6-18: Only You Know

6-18 Only You Know	Episode 06 Previous 6-17 (Story)
She has never forgotten about that night...

Characters
Doctor Amiya Blaze Censor Ch'en GreyThroat Kal'tsit Swire Fumizuki Taihe Wei Yenwu ??? L.G.D. Officer
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“

Lungmen is safe, but questioning and censure rages in Wei Yenwu's office. Kal'tsit then brings the latest intelligence report – Chernobog's core is on a collison course with Lungmen. Things are far from over.

”

<Background 1>
Operation Defend Lungmen is complete. I repeat, Operation Defend Lungmen is complete. Police officers are asked to inventory their equipment, report to their stations, and return to their squads within one business day. Members of the L.G.D. are asked to rendezvous with their squads and proceed to the L.G.D. to await further orders. I repeat...
Ch'en	What are you doing here? ...And what's that look on your face?
Swire	...... Nothing. It's nothing.
Ch'en	...Oh.
Swire	Stop. Where are you going?
Ch'en	To see.
Swire	No need to look, I've checked, there's nothing there.
Ch'en	Is that right.
Swire	Ch'en, it's fine. The battle is over.
Ch'en	Out of the way please, Little Miss Swire.
Swire	You've stopped Reunion, and even the special forces! You've exposed them all to the L.G.D., Rhodes Island, and even the Censor all at once! You've stopped them!
Ch'en	Get out of the way!
Swire	You've done a good enough job, worthy of the Special Inspection Unit Chief. You can stop investigating! What more do you want to know? There's nothing more to know!
Ch'en	I need to know what's going on.
Swire	This business with the sewers? That's what you need to know about? Now you've done all you can, take one more step and you're off to the other side of Lungmen! We can totally improve the city. We can rebuild, we can go and clear out all that stuff from the bad old days! But, Ch'en, don't go down there. Don't look! Sense of justice, sense of duty, sense of belonging, you've nailed them all! And you looked great doing it! Ah Ch'en!
Ch'en	...... Get out of my way.
Swire	It's because you're like this you can't look!
Ch'en	Someone told you not to investigate the sewers, right?
Swire	......
Ch'en	Someone said the same thing to me.
Swire	Then why do you keep investigating? No one wants you to see this, no one!
Ch'en	That's not true. Lungmen wants me to see it. This is who I am. I have to see it. Swire, don't make me draw my sword.
Swire	...... Ugh...
<Background black>
[Ch'en walks through the sewers of Lungmen.]
Ch'en	What's that smell? This... ...... ..........
<Background 2>
[The Doctor passes by, carrying FrostNova's dead body with them.]
L.G.D. Officer	Ah, you're back. Did you catch the enemy commander? The Infected known as Mephisto?
<Dialogue branch starts here>
Doctor	None of your business.
L.G.D. Officer	Huh... What did you say? Is that a cooperative attitude? What's going on? Did you Rhodes Islanders go after him?
<Dialogue branch>
Doctor	......
L.G.D. Officer	...Can you give an accurate statement? We need to report on it and if the enemy commander isn't dead...
<Dialogue branch>
Doctor	Already dead.
L.G.D. Officer	Dead? How did he die? Are you sure about that? Only crystalline death identification and autopsy can identify the Infected, Oripathy erases primary biological identifiers.... You don't understand any of this, do you?
<Dialogue branch ends here>
L.G.D. Officer	Huh? Wait, where are you going? Who's that you're holding? ...What the hell happened down there?
Doctor	An Infected person died.
<Background fades out and in>
Blaze	The remnants of Reunion's squad should have successfully retreated by now. I don't know if this counts as the battle the white rabbit wanted... Though I'm not sure she much cared about that in the end. Regardless, she did it. White rabbit, you were a stubborn one. "Nice win"? Win my ass... If you weren't dying, we'd all be charming ice sculptures by now.
GreyThroat	You survived, didn't you? You also got valuable combat experience.
Blaze	Experience like that only comes up later. But when someone dies in front of you, they never come back. I could have saved her.
GreyThroat	...... Has Amiya already gone to see the head of Lungmen?
Blaze	Yeah, probably. Just leave it to them, I don't care. GreyThroat, give me a hand.
GreyThroat	Huh? Why?
Blaze	Are you messing with me? Don't you see what's happening to me?
GreyThroat	Are you unable to stand? You look okay to me.
Blaze	...Operator GreyThroat, I kindly request that you help me up. I've lost a lot of blood and I'm hypothermic. I look intact but am, in fact, dying. Please assist me in returning to our vessel! Okay, you know what? Never mind. I don't want to be a bother.
GreyThroat	Why?
Blaze	Aren't you leaving Rhodes Island? No need to force yourself to work for Rhodes Island anymore.
GreyThroat	...Why?
Blaze	Huh?
GreyThroat	In that fight, I felt the pain of the Infected. It was even more frustrating and hopeless than what's going on around us. I understand the pain of the Infected and I think we can stop these things from happening.
Blaze	I'm thinking you haven't seen enough tragedy. GreyThroat, let me ask you this: what's the difference between you and me?
GreyThroat	You're Infected?
Blaze	If we died in the battle back there, what's the difference between regular you and Infected me? It's just a couple dead people. Some people care whether they are Elders or Ancients, some care about the country they come from, some look at race, and others value wealth... I'm Infected, but I've never given anyone the "oh, woe is me," "Infected people are so oppressed" crap. Nobody wants to hear it. Pick out anybody here in the slums, Infected or uninfected, nobody wants to hear it. The level of pain doesn't matter, I just wish we could look at the pain of the Infected. "Infected people are people too," it's as simple as that. And I don't want people looking at me like a pitiful little animal, I'm out for an even look, on the level. Massacres, segregation, imprisonment, hard labor, I've seen it all, but what can I do to see the end of them? The white rabbit did what I never could. She showed me a true death struggle... The kind of terror she would show us even if there was only a fraction of second left. That kind of fortitude is enough to transcend any identity. If I were to fight Lungmen's soulless black raincoats right now, it'd be a walk in the park. Compared to the white rabbit, they're nothing.
GreyThroat	Really?
Blaze	No. I told you already. I'm dying, GreyThroat. But fighting to the death for what you believe in? That's a solid ending. Bottom of my bucket list. ...Get a load of these two.
GreyThroat	Who?
Blaze	Dr. {nickname} and Amiya.
GreyThroat	Where's the Doctor going?
Blaze	Off to Rhodes Island to bury the white rabbit. Well, it says burial, but it's really just disposing of the body to prevent her from crystallizing, dusting, and causing secondary infections. We Infected people deal with that all the time... At least, as a Rhodes Island operator, I've come to trust the doctor. GreyThroat, did you see the look in Dr. {nickname}'s eyes? It's those eyes, that's what makes me trust somebody like that.
GreyThroat	I saw it. ...I think it's still Amiya's eyes that are scarier though.
Blaze	Because those two are headed in different directions. Dr. {nickname} is going to the Infected crematorium, and Amiya is off to Lungmen, to the new graveyard for the Infected. I finally understand why Ace says Dr. {nickname} is worth just as much as Amiya and Kal'tsit.
GreyThroat	So where is Kal'tsit?
Blaze	Kal'tsit's wherever she's supposed to be. Okay, let's go. Since you're not going to leave Rhodes Island, I'm gonna ask you one more time: please help me up.
GreyThroat	Why don't you wait for the medics to get here?
Blaze	Because I'm in real bad shape. Elite operators... gotta look tougher than this.
GreyThroat	...You'd rather die than look uncool for a minute.
Blaze	Why do you say things you know will hurt me...? And do you know who's our support medic on this op? It's Gavial. That Gavial. She said she'd wash her hands and be right over! How do you feel about getting my blood splashed on your face?
GreyThroat	Give me your hand. I don't like blood.
Blaze	Then I suggest we walk a little faster...
GreyThroat	Right. If I hadn't saved those Infected children, you wouldn't have saved me, and I wouldn't have had a chance to change my mind about Infected people... That's another way the Infected have inspired me.
Blaze	Huh? ...You screwed it up again. What does that have to do with me saving you?
<Background black>
Lungmen – Uptown – Chief Executive's Office
Amiya	Hello. I have an appointment with Mr. Wei. Can you take me in?
Receptionist	Ah, Chief Wei's last meeting just ended, please come this way, miss. Um... You are...?
Amiya	Amiya. Amiya the Infected.
<Background 3>
[The door to Wei Yenwu's office opens.]
Taihe	With that, we take our leave.
Elderly Male Voice	Until next time.
[Taihe leaves.]
<Background fade out and in>
???	What do you think?
Taihe	I have seen his brutal methods.
Censor	Business as usual on the surface. In truth, we all know.
???	People of his kind are always like that. I do understand why he is the one guarding Lungmen. ......
[Amiya walks in.]
Amiya	......
???	Infected? What are you doing here?
Receptionist	Ah, no offense intended. This is also a guest of Mr. Wei...
Amiya	I'm not here to ask anything of Mr. Wei.
Receptionist	(Miss Amiya, at least do make yourself scarce for a moment...!)
???	Your clothes... they indicate you are of Rhodes Island, working with Lungmen. The Infected should not stay long. Lungmen has been known to devour people.
Amiya	Thanks for the tip. But this world isn't picky about who it eats.
???	Oh... Then I should thank you for the warning.
[Amiya leaves.]
???	...... Do you know who she is?
Censor	What are you plotting?
<Background fade out and in>
Amiya	Mr. Wei.
[Wei Yenwu greets Amiya.]
Wei Yenwu	Oh... Miss Amiya, I figured you'd come. The war was a success, and Rhodes Island deserves a lot of credit. Next, Lungman[sic] will fulfill her contractual obligation to provide Rhodes Island with necessary commercial assistance, among other things...
Amiya	No thank you, Mr. Wei. I'm just here to cancel the contract.
Wei Yenwu	I'm sorry? Does Rhodes Island hate the old bait-and-switch so much? If there is any impropriety in what I have done, please, speak your mind. I will offer my sincerest apologies, Miss Amiya.
Amiya	...... Mr. Wei, you always act so polite and it leaves me a little overwhelmed. But I've seen your armed forces and your plans.
Wei Yenwu	Don't read too much into the war, Miss Amiya. This isn't a charge, isn't it?
Amiya	No, Mr. Wei. I have no power to charge you. I'm simply here to handle the post hoc formalities.
Wei Yenwu	Why do you want to terminate our agreement?
Amiya	Because I have determined that a partnership with Lungmen is not a good fit for Rhodes Island.
Wei Yenwu	Mutual benefit, isn't that good enough for a business enterprise?
Amiya	Even a business has its own development plan.
Wei Yenwu	Are you implying that Lungmen owes something to the Infected side of your business?
Amiya	No. Rhodes Island has never had an "Infected" side. Rhodes Island isn't just fighting for the Infected. I'm not just an Infected person... I'm also part of the global community. Rhodes Island has such expertise in dealing with the Infected because many of our operators are themselves Infected and know the circumstances and experiences of the people. But trying to rid the land of the specter of Oripathy never meant that we were fighting only for the Infected. Mr. Wei, if you think we are just a simple and naive Infected rights organization with an armed detachment... I would be very disappointed. A grave misunderstanding. Rhodes Island fights for all the people of this world: You, us, and them.
Wei Yenwu	......
Amiya	Lungmen doesn't need our help. With the termination of this contract Rhodes Island will also leave Lungmen. Rhodes Island has done its due dilligence. It's all there in black and white. When we terminate the agreement, all the auxiliary clauses lose effect along with it.
Wei Yenwu	Rhodes Island could take Lungmen's gracious bounty as a gift.
Amiya	No need, Mr. Wei. We in Rhodes Island are more interested in the way our partners do business than their "bounty". Mr. Wei, you have treated us as a pawn in your game from the beginning. Now that the pawn has proven its worth, our exit should be in accordance with your plans. However, Mr. Wei... ......
Wei Yenwu	Go on.
Amiya	If it was only Rhodes Island that was being played, I would not terminate this contract. As strange as it may sound, I can understand the mutual distrust between partners. It's just that we're not the only ones that Lungmen is hiding the truth from. The L.G.D., the people of Lungmen, the Infected in the slums... None of them knows the shady methods hidden beneath the curtain.
Wei Yenwu	I've heard you can read minds, Miss Amiya.
Amiya	You may assume that I can't, or that I can.
Wei Yenwu	Can I take your speculation as a warning, rather than an interrogation?
Amiya	I'm not going to dictate Lungmen's strategy or future plans, Mr. Wei. But I have the power to prevent my operators from participating in them. Mr. Wei, whether a Rhodes Island operator, a member of the Reunion Movement, an exile for Chernobog, or a citizen of Lungmen... They are all living, breathing people. I don't think it's acceptable for their lives to be guided by secret machinations.
Wei Yenwu	I, on the other hand, believe that playing a role is far more important than whether or not one recognizes that role.
Amiya	...No. You're wrong. Some things are... for Mr. Wei, perhaps too commonplace. Just like for the average person, quarantining an Infected person is an ordinary thing, not worth discussing. But, no matter how "normal" it is, it should not be treated as a "normal" thing. Simply because something has happened to us enough times, we become accustomed to it, and that makes it acceptable...? That doesn't make sense. Otherwise, even if we eradicate Oripathy, our conflicts will not diminish or die down. They will simply be reappropriated to imprison and torment another group of people... Just no longer the so-called "Infected".
Wei Yenwu	Is this a request... Or simply an ideal?
Amiya	This is my standard. Mr. Wei, there is one more thing I must say. – –The living are not pawns. People are people.
Wei Yenwu	Do you play chess, Miss Amiya?
Amiya	Mr. Wei... Do you play black, or white?
[Ch'en suddenly barges in.]
Ch'en	Wei Yenwu, what have you done?!
Wei Yenwu	Officer Ch'en, I have a guest.
Amiya	Officer Ch'en?
Ch'en	What have you done?! Was it you? No, it could only be you... It can only be you. The rat and her cunning father are at best a little ruse. Only you would dare to order this. I had thought that by defeating Reunion, by reuniting all the people of Lungmen, we would eventually get through this. We could even bridge the misunderstandings between Lungmenites... I never imagined... but I should have. Once again you reassert yourself as the master of Lungmen. As you always were. But still... How...? How could you do such a thing? You tear down every obstacle? You burn everything in your path? To what do you finally bow your head? I know how all you feel about the Infected. But why?! Why...? It's not just... ...... You don't even dare take responsibility for it. Erase the name, erase the trail, erase the order, cover all your tracks. Wei Yenwu, you and Lin should trade races.
Wei Yenwu	You speak without thinking. Superintendent Ch'en, I have no idea what you are referring to. I do hope your explanation is convincing.
Ch'en	...... Okay, I'll cut to the chase then. Did you kill Talulah's father?
Wei Yenwu	...Officer Ch'en?
Ch'en	Did you force our mother to marry that cowardly man?
Wei Yenwu	Who put such thoughts in your head?
Ch'en	How about you take a guess?
Wei Yenwu	Please watch your tone of voice.
Ch'en	Lord Wei, who controls everything in Lungmen, suddenly realizes that the secret he's been hiding for years has long since ceased being a secret?
Wei Yenwu	Officer Ch'en, know your place. Guards!
Ch'en	It was Talulah who told me.
Wei Yenwu	......
Ch'en	Of course, everything Talulah knew, not many people knew in the first place. You're angry, because you know this could threaten your rule... That old man, that Duke of Kashchey, has been in your nightmares from the very beginning. And you've never felt even a little bit sorry for Talulah, have you?
Wei Yenwu	Officer Ch'en, don't speculate on facts you are not authorized to know, and don't trust information from unknown sources. You're tired.
Ch'en	I certainly don't trust that old duke! He almost destroyed all of Lungmen, and he's the one who kidnapped Talulah!
Wei Yenwu	So...
Ch'en	But I remember it well... It was a sunny day. That night, there was no moon, only a few stars. The old man grabs Talulah and stands on the other side of a broken bridge. And behind you... Behind you stands a crowd of people in black raincoats.
Wei Yenwu	......
Ch'en	I trust Talulah. I always trusted her. I know she can be lied to as well, of course. But look at the kind of person you are! You would sacrifice anything to get what you want!
Wei Yenwu	Ch'en Hui-chieh!
Ch'en	You want to clean up the slums, even destroy them! So many Lungmenites, so many Lungmenites who trusted us, so many Lungmenites who stood behind us all along... Is it because the Infected don't count as citizens of Lungmen? Because they can't afford to live in your high-rises? Or is it because the people in the slums will one day live in peace with the Infected? Are you really protecting Lungmen? Aren't you the one who is a threat to this city and her people? Don't think you can throw a couple of rats in front of you and get away with this! The Lins wouldn't dare to do this without your permission!
Wei Yenwu	Miss Ch'en. You know nothing... About what I've done for Lungmen.
Ch'en	...... The thing that always annoyed me the most about you is this attitude you have, where you have to squeeze everything into your own grubby mitts.
[Kal'tsit suddenly appears.]
Kal'tsit	If you two could spare even a shred of free time, I'd like you to hear a message.
Amiya	Dr. Kal'tsit?
Kal'tsit	Take a look at your terminal. I sent the details over.
Amiya	Ah... okay. ...What?
Wei Yenwu	I don't recall giving permission for you to enter my parlor, Dr. Rhodes Island.
[Fumizuki appears.]
Fumizuki	I let her in.
Wei Yenwu	......
Fumizuki	After so many years have passed, why are you still like this...? Aren't you tired of hiding everything from her and doing it all yourself? Listen to our guest. We got the same message. You could have known three minutes earlier.
Wei Yenwu	All right, Dr. Kal'tsit. Go ahead.
Kal'tsit	The enemy's top commander was not present when we wiped out Reunion in Lungmen. This is simply because she was in Chernobog. She watched us, either calmly or with great consternation... But we paid no attention at all.
Kal'tsit	And now, a part of Chernobog, specifically its core... ...is approaching Lungmen. In thirty-six hours, the urban core of Chernobog will collide with Lungmen.
Wei Yenwu	That's a trifle. Lungmen has her ways to defend against nomadic cities and warships. A measly urban core is nothing to worry about. Why, we don't even have to... ......
Kal'tsit	Are we on the same page, Chief Wei?
<Background 3>
Wei Yenwu	...Has it started...
Kal'tsit	Spamming out urban identification codes?
Wei Yenwu	No.
Kal'tsit	Yes, your intuition, or presumption, is correct. The urban core has been beaming codes nonstop. All of Lungmen's subcities have already been hit. The codes claim— "This city belongs to Ursus."