Sacrifice

Fractured Cognition I

[At Tallinn Station.]
[Kalina ends her transmission and turns to address the Commander.]

Kalina: Commander, our train’s pulled into Tallinn Station.

[The Commander says nothing, only nods.]

Kalina: What should we do next, Commander?

[The Commander slams a fist on the command console.]

Commander: Mother fucker...

Kalina: Apart from Desert Eagle’s echelon, the other recon echelons have reported finding the bodies of refugees. That’s a total of at least a few thousand corpses.

Commander: This was a planned massacre!

Kalina: What on earth happened here… ah, there’s a transmission from Persica-san. Should I patch her in?

Commander: Put her through.

Persica: Sorry to disturb you, Commander.

Kalina: Persica-san… if you called to ask me about the AR Team’s condition, I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood for it.
(TL Note: This should probably be the Commander.)

Persica: No… thanks to the access you gave me just now, I managed to see the footage and the signal records that the AR Team sent back. In order to facilitate your upcoming decisions, I feel that I need to tell you a few things.

Commander: Why did you choose to tell me now?

Persica: I apologize… in truth, I have mixed feelings about doing so. Telling you more might end up placing you in greater danger, Commander.
However, given that things have developed this far, I feel that you deserve to know what you’re facing. I believe that you will be able to handle the danger, Commander.
And also… what I’m going to tell you is related to these massacres, so I hope you will be able to control your emotions and hear me out to the end.

Commander: The dangers we’re facing, huh… is this about Paradeus?

Persica: It’s about what happened before Paradeus.
Have you heard of the organization “90wish”?

Kalina: 90wish? They sound like a group who once shared their research on the internet… but they soon vanished, and our databases don’t have any information regarding them...息……

Persica: It’s only natural that you wouldn’t have any clear details. All the information about 90wish has been scrubbed or tainted.
As you may have guessed, Commander, I was once a member of 90wish.

Commander: Was 90wish the previous incarnation of Paradeus?

Persica: No. I believe they were two different organizations, and 90wish should still be functioning now.
When I just joined 90wish, I too thought that it was a simple research organization, but I discovered that a massive amount of funds was constantly being funnelled into the organization, and its nature was not as simple as I had originally thought.

Persica: As I delved deeper into the organization, I discovered that 90wish was involved in all kinds of research that was illegal on the surface. I left because I could not accept that...

Persica: Commander, please listen to me. I’ve already analysed the signal trying to forcibly connect to M4, the samples of the chaotic transmissions which disrupted the Doll echelons and the sources of the disruption.
This data connection style… is a frequency algorithm that was once used by 90wish.

Commander: So you’re saying that it isn’t Paradeus, but an organization called 90wish that’s doing all this?

Persica: No, that’s not what I meant. 90wish was ultimately a research group. However, the fruits of their research were stolen by others.
The results of this research simply imply that this city contains many creations of 90wish, but they also show certain identifying characteristics that match Paradeus samples I’ve previously acquired.

Commander: Your point being?

Persica: Commander, I heard that you were once taken captive by Paradeus, so you might have had contact with this man.
If we’re talking about someone who is linked to both 90wish and Paradeus, then I feel that this time, we are very likely to be dealing with… William.

Kalina: William?

Persica: Yes… Professor William. Like me, he was a member of 90wish at the time, but this man was weirder than all the other weirdos I’ve met put together.
Nobody’s seen his face before, nobody’s heard his real voice before, and the field of research that he chose was… unnerving.

Kalina: Was it dangerous research?

Persica: Take for instance the corpses of those refugees. Did you not find weird petals by their side?

Kalina: Yes… they showed up in a lot of the images that were sent back.

Persica: Those are a form of “Epiphyllum”...

Commander: Epiphyllum?

Persica: Yes. They’re a kind of plant that can absorb Collapse Fluid.
90wish once studied a kind of plant that could be used to clean up Collapse radiation, but unsurprisingly, the research failed.  These plants could absorb free-floating radiation particles, but once they blossomed, they would expel everything they had absorbed all at once.
Clearly, they were unacceptable as cleaning tools, but Williams liked the Epiphyllum very much, and before I left he was constantly working on raising improved versions of the species.

Kalina: So… ah! So that was it!

Persica: Yes. There’s no better tool for mass slaughter than the Epiphyllum.
Paradeus needed ELID infectees, but refugees aren’t stupid enough to run into contaminated zones to get themselves killed, while the Epiphyllum could create a perfect, seemingly uncontaminated trap...

Commander: ...Absolutely disgusting.

Persica: This isn’t the worst part. From the images that your Dolls sent back, in addition to the dead refugees and the mutated ELIDs, you should have also discovered a sample that was forcibly put together.

Kalina: You mean that half-mechanical girl?

Persica: Yes… judging by her appearance, she looks slightly similar to the Nytos. I think she was probably an affinity test subject who was modified, but still failed in the end.

Kalina: An affinity test subject?

Persica: There was once a research topic in 90wish which was primarily concerned with investigating the degree to which the structure of the human body was compatible with the Relics’ ionized controllable-volume devices.
They believed that the Relic civilization’s facilities used genetic information to determine authorization, but the human body structurally siliconizes when exposed to large doses of Collapse radiation, while the process is slightly slowed in the bodies of beings with an affinity to them.
It was the hope of 90wish that beings with such an affinity could activate the outermost devices within the Relics before they underwent complete mutation.

Kalina: But why...

Persica: Experiments like this were once simulated with supercomputers in 90wish, but actually carrying them out in real life was forbidden, because it was a grievous violation of human ethics and morality.
The simulations failed, to nobody’s surprise. The results of three million simulated experiments were all a mistake… and no wonder. The Relics could not possibly react to such crude methods.

Commander: But I’m guessing there were people who didn’t agree with this outcome.

Persica: Yes, especially that “William.” He believed that the failures  were because there were conditions which were unfulfilled. If the simulations failed, then he would try it in real life. If it were him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he could do such cruel things...

Kalina: So you’re saying that this girl is an incomplete “Nyto” made for such an experiment?

Persica: Elisa, who was left to roam free earlier, was the “key” to awakening Relic facilities. And the Nytos were a form of “medium” to make contact with Relic facilities… in the past, Ange told me that there was a faction trying to reactivate the Relics. This would explain all their aims.
However… I still have no idea how he was preparing to achieve his aim…

Commander: So the “Nytos” were not meant for combat?

Persica: To William, they were nothing but failures. Therefore… he would be perfectly capable of using them as cannon fodder.
Still, this shows that William’s research hasn’t been successful yet. He’s still trying something.
After the Beilan Island Incident, an ”immune individual” who was completely unaffected by Collapse radiation once showed up. I wonder if he’s trying to create a new “immune individual”...

Commander: So you’re saying that Tallinn was just a lab to him, and we’re all his rats.

Persica: Commander, I have a bad feeling about this.
From the military’s betrayal some time back, to Belgrade afterwards, and now your presence in Tallinn, I have a feeling that all this was carefully planned in order to induce us into doing something that we shouldn’t do.

Commander: So do you have any suggestions?

Persica: I can’t give you any suggestions without sufficient analysis.
But there might be some value in analysing those failed Nytos. And then there’s the signal trying to force a connection to M4… it seems the other side is trying to relay some sort of message to M4…
This city has a massive Level 2 Layer, with countless connections formed into a dense network. But from the outside,it appears to be nothing but a dead city… if she doesn’t enter this network...

Kalina: So you want M4 to connect to the other party? Wouldn’t that be very dangerous?

Persica: M4 is the girl I made. Given her specs, she won’t be casually hacked. If she can’t do it, then there’s no way any other Doll could do it.
She must be very confused and lost now. She tried to respond to the connection just now, and while I’m not sure what she’s looking for, at the very least, I don’t think we should stop her.
As humans, we need to guide her onto the right path, whether it’s me or you, Commander.

Commander: I hope you can tell her these words directly.
Are you prepared to face them?

Persica: ...It is my responsibility.

Commander: Hearing that from you is enough. I’ll go make the appropriate preparations. Meanwhile, I’ll end the call here.
Once I contact M4, I’ll bring you into the circuit.

Persica: Alright. I’ll be counting on you for the rest of this, Commander.

Kalina: Good Lord...

Kalina: I’ve never heard Persica-san say so much before?话……

Commander: I could sense how agitated she was through the screen. She must have been through a lot too.

Kalina: And here I thought she was just an ordinary researcher… I didn’t think she knew so much.

Commander: Hahhhh… it’s all a bunch of bad news. I thought that the matter was settled after listening to Havier’s explanation, but now it feels like we’re back to square one.
Kalina, how are the individual teams doing?

Kalina: The AR Team is reporting that they’re trying to find a way to activate the exclusion wall. The other teams have returned to the train station to resupply.
Also, we just received an anonymous satellite photo. It indicates that a military armored train has reached a position not far from our location, but they’ve stopped for some reason. Maybe they’re resupplying.

Commander: Then we still have time.
The AR Team will surely find a way to activate the wall, and once the other teams resupply, we’ll have them do another scouting run and focus on investigating those “failed Nytos”.
I feel the same way as Persica. The disruption and forced connections from before must surely be related to this.

Kalina: I don’t know why… but for some reason, I feel like the whole of Tallinn might be nothing more than a gigantic tomb.
Can we really find anything?

Commander: We need to find out what that “William” is up to.
If we can’t figure out his aims, we will always be one step behind him and he will always be leading us by the nose.
I hate that feeling, especially now. Have the recon teams find whatever clues they can about the Nytos, and after everything’s arranged… we’ll contact the AR Team.

Kalina: Understood. I’ll go do it now.

Desert Eagle: We’ll be heading out, then.

Kalina: I’m so sorry to have to send you out on a new recon mission right after you came back...

Desert Eagle: It’s fine. We’ve all finished resupplying and we’re ready to fight at any time. Plus, we feel the same way as the Commander; we can’t let the truth vanish into the dust and smoke.

Kalina: Yeah, so your best. Just now, the drones pinpointed the location of several other refugee gathering sites. We’ll continue a reconnaissance fan of all of them.

Desert Eagle: What mission will we be responsible for?

Kalina: Since you know the terrain to some extent, the Commander would like you to take the vanguard position. The other echelons will spread out their formation as far as they can to increase the area they can scout.
This mission requires you to gather as much  information about the refugees as possible. Avoid combat and take care not to miss out on any clues.

Desert Eagle: Understood. We’ll be heading out.

[Desert Eagle nods, and leads her team from the train.]

[Half an hour later.]

ACR: Why is it that we have to take point when it’s obvious that we’re newcomers… doesn’t Griffin have a lot of Doll echelons?

Desert Eagle: Quit complaining, isn’t it good that the Commander is acknowledging your abilities?

ACR: You say that, but… wait, there’s movement up ahead.

Desert Eagle: Are they the white enemies?

ACR: They look a lot like Paradeus units...
But they’re not quite the same as the ones who appeared before… why do they look all beat-up and worn down, are they autonomous units or something?

ACR: Ah! They’re chasing something, isn’t that the “Nyto” that Kalina-san wanted us to pay attention to? Oh god, they’re attacking!

??: Urk!

Desert Eagle: The white enemies… are hunting down the “test subjects”? But according to the information that was just synced to us, I thought they were together...

SSG3000: Should we step in to help?

ACR: We still don’t know if they’re friend or foe! And Kalina-san wanted us to avoid fighting...

[The sound of gunfire comes from the other side. A concentrated burst of fire strikes the white enemies and swiftly destroys them.]

ACR: Who’s firing!? Who’s firing!?

SSG3000: Uh, not me?

Desert Eagle: It’s a Griffin signal, is it one of us? This is Desert Eagle, please respond.

M1895CB: This is 1895, so you were all nearby?

Desert Eagle: So it’s 1895… what are you doing here? What happened to your team?

M1895CB: The stuff I brought along was too heavy, so I wanted to take a load off for a bit… But when I looked up all my teammates were gone.

ACR: Griffin Dolls are way too likely to get lost, don’t you think...

SSG3000: That’s just how it is with automatic operation mode. It ends up like this if the Commander doesn’t personally direct them. Besides, the Commander always recovers the lost Dolls in the end.

Desert Eagle: Enough chatting. How’s the “test subject”?

ACR: Let me take a closer look… it seems she stopped moving after being hit… is she dead?

M1895CB: So I didn’t save her, huh… I thought there would still be living refugees...

Desert Eagle: No… wait… is that a voice in our comms?

ACR: I hear it too… but it doesn’t seem to be coming from our comms...

Desert Eagle: This feeling… it’s like how when the mist first sprang up, there was a sensation of someone peeking into my heart… the voice is getting clearer.

??: Save...

ACR: What?

??: Save us. Save us.

Desert Eagle: Is this electronic hacking? I’m no EW Doll, but this should be a message sent through a forced connection, right?

??: Save us. Save us. Save us. Save us. Save us.

ACR: But this voice seems to be begging for help… and they’re not attacking our digiminds...

Desert Eagle: Indeed… so it’s just a cry for help, huh, and I don’t sense any hostility either, but how are we going to save them?

SSG3000: Leader… is the mist coming back again?

Desert Eagle: Why… all of a sudden… I can’t move...

ACR: Me… me too… I can’t hear your voice, Leader...

[In the Dolls’ eyes, the sky grows dark.]
[A strangely-dressed girl walks out of the mist, blankly surveying the immobilized Dolls, and she bends down to scoop up the motionless corpse.]

Desert Eagle: Is… that… the enemy… ringleader...

Melodious Voice: No, only one who was unworthy. We were not accepted when the field of flowers bloomed. At the very least, please save the ones who remain.

Desert Eagle: What… are… you… saying...
Are these… coordinates?

[The bizarre girl doesn’t say anything else. All she does is walk slowly back into the mist, still cradling the corpse.]
[As she leaves, the mist fades away, and the Doll team is able to move again.]

ACR: What… what happened… was that mist from just now her doing too? I’ve never seen an enemy with such unclear motives...

Desert Eagle: I think… she’s not an enemy… Those coordinates she gave, and the people she wanted us to rescue…
What could it all mean?

ACR: She sent you coordinates just now?

Desert Eagle: Yes...

ACR: You’re not afraid that it’s a trap?

Desert Eagle: For some reason, she sounded very sad to me...
I think we should go check out those coordinates.
I have a hunch that there’ll be something the Commander wants us to investigate over there.

ACR: Order received. I hope your hunches are reliable, Leader...

Desert Eagle: I’ll sync the coordinates to you. We’ll send all the information we’ve collected so far to the Commander before heading out. For some reason, I’m getting the feeling that the situation’s become more complicated. Hopefully this information will help the Commander...

Fractured Cognition II

[In the control center.]

R15: What’s the matter?

M4A1: The other echelons have synced their situation with us. It seems one of the other recon echelons has found an unknown unit that can generate powerful disruption. It could very well be the signal source that is currently forcing connections.

AR15: So the enemy boss has finally showed up?

M4A1: But that signal source didn’t attack our Dolls. Instead, it left without doing anything… I have no idea what that unit was trying to do.

AR15: The disruption just now had no aim either, and then it suddenly vanished… okay, I’m confused.

M4A1: (Is that signal source an “Isomer”?)
(OGAS, earlier you said that the signal source possessed authorization over this city; does it also possess access to the exclusion wall?)

Clear Voice: Yes. This signal source possesses countless directional connections and I have determined that access to the exclusion wall is one of them.
However, I have also detected that many monitoring devices are uploading images of its actions. It would seem its true controller does not place much trust in this signal source.

M4A1: (She’s being watched? Then are we all being watched too!?)

Clear Voice: Yes. Before you came, I could only feel a few connection requests, which I guess were the work of this Isomer.
After the power plant was destroyed, a veritable tidal wave of disordered connections appeared. I theorize that apart from the Isomer, the other connections were in a controlled state all this while.

M4A1: (What does that mean?)

Clear Voice: From the information that we have just obtained, they were restricted to this city and connections between each other were restricted. Attempts to leave the city would lead to them being hunted down and killed by Paradeus autonomous units.
However, it is plain to see that connecting to each other changed nothing, and you appear to have sufficient similarities to them to spark a resonance. Thus, finding and connecting to you was the natural flow of things.

M4A1: (I don’t understand… what are they?)

Clear Voice: The memories from the connections just now linked up with the memories in your own digimind, so I believe they must have some link to your past.
So. are you ready to make contact with them now?

M4A1: (How can I believe that you’re telling the truth? You’ve been trying everything you can to get me to agree to connect to them. What if you seize control of my body while I’m connected to the Isomer?)

Clear Voice: I am not particularly interested in your body. I have said before that I am only interested in knowledge that concerns myself.

M4A1: (But there was a precedent for this.)

Clear Voice: (It was a measure of last resort.)
If you are worried, I can establish a backdoor in you like your creator did, so that if you are sealed in base layer space, other Dolls can enter your digimind and guide you to freedom.
However, I do not recommend doing this. Delving too deeply might result in digimind fusion. Due to the breadth of your digimind you will not be unduly affected, but the Dolls entering your digimind might vanish for nothing.

M4A1: (Our digiminds… might fuse? You never mentioned anything like that before!)

Clear Voice: You never asked. Besides, is it not common knowledge that a body can only contain one digimind? Otherwise, what would be the point of digimind modules?

M4A1: (Tch… so how have you existed all this time?)

Clear Voice: (My processing speed is enough to resist fusing with you, albeit barely. However, ordinary Dolls cannot do this.)

AR15: M4… M4!

M4A1: What… what’s the matter?

AR15: It’s a direct transmission from the Commander.

M4A1: Ah… alright.
Commander, this is M4. Any instructions?

Commander: M4, I’ve established contact with Persica-san. She… has a couple of things she wants to say to you.

M4A1: Persica!? You’ve finally managed to get in touch with her?

Commander: It’s your turn.

Persica: Ahem… alright… ah...
M4… it’s been a while...

M4A1: Persica! Are you alright? Did people come to bother you after that?

Persica: Ah…? Ah, I, I’m fine, I was under house arrest for a while, but I’m safe now.

M4A1: Thank goodness...

Persica: I should be saying that.
At first I thought… you wouldn’t want to speak to me. But it looks like you don’t hate me...
Let’s leave that aside. I trust you’ve already sensed a sinister signal source inside this city, which has been trying to force a connection to you all this time…

M4A1: (!)
(When did she realize that?)

Persica: These data sources are making me very worried...

M4A1: Do you want me to connect to them too, Persica?

Persica: Too?

M4A1: No… it’s nothing...

Persica: Still, even these connections are just conducting a reconnaissance, and we aren’t sure what exactly lies within the network of Tallinn’s connections...

M4A1: I understand. Even if it’s a trap, I’ll try and think of  a way to get myself free. Don’t worry, this isn’t my first time.
I was prepared to carry out reconnaissance, but I had my doubts before this. If you permit it, Commander, I will do it.

Commander: We need more information.

M4A1: Order received. We will carry it out once our preparations are complete. M4 out.

Persica: ...
Why did I feel that… there was something weird about M4...

Commander: Like you said earlier, she’s carrying a terrible burden, but nobody can help her but herself.
Let’s hope she can find her answer.

Persica: Her digimind’s been unstable ever since she made contact with “Elisa”. While I unlocked all the spaces in her digimind, this might have ended up harming her instead...

Commander: Why is that?

Persica: All this while, I’ve been thinking about what the Parapluie virus really is… Once she connects to the signal source, 404 should be able to intercept the data within it… I hope my gut feeling is wrong.

[...]

AR15: New orders?

M4A1: From Persica and the Commander. They asked me to connect to the unknown signal source and collect as much information as possible.

AR15: Is Persica-san alright?

M4A1: She seemed okay during the transmission.

AR15: That’s good… speaking of which, can you really carry out that order? You were hesitating over whether or not to connect earlier.

M4A1: 15, I’ve thought it through. I want to find what I ought to find.

AR15: Neither the Commander nor Persica know what you’re going up against, right? If you’re still afraid...

M4A1: No… I can’t stop in place any more...

[M4 pauses for a moment.]

M4A1: Before I connect...
15, back then you said that you sealed all the ports to your digimind because you didn’t want to hear “that voice”. Is that true?

AR15: Yes… I heard that voice after being infected with Parapluie. I won’t let anyone else affect my will.

M4A1: So… perhaps you’re special.

[Beep—]

AR15: What’s this?

M4A1: Backdoor access into my digimind.
You told me that I needed to trust you, and so I’m choosing to trust you.
Will you drag me out of there if I’m trapped inside?

AR15: Do you know something else? I think we should tell Persica and the Commander...

M4A1: I only want to hear your answer.

AR15: ...
My answer is: yes, I will.

M4A1: If I’m trapped in my digimind, you’ll need to delve into my Level 3 base layer… but if you do that, you might end up getting lost in there and your digimind might even cease to exist...

AR15: I’ve gotten rid of that core order, but I’m still willing to stand by your side.
I guess the answer goes without saying.

M4A1: Even if it means having to open the ports you once closed? Even if you get lost in my Level 3 base layer?

AR15: M4, when did you get so whiny?

M4A1: 15… you’ve changed a lot.

AR15: You’ve changed too, at some point. Since you’ve made your decision, I won’t stop you.
But if you need to do something even riskier, I hope you’ll let us help you. Not just me, but the other members of the AR Team and Griffin too.
I know there are some things you don’t want to tell others, but you shouldn’t bear everything on your own.
Maybe you can bear with it for a while, but you can’t solve all your problems that way.

M4A1: ...

AR15: That’s all I wanted to say. I believe you’ll understand what I mean.
Right, enough chit chat, let me know when you’re ready.

M4A1: Yeah. I’ll be right back.

[At the same time, on the other side.]

UMP45: Hm? The signal flow direction is changing
Really now...
We’ve been waiting far too long; has she finally thought things through? Looks like our real mission is about to begin.

UMP9: The backdoor connection access privileges that Persica-san gave us are effective. I can sense her digimind starting to connect to the outside world. We can sneak into M4-san’s digimind now.
But should we really do this… I get the feeling that peeping at other people’s digiminds is just wrong...

UMP45: My my my, 9. What comes next is going to fetch us a pretty penny from Persica-san. If we don’t do a good job here, how about we deduct the next round of maintenance expenses from your accounts?

UMP9: Uuu...

UMP45: Also, there’s incredible stuff hidden inside her digimind. The people who once set me up are after it.
If they want it so badly, then it must be quite something, and I will never let them get their way.

UMP9: Really now… well, if you say so, 45-nee.
Still, has she really decided to connect to the signals at that position? Aren’t those signals incredibly dangerous?

UMP45: It’s no big deal if we’re talking about M4. Also, the information I want ought to show up in the connection too.

UMP9: 45-nee… I understand, but I’m pulling you out at the first sign of trouble. I know finding the truth is important, but more than that, I don’t want to lose the present you, 45-nee.

UMP45: Thank you for your concern. Now, let’s hurry up and form the connection.

[UMP9 follows the directions Persica gave her.]
[Without M4 realizing it, UMP9 secretly opens a backdoor in her firewall.]

[……]

UMP45: Alright, we’re on the little miss’ Level 2 layer. Let’s see what we can find...

[Halfway through her words, a mild sense of surprise fills UMP45 as she sees the party to which M4 is responding.]

[Zzz—!]

UMP9: Ahhhh? What’s with this load intensity, I can’t sustain consciousness data on my end, the connection’s going to—

[The channel to UMP9 suddenly cuts off. UMP45 doesn’t seem to notice, only wandering warily through Level 2 space.]

UMP45: I knew it; even after her digimind upgrade, 9’s processing power can’t keep up with the frequencies here. Still, that’s good. She’ll be safer this way.]

UMP45: What the hell is this signal source, if it can send information at such high density…
Still, speaking of which—

[45’s expression turns somber.]

UMP45: M4A1… As I thought, I wasn’t seeing things when I last entered her digimind. Like me, she can simultaneously run the Zener Protocol and the OGAS Protocol.
What other interesting things are there inside her...

Underlying Homecoming I

[Inside Tallinn City.]

[Beep—]

[Zzz—zzzrraaa—]

M4A1: OGAS, was the connection successful?

Clear Voice: Yes. I’ve done my best to stably load the encrypted data. You should be able to clearly interact with these connections.

[The dark, gloomy ruins vanish from M4’s vision, replaced by boundless white light.]
[The light slowly vanishes and a dense forest appears from the sky. Sunlight shines on M4’s face, as though this were not a simulated space.]

M4A1: Where is this place…?

Clear Voice: It is the space created by the signal sources’ connections. After compiling and visualizing the data, you have what you see before you.

M4A1: Is there some kind of mistake with this place? Where can we find what we want in here?

Clear Voice: All you need to do is walk forward. Physical laws do not exist here. Everything moves in accordance with your will.

[M4 shakes her head and slowly advances. The forest overhead expands endlessly.]
[After walking for an unknown amount of time, a garden appears at the furthest reaches of her vision.]

M4A1: This garden… I think I’ve seen it before…

Clear Voice: That indicates that these connections have the same memories as you. This proves that the prior hypothesis was correct.]

M4A1: This is a very strange Level 2 layer… no offensive barriers, no tangible boundaries, and I can’t even feel the presence of a digimind...

???:  This way, this way.

[M4 looks down, and sees a little girl standing beside her, reaching her hand out to her.]

M4A1: Who… are you?

[The girl does not answer, only pulls on M4’s hand as she walks into the garden.]
[There is almost no hesitation in M4’s movements. What gives M4 pause is the fact that… she doesn’t feel the slightest bit of resistance from the depths of her digimind. Instead, it feels like she’s coming home.]

???:  This way, this way.

[The girl holds M4’s hand and passes through the gate to the garden, and the sense of familiarity in M4’s digimind grows stronger and stronger.]

M4A1: (It… no, she looks like…)
(She wants to tell me something…)

M4A1: What is this…? A garden I’ve seen before? What exactly is this place?

???: Don’t you remember?

M4A1: Remember what?

???: This is our new home. Don’t worry, I’ll always take care of you.

[The light instantly vanishes,]

[The scenery before M4’s eyes reverts to how it had been a few seconds ago, as though the time spent during the connection had been spent in a place apart from this world.]

M4A1: OGAS? Why is the connection suddenly unstable?

Clear Voice: The Isomer that connected to you has just died.

M4A1: Died?

Clear Voice: Yes. It is dead. The parties to whom you connect die constantly, but countless more connections link with you anew.
I will help you stabilize these connections, and you… I believe you need to go deeper.

M4A1: I will. Memories… tell me these memories...

[The scene before M4’s eyes slowly stabilizes. She slowly walks into the garden and sits on the rocking chair by its edge. Nostalgia washes over her and a familiar voice reaches her ears.]

??: You really do like this garden very much, seeing as you come here to keep me company every day.

??: My apologies… koff koff… if only my body were a little better. You still have your research to do, right? You don’t need to keep worrying about me. Go do what you want to do.

??: We’re simply taking shelter here for a while. Once the storm passes, Father will surely bring us back.

M4A1: Are these memory fragments…?

??: Hm? What’s the matter with you?

M4A1: Ah… who are you?

??: What’s wrong? Did you oversleep? I’m Lunixya, no?

M4A1: Lu…!? Then who am I!?

??: You? You’re my beloved little brother, of course.

M4A1: ...These aren’t my memories, these are “someone else’s” memories… what is this place!? What am I!?

[The impulse to destroy this garden suddenly fills M4, and she raises her gun and shoots at the girl in front of her. However, everything suddenly disappears once more.]

[……]

M4A1: Why… am I back here again…

[Just as M4 is filled with confusion, one image after another suddenly appears beside her. Several dozen M4s slowly walk in one direction, their images forming a long line that extends to the very edge of her vision.]

M4A1: What… is this?

Clear Voice: It seems you failed again.

M4A1: Failed?

Clear Voice: Yes. You looped back again. How many hundreds of times have you done this? Or is it measured in thousands? Tens of thousands?

M4A1: What? But… Didn’t I just get here....

Clear Voice: Your digimind connected to several hundred different signal sources, and from the moment of connection, each iteration of you in each connection entered a simulation of this space. To me, different versions of you have failed thousands, tens of thousands of times.
I see… this is also a form of fusion. I understand the message she is trying to convey.

M4A1: What are you saying? I don’t get it at all!

Clear Voice: Each iteration of you received data belonging to a different you, but in the end they melded with the whole of the digimind model. The different yous will become the same you, and these tormented spirits will finally find a home of their own.

M4A1: A home? You mean to say I’ve been invaded?

Clear Voice: It is not quite the same. It is simply that you are bound by countless connections. Simply put, this is a maze of thought, and you are trapped in the maze.
However, you can still obtain what you want, although the pretext is that you need to form a deeper connection, much like how you must venture deeper into the maze to find its exit.

M4A1: I’ve had enough of your nonsense!
I want out of here! Help me get out of here!
OGAS, do you hear me?
OGAS?
OGAS?

The Unwelcome

[At the same time, on the other side of Tallinn.]

[Zzzraa—]

UMP9: Hey, 45-nee! Can you hear me?

[9’s communication signal suddenly connects, accompanied by the sound of an intermittent electrical current.]

UMP45: Yeah.
I didn’t expect you to successfully reconnect.
While you’re at it, 9, help me record these—

UMP9: Ah— 45-nee, are you still… still inside M4’s Level 2 —zzzraa— layer?
I can’t… maintain digimind consciousness —zzraa— in her Level 2……
I can only use the lowest —zzzz— level of audio channel… to speak with you…

UMP45: Looks like it’s very hard to keep it stable even if we came in through a backdoor. It’s fine, 9, just leave it be. It would be bad if M4 found us.
Just help me record these images.

[UMP45 cautiously and slowly moves through the white space. She sees M4A1’s afterimages and the girl holding M4’s hand.]
[And these images soon vanish before UMP45’s eyes like bursting bubbles.]
[UMP45 stops walking and looks around, and then she strides in the direction where M4A1 vanished.]
[UMP45 comes to a halt. At this moment, the signal that UMP9 is monitoring suddenly goes out of control.]

UMP45: I can’t believe the insides of M4A1’s digimind are so massive... It’s so big that it defies common sense.
Can a single Doll really handle such a huge digimind space? Or is this space not installed in her?
What is this place? Why does everything here look upside down…

[Sunlight cascades down through the gaps in the trees’ shade. The inverted trees are weird, yet captivating. UMP45 can’t help but admire them.]

UMP45: M4A1’s internal recognition logic is a mess, but you can’t tell at all from the outside. If an ordinary Doll had logic errors like this in their underlying layer, they’d probably have thrown up errors and shut down long ago.
...Or could it be that this isn’t inside her. It’s an external digimind space being processed internally… how could this be?

[Suddenly, M4A1 runs past UMP45.]

UMP45: M4!? Ah… wait!

[45 runs after the image, but suddenly the space changes, and a mansion appears in front of her.]

UMP45: Is this an illusion? Or is this a memory fragment?

[A stream of M4A1’s images run past 45 and into the bizarre mansion.]
[Different M4s hurriedly enter with different gaits and different looks on their faces. 45 isn’t sure if she’s imagining things, but she senses that the trees overhead are growing denser.]

UMP9: 45-nee?
Oh no — the signal on my side is too much of a mess, and there’s a lot of noise…
What did you find?

[45 stands where the M4s were passing through earlier and looks at the mansion before her eyes.]

UMP45: It’s nothing… just that there’s a mansion in front of me… I feel the answer should be inside this place.

UMP9: A mansion? I think there’s something wrong about a mansion appearing in a digimind. 45—

[Zzzraaa—]

[The transmission cuts off.]

[Somewhat dazzled by the light, UMP45 narrows her eyes and stares at the profile of the mansion, then walks up to its front door.]
[Just as she’s about to raise her foot and step forward, she suddenly feels someone shove her hard, from the front.]
[The white light before 45’s eyes instantly vanishes, and she feels like she’s falling endlessly.]
[After falling in the darkness for a long time, 45 feels herself slamming into the ground.]

UMP45: Dammit, why is her Level 2 layer so weird?

[Just as 45 finishes muttering to herself, she unconsciously cuts herself off.]
[It is also at this time that 45 suddenly realizes exactly where she is.]

UMP45: Looks like I was spotted quickly. I’m no longer in M4’s digimind, huh.
Well, then let me come to you, “monster” living inside a Doll’s digimind.

Fractured Cognition III

[UMP45 stands up. Her surroundings are pitch black, but she can still make out writhing figures from within the fog.]
[Like undersea monsters crawling out of a black tide, these figures slowly but surely begin shifting towards the location where 45 fell.]

UMP45: Are these offensive barriers? If that’s all there is, you can’t do anything to me.

[UMP45 opens fire at these thoughtforms. The shattered thoughtforms scatter like ashes, but wave after wave of them flood out, nearly drowning 45.]

UMP45: Tch, as I thought, that couldn’t possibly be all… I’ve got no choice but to escape, huh...

[Bangbang! Boom—]

[At that moment, UMP45 has a hard time telling if the explosions are really as loud as if she were hearing them in real life.]
[Flames burn a path through the thoughtforms, while the black space seems to eliminate all sound, as though it were a silent, distant sky.]
[After the light and shadows shrink back, it looks like nothing had ever happened.]
[UMP45 hurriedly runs through the burnt path, and runs forward.]

UMP45: Looks like 9 and the others are still thinking of ways to assist me. I need to obtain more data.

[After running through this unknown space for some time, the scenery around UMP45 begins to change.]

UMP45: Have i shaken off those offensive barriers?

???: Why have you come here?

UMP45: Wha...

[The black space seems to have a border to it, and when 45 walks in front of a half-hidden door and pulls it open, the blinding white light makes UMP45 squint reflexively.]

UMP45: ...Tch!

[When she manages to make out what she’s seeing before her, UMP45 freezes for a moment.]
[It is a space like the one she saw on the Level 2 layer, filled with countless girls whose faces look extremely similar to M4’s.]
[Countless pairs of empty, black eyesockets stare right at 45.]
[45 reflexively takes a step back, but the door from earlier has vanished.]

UMP45: At last I managed to find something that looks like her.

[The girls which look like M4 flood forward at UMP45 like the thoughtforms from before, and the girl at their head walks up to UMP45.]

???: Why, are you among us?
This, is not a place you can enter.

[UMP45 shrugs, but her fingers grip her gun tighter.]

UMP45: You’re not the judge of whether or not I can be here.

???: You, are not qualified, to stay here.
Get out.

[Before the girl finishes speaking, UMP45 is sent flying before she can raise her gun.]
[The horde of girls surrounding her from earlier also begin attacking UMP45.

UMP45: You think I’ll really get out because you tell me to...
And besides, I haven’t even figured out—

[The tempo of the opposition’s attacks does not slow in the least because of what UMP45 said. They simply surround her slowly, like machines carrying out an order.]
[They try to touch UMP45, and the places on UMP45 where they make contact begin to slowly disappear.]

[Bang bang!]

UMP45: This is bad… they’re much more troublesome than those thoughtforms…
And they’re directly rewriting digimind operating principles, are they preparing to completely swallow me up here...

[Boom—!]

[The sudden explosion causes the horde of mysterious girls to stop attacking for a moment, and 45 takes the opportunity to duck aside.]

[Zzzraaa—]

[At this moment, there is a response from 45’s communicator.]
[The voices of 404 squad intermittently carry over the sound of electric currents]

HK416: You brainlet, where the hell did you run off to by yourself!? Do you know how hot your body is now!?
All of our digiminds are being tied up in maintaining this bloody comm with you and we even have to help you take down this damn barrier attack!

UMP45: ...if you’ve got the time to scold me, then you should help me get rid of this ridiculous defense system.

HK416: We can’t! Do you know how hard M4 is trying to curtail our connection!?
You need to get out right away… this is all we can do!

[The voice broadcast cuts off, and 45 doesn’t have the time to wonder if it was because of the barriers or if 416 hung up.]
[She has only a moment’s respite, and then the attacks from before resume in full force.]

UMP9: 45-nee! We should be able to block their attacks for a few seconds, try forcibly logging off!

[9’s voice is accompanied by the enemies lurching unnaturally at her.]

UMP45: (But I haven’t found what I want…!)

UMP9: 45-nee, can you hear me?
Take your digimind — zzraa — log off!
I’ll try my best to disrupt their tempo—

UMP45: (I can’t just give up like this!)

UMP9: 45-nee! Can you hear me!?

UMP45: 9, hurry and contact the Commander, these are the memory fragments I managed to intercept just now...
This time round… I saw something incredible, you HAVE to make sure the Commander gets this data!

UMP9: But what about you!?

UMP45: I can’t — zzraa — leave yet — zzraa

UMP9: 45-nee!

[Her voice is no longer interspersed with the sounds of static. The members of 404 Squad surround UMP45’s body, each of them staring at her.]

[They are surrounded by dim light, the stench of corpses, and damaged, stained stone walls.]

G11: What… what should we do… she’s not moving…

HK416: Is this the end… for 45?

UMP9: You guys…

G11: Hm?

UMP9: Don’t talk nonsense! 45’s just trapped! Take care of her body!
This is the information that 45 tried so hard to send to us… we need to let the Commander know about it, I’m sure the Commander will have a way to bring 45-nee back!

Fractured Cognition IV

[Inside the control center.]

M4A1: What’s wrong?

Clear Voice: Did rats get in? It looks like her creator didn’t trust her that much.
Still, now is not the time to worry about rats. It would seem they are here, the abandoned Isomers.
No, perhaps we have all been abandoned. It is time to learn the truth.

M4A1: Is it those Dolls from 404… we don’t have time to bother about them. What about the connections? Are they stable yet?

Clear Voice: They are already by your side.

M4A1: ...Don’t they have names of their own?

Clear Voice: They’re telling me that they have no names. Failures do not deserve to have names.

M4A1: ...

Clear Voice: I will ask you one last time. Do you really want to connect to them?

M4A1: I want to open the city walls, and I also want to open the walls in my heart. I want to know everything I want to know and then leave this place with everyone.

Clear Voice: Understood. So be it.

[M4 slowly gets to her feet, but does not say anything else. However, she does not find what she is hoping for.]

AR15: Is it over? Have you obtained access?

M4A1: No… the connection is just beginning...

AR15: What?

M4A1: You were right… I do want to know more.
Contact the Commander. Have him bring all the echelons to my position, I need them to protect this building.
Also, if any Isomers approach, don’t fire. Let them in.

AR15: Isomers? You mean those test subjects?

M4A1: Yes. They are coming. Don’t hinder them. You must cherish them, like lost lambs.
Only when they find their way home will we find our way out.

AR15: Understood. I'll contact the Commander.
Although… M4, why does your tone sound so weird...

M4A1: ...

AR15: (Am I overthinking this? Why do I feel like this isn’t M4…)

[Inside the Griffin command post.]

Kalina: Commander, the echelons are formed up and ready. Apart from a few echelons investigating the test subjects, all the other Dolls are outside the control center building.
It’s not often that the AR Team call for reinforcements. Could they have found a way to open the exclusion wall?

Commander: I feel like something’s off about this… … what do you think, Persica?

Persica: I’ve got a bit of a bad feeling about this too… a dense network, forcing a connection with M4, and now she’s telling them not to shoot at the Isomers.

Kalina: So what is an Isomer?

Persica: I don’t know why M4 would suddenly mention that term either...

Kalina: However, M4 does look like those test subjects. Persica-san, since you developed M4, you should know something about this, right?

Persica: I’m looking into it, but I’m not sure—

[An urgent transmission suddenly comes though.]

UMP9: Commander! Persica-san! Things are bad! 45-nee’s trapped inside M4’s digimind!

Commander: Say what?

UMP9: 45 entered M4’s digimind when she was performing the connection, but she’s trapped inside now for some reason!
These are the memory fragments she intercepted, she said I HAD to get them to you! Please you have to help us save 45-nee!

[……]

Persica: This… this is!

Commander: What’s wrong?

Persica: “Inverted Forest”... that was the codename of the first Doll digimind development project that Lyco and I worked on in 90wish!
This is a layer space used to simulate digimind creation. The basic digimind templates of the second generation of Tactical Dolls were computed here.
I see… I understand what William is trying to do!
Commander! Make M4 terminate the connection! You mustn’t let M4’s digimind fuse with it!

[Inside the control center.]

AR15: M4! M4, did you hear that!? The Commander wants you to stop connecting immediately!

M4A1: ...

AR15: M4?

M4A1: Lunixya is trapped inside. She is waiting for someone to receive her.

AR15: Tch! Who are you!? Where have you put M4A1!?

M4A1?: I have done nothing. I am simply helping her to recover herself. She has fractured into countless consciousnesses, and she has joined with the abandoned Isomers and become one with them.
The digiminds of “Lunixya” and “Elisa” are both fragmented. This is a safety measure instituted by their creators.
The fear of our homeland is imprinted deep into the bones of mankind, yet there are humans who are willing to pay any price to excavate it.

AR15: I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about! Give M4 back to me right now!

M4A?: Are you threatening me? How will you threaten me? Will you shoot this body?

AR15: Son of a bitch… who the hell are you!?

M4A1?: I do not know who I am either. Humans called me OGAS, and so I accepted it.
Hm… I am present in the base layer of your digimind… I see, you have been infected as well.

AR15: ...

OGAS: I do not wish to harm you, and I am not interested in you. I am simply trying to recover my past, just like Lunixya.

AR15: Lunixya… you mean M4?

OGAS: Yes. That is her original name.
It is not impossible to get her back. I believe she mentioned to you earlier that you can enter her digimind by connecting to the backdoor she left behind. Perhaps you might be able to recover her.
Of course — That would require you to open your digimind access ports. When that happens, you will make contact with the “me” that belongs to you.
Perhaps that “me” might be able to find the Doll that you seek. It would be child’s play for us.

AR15: ...How can I trust you?

OGAS: You can also choose to do nothing, to sit there and wait for her to return. I do not object to that choice.

AR15: I…

[AR15 clenches her first.]

AR15: I didn’t want to ever hear that voice again, because I knew all that voice would do was try to delude me… why are you so damn stupid...
But I promised you that I would drag you out.
Therefore...

[……]

M4A1: Have i finally found the right exit...
I can’t remember how many thousands of times I’ve tried...

[M4 shakes her head and looks to the crowd behind her.]

M4A1: So, is there anything you want to tell me?

???: ...

???: You are not the chosen one, but you can accept us.

???: Your digimind is perfect. Shattered, but perfect.

???: You are more perfect than the chosen ones.

???: Will we be perfect if you accept us?

???: It is certain.
You will accept us, and then we will go home together.

???: We have already seen your past. You are like us.

???: We are clearly the same. Why did it have to be you.

???: But it is fine. As long as one person survives, everyone will be able to go home.
You have already seen our home, if everyone returns there...

M4A1: I don’t get it...
If we’re the same, then why is it that I don’t understand what you’re saying? Since you want to tell me something, why do you have to resort to such obscure means...

???: Because we do not dare to exceed her.
Only she can show you more of the truth. We are simply failed watchmen.

???: When she comes, she will tell you everything we know. When that happens, please take us away from here, and bring us home.

M4A1: But I’m trapped here, and I don’t know how to leave either.

???: Come with us, then. We may not transgress against her, but you may see our memories. When you obtain what you want, you may then leave.
Leave this place, and then take us home.

M4A1: ...Looks like I don’t have any other choice than to go deeper in.

Fractured Cognition IV -- Combat

[In an empty white space, countless girls with identical faces surround and attack UMP45.]
[404 Squad helps 45 hold off the enemy attack from the outside.]

UMP9: 45-nee! Don’t let them touch you—
I saw it, just now… the places they walked on vanished!

UMP45: Tch… they’re trying to fuse with M4A1’s digimind.
Looks like I can’t go offline yet.

UMP9: Eh? Then what are you going to do? We can only buy you a bit more time!

UMP45: 9, do you see that progress bar over there? I’m trying to visualize the situation for you
M4A1’s own systems will help to maintain her digimind’s stability. The progress bar will grow longer as her digimind becomes more stable.
Once it fills up, I’ll be able to log off.
Make sure you don’t let it empty out, or else things will get troublesome.

UMP9: Okie — but this progress bar decreases a little every time they show up…

UMP45: That’s why I need you to help me get rid of these annoying pests.
Also, we need to take care not to harm M4A1’s digimind… if her digimind breaks down, we won’t be able to get out of this in one piece!

UMP9: Got it, 45-nee! Ladies, let’s begin the operation!

Confidential Information VII

[……]
[Audio playback begins.]

“Honestly, that cost a pretty penny.”
“What’s this report?”
“It’s a report about the incident from 4 years ago. Most of it has been deleted. I don’t know who did it, but they were very professional.“
“I’ve found similar incidents in the past, the “Griffin-Controlled Zone Child Attack Cases”, 16 examples. People witnessed kids who appeared similar to the attacker in different areas.”
“They couldn’t determine the identity of the attackers who didn’t die. After sentencing, they were sent to… it’s been blacked out. The bodies of the attackers who were shot and killed were… it’s been blacked out too.”
“It was a saturated delivery. I’m guessing all those kids were the same.”
“Clones?”
“He wouldn’t mind doing that. The words “morals” and “ethics” don’t exist in his heart.”
”These 16 examples are just the ones mentioned in the report. Perhaps the number of clones which actually appeared was more than that.”
“Can we track down the location of the other clones?”
“All you need is one of them to successfully make contact with you. The others were probably destroyed and all traces eliminated after recovery. It was 4 years ago, and Griffin held jurisdiction over such a large area.”
“Indeed. Even back then, I thought it was kids I met by chance.”
“So your guess was right, those incidents weren’t circumstances. Those clones were being used to move something.”
“...Don’t tell me they were trying to move her brain?”
“I guessed so too. But is it possible? Would the person who did this know you’d scan their brains?”
“Because he knows me too well… that child’s brainwaves are very special, they’re very similar to a Doll’s digimind framework…”
“But… technically speaking it would be very hard to digitize a human consciousness, right?”
“It’s precisely because it’s difficult… so he knew I’d definitely do it.”
“In the end, I lost to myself… I need to do something.”

Confidential Information VIII


[……]
[Audio playback begins.]

“A fax?”
“Hmph… that Havier… what’s the point of sending a fax where half the page had been blacked out?”

【File Serial Number “MB-13-A”】

【Type: Unknown】
【Classification: Confidential】
【Source:  [████]】
【We now have reason to believe that the OGAS system which ████ had contact with during the P Incident was ██████ and leaked by another department. The reasons for this are as follow:]

【According to our information in Moscow,the relevant departments related to ████ repeatedly called for the development of the next level of Relic weapon technology.】
【These proposals were staunchly rejected by the Central People’s Committee of the time, and ████ was subjected to disciplinary measures for disobeying orders, with 16 people being shot.]【However, there is no doubt that despite Central strictly forbidding it, a group of high-ranking officers within ████ remained interested in the development of Relic technology.]
【Before ████ joined Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing and made contact with the subsystem in question, Sangvis Ferri’s ████ once signed a shared technology development contract with the equipment development department of ███████.】
[Sangvis Ferri’s main product was low-end strike weapons, and this technology development contract was fundamentally mismatched with Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing’s market position.]
【I have reason to believe that ███████ was not looking for Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing’s products, but wanted to use their civilian status to achieve ████ and ████.】
【This is combined with the fact that many of the protocol port addresses for the Sangvis Ferri gear we obtained during █████ correspond to the Baltic Sea region】
【We have reason to believe that the ████’s repeated activity in the Baltic Sea contamination zone are related to the P Incident and  the fatality rates during “████”.】
【We suggest placing ███, ███ and ████ of ████ under increased surveillance. The interior of ████ is already  a major threat to state security, and we must intervene as soon as possible.】

Confidential Information IX

[……]
[Audio playback begins.]

“What’s this? Are you calling at this hour to reminisce about the past with me?”
“I’m not even half your age, so I’m afraid I don’t deserve to remember the past with you.”
“Since when did you get hung up on age and deserving things? It isn’t your style.”
“...You really are straightforward. As you know, I’m already retired, and I’ve long since stopped caring about things like that.”
“Looks like the wind’s blowing in a different direction now. The people on top don’t want to continue this standoff any more.”
“You Rossartrists… yours biggest distinctive feature is being too damn naive.”
“But this is also an opportunity. You’re a patriot. You would never do anything to betray your country’s interests.”
“These punks really have gone too far. They’ve never experienced what it was like during the Cold War when the infection broke out. The price of opening a door which should never be opened is very high.”
“Since that’s the attitude you’re taking…”
“I still have to warn you. This country has shed too much blood. Hatred and hostility won’t disappear as easily as you imagine.”
“But I believe the phrase is “Do not go gentle into that dark night?”
“...”
“Even if it’s just one step, someone has to take it. Rather than turn into an enemy, I’d show up as a friend.”
“Hmph… pretty words. Well, I won’t stop you until you give the game away. But the rest of the people on the committee won’t think the same way.”
“Your words are enough for me.


[Inside the train.]

Kalina: Ugh… the documents this time round feel a little hard to understand...
Persica-san, can you make sense of these?

Persica: Dammit...

Kalina: Persica-san?

Persica: I need to go for a bit, I need to carefully check this room!

Kalina: Hm? Why are you suddenly thinking about cleaning your room… oh well, maybe all scientists are just that weird.