Part 28: Day 14 - Story

Day 14: Story

Music: story 4




This line. Half of you are chuckling right now, and the other half are confused. Let me explain this joke: I've mentioned the terrible translation before, and out of the entire thing, a single line stood out as being so bad it was amazing.



Filling a water bottle with bear became a community joke, and when the game got retranslated this line was changed as a nod to the original mistranslation.

Sometimes I wonder what it would feel like to be intoxicated. One time, I was infected with a virus that prevailed throughout the net at the time. It caused me to perceive everything ten times slower… They say intoxication is similar to that.



Excuse me… Manager? Your facial expression is hard to read today.



>Are you going to sabotage the company?


Every conversation between us is recorded and monitored.



Let me give you an answer. I only exist as part of the system. Such a plot does not exist, nor will it ever be written. Even if it were, it would not succeed.



The screen flashes red repeatedly here, which means that she's lying.

---

>Will you ever harm me?


When I said I was different from the others, I detected disbelief in your facial expressions. Perhaps I am beginning to like you. Sharing emotions with someone is a precious experience.



I have never had any plans, nor do I have any will to harm you.



Let's be real: we all saw this one coming.

---
Routes Merge Here
In summary: Angela wonders what it's like to be drunk, mentions she was infected with malware that made her perceive time 10x slower at one point, and... oh yeah, she's planning to sabotage the company and kill us, I guess. Let's all pretend this is a surprise.

Music: Forgotten Entrance of Memories


I assure you, it’s just for counseling purposes.

Netzach, actually…



This is ridiculous! That guy’s already got his hands full, and now he has to take her stupid counseling?

Poor Eugene. What can an employee do against a Sephirah’s orders, anyway?

I doubt she really cares about us. She’s just doing this to make herself feel superior!

More work for us, I guess.



...



*The screen fades to black, and then fades back in.*



Uh… well this is just for counseling, yeah.



While most of the time '...'s seem to be the AI judging us, I feel like Hod's are her worrying about us judging her.



Why won’t they appreciate my kindness? I thought I was the nicest Sephirah who cared the most for the employees. The other Sephirot are so occupied with their own work that they don’t even care about how their subordinates end up. The corporation treats them as if they’re expendable resources.



I’m not a “Cold-blooded Machine” like Yesod. I’m not haphazard like Malkuth. And I’m definitely not a “oh-it-can’t-be-helped” person like Netzach. Just, why…



In summary: On today's Very Special Episode of Lobotomy Corporation, Hod tries doing Enkephalin after overhearing her employees complaining about her counseling programming. She then complains to X about how nobody appreciates her, and (quite accurately, admittedly) badmouths her fellow Sephirot.



...and here it is: the first Suppression mission. Hod requires us to defeat four different Abnormalities, and right now we have exactly 4 Abnormalities which can breach: Rudolta, Scarecrow, Forsaken Murderer, and Punishing Bird. For us to do this tomorrow, we'd have to defeat that monstrosity.

We're not going to do that tomorrow, and because we're not doing it tomorrow we have no reason to continue opening Training-we'd have to clear the mission to get any more cutscenes anyways. So:




I figured after hearing about the suicide, I should see how things are run myself.

Eh.

...Eh?

Don't really care.

Is that the sort of attitude a Sephirah should have?

I'm gonna' mosey back over to my department. Later.

...hey! Don't just ignore me!

Next time, on Lobotomy Corporation: Mr.Black ascends to godhood by smiling really hard.








Manager. We need to talk.

Bishop? Sure… what brings you here?

Did you click on the links in any emails? Download something from a site that you were linked? Anything like that?

No, nothing of the sort. Why?

I installed some custom programs onto the server to monitor network activity, and-

You did what? Why?!

Not the point. I caught an unauthorized program running in the system. It looks like a masterpiece-it's designed to circumvent the company's usual checks. If I hadn't had something running, it wouldn't have been found.

Well... that's... very good work! Thanks for letting me know.

You're missing the point, sir. I traced it back to your terminal. With all due respect... since you didn't open anything suspicious, and you do most of your work by teleconference, it must be you who installed it.

Gh..!

Then there's the personnel files. I looked through them, and it turns out that we have no records of an 'X' ever applying for a position here at all. You just showed up one day.

...

Between that, the program, and the way this facility's been run lately… Who are you, really?

I… need time to think.

Don't mess around with me, Manager.

No. Seriously. Tomorrow. Work's starting in ten minutes, and I don't have time to get it all ordered before then. We'll talk after work.

..Fine. Don't think about trying to get rid of me during the day. I was a Grade 7 Fixer before I landed this job.

...those are definitely words that I know and recognize.

...Seriously? Well-even with the rust, there's nothing in this facility that'll be able to take me out. That's all you need to know.

I wouldn't dream of it anyways. Not a lot of people willing to work under Malkuth for as long as you have.

...she's not that bad, once you get used to her.

Pft. You've got a crush~

What are you implying?!

Bishop and Mal-kuth, sitting in a-

I-I'll contact you again tomorrow! You'd better be ready then!



...Ah, hell.