Arknights story · Dorothy's Vision
DV-5 Dorothy's Promise
It turns out that the Pioneers have been trying to make their way into the lab from the very beginning, believing Dorothy to be the origin of the mysterious creatures. While they swing into action, the creatures appear to demonstrate sentience, moving to protect Dorothy.
2 scenes, 441 lines
1. Before Operation
193 lines
Muelsyse...
Urgh... nngh...
Sorry...?
I would have killed you if the Doctor didn't warn me.
Is that what the enemy wanted? Did they want you to murder your former colleague?
Not necessarily.
It wasn't just because of the Doctor that I stayed my hand.
She said, 'Don't be too eager to make an enemy of anyone.' She was alluding to Muelsyse.
That would explain her behavior.
She was guiding us to Muelsyse.
She wanted us to find her?
But one wrong move, and we might've killed Muelsyse...
Alright, I get it. She doesn't care if Muelsyse lives or dies.
She's treating this as a test.
She wants Saria to act quicker.
A test of the power armor technology, and a test to see how Rhodes Island and I react.
Every word she said in the bar was calculated to probe my response.
She's guiding us in the direction that she wants.
Ugh...!
Feeling better, Muelsyse?
You were injected with a sedative a few hours ago, but you'd regained consciousness by the time we saw you in the power armor.
The nausea and numbness that you feel are mainly lingering effects of hypoxia and extreme stress.
I patched you up a little, but it'll take you another half hour or so to fully recover.
Stop... stop...
No...
Muelsyse begins sweating from her brow and the back of her hand.
She grabs your hand, and the drops of sweat rise into the air, splashing against your clothing.
The stain quickly spreads to form a message.
It is not the name of the Liberi, nor of Ferdinand.
Not often I see you here.
You did give me a temporary work permit, didn't you?
'Bibliology consultant'. What's a tech firm like Rhine need with that?
You're in a good mood. I take it your experiments are going well?
Don't talk about experiments right now.
Ten minutes. A man like me only gets ten minutes to himself a day.
I could spend it on a video call with the children, or dinner with Elena and the others.
But I prefer to spend it doing nothing but standing here and watching.
It's just an ordinary street out there.
Yes. It's everything.
They must be tired after a long day of work. Why is there no sign of dejection on their faces? Why are their steps so springy?
Because they have a chance.
They believe their hard work is giving them a chance at better lives for them and their families.
Just like those Pioneers outside the city.
Yes, them too.
Trimounts. The city of three burdenbeasts.
Three burdenbeasts carried seven Pioneers to build the first settlement on this soil.
And now? Look at the streets below.
The Pioneers and their descendants bring a constant stream of vitality to this place. No other country can claim to rival Columbia's enterprising spirit.
Our country's prosperity has given people confidence, which in turn feeds into our vitality.
If the country keeps advancing, so will the lives of everyone across all the lands.
I know what you think of me. You, Kristen, Saria... you call me an opportunist.
It takes a smart man to take a chance when he comes across it.
Thank you.
I can't deny that I would rather be up here than down there.
But I've earned the chances I've been given.
My projects have generated wealth, which fed into the next project, and driven technological progress.
We stand on the cutting edge, leading Terra into a new era.
They will build monuments, and our names will be immortalized upon them.
Our?
Victory belongs to each and every trailblazer.
—
My ten minutes are almost up.
You didn't give me any time to talk.
I know what you came for, Ho'olheyak.
Oh?
I forgive you.
......
Kristen, Muelsyse, Saria, Parvis... and you. I'm not wasting my time trying to guess your petty little thoughts.
Dorothy's experiments are one step away from success.
All I care about is the final result.
S-Sonny...
Dorothy says we're safe here... why do you have your crossbows out?
Safe?
You're not stupid, Doctor.
The biggest danger is right there.
...Dorothy?
I thought you were willing to hear us out?
I'm sorry.
Out of the way, you and the other docs. We're not here for you.
But...
We've been tricked, Elena.
Stopping the attack on Joyce was just a show.
He showed us his anger, his hesitation, and his bottom line, all of this to hide one thing.
He was always prepared to commit a crime.
......
I didn't think it'd be Myers. The whole part of making you trust me... especially Dr. Urbica... I was gonna make Sam play the bad guy.
But that's all behind us now.
We're here, right at the source.
A voice so soft it could melt the hardest heart.
Watery eyes opened slightly wide.
Filled with innocence, surprise, even hurt.
As though it was those who picked up arms to defend themselves who should be reproached.
Why? You can still ask why?
I saw it all.
The monsters you made, stalking us. How you fed them the blood of my friends.
You... evil...
There are no monsters!
Those are byproducts of the experiments, made of a special material that's sensitive to neural signals...
No, Elena. He's not making a blind guess.
It really does seem like he's seen those silver things before.
And more.
Yeah.
Three days ago, I snuck into the lab complex to find you.
I wanted to ask if I could volunteer to be a test subject.
Sir! Didn't you say it was too risky? That the corps could be lying to us?
Risky? Haha... hahaha!
Sorry, Sam. I was the one lying.
But I wanted to fix my mistakes.
Listen, everybody.
I saw silver monsters taking shape around her that night. She talked to them like they were her pets.
Dorothy Franks is the one behind all this.
Do you find it hard to accept what I'm telling you?
Can't say I'm into sci-fi.
Then maybe you could take a look at this letter.
Letter?
Mr. Sonny gave it to me. He might've known he'd be in danger.
He said to me, and I quote, 'Give this letter to Mary Banner if anything happens to me.'
I'm sure he wouldn't mind you reading it... a little early.
Give it to me.
............
Er... what does it say?
Where the hell did that guy go?!
Er...
You don't know Sonny Romano, Greyy.
He's a ball of anger and hate, all over his insurance.
Insurance again...
Yes, every Infected in Columbia deals with that word a lot.
People outside think Columbia is kind enough to the Infected.
You get to live a normal life, as long as you can pay for your health insurance. That sounds pretty darned fair, doesn't it?
That's what Sonny told me when he first got sick.
But where did that end up?
Was it... very expensive?
On a cop's salary? I couldn't afford it, even if I quit eating altogether.
It wasn't meant to ensure keeping the Infected healthy. The premiums are way out of line with the treatment they actually get.
It's more like a fine. Or a little trick that forces the Infected to go down a certain path.
Sonny Romano never wanted to face the truth.
If he's not stopped, he could end up going down a path you don't come back from.
What you saw were neither monsters nor pets.
But they do have something to do with my experiments.
So you admit it.
People up high always like to make decisions for the little guy.
Why don't you put down those pointy things? My instruments can be fragile.
Or if you have to aim, aim this way.
I don't mind.
She takes a step towards the Pioneers, almost touching the crossbows.
Sonny's hand trembles ever so slightly. He forces himself to look away from that warm pair of eyes.
This is a ploy. A trick to get them to submit again.
Aren't you afraid to die?
I am.
But I'm more afraid that you'll hurt yourselves.
You're not a murderer, Sonny, and neither are your friends. You're just ordinary men, trying to live better lives.
Didn't you consider participating in my experiments?
You still have a chance. Join us, and you'll get what you've always wanted.
I'll never turn you down.
She extends a hand to the Pioneers, as though waiting for them to clasp it.
Does she not understand that they came to kill her?
No. Don't look at her. Her eyes, her hands, they're too soft and warm.
They, the people who walk the barrenlands, have never known anything but cold refusal from the cities and those who live in them.
She is controlling them, like she controlled the others whose wills were weak.
But, the word 'chance'...
When was the last time we heard it?
......
Hm...
—
It's those silver constructs!
Where did they come from? I didn't see...
Stop. Don't hurt each other...
—!
It's coming!
More over there!
Look out!
Grab Dorothy Franks—no, destroy the lab!
We gotta destroy this cradle of evil to stop the monsters, once and for all!
No!
That is the one thing that I will not permit.
The experiments must continue.
It was my promise to you... to them.
2. After Operation
248 lines'Hello, Mary. When was the last time I wrote to you? I'm afraid I was never able to muster the courage to speak to you after the incident.
I could not sleep at all last night. Memories from childhood kept intruding into my mind.
Remember when you were fifteen, and we climbed up the judge statue in the center of town?
You joked that it was illegal, and that you would arrest me when you became a cop.
And I... what did I say?
'Everyone has the right to enjoy fairness and justice.'
I could not have imagined what would become of me in just a few years.
Civilization is a fragile thing. Not much separates us from the burdenbeasts outside the nomadic cities.
Fairness and justice have become alien concepts. All I think of, day in, day out, is how to survive.
Yes, I have become the kind of man you most despise. The kind that I used to most despise.
(Signs of erasure)
What if I have the chance to return to the embrace of civilization? To go back to the man I used to be?
Your birthday is just a week away. You have no idea how much I would love to surprise you.
(Long blank, then hastily scribbled words)
They're performing dangerous experiments on us. All I can do is try to keep living.'
S-Sir. Our bolts...
They... stopped in mid-air?
The bolts headed towards her and the lab equipment are frozen in mid-air.
It is as though they are being held by countless invisible hands.
Dorothy raises a hand.
She touches one of the bolts with her finger.
It gives off a light hum.
Hit the deck!
What the...?
There is a loud bang, like a heavy metal object being dropped to the floor.
The bolts have fallen to the ground—but only part of them. The heads of the bolts have disappeared, leaving behind only an eerily smooth cross-section.
No, they did not disappear.
Did you hear that, Elena?
It sounded like...
Like metal vibrating at an extremely high frequency.
The heads of the bolts shook themselves apart.
How powerful could Director Franks's Originium Arts be?
It's not all Arts.
It's her technique. She's THE authority on applied Originium Arts.
The Pioneers won't be able to lay a finger on her.
—
You're right. There's someone else we should be worried about...
Oww...
Take care of Joyce. She's still in bad shape.
Not to mention Sonny and his men...
Firebomb!
On it!
Don't aim, just throw!
—
Good god...
Why don't you tell that to the men you tricked onto your lab table?
I didn't trick them.
They're safe. Very safe.
If the experiment succeeds, they'll never have to face the dangers of the wastes again.
Isn't that what you wanted, Sonny?
......
—
Watch out!
Sam...?
Sir... Sonny, run...
Take the others and get out...
Out to the barrenlands... where the corporations can't find you.
The barrenlands...
Yes... we're Pioneers...
Ha... haha! They're afraid of the wastes... we're not!
......
Run?
Turn, and run from your friends, run from your answers.
Run away and live. Isn't that what I've always wanted?
What's that, Sonny... a letter? Someone back in town waiting for you to write? Man, you lucky bastard.
Maybe it'll become evidence.
Evidence?
To let the people out there know what happened to us.
I thought we were just gonna save Dirk and the others.
What if we fail?
I wanna leave behind something, Sam. If we don't make it, I want people to know that we tried.
He wants to live.
But more than that, he wants someone to hear his voice.
Why do we have to wait for you to give us a chance?
That's not fair.
He finds one of the bolts on the ground.
It's missing the head, but he still has his hands.
He's lost much to Oripathy. But he also gained a little bit—a sliver of power.
In the grand scheme of things, that power can't make a difference. Here and now, though, it is enough to snap the bolt in half.
The sharp cross-section could be a weapon against the enemy before him, to break the shackles imposed upon him.
Don't come any closer.
Grr...
He loses control of the bolt he's holding, then his hands themselves.
A powerful but invisible force grabs his wrists, forcing him to stop.
My research was never intended to be used against you.
It was designed to help you deal with the beasts of the wastes, overcome harsh terrain, and survive Catastrophes. To give you a chance.
It's supposed to protect you!
Hah... protect us?
Did you ever ask what we wanted?
He will move forward. The more it is denied him, the more he will struggle.
The broken bolt tears through his skin, causing blood to drip from it.
Won't you just let this go?
Ha... haha!
No.
No, I don't wanna.
What's the situation at the site?
Defense says no one has left it.
If all goes according to plan, Dorothy's 'Hub' should be complete by now.
Any news from Elena?
Negative.
As of the last communication, she had not arrived at the observation station. Defense staff have not seen her.
......
Go and prepare the latest batch of Transmitter.
How much do you need?
One-third.
Time is running out for Rhine Lab.
The experiments are going well, Colonel. We're in the final phase.
We can't wait much longer.
The aftershocks of the Victorian Incident continue to reverberate. Both our friends and our enemies are making preparations.
We believe a weapon like that remains in the hands of someone, somewhere.
A century of hard work could vanish in the blink of an eye if they target one of our cities.
We'll be dragged back under the dark clouds, at the mercy of other nations.
That's why we need more advanced technology... the technology to deliver our weapons to any location with precision, regardless of distance.
Yes. Columbia needs a 'guide'.
You're smart, Clooney, and you're more practical than most smart people.
When this deal is done, I look forward to a fruitful partnership with the new Control of Rhine Lab.
The feeling is mutual.
Send more hands to the labs to package the reagents.
Yes, I need all of it.
Whew... these guys are a headache.
—
You've seen my Arts. They're nowhere near as practical as Greyy's.
Yes, we've proven that their liquid structure is extremely resilient.
And there is worse news.
Did I mention that there's more of this material stored above us, all over the lab complex? Like, ten thousand times more, give or take.
Maybe you should have mentioned that sooner.
You said they were byproducts of the experiments. What was the main objective?
A new technology that would replace traditional Arts Units.
Energy was responsible for developing this special material. It's extremely sensitive to microvibrations, making it the ideal medium for receiving and encoding neural signals.
We call it 'Transmitter'.
Under ideal circumstances, it can turn someone with ordinary Originium Arts assimilation into an outstanding caster.
That's why... even the byproduct... can be very... dangerous!
Olivia, I can't fight and give a lecture at the same time.
Sometimes I wish I had one of those devices like in Joyce's brain. That way, I could tell you stuff with just a thought.
......
I know you put a lot into it, and I understand your loyalty to Dorothy. But...
Enough, Olivia, you're reminding me of my sister again.
The project is important to me, but something's clearly not right with Dorothy... did you think I was the kind of person who can't get my priorities straight?
I... just... need... to... think.
I haven't spent enough time here. I wish I pestered Dorothy more...
...The caster.
What?
Elena, if the things before us are products of Originium Arts, where is the caster?
It's not Dorothy controlling them. They're just there by her side.
The missing Pioneers...
The one place in the lab that Dorothy is most hesitant to show us.
Use your Originium Arts, Elena! Aim behind her!
Max power, right?
Starlight rains from the sky, catching everybody's attention for an instant.
Even the strange silver entities.
—
I... I can't stop... what's going on?
It's like my limbs aren't my own... how much is that equipment worth? Never mind... got to hold on...
It's not just us. Even the Pioneers...
An earthquake?
Hang in there!
Star... stars...
Joyce... Olivia... I can't keep my hold on her...
I'm losing sensation in my hands!
A-Arts...!
Never thought the day would come when I would be giving myself electric shocks...
Electric?
Electricity can interfere with Originium Arts effects...
Did you say that this research is focused on vibration?
Yeah... and?
Sand.
Sand's everywhere in the lab. On us, too... so small we never even noticed.
Keep looking for the test subjects, Elena!
I'll stop Dorothy.
Sir, the reagents have been loaded.
Good. We're going to Site 359.
You're going there personally?
Did I not make myself clear?
Er, I just thought there were enough staff there already...
Tell me, why is it that the more important an experiment is, the more times it has to be repeated?
Er... to avoid errors?
Because an important result must be absolutely reliable.
Is Director Franks not reliable?
Dorothy? She is driven by her emotions, and achieved great things because of them.
But her emotions may also become a weakness, at key moments.
What about Elena?
I hope you grow faster than her.
She is motivated, but too inexperienced. She may not be able to make the best possible decision without my advice.
There's only one person at Rhine Lab whom I trust implicitly—me.
*Cough*... hello, Director Franks.
How did you come this far? I thought the vibration membrane would cut off nerve signals to your limbs.
I'm a physician. I know the human body a little better than you do.
I'm sorry. I know it must be uncomfortable.
The experiment will be complete in just a little bit. I'll set you free when we're done.
And then...?
Is it really worth the damage that's being done?
Look at the people who are struggling right now.
Don't... give... up!
Grab... my... hand!
Those focused on the future tend to ignore what's happening in front of them.
I've seen many people like that at Rhine Lab.
But Director Franks... Dorothy... you're not like them.
There are tears in your eyes when you look at Sonny and the other Pioneers.
......
I can feel their pain.
But which is worse? A moment of pain, or an eternity of pain?
The life they lead is a quagmire, Dr. Silence.
I want to pull them up, give them the same chances that you and I once had.
A drowning man may struggle even more when he feels someone pulling him.
But is that really him refusing help?
The bog has choked them, but I hear their cries for help. I've extended my hand, and I'm not about to pull it back now.
But you need to stop.
Your drone... when did you...?
While you were talking.
I've seen many places since I left Rhine Lab, some of them even worse than this sand-filled lab of yours.
A physician knows how to keep her equipment clean at all times.
Still...
Dorothy... she won't even think about giving up...
(My hands are getting number.)
(Another shock? I'll probably fry my nerves.)
...Light.
Light? My Arts? You didn't use to love my Arts show this much, Joyce.
Where are you looking... what are you looking at?
No, what really matters isn't what you're looking at...
It's what you know... what did you learn that Olivia and I didn't?
Huh?
You... you're moving?
Wait, you were unconscious... that's why the vibration membrane didn't affect you as much.
The direction you're pointing...
That's the direction the silver constructs are gathering in.
I know where the missing people went.
Look, a door opened—
That's...
All the vibrations stop.
The silver constructs dissolve into harmless pools of liquid.
Dorothy too stops dead in her tracks, giving up resistance even with Silence's drone at her neck.
All she sees is the door, and everything behind it.
What she vowed to protect, and the countless dreams that she carries.