In the cramped broadcasting room, the little lion and the lightbulb are at a face-off.
Ulrich: What did you say?
Her unexpected declaration has caused the ferrofluid to come to a halt.
Regulus: You heard me, you daft lightbulb! I will not be your undertaker!
Ulrich: ...
Ulrich: Regulus, you still haven't grasped the significance of this project, have you?!
Ulrich: We've figured out the principles of the "Storm" and even developed the means to create its simulacra! Yes, there's still much room for improvement, but we've already made a huge leap!
Ulrich: And now, we finally have the opportunity to put our theories into application!
Ulrich: Finding an immutable material is essential to our survival! The "Regulus Satellite" proved it to all of us!
Ulrich: Just think about it, Regulus.
Ulrich: We are standing right on the cusp of the post-"Storm" era!
Regulus hangs her head.
Regulus: Fish Tank.
Regulus: You planned this all along, didn't you?
Ulrich: ...
Ulrich: Don't tell me you're worried about the funds and credit for the experiment?
Ulrich: Laplace will cover all your potential losses and expenses incurred should anything go wrong.
Ulrich: And whether this project succeeds or not, your assistance has been indispensable. Surely enough to earn you a fat bonus and a high rating for your salary review, and I will certainly not be hogging all the credit.
Ulrich stops upon seeing an even more resolute expression come across Regulus's face.
Regulus: Whoa, no, keep it in the tank!
Regulus: You've got me all wrong, Magnet Head.
Ulrich: Huh?
The two exchanged stunned looks.
Regulus: I'm a member of Laplace now, same as you. A researcher, not just an observer.
Regulus: I, too, witnessed the "Storm."
Ulrich has never seen Regulus so earnest.
Regulus: So, ergo, therefore, Q.E.D., I'll participate in your "Artificial Storm" experiment, not as your note taker.
Regulus: But as your fellow experimenter!
Ulrich: I never expected this from you, Regulus.
He knocks on his glass tank, perplexed.
Regulus: Don't tell me my reports were really that bad.
Regulus: Never mind, really, don't tell me. Fact of the matter is, I got an advance on my wages, so I fully intend to do my duty as a researcher!
Regulus: Besides ...
Regulus: No rockin' pirate with a spine would ever leave their shipmates stranded in danger.
Ulrich squeezes Regulus's shoulder.
Ulrich: I admire your courage, truly.
Ulrich: However, when it comes to these experiments, you must leave it to me!
Regulus: ...
Ulrich: That is an order, Regulus.
His resolve is unyielding.
He opens the door, signaling Regulus to leave his "lab."
Ulrich: I need you to observe my status through the porthole and record our experimental data. You're the only one that can do it.
Regulus: Alright, Magnet Head, have it your way.
Her eyes linger on the experimental materials in the case.
Platinum Ouija boards, young dragon tongue tubes, fire moth powder, and numerous duplicated records ...
Regulus: Say Ulrich, do you like rock?
Ulrich: Now is hardly the time to chat about music, don't you think?
Ulrich: I hope you won't be pestering me with more of these inane questions.
Ulrich: And to answer you, I prefer Brown noise. Its frequencies produce a soothing rhythm in my ferrofluid.
Regulus: See? That's exactly why I can't leave it to you.
Ulrich: Errr. What?
This logical leap nearly causes Ulrich's circuits to crash.
Regulus: I turned a blind eye to your blatant acts of piracy ...
Regulus: And brushed off your blasphemies against rock.
Regulus: But, if I miss out on an adventure like this,
Regulus: I'll forever lose the right to join the 27 Club!
Ulrich: The 27 Club?
Regulus: All the best rock stars die at 27, or in a blaze of glory!
Regulus: This is my record, my responsibility.
Regulus: We might fall or even vanish.
Regulus: Maybe we'll get turned into cubes or paint or whatever!
Regulus: But at the end of the day ...
Regulus: Rock never dies!
Ulrich: ...
Ulrich: !
Ulrich: Whether you're a rock legend or not, you shine with the radiance of humanity.
Ulrich: Regulus, I salute both your experimental spirit and your rock 'n' roll spirit!
Ulrich: There's only one thing left to do.
Ulrich: Project: Experiments on Material Immutability via "Artificial Storm"
Ulrich: Locale: Radio Room of the "Free Breeze" Cruise Ship
Ulrich: Experimenters: Ulrich and Regulus
Ulrich: Our experiment will now commence.