Female Storekeeper: Have a good day!
Before the owner can even say goodbye, Liáng has yanked Poitier out the front door.
Poitier: What's the rush? I haven't even finished my noodles.
Liang Yue: We can eat later, but we need to find Ms. Latham, now!
Poitier: Wait, wait. Hold on. I'm all for chasing down a crook. But why do I get the feeling you didn't tell your Foundation friend about your run-in with Latham?
Poitier: What's up? Why you keeping her in the dark?
Liang Yue: I think that something isn't right about her.
Liang Yue: I've been to the ACD before. To most, it might seem defenseless, but it's actually heavily protected by arcane rituals.
Liang Yue: According to Ms. Scott, Latham acted alone.
Liang Yue: But there's nothing in her file that would suggest she's capable of that. Her arcane skill level is frankly far from remarkable.
Liang Yue: Even with insider knowledge, I don't believe it's possible she could have bypassed the security system and escaped on her own.
Liang Yue: Either Ms. Latham has playing the Foundation for fools, or she has more powerful accomplices. That leads me to another thing. This mission is not something a typical Foundation staff member would be assigned to—as Ms. Scott claimed to be.
Liang Yue: There's something we don't know.
Poitier: You're saying that girl with glasses lied to you?
Liang Yue: Maybe, or that she was being lied to herself.
Liáng pulls her SPF-I contact device from beneath her cloak. After a few simple taps, she turns it around for Poitier to see.
Liang Yue: There was another thing I found while searching through Ms. Latham's files, or rather, what I didn't find—there were no warnings or notices on her employee records.
Poitier: You mean, she's not actually wanted?
Liang Yue: No, I don't think so.
Liang Yue: Ms. Scott said that their department wanted to solve this problem in secret, so I thought that might explain the reason Ms. Latham's warrant wasn't on her file.
Liang Yue: However, when I tried to access more of their records to double-check my findings, I ran into a block on Ms. Scott's records.
Notification: Access denied. You do not have permission to view this information. If you need access, please contact your supervisor.
A warning symbol flashes on the screen.
Liang Yue: It could just be because I'm only a cadet. There are some files that I don't have access to yet. I contacted my supervisor, but I haven't heard anything back.
Liang Yue: I don't mean to distrust her, but I can't hold anyone above suspicion.
Poitier shifts her gaze from the device's screen back to Liáng.
Poitier: And what about me? You're putting a lot of trust in me, Liáng. Is it really alright that you're telling me all this?
Poitier: A dangerous item stolen from the Foundation and possibly an inside job at that. That's a scandal in the making.
Poitier: You could've just lied to me, make up some kind of story. It's not hard for a smart kid like you.
Liáng gives Poitier a puzzled look.
Liang Yue: Why would I? We're partners, Ms. Poitier. Hiding information from you wouldn't be right. You told me that yourself, didn't you?
Poitier: Me?
Liang Yue: Yes, the first day we were on duty together, you said you "need to know what makes me tick."
Poitier: Hmm, I did, didn't I?
Poitier seems a little dazed. Liáng looks at her, sincerity behind her eyes.
Liang Yue: I've reconsidered it, and you're right.
Liang Yue: During my training as a vigil, our instructor emphasized many times that trusting in our partner was of vital importance.
Liang Yue: And you, Ms. Poitier, have proven to be capable, decisive, and compassionate. I have developed a deep respect for your work.
Liang Yue: We share the same goal: to discover the truth behind the incidents happening in Chinatown. I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't cooperate with you.
Poitier: Alright, alright, alright. Enough. I'm blushing already.
Poitier cuts Liáng off, almost flustered.
Poitier: Damn, girl! I didn't expect my meek little mouse to turn into this.
Liang Yue: This what?
Poitier: Forget it. You've made your point. Now, stop it.
Poitier waves a hand, signaling the conversation's end.
Poitier: But you kinda missed my point. I'm worrying that the Foundation is gonna punish you for leaking classified information. Won't you get in trouble?
Liang Yue: Though I may be a vigil of the Foundation, before that, I am a descendant of the Liáng family. I'm obliged to do all that is necessary to fulfill my destiny.
Liang Yue: And given the circumstances, I think providing all relevant information that might assist us in catching the thief and retrieving these threatening arcane objects is worth bending the rules ... just a little.
Despite her conviction, Liáng can't help but hesitate a little.
Liang Yue: Besides, I'm not under any orders to keep this a secret. So ...
Poitier: Haha. Cheeky, and you say you don't like bending the rules. I see you, boo.
Poitier: And I like it. Come on. Let's work this out together, partner.
Loggerhead: Which one is my room again? Oh, right, I wrote it down. Let me see. There it is. I almost went too far again.
Loggerhead: Now, the key card. Where did I put it—oh, here.
Loggerhead: Home, sweet home. Oh, I'm exhaust—
The camera-headed girl freezes in place.
Two officers are standing in her sweet home.
Poitier: Latham, right? It's been a while.
Liang Yue: We have some questions for you. Please try to cooperate.
Liáng steps forward and closes the door on her behalf.
COMBAT
Loggerhead: Alright. Fine. I'll tell you everything.
Loggerhead: It was me, okay? They said I stole those arcane objects and sold them for money, well, maybe I did—Ouch!
As she speaks, she backs closer and closer to the wall behind her, until she smacks her oversized head into the window ledge.
A particular word in her statement makes Liáng tilt her head.
Liang Yue: What do you mean "maybe"?
Loggerhead: Because, actually, I can't remember it.
Loggerhead: I can't find my memory film for that time, so really, I just don't know.
Liang Yue: Memory film?
This so-called Loggerhead girl, an Awakened, isn't exactly a tough one. Within thirty minutes, she has spilled everything.
Yet, despite this seemingly ideal result, neither of the officers looks pleased.
Poitier: *sigh* So, to summarize what you just said, Latham:
Poitier: You're an Awakened piece of a movie projector, which forms a Latham loop.
Poitier: You were designed to play movies, not record them, and that's why you suffer from severe amnesia.
Poitier: You can only recall things that happened within the last three days, and after that, you'll forget almost everything, do I got that right?
Loggerhead: I guess so.
Poitier: You guess so?
Loggerhead: Eek!
Poitier's sudden questioning startles the girl. She shrinks further into the corner, wedging herself between the window and a nearby chair.
Poitier: I can see why that friend of yours calls you Loggerhead. You deserve the name. What is going on here?
Liang Yue: It's understandable. Awakened arcanists often suffer side effects related to their origins and materials, but still, this is quite unusual, to say the least.
Liang Yue: So, she has no memory of what happened three days ago, or even any of the cases she was involved in. So then, she's basically useless to our investigation.
Liang Yue: I can only imagine what a disaster it would be if you showed up in a Detective C07 movie.
Loggerhead: Hey! That's rude! How come I'm a disaster?
The girl, mustering what little courage she has left, waves her metal fists in defiance.
But her feeble resistance has no effect on the officers. After sighing in unison, they exchange a glance.
Poitier: What do you think?
Liang Yue: I've made a request for Ms. Latham's detailed records. But, I don't think she's lying.
Liang Yue: Back at the hospital, the best lie she could come up with was "a hamster riding a stethoscope." I kind of doubt she's a master manipulator.