just words

"Please help me escape from this place."
"I need your help with something, Chief."

"I think we should learn the local customs."
"What if we destroyed the documents instead?"

"I'd like a Western omelette with spicy fries."
"Please bring me two hamburgers."

"I'm very sorry that you had to see that, Chief."
"This tragedy is no one's fault but our own."

"I like your use of color, but we need to work on the shapes."
"The typography of the signage could be improved."

"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet."
"The indigo triangles are a warning sign."

"I'll tell you where it is if you promise to leave this city."
"What is the one object you want most in this world?"

"Trish is an excellent dancer."
"Don knows many important things."

"The city actually has fifty districts, not forty."
"I'm sorry, I think you brought me the wrong omelette."

"They have to work on the Fourth of July."
"I have no choice but to complete the mission."

"Thanks for the input, everyone."
"Hal, can you please write up everyone's action items?"

"Ed, I didn't realize you were invited..."
"Ann! What you doing here?"

"Living things can change their forms."
"We now know that life can exist almost anywhere."

"I'm trying to tell you something, but you're just not listening."
"I never actually thought you were a good dancer."

"We just ate an hour ago, but we'll join you for a drink."
"I just saw Jay-Z perform a song about New York City."

"Our anniversary is on April 14th."
"Something terrible happened on May 10th."

"I'm in love with you, but you're not here."
"You can't understand what it's like to be stuck here."

"Seize the mortgages immediately."
"I don't care what Chief said. You are going to complete this assignment."

"I'm not prepared for the big presentation."
"Don knows what happened on the riverboat."

"You know what, you're right, the indigo carpet does look better."
"I never said that I condoned it. I just said that I wouldn't have been able to stop it."

"Trish talked loudly throughout dinner. I think she'd had one too many drinks."
"I saw his arm get torn off like a ticket stub."

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10."
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

"Excuse me. Could you point me towards the exit?"
"Can I ask you why you chose to come here?"

"The city must have thousands of skyscrapers by now."
"I wonder who the President is?"

"If I knew more about the 'net, I'd find a solution myself."
"We might still be together if we hadn't gone on that mission."

"She is the finest regulator I have ever worked with."
"That was the worst argument we've ever had."

"Hey Ed, how are you?"
"I have to go. It was great to see you."

"Could you pass the food, please?"
"Thanks very much for all of your help."

"It's too late to change things now."
"The machine needs one of its parts replaced."

"Hello. Can I speak with Don, please?"
"Would you mind if I left him a message?"

"Everyone wants a million dollars."
"She made a million dollars in a single trade."

"Avicii is a Swedish house producer."
"Avicii began to DJ to escape the Swedish winter."

"'Bye Bye' is an inspirational power ballad."
"Say bye bye to the city that you love."

"Kid Cudi released his first mixtape in 2008."
"Kid Cudi grew up in a suburb of Cleveland."

"Florsheim Shoes was founded by Milton Florsheim in 1892."
"In 2010, Florsheim announced a partnership with Duckie Brown."

"I'd do it if I didn't have band practice tomorrow."
"I'd do it if I weren't a well-known professional skateboarder."

"GIF stands for Graphic Interchange Format."
"GIF was developed by CompuServe in 1987."

"I'd love to, but I have a business meeting in ten minutes."
"I'd love to, but PCP can be detected in a urine test 3 to 7 days after use."

"Happy Birthday to you."
"We'd all like to wish Trish a happy birthday."

"I can't let you have that for obvious reasons."
"You can try it when you turn 18."

"I love you and I think about you constantly."
"I've been trying to tell you that I love you for more than two years." (sirens in background)

"Nial Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson."
"The members of One Direction were born in the early nineties."

"Imgur is a popular image hosting service."
"Imgur was founded in 2009."

"Oppa was a membor of the Visigothic elite."
"Oppa died in the eighth century."

"Louis Tomlinson is a member of the boy band One Direction."
"Louis Tomlinson was born in 1991."

"A quesadilla consists of a folded tortilla filled with cheese and other ingredients."
"Quesadillas are popular in the American Southwest."

"Lacoste was founded in France in 1933."
"The Lacoste logo is a crocodile."

"Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were created by H.B. Reese in the 1920s."
"Reese's was once a sponsor of Nascar driver Kevin Harvick."

"Marlboro brand cigarettes are proudly produced by Altria Group, Inc."
"Visit altria.com to learn more about the health benefits of Marlboro brand cigarettes."

"Rihanna's name means "sweet basil" in Arabic." (Strange sound at 0:17)
"Rihanna's full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty."

"Niall Horan is a member of the boy band One Direction."
"Niall Horan was born in 1993."

"I'm sorry that I let you do this to me."
"I'm sorry that we tried to be young heroes."

"The hors d'oeuvre paired fresh squid with orange."
"There is one hor d'oeuvre I cannot name."

"TomSka is a video producer from England"
"TomSka's real name is Thomas Ridgewell."

"We stayed up all night preparing for the mission."
"These days it seems I'm always up all night."

"The band One Direction is sponsored by Pokémon."
"One Direction's favorite Pokémon character is Pikachu."

"Ombre was a popular card game in the 1600s."
"I've heard their CEO is one macho ombre."

"I have a question: where can I find you?"
"Don's abilities are beyond question."

"Zayn Malik is a member of the boy band One Direction."
"Zayn Malik was born in 1993."

"Malik is an Arabic word meaning 'king.'"
"Famous Maliks include Terrence, Charles, and Saleem."

"Yahoo! Internet Life is a magazine about 'net culture."
"Yahoo! received more than a million hits."

"His yacht has a full-size game room."
"Even yacht ownership eventually gets old."

"'Don't worry,' I said, 'guacamole is an acquired taste.'"
"A: Chief doesn't want guacamole on his taco."
"B: Then he can scoop the guacamole out with his bare hands."

"'I'm not worried," she said. 'I'm just hungry.'"
"A: You look worried. What did you see in the auditorium?"
"B: I am worried. I can never tell you what I saw there."

"She was wearing Salvatore Ferragamo in the jungle." (Sirens)
"A: Where was Salvatore Ferragamo born?" (Sirens)
"B: Salvatore Ferragamo was born in the country of Italy."

"I was still adjusting to the new biome myself."
"A: The tundra is my favorite biome."
"B: Who can choose a favorite? All biomes are interdependent."

"At first, it was difficult to coordinate with the guerillas."
"A: I think the first coordinate is wrong ... there's nothing here."
"B: Check the meter again before you blame the coordinate."

"Her Spanish was good, so she became the liaison."
"A: Did you know I had a liaison with an investment banker?"
"B: Please don't talk about liaisons in the office." (rustling in background)

"I read Ptolemy under the southern stars."
"A: I hear they're transferring Ptolemy to the Malibu office."
"B: Ptolemy requested that transfer himself, Brian." (rustling/shuffling in background)

"My boots are too formal for the jungle and too casual for the city."
"A: These boots are so tight I might die."
"B: Those boots keep your legs dry." (rustling/shuffling in background)

"The work is painful; the adrenaline is an analgesic."
"A: Please give me an analgesic."
"B: I'll give you an analgesic when you admit you were wrong."

"Verizon was, and still is, a valued corporate partner."
"A: The Verizon Hub media phone can recieve picture messages."
"B: The Verizon Hub media phone has recipes you won't find anywhere else." (tape peeling at end?)

"The banking team is surprisingly well-versed in metallurgy."
"A: Without metallurgy, we wouldn't have brass."
"B: Metallurgy is the prince of the sciences."

"I can't RSVP until I have a disguise."
"A: What does RSVP really mean?"
"B: RSVP? Let's go to France to find out."

"We arrived at the brasserie dressed as caterers."
"A: I've never been to such an upscale brasserie."
"B: Brasserie etiquette should be the least of your concerns, Franco" (sirens)

"Her svelte figure caught the minister's eye, just as Chief predicted."
"A: You're looking svelte in that jumpsuit."
"B: Svelte or not, it's the itchiest thing I've ever worn."

"Jackie was lucky no one picked up on his accent."
"A: 7 is a lucky number."
"B: There's one number that is the opposite of lucky."

"She served pepperoncini with a tight smile as I photographed documents in the kitchen."
"A: You need more than just pepperoncini for a meal."
"B: I'm hungry for crunchy Tuscan pepperoncini."

"The minister recoils from the gaudy Merlot pairing ... is our cover blown?"
"A: This Merlot reminds me of my youth."
"B: This Merlot reminds me of the City of Dream."

"We had no idea we were enabling the oogenesis of a new power."
"A: Oogenesis is the creation of an egg cell."
"B: This oogenesis is taking too long."

"The gala was ruined by jealous love."
"A: Decorations for the gala hang in the square."
"B: We haven't had a gala like this in 700 years."

"We retreated to the jungle as fireworks lit the southern sky."
"A: I hope we finish in time to see the fireworks."
"B: Something about these fireworks is not right."

"It was the first of several times Jackie would blame things on Belarus."
"A: Belarus exports tractors, caprolactam, and dairy."
"B: Belarus sounds like my kind of place."

"I lay in the hammock at base, dreaming of LA."
"A: I'm lying in a hammock, but I'm not relaxed."
"B: You've been in that hammock far too long."

"We would resume our reconnaissance in the morning; for now, we tried to forget about the mission." (Sirens)
"A: I did some reconnaissance on the snack food situation."
"B: Reconnaissance alone is not going to solve our department's pastry issues." (Sirens)

"'This is all I was able to procure,' she said, producing a bottle of Dom Pérignon."
"A: Dom Pérignon was a French Benedictine monk."
"B: Let's learn more about the Order of Saint Benedict over a flute of Dom Pérignon."

"Glyph sulked in his tent as the rest of us gathered for pinochle."
"A: We all headed to the mess hall for some pinochle."
"B: There's more to the mess hall than just pinochle, you know."

"Chief, who had posed as a waiter, said Lasso had been seated at the president's table."
"A: Lasso jumped out the window and landed on his motorbike."
"B: They're never gonna catch a kid like Lasso."

"I finished the last of the now-warm champagne and said goodnight."
"A: Champagne with ham? What a fantastic pairing!"
"B: That's not champagne, Franco ... it's sparkling wine."

"She stumbled into my tent an hour later, surprisingly tipsy for a femme fatale."
"A: When it comes to the markets, she's a femme fatale."
"B: Colleen is a femme fatale when it comes to the tacos."

"Eventually I yield to uneasy jungle dreams."
"A: The collateralized debt obligations yield massive profits."
"B: Jackie will not yield in his dark quest for the mortgages."

"A temple of finance two thousand feet above the mega-city."
"A: Jackie has a war to finance now."
"B: I should have gone into finance."

"They each have a Sausage McMuffin around the corner; it's the only affordable meal in the Zone."
"A: This dish is David Chang's reimagining of the Sausage McMuffin."
"B: It's charitable to call this a "reimagining" of a Sausage McMuffin, Franco."

"The radio still works in the elevator, of course."
"A: Trapped in a radio ... what a terrible fate." (Thunder)
"B: There's a lot to listen to on this radio."

"A familiar feeling ... has he been in this building before?"
"A: Those five people look familiar."
"B: The dish had a familiar flavor."

"He's wearing his formal uniform: white shoes, red suit, blue radio."
"A: She wore white after Labor Day!"
"B: I can't say I'm surprised -- I saw her wear white to a funeral."

"You can dress for success, but you can't have it all."
"A: Henri can do things that Franco can't."
"B: I can still hope for Mendoza's cooperation, but I can't imagine how we'll explain this to Chief." (Crackling/burning in background, car beeps)

"We awoke to the sound of Jackie strumming a mournful Latin melody on his guitar."
"A: Hand me my guitar, please."
"B: I'll hand you the guitar when you give me back my mortgage."

"I knew immediately that something was wrong."
"A: Did she go through the wrong door?"
"B: Even wrong doors can lead to opportunity."

"He seemed absent as we planned the route for the day's expedition."
"A: Is there a route that passes through the mountains, the beaches, and the countryside?"
"B: That's asking a lot of just one route."

"We would hike to the beach, stopping in town for a cerveza."
"A: What's your favorite beach activity?"
"B: I know a place on the beach where anything is possible."

"Even in times of war we must occasionally enjoy a drink with friends."
"A: What famous war ended with a battle between twin generals on opposite sides?"
"B: I can't remember any of the wars."

"'We are cursed with an impossible mission in hell,' I said, taking the final slice of breakfast quiche."
"A: What famous quiche from Southern France features basil and fresh fruit?"
"B: The quiche you invented, of course -- it bears your name."

"'Excuse me,' said Jackie. 'I had planned to eat that.'"
"A: Excuse me, I didn't mean to intrude."
"B: No, excuse me; I should not be doing this here, of all places."

"'Okay,' I said, 'let's split it.'"
"A: Is everything okay, Franco?"
"B: Everything is okay except my soup, which has something in it."

"'Is nothing sacred?' said Jackie, struggling to get the words out."
"A: Be extra careful with the sacred shawl."
"B: A pipe broke in my apartment and the sacred shawl got wet and then moldy."

"The two of us would have to reconcile later; we had to leave immediately to reach the beach by nightfall."
"A: Two regulators, two traders, two scientists, two systems: two Impacts."
"B: Two glasses of Chief's special punch is far too much."

"Even in her bulky field gear she looked pretty hot."
"A: That's a pretty ostentatious watch."
"B: I feel pretty when I check the time, so it's worth every penny."

"Friendship, money, love: these are difficult words for a regulator."
"A: What are the most difficult words for you to say?"
"B: I have trouble with financial terms: `mortgage,` `CDO,` and `CDS` are particularly difficult words."

"I must have had some idea that we were doomed, but I was too young to care."
"A: I have no idea how to get to the Battle Club."
"B: You can get a new idea by looking for patterns in the system."

"Who can regulate the economics of passion?"
"A: I'm majoring in economics, with a minor in holistic massage."
"B: It's good that you are able to balance economics with a classical education."

"Back then, I only had two things to live for: her and the mission."
"A: Where do your new friends live?"
"B: Hal does not live next to Don."

"We hiked without speaking, listening to the sounds of the jungle."
"A: What are the typical sounds of your biome?"
"B: In my biome, you'll hear sounds like sirens, barking, and yelling." (Sound in background)

"In such an unfamiliar place, you lose track of what is real."
"A: What's the real reason Mendoza is stalling?"
"B: Chief says Mendoza can be a real diva during wartime." (Car beep)

"I resolved to speak with Dr. Colorado as soon as I returned to LA."
"A: Let's catch up over a crisp Dr. Pepper."
"B: Dr. Lafayette told me not to speak with you."

"We saw three guerrillas approaching with unhappy faces."
"A: Who or what are our three primary enemies?"
"B: I'm not sure; I missed the big presentation three quarters in a row."

"I hoped they wouldn't notice my American accent."
"A: Was it my American accent that gave me away?"
"B: It wasn't your American accent ... it was your poor taste in sculpture" (Something dripping in background)

"They did not prepare me for this in school or on-the-job training."
"A: He's a knowledgeable speaker -- where did he go to school?"
"B: He went to law school, business school, and senator school."

"In moments of carnage it was clear that battle was fun for Jackie."
"A: I heard it's a very long game ... is it any fun?"
"B: I know others find it fun, but I do not."

"I had a cyanide caramel in my pocket in case I was captured."
"A: This caramel is sweet."
"B: Caramel is too sweet for me; I prefer savory flavors."

"Through the pain, I tried to recall happier times spent in Jubilee Tower on 2-for-1 Tuesdays."
"A: There's quite a jubilee going on in the Midwest."
"B: That jubilee won't last long ... troubles are right around the corner."

"We tried to netride for help, but unsurprisingly, our router was down."
"A: Did you try to unplug the router then plug it back in again?"
"B: The router's power light is blinking green. Is that good or bad?"

"When the assault became unbearable, Glyph used his aegis to shield our party."
"A: The priest wears a purple aegis."
"B: It hasn't been fashionable to wear a purple aegis since Fall '05."

"It was a welcome maneuver, albeit late."
"A: Securities trading is a lucrative, albeit stressful, occupation."
"B: The margarita is strong, albeit overpriced."

"I myself had been prepared to use a powerful combat lien -- but only as a last resort."
"A: A lien is a form of encumbrance."
"B: I am encumbered by a maritime lien."

"As we resumed our hike, I thought of ten mysteries."
"A: I have one of the highest scores at the arcade."
"B: I've heard of hidden levels where you can get an even higher score."

"First, who was the architect of our mission?"
"A: I have a feeling he's not much of an architect."
"B: Architect? Jackie's just a bricklayer, and his foreman's out to lunch."

"Second, why did the Regulators' Office acquiesce to working with the banks?"
"A: I acquiesce for the prix fix whenever I drop by for lunch"
"B: Chef Michard will acquiesce to his limited palate one day"

"Third, why would a financier of Jackie's status choose to accompany us for field work?"
"A: He may be a financier, but he's also quite the pastry guru."
"B: It's like they say: 'Life is a profiterole and death is a financier.'"

"Fourth, what secret research led to our loci in Nicaragua"
"A: The loci of infection were in the sky"
"B: The whole damn thing is quite a "Method of Loci" when you really take a step back"

"Fifth, what wasn't Chief telling me about the Tlaxcala office?"
"A: I suggested Tlaxcala for our honeymoon."
"B: There are some interesting ruins in Tlaxcala."

"Sixth, why had the minister sketched an ouroboros on his napkin last night?"
"A: Of course her parents don't approve -- he has an ouroboros tattoo."
"B: Forget the ouroboros tattoo; they don't approve because he's an alchemist."

"Seventh, why was there a five-year gap on Glyph's curriculum vitae?"
"A: I'm certain I can get your curriculum vitae in front of the right person at the bank."
"B: I omitted my stint in prison from my curriculum vitae."

"Eight, what connection did Chief's ex-wife have with President City?"
"A: There's got to be a connection between the two systems."
"B: The only connection I see is shared frustration, and the occasional repeated phrase."

"Ninth, what would happen to this country and its economy if we won?"
"A: I did it. I won."
"B: The only thing you've won is bread tacos."

"And tenth, why did she insist we conceal our relationship from the rest of the squad?"
"A: What fun is a game when the creators conceal the principal mechanic for victory?"
"B: I wonder what else they're concealing?"

"One day, these questions will be answered in a splendid exegesis."
"A: His ham-fisted exegesis in last month's Vanity Fair made me cringe."
"B: A ham-fisted exegesis? Doesn't sound kosher to me ...!"

"I was certain that someone in LA knew the answers to all ten mysteries."
"A: I'm certain I've seen it all."
"B: There's at least one room I'm certain you haven't seen."

"Or perhaps I already knew them myself?"
"A: Perhaps I will join this card tournament."
"B: Perhaps a few practice hands will remind you of the rules."

"We reached the beach just in time for an exquisite ocean sunset."
"A: Philippé has some truly exquisite furniture."
"B: If you really want exquisite, check out his orbital platform."

"Nicole slipped out of her hiking uniform into a slim Karl Lagerfeld ensemble."
"A: Karl Lagerfeld has become too mainstream for my taste."
"B: You wouldn't know a Karl Lagerfeld dress if it upstaged you at your own book signing."

"I shed my clothes and jumped into the ocean."
"A: How can you buy clothes at a time like this?"
"B: I need to buy new clothes before I can defend the city."

"It amuses me now to recall how I took my physical body for granted."
"A: I can never recall his hidden weakness."
"B: There was a recall of that phone due to cybersecurity issues."

"Chief and Jackie were already unpacking the food bag; it was their turn to prepare dinner."
"A: Squid is my second favorite food."
"B: Save the food chat for later; I have a meeting with Mendoza in five minutes."

"Jackie used a kukri to chop tomatoes, slicing with violent intensity."
"A: His betrayal was like a kukri to the heart."
"B: Please keep your kukri sheathed while in the office."

"Why was he always so grim when preparing Italian food?"
"A: Why is Italian food your favorite cuisine?"
"B: You can't beat the mathematical elegance of the pasta geometries."

"Chief was in charge of the aubergine, which he cultivated himself back in LA."
"A: Have you heard rumors about the new type of aubergine?"
"B: I saw one myself in Thailand; don't ask me to describe it."

"When the risotto was properly al dente, Chief called the team to a makeshift dinner table."
"A: This risotto is unacceptably gummy."
"B: She must have used a long-grain rice -- a typical risotto blunder."

"Nicole slipped out of her Karl Lagerfeld ensemble into a simple Yigal Azrouël gown."
"A: That Yigal Azrouël sure knows how to drape silk."
"B: Yigal Azrouël still hasn't forgiven me for seating him next to Billy Joel at my dinner party."


"That was the last time I was with Nicole; her image still lingers in my new conciousness-system."
"A: Did you hear what happened to Nicole?"
"B. ..."