()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>9</BIN>:...A short while ago. Griffin City. +...Dana and Super-Shorty are in a White Knight transport van, wobbling back and forth during their bumpy ride.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Hey, shorty... +...We're here.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:What? Where are we?
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||<BGM>m_va_glitch_city</BGM>:Griffin City, of course. +Welcome to the last bastion of civilization on Earth, shorty.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:... +I must say...this transport van doesn't have windows and I can't see anything. +How do you know we're in Griffin City?
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:Of course I know. +The tires make a different sound now. Only Griffin City has roads like this.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||<黑屏1>:Hah...
达娜()<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||<BIN>166</BIN><Night><黑屏2>:And then there's the street ambience. Can't you hear them? +The sounds of footsteps, talking, electrical currents, music... This city isn't a place that can be experienced just by sight.
Super-Shorty()<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:Maybe it's because I just woke up, but I can't tell the difference between a city and a desert. +In my memories, humans used to be everywhere. They conquered all the deserts and the seas, and the world was scattered with their cities and footprints...
达娜()<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:That's no big deal. The dinosaurs did it too, although their feats of engineering weren't as impressive...
Super-Shorty()<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:Then...do you feel sad, Dana? +I know that humans are...a species that think of themselves as pretty extraordinary... +In a certain bygone age, every human believed that they could carve out a new future before the end came for them... +That they could escape the solar system on spaceships, or sail the entire Earth to another galaxy. They once believed that so fervently, and they were so optimistic...
达娜()<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||<黑屏1>:Heh...you're actually shedding tears. And here I was wondering if I should say "actually, I don't feel sad at all."
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏2><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:...Super-Shorty's tears turn into laughter.
SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||<BGM>m_va_reminiscence</BGM>:And you still said it anyway. +I'm not the type to be sentimental. It's just that while I was checking my neural cloud's factory settings, I also went through the attached data on human civilization... +I still remember human languages, human greetings, human table manners, as well as how humans lived in the age when I was made. +It was a great, winding, yet interesting stretch of history. And now, after I woke up, they're...all gone, along with their smiles.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:Humans will vanish someday, shorty. The trilobites, refrigerators, the entire cosmos...everything comes to an end someday. +No matter when the end comes, there will be a few humans left behind to witness it. It just so happens to be us. +It's all a matter of probability on a long enough time scale.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:You mean you can accept everything? Accept this reality?
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:I'm enjoying my time in spite of it. I don't want to live for the sake of a historical figure or famous relic. +I don't care what happens to the world. No matter how bad my life becomes, I just want every second of it to belong to me.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:An hour ago you were tumbling down the side of a cliff with your enemy in someone else's car and now you're waxing philosophical, Dana.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:Heh, all the impulsive things I do are carefully calculated. A lot of times, instinct and spontaneity are the best way forward. +I don't plan and evaluate every move, shorty...I just act.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:As a Doll, I don't quite understand how you do things, but you certainly are cool enough — Given my factory-set personality, that's not a word I use to describe others often.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:Thank you. That's the best compliment you could give me. +As a reward, I'll tell you something, shorty.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:What's that?
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:You're very cute.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker><Shake>||:Er... +You do know that I'm a Tactical Doll, and that being called cute doesn't make me happy, right?
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:I'm sorry, but your cuteness is an objective fact.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:An objective fact, you say?
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:It's as objective a fact as the gold color of your hair.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:...
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:Are you blushing?
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:...I-I'm just looking at my hair.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:Looks like you're starting to accept a few objective facts.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:...You mean the fact that I'm cute?
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:I mean the fact that the world is going to end.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:...
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||:...The two of them fall silent for a moment, and then they burst into laughter at the same time.
SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:Aha...I'm seriously contemplating which of them is easier to accept.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:...Just then, the transport van comes to a halt.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||<黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:Looks like this is our stop. +Let's go, shorty. Time for your checkup.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>4</BIN><睁眼><Night><BGM>BGM_Brain</BGM>:...+ ...Under the watchful gaze of the White Knight mechs, Dana and Super-Shorty get off the van and arrive at the gate of the White Knight base.
SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:It's nighttime now...
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:Good Southern Hemisphere, shorty. +It seems like Jericho's on another mission. You'll have to enter by yourself.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:Um...
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:Don't worry. The White Knights won't hurt you.
Dana(0)<Speaker></Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||:...The White Knights step forward to escort Super-Shorty away.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:...Dana. +When I first met you, my factory-set personality told me that I should be hating you, probably because you kept calling me "shorty".
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:Then you can call me "Red Comet".
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||<震屏>:Like heck I will! And why do you deserve such a cool nickname!? +What I'm trying to say is, I don't dislike you so much now. I'm more afraid of what's going to happen next...
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>;SuperShorty(0)||<BGM>BGM_Wake</BGM>:You'll be fine, shorty. +This is a checkup that'll only take less than half an hour. I'll be waiting out here for you. We'll go to a bar afterward.
Dana(0);SuperShorty(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:Let me get this out of the way first, I don't want to drink anything alcoholic.
Dana(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||:...The White Knights lead Super-Shorty to the base's main building.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Non-alcoholic drinks are way more expensive than alcohol. You won't find anything even resembling a tea leaf in Griffin City's commercial districts. It's industrial alcohol all the way down.
Dana(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||:...As Super-Shorty is escorted further away, their voices grow louder and louder as they continue their conversation.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:<Size=40>Don't tell me you drink industrial alcohol too?</Size>
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:<Size=40>I've still got a few cases of Hassy at home.</Size>
Dana(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:<Size=45>I don't even know what Hassy is...</Size>
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:<Size=45>You'll find out after you're done inside.</Size>
Dana(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||:...Super-Shorty enters the elevator.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:<Size=50>Hey, shorty!</Size>+<Size=50>If there's a way to recover your memories, I'd be happy to help you out, but sometimes, losing your memory isn't always a bad thing.</Size>+<Size=50>You're free now. No matter what happens, you should take it in stride.</Size>+<Size=50>Your past isn't everything, you get what I mean?</Size>
Dana(0)<Speaker>Super-Shorty</Speaker>||:<Size=50>I will take certain objective facts into consideration.</Size>
Dana(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||:...Super-Shorty smiles, and the elevator doors close on her.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:...+Alright, now...
Dana(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:...Dana turns to the White Knight mech behind her.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:How do you do, my White Knight friend. Can I wait at the entrance right here?
Dana(0)<Speaker>White Knights</Speaker>||:...
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Uh... +Bonjour?
Dana(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||:...The nearby White Knights do not respond. +...Dana looks around. There are no Dolls or humans nearby. All the White Knight mechs stand in place, still as statues.
Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Hola—! + やほ—! +您好—! +Let me think... There's also... +...Lei hou? +Hmm... They say spoken Chinese includes Mandarin, Cantonese, and all kinds of dialects, so was my intonation off?
Dana(0)<Speaker>White Knights</Speaker>||:...
Dana(2)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Hey, do you have sand in your hearing modules?
Dana(2)<Speaker></Speaker>||:...The White Knight in front of Dana slowly raises its firearm and points it at her.
Dana(2)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Oh? Have the White Knights changed the way they greet people recently? Or...
Dana(2)<Speaker>???</Speaker>||<黑屏1>:Get down, Dana!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>9</BIN><SE1>Explode</SE1>:...Boom! +A grenade hits the White Knight in front of Dana, and a massive explosion sends her flying!
Dana(2)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Boss</BGM>:(Cough cough) ...Dammit, what the hell—!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<白屏1>:...The scene is in chaos. Humans and Dolls are trying to stop the berserk White Knight mechs, but to no avail.
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>||<BIN>4</BIN><Night><白屏2><火花>:Hey! Over here, over here!
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||:...As the berserk mechs rush toward Dana, she turns and sees Architect waving from behind a cover. +...Dana nimbly evades the mechs and rolls behind the cover.
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Although you might think I'm bragging, but I really could've dodged their attacks!
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:I know. I've seen the videos from when you were an auxiliary cop, but I doubt you could dodge gunfire from ten-odd mechs at once.
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:I've certainly never had the chance to try that. +So, what's all this about? Should I ask why the White Knights are attacking me, or should I pretend to be concerned about you and ask how you escaped? The White Knights should have put electronic shackles on you, right?
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:As for your first question, Anna's on the move. She's assumed direct control of the White Knight mechs and has driven them all berserk, and it seems like you are not an important character in her script.
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Anna? Who's Anna?
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:Good question. Since we're in the middle of a battlefield, I'll cut things short. +Anna is the true master of this city, and the final boss of the entire incident.
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:Very good, that's easy enough to understand.
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:As for your second question, do you really care about the answer?
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:A little. You're not like the other S.F., and I really am curious. By the way, are you good in a fight?
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:If the place allowed for it, I wouldn't mind going a couple of rounds with you, but—
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker></Speaker>;Dana(0)||<SE1>Explode</SE1><震屏>:...Architect quickly pokes her head out and launches another grenade.+Boom!
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:But now's not the time, and there's someone else you should be concerned about right now, isn't that right?
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:You're right. Shorty... I bet she's in danger!
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:I don't know what's up with that kid, but the White Knights went crazy the moment she entered the building. You know what that means, right?
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:I don't care how that Anna wants to write her shitty script, but I'm going to wreck it!
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:Don't tell me you're going to dismantle all the mechs on the base by yourself? You should get some of those Dolls and natives to help you out!
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:I will, and you have got to help me, Architect.
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:Hahaha! My wealth of kindness is positively trembling at the idea! But you do remember that you're the one who caught me and brought me here, right?
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||:I'll pay you with Hassy.
BOSS-9(0)<Speaker>Architect</Speaker>;Dana(0)||:Oh? I love Hassy! You got yourself a deal!
BOSS-9(0);Dana(0)<Speaker>Dana</Speaker>||<黑点1>:To be honest, I've always wanted to throw down with those white chrome domes. +Now...in the name of cuteness, let the battle begin!
()||<黑点2><BIN>10</BIN>: