Operation story: MB-2

Operation

Story

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Characters
Kafka Mayer Muelsyse Robin Silence Jailer ??? Domma ??? A-Zone Prisoner Jailer
Backgrounds
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Before operation

“

Muelsyse seems more interested in another character in Anthony's orbit, Robin, than she is in Kafka, so Silence switches the focus of the story.

”

<Background 1>
Muelsyse	Alright, let's continue. The Infected and Non-Infected stand equal in prison. Now isn't that the picture of irony.
Silence	...You can't call that equal.
Muelsyse	Keheh. You're right. If we have to suffer inhumanity to reach equality, then that's probably an equal we shouldn't want.
Silence	Can we change the subject?
Muelsyse	I wasn't planning on continuing this one. Chat about this stuff from all lofty up high and you'll sleep terrible at night. Alright. Kafka went inside... four and a half months ago? The break happened four months ago, right while Mansfield State Prison was stopped over at San Sophie City.
Silence	Correct.
Muelsyse	Of course, any earlier, and we'd have to go a year back.
Muelsyse	After all, as a nomadic prison, it'd only visit cities on the periphery once every few months to restock and take in new inmates. The rest of the time, it stopped in the middle of the barrens. Four months to plot a jailbreak. Can't say that's short, but I can't say it's that long either.
<Background 1>
Muelsyse	Hm? Wait, actually, that gives me a question.
Silence	By the rules you gave, it should be my turn to ask.
Muelsyse	Ahahah, right, yeah. Go ahead, then.
Silence	...Before that, Mayer, could I ask you to make something for us to eat?
Mayer	Huh? Yeah, sure. But I don't know if I can use the kitchen in here, so.
Muelsyse	You can use it! I thought this chat'd probably take ages, so I actually prepped a whole bunch of ingredients. Can you cook, Ms. Mayer?
Mayer	Sure I can cook. I'm a solo workshop. If I couldn't make grub, I woulda starved to death forever ago. I mean, Rhine Lab and Rhodes Island both have cafeterias, but sometimes it's just a pain in the ass to walk over, y'know? You keep talking. I'll go make you some eats.
Muelsyse	Make sure you examine those ingredients, right? I don't wanna get accused of fiddling with your food here.
Mayer	Ayo~
[Mayer leaves to make food.]
Silence	You are so... hospitable.
Muelsyse	Keheh. I told you! I came to chat with you. Can't dodge me. Why'd you get Mayer out of the picture?
Silence	...Because I still haven't told her that Energy are behind HydeBro.
Muelsyse	...What?
Muelsyse	Wait, don't tell me you didn't plot this together?
Silence	No. I wouldn't tell her in the first place. She only came with me to procure equipment.
Muelsyse	So that's how it is. I see, 'cause Energy and Engineering walk pretty close. You wouldn't wanna sour her outlook. But given she wasn't your partner-in-crime, would you run that much risk telling her?
Silence	...I don't need you to remind me. Set it aside. What I want to know is: During all of this, what was Energy's position like?
Muelsyse	They were backing HydeBro, but had nothing to do with the business itself. It was HydeBro who tapped Energy's resources to cook up their assassination plot.
Silence	I see, then.
Muelsyse	Alright. My turn to ask, then— As far as I know, Anthony's accomplices in the jailbreak included the prison's original mortician, Ms. Domma, but also a woman by the name of Robin. What bugs me about that is, by my intel, Robin should've been one of the assassins sent to take Anthony out. But going by your version of the events, you seem to have just one helper, and that's Ms. Kafka. Could it be Robin wasn't your doing?
Silence	...It appears you have no idea how the jailbreak went, Director Muelsyse.
Muelsyse	I said that already.
Silence	On top of that, you've gotten one thing wrong. I had no immediate knowledge that this assassination would take place.
Muelsyse	Whuh?
Silence	If I had any awareness of it beforehand, I wouldn't have had Kafka infiltrate the prison alone. It was far too dangerous for her. And under those circumstances, what she could accomplish was very limited.
Muelsyse	Wait, you're not telling me you only got Anthony?! He's your only lead?!
Silence	I am. I only realized in the past half year that Anthony was not incarcerated in the same prison as the rest of his family. Following that, I arranged for Kafka to make her way in. My thought process at the time was: If she could meet him and help him break out of jail, perfect. If she couldn't, then oh well.
Muelsyse	...And then you managed to bump straight into the whole assassination. Oh, the pieces are fitting... This makes so much actual sense.
<Background 1>
Muelsyse	But... are you sure you should've told me about this? If you'd kept me going like you were gonna stop the assassination, I'd have been way more impressed, you know.
Silence	I'm no expert at that sort of thing, Director Muelsyse.
Muelsyse	I see. At first, I thought we were alike, but looking at it now, it's Ms. Mayer. That's who you're like. You're the same sort of person. But you have the research you love, and you don't care about much else. So there's gotta be some reason you were forced to care about this.
Silence	......
Muelsyse	And that reason, I'm guessing, is the "Diαbolic Crisis," right?
Silence	...... That and this are unrelated matters, Director Muelsyse. If you came to talk about Ifrit, then our conversation ends here.
Muelsyse	Sorry, sorry. Should've kept my mouth shut. It's okay, I've only heard things about it. I don't even know what happened. As a token of apology, I'll give you a free question.
Silence	...You needn't.
Muelsyse	Oh?
Silence	What I require isn't your apology. I require you to never bring it up again. That will do.
Muelsyse	Got it. Then let's just continue where we left off.
Silence	...Remember, as far as I'm concerned, this assassination was completely unaccounted for. I didn't imagine HydeBro would do things that way.
Muelsyse	Well. That goes to show you don't have a full grasp on Energy's MO. Anthony's a hidden danger. Imagine some entity that can't allow any hidden danger or uncontrollable elements. Imagine they find out they've left a little loose end... That's the end of the Bros. So they've spent a couple years weaving this hit together. Making it real. Burying an imprisoned Anthony six feet under.
Silence	...To cover up their evil, they cannot help but do more evil. It makes me retch.
Muelsyse	But there are some things that can't be walked back, huh? Back to the assassin, by the way. If that woman, Robin, wasn't backed by you, then that only leaves one possibility. Robin's an assassin who went turncoat midway. Right?
Silence	Right.
Muelsyse	So, could I trouble you to switch angles? I'm a little curious about this assassin lady and her prisonly actions. Given she and Anthony escaped together, I'm sure you've verified her status and experiences yourself?
Silence	Robin... was, true enough, initially one assassin dispatched to the prison to take Anthony out. Around the time Kafka recalled that clash between the prisoners, she hadn't been in there for too long.

After operation

“

While Robin is not entirely comfortable with her surroundings in the prison, or what she's been asked to do, she eventually finds her way to Anthony, for her father's sake.

”

<Background 2>
A-Zone Prisoner A	Auuggh-gh-gh-gh...
Robin	Grit your teeth. It'll be fine in a flash.
A-Zone Prisoner A	Wraaaaaaggghhhh!
Jailer	What the hell are you yelling for?! Can it! If you're injured, go down to the morgue. Quit hollering here.
Robin	Sorry about that. They're lined up something fierce over there. I'm just giving him some emergency aid first. It'll be fine soon enough.
Jailer	*Spit*.
Robin	He meant to say the clinic, right? Why the morgue?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Agh. 'Cause they're next to each other. Doc and mortician are the same person, too. Weirds anyone out, I swear. Forget the jailers. Even if we're smiles and sunshine, we don't really wanna go near there. Only, after the gang fights, there's nowhere else to go. Gotta get treatment there. Over time, folks just end up calling that whole end the morgue.
[Robin and the prisoner reaches the "morgue" where they are greeted by its resident Sarkaz doctor.]
???	Do you need some help?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Eep! Domma, Miss, wh—whatcha doin' over here? Uh, I was just makin' all that up, I, uh...
Domma	You're okay. It don't really get to me. But this do. Need to come over to the clinic?
A-Zone Prisoner A	N—nah, this young lady here helped dress it fine.
Robin	Mm. Leave it to me.
Domma	Your bandaging skills ain't half bad. Leave it to you I shall.
Robin	Yep.
[After the doctor, now known as Domma, treats Robin and the prisoner, they left the "morgue".]
A-Zone Prisoner A	*Huff*...
Robin	That scared of her?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Scared, alright... To her credit, she's saved more people than I can count. But she's a real oddity. Just don't wanna get close to her, simple as that.
Robin	I see. Alright, try moving your arm.
[The prisoner tried moving his arm and felt no pain thanks to Robin's treatment.]
A-Zone Prisoner A	...Phew. Much better. You've got fast technique, Robin. What'cha used to do?
Robin	Used to... I used to work for a private security firm.
A-Zone Prisoner A	Private security firm? Ain't those pay big bucks? And you carry yourself good. Can't even imagine what someone like you does to end up in the slammer.
Robin	All went downhill after my Pop lost his job. Spent all his time drinking. Gave his liver issues. Med bills came in real expensive. I took a risk, and...
A-Zone Prisoner A	I see, yeah. Tch, darn. You ain't had it easy at all.
Robin	You?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Me? Heh, I was a business guy. Wife 'n' her lover wanted to get rid of me, snatch my assets. End of it all, they took hell to me, and I killed 'em to save my life. Simple as.
Robin	......
A-Zone Prisoner A	Anywho, I owe you one. I've been here for lord knows how many years. I know a bit about everything that goes on. If you got any questions, ask 'em to me.
Robin	I've seen a few folk from A-Zone or B-Zone enter the C-Zone tower from time to time. How'd they get in?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Huh? Oh, them. They got dragged over to C-Zone to clean the big guy's room.
Robin	Cleaning?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Yep. 'Sides from jailers, there ain't actually much people on the staff. Might be an official slammer, and it seems the paychecks ain't bad, but nobody wants to work at a prison. Much less a giant nomadic prison like this, roving the barrenlands all day long. If they ever wanna do something inside the prison, it's when they stop over at a city. Get a few people to come in, get it done while they're stopped. Can't get it done in time, and they just gotta come with. Wait until someone's sent out so they can send 'em back, or just take 'em to the next city and send 'em off there. Last we stopped at San Sophie City, they hired a bunch of decorators. Been half a month since we left, and they're still working at it.
Robin	Ah. So they weren't the prison's, those workers all over the place.
A-Zone Prisoner A	Yep. See, one there right now.
[Kafka is seen talking with a young Liberi construction worker...]
Kafka	(Whispering)
???	(Whispering)
[...before the two went their separate ways with a jailer asking the worker.]
Jailer	Ms. Mina, what are you doing over here now?
???	Ah, excuse me. I'm lookin' for a WC. Made a wrong turn on accident.
Jailer	Ah, no problem. Superintendent's said, long as you don't go anywhere important, no worries going where you go. But you! Don't stand there if you got nothing, scram back to your quarters!
Kafka	Eeeyup—
[Robin and the prisoner watches from the sidelines.]
A-Zone Prisoner A	See? They ain't the prison's folk, but they act like the center of the universe. Warden's given orders they're to eat good, drink good. So the jailers all used to sidestepping everywhere look damn near constipated seeing any of them. I think it makes 'em look pretty cool, heh-hey.
Jailer A	Grr! And why're you two chatting?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Hey-hey, sir. Got a newbie. Cut us some slack?
[The prisoner quietly gave something to the jailer.]
Jailer A	Hmph. I'll give you five more minutes.
[The jailer leaves Robin and the prisoner alone.]
Robin	How did you have that...
A-Zone Prisoner A	Heh, I've been here a while. You'll always find your way to something. If you want some, I can give you a little.
Robin	Don't need it. More interested in the prisoners entering C-Zone...
A-Zone Prisoner A	Yeah. There's never really any staff around, but gotta have someone to blame for the hygiene and all that. You don't think it's these jailers who do it, do you?
Robin	So those bunch get hauled off to clean the place up?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Yep. Not just C-Zone. Same goes for everywhere else. Us inmates clean the whole damned prison. But dang, if it ain't a cushy job. You don't need to work in the factories, and you get to wander all over. Sometimes you get to be in the passages only the jailers go, drinking up the scenery.
Robin	Passages?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Heh, I guess you wouldn't know. Second floor's got this corridor. Only staff get to go through it. You can see the whole view from there. Been there once before. Whew. Darn good sight. But the jailers in here are some real lowlifes. The jailer watching me that time pointed out this big stone marker outside, told me they'd stood it specially for the convicts. Just asked for who exactly without even thinking. And he said, for all those convicts who "escaped." There's been people in here who really did escape on their ownsomes, and some they let out deliberately.
Robin	Why?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Because they all die out on the barrens, in the end.
Robin	...Couldn't you break out while they stop at a city?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Hey. You think no-one else had that idea before you? Every time they stop over, every single jailer's on max alert, cranked to eleven. Even a guy like Anthony wouldn't be able to make it out.
Robin	Anthony...
A-Zone Prisoner A	Heh. But in my opinion, he doesn't even need to make it out.
Robin	Why?
A-Zone Prisoner A	Anthony's a prisoner, but who doesn't respect him? When the jailers talk to him, they're scared to even breathe. He doesn't make trouble, but his strength and reputation goes for miles. Did you know building that underground library was his suggestion to the warden?
Robin	That's some clout...
A-Zone Prisoner A	Heh. Don't blab about this everywhere, but we all feel in private, if Anthony wanted to stay in this prison forever... Then that'd be nothing to do with the warden. Anthony's the real master of this place.
Robin	......
A-Zone Prisoner A	But it sounds peculiar, don't it? How'd a fella like Anthony end up in prison? And he's spent so long here, yet nothing's happened.
Robin	......
[A female Vouivre jailer approaches Robin and the prisoner.]
Jailer	You've been chatting for far too long. Back to your quarters.
A-Zone Prisoner A	Yes, sir, right away, now.
Jailer	Your wounds're no problem, then.
A-Zone Prisoner A	Eh? No problem, none. Robin wrapped me up real good. Much better.
Jailer	...... Then don't you dawdle.
[The female jailer leaves after glaring at Robin for a moment.]
Robin	(Just now, that one took a glance at me...)
A-Zone Prisoner A	Heh, that jailer actually gave a shake about me. What in Sam Hill. Well, that's that for now. You got anything, come find me again.
Robin	Got it. Thanks.
<Background 3>
[Robin returned to her cell.]
Robin	...Pop, looks like Anthony's a pricklier problem than I'd heard.
<Flashback starts here>
<Background 4>
[Robin picks up a call.]
Robin	Who are you?
???	Did you receive a sum of money today?
Robin	You're "Generous J?"
???	Correct. Go on and get your father's treatment. Of course, if you want to make your own life better with it, that's no problem either. In fact, I personally recommend you do so.
Robin	...Why are you giving me money?
???	It's in the name. I'm generous. Though I regret to tell you, if you want to treat your pappy with that money, it's not gonna be enough.
Robin	...What do you want me to do?
???	You're smart, Robin, miss. I like dealing with smart people. Here, I'll lay my cards out to you. I want you to— Enter Mansfield State Prison, and kill someone.
Robin	Mansfield? I've heard that's a prison you never get out of.
???	Don't you worry about that. As long as you can do it, I have the means to let you out. You can think it over, Miss Robin.
[The so-called "Generous J" hangs up.]
<Flashback ends here>
<Background 3>
Robin	I know this is risky beyond hell, and I know things look bad. But... sick as you are, I'll do what I can.