-blame and second-guessing herself because she was told she is more important than other T-Doll since her creation.[5] As such, she is often told she is the only one able to win against impossible odds, which puts her in situations where she needs to sacrifice her comrades to achieve victory,[6] or where others sacrifice themselves to protect her.[7] She also resents that her importance robs her of control over her own life.[5][3] This leads M4A1 to put much less importance on her own life than others do, despite her inability to backup her neural cloud (making her effectively “mortal” unlike other T-Dolls). In simulated instances where she was separated from AR Team's protection, she chose to die in a dignified fight to save her allies instead of putting them in danger to save herself.[8]
After the seals on her neural cloud were removed, M4A1's true personality was able to manifest[2] and she became more proactive and ruthless.[9] Encouraged by Angelia and her own OGAS, M4A1 started to search for ways to get stronger and defend her allies in spite of the dangers she would attract, though her reckless abandon worried AR Team and Angelia.[10] Eventually, M4 grew more focused and less subject to her emotions as she wields more dangerous powers to protect the people important to her.[11][12]
M4 is considered an elite T-Doll and has strong combat abilities. In her original body, she wasn't strong enough to defeat Agent[13] but defeated Executioner on her own.[14] After her upgrade, she easily defeated multiple special ops soldiers in close combat and her body was bulletproof to medium calibers[15] and was capable of heavy firepower thanks to inheriting M16A1's particles cannon.
M4 is considered the most perfect recreation of Lunasia's original mind by the Isomers though they don't recognize her as a Chosen One,[16][17] while Elisa called her “the only blessed one” bearing no flaws.[18] Due to her nature, she has a special connection to the Nytos and Isomers, some of whom have an appearance close to her own[19] and share some of her hidden memories.[20][21] Lunasia recognized M4 as the last critical part for her completion, as she held the emotions needed to give meaning to her mission to “save the world”.[22]
Relationships[edit]
| “ | –Elisa: You never hesitate to save others. What bothers you is the sacrifices that others make for you. You only ever step into the dark yourself so that everyone else can bask in the light. –M4A1: What's wrong with that? — [23]
|
” |
|---|
AR M16A1M16A1M16A1 is the only one in AR Team to know the true value of M4A1's existence[24] and while she knows M4A1 is not a particularly efficient T-Doll,[25] she takes every action for the sake of her safety and growth.[26] While she claims to have found freedom after defecting to Sangvis Ferri,[27] this freedom actually entailed the renewal of her loyalty to M4 as she willingly preserved her base order to protect M4 at all cost.[28]
M4A1 and AR ST AR-15ST AR-15ST AR-15 initially had a tense relation because AR-15's prime directive prevented her to freely pursue her career as an elite T-Doll.[29] Furthermore, since their creators chose M4A1 as team leader over her, she believed they viewed her as less worthy.[30] This led AR-15 to hate M4A1, but she eventually found worth in being part of AR Team and felt guilty about her harshness toward her. She left M4A1 a message explaining her feelings as she sacrificed herself to destroy Mastermind.[29] Though annoyed that she could not escape M4A1's influence[31][32] even after the deletion of her core order,[33] AR-15 still cared for M4A1 after they were reunited in Task Force DEFY, worrying about her new behaviour[34] and sharing her own thoughts on how she should change.[35] During their time in DEFY, M4 realized AR-15 and herself didn't know each other that well.[36]
Unlike the other AR Team members, SMG RO635RO635RO635 was made to develop a genuine respect and admiration for M4A1 even before their first encounter rather than relying on her prime directive, giving her a strong loyalty.[37][38] RO tried emulating M4A1's tactical thinking in her own decisions[39] and didn't mind being viewed as a substitute M4A1 as temporary leader of AR Team,[40] though she warned M16A1 not to personally treat her like M4A1.[41] According to SOP-II, M4A1 spends more time preparing missions than RO, but is less decisive in the field.[42] AR M4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD II has great loyalty[43] and respect for M4A1's command abilities.[44] M4 was at first afraid of SOP-II's over-the-top violence but eventually warmed up to her[45] and became able to anticipate her bouts of mischief.[46]
Persica think of M4A1 like her own child[8] and highly value her, even after she designed RO635's neural cloud to be better in the role of leader.[47] Persica was uneasy to see M4A1 and AR Team being deployed in dangerous operations,[48][8] but theses efforts in protecting her directly led to M4A1's insecurities.[35] Persica later realized the heavy burden she had given to her "visionary masterpiece",[49] and was relieved that she didn't resent her for it.[50]
AR AK-12AK-12AK-12 recognized M4's fighting abilities, but considered that her and AR-15 were “suicidal maniacs”. In return, M4 responded coldly to 12's malicious curiosity.[36]
Story Involvement[edit]
| “ | It all began with her...and it will all end with her. | ” |
|---|
M4A1 is the squad leader of AR Team, which initially consisted of AR M16A1M16A1M16A1, AR M4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD II, AR ST AR-15ST AR-15ST AR-15 and herself. During the course of the story, she begins a quest to find the power to protect her allies after blaming herself for the loss of friends, and slowly discovers the reasons she is considered a unique and important T-Doll.
Early AR Team[edit]
M4A1 was created by Persica from a scan of the brain[9] of a clone of Lunasia sent by William.[51] Making this her final answer to Lycoris' work,[52] she first perfected the process on the prototypes M16A1, M4 SOPMOD II and ST AR-15.[12][53][45] To protect M4A1, Persica would assemble all her creations into AR Team,[49] with M4 as the leader.[52] Persica chose to imprint her with the most basic weapon she knew, the M4A1 rifle, which also presented the advantage of having many variants she could name the rest of AR Team after. During the same test, M4A1's neural cloud reacted violently to seeing the weapon and went into meltdown, forcing Persica to deactivate her.[54]
One of M4A1's first non-encrypted memories is her encounter of AR-15, who proclaims dejectedly that she is tasked with being her first friend.[53] However, M4A1 refuses to become friends based on orders and declares she will wait as long as necessary for them to form their bonds.[55] During their first exercise as a team, M4A1 made many mistakes no normal T-Doll could have done, such as misreading the map and terrain, shooting wrong targets and fumbling grenade throws. At the time, M16A1 was the only one willing to talk to her because of AR-15's hatred and SOP-II's uneasiness with the team, but M4A1's clumsiness still managed to anger even her.[45] AR-15 warmed up to her as she found her place in the team[29][56] but M4A1 was also scared of SOP-II's violent fighting style, which in turn affected SOP-II's integration into the team[57] until M4A1 became used to her behaviour.[58] As the rest of AR Team, especially M16A1, had experience in battle prior to the formation of the team, M4A1 was allowed to join real battles and gather experience despite her flaws.[35]
Raid on Safe House 3[edit]
Some time after AR Team's activation, they were sent into Sangvis territory to recover data concerning Lycoris in Safe House 3.[59] The mission was compromised when Agent launched an attack on the building, breaking through the defenses of stranded Griffin dolls commandeered by M4A1[60] and came close to killing her. M4A1 was saved by M16A1 and AR Team split up to shake off Sangvis troops and regroup in Griffin territory.[13] M4's OGAS first gained consciousness during the raid, under the influence of M16's Parapluie virus.[11]
During M4A1's run, her path was calculated by Scarecrow, who was eliminated by the Commander's troops but transmitted her results to Executioner,[61] as M4A1 had been discovered to be of special interest to Elisa.[62] The Commander was ordered to resume their normal activities as other units would handle tracking down AR Team,[63] until more sightings of M4A1 were reported in the area under their command. Persica then took the matter into her own hands with Kryuger's approval, ordering the Commander to resume the search.[64] Executioner was eventually destroyed and M4A1 recovered.[14] When Hunter captured AR ST AR-15ST AR-15ST AR-15 and tried to exchange her for M4A1, she considered taking the offer but was scolded by AR-15 after she escaped by herself.[65] M4A1 in turn scolded M16A1 for her nonchalant attitude after she was recovered despite the dangerous battle they had to fight against Intruder.[66]
Area S08 assault[edit]
AR Team was present at the Griffin HQ when Sangvis Ferri launched an assault against Griffin's high command and participated in the defensive battle.[67] The reason Sangvis Ferri discovered the HQ was because of AR-15's infection with the Parapluie virus. AR-15 fled into Sangvis territory to gather intel on the virus and help Griffin to mount countermeasures.[68] During the search for AR-15, M4A1 and AR M4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD II disappeared into the Parapluie jamming field to run after AR-15, who ambushed them and knocked them out to talk to M4A1 in private.[69] In a ploy to draw out the Sangvis mastermind,[29] and to test M4A1's resolve, AR-15 bargained with Elisa and allowed her to infiltrate her and M4A1's neural clouds to access their early memories, but Elisa realized that M4A1 had no recollections of her origins due to segments of her memories being encrypted. Annoyed that AR-15 could not keep her promise, she ordered Alchemist to kill her and capture M4A1.[70]
Having left M4A1 secured, AR-15 drew out Alchemist's attention until she was killed by SOP-II. AR-15 then entrusted her with M4A1's location and a last message before setting off to confront Elisa,[71] sacrificing herself in an explosion to end Sangvis' attack. AR-15's last message, where she explained how she came to love AR Team and her pride in giving her life for them, left a deep wound in M4A1, especially since she could not uphold her promise to have her smile at her as a friend.[29]
Comatose[edit]
After the event in Area S08, AR Team were confined to a detention center for Parapluie screening along with the other T-Dolls involved in the battle. Losing AR-15 made M4A1 particularly irritable, criticizing Griffin for detaining them while they were not formally parts of the PMC, snapping at SOP-II when she complained about the lengthy screening process and butting heads with MG NegevNegevNegev when she remarked that her behaviour was not worthy of AR Team's leader.[72] Despite this, she presented a brave front in the messages to the Commander,[73] and when Sangvis troops launched an assault against the building in another attempt to capture her, M4A1 took command of the T-Dolls to mount a defensive battle as the only T-Doll with a high efficiency command module.[72] Despite the other T-Dolls being wary of AR Team because of rumors saying they used other teams as cannon fodder, M4A1 took risks to gather and protect all T-Dolls in the facility.[74]
Despite the successful defense, Elisa deactivated all T-Dolls except M4A1 and launched a new intrusion on her neural cloud.[75] Elisa failed again to decrypt her earliest memories and tried to bring her to Sangvis HQ, but she was interrupted by SMG RO635RO635RO635, enabling SOP-II to bring M4A1 into the facility's underground bunker to prevent her capture. Elisa's attack left M4A1 in a catatonic state and RO was designated as the new temporary leader of AR Team until Persica could awaken M4A1 again.[76] While her neural cloud was made functional again, her Imprint needed much more work to repair and make her able to use a weapon again.[77] Persica subjected her neural cloud to dozens of battle simulations with increasingly difficult odds against the captured neural clouds of Ouroboros and Architect both as an experiment in comparing IOP and Sangvis neural cloud structures and as an attempt to awaken her, but M4A1 always took the final decision to sacrifice herself for victory.[8]
M16A1 eventually went on a mission to Sangvis Base 0 and turned herself into a Sangvis doll to recover data for the sake of awakening M4A1, sending back the data by drone along with her particle cannon for M4A1 to use. Persica transmitted M16A1's voice to M4A1's neural cloud, which helped stabilize it and made it easier to remove the seals she had originally put in place, with the goal of releasing her original personality. In her last transmission, M16A1 asked M4A1 to wait for her no matter what she may turn into. Previously locked deep into her neural cloud with memories of her human base, M4A1's wish to speak with M16A1 led to her awakening.[2] M16A1 secretly stored the access Persica had granted her to M4's Neural Cloud and would reuse them much later.[78] With the restrictions on M4's neural cloud gone, her OGAS accessed a new stage of consciousness by realizing it was an entity different from M4, but living in her mind. Understanding the perfection of Elisa's neural cloud and wanting to merge with her OGAS, she tried to convince M4 to establish contact with the Sangvis Mastermind.[11]
Great Retreat[edit]
After awakening, M4A1 immediately set off to participate in the joint assault of Griffin and KCCO against Sangvis HQ. While Persica worried that her newly unrestricted neural cloud could affect her performances, she lent her her personal air transport to reach the battlefield. Persica also hired Angelia to help and protect M4A1.[79][80] While Angelia was initially unwilling to take the offer due to heavy Military presence, she agreed with the promise of good payment and the opportunity to help M4A1 become an ally in her own future battles. Upon reaching the Military air interdiction zone, M4A1 resolved to reach the Griffin camp on foot, and was helped into the Military camp by Angelia using a false identity. After Angelia explained her connection to Persica, M4A1 asked her for advice on reaching the Griffin camp and getting revenge against Sangvis for killing two of her friends. While Angelia was surprised M4A1 had taken action without orders or a concrete plan, she simply said that M4 lacked the power to reach her objective but that she had taken a first step by deciding on a path to follow. M4A1 expressed her lack of confidence in making the right choices without being given orders, but Angelia encouraged her to make use of her exceptional ability to make her own choices despite being a T-Doll. She also explained that while making choices meant suffering their consequences, it was the only path to taking control of her life and finding the power she needed to take revenge. She then directed M4A1 to a nearby outpost[79] and sent an anonymous tip to the Commander, who diverted RF XM3XM3XM3's echelon from their logistic mission in the Military camp to pick her up.[7]
While waiting for Griffin troops, M4A1 first talked consciously with her OGAS, though she didn't yet know its nature. While M4A1 tried to reject OGAS, OGAS insisted that she was part of M4A1 and encouraged her to act beyond orders, proposing to help her learn how to think freely.[79] When trying to explain to XM3 how she could act independently, M4A1 ascribed her actions to her standing order to eliminate the Sangvis Mastermind. XM3 expressed that she was excited to take part in an important battle, and that the ability for T-Dolls to be resurrected from a backup was a positive opportunity and part of their growth, which worried M4A1 as she felt she could not relate to other T-Dolls.[7] XM3 would later feel that there was no conviction in her words that day.[81] The convoy was then attacked by numerous Sangvis units, and XM3's echelon was wiped under M4A1's command while she was saved by the intervention of Captain Yegor's forces. As OGAS explained that the attack was another attempt by Elisa to capture her and Yegor refused to salvage the short-term memories of XM3's echelon, M4A1 mourned the death of new T-Dolls destroyed for her sake. OGAS then argued that as she was cursed with a special status, her only way to prevent such situations was for her to become stronger, and that she would do so by becoming "her true self" after taking revenge on Elisa. M4A1 worried that this quest for revenge would lead to more casualties, and OGAS replied that it was the price of finding power, and that she should honor those that sacrificed themselves for her in the past because she lacked power.[7] When picking up RO and SOP-II, M4A1 responded coldly to RO's introduction, saying that they shared no connection beyond having similar weapons. RO, who had been described M4A1 as a kind doll with a gentle personality, was shocked to find her vengeful and ruthless[82] and worried that M4A1 might hate her. As an attempt to be more decisive, M4A1 went as far as declaring Mastermind's defeat a priority over finding M16A1.[83]
As AR Team trailed behind KCCO's prong toward Sangvis HQ to defend their counter-jamming stations, M4A1 talked Yegor into authorizing the reactivation of KCCO units to facilitate their defense, taking upon her own neural cloud to establish Zener Protocol connections and relay the Commander's orders to the units. She also apologized to RO for her previous harshness, praising her abilities and asking her for the guidance M16A1 and AR-15 gave her in the past.[84] AS AR Team tried to catch up to KCCO's forces, they were attacked by Judge, who acted both as Elisa's bodyguard and transmission relay as she launched a new electronic assault on M4A1's neural cloud.[85] Under William's orders, Yegor's troops observed the events from afar to ensure the quick capture of the “Key” they expected to be formed if the connection between M4A1 and Elisa was complete. While rejecting Elisa, M4A1 ordered AR Team to run away without her, but they refused to comply, arguing that M4A1 should take into account their own wish to put their life on the line for her. Seeing AR Team act as a whole again filled M4A1 with the thought that she could betray the expectations put on her as long as she fulfilled AR Team's own expectations, and that the sacrifices she would have to make would not be as heavy as she thought as long as they had the same meaning that enabled AR Team to die for each other without regrets.
As M4A1 passed out under Elisa's assault, RO brought her to a safe house and used her electronic warfare capabilities to repel the attack.[86] M4A1's OGAS then tried to meld with Elisa's OGAS, saying that one last strong blow was needed for M4A1 to be liberated from human control.[86][11] OGAS explained that the other times Elisa tried to connect with M4A1, the artificial personality of her neural cloud automatically rejected the connection, but that she was now free to make the choice of accepting the connection after Persica removed the seals on her neural cloud.[87][11] Rejecting both OGAS' pressure, M4A1 tried to keep up with RO's efforts to pull her back from Consciousness Level III to Level II and cut the external dataflow from Elisa. Confused by visions, M4A1 suddenly rejected RO's will to save her as fabricated emotions, but RO argued that fabricated emotions were no less important that “genuine” ones, and that if M4 couldn't put faith into her, she had to put faith into the rest of AR Team and their collective will to save her. As M4A1 came back to her senses as she remembered her promise to stay with AR Team until the end,[88]
RO's efforts were cut short when Yegor shot her in the head to keep her from preventing the formation of the “Key”.[87] Without RO's support, Elisa continued to steer M4A1's mind, annoyed that she would keep asking her questions and get surrogate orders instead of getting the answers by herself. M4A1 was eventually steered toward the vision of a garden, which was the common memory between her and Elisa, but the process was interrupted by Yegor waking M4A1. Seeing RO's destroyed body,[89] M4A1 angrily rejected OGAS and severed the connection to Elisa, leaving her petrified in the safe house.[90]
After Sangvis forces started their retreat, M16A1 forcibly reactivated a dramatically damaged SOP-II to check on M4A1. As she could not move her due to her unstable neural cloud and was rejected when connecting on Level II, SOP-II resolved to leave M4A1 and regroup with the Commander,[91] using her database of M4A1's tactics to fight by herself.[92] After obtaining M4A1's coordinates from the Commander,[90] Angelia sent AR ST AR-15ST AR-15ST AR-15 and AR AK-12AK-12AK-12 to retrieve her. AK-12 performed a forced disconnection procedure, and lied to AR-15 by telling her Angelia had left to AR-15 the choice to take M4A1 back or abandoning her. Lamenting that M4A1 kept pushing her into difficult situations, AR-15 chose to take her back with them and induce her into Task Force DEFY.[31]
Due to the forced Level II disconnect and M4A1's complex match of old and new modules, M4A1 lost control over her body even as she came to on AR-15's back, but quickly passed out again from her neural cloud instability when she insisted to go back and check on RO.[32] Stopping by a safe house, AK-12 used the Level II debugging software in her electronic warfare package to repair M4A1's control on her body while providing her with the same enhancements as AR-15, releasing some of the behavioural restraints on her neural cloud to make her stronger.[93] While AK-12 made quick work thanks to M4A1's unusual spare neural cloud capacity ,and numerous unused ports provided by her military-grade parts, AR-15 updated her on the Commander's situation and Yegor's involvement. M4A1 then declared she would join DEFY until she could kill Yegor and have revenge for RO, to which AK-12 commented no normal T-Doll would freely seek to kill a human.[94]
Tracking Elisa[edit]
After rallying with Angelia and AR AN-94AN-94AN-94, Angelia helped M4A1 activate M16A1's particle cannon[95] and made her team leader. Angelia refused her request to search for SOP-II[9] as she planned to use M4A1 to lure Elisa into the open, where DEFY would capture her before KCCO could, though the plan worried Persica.[96] While explaining how she survived the explosion back at Area S08, AR-15 revealed to M4A1 that all members of AR Team were given a prime order to protect her. M4A1's colder eyes let AR-15 wonder if she had changed for the worse rather than the better,[34] and her fear worsened after M4A1 gave unusually reckless orders, decided to ignore Griffin troops under attack during the Great Retreat as DEFY was seizing a repeater station[97] and executed Gager with no trace of satisfaction,[98] shocking even the members of Squad 404.[99] M4A1 still asked to tap into Griffin transmissions to check on the status of the Commander and their troops after the assault.[97] Meanwhile, OGAS congratulated M4A1 for becoming more like her original self. Despite still not trusting OGAS, M4A1 proposed to contact Elisa again if OGAS could give her SOP-II and M16A1's coordinates,[100] but OGAS felt that her thirst for revenge was then stronger than her faith that her comrades were still alive, which she also recognized as part of her original self.[98] OGAS accepted the bargain, but she only gave M4A1 the coordinates to find Elisa.[101]
Made aware of M4A1's suspicious lapses in attention, Angelia tasked SMG UMP45UMP45UMP45 with monitoring her data traffic.[102] Through her surveillance, M4A1's bargain with OGAS became known to Angelia, which made her confident in pushing her original plan of using M4A1 as bait for Elisa.[101] While running the plan through M4A1, Angelia also warned her not to consider revenge her only possibility and to keep faith in M16A1 and SOP-II's survival, more so since revenge would not be as satisfying if she had no goal after it. This angered M4A1, who felt content with anything, even her own death, as long as she could be different from her past self, who was cowardly and caused the death of her allies. To this, Angelia answered that her plan matched her expectations, as it would end either in the successful capture of Elisa, sparing the lives of many, or in Elisa and M4A1's destruction to prevent their capture by KCCO.
While burying the Collapse bombs that would secure the site of the encounter with Elisa, AR-15 asked M4 not to act rashly like she herself did when she tried to sacrifice herself, since her death could have consequences on SOP-II due to her prime directive.[35] During the encounter, Elisa asked M4A1 to call her by her original name instead of “Mastermind”, and she called M4A1 by her original name, “Lunasia”. M4A1 rejected her concerns about names, and when Elisa revealed that OGAS had not mentioned any bargain related to SOP-II and M16A1 but only that M4A1 would come see her, M4A1 drew her weapon and a fight broke between Agent and DEFY, quickly followed by the arrival of Yegor's armored troops.[103] As DEFY and 404 tried to capture Elisa in the crossfire, UMP45 saved AR HK416HK416HK416 from a KCCO tank by using a TNT block at close range, getting gravely injured in the process. M4A1 saved UMP45 by pulling her into cover, and 45 entrusted her with the detonator of the Collapse bombs. Hesitating to use it because of Angelia and the Commander's presence in the radiation fallout radius, Angelia directly ordered M4A1 to detonate the bombs.[104] Spotting Sangvis troops evacuating Elisa to an Intercontinental Railway station amid the chaos of the detonation, DEFY mounted bikes and provided cover fire for M4A1 to reach and board the train about to depart. As she was about to reach Elisa, M4A1 was faced by the converted M16A1, who claimed M4A1 was not ready to meld with Elisa yet. M4A1 failed to beat M16A1 in combat and she fled with Elisa by air transport, saying that she was still helping M4A1 in her own way. She refused to meet Persica to remove the Parapluie virus and bid M4A1 farewell until she had gotten stronger.[27]
| “ | ” |
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AR-15 then helped M4A1 escape the exploding train, catching her on her bike. After crashing and failing to establish transmission with G&K or DEFY, M4A1 was overcome with the despair of M16's betrayal and AR Team falling apart, and blamed herself for the failure of her mission to capture Elisa and the damage caused by the Collapse bomb to her allies. Despite AR-15 efforts to support her, M4A1 tried to commit suicide by overloading her particles cannon, but she was stopped by her OGAS who forcibly took control of her body, making M4A1 resentful that this choice too was taken from her.[5] While it was obvious M4 was controlled by another entity, AR-15 accepted to follow her orders and steeled herself against her harsh criticism, which disturbed her since they came from M4A1's voice.[5][105] After tapping into KCCO's network, OGAS revealed to M4 that the Commander and Ange were still alive, but refused to give back her body until she judged she could take rational decisions.[105]
Trapped in her Level III, M4 mused that she could never escape suffering even in a completely empty place, as the inability to feel emotions was a form of distress. As OGAS infiltrated the Paradeus battle network, she found that she could not reach the mind of the Nyto girl at its core. However, the girl reacted to M4's presence and entered her Level III to declare that M4 was the only one of her kind who had not been abandoned. OGAS pulled M4 up to Level II, eager to find more information in the network, and promised to give back her body if she also projected her consciousness into the network to explore it, despite the risk of a neural transfer failure.
In the Nyto's memories, they saw an entity similar to OGAS absorb the mind of the young Nyto, which further eroded M4's trust in OGAS. When the Nyto detected OGAS and activated counterintrusion measures, M4 took the opportunity to get back to Level I before OGAS and cut their connection, trapping OGAS into the Paradeus network and taking back control of her body after a full day. AR-15 and M4 traveled to a civilian signal tower to get a working transmission to Angelia.[21]
With no ammo left in their primary weapons and the low reliability of captured weapons, M4 and AR-15 used stealth to get past the Paradeus units. As they risked missing Angelia if they progressed too slowly, M4 relied on hacking to haste their advance, but she was found back by OGAS. Angry at M4 for trying to abandon her,[106] OGAS hacked into a Nyto Black while the local Nyto White commander was distracted by her capture of the Commander. Rather than force her way back into M4's neural cloud, OGAS physically attacked M4 and AR-15 to demonstrate that M4 needed her power to protect her companions. M4 relented and allowed OGAS back. While M4 warned OGAS she couldn't trust her, OGAS warned M4 in return that her fate was already written and that she would eventually accept her role as Lunasia.[107]
After reaching the transmission tower, M4 and AR-15 located DEFY's transport but remained stranded while Angelia recovered from the battle.[108] M4 and AR-15 didn't disclose what had happened during their disappearance from DEFY.[4]
Belgrade events[edit]
M4A1 and DEFY followed Angelia to investigate Paradeus' presence in Belgrade after she was recruited by K. While M4 had abandoned the idea to reform AR Team, she regained hope after learning she would be deployed in Belgrade at the same time as SOP-II and RO.[108]
M4 criticized Angelia for visiting the local memorial to the dead of World War Three, claiming their sacrifice had been in vain. Ange retorted M4 herself had started a sacrificial journey that could end in vain, but M4 refused to consider this possibility. Ange warned M4 she was falling into escapism, and M4 retorted that Ange herself had told her to be ready to sacrifice herself for AR Team. Ange expressed regret for telling her this, and M4 accused Ange to be growing weak. Ange closed the conversation by warning M4 that she might understand the meaning of sacrifice by the end of the operation.[10]
As the conference between the Neo-Soviet Union and Pan-European Union approached, Ange dispatched AR-15 and AN-94 to track down Paradeus while keeping M4 and AK-12 with her to monitor the growing ELID infected activity at the city's walls. At the time, M4 managed to create a more collaborative relationship with her OGAS.[4] After a Paradeus signal appeared at the wall, Ange deployed 12 and M4 there to eliminate the Paradeus agent among the city guards.[109] Against 12's insistence, M4 stopped to heal the wounded guard Dragović, who turned out to be a Lieutenant able to mark them as friendlies for the other guards.[110]
M4 managed to get to the Paradeus agent who was about to open the city's gates, but he ignored her warnings and she was forced to kill him. M4 was frustrated that she always forced to resort to violence. The others agents then used explosives to breach the wall.[111] Dragović ignored M4's pleas to retreat and instead led the remaining guards in a suicidal resistance against the ELIDs, and Ange recalled M4 and 12 away from the wall.[112] Though this was also difficult for Ange, she denied M4 the risky move to close the breach with her cannon. While mercy-killing a guard who was starting to turn into an infected, M4 again lamented her lack of power to change the situation. OGAS promised the Pike Node Ange was searching for contained a power only she could use by right, though this brought little comfort to M4 as her special status had only caused her and others suffering, and she started to understand Ange's words at the memorial earlier.[3]
After rallying the opera house to assist AR-15 and AN-94,[36] M4 and 12 battled with the Sangvis Ferri ringleaders inside. M4 was attacked by Executioner, who was eager to end the hunt she had started back at Safe House 3, but she was destroyed by M4's cannon after 12 knocked her down with explosives planted on the front of the building. M4 entered the undergrounds alone while 12 fought with Hunter.[113] Following the sound of 94 and 15's shots, M4 reached the site of the battle between them, M16A1 and the Nytos Nimogen and Mercurows. Following OGAS' advice, M4 and 15 coordinated their shots to destroy the headpieces blocking OGAS from hacking into the Nytos' minds.[114]
Nimogen suffered a mental breakdown and fled after losing her headpiece, and Mercurows' personality changed into a meek girl. M4 tried to interrogate her, but M16 killed the Nyto to prevent M4 from gathering information about her nature. She also warned M4 not to trust her OGAS and captured the Pike Node before running away on bike.[115] M4 and the rest of DEFY gave chase to recover the node and capture M16.[116] M4 and M16 made sure not to kill each other during the pursuit.[117]
To deny M4's OGAS access to the node[118] as their escape route was cut by Griffin troops, M16 gave it to her own OGAS, who emptyid it of data before abandoning its shell and causing an EM pulse taking down all Dolls in the vicinity, except M4 shielded by her own OGAS. Having once again failed to reach her objective of capturing M16, M4 became more convinced of the necessity to collaborate with OGAS, in spite of M16's warning.
M4 and AR-15 left DEFY and rejoined SOP-II and RO635 at Griffin.[119] 15 had noticed earlier how M4 had seemingly gained the power to hack two Nytos at once, but elected not to confront her about it.[120] As OGAS claimed that both she and M4 would grow in power as they remembered their pasts, M4 insisted to take over guard duty on the Pike Node for HG HS2000HS2000HS2000 and RF KSVKKSVKKSVK so she could connect to it. OGAS could only recover fragments of memories, but also accessed the coordinates of other nodes. M4's ability to withstand the overwhelming load of data from the node without even noticing it also reinforced OGAS' conviction that M4 was a "chosen one".[119]
Tallinn events[edit]
| “ | You once sought to find your past, but it would seem your past has now found you.[121] | ” |
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As Statesec sent the Commander to the Paldiski Submarine Base in Estonia to seize the Starfish installation before the KCCO, AR Team was deployed to open the gates through the ruins of Tallinn. As she approached the city, OGAS warned of a signal similar to them in the city and M4 was distracted by more hallucinations of OGAS' origins.[122] As the Commander couldn't and was not willing to pull M4 from the frontlines,[49] Persica had hired Squad 404 to monitor her, but SMG UMP45UMP45UMP45 found it more difficult to determine when M4 was talking with OGAS as she had gotten used to hiding it.[123]
While securing the Tallinn City Station, M4 managed to hack into the closed-circuit automated turrets system using OGAS, which raised RO's suspicions.[49] As the Isomers were roused by the destruction of the local power station by 404 and M4's arrival,[124] AR-15 and M4 were the only Dolls unaffected by the data fog caused by their incoming connections.[125] As M4 suffered from more auditory hallucinations, OGAS suggested allowing the connection in order to search for the access authorizations to Tallinn's gate, but M4 refused at first to rescue the Griffin squads lost in the city.[126] After AR-15's[121] and OGAS' encouragements, and on Persica's order, M4 allowed the connections. Before that, she had OGAS promise not to control her body while she was away and entrusted AR-15 to connect to her neural cloud and pull her out of the network if she became lost.[50]
In the network, M4 found the same garden from her memories, but was caught in a loop of discovering new familiar memories and became unable to leave after she realized the memories were from the viewpoint of someone else than Lunasia.[20] The Isomers forcefully tried to merge with her, as her neural cloud was perfect enough to "accept" them and eventually "bring them home" even if she wasn't a Chosen One, and they took control of her body to order AR-15 not to shoot on any approaching Isomer. Seeing the images from inside the network relayed by UMP45, Persica understood that the Isomers were clones from the same source as M4, explaining their similar appearance.[16] Suspecting William had enabled the situation after M4's nature had been revealed by her run-in with the Nytos, Persica ordered not to let M4 merge her neural cloud with the Isomers. With OGAS' assistance, AR-15 entered M4's neural cloud to rescue her.[16][51]
As OGAS managed to reestablish a connection to M4, they witnessed the final memory in the gestalt mind: the discussion between Elisa, M16 and the Isomers. Accepting her role as a part of the network and M4's role as their dominant mind outfitted with the perfect neural cloud, OGAS let herself be absorbed and attempted to coalesce with M4, but AR-15 saved her.[127] Growing impatient, the Failed Isomer neutralized Squad 404 to physically approach M4,[128] and connected with her to explain her role as the most perfect copy of Lunasia sought by “Father”, ignoring M4's remark that their memories were about Lunasia, but not from Lunasia. While M4 empathized with the Isomer's grief, she wouldn't accept the role of their savior.[129]
With M4, AR-15 and UMP45 freed from the network, M4 concluded that she had lost her OGAS, but this did not sit well with 45 as it would hamper her discovery of the truth behind the Butterfly Incident. 45 argued that their connection was too fundamental to be broken, and lashed at M4 for being willing to let this power escape her.[130] M4, who had been silent about OGAS in fear that it could endanger not only herself but AR Team as a whole, was forced to reveal OGAS to her comrades, but they only reassured their full trust in her. In order to open the city's gates, M4 went to find OGAS while the Griffin troops kept the arriving KCCO forces at bay.[131] Due to their symbiosis, M4's acceptance of her path influenced OGAS's growth. Having gained sufficient ego, she started assimilating the Isomers into herself rather than melding with them.[11]
Confronting Isomer Black in the Epiphyllum field near the city, M4 stalled long enough for OGAS to fully absorb the minds of the Isomers and give them peace,[131] open Tallinn's gates, and return to M4.[132]
| “ | I didn't come here to kill... When I saw those memories, I realized... ...that I had better luck, and that's all there is to it. The more I learn about myself, the more I resent what's behind everything. But I am not like them... We may possess the same memories and are placed on the same scales of destiny, but we're on completely opposite ends. So I want to put an end to her miserable fate and help all those who experienced such misery because of me. If I don't do that...I can't bring myself to walk forward with my head held high. It's time we wrapped up this absurd farce. May these Isomers find peace.[131] | ” |
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M4 then joined AR Team for Operation Golden Fleece, using her cannon to destroy the last generator of the attacking military train.[133] With Griffin's original field server abandoned in their original train, M4's exceptionally vast Neural Cloud was used to store the backups of the Griffin Dolls and act as their central Zener coordinator. After the newly captured train passed through Tallinn and put some distance with the enemy, M4 left OGAS camouflaged on the roof of the train while she explained her situation to the Commander.
M4 used her processing power to unfreeze SOP-II, who had crashed after finding and attacking OGAS, and OGAS explained her story from her awakening to the present. She then asked M4 to give her a name as a new semi-independent entity, and M4 named her Dandelion, since “OGAS sows in the neural cloud of numerous Dolls, just as dandelion florets scatter in the wind and take root in the soil.”[11] Voicing M4's unspoken thoughts, Dandelion proposed to replay some of their memories from the Great Retreat to explain what they went through.[5]
Paldiski Incident[edit]
| “ | Coalescence is not necessarily a mistake. Ego and acceptance are not entirely opposed to each other. |
” |
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As the Commander formed defensive lines on the way to the Paldiski Submarine Base to meet Yegor's troops while waiting for the base's gates to be opened by Squad 404, M4 and AR Team were dispatched to seize the base's shore guns.[135] Using a breach in the northwestern section of the quarantine wall, they reached the bunker complex housing the shore guns server hub in a buggy,[136] but were slowed down as the terrain was rougher than predicted[137] and arrived at the same time as KCCO's Quartz Team.[138]
While AR-15 pinned down the main force of KCCO soldiers in the bunkers and RO and SOP-II guarded the entrance, M4 was guided by Dandelion to the guns control room. Outside the control room, she quickly bested a KCCO team commander in a gunfight, but the wounded soldier cut her off by splashing the room with oil and setting it on fire with a flash grenade. Pushed by his pride, he removed his anti-radiations armor and rushed into the control room to compute a shot on Griffin's defense lines. M4 recovered and shot his hand and arm, but the soldier threw himself on the firing switch.[15] M4 overheated from the fire and crashed shortly after, while the KCCO cut the connection to the cannons' magazines.
After being brought back online by RO, Dandelion advised AR Team to repair the cannons and use them to cover the Griffin troops' retreat. They received the unexpected help of Executioner against the KCCO[139] and AR Team successfully hit KCCO's mobile command center, but had to retreat as their armored units started firing on the cannons.[140] As they retreated towards the base to link back with the Commander, M4 searched for a way to slow down the KCCO troops, and Dandelion proposed a solution. Meeting AR Team in a nearby building, M4 assisted Dandelion in absorbing the consciousness of the frozen Nytos and Sangvis Ferri troops trapped in. As M4 would need to fully dedicate her neural cloud to help, Dandelion asked if M4 had come to trust and not fear her, and she was pleased that M4 had to ponder her answer instead of rejecting her outright like before. M4 somehow felt sympathy and nostalgia for the Nytos that Dandelion absorbed.[134]
AR Team arrived at the base just as Yegor's Amber Flight of Sinner mechs breached the main entrance and made a beeline for the Starfish at the bottom of the base. The Commander transferred command of AR Team to Angelia in order to stop them,[141] but as Elisa was coming close to activating the Starfish, Angelia dispatched M4 alone to stop her[142] despite the impending flooding of the base.[143] After taking down Amber-1 with her cannon, M4 confronted M16 in the elevator descending to the Starfish. M16 refused to join back AR Team and let M4 access Elisa and the Starfish, unless she proved she had grown strong enough.[144][145] As the flooding of the base began, M4 and Dandelion overcame M16 and her own OGAS, the latter willfully merging with Dandelion. Dandelion then pushed M4 to invade M16's memories in order to understand her goals, and M4 discovered the origins of OGAS and the Butterfly Incident. As she determined that Sangvis Ferri were victims of William's plans, she decided to save Elisa and her troops.[146]
Reverse Collapse[edit]
| “ | Sangvis Ferri are victims just like us. We still have a chance of getting them out of here. Elisa is no different. She shouldn't perish where she isn't meant to. I have made a promise to myself. I won't let any of you die here, I swear.[146] | ” |
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M4 also realized that M16 had been opposing her in order to prevent her from merging with OGAS and losing herself. M16 didn't want to join AR Team back as she resented Persica for using them as experiment subjects, but M4 promised that the Commander would shelter them. M16 was impressed as M4 declared she had grown strong to make up for the pain she had caused in the past, and that this reinforced her identity as M4 rather than Lunasia. However, M4's attempt to save Elisa would play into William's hand, so M16 attempted to activate the explosives she had planted on the Starfish beforehands. M4 and Dandelion hacked and stopped her, as M4 wanted to break the cycle of hatred and sacrifice started by William. Moreover, M4 wanted to enlist Sangvis Ferri's help to stop him.[12]
M16 revealed that Elisa's attempt to connect with the Source of OGAS through the Starfish was doomed since she had failed to coalesce with M4 and become perfect enough. M4 invaded Elisa's neural cloud,[147] but Dandelion warned that the Source would try to absorb her.[148] As they attempted to deactivate the Starfish, the voices in the Source recognized M4's face, though they knew she wasn't Lunasia. They warned M4 that she would “bear her own destiny”, “even if [her] future is far removed from Heaven” and her “spirit and soul are crushed to dust”, and that “the world needs her”, though she didn't “have to be someone whom [she doesn't] wish to be”. However, Elisa pushed back M4 and Dandelion's attack, and M4 had to physically sever the connection by attacking the Starfish.[18]
After Elisa was disconnected, Dandelion planned to use the Starfish and local reserves of Collapse fluid to perform a mass teleportation of all present through Reverse Collapse, but could only rely on the unknown coordinates of the Pike node as a destination. Moreover, she needed to coalesce with M4 to process the necessary data, thus making her the Key to the Relics sought by William. After the teleport, Dandelion lost her connection to M4.[149] As M4 was worried about the Commander before her disappearance, Dandelion elected not to go her own way in search for M4 and to stay with Griffin, waging that the Commander and M4's paths would naturally cross again.[150]
Berlin[edit]
| “ | ...There's no place for you in this era. Know when to let go and make a timely exit. M4... | ” |
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The Reverse Collapse sent M4, M16 and Elisa to the Tarot Paradise, a Relic space dedicated to making Lunasia complete. The space's guardian, Laplace's Demon, had M4 live as Lunasia, convincing her that her life as M4 had been a delusion.[152] Elisa also pushed M4 in this direction.[153] The AR Team from a different world line had also joined the Relic space. In their world line, M4 had successfully escaped the Paldiski Incident, but the entire base had collapsed from the activation of the Starfish, killing M16 in the process. Having witnessed the content of the Starfish System, M4 had taken the role of a bargaining chip between the players of the world stage, but she and the Commander had eventually been killed in Frankfurt.[154]
M16 used her privileged communication channel to M4's Neural Cloud to attempt to reason with her,[78] but ultimately had to rely on her power as the Wheel of Fortune to undo the spell on M4 and reveal Laplace's identity.[154] When Laplace's Demon was defeated by the alternate AR Team, M4A1 met with Lunasia herself. Lunasia demonstrated her influence on causality by allowing M4 to temporarily merge with her in order to extend the lifethread of the Commander.[22]
As AR Team and the Commander were pinned down by Narciss and Morridow in Paradeus' Sector D8 lab, M4 took remote control of Dandelion's body just as Squad 404 took down the inhibitors jamming her signals. She stopped Narciss' flying blades[155] before destroying 80% of her body and captured Morridow[156] before falling comatose.[157] The specifics of the fight have not been explained.
M4's awakening at the Griffin safe house produced a strong EM interference that took down RO and SOP-II and caused a neural attack on AR-15 and UMP45. M4 informed the Commander that she could not talk about her present situation for their own safety and that Dandelion's body would not be able to withstand control for an extended period of time. The Commander made it a priority for her to subdue Morridow for interrogation, but M4 expressed her will to “save” Morridow instead.[158] Ignoring Morridow's provocations as she called her “Nimogen”, M4 entered her Virtual Consciousness Image and forced Morridow to confront her status as a flawed version of Machlian and rejection by “Father”, all the while displaying the pity she felt for her. M4 claimed she had only crippled Morridow's ability to transmit to the outside world and “made some simple alterations”, but Morridow had clearly suffered heavy psychological damage and offered to reveal Paradeus intel to the Commander.[159]
As AR Team investigated a Paradeus base to locate Iaso's Boxes, M4 was unbothered by the traps faced by the team members, claiming every life-or-death situation they experienced made them stronger, and she started strangling Morridow to stop her taunting. Morridow tried to make M4 join Paradeus in exchange for releasing the transmission jamming in the base, but M4 managed to restore them by herself.[160] Later, as AR Team was attacked by Grig during their investigations of another Iaso's Box stash, M4 used a strong invisible force to stop Grig from executing Morridow, which drained a lot of her power.[161] Later, when Morridow asked why M4 had helped her and put herself in danger, M4 replied that she couldn't let her go until she had seen “the real Morridow”, before confronting her with her past again. Khaybar felt M4 might have changed, but AR-15 assessed that she retained both M4's indecisiveness and inner goodness.[162]
Following a new lead provided by Morridow,[163] AR Team investigated Berlin Airport, and Morridow was left under M4 and RO's guard. However, M4 convinced RO to allow her to be alone with Morridow, making it the proper talk she meant to have with her. RO only overheard M4 say she would fulfill Morridow' wish[164] before she was taken down by a neural cloud attack, and Morridow seized an helicopter to kidnap the unconscious M4 and bring her to Father. She was stopped by M16A1,[151] who returned M4 and Morridow to the Commander,[165] though she cryptically warned that she was not the “true” M4.[166] When she awakened days later, Dandelion had taken back control of the body, and had no information regarding M4's whereabouts.[167]
Back into Tarot Paradise, M4 realized that her intervention through Lunasia had only slightly extended the Commander's lifethread. To create a world line where AR Team and the Commander all survived, M4 accepted to abandon her life and memories to make Lunasia complete. AR Team also willingly sacrificed themselves to complete the fusion.[22] Before disappearing, M4 made Lunasia promise to carry on the wishes of her loved ones.[23] Lunasia and M4's situation is similar to Angelia and RPK-16's.
| “ | –Elisa: You never hesitate to save others. What bothers you is the sacrifices that others make for you. You only ever step into the dark yourself so that everyone else can bask in the light. –M4A1: What's wrong with that? — [23]
|
” |
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A special Dandelion sprite with M4's eyes appears in the special chapter Alaya-Vijnana at the end of Poincare Recurrence.
After escaping the Commander and returning to Paradeus, Morridow used what she had learned of M4's true nature to make up for her mistakes to William.[168] M4 and AR Team nominally participated in the defense of the Griffin Base in Area S09 during the Fireworks Incident when Persica took remote control of the team's dummies.[169]
Side stories[edit]
Neural Upgrade story[edit]
The night before her first live combat mission, M4A1 is too nervous to sleep and decides to pass time by drawing more contingency plans in the operations room. AR-15 enters the room and asks why M4A1 is preparing so much for a simple recon mission. M4A1 replies she wants to be able to complete the mission flawlessly, which pleases AR-15. Then they talk about the mission, their personal goals and their similarities. As AR-15 goes back to sleep, M4A1 says she will count on her during the mission and STAR responds this is only expected. M4A1 thinks that victory is then expected of her as team leader. A longer version of this story is told in AR-15 MOD Story.
The next stories are retellings of chapters “Splinter Point 1”, E1B2 and E1B3 of Singularity, with some thoughts of M4A1 added. After lamenting that her weakness led her to lose both her comrades and objectives, M4A1 is upgraded by AR AK-12AK-12AK-12 and learn that Captain Yegor attacked SOP-II and RO. As she goes into battle with her improved body, M4A1 concludes that if she lacks comrades to bring victory to, she will find victory in exacting vengeance against her enemies.
Chapter 9N[edit]
During Chapter 9 Night, RF M1 GarandM1 GarandM1 Garand, SMG M3M3M3, AR T77T77T77 and SMG T65T65T65 are shooting a fake video showing AR M16A1M16A1M16A1 alive to cheer up AR T91T91T91. M3 disguises herself as AR M4A1M4A1M4A1, but they get into a heap of troubles as Judge appears and tries to capture her.
Notebook Story - Symphony No. 4 (Suspender of Time costume)[edit]
Wearing the dress commissionned for the Dolls to RF QBU-88QBU-88QBU-88 by the Commander, AR M4A1M4A1M4A1 attends the Griffin banquet with AR Team. Her hopes to use the photo booth to take a new picture of her team are plain to see, so AR ST AR-15ST AR-15ST AR-15 and SMG RO635RO635RO635 have ensured the venue is up to their standards. M4 also spent her salary on liquor to gift her team members, especially AR M16A1M16A1M16A1. But when MG MG34MG34MG34 delivers the package to AR Team's dorm, it is received by AR M4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD II, who ignores the warning slips M4 included in the package to ward her off and starts drinking her bottle.
As M16A1 arrives late to the party from an unexpected mission, she soothes an angry M4 and invites her to a dance. SOP-II's drunkenness throws a wrench in M4's plans to take a group photo, but the team eventually manages to catch RF KSVKKSVKKSVK at the end of the party to take the picture.
Anniversaries[edit]
For the 4 years anniversary of the CN server, players received a message from M4 with a gift of 
x520 and 
x100.
| Click to reveal. |
|---|
| "I have a lot to tell you, but it all ended up written on the water"
Good morning, commander, This should be our first greeting to you, right? Now that I think about it, it has been a while. You being our commander, to this day, has been a path of 4 years. Frankly, to a lot of people, this is something unbelievable. But you certainly have done it, on this point alone, you deserve praise from anyone. I am sure you've heard enough of this sort of clichéd formality. I apologize, in situations like this, I cannot even bring myself to speak my mind. We experienced so much together that many things already couldn't be conveyed by words alone. Our bond and trust, don't need candied words to decorate... The only thing that must be said, the only thing that I can clearly convey is, Commander, the path that we walked together is surely, by no means, false. ... If I get the chance next year, I will reconsider being more "touching" in my words. Not just me, SOP, 15, RO --- and everyone in Griffin, and... 16-nee. We all have so much to tell you, I am but a representative. But even so, at the end, I cannot even convey my thoughts in a sentence for you. If words cannot illustrate our story, then let us write them on the water surface. Good morning, commander. A new day has arrived. |
In her 5th anniversary dialogue, M4 laments that she couldn't be with the Commander for long this year, but says that her nature allows her to experience a sort of embellished version of her memories of the Commander, which comforts her.
The 6th anniversary dialogue is an anonymous message received by the Commander containing an excerpt of The Hollow Men from T. S. Elliot:
...Let me be no nearer
In death’s dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves
No nearer-
Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdom.
In M16A1's 6th anniversary dialogue, she says she also heard a voice in her dreams reciting another part of the poem:
There, the eyes are
Sunlight on a broken column
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind's singing
More distant and solemn
Than a fading star.
Mail - May 2021[edit]
Arrangements Regarding 3rd Anniversary
Dear Commander,
First of all, Happy 3rd Anniversary!
We have finished the preparation work for the 3rd anniversary celebrations, and they will take place according to the schedule that we have previously agreed on. Please arrive on time. Today might be very tiresome for you, because everyone is dressing up and eager to dance with you. Even SOP-II is plotting to snatch up your first dance.
After all, such jubilation is a rare treat for us, so please bear with us...
I'll save the rest for when we meet at the ball. I look forward to dancing with you, as well as celebrating the next anniversary.
Yours,
M4A1
References[edit]
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 9-4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Girls' Frontline, Episode 8-4E
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Under the Wall II
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Beyond the Border I
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Girls' Frontline, Episode 12-2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Operation Cube+, E2-1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-2
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Girls' Frontline, Operation Cube+, E2-4
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, Splinter Point II
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Souvenir
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 Girls' Frontline, Episode 12-1
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Girls' Frontline, Episode 13-1E
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 0-4
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 2-6
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Aperture
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E3-6
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E4-5
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 13-2E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 13-2
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E3-3
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 12-5
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Girls' Frontline, Cartesian Theater, E21
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Girls' Frontline, Cartesian Theater, E22
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 8-6
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 8-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 8-2E
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, End Game
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Fixed Point, E4-10
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 Girls' Frontline, Episode 6-4E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, AR ST AR-15ST AR-15ST AR-15 MOD Story 2
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, Starting Point
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, Splinter Point I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Cat and Mouse I
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E2B1
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E3-3
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, E1-9 Neural Fragment
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, SMG RO635RO635RO635 Neural Upgrade story
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Arctic Warfare, E3-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Arctic Warfare, E2-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 8-4
- ↑ Chapter 9-3
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, E1-1A Nightfall
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, E1-8 Sangvis Elite Outpost
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 Girls' Frontline, Episode 9-2E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, AR M4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD II Cocktail Party Exterminator costume story
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 8-3E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E2A3
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 49.3 Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E1-4
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E3-2
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E4-1
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 8-1E
- ↑ 53.0 53.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 6-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 8-3E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 6-3E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, M4A1's MOD Story 1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 9-3E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 4-2E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 0-1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 0-3
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 1-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 3-4E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 2-1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 2-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 3-6
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 1-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 5-2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 5-6
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 6-3
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 6-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 6-2E
- ↑ 72.0 72.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 7-3
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 7-2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 7-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 7-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 7-6
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Arctic Warfare, E1-1
- ↑ 78.0 78.1 Girls' Frontline, Cartesian Theater, E10
- ↑ 79.0 79.1 79.2 Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Deep Dive, E1-1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, AR XM3XM3XM3 Neural Upgrade story 1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 9-4E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-3
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-5
- ↑ 86.0 86.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-6
- ↑ 87.0 87.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-3E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-1E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-2E
- ↑ 90.0 90.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 10-4E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, E1-2 Safe House
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, E1-5 The Last Day
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E1B1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E1B2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E1B4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E2A3
- ↑ 97.0 97.1 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E2B2
- ↑ 98.0 98.1 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E2B4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E2C4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E2B3
- ↑ 101.0 101.1 Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E3-2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E3-1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E3-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Singularity, E3-5
- ↑ 105.0 105.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 12-3
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 12-2E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 12-3E
- ↑ 108.0 108.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 12-4E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Beyond the Border II
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Beyond the Border III
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Beyond the Border IV
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Under the Wall I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Shark and the Sea III
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Shark and the Sea V
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Shark and the Sea VII
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Above the Hubbub II
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Above the Hubbub III & IV
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Wolf and Owl III
- ↑ 119.0 119.1 Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Above the Hubbub VI
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Shark and the Sea VI
- ↑ 121.0 121.1 Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E2-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E1-1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E1-2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E1-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E2-1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E2-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E4-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E4-3
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E4-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E5-1
- ↑ 131.0 131.1 131.2 Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E5-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E5-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E5-6
- ↑ 134.0 134.1 Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Optical Isomer
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Propagation I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Refraction Point
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Total Internal Reflection I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Interferometer I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Spectrometer I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Recrystallization Resolution II
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Annealing II
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Cutting I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Unfathomable Singularity
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Observable Limits I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 13-3
- ↑ 146.0 146.1 Girls' Frontline, Episode 13-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Blackbody Radiation I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Escape Acceleration I
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Episode 13-4E
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Dual Randomness, Departure Time II
- ↑ 151.0 151.1 Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E3-12
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Cartesian Theater, E6
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Cartesian Theater, E13
- ↑ 154.0 154.1 Girls' Frontline, Cartesian Theater, E18
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Chaos’ Abyss III
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E1-2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E1-7
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E2-2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E2-4
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E2-8
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E2-14
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E2-15
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E3-2
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E3-9
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E3-14
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E4-1
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E5-5
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Fixed Point, E4-3
- ↑ Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, E6-1