Day 2: Calyx

So this is where the incident took place?

Guys... Seriously... You're going way too fast.

And Aldo, why are you so into this?

Why wouldn't I be? Remember what you said back in Elzion?

You're here for fun?! Lucky! Mind if I join you?

Officer Linaria, we are already late to the crime scene. You have no time for "fun."

Ugh, Cozmos I was only joking! Lighten up! I'm actually headin' towards Route 99 to investigate a crime...

...If there's been a crime, then I'd like to help out with the investigation.

Your assistance would be much appreciated, Aldo.

Then why don't you just leave the whole thing to him so I can...

Not in your wildest dreams. Now, go introduce yourself to your EGPD colleagues.

Ugh. Fine...

Hey there. COA officer Linaria reporting for duty! What are we lookin' at here, boyos?

You? COA? You look a little young to be...

...Know what? Forget about it. Just stay out of our way, got it?

Could they be any more rude?

Eh, it is what it is. Some girl they've never heard of shows up out of no where callin' rank, I'd be bitter about it, too. But it's fine. We'll make it work.

If you say so...

Anyway, what is this case you're investigating? What happened?

Early this morning, we received a report that a female student had been found unconscious here on Route 99.

Unconscious? Poor girl, that's terrible!

But that's all I know. Soon as the report came in, they dragged me outta bed to come check out the scene.

I guess you'll have to ask the EGPD for more details.

Exactly! And seeing as they kinda hate me and all...

If you're trying to weasel your way out of this assignment, don't bother. It won't work.

Besides, I'll be here to help you out, okay? This is your job, right? It's your duty to help the victim find justice.

That's it, Aldo! Really pile on that pressure. It's the only way to get her to do anything.

Great. Now we're doing 2v1? How is that fair?!

FIIIINE. I guess we can ask the EGPD...

The victim is female, an IDA student, and she was found collapsed in the middle of the road.

...And it was her twin sister that found her.

Where's her sister now?

They took her over to the Gamma District Clinic for examination. Somethin' about emotional trauma and all that.

Seeing your twin like that... Must have been horrific.

But what was she doing out here in the early hours of the morning? It's clearly not on her way to school...

...What's up with the drone?

We think it must've hit something, then lost control and fallen onto the road.

We found fibers from an IDA School uniform on it.

Could the drone have crashed into the girl and knocked her unconscious?

I doubt it. There wasn't a single scratch on her.

There goes that theory then.

This case is proving to be quite the mystery, huh?

Hmm... The drone might not have knocked her out, but I still think it could be relevant to the case.

Can't you find out what happened using the Time Piercer?

If only we had some more clues to go on...

Oh, if only! But the thing is...

Ooh, I know! We could use Cozmos' special thingy to find out what happened!

That isn't an option right now since SOMEONE drained the battery looking for her house keys this morning. I did tell you to use it sparingly...

I needed my keys though!

Well, whatever. I guess I'll just have to rely on the ol' gray matter for this one.

Now, what in the world was she doin' out here in the first place?

Cozmos, any record of delinquency?

None. A model student in all regards.

Yeah, that sounds about right for an IDA girl. Nothing but goody-goodies there.

Then this sounds like a question for her twin sister. Only problem is, she's in the hospital, too.

Yeah, let's park that for now. There's no point trekking all the way there just for a couple of questions. I mean...I'm just thinkin' from her point of view. Poor girl's probably still in shock from it all.

Actually, I inquired at the clinic already. They've finished her examination, and they say she's making good progress.

Then let's go see her! You never know, she might be up to talking after all.

Ugh, fine. It's in the Gamma District, right?

You're from COA...? But you don't look any older than me...

Heheh, well looks can be deceiving, you know.

...And I didn't come here to talk about my age.

No, you want to know about last night, right?

It was all so strange. She suddenly started saying all this weird stuff, and then she just ran out the house. When she saw me, she didn't even recognize me. She asked who I was, and then...

And then... Ugh...

Are you okay?!

Sorry... I remember following her to Route 99 and seeing that drone, but then...

If you don't remember, it's okay. We don't want to put you under any more stress.

And sorry for asking you about something so painful.

It's okay... I'm just sorry I can't be of any help.

If she was in a state of confusion, perhaps the drone knocked into her and she collapsed from shock?

Like it was just an unfortunate accident...

You know, I feel awful about forcin' her to remember things she'd clearly rather forget.

Yeah...

Nevertheless, it was a necessary step to move the case forward.

A bit cold though, huh?

We just did what was necessary in order for us to do our jobs.

Anyway, that thing she said about her sister suddenly acting all different? I feel like there's something there.

I dunno, our victim was a model student, right?

Maybe she acted all serious and composed, but secretly she was goin' out of her mind with stress.

Stress?

Yeah, you know, like when you're under so much pressure you feel like your heart's just gonna explode?

Oh...

Yeah, that must be terrible to go through.

Still, that doesn't change my conclusion that this was an accident.

Kay, fill out my report, will you, Cozmos?

......

Hey, are you listenin' to me?

With all due respect, I don't think it's that simple.

You don't? Why not?

Come with me. There's something I want to check.

Hey, wait up! Where do you think you're going?

To the Administrator's Office.

What'cha doin' there, Cozmos?

I'm accessing files containing Elzion citizens' personal data.

You're WHAT?! Is that even allowed?

As COA agents, we have full authorization to view such files. They even discussed it at the Investigator Code of Conduct Seminar the other day. Don't you remember?

Heh. I must've slept through that part...

Found it.

Allow me to start from my conclusion. The girl we were just talking to is not our victim's sister.

Excuse me? She's not?!

According to the citizen data, the unconscious girl does not have a sister. She's an only child.

Wow, that's quite the catch! How did you figure that out?

While you two were questioning her in the clinic, I accessed her electronic medical records.

From this, I discovered that both the comatose girl and her supposed sister have the exact same citizen IDs.

They do?!

And that's not all. I have just discovered...

That not only do they have the same citizen IDs, they also have identical biometric data.

Wait a minute... You're sayin'...

Sorry, I'm totally lost. What does that mean?

You know what a citizen ID is, right? It's basically just a number used to identify individuals. It's impossible to have two IDs with the same number. And as for biometric data...

That's each individual's actual genetic information. If that data is identical... That means there are two 100% identical people in this world.

Realistically, we're only looking at what's been registered officially here, and that's not always accurate. It's possible that someone else simply copied this data illegally in order to impersonate her. However, that student...she described herself as the girl's twin, and she bore a striking resemblance to her.

The copy theory makes a surprisin' amount of sense...

Who could she be then?

Looks like we'll be needin' to have another little chat with this so- called "twin."

What the? Where'd she go?

The girl? Oh, she left. She's still supposed to be resting, but she kept saying how she had things to do.

The nurses tried to stop her, but she she was way too strong to hold down.

Do you know where she went?

It looked like she was heading toward the airport. If you hurry, you might just get to her in time. Please, bring her back to us. She shouldn't be out in her condition.

You can count on us.

Linaria, Aldo, let's go.

Right!

Wait up! I'm supposed to be the investigator here!

I must complete my mission... I must complete my mission... I must complete my mission...

She's acting strange...

Hey, um... You okay there?

Who're you?

An enemy? Then I must destroy you...

Whoa there! Don't you remember me? I'm COA Officer Linaria. We spoke back at the hospital!

It's no use. It's possible she's under some kind of suggest...

No time for talk! We've gotta deal with this drone!

Cozmos! Blade mode!

Target locked. Be careful not to trip, Linaria.

It's not like I do it for fun! Maybe you should just try being a little more careful...

Here they come!

Great job, Linaria!

Please, I can't take all the credit. It was all thanks to Cozmos really...

I...must...

Are you okay? Listen, I'm not gonna harm you, so just...

What the...

She disappeared?

Bio signature lost.

What is going on here?

Maybe there's some kind of clue in this thing she was touching.

Be careful, Aldo. That container is absolutely loaded with explosives.

WHAT?!

Explosives?! You gotta be kidding me!

I guess we better call someone in about this...

Well, this escalated quickly.

Maybe the disappearing girl was actually the one who attacked the girl on Route 99.

Highly likely given the appearance of those drones and her strange behavior.

In any case, let's get back to our investigation. It seems like there's a lot we need to uncover.

I agree. We need to solve this thing quickly.

Officer Linaria, are you listening?

Let's just go home.

Home?! What are you talking about?

We should just report this and leave it to our superiors to sort out.

And why should we do that? So that you can slack off?

No! I agree with your general idea, but disagree with the finer points.

I think we should just hand this over to the main investigation unit. There's somethin' veeery fishy about this case, and I don't think a rookie like me should be handlin' it alone.

With the disappearance of our suspect... We should pause the investigation and wait to see what our superiors say.

Are you really okay with that?

I reject your proposal. Calculating next course of action and setting destination...

No, stop that!

I'm YOUR owner, remember? Not the other way around! Why do I always end up doin' what YOU say? And it's not like I'm runnin' away. I'm just puttin' things on hold and waiting for further instructions.

Destination set. Officer Linaria, please head to IDA School.

The school?! Why?

You know what? Don't bother answering. I'm not goin' anyway.

We're going, Officer Linaria.

No, not happening. I'm not goin' there even if it IS related to the case.

...What do you have against going to IDA?

Nothin'. There's just no reason to go there.

Allow me to repeat myself. Please head to IDA School. If you fail to comply with this request, in accordance with the COA Drone AI Regulations...

I am prepared to delete all of your online gaming accounts.

You WHAAAT?!

No, no, no, you can't, you can't! How could you even say that? No!

You're just messin' with me, right? You wouldn't really do that, would you?

Look, if Linaria's so against the idea, maybe you should just drop it for now...

I have no choice. There is no time.

No time for what?

Due to the uncertainty and highly volatile nature of the information, I cannot disclose that here.

But even if we ignore that for a moment... It more than stands to reason that we would search for clues in the place where our victim spent so much time.

......

*sigh* Fine. Let's go then.

But we're just gonna take a little look around then that's it, got it?

We will search until we find a clue. Don't forget, I have authority over all of your accounts.

Ugh! I can't believe I'm being held ransom by a drone!

Now, let us go there at once.

Hey, stop goin' off without me, you stupid drone!

Are you going to be okay with this, Linaria? Because if you really don't want to go...

Oh, you don't need to look so worried, Aldo.

I'll be fine. It's just a bit of a pain, that's all.

Really?

Really. You're so kind, lookin' out for me and all. Compared to you, Cozmos is...

You know...

Cozmos has been acting stranger than usual today.

I mean sure, they're always naggin' me and draggin' me around, but...

But Cozmos has never forced me to do somethin' they knew I was really, genuinely against doing.

Maybe something changed?

I know I haven't been at COA for long, but this is the first time I've ever seen Cozmos act this way.

Maybe there's some kind of trouble brewin'?

I'll come with. If there is something going on, I'll be there to watch over you.

Thanks, Aldo, I appreciate that.

Well, I guess we'd better get goin'. Much as I don't want to.

Before we can investigate the school, we need a place where we can talk. I believe there is such a place on the second floor of this building, H Block.

Hold on, where's Linaria?

I think we've lost her...

Then it looks like we have no choice. Aldo, would you mind helping me look for her?

Nope, I can't do it. I can't go through those doors.

The lights are way too bright for me anyway...

Excuse me, but you don't look like a student here...

Eep, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't be here, should I? I-I'll leave right this instant, don't...

Oh!

Wait, aren't you...

(Ugh... Not now...)

(You've gotta be kidding me! Why her of all people?)

...You're Linaria, right?

Linaria...?