The wind howls violently.
A biting gale scatters the dreamscape's mist. A crimson spiral tower grows clearer on the horizon.
What is... that?
Lucia staggers forward, pushing down the hidden pain deep within her M.I.N.D.
Just at the edge of her sight, a boisterous crowd gathers, their cheers echoing as they watch a figure step into the tower.
No... Don't...
Lucia's pupils shrink to pinpricks as an unshakeable terror grips her chest.
Commandant... don't go in there... it's dangerous inside!
The crowd remains jubilant, their cheers never faltering, as they wait for their hero's triumphant return.
A twisted fissure opens its pitch-black maw, patiently waiting for its prey—
No, no—!!
AARGH—!
Cold sweat beads on her forehead as Lucia bolts upright in the experimental chamber.
I... I saw the crimson tower...
She clutches the human's hand in a tight grip.
I saw so many... so many images...
But these are scenes she's never seen before.
She's never laid eyes on a crimson tower or purple spherical forests, nor has she ever heard the term "Clean Zone."
The dream's scenes are like rock layers eroded by Babylonia—touched by the wind, they instantly crumble to sand.
The rest... it's a blank.
The "Tower," again.
Both Hyperreal and Pyroath saw visions of the "Tower" during frame adaptation.
If this is the Hetero Tower Dominik mentioned, why did only those two see it during adaptation?
You push those questions aside for now and head to the back laboratory to check on the Pyroath frame with Asimov.
Nope. The M.I.N.D. fluctuations from this frame transfer are all within acceptable parameters.
Something's bothering you?
Asimov falls into deep thought for a moment.
If the "absurd hypothesis" is actually true, then—
It's possible that both of these frames have, to some degree, formed a connection with the Hetero Tower.
Asimov opens his terminal and pulls up an encrypted document with records on the Hetero Tower.
What makes the Hyperreal frame truly stand out is its incredible computing power. When it's running at full tilt, it can actually transcend time and dimensions.
If the "absurd hypothesis" holds true, the Hyperreal frame might have inadvertently snagged information fragments during these high-capacity operations—pieces from the past, or maybe even glimpses of the future.
After all, we've never fully grasped Punishing's "capabilities" or how it stores information.
That's right.
Asimov says, turning to quickly check the data from both Pyroath frames before continuing.
As for the Pyroath frame, its power source is a modified "Omega Core."
The carrier for this core is that <b><ud><color=#34aff8ff><link=29>"egg,"</link></color></ud></b> which uses technology from the <b><ud><color=#34aff8ff><link=28>Heteromer Shard</link></color></ud></b> and the modified Omega Weapon to create it.
This setup allows the Pyroath frame to continuously draw energy from Punishing, letting it function without needing sleep, just like an Ascendant.
This frame had a tough test, naturally. As the official frame transfer occurred, I suspect...
Hmm, whether this "information" from Punishing is from the past or the future, only time will tell.
Asimov finishes his report, taking the printed documents into his hands.
Given its many functions and groundbreaking technologies, I've asked for a stability period of at least three months to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Think of it as a precaution.
If any anomalies crop up during this period, contact me directly.
You put away the frame report and open the lab door to find Lucia waiting outside, now in her Pyroath frame.
Commandant...
Lucia still seems on edge. The moment she sees you emerge, she clutches your arm tightly.
Yes, I know... I just...
Even though she's safe in Babylonia, she just can't shake the feeling that danger's lurking around every corner.
...
Lucia doesn't say a word. She just gives an obedient nod, but her hand stays glued to your arm, refusing to let go.
Gray Raven Lounge
Gray Raven Lounge.
It's a rare moment without any missions, and both Lee and Liv are in the lounge. Liv's busy maintaining her Levi-Gun while Lee polishes your sidearm.
Hey, Commandant, Lucia, you're back...
Lucia, are you alright? Did something go wrong during the frame transfer?
Noticing Lucia's troubled expression, Liv walks over, concern etched on her face. Lee puts down the sidearm and moves closer too.
Casually closing the door, you gesture to Lee. He instantly gets it and starts checking the room's security and privacy measures. Once everything's locked down, all four of you gather around and take a seat.
...
As you repeat Asimov's theory, Lee's expression turns grave.
If Asimov's theory is correct...
Lee's brows furrow deeply as he starts to recall.
After my frame transfer, during a field mission, I pushed my frame to its absolute limit. My M.I.N.D. went into overload. That's when I also saw that "Tower."
He pauses, lost in thought. Back then... I seem to have picked up other information too, but it's buried deep in my M.I.N.D. I've tried to dig it up a few times, but it's like chasing smoke. No trace of it.
...That Dead Zone number... That can't be right. The Hetero Tower isn't located there.
The loop's been broken. It's time for you to go.
Later, I tried to get that vision back while connected to the commandant, but no dice. Probably hit a wall with computing power.
So, what exactly is this "Tower"?
Hetero Tower, invitation, key...
These strange, obscure terms just drift through the M.I.N.D.s of all three of you present.
I think Asimov's theory is highly plausible.
Even though that theory sounds absurd and hopeless...
If anyone could manage this and reach that destination, it would perhaps be this human before me, who has already created so many miracles.
He can't even imagine what hardships and suffering you would have to endure if you really keep going down this path.
...
Lucia clasps her hands together so tightly that her synthetic skin actually dimples under the pressure.
Her fleeting memories have dissipated with each frame replacement, yet a soul-piercing sorrow still remains.
What exactly made her so sorrowful? She refuses to dwell on it.
Ever since the Copperfield Aquarium, those feelings of deja vu have only existed within that blurred field of vision.
She doesn't know why the girl named Chaos never appeared again, but those faintly emerging images have indeed never been "verified" since.
Whether it's the crimson tower or the spherical forest.
Commandant...
Liv anxiously slides a cup of hot tea toward her.
Right, I get it.
A small gash appears on her synthetic skin. Lucia quickly wipes away the vital fluid, keeping any signs of trouble hidden from human eyes.
I'm sure it's going to work.
No matter what happens, she will protect you—no doubt about it.
Reactor 1
Reactor 1.
This used to be a thriving town, with research facilities popping up all over, drawn by the prestige of housing "the first Zero-point Reactor."
On December 20, 2160, the Punishing Virus burst forth from the activated Zero-point Reactor, transforming this place into one of the areas with the highest Punishing concentration on the surface.
Cradle once stopped by here, but she never found the "story" she was hoping for.
Since Cradle left, the library—which had briefly come alive due to the arrival of Hetero-Creatures—has once again fallen silent.
Grass stems snap underfoot with a faint crackle as the dark agent pays a visit, carrying his "return ticket."
Back then... is this where Dominik vanished?
A voice from deep within his M.I.N.D. poses this question.
Yes, Zero-point Reactor 1 is right by that library.
After the Punishing outbreak, Dominik led a team to shut down Zero-point Reactor 1. Not a single one of them made it back, but the reactor? It was definitely taken offline from the inside.
The agent's gaze is fixed, unblinking, on the ravaged library in the distance.
With the library looking like this—completely abandoned—is Zero-point Reactor 1 actually still running?
You bet it is. Stuff built in the Golden Age isn't going to crumble after just a few decades of bad weather.
He strides past the library, weaving through streets and alleyways.
Most of the buildings on the surface got wiped out by mechanoids and Constructs infected with Punishing. Zero-point Reactors are usually buried deep underground, so...
As long as no one's gotten here before us, the basic setup should still be good to go.
He passes a hospital, crosses a bridge, and walks by a string of completely empty trash cans.
Here.
Following the faded street signs, he finds the central power facility. Clearly, whoever evacuated this place made sure to cut the power to the entire city.
Done.
For Vonnegut, cracking into the terminal and bringing the city's power back online is a piece of cake.
The moment he hits that last key, the entire city jolts awake from its slumber.
But right on cue, high concentrations of Punishing surge through all the newly powered machinery.
Countless machines, their red warning lights flashing frantically, start to roam aimlessly through the streets. They're like demons on a night patrol, kicking up a ruckus amidst the cold, desolate ruins.
It's really buzzing in here.
The Agent strolls along, parading right alongside the Corrupted, making the way to the ultimate destination.
Are you sure this will work?
Nemo still looks worried.
I'm not sure, but it's the only shot we've got right now.
We've got to find someone to step into Agent Zero's shoes.
Otherwise, if Agent Zero comes down to Earth and no one's ready... this world will be swallowed whole by the contamination too.
His tone is grave, and Nemo just goes quiet.
Besides... the Tower is definitely coming down.
Nemo only got here through a gap in Constellia's Hetero Tower during the Punishing outbreak. If the Tower truly vanishes for good, Nemo will likely vanish right along with it.
Since Nemo still exists, maybe...
You burst into this world back then because Zero-point Reactor 1 fired up, which is also what set off the Punishing outbreak.
So, perhaps the Tower can come down here again the moment Zero-point Reactor 1 restarts.
Trout calmly swats away a stumbling Corrupted charging at him, not a single muscle in his face twitching.
So, we still don't know why the Tower hasn't come down?
It's because of the Gray Raven Commandant.
How can you be so sure?
I can't be sure, but it has to be Commandant.
Before I came here, I went to see Luna, but she didn't know anything about it.
And the other agent wouldn't be interested in saving Earth; her desires lie elsewhere.
That lady is more eager to see the "rules" broken rather than things proceeding along a straight path.
From the information previously passed, "Cradle" seemed to be a very important character, but now...
She's just a Hetero-Creature, a vessel for the Red Tide's will.
To the Agent, this Cradle is indistinguishable from the Hetero-Humanoid twins he once nurtured.
...
All signs point to one conclusion: the "suspect" can only be the Gray Raven Commandant, who's constantly meddling with their operations.
No matter what, the Tower can't fall into anyone else's hands—especially not humans.
It's as if he's talking to Nemo, yet also reminding himself. The agent's voice is barely a whisper, so faint only he can hear it.
Only this way can this long journey finally conclude.
He's been repeating this chaotic, excessively long dream for far too long.
He became a jumbled mess, given a new identity by a mask.
As time goes on, these identities fuse with his very being, eventually settling deep within his consciousness...
Vonnegut.
After the chaos erupted, he once again tries everything to cut out the static noise in his consciousness, but doing so also damages his M.I.N.D.
It was then that he suddenly discovered the Red Tide's origin shares similar traits with the Chaos contamination—
Nothing's over yet. Only by completely controlling the Hetero Tower can he achieve his purpose.
Passing through a park and circling a ruined school, the agent slowly repeats his plan to himself.
Even though the Punishing Virus is nowhere near as bad as the <b><ud><color=#34aff8ff><link=30>Chaos Contamination</link></color></ud></b> from your era, if the Punishing Virus concentration gets too high, it could attract the contaminating memetic—Agent Zero.
My other self in the "Tower" sent me that theory back when we could still communicate.
Wouldn't just letting the Red Tide keep growing do the same thing?
Yes, but...
Don't you think that'd take forever and be a total drag?
A smile, undeniably Kilgore Trout's, spreads beneath his mask.
At the edge of the Dead Zone, all four members of Gray Raven are geared up and ready to go, with only Asimov there to see them off.
For this mission, you're trying to push deep into Zero-point Reactor 1—
An execution squad that wandered into the Dead Zone just reported in: power's back on in the city around Zero-point Reactor 1.
Zero-point Reactor 1 is one of the places with the highest concentration of the Punishing Virus. So far, Gray Raven is the only squad capable of handling a mission like this.
If I try to enter with you, Babylonia's staff will drag me back to the Science Council before I can even get inside.
Asimov pulls a terminal-sized case from a box next to him.
You forgot to bring this.
The "Key".
Even earlier—before Lucia got her Pyroath frame—you traveled to Aerospace City with Liv. You were there to help smooth things over between humans and machines.
As the mission wraps up and you're about to leave, Cervantes, who says he's part of the "Church of Machina", hands this case to you.
The "key." This is a new "key" to activate the "invitation."
It's also a message Sage left behind.
Sage told me this key is just a replica because of certain circumstances. It still works, but it has its limits.
Sage mentioned that for modifications, it'd need an interface compatible with standard terminals... She seemed to prefer the old design, but she still let Zavier make the changes for human use.
Back in Babylonia, you press the "key" into Asimov's hand. But...
Take it with you.
Asimov shoves it right back.
You're left with both the "invitation" and the "key," but what good are they when the "Tower" has vanished into thin air?
It might come in handy.
I don't know anything.
...
The only intelligence I have is that Vonnegut might be near Reactor 1.
With those final words, Asimov turns and heads back to the transport vessel without so much as a goodbye.
The transport vessel shudders as it lifts off, kicking up a storm of dust and sand across the desolate landscape.
The Commandant gives up on trying to contact Asimov for more answers and turns to see the other three Gray Raven members making their final battle preparations.
Commandant, the Dead Zone is a deathtrap. Once we're in, stick to me.
Lucia grips her sword hilt, her expression deadly serious.
It's not every day we go on a mission like this together.
Liv has just finished checking their supplies and approaches.
Supply check complete, Commandant.
No unusual activity detected nearby. The new filtration systems in the safe zone are humming along normally. Looks like all potential threats are cooped up in the Dead Zone.
Once we step foot in there, we'll need to be on high alert.
Lee scans the surrounding area before clicking the scope back onto his sniper rifle.
Twilight flames rage across the plains as Gray Raven assembles and pushes into the Dead Zone.
