Part 108: Day 44 - Story

Day 44: Story

_{Day 44 Story}

It's time for today's million dollar question: Is Binah calling us?

She is, Manager. I take it you shall be speaking with her?

Not like I have much of a choice, honestly. I'll go see what she wants.

It is absolutely imperative to the script that she become open to a Core Suppression today. Please do as you see fit, but know that the key to the cell you are in requires this.

I know, I know, no pressure or anything.

Music: Maya


Would you have made the same choice, if you knew that we would end up like this? I always ask myself that.



Most employees that visit and stay here lose their mind and embrace oblivion. It has been a long while since I had a proper conversation with someone. Maybe you were confused with the idea that I’m the only resident here. But there is in fact a companion of mine that passes the eternity with me. Let me introduce her to you.



And you managed to extract Cogito, the so-called fluid of life and death. At first, only a small dose could be extracted. But enigmatically that fluid started to gush out infinitely and now has formed a pool.



She’s watching us from underneath the spring. When everything becomes too burdening, I quietly stare into the bottom. I feel as if she and I were the only two in the world when I do so. Sometimes, it feels like she’s talking to me.



Someone injected herself with Cogito following her own principles, and someone else went mad for witnessing what happened. Another gave up his own body and fell into a state of limbo, unable to live or die. And the one that couldn’t persevere herself through all this ended up confessing everything to the Head…



You still aren’t qualified to look toward the bottom of the spring. To do so, you must look directly towards the path you travel.

Music: Awake in Death


Or do you seek to redeem me along with all the others that are trapped here? Whatever it is, maybe you think that saving this facility from sin as you have planned will fix everything for you. Just think for a moment. Even you, who hasn’t left this facility for such a long time…



And it’s not just them; all the Wings have their own painful stories, repeating perpetually. In the Nests, in the Backstreets, in the Ruins, in the Outskirts… A pain much greater than what you have seen here prevails in the world.



The world you looked up at and the one I looked down upon are that much different. You captured me alive and tortured me to your heart’s content, but still we’re sunken in despair. And someone will replace me as one of the Arbiters of the Head, swinging their Claws at people like you. Even if you were to break the cycle somehow, it would be a perfectly, completely useless affair.



The brief resistance will be forgotten soon, and people will continue living, not for a purpose nor a dream, but rather simply because they cannot die. You may think that you have brought me down. Yet as you can see, I’m still at the peak, looking down upon you lot while you writhe like insects.



I want to see you kneel before the might of destiny, resigning yourself to fate. Go on, slowly; despair and succumb to your fate.



As the last bits of your resistance melt away. We shall be the subterranean water that quietly flows underneath the earth.





How to avoid the Head’s pursuit; the means to join the ranks of the Wings; and the way for us, the few, to survive. It was impossible to figure those out on our own.







The sentinel who guards the gates of hell must always be in despair. Such despair that they cannot even fall into the depths of hell.

Music: Boss Warning


In summary: Binah introduces us to her good friend Carmen, who is actually the Bucket. The Cogito we produce to make Abnormalities comes from her. She then tells us that everything we're doing is pointless and that people are dying in the other branches-before mentioning that things are even worse outside of this place. She then claims that no matter what we do it's all pointless, and decides that she wants to be the one to make us succumb to fate so that she can watch us break under the strain.

We then reminisce about probing through her brain for before imprisoning her into a robot to be tortured forever.

So... we're fighting?

Could you call it a fight were a man to try and move through a wall? I am merely a reminder of the cruel nature of the world.

So you're not fighting me? This is just words? I saw the warning. I feel like we should be fighting.

...I shall crush you like a grape, yes.

Finally. That's the first thing you've said to me that I've actually understood.

Hm.



I've finally caught up with my backlog of work, A. I should be better able to chime in from here forward.

That's good to know, but unfortunately…

Ah, it's her turn?

Probably. I got the confirmation line, so tomorrow you'll all be asleep.

I see. The best of luck to you, A.

Thanks.

Manager, there is no more business to deal with at this time. We can move ahead with the suppression at any time.

Thanks. What's for lunch, anyways?

Beef PangPang and your choice of drink, but it's not for several more hours. Do you require a snack?

That'd be nice. For some reason I can't get the thought of jerky out of my… oh no.

Good morning, boss guy!!! We're gonna be working together today, right?!

…

...

...right?

Next time, on Lobotomy Corporation: Goddamnit, Mizu.








Today's Shy Look?

Only when it's happy. Black damage.

Judgment Bird?

Insight or Attachment, only with a suit rated 1.0 or better for Pale. Pale damage.

Little Prince!

Attachment work, but once every three works needs to be Insight. Need to do other works in between to wash off the spores. Black damage.

Wowsers, you really do remember all of them!

Information's the only thing we have that can keep us from dying. Keeping this much in mind is just to be expected.

I try to do it, but it all just slips out-so I mostly just try to read up seconds before I walk into the cell.

I pay attention to the ones nearby, but it doesn't really matter how the Abnormalities in Records need to be kept if we're in Training. That's too much work.

Working hard will make sure I get to stay in my job here. I don't want to die, and I can't afford to be fired.

That's all of us.

Truue!! I guess we'll just all have to rely on you to keep us alive.

Wait, but that's not why-

Too late, it sounds like a great idea.

Here's to Dr. Safety, PhD!!

I don't have a doctorate or anything fancy like that-

That's a shame. Dr. Safety is really catchy…

And like a shoe-in for Netzach's team. If there's an opening.

_{They do have relatively safe Abnormalities…} Alright, fine. You can call me that if you like. As a nickname.

Alright! And you can call me Idiot!

We already do. No nicknames for me, thanks. I'm just plain old Steve.

What part of you is plain?

Oh, there you guys are. Medea's calling the team together for our morning meeting. Get moving, there's some serious stuff going down today and no time to explain!

Yes ma'am! Let's move.

Yeessir, Dr. Safety, sir!

_{You don't have to salute…}