17 13 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Somewhere near R&D Section 2
18 14 301 You see the entrance to Section 2 at the end of the hallway. You know that it answers directly to the Science Council and handles Babylonia's operations from propulsion systems to even menial repairs.
19 15 301 RImgBg1Shake ...!
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21 16 301 The closer you get to the entrance, the stronger you feel that something horribly wrong is happening.
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23 17 301 While not deafening, the explosions still send small shockwaves nearby. Wisps of smoke trail from the entrance, just faint enough to slip past the notice of the fire alarms. You have a bad feeling about this.
24 18 301 RImgBg1Shake ??? Whoa!
25 19 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Then you hear a cry from inside the room, though you are unsure if it was one in shock or in need of help. Whatever it is, you set down the stack of documents and run in.
28 20 301 AniZhuanchangEnd 1 Lucia Cough cough... cough... Hey, Commandant, what brings you down here? 1
29 106 302 I'd sooner ask you that question. 21 What happened here? 22
30 21 23 301 Lucia Um... I was just trying to cook here. 1
31 22 23 301 Lucia Oh... you mean that little accident... and the smoke? I was just cooking. 1
32 23 301 Entering the room, you are confronted with a scene of utter chaos. Utensils and containers are scattered all over the floor and the tables, while black marks decorate the unlikeliest of places.
33 24 301 Lucia barely pays the carnage any mind. Calmly, she collects the damaged utensils, organizes them, then deposits them in the garbage disposal.
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35 25 301 Lucia But... as to "why" I'm cooking, that's simple. This is part of my re-acclimatization process. 1
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37 26 301 Lucia I never was good at cooking. That's something I would like to change as I reacclimatize. Though warfare remains my prime directive, there's nothing wrong with mastering another art. 1
38 108 302 Any final products? 27 Say, where did all the S2 people get off to? 28
39 27 30 301 Lucia I have many batches of final products. Everyone, and you, Commandant, will be pleasantly surprised. 1
40 28 29 301 Lucia Did you have business with Section 2? They just moved to a new workspace a few weeks ago. 1
41 29 30 301 Lucia This workspace will stay unused until the next department settles in, so I repurposed it into a temporary kitchen. 1
42 30 301 Lucia Now that you're here, would you care to try the fruits of my labor? 1
43 109 302 Color me intrigued. 31 (Accept fate) 32
44 31 34 301 Lucia Excellent! I thought you would refuse. I'll be just a moment. 1
45 32 33 301 Lucia Why the long face, Commandant? Has past experiences soured your expectations? Not to worry, everything will be all right this time. 1
46 33 34 301 RImgBg1Shake As she says this, Lucia suddenly grabs hold of your arm, the thin smile on her face radiating paralyzing authority.
47 34 301 You acquiesce. Lucia darts to the oven in the back and retrieves a lavishly decorated platter.
48 35 301 You are first struck by the sheer amount of food on the platter. Then, by the surprisingly artistic presentation. Finally, the aroma reaches your nose from far away—a singular, one-note aroma.
49 110 302 You put this platter together yourself? 36 This... smell... 37
50 36 40 301 Lucia I followed the instructions in the database to the letter. It took me a while, but I'd say the end result is pretty good, no? 1
51 37 38 301 Lucia Sharp nose, Commandant... I did add a touch of Section 2's chemical aromatics. 1
52 38 39 301 Lucia I know it sounds... hazardous, but the S2 researcher told me that it's non-poisonous and harmless. Just a normal non-nutritional additive, he said. 1
53 39 40 301 Lucia They told me that they used to lather a bit of it on their ration cakes. It didn't change the way it went down, but the aroma was enough to whet their appetite. So I took the liberty of adding it to every dish. 1
54 40 301 Lucia Anyway, let's have you try the dessert first, Commandant. Seeing as there's no place to sit around here, I'll feed you. 1
55 41 301 Lucia brings over a dish with the outward appearance of pudding. She spoons a mouthful and brings it to your mouth.
56 111 302 I can eat on my own. 42 (Open wide) 43
57 42 43 301 Lucia It doesn't matter if you eat it or if I feed you, as long as it goes down, right? No need to argue. Open up, now. Ahhhh... 1
58 43 301 And so, the smooth spoonful of pudding slides onto your tongue with a plop. True to Lucia's word, the aromatics only improve one dimension of the food.
59 44 301 The other dimensions, as it slithers across your taste buds, is nothing like the first. The intense experience hearkens you to a deep, dark, forgotten past.
60 45 301 This "pudding" tastes just like a black substance Lucia has offered you before. The look may deceive, and the smell certainly masks it, but you are positive that the two are mostly, if not exactly, the same thing.
61 46 301 Ah... Ah...
62 47 301 Lucia What's with the open mouth, Commandant...? Ah, I see! You want more? Here, I'll feed you something else. 1
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64 48 301 A single, subdued, torturous sound slips unbidden from your lips, but Lucia seems to be living in her own world. She feeds you bite after bite of her "creations."
65 49 301 As morsel after morsel of Lucia's culinary masterpieces fill the cavity of your slackened jaws, the paradoxical sensations it brings roil and swirl, until finally, they implode as a microcosm of a new world.
