Sotheby: Hehe! I never knew that so many people lived on the river!
Sotheby: I saw them tie plastic bottles to planks to make a bridge, and then they crossed the river as if they were walking on a row of puffpuff fish!
Sotheby's sheltered life has given her few chances to witness the struggles of those on the verge of hunger.
But ever since she came to consciousness on the water's edge, that same question has lingered in her heart.
Sotheby: ...
She restrains herself from voicing it.
Duncan's well known in the favela, and everyone keeps telling her, "Yes, that old man is Duncan from the Veterans' Residence!" It's like she's trapped in some kind of dream.
Mr. Duncan: I know what you're thinking, little lady.
Mr. Duncan: But I am Duncan. My ID card, my military record, my medals—they all prove it.
Mr. Duncan: As for your friend, Mr. Karson, listen, I know it's hard, but at some point, we have to move on.
Sotheby: Thank you for the advice; it's just ...
Foundation Staff Member: Pardon me.
The Foundation staff member gently pushes open the door.
Sotheby: Hm?
Foundation Staff Member: My apologies for interrupting.
Foundation Staff Member: Ms. Sotheby, I heard about what happened in the favela. Thanks to your efforts, Zeno has been able to recruit a new group of spirited youths.
The staff member then turns to Mr. Duncan.
Sotheby gives a proud nod. She's more than just a pretty dress. She did her very best to help her friends in the favela while the others were busy with their missions.
Foundation Staff Member: Mr. Duncan, we need to record your information and cross-reference it with that of Mr. Karson, who was lost during the "Storm" of 1929.
Sotheby: It's bewildering, isn't it? How could there be another Mr. Karson?
Mr. Duncan: 1929?
A fervent era filled with ambition, dreams, and madness.
Foundation Staff Member: Please come with me, Mr. Duncan. It won't take long. After that, you'll need to initiate the procedures for your re-enlistment in the Zeno Arms Academy.
Foundation Staff Member: While the said procedures are underway, the rehab center will take care of the injuries you sustained in São Paulo. Welcome back to our cause.
Foundation Staff Member: There have been many cases like yours.
Foundation Staff Member: Politicians, singers, the list goes on. The Foundation compared them to photos from the '90s. While their appearances had changed, they were undoubtedly the same person.
These words leave Duncan feeling puzzled.
This place is strange, and their language is even stranger.
Mr. Duncan: Heh, hey! Isn't that Lieutenant Lilya?
Lilya is sauntering down the hallway, swigging on her flask.
Foundation Staff Member: This is an alcohol-free zone, Lieutenant Lilya. Please try to follow the regulations.
Lilya: Oh, did I just wander into another dry zone? Great.
Lilya: So many rules and regulations. Ugh, how boring!
Mr. Duncan: Has Lopera arrived?
Lilya: She's in her room right now. Vertin managed to secure her some rest time before her interrogation. Poor girl.
Lilya: Honestly, no one deserves to go through what she has.
Lilya: It's even worse than being cooped up and buried in paperwork.
Foundation Staff Member: Ahem, clerical work is essential, too.
She gives an awkward smile at this mockery of her work.
Lilya cheerfully pats her on the shoulder and turns back to Duncan.
Lilya: Well, good luck, Comrade Duncan. Don't forget to stretch your hand between signing papers.
She'd rather ride her Red 38 until her legs went numb than be stuck in an office all day.
Foundation Staff Member: You also need to write a report, Lieutenant Lilya.
Foundation Staff Member: Our executives are quite curious to know how you managed to escape the rebels' custody.
Lilya: Moldir, the woman in charge of the base, had one of her guards release me.
Moldir's orders saved Lilya's life.
Foundation Staff Member: You mean to say that Moldir, the lieutenant who's joined the rebellion, set you free?
Lilya: I think so. At least, that's what the guard told me.
Prison Guard: "Lieutenant Moldir asked me to help you. Take care—"
Foundation Staff Member: I'll be sure to make note of that. And of course, please specify this in your written report as well.
Foundation Staff Member: This is very important, Lieutenant.
Foundation Staff Member: If she's having doubts, then we may still have a chance to win back Igor's rebels.
Foundation Staff Member: Or at least some of them.
Vice President Constantine makes a long-overdue call with the Pax House.
Constantine: ...
Constantine: Igor fooled us all with his rebellion.
Constantine: It's been confirmed that the Dr. Dores he took is none other than Ms. Urd.
Constantine: The motives behind his actions, however, are still unclear.
Constantine: While only a small number of the Zeno soldiers chose to join his rebellion, I believe it is necessary to urge the Zeno Arms Academy to strengthen the discipline of their members.
She removes a white chess piece from the board in front of her.
President: No need to worry about that. Zeno will handle it themselves.
Constantine: If that's your judgment, then I have no objections.
Constantine: On a separate note, Moth, our mole planted within Manus Vindictae, has sent us some new information.
Constantine: The Manus are sending supplies, personnel, and weapons in huge numbers to the south. It appears our suspicions were correct. Manus Vindictae is preparing a ritual to draw forth another "Storm."
President: ...
Constantine: The location of Jerry Wilson provided by Ms. Lucy confirms that the Manus are moving toward Antarctica.
Constantine: Additionally, it's now clear that some of the arcanist organizations, including the Apostles Brotherhood, have been assisting the Manus through criminal activities such as smuggling and human trafficking.
She advances the black pawn on the chessboard.
President: All very valuable information. How's the Timekeeper doing?
Constantine: She's stable. It's worth noting, however, that she brought back a succubus from the Manus.
Constantine: She requested that we revoke the arrest warrant for the succubus and grant her all the rights enjoyed by Team Timekeeper in accordance with The Storm Reformation: Manpower and Discipline Act.
Constantine: I've consented to her request.
President: Excellent. She's the ideal person to keep watch over the succubus.
Constantine: Very good, sir.
President: About Igor ...
President: The "late Admiral Igor of the Zeno Arms Academy" will be duly honored in the headquarters' Hall of Merit.
President: His great achievements and remarkable service deserve to be remembered.
President: That's all for now.
The admiral's betrayal has already cast a lasting shadow over the optimistic '90s.
But the news that, even after losing their leader, the Manus are gathering once again is even more worrying.
Constantine: Vertin ...
Vertin: London, Lima, Ushuaia ...
The Foundation's reports detail many cases like Duncan's.
One familiar face after another turned into someone else.
The "Storm" has brought everyone with it to the bright and hopeful '90s.
Vertin: "A report from Colombia: The mugshots of Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria do not match those archived. Similar anomalies have appeared for other notable figures."
There are many such cases.
But the most pressing issue now is Igor's actions.
Vertin: Why did Igor abduct Ms. Urd?
Vertin: And why does he want Kimberly?
One question leads to another, but the answers remain a mystery.
Vertin: And where are Igor and his army going? Why did they defect?
It's a maze of questions and clues.
And there is no waxwing to peer over its walls, and no thread to guide the way out.
Vertin: Mr. Karson, who was reversed by the "Storm" of 1929, has somehow reappeared in 1990.
If only there were some way to look beyond the towering walls of this maze and see things for what they truly are.
Vertin: Or maybe there's more to it.
A person pulled under by the river isn't always swallowed. They often wash up on another shore.
Possibilities. More possibilities. Crows gather and drive away the doves, and by the dry, decaying fountain, they peck at the rainwater.
Vertin: Could it be that ...
She makes a bold guess.
Vertin: The "Storm" doesn't kill people? At least, not physically?
