The pieces are falling into place. Lopera has gone to the colonel's manor, as Admiral Igor planned.
If Mr. Duncan moves quickly, he might make it to the manor in time to meet her.
The early morning sun scorches the courtyard.
White Rum is still tucked away in her bottle, fast asleep.
Anjo Nala: What are you waiting for?
Vertin: Admiral Igor has sent reinforcements. We were instructed to await their arrival at this location.
Some time has passed. The sun has now risen well into the sky, but the reinforcements are yet to arrive.
Anjo Nala: Igor?
She tenses up at the name.
Vertin: Do you know him?
Anjo Nala: N-No, I don't. And I don't want to know him, either. I want nothing to do with those Zeno madmen!
She knows him. She's hiding something.
Anjo Nala: Stay away from them, Vertin. Trust me, they—
They're here.
A young man with an eye patch strides into the Veterans' Residence, followed by a squad of soldiers, all armed to the teeth.
Ptolemy: Greetings, Timekeeper of the St. Pavlov Foundation. I'm Ptolemy, the Commander of Igor's Sentinel Unit.
Ptolemy? No one at the base has mentioned such a name before.
Vertin: Are we setting off now, Commander Ptolemy?
Ptolemy: Setting off? No, no. It's Lopera's mission to take care of the doctor.
Ptolemy: My mission, well ... It concerns the young lady behind you.
Anjo Nala: ...?!
Vertin: I wasn't informed of this. What does she have to do with Zeno?
Is it because of what happened at Tuesday's Motel?
Vertin: As far as I'm aware, the Zeno officer at Tuesday's Motel committed suicide. Kimberly had nothing to do with it.
Ptolemy: Oh, Stefen? I couldn't care less about him.
If that's the case, then why is he here?
Anjo Nala: The door opened all by itself.
What door?
Ptolemy: Hmph. I'm not stupid, you know. Ms. Kimberly somehow escapes the base.
Ptolemy: And suddenly I find her with the Timekeeper, who I hear took a detour to a certain tower before she left.
Ptolemy: So, Timekeeper, care to explain why you helped Ms. Kimberly, a member of Manus Vindictae, escape?
Vertin: Oh, so the captive in that tower was Ms. Kimberly?
She gives him no answer.
Ptolemy: Per the admiral's orders, I will now escort you back to the base, Ms. Kimberly. And please, don't make me resort to violence.
Anjo Nala: No. I'm not going back there.
She takes a step back, her body trembling all over. She's too frightened to run.
Anjo Nala: You'll kill me, just like those Zeno soldiers.
Ptolemy's soldiers raise their guns, just as the others did when they executed the deserters.
Ptolemy: Now, now. Let's just get along, shall we?
Ptolemy: This isn't an arrest, Ms. Kimberly. It's an invitation.
He reaches into his pocket and reveals Zeno's "sincerity."
Anjo Nala: ...?!
Ptolemy: A succubus should follow her instincts.
Ptolemy: Come on. Obey your master.
A toy. Unremarkable, even ridiculous, yet utterly terrifying to her.
Ptolemy: You know, you were close, Kimberly. You almost found it.
Ptolemy: It was hidden at Tuesday's Motel, just like you thought. Stefen thought it was just a wind-up toy. Hmph. What a fool.
Anjo Nala: Give it back!
Ptolemy: Yes, that's the spirit. Come with me, and I'll—
Vertin: Don't. He's not going to give it back to you.
Anjo Nala: ...?!
Ptolemy: Oh, so you'd rather stay with the Timekeeper.
Ptolemy: I guess you need a little reminder of who your real master is.
Ptolemy: Soldiers, prepare to fire!
COMBAT
Kimberly barely moves as she struggles against the command of the seal. Meanwhile, Ptolemy and his troops have taken control of the courtyard.
Ptolemy: Pick it up, Timekeeper.
He's tossed a pistol near her.
Ptolemy: I hold no grudge against you, and I'm not going to shoot an unarmed civilian.
Ptolemy: Make your choice. Take the weapon and continue to fight, or surrender.
Ptolemy: If you do surrender, I'll guarantee your freedom, but Kimberly has to come with us.
She picks up the pistol.
Ptolemy: I see. So you've chosen to fight. On your feet.
Ptolemy: Now then, Kimberly.
The officer gives a malicious grin.
Ptolemy: Kill her.
Anjo Nala: You want me to kill Vertin?
A command as malicious as the look on his face.
She doesn't know what to do.
But her bloodline allows her no choice. The seal takes effect, slowly compelling her to obey it.
Ptolemy: Come on, my patience has its limits.
Ptolemy raises the wind-up toy, like a lighthouse beacon in a storm.
Ptolemy: You will obey me!
Compulsion. An attack so swift that there is no time to react.
The succubus looms over, her eyes hollow, her beastly claw poised to strike.
Ptolemy will say anything to ensure she enacts his will.
Ptolemy: Do it, demon. Your freedom for the life of a stranger.
...
Ptolemy: Yes, kill her. Prove your loyalty. Then I'll give you back your toy, I promise.
The succubus wraps her claws around her neck.
Anjo Nala: Vertin ... I ... I can't ...
The command has taken hold of her, but still, she's wavering.
Meanwhile, Ptolemy, like a sadistic spectator in a coliseum, wills their struggle to go on.
Ptolemy: Raise your gun, Timekeeper.
Gun ... yes ... I have a gun ...
But breathing ... strength ... it's all ...
Ptolemy: Aim at her and pull the trigger.
...
Ptolemy: This monster's going to kill you. You'll have to shoot her if you want to live.
Ptolemy presses further, eager to get a show.
Vertin: ...
No matter how hard she resists, the succubus within her must obey.
Her claws tighten around her neck. She can hardly breathe.
Anjo Nala: No, I don't ...
Her struggle is as futile as her tears.
Ptolemy: Obey your master.
Her claws start to sink into her neck.
Ptolemy: Yes. Give in. Just like that.
Ptolemy: Look, Kimberly. She picked up the gun. Shouldn't you kill her before she kills you?
Ptolemy: She obviously values her own life over yours, and she won't hesitate to fire a bullet through your heart. To her, you're just a horrifying beast.
Ptolemy: I mean, look at you. You're a succubus, a demon born to be bound to a master! Born to be controlled!
His contempt is palpable.
Anjo Nala: No! I-I don't want to!!
She's pleading.
Tears pour down her cheeks.
Anjo Nala: Please. No more orders. No more running. No more.
Anjo Nala: I don't want to be like my sister.
Hiding away for all those years, living no kind of life at all, only to be captured and executed.
Ptolemy: If that's what you want, then kill her. Break her neck.
Ptolemy: Now, heed my order and kill Vertin!
She does everything she can to resist the command, yet her body is compelled to follow.
She raises a claw. It hangs in the air, like a butcher's knife ready to slice its meat.
Ptolemy: End your suffering with her death.
Ptolemy: Don't think. Just obey.
Her grip tightens.
The pistol ... Get it. There's still a chance.
Anjo Nala: L-Let go. Let go of her.
She's sobbing.
Vertin: Nala ...
Aim ... at him ...