Chapter 3: Enlightenment

We've reached the surface. Establishing connection with Shifty.

You won't have much luck with that. Syuen is jamming the communication network.

...

Seems like this is no ordinary operation.

You could say that. We refer to them as

Black Ops.

How cliché can you get?

She ordered us to capture a specific Rapture. Is that even possible?

Yuni and I were made for this.

Let's move out.

I'll take you to the destination.

Where are we going?

Why do you keep asking questions?

Don't you know that men don't like women who are nosy?

Well, we have to know where we're going, don't we?

Not that great. I was shot, after all.

No big deal though.

I don't mind a little pain.

What's up with that?

Hey! What are you doing?

Our Commander likes bandaging up others. It's kind of a thing.

I'm sorry, but... please don't touch me.

I said don't touch my wound.

Mihara has a thing for scars. She doesn't like others touching them.

You can't be serious.

No, I mean it.

I appreciate the gesture, Commander.

Mihara! Over here!

Nicely done, Yuni.

Don't I get a reward? Heh heh.

We'll talk about it later. I haven't decided how much you can have yet.

Okay!

What are these? Footprints?

Yes, I found them.

... You still track Raptures using footprints? Talk about being stuck in the stone age.

Chatterbox's signal isn't so easy to pin down.

Chatterbox? Is that the name of a Rapture?

Yep. Codename Chatterbox.

He's a unique organism, unlike any other Rapture we've seen before.

He's the reason we're here.

Why?

Hell if I know. They told us to bring him in a few months ago, but never told us why.

Is there anything about him that stands out? Any previous engagements?

I know as much as you do. I've never actually seen him myself.

Jeez, this is gonna be like finding a needle in an ocean.

Don't you mean a nail in a haystack?

It's a needle in a haystack, you morons.

He has unique footprints, so we use those to track him.

I've never seen him with my own eyes, though.

What does that have to do with us?

...

Seems like this isn't your first rodeo.

Tell me then, what's the probability of a Commander dying in their first battle?

... 70%.

And that number goes up for the second battle, does it not?

Aha! So is that the reason whatshername came knocking?

Because of how the Commander beat the odds?

Exactly.

How many of them are there?

Hmm?

How many one-and-done Commanders have there been up until now?

I don't know the exact number, but I'm pretty sure it's over 40.

...

Incredible. I should be a CEO too.

Let's start a company! What do you say?

Really?

...

Commander, I'm sorry, but we cannot abort this mission.

The CEOs of the Big Three have major pull within the Ark.

People as low on the totem pole as us don't stand a chance against them.

All we can do now is tread carefully.

... Roger.

...

All right, let's keep following the footprints.

Hmm? Mihara, look at this.

... The footprints are gone.

What do we do now?

Well... we could go back...

I don't believe this.

Hmm? Mihara, look at the wall over there!

...

So, he stepped on the wall.

... You mean Raptures can move on walls?

That's impossible. Only a four-legged animal could do something like that.

The intel has been updated. Chatterbox is able to scale walls.

... And he knows that we're tracking him.

... It sounds as though he's intelligent.

Ha ha, what are you, a comedian? Raptures are the farthest thing from intelligent!

He must have been programmed with an algorithm that allows him to shake us.

Mihara! Give me a reward! Reward!

All right, all right! You've been a good girl.

Yes!

Come and get it, then.

Let me turn off your pain sensor.

Hrrrrnngh!

Hee-hee!

... What are they doing?

She's... pinching her.

Mihara! Does it hurt? Well?

Agh! It hurts...! So bad!

Wait a minute... I'm confused.

Master, what's wrong with them?

You certainly seem to have a good grasp of it.

Huh? About what?

Um... that's...

Mihara, can I hurt you more?

N-no, that's enough for now.

We can't get addicted to it, you know?

Okay, I'll do better next time.

We've lost him again.

There's nothing around here. He couldn't have walked along a wall.

That means...

!!

Raptures! Coming in hot!

Encounter!

Enemy neutralized.

Vanishing footprints and a Rapture ambush...

They must have known we were following him.

Rapi, there's one behind you!

!!

Yuni!

Yes!

You missed!

Fiiirepooower!!

Whew... That was close.

You nearly lost your head... again.

That Rapture's gun barrel

was pointed straight at my head.

What'd you do to piss them off so much? Something to do with capturing them, I assume?

More or less.

Yuni is able to target the specific sense of an enemy and shut it down.

That's right! One shot from this laser and they're out of commission!

As for me, you already know. I can swap my senses with someone else.

So they're not originally meant to be used on Nikkes?

No, we typically use them to bag Raptures.

Can Raptures feel pain?

...?

How can abilities meant to be used against Raptures also be effective against Nikkes and humans?

...

Who are you?

You're quite the supersleuth, Rapi. Always getting to the bottom of things.

Answer my question.

Do-don't talk to Mihara like that!

It's fine.

...

I'll admit we haven't been very transparent about who we are.

But I assure you that our abilities are equally effective on Nikkes, Raptures, and humans alike.

You're lying.

Nikkes' bodies are modeled after what humans consider to be the ideal form.

You couldn't possibly end up with abilities that you didn't want...

Syuen is the one who made us.

...

The CEO of Missilis Industry. You think she's going to sit down with us

and have a nice chat about what she did to us, and why?

Fair enough.

All we know is that we have these abilities,

and that we intend on using those abilities to capture Raptures.

That's all there is to it.

If you say so.

Adjust the formation. Wardress takes the lead from now on.

... Rapi.

I'm not turning my back on a Nikke who doesn't even know what she is.

... Roger.

The footprints are connected. Let's continue.

We'll take the lead.

...

Lost them again.

I'm sensing dense concentrations of Alva Particles up ahead. That's not a good sign.

So what do we do?

Commander, should we pull back?

Fine by me. Things are starting to get a little too risky for my liking anyway.

Master, what do we do?

Should we keep on tracking?

...

Understood. Let's keep moving.