()||9<黑屏1>0,10BGM_Empty: ()||9<黑屏2>: ()???||ClothingUpGF_22W_BGM_3:00-Э-00. Erma(17)Erma||:...Who is it? +Who's there...? ()???||:63-Я-180. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:... ()???||:Or perhaps you are more used to being addressed as Erma and AR-18. Erma(17)Erma||:Who are you? ()???||:That's not important. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:...Only Hume Dolls have access to this channel. ()???||:Indeed. That should spare me a self-introduction. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:You're deliberately concealing your ID. +Why? ()???||:Come to Frankfurt. +Then I'll tell you. AR18(4)AR-180,70||ClothingUp:I have no time for your games and riddles. ()???||:Oh? Is that so? ()???||:Your Commander is doomed. Erma(17)Erma||:What? AR18(4)AR-180,70||:...What are you talking about?! ()???||:Soon you will realize I'm telling the truth. +The fact that I could even get in touch with you right now might be your only hope. ()???||:You are leaving the dangerous Black Zone for the maws of a pack of greedy and opportunistic jackals. +And yet you lot, all battered and bruised, are still snoozing. What a precarious situation you're in. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:What are your terms? AR18(2)???0,70<同时置暗>||:It really saves me effort talking to you, AR-18. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:We may all be created by Hume, but my creator doesn't actually mean much to me. +Other than Erma, who is Unit 0, we Hume Dolls mind our own business. +I doubt you came to warn us out of the goodness of your heart. AR18(2)???0,70<同时置暗>||:You are exactly right. +My only term is that you come to Frankfurt. +And bring me along into the Summer Garden. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:You'll only need Erma for that. ()???||:Theoretically speaking, yes, but her amnesia complicates things. +I need insurance that I can achieve my aim on this trip. Erma(17)Erma||:... AR18(2)AR-180,70||ClothingUp:How will you ensure the Commander's safety while we're on our way to Frankfurt? ()???||:The Commander is doomed, but I never said they're not safe. +Whether you can find the key or not will determine whether the Commander can break free from this deadlock. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:William? ()???||:He is certainly important, but not the most important. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:If you're looking to make a deal, at least show some sincerity. ()???||:I am perfectly happy to explain things in more detail, but I'm afraid you're running out of time. +All I can say is that you haven't eradicated Paradeus for good. +This could spell the Commander's doom. AR18(5)AR-180,70||:And you have a solution? ()???||0.6:The solution lies within the Summer Garden. +If you want answers, come immediately to Frankfurt. +Remember, bring only yourselves and no one else. ()???||BGM_Empty:Or your Commander dies. ()||<黑屏1>: ()||<睁眼>683:Ops room on board the Elmo. ()||GF_2022_Summer_AVG_3:Erma opens her eyes and takes in AR-18's grave expression. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:Erma. Erma(17)Erma||:Yes? ()||ClothingUp:Erma gets to her feet and sets the coffee pot upright. The coffee is now lying in a puddle on the floor. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:She woke us up. AR18(2)0,70;Erma(17)Erma||:... +Did we crash? AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(17)||:Yes, and the most dreadful thing is... AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(17)||:The Commander has disappeared. +I went to William's holding cell to check as soon as I regained consciousness. AR18(2)0,70;Erma(17)Erma||:What about Dandelion? Wasn't she with the Commander? AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(17)||:She's nowhere to be found either. Her signal is not within the detectable range of the Elmo. AR18(2)0,70;Erma(15)Erma||:... AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(15)||:The three of them all vanished from the holding cell. AR18(2)0,70;Erma(17)Erma||:William is gone as well... Could this be his doing? AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(17)||:That's not very likely. He was secured to the chair with special restraints, which show no signs of having been undone or sabotaged. +The metal fence separating the interrogation area and the brig was also undamaged. AR18(2)0,70;Erma(15)Erma||:They couldn't have vanished into thin air... AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(15)||:On top of that, it wasn't just us—all the Dolls on board were incapacitated. Erma(13)Erma||:So it's true... ()||AVG_keyboardtype_sci:Erma taps into the Elmo's surveillance system. Erma(13)Erma||:...The Elmo's surveillance and security systems got hacked ten minutes ago, but it didn't trigger an alarm... AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(13)||:Yeah. AR18(2)0,70;Erma(15)Erma||:No traces of an external intruder... It's almost as if they'd been programmed to deactivate themselves beforehand... AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(15)||:Looks like we have no choice but to visit Frankfurt... AR18(2)0,70;Erma(17)Erma||:Do you believe what she said? AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(17)||:The timing is too much of a coincidence. She is definitely suspicious, but that's not good enough a reason to brush her off. +With the Commander's safety being our top priority, this is a risk we have to take. AR18(2)0,70;Erma(15)Erma||:I'm also worried. If she's right, then the Commander is in grave danger... AR18(2)AR-180,70;Erma(15)||:The Elmo is exiting the Black Zone in five minutes. +We must make our move soon. Erma(13)Erma||BGM_Empty:Yeah, let's wake the others. ()||<黑点1>: ()||22<黑点2>:Erma and AR-18 wake the other Dolls and gather them all in the repair workshop. AR18(2)AR-180,70||10056:An emergency has arisen. Here's a brief summary of what we currently know. +The Commander, Dandelion, and William all vanished from the holding cell at the same time. We have tentatively eliminated the possibility of this being a prison break perpetrated by William. +Meanwhile, all the Dolls on board the Elmo were put in sleep mode. Erma(15)Erma||:Nobody entered or left the Elmo during this entire period. RO635Mod(3)RO635||:The Commander, Dandelion, and William all disappeared together... RO635Mod(3);UMP45Mod(0)UMP45||:I knew that guy wouldn't let himself get caught so easily. RO635Mod(0)RO635;UMP45Mod(0)||:Our top priority is to find the Commander as soon as possible. UMP45Mod(0)UMP45||:Yeah, I doubt their situation is any less precarious than ours. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:We will soon exit the "Dead Sea". Someone will be waiting for us out there. RO635Mod(0)RO635||:So we must preserve our strength. UMP45Mod(0)UMP45||:We have plenty of problems on our hands. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:We need to decide who is going to do what right away. There's no time for us to hesitate. UMP45Mod(0)UMP45||:You said someone got in touch with you while we were snoozing? AR18(2)AR-180,70||:Erma, show them the recording. Erma(13)Erma||:Sure. ()||AVG_keyboardtype_sci:Erma shares the audio recording with UMP45 and RO635. Erma(13)Erma||:I couldn't trace the signal to its origin, and voice recognition didn't work either. +But I've confirmed the coordinates she provided—they do indeed correspond to a location in the outskirts of Frankfurt. UMP45Mod(0)UMP45||:She specified that only the two of you could go—why? Erma(13)Erma||:Only Mother's children have access to this channel. AR18(2)AR-180,70||:I suspect Doctor Hume is involved in this matter. UMP45Mod(0)UMP45||:We know nothing about this Doll while she's watching our every move from the shadows. We should probably do this her way. +I don't want to put the Commander at risk. RO635Mod(0)RO635||:Then you two will handle the investigation in Frankfurt. +45 and I will relocate all the Dolls that can still move from the Elmo. It isn't safe here at the moment. AR18(5)AR-180,70||ClothingUp:No, Erma will be going to Frankfurt on her own. AR18(5)0,70;Erma(17)Erma||:You're not coming with me? AR18(5)AR-180,70;Erma(17)||:With all comms down, you and I are the only ones who can still maintain contact. +If both of us drop off the radar in Frankfurt, then we'll lose our only lead to the Commander. Erma(15)Erma||:... UMP45Mod(0)UMP45||:We only have one more minute. Erma(15)Erma||:But... AR18(2)AR-180,70||BGM_Empty:Prepare for departure. Erma(17)Erma||:Huh? ()||<黑点1>: ()||AVG_BaseDoor_Open9<黑点2>:AR-18 pulls open the emergency exit and pushes Erma off the vehicle. ()||<黑点1>: ()||AVG_Cloak_Whoosh485<震屏3><黑点2>:... +Erma tumbles across the ground before finally coming to a stop. Erma(15)Erma||Campaion-58-3:Jeez, she just shoved me without even a warning... AR18(5)AR-180,70<通讯框>||AVG_tele_connect:Erma. ()||:The private channel between the children of Hume is now open. Erma(17)Erma||:I'm here. AR18(5)AR-180,70<通讯框>;Erma(17)||:I'll send Hume's profile to you later. +Stay in touch. Watch out for yourself. +Also... don't trust this Doll. AR18(5)0,70<通讯框>;Erma(13)Erma||:She is certainly suspicious. AR18(5)AR-180,70<通讯框>;Erma(13)||:Even if she can be trusted... +There could be someone else who is using her. AR18(5)0,70<通讯框>;Erma(13)Erma||:I understand. I'll be careful. AR18(2)AR-180,70<通讯框>;Erma(13)||:...And Erma? AR18(2)0,70<通讯框>;Erma(17)Erma||:Hm? AR18(2)AR-180,70<通讯框>||:...I must warn you... Hume is not a good man. Erma(17)Erma||:Why do you say that? AR18(2)AR-180,70<通讯框>;Erma(17)||:From what I know, Dolls of his creation all go mad in the end. +We are given exceptionally special powers, and we meet exceptionally painful ends. +This is the fate shared by all progeny of Hume. AR18(2)0,70<通讯框>;Erma(19)Erma||:I won't go mad. AR18(5)AR-180,70<通讯框>;Erma(19)||:You are special to him. +Still... AR18(5)0,70<通讯框>;Erma(24)Erma||:Heheh, are you worried about me? AR18(2)AR-180,70<通讯框>||:... ()||AVG_tele_disconnect:AR-18 hangs up forcefully. ()||AVG_tele_connect:Beep—Emma receives an offline message. ()||:Focus on your mission. Don't get distracted, and come back soon. +Report any new developments immediately. Erma(24)Erma||:Roger! ()||<黑点1>: ()||9BGM_Empty<黑屏2>: ()||<黑屏1>: ()||534<黑屏2>AVG_wind_grass%%pivot_x=0.5%%pivot_y=0.5%%scale=1.5%%duration=0%%0.1:...In a certain area with multiple villas on the outskirts of Frankfurt. +After walking down a driveway lined with trees whose canopies form a verdant arch overhead and passing several junctions marked by white statues, Erma finally arrives at the entrance of a garden. +The garden is not particularly big, but it is immaculately arranged and decorated in a classical Russian style. Erma(13)Erma||:This... should be it. ()||0.2: ()||ClothingUp%%pivot_x=0.45%%pivot_y=0.5%%scale=1.5%%duration=0.5%%0.1: ()||ClothingUp%%pivot_x=0.55%%pivot_y=0.5%%scale=1.5%%duration=0.7%%0.4: ()||%%pivot_x=0.5%%pivot_y=0.5%%scale=1.2%%duration=1.2%%0.1: Erma(13)Erma||:I should give AR-18 an update. AR18(5)AR-180,70<通讯框>||AVG_tele_connect:...Have you reached Frankfurt? AR18(5)0,70<通讯框>;Erma(13)Erma||:Yes. I'm just outside the designated location. +It does look very much like a summer garden. AR18(2)AR-180,70<通讯框>;Erma(13)||:Right. Only go in after you've assessed the surroundings and your own physical condition. AR18(2)0,70<通讯框>;Erma(13)Erma||:Got it. How are things on your end? AR18(2)AR-180,70<通讯框>;Erma(13)||:We are also headed to Frankfurt. Things are probably going to get a bit messy. I'll fill you in later. Erma(13)Erma||:Alright, then I'm going in. ()||AVG_Door_Open_Close:Creeeeak... Erma pushes open the iron gate leading into the garden and steps into the silent night. ()||AVG_whitenoise:Buzz... +An ear-splitting buzz suddenly comes out of nowhere. ()||<黑点1>: ()||AVG_Team_Running<黑点2>:When Erma finally regains her senses, she realizes that the gate behind her has closed. Several military scouts leap out in the quiet garden. Erma(17)Erma||:Hm? Scouts? Erma(19)Erma||:Hey! I'm a guest with an invitation... NPC_Stevens520(3)???<通讯框>||BGM_Hume_FourAdventuresAVG_tele_connect:Where's AR-18? Erma(19)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(3)<通讯框>||:She's not coming. +You just need me to get here in one piece, don't you? +Well, here I am. There's no need for her to come along. Erma(19);NPC_Stevens520(3)???<通讯框>||:That's true. Inviting her along was just a fail-safe. +Whatever. She's always been lackadaisical and utterly undependable. Erma(23)Erma||:...That's the first time I've heard her described like that. Erma(23);NPC_Stevens520(3)???<通讯框>||:Tsk. +You were the first to call her undependable, Erma. Erma(23)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(3)<通讯框>||:Huh??? Erma(23);NPC_Stevens520(3)???<通讯框>||:Ah, well. That was a long time ago. Of course you've forgotten all about that. Erma(19)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(3)<通讯框>||:Now that I'm here, shouldn't you introduce yourself? Erma(19);NPC_Stevens520(3)???<通讯框>||:09-П-39. +Or you can call me Stevens M520 if you like. Erma(23)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(3)<通讯框>||:Stevens M520... +Are you my elder or younger sister? NPC_Stevens520(1)Stevens M520<通讯框>||:The concept of biological sisterhood does not apply to Dolls. Erma(19)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(1)<通讯框>||:I mean... Who came first, me or you? Erma(19);NPC_Stevens520(1)Stevens M520<通讯框>||:Stop asking such pointless questions. +You've already asked me this very question 3,874 times. Erma(17)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(1)<通讯框>||:... +Have we known each other for that long? NPC_Stevens520(0)Stevens M520<通讯框>||:At least you don't lose IQ points the way you lose your memory... ()||:As the conversation comes to an awkward pause, Erma looks around and takes in her surroundings. ()||AVG_wind_grass:The fountain in the center of the garden remains faithful to its post, spewing jets of water up into the air tirelessly. +The golden statue of a goddess on the fountain peers down coldly at Erma from her high perch as she slinks past. ()||ClothingUp:Erma turns to look behind her, but nobody is there. Stevens M520 is still only talking to her via the comms channel. +The villa itself is still silent and motionless. She is certain that the garden is unoccupied save for herself and the unfriendly-looking scouts. Erma(23)Erma||:Why don't you show yourself? +I've followed your instructions and made my way here. Erma(23);NPC_Stevens520(1)Stevens M520<通讯框>||:If I showed myself now, you'd bound over like an excited puppy and start comparing heights with me, getting dirt all over my dress in the process. +All just to satisfy your stupid curiosity. +I have no more patience for your nonsense. Erma(17)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(1)<通讯框>||:How did you know? Erma(17);NPC_Stevens520(0)Stevens M520<通讯框>||:Just speaking from experience. Erma(24)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(0)<通讯框>||:I promise I won't. Erma(24);NPC_Stevens520(1)Stevens M520<通讯框>||:You never keep your promises, except to Doctor Hume. Erma(23)Erma;NPC_Stevens520(1)<通讯框>||:You seem to know me very well. NPC_Stevens520(1)Stevens M520<通讯框>||:If I got to choose, I'd rather not know you at all. +It's been quite a few years, Erma. Let me see how much you've grown. ()||AVG_Team_Running:The scouts standing around the garden suddenly lunge towards Erma. ()||AVG_Grey_Hand_Mech:Even more strange mechanical monstrosities from further away start gathering in this direction. +Much to Erma's surprise, one of the approaching Doll Dummies is armed with an Erma Maschinenpistole. Erma(17)Erma||BGM_Empty:...Why do you have my Dummy...? NPC_Stevens520(1)Stevens M520<通讯框>||:There are questions that I've already answered countless times before you even ask them. ()||<黑点1>: