Operation story: MB-3

Operation

Story

Previous MB-2	Next MB-ST-1
Characters
Anthony Kafka Mayer Muelsyse Robin Silence Jailer B Domma Jailer Barton A-Zone Prisoner B-Zone Prisoner Jailer
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5

Before operation

“

The precise nature of Mansfield and its background shakes Silence, who asks Mayer to proceed with the story she has been telling Muelsyse on her behalf.

”

<Background 1>
Muelsyse	Robin's not a professional assassin?
Silence	Not at all. Even I could tell that much. She had none of the air about her.
Muelsyse	Looks like the material I had on her was correct. She really was a security worker. Her skills certainly should've invited trust. But this all smacks of a little weirdness to me...
Silence	What?
Muelsyse	Why they hire her is my question... but that's not too important. Skip it for now. More importantly, it seems most of the assassins were like Robin in that they'd been hired solo. They had no idea if they had any competition, and no clue who their employer was.
Silence	How many assassins did HydeBro hire, in the end?
Muelsyse	Your guess is as good as mine. But just like I said before, the Bros paid big to get rid of Anthony. Money with their blood and sweat in it.
Silence	How did the assassins get into the prison?
Muelsyse	I'm sure you looked into it beforehand, too—Mansfield State Prison was established jointly by a few of the state's municipal governments, and it stands alone.
Silence	Mm. The way I've seen it described, the founding intent of the prison was to serve its state breaking new ground. Development was rapid, but crime rates stayed high, and rampant. So at the time, it was a half-abandoned industrial platform. It was Randal, the current warden, who suggested establishing the prison to the city governments. All at once, they had a solution for what to do with the platform, and where to put inmates. Any questions so far?
Muelsyse	Isn't the answer pretty obvious, though? The idea is the prison gets used as a lockbox to shove every "troublesome" person. And it's the people none of the cities want to bother with. Getting inside isn't the tough part. Ms. Kafka never told you how exactly she got in there, am I right?
Silence	......
Muelsyse	Of course, the prison is still a prison. Getting out is tough. Like I said, it only visits cities on the edge once every few months. The rest of the time, it stops in the barrens. A convict escapes out there, they're stuck in the endless barrens until they die. Here's the thing. Robin mentioned it. A mysterious person promised it. There was a way to get them out for sure. So as long as they didn't slip up and get themselves killed in there, AND successfully ran the hit on Anthony, then they'd just need to wait for extraction.
Silence	But they sent in a lot of other assassins. Would HydeBro really be able to retrieve each and every one?
Muelsyse	Of course not. Which is why I said none of them knew about the others. And once they were inside, even if they figured it out, there'd be no escape. Their only option would be to kill Anthony or die trying. It's a simple, effective method.
Silence	...... But I still don't understand—why? Simon Co. had shut down. Its core members were all in prison. HydeBro never once touched them. Why move against Anthony alone, of all people?
Muelsyse	Oh. Do I actually have to start from there?
Silence	What do you mean?
Muelsyse	Alright, Ms. Silence, now I know you really didn't care much about this in the past. Buuut, maybe you pulled something so bold and brash—and succeeded—precisely because you didn't realize.
Silence	......
Muelsyse	Sorry, sorry, I'm not making fun of you here. In fact, you can take it as me complimenting you. Right, as for your question, first of all, let me answer it with a question— Ms. Silence, have you ever thought about how if you wanted to dispose of Anthony in prison, assassins are actually one of the least efficient methods?
Silence	No.
Muelsyse	Because there are much better ways. Buying off the jailers, maybe bribing the warden... But sending an assassin to dress up as a prisoner, get into prison and kill another prisoner... when you hear it out loud, it sounds dumb, doesn't it?
Silence	Because they... couldn't?
Muelsyse	Yep, because they couldn't. Whoo, from the way you reacted to this prison's history just now, I'm gonna need to give you a walkthrough of this side from the top, Ms. Silence.
Silence	What do you mean?
Muelsyse	Do you still remember Kafka recalling the prison's Superintendent Barton? What did he say?
<Flashback starts here>
<Background 2>
Barton	We are Mansfield State Prison. State! Prison. We are a pilot penitentiary with special approval from the capital. We will serve as a shining example to the other states.
<Flashback ends here>
<Background 1>
Silence	What about it?
Muelsyse	Pilot. Special approval. You know what that implies?
Silence	What?
Muelsyse	It implies business.
Silence	...?!
Muelsyse	In Columbia, the most profitable business is wherever the power is. This prison's a model case.
Silence	What are you...?
Muelsyse	I'm telling you this prison is in fact Warden Randal's money machine.
Silence	But it's a prison!
Muelsyse	Sure is. A heavily guarded prison. Send whoever you don't like in there for a fate worse than death. Send whoever you wanna safeguard in there to be protected. Whatever you need, as long as you have the money. Don't you go "wow, that's a super-sized business opportunity?"
Silence	...... But in that case... could HydeBro not just pay the warden the requisite amount, and he'd help them do their work?
Muelsyse	One second you're stunned beyond belief hearing it, the next you force yourself to switch lanes and rail your thought in full steam. You really are amazing, Ms. Silence.
Silence	I don't feel like you're complimenting me.
Muelsyse	Your query's totally reasonable, but truth is I don't have a clear-cut answer either. But we can work backwards—in conclusion, they didn't do that. And surely they tried it before. So the only possible answer is they failed. Personally, I think it's because the warden didn't want to get himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or perhaps Anthony's mistreatment could be bought, but Anthony also had a massive influence in the prison. If he died, you sure couldn't handle it like a typical prisoner death. A lot of people'd love Randal's position, and as far as I know, he's got major guile too. I don't think he'd take the risk. Someone like him? It's more likely he took HydeBro's money and just did nothing.
Silence	I remember Anthony once saying he'd fled to Ironforge City before he was finally arrested... Perhaps his father had some involvement in the affair?
Muelsyse	Hmm. Yeah, that's possible as well. Ol' Smith used to be a fair household name in Bunkerhill City. Sending his son to prison for his protection wouldn't surprise me one bit.
Silence	But that doesn't answer my question.
Muelsyse	I've already answered it, Ms. Silence. You're smart. You just don't want to believe it.
Silence	...I don’t understand.
Muelsyse	What I mean is they couldn't do it in Mansfield State Prison, but that doesn't mean they couldn't do it in Bunkerhill City Prison.
Silence	Wait, you don't mean his family...
Muelsyse	Looks like you finally understand, Ms. Silence. You said that HydeBro never touched Anthony's family. That's a faulty assumption. The only reason they're not dead is because they don't need to be. Maybe you just can't comprehend it, but in Columbia, death's far from the worst thing that could happen to a person. Moreover, after dealing with Simon Co., HydeBro had no competitors left. They obviously wouldn't ever let the Simon family turn their next page.
Silence	They said as much, the Simons posed no more threat... So once they discovered Anthony was in a prison they had no influence over, they decided Anthony was a threat?!
Muelsyse	Correct. As long as Anthony lives, they always face the risk of a comeback. So. HydeBro had a grip over their local lockup, but none at all on the prison a couple states over, Mansfield State Prison.
Silence	No. Wait! They're a business! Even if our Energy Section is backing them, what in the world gives them any say in the local prison?!
Muelsyse	Well? What in the world, indeed?
Silence	You're—you're not—no, I refuse to...
[Moments after Silence expresses her shock and anger, Mayer appears, bringing food with her.]
Mayer	Dinner's ready. Eat something, you guys. Eep. You look like you've seen a ghost, Silence.
Silence	I need a moment to cool my head... Mayer, if I could trouble you to continue explaining the events to Director Muelsyse.
Mayer	Hmuh? Sure thing~ Silence, you wanna eat on the side and listen?
Silence	No, I need somewhere a little quieter.
Mayer	You can head into the kitchen, then. There's a table there.
Silence	Right. Thank you.
[Silence heads to the kitchen, leaving Muelsyse with Mayer.]
Mayer	Okay, so where did you leave off?
Muelsyse	We finished Robin's past and what she was doing in the prison.
Mayer	Ah, I got it. Then next should be her first failed hit... Uh, or from Kafka's perspective, her successfully getting in touch with Anthony.
Muelsyse	Wow, so this is when the two of them cross paths?
Mayer	Mmyup.
Muelsyse	Let me guessy-guess. Robin's thing about entering C-Zone for cleaning. It's that, right?
Mayer	Mm-hm. Kafka went for it, too.
Muelsyse	I imagine she heard it was the safest way to meet Anthony. Ahah. Now that's straight to the punch. I like it~
Mayer	All the middle stuff's pretty nothing. You wanna hear it?
Muelsyse	Mmm... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued. I feel like I'd hear some pretty interesting things. But let's stick to the jailbreak itself first.
Mayer	So you wanna hear Kafka or Robin's side?
Muelsyse	I'll keep wiiiith Robin's.
Mayer	Cool. It was a whole month since she went inside, then. All the while, she kept her head down and worked. Finally clawed out the chance to go to C-Zone for cleaning. Used every material at her disposal, made all the weapons she could count on. Packed them on her person.
Muelsyse	Sounds like she was pretty amply prepared. Did she get sussed by Anthony, then? Or stopped by Kafka?
Mayer	Nope. Something wild happened.
<Background 3>
Jailer A	All present?
A-Zone Prisoners	Here.
B-Zone Prisoners	Here.
Kafka	Here~
Robin	......
Kafka	(Hey, you're fresh meat too, right? I've seen you before at the factory.)
Robin	......
Jailer A	Listen up. You've got new inmates among you, so I'll repeat the rules. A-Zone and B-Zone are responsible for different rooms. The two of us will take you separately. But you will all get one turn cleaning up Mr. Anthony's room.
B-Zone Prisoner A	Heheh. Why's that?
Jailer A	It's called respect. You understand?
Jailer B	...A-Zone with me, B-Zone with him.
Jailer A	I'll make it brief. Once you're in, don't touch what you shouldn't. Don't even think about taking what you shouldn't. Do your work. Especially when it comes to Mr. Anthony's room. You are to clean his room like you care for your own mommy. Is that clear?
B-Zone Prisoner A	Heheh. Like I give a slug's ass about my mommy, hehey.
Jailer A	You, shut it. I'm saying this for the first-timers here. Don't give me trouble, you hear me?
B-Zone Prisoner A	I got it, I got it.
Jailer A	Behave, and we'll give you some playtime in an empty C-cell.
B-Zone Prisoner A	Whew, now that's a perk. I'll be good as a baby, then, heheh.
Jailer A	Enough! You all got your cleaning gear on you? If so, we'll get ready to go upstairs.
<Background 4>
[Robin enters one of the cells in Mansfield's C-Zone.]
Robin	(So these are the C-Zone cells... I've finally gotten in.) (Every story has four cells. Each cell only links to the elevator.) (But the style of these cells is so different to ours. It feels like... there's no privacy at all here.)
Jailer B	Get down to it. Stop gawking around. Over here is Anthony's... Mr. Anthony's room. Looks like the other side's there already. Just get in there and clean up. Don't think about brawling with B-Zone here. I'll be watching you.
Robin	(This jailer's not like the others. Real domineering...) (Focus. I finally get to see Anthony.) (In all the photos, he's built crazy strong. If I took him on directly, I'd have no chance of winning.) (But no matter how strong the person, as long as you can find a weak point, there's a chance...) (Just clean up while you look for it. Even if finding a weak point's all I get, I'll take it.) (Pop, protect me.)
[Sounds of fighting are heard close by.]
Jailer B	Hm? What's going on?
[The female Vouivre jailer and Robin rushes to where the fighting is, and...]
Robin	...?! (A jailer and a few B-Zoners got taken out.)
[After knocking out one of the prisoners, Anthony glances as the others.]
Anthony	Who are you? Why kill me?
B-Zone Prisoner A	You don't need to know who wants you dead, Mr. Anthony. All you need to know is this is where you die. Heheh.
B-Zone Prisoner B	Boss, the A-Zone team's here.
B-Zone Prisoner A	Came fast, heheh. No problem. Bud, you take that batch out. Don't go killin' now. We still gotta get outta here, heheh.
[More prisoners show up, all of them intent on killing Anthony.]
Robin	(No way. They're here to take out Anthony too...)
<Background 4>
Kafka	Whyn'tcha take this!
[Kafka attacks one of the prisoners, but it doesn't do much...]
B-Zone Prisoner A	Get outta my way, brat!
[...and the prisoner punches her in retaliation...]
Kafka	Gah!
[...knocking Kafka out cold.]
Robin	(He knocked that girl stupid in one punch too...)
Jailer B	Heh.
Robin	(Huh. Did that jailer smirk just now...?)
B-Zone Prisoner B	......
Robin	(Ugh, now's not the time to worry. This one's coming for me. I gotta deal with him first!)

After operation

“

Robin finds herself unconscious after a surprise assassination attempt, at the same time that Kafka, who is also present, makes contact with Anthony.

”

<Background 4>
[One of the prisoners who ganged up on Anthony rushes straight towards him...]
B-Zone Prisoner B	......
[...only to be struck by another prisoner...]
B-Zone Prisoner B	Hmph!
[...but the first managed to knock the second out of his way as a third one shows up...]
B-Zone Prisoner B	!
[...who quickly got taken down by the first...]
A-Zone Prisoner	Euggh...
[...leaving no one else in his way. Robin is left in awe upon witnessing the ordeal.]
Robin	(This prisoner's fierce! Knocked all the others down in just a few hits.)
[The first prisoner now stands face-to-face with the female Vouivre jailer...]
B-Zone Prisoner B	...Go to hell.
[...and attacks her, who easily guards his attack.]
Jailer B	......
Robin	(This jailer's a mighty one too. She's just guarding, though, seems like. I wonder why...)
[After stepping back for a bit...]
B-Zone Prisoner B	Heagh!
[...the first prisoner attacks the female jailer again...]
Jailer B	...Hm.
[...this time knocking her down.]
Robin	(Crud, the jailer's down...) (Just me left. But if I end up fighting with him here, it's gonna be a mess to explain after.)
B-Zone Prisoner B	And you.
Robin	(Think, c'mon. Is my only option to throw fists?)
B-Zone Prisoner B	......
Anthony	Hmph.
[All of a sudden, Anthony stands in front of Robin and faces the prisoner himself...]
B-Zone Prisoner B	You're fast.
[...which surprises Robin, who actually intended to assassinate him as well.]
Robin	(Anthony... rescued me?)
Anthony	I might not know who you are, but you shouldn't be doing this. Not this, right in front of my eyes.
[A fourth prisoner rushes in right behind Robin.]
B-Zone Prisoner A	Heh heh, death's knocking and you still care about other folk. You're a real gentleman, Mr. Anthony.
Robin	(When did he—?!)
B-Zone Prisoner A	Heheh. Here, miss. Don't be scared of me. Just blame it on your rotten luck. Relax. Asides from Anthony, we don't wanna kill nobody. You just take a lie-down.
Robin	(Shit!)
[The fourth prisoner hits Robin...]
Robin	Guh...
[...before running away.]
Robin	(He got me...) (I can't—think clear...)
[Robin fell to the ground as she starts to lose her consciousness.]
B-Zone Prisoner A	...let's...you a warm welcome...Anthony...
Anthony	...dead...
[Robin passes out just as sounds of fighting between Anthony and his assailants are heard.]
<Background 1>
Muelsyse	I didn't expect you to be this good of a cook. Wow.
Mayer	Hm-hmm! Betcha didn't.
Muelsyse	Anyway, she got caught up in another assassin's attempt and lost consciousness, then...? That must've sucked.
Mayer	Yeah, unlucky her.
Muelsyse	So how'd this assassination pan out? We know Anthony must've won, but this was an attempt on his life in a prison. Couldn't have gone without comment.
Mayer	Yup. But because Robin was out during that time, we have to go from Kafka's side.
Muelsyse	Ooh, but didn't Kafka get knocked out by that convict too?
Mayer	Oh, she sandbagged that one. So she says.
Muelsyse	Ah... okay, that adds up. It does seem like her style, yep.
<Background 4>
[Having dispatched the assailants, Anthony interrogates one of them.]
Anthony	Talk. Whose people sent you?
B-Zone Prisoner A	Heh... heh... you wouldn't... know. ......
[The prisoner passes out.]
Anthony	...He's out. These people really were...
[Anthony calmed himself down.]
Anthony	...Fine. Thinking about it now won't do anything. Let's see how these prisoners are first.
Prisoners	......
Robin	......
Anthony	Looks like none of them crossed the river.
Kafka	......
Anthony	And then this girl... I don't know who you are, but you helped me back there... Thank you, girl stranger.
Kafka	You can call me Kafka.
Anthony	Hm? You're not out?
Kafka	Uh. Don't move. Just shift a bit to the right. Block the monitors.
Anthony	Is this okay?
Kafka	Golden. Surveillance shouldn't see me now.
[Anthony moves to block the line-of-sight of a nearby camera as Kafka gets back up.]
Kafka	Lucky for me, I checked around while I was cleaning the rooms.
Anthony	Who are you?
Kafka	I told you, call me Kafka. I'm here to help you. But this is a real snafu. I was gonna leave you a slip of paper and call it there. Didn't expect those guys to suddenly go off.
Anthony	What in the world is happening?
Kafka	Not the right place to talk about that. Know anywhere good?
Anthony	...The jailers should be coming over to see what the ruckus was. We can go to the clinic. That'll work.
[As Anthony and Kafka are about to leave, Barton rushes into the cell.]
Barton	What in blue blazes?! Anthony, what the hell are you doing?!
Anthony	That's what I'd like to ask, Barton. These prisoners snuck in with the intent to kill me. What the hell are you doing?
Barton	What?!
Jailer B	It's the truth, Superintendent Barton. I witnessed Mr. Anthony fight off two inmates.
Barton	What? Weren't you watching them?!
Jailer B	The two of them knocked me out. They were quite... no, very strong.
Barton	Rgh. Good for nothing. How do you want me to explain all this to the Warden?!
Anthony	Let's get a grip on the present first, Barton. These two are the assassins. You can deal with them.
Barton	A—hem. Right, but Mr. Anthony, you see, we can't just take you at your word for all of this...
Anthony	I know. I've suffered minor injuries. I need a trip to the clinic first. They knocked everyone else unconscious. It might behoove you to send them all to the clinic too. Once we're there, I will explain things in fine detail.
Barton	Alright, alright. What are you bunch navel-gazing for? Throw these two bodies in the morgue, and drag all of THEM with you!
Jailer	Y-Yes, sir!
Jailer	Sir!
[The jailers, including one in a different uniform, cleans up the area.]
<Background 5>
Domma	The jailers're all gone, Anthony. What happened? I saw them all looking perturbed some.
Anthony	I'd like to know too. Alright. This place is safe, young Kafka. Domma is my friend. If I could call anyone in this prison trustworthy, it'd be her.
Kafka	First off, drop that "young." I'm just some random li'l shortie.
Anthony	Apologies, Miss Kafka.
Kafka	Man, okay, you. For a prisoner, you're politer than all the people outside.
Domma	This's how Anthony is. He don't hold back courtesy for anyone.
Kafka	Yeah, I get it. You look like a haymaker, but you've got manners for days too. Not surprising everyone else in here thinks you're a juggernaut.
Anthony	You flatter me.
[After a moment of laughter...]
Anthony	Well, then. My turn to ask the questions. You're apparently here to aid me. That means you know where my assassins came from, I suppose?
Kafka	Uhh... before that, I need to ask you something first.
Anthony	Please do.
Kafka	You know what your family—or I guess your dad is the one Simon Co.'s named after—anyway, do you know exactly what happened there? As long as you do, I can explain things a lot simpler.
Anthony	My father was detained on more than ten charges. I know the circumstances couldn't have been simple, but I've had no time to find out concretely.
Kafka	Okay, you know, yeah. That's good enough for me. Um, Simon Co., uh... thanks to ille... il... whawazzit?
Anthony	Do you mean, "illicit?"
Kafka	Yeah, that! Illicit, smuggling, of Originium, goods! Anyway, the company got shut down, and the core members all went to prison. So your whole family's serving in Bunkerhill City right now.
Anthony	......
Anthony slams a fist onto the nearby table. Everything on top of it rattles off.
Domma	Anthony...
Anthony	...I’m alright. I prepared myself to hear this a long time ago. I'm already happier than you could believe, knowing they're not dead. Alright. Who sent them?
Kafka	HydeBro.
Anthony	HydeBro. So it was you.
Kafka	Lemme just think. What did Silence say... Right, your family. The Simons. Were competing with them across some kind of line. You were camping 50% of the profits each over this. And there was plenty of friction. So they always wanted to just camp your share too. And then they did it. Pretty simple.
Anthony	...HydeBro. I heard my father mention that name often. I even visited their company as a guest once.
Domma	They did all of this over a bit of selfishness...
Anthony	I'd heard of similar events before. I just never expected it'd happen around me.
Domma	Anthony. Are you alright? Need me to use my Arts, settle your mind some?
Anthony	No, thank you, Domma. I told you, I prepared myself for this long ago. I didn't expect the reality to come so sudden, that's all. I believe you, Miss Kafka. I think there's no reason you'd have to deceive me about this. Seeing how things are, those assassins ought to be from HydeBro. Why only come at this point?
Kafka	That, I have no idea at all. But judging by my experience, that wasn't the last of them just now. They've sent a whole bunch of people in to take you out for sure, so, uh, we should probably call this the very beginning.
Anthony	...... How about you? I presume you're not here just to help fend these killers off for me, are you? What's your objective, Miss Kafka?
Kafka	Me? Mmm... it's kinda tough to explain fast, but let's say this: someone trusts me to help you break outta here.
Anthony	......
Kafka	You do wanna get out and take revenge, right? You got a life sentence. And it's the kind without parole. If you wanna leave this place, then you've got one choice, and that's—jailbreak. And that's why I'm here to help. Obviously, if you don't wanna peace out and you're gonna stay here forever, it's not like I'm gonna force you to go.
Domma	Jailbreak... but no soul has ever made a clean escape from this prison.
Kafka	Eyy. Say that if you want. But you can't knock it till you try it, right?
[Moments later...]
Anthony	...You've been in this prison for a good while now, Miss Kafka.
Kafka	Hm? Yeah, sure have.
Anthony	Then you should have heard some things about me.
Kafka	Yup. They all say you're the most powerful prisoner, and the most free. Pretty much everyone thinks you're strong as heck. I think you're pretty strong too, right now. Staying calm in times like these.
Anthony	But fact is, that's not what's happening. Even with all this supposed "charisma" I have, as a prisoner, I can't bend the jailers, let alone the warden. I should never have earned my current standing.
Kafka	Eh, that's true enough. But you earned it now, so hey.
Anthony	In reality, what I've earned is the turnkeys' favor. At least, what little I know is that the warden himself said it. He told them to be "slightly nicer" with me. All these years, I've had suspicions. After I reached Ironforge City, I was arrested. Then I came to this prison. Did my father arrange for this from the start? Foreseeing something, and sending me here in advance. Such things have always spun in my mind.
Kafka	Oh, Silence mentioned that too. She said it was just one possibility, though.
Anthony	Silence. Is that the name of your backer?
Kafka	Uh... whelp, whatever. Yeah, it is.
Anthony	I'll be sure to thank this friend afterwards. Anyway, it's just one possibility as you say. If I want to know the reason for sure, I'll need to get out. This is something only I can shine a light on.
Domma	Anthony, is it really alright to tell her this?
Anthony	It's fine. I believe you for the moment, Miss Kafka. Thus, I'm willing to level with you. Even if you didn't show up—even if I'd long since gotten used to life in this prison—I've still yearned, incessantly, to leave here. I can obtain most of what I want in here. But not since the beginning have I found the faintest outline of how to get out. So in truth, I should be the one asking you, Miss Kafka. Please, help me break out.