3 3 304 AniZhuanchangEnd I know, of course, that Plato's Atlantis never really existed. ffffffff 1 Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory396.jpg 1 1
4 4 304 And for that very reason, it can never die. ffffffff 1 Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory396.jpg 1 1
5 5 304 It will always be an ideal—a dream of perfection—a goal to inspire men for all ages to come. ffffffff 1 Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory396.jpg 1 1
6 6 304 So that's why the symphony ends with a triumphant march into the future. ffffffff 1 Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory396.jpg 1 2
7 7 304 AniZhuanchangBegin —"The Songs of Distant Earth", Arthur C. Clarke ffffffff 1 Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/Bgstory396.jpg 1 1
9 10 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Babylonia, 24 hours before Cerberus receives their mission.
10 12 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Having walked along the long, narrow corridor, Nikola stands before the old, wooden door at the end, and he pushes it open to enter the room.
13 15 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Unveiled before his eyes is a crass, tasteless, yet ridiculously luxurious study. Nikola takes a look around the room and frowns.
14 16 301 Velvet curtains? A chandelier? The long Black Walnut table? These are all trinkets from ages ago. To have moved these unnecessary items onto Babylonia during an apocalypse is the cruelest mockery to those who were left behind.
15 17 301 And the cause of Nikola's furrowed brows—the silver-haired man leaning back on the leather swivel chair—has finally noticed his presence, and his body shifts.
16 18 301 With his hands on the chair arms, Collins slowly turns around.
17 19 201 1 500319 400
18 20 201 2 500012 -400
19 21 301 1 Collins Long time no see, my dear Nicky. 1
20 22 301 Collins' tone is fervent with a sense of joy, as if the two of them are actually old friends who have not seen each other for a while.
21 23 301 Nikola's brows furrow further upon Collins' "intimate" greetings.
22 24 301 Time has passed, and Nikola's station and stance are far removed from where they once were. Still, the disgust and contempt he feels about the man before him have not changed from his days in Kurono.
23 25 301 Collins C'mon, stop staring at me like a mortal enemy. It's been so long! Take a seat and we'll catch up. 1
24 26 202 1 2 1
25 27 301 Collins gestures to Nikola with a "please" motion, his tone frivolous and comical as if he is still speaking to his subordinate from Kurono instead of the Chief Commander of Babylonia.
26 28 301 Not hiding his displeasure, Nikola sits down on the other side of the long table regardless.
27 29 201 1 500319 400
28 30 201 2 500012 -400
29 31 301 1 Nikola I'm not here to catch up, Collins. What Kurono has been doing to 【kuroname】 has crossed the Parliament's line. 2
30 32 301 Collins P for Parliament, or P for President, huh? 1
31 33 301 Collins savors every word he says.
32 34 301 Nikola ... 2
33 35 301 Nikola's silence makes Collins laugh.
34 36 301 Collins Times are a-changin', and we're now playing in space instead of on earth. Folks like us manage to live this long because we know the rules, and we follow them, and long before this mess started, we made them. 1
35 37 301 Nikola Don't lump me in with you. 2
36 38 301 Collins True. You've thrown away your past for a spot on the front stage as the dazzling Chief Commander, the boss soldier of Earth's forces... but you and I both know that a person's nature is determined by their upbringings. 1
37 39 301 Collins You can't bury who you were. Why else would you appear before me as yourself instead of the angry soldier boy you are now? In this room, nonetheless! 1
38 40 301 Collins Don't tell me you just want to condemn Kurono's actions with a serious speech. 1
39 41 301 Before Nikola can react, Collins has already interrupted him.
40 42 301 Collins Sure, I invited you, but you were the one who accepted the invitation! Here you stand inside my personal study instead of a proper conference room—you know damn well the nature of this conversation, and still, here you are. 1
41 43 301 Collins' voice sounds like a venomous snake, its tongue out flicking by a human's ear, whispering.
42 44 301 Collins I offer you intel, and you repay me with clearance. Hasn't this been how we work together? Why are you acting like a stranger, dear Nicky? 1
43 45 301 Nikola I've turned a blind eye within my authority as much as I could regarding you detaining a Task Force commandant. 2
44 46 301 Nikola Understand this—I can take away your clearance any moment if I want. Kurono is a shadow that can't go into the light. You wouldn't want your dirty laundry hidden all these years exposed in the sun, would you? 2
45 47 301 Collins Nah, you won't do that. We've surely passed the bluffing stage by now, Nicky! You won't go back on your word before you've gotten what you want. 1
46 48 301 Collins Your president is sentimental, but not you. The Gray Raven Commandant is just leverage to you, no more important than any other commandant you got. You aren't going to war to get one person back, because you don't care. 1
47 49 301 Nikola makes a light grumble.
48 51 301 Nikola You bet your leverage on the right table instead of giving it away when you know everyone has their eye on it. 2
49 53 301 Nikola My inaction and passiveness on this matter have caused Hassen's grievance. I have no interest in an open conflict with him. 2
50 54 301 Collins See, I like talking to you because you put logic before your feelings! Unlike your President Hassen and his crocodile tears. 1
51 55 202 1 2 1
52 56 301 Nikola's expression shifts for a second.
53 57 301 Collins does not notice it, however.
54 58 201 1 500012
55 59 301 1 Nikola You have no more clearance to hold onto our commandant. Even if I were willing to look the other way, neither the public nor the soldiers on the frontline would tolerate it much longer. 1
56 60 301 Nikola You're locking up the person who defeated the Polyphage. The Gray Raven Commandant has become the symbol of "hope" to the public. They're more likely to believe someone they can see instead of your made-up accusations. 1
57 61 301 Nikola That's why I said you crossed "the Parliament's line"—not every member gives a damn about the Gray Raven Commandant, but they all care about the Parliament's authority and image to the people. 1
58 62 301 Nikola You've contained 【kuroname】 in the name of "confined treatment" for way too long. 1
59 63 202 1 1
60 64 301 Collins shakes his head.
61 65 201 1 500319 400
62 66 201 2 500012 -400
63 67 301 1 Collins Not long enough. I still haven't found what I was looking for. "Confined treatment" is nowhere near enough. 1
64 68 301 Nikola I can't understand what your obsession is with a human commandant. 2
65 69 301 Collins Nah-ah-ah—Nicky, you know damn well what it is. 1
66 70 301 Nikola ... 2
67 71 301 Nikola remains silent as Collins claps his hands, satisfied.
68 72 301 Collins Enough with the bullshit. I want to assign the Gray Raven Commandant on a mission. 1
69 73 301 Collins We've detected Luna's M.I.N.D. activity on the surface. We need the commandant to track her whereabouts. 1
70 74 301 Nikola's fists tighten. He does not agree with Collins' request immediately.
71 75 301 Nikola What makes you so sure that it's Luna? 2
72 76 301 Collins The signal from Luna's M.I.N.D. activity is special—even more so than the Ascendant we once "got." 1
73 77 301 Collins It's like... tens of thousands of M.I.N.D.s bundled together in the same place. She usually keeps hers pretty damn well hidden, but we caught a glimpse last time when the Polyphage was having her for dinner. 1
74 78 301 Collins We've detected its signature again, and this time, we need the Gray Raven Commandant to track it and find Luna for us. 1
75 79 301 Nikola You don't have the clearance. 【kuroname】 is part of the military's Task Force. The commandant's assignments must be appointed through the system in the Operation Logistics Center. 2
76 80 301 Collins Which is why you're here, Nicky! A little clearance isn't going to stop our Chief Commander, am I right? 1
77 81 202 1 2 1
78 82 301 Nikola closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Then he denies Collins' request staunchly.
79 83 201 1 500012
80 84 301 1 Nikola As you said, I'm the Chief Commander. I cannot treat our rules as non-existent. 1
81 85 301 Nikola We spent so much effort rebuilding laws and orders in the world after the apocalypse. They're the framework upon which the world progresses forward. 1
82 86 301 Nikola Break the rule once, and you put a crack in the dam. It won't be long before it crumbles down and all hell breaks loose. 1
83 87 201 1 500319 5
84 88 301 1 Collins You're starting to sound like your hypocritic president. 1
85 89 301 Collins But I know the truth. This is just my dear Nicky putting up a show. You don't give a shit about any of this. 1
86 90 301 Collins Neither you nor I am satisfied with maintaining this brief stability of the status quo. 1
87 91 301 Collins To be backed into a corner... This stability is just the calmness inside a coffin. Your ambition lies beyond this, no? Isn't finding a new way forward for humanity and destroying this false serenity what you've wanted? 1
88 92 202 1 1
89 93 301 Collins takes out a folder from a hidden compartment underneath the table as he speaks.
90 94 301 It is an old, brown paper bag, its edges so worn down over time that it looks like it will fall apart upon touch.
91 95 301 Collins throws it onto the table before him carelessly, however. The scent of rotting paper fills the room.
92 96 201 1 500319
93 97 301 1 Collins Besides, I've found what you've been searching for all this time, dear Nicky. 1
94 98 202 1 1
95 99 301 Nikola's gaze freezes when it reaches the words on the paper bag, and his pupils shrink slightly.
96 100 301 Stamped in red on the bag is the phrase "TOP SECRET".
97 101 301 Difficult to catalog and transmit, physical means of delivering information have been abandoned by humans for the last hundred years, ever since entering the Information Age.
98 102 301 Except for classified information. Most people choose paper to back up their secrets unanimously.
99 103 301 Digitized information is easy to leak, and hard disks and CD-ROMs have a much shorter lifespan than paper. The shortcomings of a piece of paper are strengths when it comes to keeping classified intel.
100 104 301 Staring at the date on the corner of the paper bag, Nikola subconsciously reaches for it.
101 105 301 But right as he is about to touch it, a finger presses down on a corner of the bag, holding it there.
102 106 301 Nikola's eyes shift up from Collins' finger to his face.
103 107 301 The slight raise of the corner of Collins' mouth reminds Nikola of how he must have looked right now.
104 108 301 Quietly, his hand withdraws from the bag.
105 109 201 1 500319 400
106 110 201 2 500012 -400
107 111 301 1 Nikola As I said, I cannot break the rules. 2
108 112 301 Nikola The Gray Raven Commandant's assignments must be given through the Operation Logistics Center with an official Construct squad. The mission details must also be officially approved and logged. 2
109 113 301 Collins Then we'll make it "official," just the way you like. 1
110 114 301 Nikola ... 2
111 115 301 Collins From what I've heard, you've got a Task Force directly under you called Cerberus. It's a remotely connected team—very experimental stuff—and its captain is a Construct from Kurono... 1
112 116 202 1 2 1
113 117 301 Before he finishes, Collins gently lifts a corner of the bag with his finger as if showcasing his trophy before Nikola.
114 118 201 1 500012
115 119 301 1 Nikola ... 1
116 120 301 The silence brews.
117 121 301 Nikola thinks for a moment before coming to a decision.
118 122 301 Nikola I'll transfer the authority to assign Cerberus to the Operations Logistics Center. The Gray Raven Commandant can be deployed alongside this squad. 1
119 123 301 Nikola You can send one of yours to oversee the operation, but find someone with a cleaner resume. I don't want people complaining, and I don't want... too much noise made. 1
120 124 301 Nikola Just this once. 1
121 125 301 Nikola When it's over, everything goes back to where they belong, including the commandant. 1
122 126 202 1 1
123 127 301 Satisfied with the answer he receives, Collins pushes the folder in his hand to the other side of the table before Nikola.
124 128 301 Nikola picks up the paper bag, standing up and ready to leave.
125 129 301 Collins stops him once more.
126 130 201 1 500319
127 131 301 1 Collins What's still in that Golden Age trash that gets you all nervous? I had my technicians analyze it, but it's just some experiment data from the Science Council a few years before the Virus destroyed everything. 1
128 132 201 1 500012
129 133 301 1 Nikola ... 1
130 134 201 1 500319
131 135 301 1 Collins Dug up from the ruins by some guy, took a trip through the black market before ending up at Daedalus, only to be recycled by us... Things like this are a dime a dozen. 1
132 136 301 Collins They might have been top secrets and cutting-edge technologies back in the day, but they are as useful as a piece of paper in a time like this when everything has to start over from scratch. 1
133 137 301 Collins I'm just so damn curious. What's inside this that gets our Nicky here all obsessed? 1
134 138 301 Before Nikola answers, Collins puts a finger to his mouth in a "hush" gesture.
135 139 301 Collins You don't have to say anything. Soon, we—will—all—find out. 1
136 140 301 Collins As long as we're on this ship together, nothing will remain a secret forever. 1
137 141 301 Nikola tilts his head.
138 142 201 1 500012 13
139 143 301 1 Nikola If that's the case, then everything about Kurono will not remain hidden forever as well. 1
140 144 202 1 1
141 145 301 Collins ignores him, and Nikola steps outside the room.
142 146 401 2 753
143 147 301 AniZhuanchangBegin The door closes behind him.
146 150 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Babylonia, 12 hours before Cerberus receives their mission.
147 151 201 1 500012
148 152 301 1 Nikola I've brought the thing back. 1
149 153 202 1 1
150 154 301 Nikola throws the paper bag he got from Collins not too long ago before Hassen.
151 155 301 Hassen catches it, and he immediately takes out the data from the bag and reads it carefully.
152 156 201 1 500012 -400
153 157 201 2 500011 400
154 158 301 1 Hassen Did Collins notice? 2
155 159 301 Nikola No, I don't think he knew. He thought we disagreed, and I was giving him the Gray Raven Commandant behind your back. 1
156 160 301 Nikola I'm surprised too. I thought you'd reject me when I proposed this. You seem to value the commandant a lot, after all. 1
157 161 301 Hassen Valuing 【kuroname】 doesn't mean I'll stay in a stalemate with Kurono forever. Getting stuck in an arm-wrestle helps nobody. 2
158 162 301 Hassen Not to mention, they've been acting desperate. Being high-profile and blatant isn't their MO. 2
159 163 301 Hassen I'm worried that Collins has got his hands on something big—something important enough that gives him leverage to escalate like this. 2
160 164 301 Hassen They said they needed 【kuroname】 to help track down an Ascendant, but given the way and the number of people they're deploying, do you think they're truly hunting an Ascendant? 2
161 165 301 Hassen Collins has his eyes set on 【kuroname】 right now, which means 【kuroname】 must be an important part of their plans... Connect the dots, and what do you think we'll find? 2
162 166 301 Nikola's expression turns gradually more solemn as Hassen speaks.
163 167 301 Nikola Something that's connected to 【kuroname】 at this point in time... Are you saying that what they're after is— 1
164 168 202 1 2 1
165 169 301 Nikola does not need to name "what they're after" as he already knows the answer from Hassen's eyes.
166 170 201 1 500011
167 171 301 1 Hassen Indeed. It's exactly what you think. 1
168 172 301 Hassen Of course, it's only my guess. 1
169 173 301 Hassen Regardless, we can't prove that they've got ahold of "her." Not to mention that we have no idea what they need "her" for. 1
170 174 301 Hassen We need to know what this all means, so we must act. 1
171 175 301 Hassen You were our best option. If I "compromised" on the Gray Raven Commandant, Collins might figure out that something is afoot. 1
172 176 202 1 1
173 177 201 1 500012 -400
174 178 201 2 500011 400
175 179 301 1 Nikola But not me... is that so? 1
176 180 301 Hassen Exactly. Your past makes him less cautious, and our usual "disagreements" has provided our plan the best cover. 2
177 182 301 Nikola I always think that you are more cold and logical than me in some ways. 1
178 184 301 Nikola But I have to warn you—Collins is not a fool. Even if he didn't notice at first, the moment I revealed my interest in that data, he knew what a trump card he got in his hand. 1
179 185 301 Nikola He must have had a backup made before giving me the original file. 1
180 186 301 Hassen I'm sure he had, but it doesn't matter. 2
181 187 301 Hassen Collins' data is incomplete. He doesn't know the more crucial information hidden behind this file. 2
182 188 301 Nikola And you're certain this intel will bring us what we want? 1
183 189 301 Hassen I'm certain. 2
184 190 301 Hassen To avoid suspicion, we had Murray retrieve a piece of information from Gestalt when Huaxu hacked it. 2
185 191 301 Hassen That information isn't complete, and neither is the one in Collins' hand. 2
186 192 301 Nikola It appears to be a report on the zero-point reactor. 1
187 193 202 1 2 1
188 194 201 1 500011
189 195 301 1 Hassen It is. 1
190 196 301 Hassen These files are the regular data feedback sent to the Science Council by each reactor. 1
191 197 301 Hassen But we've discovered that the data reported by one of the reactors is slightly different. Based on Gestalt's calculation, the data was encrypted to hide a certain set of numbers. 1
192 198 301 Hassen After we deciphered it, we discovered a set of coordinates hidden within. 1
193 199 301 Hassen The coordinates of the zero-point reactor codenamed Atlantis. Because our information was incomplete, we only managed to get the latitude and the altitude of the reactor. 1
194 200 301 Hassen waves the folder in his hand.
195 201 301 Hassen We deduced that the longitude is hidden in reports during the same period of time, which ended up being the one that fell into Collins' lap. 1
196 202 202 1 1
197 203 201 1 500012 -400
198 204 201 2 500011 400
199 205 301 1 Nikola ...I don't understand. Why would someone encrypt the location of their own reactor, only to send that information out? 1
200 206 301 Nikola This is like the work of a... 1
201 207 301 Nikola A spy. 1
202 208 301 Hassen You're right. 2
203 209 301 Nikola The World Government was well established at that point. There were no borders or separate governments—why would someone from the Golden Age try to leak this information? 1
204 210 301 Hassen Just because there was only one government didn't mean that there were no disagreements. 2
205 211 301 Hassen Zero-point reactors represented the next energy revolution. Whoever controlled it could reshuffle the world order and control everything. 2
206 212 301 Hassen Which was why they had to hide the location of their reactor. 2
207 213 301 Hassen Their union was just a temporary facade. As long as people are unequal and resources are not divided fairly, there is no true union in this world. 2
208 214 301 Nikola ... 1
209 215 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin Hassen It's almost tragic, isn't it? Whether it's the people in the glorious Golden Age or it's us on the brink of extinction, we still have the same struggle... we're still fighting the same fight. 2
