"I wish I was dead." "What was that, Balot?" "Did you say something?" "It's nothing, Shell." "I was just remembering how you played during the Show today." "Everything went my way when I was betting today." "And I think everything will keep on going my way." "We're coming up on Central Park." "If it turns out to be nothing, we'll clear out." "That guy has been taking in runaways at his house one after another." "Number of suicides, four." "Number gone missing, two." "If nothing happens to that girl, we'll take it as a win." "Well, the real problem is whether she'll consent to 09 like we want her to." "Target has altered course." "Maintain distance." "If nothing happens, we can return home without passing his car." ""If nothing happens," huh?" "The world is more singed around the edges than you think it is, Oeufcocque." "Right..." "I mustn't forget to start the parking meter." "Everything that you have lost, I will give back to you." "Does that mean you will love me?" "You asked the perfect question." "The definition of love is "giving." And love has a set of rules." "If you obey the rules, you will continue to be loved." "Why me?" "You mustn't harbor doubts." "Do you know what happens to girls who forget the rules, Balot?" "Oeufcocque, Turn for me." "Start recording audio and video feeds." "I already am." "That's odd." "I detect terror mixed in with the odors coming from that car." "Explain that so folks without your special nose can understand." "Both of them are frightened." "The man, too?" "Why?" "It's almost like a death wish." "He's planning to pull a double suicide with that girl?" "That is one magnificent psycho." "Here comes another car¤" "You had misgivings about what you were given." "But that's all right, Balot." "My life is rough, your life is rough." "Enough to make me want to die" "No, my memories really WILL die." "But they can leave something tangible behind." "Like these blue diamonds I made from those girls' ashes." "Stay just like that." "That's a beautiful sight." "And you're about to become something even more beautiful." "A blue diamond." "That's my solution for girls who break the rules, Balot." "What the hell?" "That's Boiled!" "I can't believe he's working for Shell." "The man's scent has changed." "It's now one of murderous intent." "Declare this to be a state of emergency based on my sense of smell." "And do what?" "Get moving!" "Save the girl." "Why me?" "Die, you bastard!" "Drop dead!" "You're scum!" "You're nothing but trash¤" "Drop dead!" "Josh..." "Dish..." "Wash..." "Cash..." "Fish..." "I don't want to die..." "What did I tell you?" "The world's more singed than you think it is!" "Try getting cooked in those flames a little, Oeufcocque!" "I would put out the flames before they could cook me." "That's my usefulness." "Are you in pain, Mr. Shell?" "It's the A10 surgery I had when I was a kid." "When I feel stress, my brain is hit with a wave of euphoria." "It was one of the slum crime prevention measures, ...but they axed it when they realized its flaw." "In my case, it causes memory damage." "These Heroic Pills are my substitute." "With these, there's no stress or side-effects." "You know how to make the best of misfortune." "Indeed I do." "That's what allows me to overcome this ritual." "These beautiful blue diamonds let me climb the stairway to greatness in this city." "All right, I've stabilized her for the time being." "She might be my new partner." "Be gentle with" "He really did a number on her..." "Do you think she'll choose 09?" "Or to terminate life support?" "Maybe we shouldn't tell her about that second option." "So, what I smelled was memory suicide, eh?" "In his mind, he probably sees killing a girl along with his own memories as romantic." "Everyone dies alone." "It's not as if the death of another makes your own death that much more valuable." "Why me?" "Make your choice." "You have that right." "Or would I be better off dead?" "Is it all right to keep living?" "I don't want to die." "You're awake, I see." "I'm Dr. Easter." "I'm in charge of your repairs-- er, your primary physician, I should say." "This is my hideout." "It used to be a morgue." "They say they stored 800 bodies here." "Can you believe that?" "With 800 corpses to fiddle with, I'm like a kid in a candy store." "Um, I'd feel a lot better if you'd turn the lights back on." "Say "Ah."" "Ah!" "Hm, just as I thought..." "Can you talk?" "It was simple enough to regenerate your sense of smell and eardrums, but this..." "Well, I'll think of a way to fix it soon enough." "Is there any pain or itching in your skin?" "We did a legally-prescribed QA with your subconscious while you were comatose." ""Do you want to live?" "Do you wish to exercise your rights?" That sort of thing." "And your subconscious chose 09." "Mardock Scramble 09." "That's an emergency ordinance to preserve life that gives special dispensation to use technology that's otherwise forbidden." "I used to work at a military space development site, you see." "I developed that new skin of yours, too." "But the wars ended, and now I'm proving my usefulness as an 09 case officer." "If I fail to do that, I'll be thrown into prison for the crime of human experimentation." "That skin of yours is also meant to protect you." "So... if you give your consent, your Life Support Program will get underway." "Follow me?" "We want you to name us as your case officers for this case." " Whose case?" " Shell-Septinos." "He's a Show gambler, as well as a shrewd casino manager." "He's behind this case." "He works under the auspices of a certain huge conglomerate." "October Corp." "They're our archenemy." "Enemy?" "They're in a business that's allowed to use banned technologies outside of 09 cases." "Amusements and pleasure." "That's October Corp's usefulness." "Shell is the man who launders their dirty money." "We'll keep you safe." "We'll catch him." "The authorities will pay a reward for solving the case, and we'll split it with you 50-50." "You'll begin a new life." "What do you say?" " What about the mouse?" " What?" "The mouse." "It was cute, talked, and had golden fur." "You were conscious for that?" "What amazing aptitude!" "Come on out, Oeufcocque!" "The lady wants to see you!" "That half-cooked furball... lt's impolite to scare a lady, Doctor." "He was also developed for space use." "He's a universal item, something that can Turn into any object." "Good evening, young lady." "You don't have an aversion to mice?" "If you do, I can turn back into a radio." "I can become a radio, a television, anything you care to name." "What are you blathering about?" "We're talking about the case, not" "She's lost everything." "A little mental TLC is called for first, don't you think?" "What should I do?" "You need me to..." "agree to help you?" "You catch on quick!" "Grab hold of Oeufcocque there and think about Shell." "I'm amazed it took such an accurate form." "That's the physical evidence of your heart's desire." "Based on this, we'll take down Shell, smash October Corp, and" "Hey, wait!" "W-What the hell did you do that for?" "Are you pining for him or something?" "That's not it." "She hasn't cracked the shell around her heart, that's all." "There are too many things that cause her pain." "What are you talking about?" "We're the ones who saved her life." "We have a responsibility to work with her to find meaning in it." "My usefulness right now is to make sure she doesn't choose to abandon that life." "So, how does it feel to be reborn?" "Like I woke up from a long dream." "Memory preservation." "I have memories extracted, recorded, and deleted from my head." "Apparently, my brain would rot if I didn't." "Is there any chance of the doctors copying the data?" "Beats me." "To me, it's all stuff that happened in a dream." "Of course, new memories means that everything is in place to make my deal." "The chips are my memories." "And I have you in my hand as my trump card." "To humans, memories are a precious, irreplaceable thing." "But me, I'm fine with being empty." "I'll be filled up later." "A vessel meant to be filled with glory, that's me." "A Scramble 09 has been issued." "Rune-Balot?" "Who's this girl?" "A girl from your dream that ought to be dead." "My dream?" "The raw blue diamond material that I thought was collected is alive and kicking?" "A preliminary legal deal has been struck." "Some filthy ambulance chaser is behind this, I take it?" "Oeufcocque-Penteano." "I've worked with him before." "He might have sniffed out your deal." "That, or the woman caught his eye and he decided to use her to come after me." "This is my game." "And it's yours, too." "In the event of the litigant's death or disappearance, ...the case will be closed as unresolved." "About the doctors..." "It's definitely not a good idea for someone other than me to hold my chips." "Understood." "It's strange." "I can't remember that girl, but one of my fingers is throbbing." "Was she so special that I wanted to turn her into an engagement ring?" "Memories of a woman..." "They're always trying to destroy my brain." "She's nothing but a mere woman..." "A "mere" 20 gram bullet will kill a man." "Get that ring to me." "Can we put off Balot's court appearance?" "What do you mean?" "I just sent in all our records!" "You want me to put the egg back in the shell after I've cracked it?" " The egg isn't fried just yet." " Wha--?" "You aborted the file transfer?" "Your aptitude is something else." "But why?" "Do you want to stay holed up in here forever?" "If you don't fulfill your courtroom obligations, ...all you can do is sit here and wait for the bad guys to send hit men after you!" "I have no one on my side." "Is that your way of saying that you can't trust us?" " I don't want to be betrayed." " We'd never" "You've been peeking at me this whole time." "You brought me back to life and raped me." "Raped you?" "!" "Ah, Doctor..." "Um." "Well." "Then allow me to provide absolutely full disclosure." "Firstly, we gave top priority to the preservation of your life." "However, we couldn't take you to a hospital." "Your enemy would find you, and you would be finished on the spot." "And that is where I came in." "To save your life, my technology was necessary." "Agreed?" "Secondly, it was necessary to give you the ability to resist." "Ability to resist?" "Self-defense techniques and the ability to use a gun." "I don't want to become a soldier." "While you were comatose, we presented your subconscious mind with all of our technology and plans." "You chose your current situation." "I've heard that excuse before." "You men are always saying, "You know you wanted it, too" to me." "I also know that you aren't lying to me." "I'll leave you in Oeufcocque's capable paws." "I know what I NEED to do, but not how..." "How to rebuild a 15 year old girl's body and how to get her to go to court." "So, what do you want to do now, Balot?" "The clothes she ordered have arrived." "She says she wants to put them on and go out and get lunch." "We'll also cancel her doctored ID while we're out." "So you don't really want to stay cooped up, huh?" "The bad guys will spot you." "It will be a good opportunity for her to experience my usefulness firsthand." "Here, take this." "I applied with the Welfare Benefits Bureau." "Consider those your assets for now." "I don't know the PIN, so ask Oeufcocque for it." "And here's your medicine." "Make sure you take it." "Patches of your skin are still unstable." "Oh, and it's supposed to get chilly again today." "Don't get careless and catch a cold." "I'm praying that you learn to use Oeufcocque properly without abusing him." "I think it's fine." "It's not too tight?" "I am proud of my white lab coat... but your clothes look as good." "So, shall we go?" "Looks like our new client will be telling us how things shouldl be." "I'm sorry about earlier." "For what?" "I hurt your feelings." "But thank you." "I'll repay you the money." "Um, stop using Oeufcocque's voice when you talk, all right?" "It's kinda creepy." "I can't remember what my own voice sounds like." "You'll get it back." "One step at a time." "Stop that, Balot!" "Do you feel threatened by the traffic lights?" "To a life-threatening extent?" "But you didn't stop me last time." "I was observing your self-control." "What about a seat belt?" "Do you want to go on a high-speed joyride?" "Why are you so angry all of a sudden?" "Is it because I fiddled with the lights?" "I'm not angry." "If someone is hit by a car because you had tampered with the lights, ...you would be the one hurt, not me." "Please don't be angry." "I want you to decide for yourself which rules to obey." "You have a high aptitude." "Don't say it like that." "Sure." "I won't do it again." "I have no desire to force rules on you arbitrarily." "When I tell you "No", it will be a fundamental line that I will not cross, ...as well as a matter of your safety." "And for my part, I would never do something that I'd say 'No" to." "Can we agree on that as a promise between the two of us?" "Yes." "You're good with those." "Of all the girls, I was the best at using these." "They said I was good with my hands." "That I might be good at digging up fossils and stuff." "If you ever want to do something in the future, that would be wonderful." "I don't know." "Maybe I just can't think of anything else." "You should buy a few things that strike your fancy." "Stop, Balot!" "I'll keep watch out here." "Go on inside." "You were in there a long time." "There was a camera in there for peeping." "A camera to illegally perceive women visually, eh?" "Do you really get it?" "At the moment, you're irritated as well as embarrassed." "Frustrated, as well." " Those are the odors you are giving off." " Odors?" "Mice can tell what someone is feeling by their smell." "Didn't you know?" "I know exactly how much I'd get paid to appear on that camera willingly." "Ah." "I don't know what you're feeling." "I'm not human, after all." "You're sweeter than a human." "There's a café upstairs." "We should be able to work there." "We have control of the Citizen ID registration that Shell falsified." "According to this, you're a 19 year old bank employee." "He moves money by means of fictional fund establishment forms." "This is clearly one of his money laundering routes." "It is set to go into effect if you access your file." "My death is another trigger?" "Yes, but when this case was established, we were given the right to break into them." "I'll go through the items one by one." "Is that all right?" " Where is your older brother?" " In prison." "Your parents are alive, correct?" "Yes, but both are in the hospital." "What school did you attend?" "I can't go to school here, because I need my parents' signature." "Your parents, they" "They don't think of me as their child." "I have all the documents I need." "Now, if Shell's memories are on file somewhere..." "I can't take any more of this..." "You were very brave." "All we need to do now is send these to the Ministry of Justice." "We're going to show people?" "Tell them what my past was really like?" " Balot..." " Wait!" "Please." "Understand what this is like for me." "How about thinking of it like this?" "What we're doing is digging up fossils." "Even the most fearsome creatures have turned to stone while sleeping." "The one who is really alive in the here and now is you." "You want to hurt me that badly?" "I can delete the files." "If that's the best way for you to deal with the fossils." "But that would mess everything up, wouldn't it?" "If you tell me "No", I won't do it." "Go ahead, Oeufcocque." "Do you think that I'm messed up?" "Messed up?" "Why?" "Because I'm a girl who takes money from men and lets them touch her." "No." "To my knowledge, many masculine notions are built upon that sort of system" "If you are "messed up," it means that something much more significant is messed up." "Mind if I talk about myself a little?" "Tell me all about it." "When the club I was working at was shut down by the police, one of the officers asked me something." " Why be a prostitute, or all things?" " Because I'm not a virgin." "Is something funny?" "And when did you give this lucky fella your virginity?" "Lucky?" "I didn't know you could think of it that way." "To my father." "I was 12." "Don't you ever think about touching your own daughter?" "That's messed up." "I don't know what was messed up about it." "I just knew that I didn't have anyone on my side." "After that, Shell came and he said he would love me." "That's why I got into Shell's car." "Do you think I'm messed up?" "I don't know." "I'm merely a mouse whose intelligence has been boosted to human levels." "There are those who would say that I am "messed up"." "You?" "Why?" "To them, a being such as myself is crazy." "I don't really understand what I am, either." "I was created by the military's order, but the research itself was destroyed." "At the moment, my existence is tolerated, just barely, ...by my continuously proving my usefulness to society." "That's why you're helping me?" "To get them to allow you to live?" " What's wrong?" " I smell hostility." "Several sources." "They must have traced back that camera feed in the café." " What do we do?" " Take me in your hand." "Do not worry." "I'm a universal item that was developed to be the ultimate hand-to-hand weapon." " They're coming this way!" " Thrust out the hand I'm on." "Why you!" "Wha--?" "All right, let's go back to the parking garage." "Another group is already here." " Are we going to knock them out, too?" " No, if they don't try anything, we'll go home." " You really think nothing will happen?" " A mouse can dream, can't he?" "I never know if I can count on you!" "We can't have that, can we?" "You're the witness to my usefulness." "Here they come." "See?" "Something IS happening!" "Let's try having you evade them." "I'll feed you directions." "Fasten your seat belt and floor the accelerator." "I've never driven before¤" "There's a first time for everything." "Good, we've evaded them peacefully." "You call going the wrong way down the street "peacefully"?" "I can't very well Turn into a rocket launcher and blow them to pieces." " You can do that?" " lt's a crime!" "I'd be destroyed the very next day." "Now, let's ditch the rest." "We've completely given that first bunch the slip, but I'm getting a strange odor." "It's as if we're being watched..." "I request disclosure of information between fellow case officers." "If you refuse, the public rental car agency will testify as to your poor attitude." "What?" "What is he talking about?" "Fellow case officers negotiate in order to reach a peaceful settlement." "Refusal to do so reflects poorly at trial." "What will we do?" "We'll speak with him for a while." "Relax." "As long as I'm here, he won't do anything to you." "That's your user now, Oeufcocque?" "What is the information you wanted to disclose, Boiled?" "Revoke the Life Support Program." "That's intimidation." "You still consider that to be a viable solution, do you?" "Tell me what you will you do in the event of the litigant's death." "All charges will go forward unchanged." "You think killing her will end this?" "Are you scared?" "If you don't want to die, drop the suit." "Don't listen to him, Balot." "If you give up, there won't be anyone to protect you." "The summary hearing is in three days." "You'll find out the rest at the proceedings." "I'm looking forward to holding you in my hand again, Oeufcocque." "Do you know that person?" "Dimsdale-Boiled." "He used to be my partner." "Your partner?" "Now we're enemies." "I don't want to die!" "Have faith in me." "By protecting you, I'll prove my" "Why me?" "You aren't messed up." "You haven't made any mistakes." "You haven't done anything wrong." "You haven't done anything to deserve being killed." "I want to serve you as my user and resolve your case." "My case?" "That's right." "Will they ask about what happened between me and my father at the trial?" "They'll talk about what I did to men, and what men did to me, ...the kind of lifestyle my work let me lead, ...and say that these men didn't do anything wrong." "I don't intend to let them pursue that line of reasoning." "I want to help you two." "Do you believe me?" "Yes." "I want an excuse." "One that convinces me that I'm not damaged goods." "I don't care if I die." "But at the same time, I don't WANT to die, either." "I don't want to die while I'm feeling this way." "You've fought by yourself all this time." "That in itself is no mean feat." "What do you mean?" "You've endured, even as you were being forced to submit." "That is a difficult battle that calls for courage and perseverance." "I'll fight at your side from now on." "It may not be a manner that you are familiar with." "But I also want you to understand how we wage our battles." "That's your excuse?" "I am the same as you." "I'm on a quest to understand who and what I am." "In this city, I'm casting my own shadow on trouble that's about to be indelibly burned in." "There aren't any prospects out there for me." "All the girls I know didn't have any, either, ...and ended getting chewed up and spit out by drugs or men." "All they want is an excuse to keep living, even in such a situation." " Love me, Oeufcocque." " Look, I" " What?" "Give me an excuse." "I want to be useful to you." "Even at the trial, I'll do anything you tell me to do." "So please, love me." "W-Wait!" "Look, will that give you closure?" "I want to be loved by someone like you." "You forced me to Turn?" "You can crack my protection?" "What am I to you?" "Well, y-you're my client, and the case litigant." "If you're dissatisfied with me, contact the Ministry of" "I don't care about any of that!" "I don't care!" "Wait!" "Wait, wait!" "Look!" "Look, I'm a mouse!" "Do you think I can turn into a human male if you wish hard enough?" "Well, I can't!" "I know that!" "You're a sweet little mouse." "Do you think I'm messed up, too?" "Look, do you think I'm your pet or something?" ""My new partner."" "You said that here." "You looked at me and said I would be your new partner." "You were aware of your surroundings in the state you were in?" "That's an extraordinary quality." "Perhaps that is why my Snark capabilities adapted themselves to you so well..." "Um..." "I make a great many demands of the humans who use me." "That's what caused me to turn against my former partner." "If you would like to be my partner while being my client at the same time..." "I'll do anything you say." "I'll even appear in court." "Well, it's not like I don't sense there will be some differences of opinion..." "Still, put 'er there, Partner." "Balot." "Please call me by name." "Ah." "I look forward to working with you, Balot." "I'm Oeufcocque." "I'm licensed as an 09 case officer." "The Ministry of Justice thinks of me as human, but" "I think you are, too." "Fits perfectly." "Did you pick it out, Balot?" "She says it was her condition for appearing in court, Doctor." "If she didn't like my clothes, she should have mentioned it earlier." "Oops, that's not good." "I need examine you again." "I tell you, systems that are in the middle of development are such a pain in the ass..." "What are you up to?" "I've been trying out different ways of restoring Balot's voice." "You don't want to be stuck using substitutes forever, right?" "W-What was that all about?" "I'm not sure." "In addition to joy, she also smelled of negative emotions and fear." "You don't suppose she's beginning to have misgivings about our usefuless, do you?" "Hang on, look at this." "This is... a human trait that we can interpret as an expression of affection, right?" "We can indeed, Oeufcocque." "She seems to have taken quite a shine to us, wouldn't you say?" "You simply press three buttons." "Yes, No, or Silence." "You can refuse to let anyone take notes." "You clean up nicely, Easter." "You'd make my life easier if you dressed like this all the time." "Let's go over her outfit next." "She's a little too pretty, if you know what I mean." "She can't give the impression that she seduces men." "Mr. Shell had no intent of causing her any harm." "And even if he had, why did she offer no resistance?" "In light of what she has lost, we" "I want to convince myself that I'm doing this for you." "These are just the proceedings." "The real fight will come afterwards." "It is at this point that we must discuss certain shocking matters." "When she was even younger than she is now, ...this woman engaged in sexual relations with her own father." "Isn't that right, Rune-Balot?" "This line of questioning is completely irrelevant, Your Honor!" "Yes." "Was it initiated by your father?" "Yes." "Did you offer resistance?" "No." "Why didn't you resist?" "She doesn't need to answer that!" ""I loved my dad."" "You loved him as a man?" "No." "You engaged in relations not just once, but multiple times?" "Yes." "Upon learning of your relationship, ...your older brother perpetrated violence against your father, did he not?" "Yes." "Do you understand why your brother was so enraged?" "Can she handle this?" ""Because he loved me."" "As a woman?" "No." "As a result of this assault, your father was left severely handicapped, was he not?" "Yes." " Did you visit your father afterwards?" " Yes." "Do you still love him?" "Silence." "Do you love your father as a man?" "I don't know how to love my family anymore." "Do you believe that you are to blame for what happened to your family?" "Yes." "That went well." "She was calm and composed and clearly injured." "Let's go into the next hearing like this and score some points." "Let's go, Balot." "The full details will be available at the next hearing, and that's when I'll go to work." "What?" "!" "If you're going to back down, now is the time." "You aren't a suitable user for Oeufcocque." "I suggest you have him explain to you how I go about resolving cases." "You were very brave in there, Balot." "Teach me how you two fight your battles." "Yeah?" "Take me to the company." "I have a payment." " What company is that?" " The livestock company." "You must be Mr. Boiled!" "The boss told me to expect you." "Go on in." "Welcome to the Bander snatch Company." "I'm Rare the Hair." "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tough Guy!" "This way please, Mr. Boiled." "Let's dispense with the business pleasantries of shaking hands." "I'm Medium the Fingernail." "That's my working name." "Provide confirmation." "The fingers of five neurosurgeons." "And I helped myself to the pinky of one woman." "Medi, I'm done stacking the crates." "This is Mincemeat the Wink." "Mince, show the man your cut of the take." "Do you share our..." "interests?" "For confirmation." "Right here!" "Doctors' eyes are surprisingly romantic, aren't they?" "Aren't they sparkly?" "Such a naughty boy you are, Mincie!" "These are mine." "They don't have very nice skin and hair." "Doctors lead such hectic lives." " What about the exam files?" " This way." "Hi!" "I'm Flesh the Pike!" "I'd be more than happy to let you cop a feel!" " The files." " Here." "This disk is the now only copy of the brain treatment data in question." "Did you discard anything from the bodies?" "Not a thing!" "Transplants, experiments, food..." "The only thing we discard is the nothingness that's left after the life fades away." "Does your boss also use transplanted parts?" "Yes, a very special part." "Boss?" "Send him in." "Hello, Mr. Boiled." "I'm Welldone the Pussyhand." "I only rarely transplant items from my collection." "I'm looking for "the one," that perfect part." "A perfect pussycat, one that's tight and sensitive..." "Your payment." "This is our next target, I take it?" "Two 09 case officers and the Security Organization are guarding her." "I love it!" "Look at those fingers!" "Such lovely skin, I want it!" "I want it so badly!" "Her eyes are so clear..." "They're like an angel's!" "How adorable..." "I want to give them hormone injections every day and plump them up little by little!" "Very nice." "Now let's see the inside." "She might be a pussycat worthy of my right hand." "The five doctors were a test, and she's the real thing, isn't she?" "So, which of her parts do you want?" "Give me the nothingness that's left after her life fades away." "No, Balot!" "This is where I draw the line!" "I'm sorry, I won't pick you up by your tail ever again." "I don't even like to talk about it!" "I feel like my very personhood is being rejected!" "If it means so much to you, why don't you keep your tail tucked away in your pants?" "It's all that stupid Doctor's fault!" ""Your pants are bulging out in back!" "Did you drop a load or something?"" "How dare he talk about my magnificent tail like that!" "Don't laugh, I'm begging you." "Don't be mad." "I'm not angry." "Let's sort out your clothes instead of obsessing over my trousers, shall we?" "Unlike me, you don't have proper body hair, so you'll catch cold." "Okay." "This suit offers protection against heat, cold, and impact." "It also amplifies your Snark abilities." "It's not very stylish." "You can alter the suit's design at will." "Look, you can fuss over your outfit later, all right?" "Okay, in theory, you should be able to Snark your own body and accelerate it to where it moves at the speed of your senses." "All right, try firing off a few rounds." "You don't need to think." "Simply sense." "Nicely done." "The idea was for you to just use one round per ball, though." "Understood." "Next, try shooting while you're moving." "These are spherical targets!" "I can't believe she's skewering them with 100% accuracy and zero ricochets!" "It's from the public prosecutor." "He says that Shell's five neurosurgeons disappeared at the same time." "It's all right." "I'm not afraid." "I'll go talk it over with them to see if this provides grounds to raise your Life Support Program to maximum level." "Make arrangements for a new hideout, as well." "Sure." "They won't attack while I'm gone, will they?" "The Security Organization has personnel stationed here." "That should keep us safe for the night." "I hope you're right." "Well, I'm off." "Make sure you do whatever Oeufcocque says, Balot." "Can I shoot some more?" "It makes me feel better." "Fine, but nothing strenuous." "Did Shell eliminate those doctors?" "It's probably related to Shell's business dealings." "This has increased the likelihood that Shell's memories are stored somewhere." " Who will attack us?" " Unknown." "It's not certain they will." " If they do?" " Leave it to security." "And if the security people are eliminated?" "We'll repel them ourselves." "Do we kill them?" "Should I shoot them like this?" "We will defend ourselves as long as is necessary." "But it will NOT be to kill them." " Would you like to rest?" " I'm fine." "Just a little more." "Why didn't she offer any resistance?" "Security status?" "Phone lines, Security Organization channels, all are locked down." "I'm done here, too, Well." "This is child's play." "I'm making myself some coffee right now." "We'll hit the target once we're done tidying up after the pigs." "My pig is packed up." "My heart is pounding, like this was our first night..." "Mine is, too." "Let's hurry up and bring her back." "I smell terror." "And death." "Are you ready for this?" "Embrace me." "Hold me tight." "Thermal signatures in the north bathroom and the first floor." "Medi, check it out." "Fleshie, who's in here?" "They're waiting for you with their gun drawn." "Let's see who's faster, tough guy!" "What the hell?" "Flesh!" "What am I looking at here?" "Let's see who's faster, tough guy!" "What's wrong, Medi?" "Well, I can't reach Medi!" "It was nothing." "Nobody was here." "Will continue search for target." " You want me to get in this, Fleshie?" " That's right." " Medi and the others found the target?" " That's right." " Send me the floor plan." " That's right." "Shithead!" "Well!" "Fleshie's been hacked!" "Well!" "I'll fuck them!" "I'll gouge your eyes out and skull-fuck the empty sockets!" "What have I done?" "!" "Mincie!" "Explain to me this instant why Mincie was here and not the target, Flesh!" "You fat bastard!" "Where are you hiding, hacker?" "!" "You picked the wrong person to mess with!" "You think this crap is clever?" "I'll have you raped by pigs, you shithead!" "Remote control?" "You're DEAD!" "I'll have the pigs rape you!" "I smell death!" "Get clear!" "Are you all right?" "I don't want to be turned into a fireball again." "Is the last of our prey nearby?" "Don't talk like that." "Are you enjoying this?" "I'm doing what you taught me to do, that's all." " I didn't" " Don't worry." "I'll pull it off." "Flesh!" "Everyone, respond!" "Show me your ass, I dare you!" "I'll use these to make it mine!" "What?" "!" "Stop it!" "Observe basic tactics!" " This is what it was like." " Balot?" "All those men, this is how they felt all the time." "Don't do this." "Please!" "Don't abuse me!" "Stop" "It'll be all right, Oeufcocque." "I will be gentle." "It's no use, I can't reach anybody!" "Everyone is" " I don't believe it!" "This can't be happening!" "This is abuse." "His user has gone rogue." "We're finished here." "I'll rape you, scumbag!" "I'll rape you, garbage!" "I'll rape you!" "You're nothing but scum!" "Die, scum!" "Oeufcocque?" "Talk to me!" "What's the matter?" "Say something, Oeufcocque!" " Oeufcocque!" " Please, let go of me..." "D-Don't touch me, please..." "Oeufcocque?" "What's wrong?" "Oeufcocque!" "Stop it." "He's coming..." "Run to the roof!" "Come back to my hand, Oeufcocque." "That girl and I aren't the least bit different." "She's nothing like you!" "Run, Balot..." "He threatened me so much, I felt my life was in danger." "I won't run!" " It's no use, he's" " Please!" "Understand how I feel." "Didn't he tell you?" "You and I are both monsters created from the same forbidden technology!" "Oeufcocque!" "It's a defense mechanism against those who abuse him." "Oeufcocque has rejected you." "You're wrong, Boiled..." "Why?" "Why do you tolerate this user's abuse?" "Oeufcocque..." "I'm sorry, Oeufcocque." "I'm so sorry." "Don't go!" "Stay here in my hand!" "Please, Oeufcocque..." "Please..." "Sorry about that..." "It's a kind of rejection response." "Don't worry, I'll get over it soon." "We need to buy ourselves a little time up here." "Watch out." "He'll come up the side of the building." "He did that earlier, too..." "Pseudo-gravity." "It can also deflect the trajectory or bullets." "I should have told you sooner." "It was my mistake." "I didn't want to tell you about his body if I could avoid it." "For the same reason that you don't wish to discuss your past with others..." "You really are sweet." "I don't want to hurt you anymore." "It's all right." "You won't hurt me." "He's coming!" "You have to..." "Turn me..." "Hurry..." "Use me..." "Protect yourself..." "This gun is what you were back then." "You were created with me to bring as much nothingness into the world as possible." "Oeufcocque." "That is the answer to the question of our existence."