Part 35: The Real "Sissel"

Last time, Sissel(now in soul form, but still with a cool set of shades) and Missile had to hop on a torpedo to go save Jowd. And now...

(Music:The Last Desperate Struggle)



No, there's no "oh shit go into ghost mode at this exact moment or miss your chance" puzzle. Thankfully.



: I bet that big, masked man did this! I'm going to bite him!
: You better not. You might break your teeth. (The command room has lost power, and is sinking. So I wonder what this masked man is going to do...?)
: Let's talk to Detective Jowd!

And we will, but let's talk to Missile a bit more. Extra can never hurt!



: ...I'm glad you came along, Missile.
: Huh?
: After all, you and I are the only ones who can bring Detective Jowd back to life.
: ...! That's right! Let's save him...together!

And now let's see what happened to Jowd.



: Wh-who are you?! Are you..."Sissel"?
: Please excuse my appearance.
: I can't believe you made it here! How is Kamila?! And what about Lynne...?!
: Well...it's kind of a long story...



: So the submarine is badly damaged?! Why would he do that to his own submarine?!
: I wish I knew...



: It's because he's afraid of my powers.
: Y-you...! You followed us?! (I didn't even notice!)
: It's been ten long years, Detective Jowd.
: ......are you...Yomiel?
: ......



(Music: Chained Past)

(Side note: Since we're now 100% sure that our Sissel isn't this guy, and since Sissel isn't even wearing his face anymore, I'm just going to use the regular portraits for him.)

: So you remember me, do you?
: How could I possibly forget?
: So that's your real name, huh? "Yomiel"?
: That's right.
: But those people on the Yonoa were calling you "Sissel"...?
: That's just an alias I was using for my deal with them. I didn't see any need to tell them my real name.
: Could you do me a favor? Would you let me ask you some questions? I've been trying to find out my true identity all night...
: Sure. Go ahead. I'm sure there's plenty we can still tell you. Right, Detective Jowd?
: ...right.



Yes, we can finally find out more about the guy Sissel thought he was all night!

: Ten years ago...you were a top systems engineer, weren't you?
: "Systems engineer"...? What's that? By the way, I'm a top Pomeranian, you know.
: Well, it's kind of hard to explain to a dog...but it's a person who's good at using computers.
: I don't mean to brag, but I was one of the best in the industry. That's how I got roped into joining that project.
: Project? What project?
: It was a project aimed at reorganizing the nation's top-secret information. The goal was to build a new system using multidimensional programming theory. I was asked to join the project by an agent of the government.
: It doesn't sound like something a top Pomeranian would know anything about...
: To me, it just sounded like another challenging job...



: ...this project was also the target of a secret plot. I bet you can imagine the kind of crime the nation's top secrets might attract...I never thought for the life of me I'd ever have to deal with spies.
: It was never made public, but every organization in the country moved on this one. And then, one day, the name of a certain programmer emerged as a suspect.
: I was the guy who built the core of the system.
: The police arrested you, and then...that incident happened...



: By the way, Detective Jowd. When was it that I was proven innocent...?
: About six months after your death. I'm so sorry, Yomiel...

Well that's tragic and all, but we still need more details about Yomiel's excessively complicated and drawn-out revenge plot. Let's ask!





: ...my soul was split from my body, and I lost everything. I was sealed in eternal darkness.

This next section is fairly short, but I think it's worth checking out its animation, so here's a video of it. Screenshots are still below for those who don't feel like watching it.

(Music: TRAUMA)













: But I wasn't even allowed to do that. The way Lynne described it is exactly right. "Sinking slowly towards the bottom of an endless sea..." An overwhelming feeling of loneliness and despair...and I wanted all of you to suffer what I was suffering...
: And so that's why you murdered Alma.
: That's right. I wanted you to know what it was like to lose everything you cared about...I wanted you to feel the same pain I felt.
: What...?!
: ......it was the twisted wish of a mind poisoned by infinite loneliness...and then, as I was plotting my revenge, I had an idea. I came up with a plan to use these powers of mine to make a deal.



: There's something I just don't understand about that deal. I'm sure your powers would be very valuable to them. But...what would you get out of the deal?
: A new life.
: "Life"...?
: I asked them for two conditions. Number one was that they help me with my revenge plot. And the second was a "rebirth" for me.
: "Rebirth"...? A new beginning, eh?
: I didn't care if it was a "fake" life, an "artificial" life...I just wanted a physical receptacle for my soul, a name, an identity -- an everyday life. I wanted to grow old in a society that would accept me. And, finally, I wanted to die, surrounded by a loving family. That's the kind of "life" I asked them for.
: A completely man-made life...
: That's right. I knew I couldn't hope for anything more than that...to make it all come true, I knew it would take a lot of money and a lot of power. That's why I decided to ask a national government to help me. And their response, in the end...was betrayal.



: They were making their moves much more carefully than I suspected. They sent spies to this country, and researched my powers on their own. And they even figured out what Temsik is all about.
: And you had no idea they were doing all this?
: None at all. I was a fool...
: So, then...why did they go to all the trouble of making a deal with you? Why didn't they just steal a hunk of the Temsik meteorite from the park?
: They couldn't.
: Huh?

(Music: PROVIDENCE)

: After the "manipulator" incidents, research was conducted in this country, too. A report was submitted to the government about the source of the manipulator's power.



: At first, the government didn't believe the report.



: Surveillance, huh?
: It just looks like an ordinary, peaceful park, but there are armed agents there at all times.



: No, not him. He's just a plain old odd person.

: That park is like a silent battlefield, on an international scale...
: So that's why they couldn't steal the Temsik meteorite...
: And lately, under the pretense of building a housing site, they've been working on a plan to destroy that park in order to secure the Temsik meteorite.
: (So that's it, eh...?)

For the record, I have no idea why Yomiel knows so much about this and Jowd didn't seem to know about the park thing at all. Though I suppose Yomiel had to do something during his ten years of not needing to eat/breathe/have a roof over his head & not bothering to make friends with anyone.



: ...was this, eh?
: Yeah. It's the ending I deserve...
: But at least there's one thing you must be happy about.
: What's that?
: You've managed to seal me away at the bottom of the sea forever.
: ......

(Music: The World of the Dead)

: Well...shall we get started?
: Started with what?
: Bringing Detective Jowd back to life, of course.
: What?! What good will that do now?!
: But we promised! We promised Miss Lynne and Miss Kamila we'd save them!
: And we can't do that without you, Detective Jowd.
: ...!
: I've been guided by fate tonight to this place. I won't give up now.
: All right, fine. Let's see where it leads us!
: ......
: Here we go, then. Back to four minutes before your death!





(Music: Four Minutes Before Death ~Variation)



: ...where are we headed?
: We are not headed anywhere, Detective.
: What?!
: There was only enough fuel onboard to launch us away, Detective. We will run out soon, and that will be our destination, Detective.
: What are you talking about?! That would mean that you're trapped in here too!



: By the way, I am not human, Detective.



: I am a remote-controlled robot, Detective.
: What?! Your country's use of technology...is just plain "off"!
: We get that a lot, Detective.



: Why would you go to all the trouble to do this? There's nothing but a "shell" there. It's hardly a threat anymore.
: Commander Sith likes to provide against any possibility, no matter how small, Detective.
: "Possibility"...? What are you talking about?
: There is no need for you to know, Detective.



: Now it is time to say goodbye, Detective. In the end your fate remains the same, it seems, Detective.
: Grrr! Kamila...forgive me...





: It isn't?
: Remember what that "big, masked man" said? "Any possibility, no matter how small."
: Possibility...
: In other words, there must be a chance here somewhere. The possibility of turning the situation around!
: ......

Well, let's get started!

(Music: Fate Updated ~ Variation)



: What is it, Detective?!
: Look at Yomiel's "shell"...
: ...! There's no aura eminating from his body...
: Of course there isn't. The Temsik fragment is gone.
: (Could this change in his "shell" give us some kind of lead...?)



: Do you think we can rescue Miss Lynne and Miss Kamila?
: I can't say for sure right now...but we do have a lead...(The change in Yomiel's shell...that's the key to this thing!)

: Then let's go grab that key!

There's only two choices here: Go check out Yomiel's core, or sit around like a dumbass until the timer runs out. There is literally nothing you can interact with in the room other than Yomiel's corpse. But on the off chance you want to see how the game will go "THERE'S ONLY ONE THING YOU CAN DO HERE, DUMBASS" if you fuck it up...



: The answer is right in front of you. All you have to do is possess it, and that's how it will all begin.
: (Or maybe that's how it will all end...)



Okay, okay, let's do this thing.



: I figured it out...
: I know what this "possibility, no matter how small" is that they're afraid of!
: What is it?!
: My "time" was perpetually stopped, thanks to the power of Temsik.
: (His body cycled between the moments that separated his "life" and "death"...)
: Right. But not anymore. The Temsik fragment has been taken away.
: Exactly. So what does that mean?
: I get it! Your body won't come back to life anymore!
: The moment the Temsik fragment was removed, my "shell" became a regular "corpse."
: So...let's see...that means...(We can go back? Back to four minutes before your death?)
: But...wait a minute! Exactly "when" is that death?!
: That's simple. We'll find out when we get there! Let's move!

(Music: Dead Afterimage)



(If you look carefully, this is slightly different from the usual clock rewind animation. Which is appropriate, given the situation.)







And I hope you're ready, because next time is the beginning of the...



New/Updated Records
Sissel
Yomiel
Jowd
Lynne
Kamila
Robo-servant
Temsik Park
Control Room

Videos:
Four Minutes Before Jowd's Death
Yomiel's "Life"