It's Turbin' Time (Library of Ruina Modded/Arknights)

4.4 - Go-Getter

It's an unusual experience to fly this high.

There are some things in Terra you haven't yet grown accustomed to. Some other things are more familiar. But this vehicle interests you.

Flying isn't too unusual by itself. You have been this high before- on the rooftops of Y-Corp skyscrapers, on the spatially distorted cliffs of rubble in the Ruins, in the case of the Reverse Well. But the naturality everyone seems to have with this…

Why is it that travel through flight is so uncommon, in the City? It shouldn't be. As far as you know, it isn't forbidden. It isn't outside of your bounds. So why is it that flying remains so unusual, so rare, for seemingly no reason at all?

Are the Wings- and isn't that a particular naming choice- simply not interested, or pushed into not being interested by someone?

It's just something you never thought about before. Is there-

Is there a wall, and you have simply never been told of it?

Like there is here?

You recall a certain memory in your collection of fragments- the sky torn open by the ambition of a very particular woman- Kirsten Wright. She intends to tear the sky open, and-

And the sky is solid. It is a thing that can be broken through, with force of arms.

The planet isn't merely enveloped by an atmosphere, but rather by something more dense, something that will require an immensely powerful superweapon to break through.

"If, in a century or a millenium, our descendants walk among the stars, the masses will sing her praises."

Those words echo in your mind. And that particular name...

Kirsten Wright.

Perhaps you should ask Saria about what she is like- she was the Director of Defense, wasn't she?

Your little talk with her earlier was informative, but not informative enough. You give her a look. She is simply sitting there, waiting. Not doing anything at all.

Well, you think everything is going to go alright. She gave you a good impression.

---

"Good morning, Ms. Saria."

"...good morning."

"I've already-"

"You have already explained what we are going to be searching for, yes. In the briefing. And Kal'tsit gave me the rest."

The rest, huh.

"And if I might ask, what exactly was the rest?"

"A number of very strange-sounding factoids. The… "City." And "Carmen," then "Distortions." Mostly that."

Hm. She gave her basically everything she needed, then.

"Do you have any further questions, then?"

"I would like to ask why I was selected. Your exact reasoning."

You pause, and place your hand beneath your chin. She's prodding you for information. No, she's prodding you for clues on your character, to be more precise.

Time slows down, and you give Operator Saria, "Guardian Defender," a good look. Muscular frame. Draconic traits, though apparently she is not one- Vouivre, rather then Draco. Neither species possesses the biological capacity to breath fire, apparently. Merely an aptitude for certain unique fire-based Arts, in the case of the second.

You chuckle internally. The races of Terra are fairly interesting. Sometimes, the only difference is that they've got animal ears, or a tail, while being built a fair bit tougher than an unaugmented human. Other times, they drink blood, eat corpses, or come with telepathy, plus a free gun.

If you recall well, Vouivre are simply very tough, even by Terran standards. Whatever tricks she's got, they're probably learned, not inherent.

What can you get with just a cursory look? Well, in this case... average height. Hardy gaze. The sort of posture used to command, but not the sort that demands it. You doubt she will put up with any disrespect or suboptimal utilization of her own talents and those of her colleagues.

Strict training regimen, going by her body weight, appearance, and muscle mass. Adhered to without fail for a very prolonged period of time. Used to prolonged stress.

Vouivre are frequently stereotyped as "hot-blooded," passionate and aggressive, which might contribute to the image Saria wants to present, and to her apparent rigidity. So far there is no evidence supporting that as anything but an ethnic stereotype, but that perception might have affected her.

That's a weaker guess, though.

Time resumes. You tap the glass table.

"You came heavily recommended by Dr. Kal'tsit."

She does not seem surprised, but is waiting for more.

"You are highly competent, have a previous history with Rhine Laboratories, and what you bring to the table synergizes heavily with my current team."

Indeed, having a healer- two healers, in fact- will help a lot. You and most of your team tend towards a very aggressive combat style. The best defense is killing all your enemies before they even get to hit you, after all.

Not to mention, her "Calcification Arts" sound extremely interesting. You wonder how she would adapt against an exotic foe with no chemical structures to weaken? Certain Ruins creatures possessed bodies composed out of gravitational wells, warped sections of spacetime, linked spherical regions where certain laws of physics do not apply, or even entirely unobservable forms of exotic matter.

You could only notice you were being attacked at all when the environment started to bend around itself, and had to bring out Wing-supplied specialist weaponry against them, or simply flee with your tail behind your legs.

You suppose that could be more literal, now. But those concerns are irrelevant for now.

"Your previous experience with Rhine Labs was one of the main reasons why I asked for your assistance, though. I believe we might end up becoming tangled up in their business, and I am unsure of where the loyalties of the other associated Operators lie. You, meanwhile, are the former Director of Defense, while Operator Silence is an ex-employee. I can trust you to navigate around them."

You're rather interested in this particular topic. Rhodes Island is heavily entangled with Rhine Laboratories, with a large number of Operators remaining connected to the corporation. But there seems to be an air of hostility around it. What is the importance of Rhine Labs?

According to what files you've had access to, Saria isn't merely a defector. She was instrumental in the company's formation, the position of Director of Defense is still hers, and possible candidates have been turned away by the personal order of its founder and CEO.

What is the relevance of this company? What is their relationship with Rhodes Island? Those are questions you might need to investigate on your own. A whistleblower and a sort-of-defector- perhaps double agent? Unlikely. Kal'tsit did not give you the appearance of someone who would be that sloppy- she would be on a much tighter leash if she was one of those.

Saria seems tempted to say something. But she simply gives you a calculating glance.

"I understand." she says. "Thank you."

You are tempted to prod her on her time with Rhine Labs. But that might be too much for now. Her loyalties are not in question, at least not for now- she wouldn't be so highly recommended for the mission if they weren't. So you will ask another, more immediately relevant question.

"Will there be any difficulties, regarding you and Operator Silence?"

She blinks.

"...no, none."

"On your side, yes. But forgive me if I am offending you- your file points out she does not have a good relationship with you. Do you believe anything might happen?"

"Dr. Olivia Silence is a professional- I trust in her. We might argue a lot- but I will not cause any trouble for Rhodes Island during this mission."

You give her a smile, though she can't see it.

"Thank you."

---

You turn your head away from Saria, and towards the other passengers of the vehicle.

Nicole's reading a book- no, a particularly thick Blacksteel catalog. She occasionally spares a glance at you.

Wympe is sitting in her spot, fidgeting nervously. Her halberd is by her side, and you note it is in extraordinarily good condition, pratically shining with polish.

Capone is just sitting there with his eyes closed, but you notice the pulsing tendrils beneath the skin of his arms- he is tense.

Silence is on the opposite side of the vehicle as Saria. She looks conflicted, having thrown you a confused- but annoyed- look just as she entered the vehicle.

BongBong is, well. Still in the book. You are unsure of how comfortable it is to be in "booked" form, but you'd rather keep the Librarian's help with you as a trump card.

It didn't feel like anything in particular when it happened to you, you simply weren't aware of anything at all- but that might not be an universal experience. That might be just you. People aren't keen on talking about it- dying hurts, sucks, and is generally not something they like to be reminded of. And you never wanted to pry, either.

But that…

That made you think of something. Something you've been putting off for a long time.

The Book of Abram is still with you. You just don't know what to do with it. But should you just… open it? Let Abram out? To live his life?

"Will he allow it?" mutters Abel. "Will he even accept life once again?

…even if he does not, he still deserves the choice. But it might not be his choice to begin with...

As soon as this mission is over- as soon as you get your friends back- you might open the Book of Abram. But there's people who need to know first. Wympe and Capone- they fought him back then, and they got their faces stuffed full of rainbow gunk- you shouldn't make this decision before asking them, at the very least.

Just as you muster that thought- something chirps inside your head.

You sigh. It's acting up again.

"Has it worsened?"

A bit.

"Will it-"

It won't be an impediment to the mission, no. And even if it was, the upsides still vastly overcome the downsides.

"Is it painful, at the very least?"

It…

It isn't, no. Mildly uncomfortable at the worst of times. Rarely, just a nuisance. But you think, now, that it's less of a risk then Carmen.

"I see."

The Plague Doctor's illusionary form, a vast, feathered spectre only you can see, is perched over your head, gazing with curiosity through your eyes.

Ever since it manifested, it has been much more... invasive then Abel.

Sometimes you catch it- an avian shadow in the corner of your vision. In the edges of mirrored surfaces, veiled eyes staring at you from behind a mask.

It is not as it once was. It peers into your nervous system and its sharp beak almost approaches, but it stops itself.

No, it is... lesser, in a way. Less of an Abnormality. Something different.

It does not think in a way that can be translated into words, not yet- but it grows more coherent, more eloquent by the second.

As you concentrate on its form, it wilts and disappears like most- slithering back to the deepest recesses of your cerebellum.

You sigh.

You have the feeling this is going to be much more complicated than it should.

---

Well, here you are.

You can see the city's edge in the distance. It's not moving that fast- were you on the ground, you could probably catch up with it on foot.

Rhodes Island's vehicle- the uh, "Bad Guy," you think- is already readying to depart. It's almost done refueling.

And when it leaves, it will be just you and your team.

Plus your luggage.

You still need to get that out.

You turn towards the cargo compartment of the strange vehicle, and gesture towards the logistics Operators currently sorting through crates.

Officially speaking, your excuse is that you're part of Saria's security detail, as part of a mission to provide medical aid to the Infected population of Trimounts. It's not really an excuse- you will really be doing that.

The Operator- a tall, pointy-eared… Pythia, wasn't it? Snake fangs, slitted pupils, a serpentine tail. He is talking to Silence, asking her to confirm if everything is in fact here.

It is. You ask if they need help, and get to unloading the large boxes of medical supplies shortly after.

This one is bandages. This one is Originium growth suppressant.

The work continues. You look towards the city's heart- you can see tall buildings around the center, steel and glass.

Rhine Labs is headquartered here, and the rate of Infection is… decently high. According to Kal'tsit's sources, the last sighting of the "Highway duo,' as the Columbian authorities have taken to calling your friends, has been here.

You aren't quite sure where to start.

What you have is a contact- someone that might know. The last assault on Rhine your friends executed was on a nature preserve, in hotly disputed land Rhine was and still is looking to acquire, with multiple corporations applying pressure over the country's legislators to "reconsider" the region's status as a protected area. What they took from it is not known, but it caused Rhine to quietly drop out of the bidding war.

The concepts involved are somewhat unusual to you. There's a sort of… masquerading of intentions, that seems excessive and yet transparently fake to you.

The Wings do not need to donate money to a candidate to a certain position to push them towards a favorable outcome. They either set the laws, or they obey. This feels as if the internal power jockeying between the Associations and the Wings was applied to… a larger context.

Here, there is separation- Rhine Labs is not a state by itself, and it is not simply beheld to the Head's uncontestable, cryptic rule. It is simultaneously more and less powerful- it may contest things a Wing cannot, but it does not hold all of Columbia in its hands…

Not yet, at least.

You take a look around your general vicinity.

The "Bad Guy" is getting ready to depart. All of the mission-relevant cargo's already been taken out.

And…

There's a truck- for you and the cargo. It should be here at any moment. You guess you'll just have to wait.

Wait, and, well, there's something you got to do before the truck gets here.

You spare a glance at a seemingly abandoned crate in the ground, and an idea forms in your head. Then, you gesture at a logistics Operator nearby.

"Excuse me?"

He blinks, and looks upwards from his clipboard.

"Yes?"

"What is there in this crate?"

He spares it a glance.

"I think it's empty?"

You push it with your leg. Going by the weight, yeah. Empty crate.

"Oh. Thank you."

"It's nothing. Do you need to put anything in it? If you don't we'll be loading it back into the Bad Guy."

Hm.

"Well, I'll need it for around…" you pause to think. "Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen?"

"Just keep it, then. Put it alongside the rest of the supplies, I'm sure they have some use for an empty crate back in the office..."

That's somewhat unprofessional.

"Are you sure you won't need it?"

"Eh, I'll just mark it as broken."

Slightly careless, but careless in your benefit so you can't really bring yourself to care.

As the logistics Operator leaves, you spare a glance at your team, scattered throughout the area, having their own little conversations, or simply standing around waiting.

Then, you hear a sound. It seems the "Bad Guy" is departing.

Now, all that's left is a bunch of crates- and this awkward silence. You've gotten somewhat used to it, with Abel in your head and all.

But it's best if you don't let it go on for longer.

First of all, you clap your hands and give a hearty wave to your team. You stand around for a minute or so while they gather around you.

"Well, hello everyone." you say, a wide smile on your face.

Not that anyone here can see it.

Second, you place your boot on the crate, to give your words the necessary weight.

"I believe the mission briefing has already been sufficiently informative about what we are here to do."

You hope they did- you wrote it yourself. You are quite proud of it.

"We're here to pick up two particular people- that being, "Alvar," and "Mr. H," a notorious criminal duo known for stealing sensitive data and valuable technology from several Columbian technology giants."

And on one occasion, intercepting an enormous payload of Originium smuggled through the border with Bolivar. As far as you know, nobody knows where it went or to whom it was sold, if it was even sold at all.

Time slows, and you pause to think.

They've been busy. You wish they were busy with something that drew less attention, though.

That said, you're still proud of them for avoiding retaliation for this long. The fact none of the corporations are making any major moves to capture them suggests they have successfully become entrenched in the local corporate ecosystem- most likely having some sort of leverage over it.

Either that, or they got themselves a powerful patron. You are unsure who, though- a foreign nation? Unlikely to be a particular corporation. They don't seem to hold back from hitting anyone.

Unless there's been a sham of an attack somewhere out there and they haven't actually stolen anything from their patron, just looked like they did. That said, it's not very likely, you know them both and it's not their style…

You blink, and time resumes.

"It's good if everyone gets to know each other before we get into the investigation. If you would rather refer to me by a codename, you can use Sarasa- but my name is Sieghart." you say, before taking your boot off the crate.

"According to Rhodes Island's role system, which I am not entirely used to, I am listed as both a Dreadnought Guard, or an Executor Specialist, depending on what role I might have to perform at the moment. I am an extensively experienced combatant- though I am relatively lacking in medical skills- and you can trust me to handle any threat that might end up coming our way." you gesture towards your fellow Office members. "Go on, guys- introduce yourselves."

Wympe raises her halberd, using it to adjust her hat.

"I'm Wympe. I am officially listed as a Merchant Specialist." she says. "Aside from my legal expertise and experience in the Öuf-"

She pauses.

"Well, let's just say I have some amount of knowledge in matters involving trades and deals, alongside a good amount of combat experience. I'm glad to meet all of you. I won't disappoint, and I believe we will get along well."

Capone gives a smile.

"I'm Capone. Lord Guard. I'm mostly meant to take on damage- I've gotten pretty tough recently. Nice to meet the two of ya."

Nicole takes her cigar out of her mouth, flips it, and puts it back. She breathes in the smoke.

"Nicole. Deadeye." she mumbles.

Saria taps her own badge, looking you in the place where your eyes would be if they weren't covered.

"Saria. Guardian Defender. I am within my rights to oversee and bring up my own opinion on your command- but I believe we will work together well enough, so it will hopefully not be needed."

Silence gives you an uneasy smile, the feathers in her hair twitching slightly as Saria finishes speaking. Then they rise, just a bit- another interesting racial characteristic that you should probably start taking notes on. If they can move according to one's emotional state...

"Silence, Medic. I am largely a support-focused Operator through the usage of my drone." she says. "It is nice to meet you as well."

You flash them both a thumbs-up. Your tail, embarrassingly, slaps the ground with a wet sound. Reacting to your own enthusiasm- a tell you'll have to learn to suppress, and the sooner the better.

Well, if everyone is finished with their introductions…

"I believe everyone here knows of the sensitive background information connected to this mission, as well?"

A round of nods. Silence seems somewhat disbelieving, still. Frankly, it's entirely understandable.

"Yes, I have been briefed in… all of that." she answers. "It was… a lot to take in."

"It is. There is another group in Rhodes Island that shares my goals- the Librarians, I am sure you know of them already- but they are currently attempting to reestablish communication with their superiors."

"We cannot wait for them to get their act together before doing anything, but it would be good if we had them by our side when making a push. So, this is preparation. If I might ask, have you-"

"We have both seen the Distortion, yes." answers Saria.

Well, that's good.

"Most of my Office has previous experience in dealing with them- alongside each being a potent combatant on their own. I believe they could be useful assets to Rhodes Island, and to the mission. We cannot make a direct offense at an enemy that exists in a non-physical plane, and so we must gather information and qualified allies before making any moves."

You pause, and snap your fingers.

"Plus, I have good reason to believe there is a Distortion somewhere in Columbia. It is not entirely likely we will run into it just by coincidence, but we might end up catching wind of its location if we investigate. And this is a good opportunity to look into Rhine Labs' current operations anyway-"

There is a crashing sound. You tilt your head towards the direction it came from, trying to see what happened. There's the crates, the logistics Operators, the empty fuel tank, the child-

…the child?

You blink. Saria and Silence are already running towards them.

Who is that child again? Given how seriously those two seemed to take it…

It's best if you go check.

"Ifrit- Ifrit, what did you do?" exclaims Silence, a panicked look in her yes.

"I hid under the stuff in there!" says the child, pointing towards a black crate. You approach, and Silence sighs. You peek into it. A standard-issue riot shield and parts for maintenance. "And I waited a loooong time to make sure you weren't just going to fly me back! Are you surprised?"

She laughs... and you recognize her.

The picture in her office. She was with Silence, wasn't she? A daughter? They don't look anything alike. You think she is herself an Operator- Ifrit, yes, that was the name. They were both in it, but Saria wasn't .You recall a particular detail of her file...

Whenever Lady Saria attempts to talk with Caster Operator Ifrit, Silence gets in the way.

Oh.

That's...

Not something you want to get involved on.

It also had something to do with her being involved in a former Rhine Labs experiment, right? Child experimentation? Was Saria the-

Was Saria the one who experimented on Ifrit? Might be. If the kid doesn't know, but Silence does, that would explain some things. Isn't necessarily incompatible with her coming so highly recommended either- Kal'tsit knows you have fairly loose morals, and you doubt she, having known a former T-Corp employee for quite some time, is a stranger to Wing human experimentation.

Well, if it's true... You've certainly underestimated the danger of putting those two together.

You massage your temples and look at the nearest logistics Operator. They look somewhere inbetween flabbergasted and ashamed.

"How did nobody catch her sneaking into the crate?" you ask.

They're a tall, dog-eared man with a bit of stubble and brown hair. They remind you of one of those augmented wolfhounds people keep in snowbound Districts- large, full of fur and very excitable, but also the sort that hides whimpering in a corner the second they know they did something wrong. His nameplate reads "Andrew."

"I-" Andrew flinches, shrinking on himself. "It's my fault- I'll take responsibility for this. I was supposed to be in charge of the cargo…"

You tap your shoe on the ground, before throwing another look at Ifrit's way. How old is this kid? She seems tall for one, but who knows, kids vary a lot. You were, uh, one meter and a half when you got to thirteen?

She's Infected, very visibly so. Despite wilting from the chewing down Silence is giving her- how reckless she was, really, what was she thinking- she still looks excited, enthusiastic about being here, and periodically she throws an amazed glance at Saria. There's definitely a story here, one you'll have to figure out sooner or later.

A memory slips into your vision- from the hoard.

The Plague Doctor stirs, and raises its head from the umpromptu nest it made inside your brain- a memory slips out of the archive. It is not yours, it doesn't feel yours, at least.

Some time ago, there was an incident. There's something inside her. Something implanted, with pincers and scalpels. Chunks of flesh and rot and crystal, molten, red, burning.

Some sort of flaming warlord of ancient times. A host of burning warriors. Battlefields, emperors, councils, Kings of Fiends. A tribe, a war, a vanquishing, a diaspora, a slow death. A grave desecrated. A corpse disemembered, torn to pieces, the pieces poked and prodded and used as raw materials. Some sort of fusion, two parts intermingling into something greater, an agonizing process.

You blink, and hold yourself from lurching backwards. Wympe visibly almost- only almost- moves to catch you.

Nicole gives you a nervous look. Are you well? That is what it asks.

You give her a nod. You're okay. Don't worry.

What are you supposed to be doing here…

Saria's expression has hardly changed, with a mere furrowing of her brow, but the intensity of the glare she's sending Andrew's way would require registration as a high-potency ranged weapon in any Nest worthy of the name.

Silence's chastising the kid. Everyone else's just standing around awkwardly, you guess? Wympe's already excused herself to read a book in a corner, at least, and Capone's looking like he'd love to retract into a cocoon for now.

You look towards the direction in which the "Bad Guy" went. It's awfully fast, and even with your enhanced vision you can't spot a trace of it.

"Tell the Bad Guy to return." says Saria, continuing to glare at the rather unlucky Operator.

"Can it return?" you muse. "It's been some time…"

"...not entirely sure. I'll go ask." they answer

A few minutes later, the Operator comes out, looking utterly defeated.

"It's out of signal range and probably in route to Rhodes Island. We'll need to send a Messenger to Rhodes Island first… and they'll have to cross the border and all."

Oops.

"Ifrit?" says Silence, a cold tone in her voice.

"Yeah?"

"You're grounded."

---

After that particular event, the day is mostly uneventful.

The Rhodes Island office is... more of a clinic then anything. It's not as unremarkable as the Kazimierz one, but it's close, and located around the same sort of area.

It isn't as surrounded by poverty as Area 0 district was- but it is placed somewhat close to the city's shantytowns. If you recall well, the location of the Kazimierz office was both a choice born of convenience and a power play by the K.G.C.C- but there seems to be, at least, some more respect between the Columbian government and Rhodes Island.

For now, you've got to think about what, exactly, you want to do. You need to have a good talk with Saria's contact.

Muelsyse- director of Rhine Labs' Ecological Section. Founding member of the company- it's not unexpected that Saria has a history with her.

While you are waiting for her to respond, it could be... it could be a good time to get some other things done. You have a team for a reason.

Hm. But what to focus on?

(Select members of your team to deal with tasks and investigations. As you choose an option, consider- who in your team will be tasked with this? How are they expected to go through with it? Depending on the member, they might treat your orders in different ways.)

(A member might be selected to execute one task each.)

[ ] Investigate Rhine Labs' latest moves.
Communication in Terra is rather slow. With news moving from one nation to another primarily through Messengers, who- despite the superhuman abilities in common amongst Terrans- don't travel all that fast... It means all the info you have is at least a week old. It's best if you correct that.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Search for the history of Rhine Labs.
Perhaps you don't want to ask the ex-Director in your team.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Investigate the local authorities.
Who is in control, or at least, who is supposed to be in control? What do they think of you?
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] "Here be monsters."
The Distortion has to be somewhere around this country. Or not, you guess. It might have left.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Investigate the local underworld.
There's always one. Who dwells in the dark underbelly of Trimounts? Alvar and H might be found here. They certainly have some link with this nations' criminal associations- it's hard to sell stolen goods otherwise.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Gauge the status of the local Infected.
You are here, ostensibly, to take care of them. You'll get to know some of this soon enough, with the clinic's operations, but you won't get to know the bigger picture unless someone goes out there and sees it.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Deal with the matter of Ifrit.
Now, you don't exactly need to do this. You could simply ignore the kid, couldn't you? But having someone to help take care of them will help ease the burden on Silence. Plus, she might know something, being a former experimental subject of the very laboratory that dominates the city you're in.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Search for rumours of highwaymen.
Those two are certainly still causing trouble.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Snoop around Rhine Labs' base.
It's headquartered here. Someone that is sufficiently sneaky might catch wind of something important happening.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Brazenly breach Rhine Labs' defenses.
This might be foolhardy. Rhodes Island might not like it, and you absolutely cannot be caught. And so, nobody must know. If you don't do this all by yourself, it must be someone who you trust, both to get it done and to not blab.
-[ ] Who, and how?

[ ] Write-in.
What have you missed? What is a task that needs to be done?
-[ ] Who, and how?