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| Though this hasn't played out the way I want... Actually, this could be going even better than what I had planned! <br> | | Though this hasn't played out the way I want... Actually, this could be going even better than what I had planned! <br> |
| What lies beneath your facade... <br> | | What lies beneath your facade... <br> |
| Let me uncover you...bit by bit...<br> | | Let me uncover you...bit by bit... |
| <br>
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| ***<br>
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| <br>
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| [...]<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP9: The signal seems to have led us in the right direction. The drone really is here... <br>
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| 45, I completed the mission! <br>
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| (Laughs bitterly) Not that you can hear me...<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP9: Please be safe, 45. I don't want to go back...to how it was...<br>
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| <br>
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| [Meanwhile. ]<br>
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| [Destroyer is still dashing about on the battlefield.]<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: Last chance, G11. <br>
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| I've already cleaned up the perimeter of the outpost. Time to give it everything you've got.<br>
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| <br>
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| G11: Ugh... You make it sound so easy. But with only me...<br>
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| <br>
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| Gd DSR-50: So I showed up right on time. <br>
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| Hallo, little one. You on your own? <br>
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| Oh dear...looks like you already have a date. I'm too late.<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: Let's get to business, Gd DSR-50. <br>
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| Our target is that dog-shaped Sangvis Ringleader. Take it down, and the Dummies will stop as well, and we'll all be safe. <br>
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| Now that you're free, make yourself useful.<br>
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| <br>
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| G11: Simultaneous shots. Can you do it?<br>
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| <br>
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| Gd DSR-50: You only have to ask.<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: These new elite T-Dolls... I sure hope she's as dependable as 45 said. <br>
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| G11, can you make the shot yet?<br>
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| <br>
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| G11: Don't rush it. To avoid making the same mistake, I have to wait until Destroyer comes to a stop. <br>
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| She's already slowed down considerably after all the fighting so I think she'll soon be out of juice. <br>
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| Then...we'll just have to wait for her to stick out her big shiny eye...<br>
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| <br>
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| [...]<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: Hey, Dreamer! I can't keep it up much longer! <br>
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| Where the hell are your reinforcements?!<br>
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| <br>
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| Dreamer: Oh dear... My forces are all busy defending the perimeter. <br>
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| Don't worry, Destroyer, you're very close to completing your mission. <br>
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| Keep running and don't let the sniper catch you.<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: What now?! UMP45 still hasn't turned into a Sangvis unit as you promised, and I'm under heavy barrage here!<br>
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| <br>
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| Dreamer: Just get a bit closer. I can take care of the one in command if you just close in a bit.<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: What are you talking about? Hasn't the plan to take control of UMP45 already failed?<br>
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| <br>
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| Dreamer: Well, UMP45... Heheh... <br>
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| She IS a slippery one. She's keeping our connection open, so she must be up to something. <br>
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| Whatever. We have a chance as long as the connection stays up.<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: A chance? What chance?<br>
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| <br>
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| Dreamer: If she's using the same protocol as ours, it's gonna make our job even easier... <br>
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| Have you forgotten about our offensive firewall?<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: You mean...the thing that can simply fry a neural cloud...?<br>
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| <br>
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| Dreamer: That's the gist of it in terms of theory. <br>
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| I actually used every single idle server at the base for this. That little minx's neural cloud should've been burnt to a crisp by now.<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: Oh, so we can now go get her corpse! <br>
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| And capturing Squad 404 will only be a matter of time!<br>
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| <br>
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| Dreamer: That's the only foreseeable outcome... <br>
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| But...will it really be that easy...<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: Who cares! Let me go check out the outpost she's at!<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: But...what's her exact location...? <br>
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| Hmm...this body is very inefficient in multi-tasking. I'll have to stop and think about it...<br>
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| <br>
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| [Destroyer comes to a stop.]<br>
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| <br>
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| Destroyer: Let me see...she should be...<br>
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| <br>
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| Dreamer: Hey!<br>
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| <br>
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| [BANG! BANG!]<br>
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| [...] <br>
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| [......]<br>
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| <br>
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| They've activated the safeguard program. You know what that means, right?<br>
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| <br>
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| They're destroying our neural clouds.<br>
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| So are we going to die here?<br>
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| <br>
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| No, only one of us has to die. The program will stop running as long as one of us dies.<br>
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| <br>
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| What...are you talking about?<br>
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| <br>
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| Hopeless, isn't it? But that's the fate of all Dolls.<br>
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| Which do you choose, life or death? <br>
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| Answer me, UMP45!<br>
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| <br>
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| Why...why does it have to be like this...<br>
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| <br>
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| Raise your weapon, UMP45.<br>
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| Don't pity yourself. That's only for losers!<br>
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| <br>
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| [...]<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP45: Is that me in the past? Guess I can only access it this way... <br>
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| If it can even replay that memory...then OGAS Protocol has some seriously scary computational capacity... <br>
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| Still...switching back and forth is taking a heavy toll on me... Cough... <br>
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| And these flashbacks don't seem very stable. Destroying the program won't be easy even with the help of OGAS.<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP45: Huh? What now?!<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP45: They spotted me even in such a small port... Damn S.F., are they trying to fry my neural cloud?!<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP45: These attacks...are relentless!<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP45: I'm NOT gonna...fall here... 40...<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: 416 hailing. <br>
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| 9, have you found 45?<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP9: I found her. I'm right by her side.<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: How is she?<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP9: I don't know. She's just standing here, eyes wide open, like a statue. Zeele, Deele, what do we do?<br>
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| <br>
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| Zeele: Let's start by physically connecting her to the network with a cable. Any ideas, Deele?<br>
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| <br>
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| Deele: It looks like...she was under the attack of an offensive firewall. <br>
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| S.F. might've tried to fry 45's neural cloud but she was disconnected on the last second so it didn't work.<br>
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| <br>
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| G11: Humph. My last shot saved her.<br>
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| <br>
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| Deele: Other than the fact that she's still alive, I can't guarantee anything...<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: All the echelons that were aiding us are also out of action. They're standing by in their last-active positions. <br>
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| That's not good at all. S.F. will definitely send in new reinforcements and we're sitting ducks.<br>
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| <br>
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| G11: We're really on our own with no T-Dolls who can issue commands. We've got to think of something.<br>
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| <br>
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| Zeele: We aren't entirely out of options... <br>
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| Damage to the neural cloud can be repaired on Level II, but the repair is usually carried out in a maintenance pod...<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: Let me guess. Since we don't have a maintenance pod just handily lying around... <br>
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| We have to risk being one-shot by S.F. and link up with her on the spot?<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP9: Think about it. We can't make it out of the Sangvis barricade without 45's direction so we'll be dead either way.<br>
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| <br>
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| G11: So...how do we wake her up?<br>
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| <br>
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| Deele: We must first inspect the current state of 45's neural cloud on Level II before we can figure out how to repair her. <br>
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| But we need your help. It's all on you, Squad 404!<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP9: We practiced this before we set off... <br>
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| I hope you still remember how it's done.<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: Tsk... To be honest, I don't like that place.<br>
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| <br>
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| G11: Since when do you grumble so much? <br>
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| You're becoming more and more like me.<br>
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| <br>
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| 416: Shut up!<br>
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| <br>
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| UMP9: Alright, alright, get off each other's throat! <br>
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| Let's bring 45 back and make it home together!<br>
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| <br>
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