Having left the deep pit behind, the two of you return to the laboratory above.
Standing at the edge and looking down, you can clearly see the marks of the explosion.
It looks like... the aftermath of something massive exploding underground.
During your battle with Melinoe earlier, you noticed peculiarly shaped minerals all around.
A massive egg, incubating life, slowly growing beneath the earth, and then... an explosion.
Eggshell...
Commandant, do you mean... that something was... born here?
Could it be that mysterious "Aisling"?
...I suppose it's possible. I've already collected samples of those minerals. I'll send them to the Science Council once we're back at Babylonia.
In the laboratory, some experimental records remain undamaged. From these fragmented documents, the two of you manage to piece together the purpose of this facility.
Research on... the substitution of materials within M.I.N.D. structures...?
Liv furrows her brow as she examines the records.
These... should be Golden Age records. This laboratory... it must have been abandoned for decades.
...First official day with Team Three. Researcher Monnan, ID 0641.
This is my first contact with
I will stand on the shoulders of giants...
Experiment log #25. Another failure, but the data is converging. I'm identifying consistent fluctuation patterns.
Mineral-E is truly remarkable. I know I'm close. I definitely can...
...Can I really do this?
Streaks of gray now thread through the researcher's hair.
This is... experiment log #258. It's been four years since I last saw the sun.
I... I've given everything... All this data... Is any of it really worth it?
Hah... what was I thinking before? Why was I so down?
Anyway, I feel incredible now! Tonight's experiment, #305... this will be the one. I can feel it!
This is Researcher 0641... Monnan.
There's... there's been an incident outside. An unknown virus. All the mining mechanoids... they're infected. They've all gone crazy. They're... killing everyone. I don't think I'm getting out.
I'll hide these experiment logs somewhere safe. If anyone ever finds this...
My name is Monnan. My home is in a transatlantic city... I'm leaving this necklace here too.
If you find this... please, my little sister still lives there, in my hometown. She's just a kid. Please... take this necklace to her.
Tell her... I love her...
After that... this laboratory was abandoned.
The blast scarring is fresh. This must have happened recently. Judging by the timeline... it likely coincided with Conservation Area 368's first transmission to Babylonia.
We're not near any official Babylonia "Dead Zone". The local Punishing concentration is low, so large groups of those things rarely gather.
That all changed a few years back. There was a minor explosion in the mining tunnels. After that... they just started showing up. Out of nowhere.
I sent a report up the chain, and Babylonia eventually dispatched a Task Force squad to investigate.
The squad went down the mine a few times. Their theory was that the explosion must have opened a new passage connecting the tunnels to some other place, letting the Hetero-Creatures wander in.
The scattered clues seem to weave into a single thread, yet a thick fog still clings to the larger truth.
The laboratory, Melinoe, the conservation area, "Aisling"...
What does she want with Liv's M.I.N.D.? Why exactly... was she created?
You seal the mystery and the physical evidence together in a bag. Perhaps Babylonia, with all its resources, will hold the answers that elude you here.
In the midst of your conversation, a sudden rustling from around the corner ahead cuts the silence short.
...!!
Liv moves instantly, placing herself protectively in front of you as you draw your gun...
Bang—!
A small explosion rips through the area. From the shattered rock face, three dust-covered Constructs claw their way out, one after another.
This IS the mining tunnel! Vail! I win! Fork over those credits!
We never shook on that!
Alright, you two, cool it—
The tall Construct, trying to mediate the argument, whirls around sharply, the words dying on his lips as he realizes someone is standing behind them.
Who's there?!
...Are you... the Rodent squad?
Though the three figures before you are covered in dust and debris, their distinctive silhouettes make them just barely recognizable.
Wha—!
It's Gray Raven!
!!!
...Hey, show some manners!
Flayo firmly pushes down the two heads that are poking around curiously, then scratches his own head in embarrassment.
Haha, sorry about them. They have all the grace of a couple of rockslides. So, uh... how long have you all been here?
Once identities are confirmed, the conversation shifts to a more casual vibe.
Well, it's a bit of a story. Last thing I remember clearly was contacting you. You mentioned entering the mine, asked if we'd seen a kid, and then...
...Nothing. Woke up at the very bottom of the mine, our terminals were gone. Our M.I.N.D.s took a hit, but nothing critical.
After that... we started digging our way out. Got turned around a few times, but luck was on our side.
...It was Melinoe.
...Melinoe? That mechanoid doctor from the conservation area?
We noticed her when we first arrived at the conservation area. She seemed harmless, so we didn't think much of it...
Flayo scratches his head, looking confused.
Well... I'm just relieved you're all safe.
After you briefly explain the situation with Melinoe, Flayo shakes his head in stunned comprehension.
Ah... sounds like you've had a rougher time of it than we did.
What are your plans now?
Hmm, we'll probably head straight back to Babylonia.
Even with Melinoe gone, like you said, this place is still way above our pay grade. Best we make ourselves scarce. What about you folks?
We're returning to Conservation Area 368. There are still a few things we need to confirm...
She presses her lips together, exchanging a meaningful glance with you.
If Melinoe was the one controlling everything behind, then what about Conservation Area 368? Is it truly a conservation area, or just another spiderweb waiting to be stumbled into?
Conservation Area 368
Conservation Area 368.
Mountains stack against the horizon, brushed by a gentle breeze. Sunlight bleeds through the clouds, casting golden threads over the land.
As evening bleeds into the sky, the faint chirping of birds echoes from the low bushes, and the warm lights of the conservation area begin to wink on in the twilight.
...Everything seems pretty normal.
You step out of the vehicle quietly. Outside the conservation area, a patrol unit sweeps past without a second glance. A handful of residents trudge along the path, baskets filled with foraged food.
Huh... Wait, you two...
The supervisor freezes the moment her eyes land on you. Her brow furrows deeply for a long moment as if she's having a hard time recalling you two.
Aren't you... officers from Babylonia?
Didn't you... head out to the mining area...?
That's strange... It feels like you've been gone for ages, but also just left.
She shakes her head in confusion.
Well, I'm just glad to see you're back in one piece.
Dong—
The deep, resonant chime of the conservation area's clock cuts through the air.
...Oh, it's gotten this late already! Please, let me at least get you both something to eat.
Thank you, but we have our own rations...
Everything feels trapped in some bizarre loop, with only one difference...
...The medical station? That place hasn't been used in years.
In times like these, what doctor is going to stick around to treat people? For small stuff, you use the painkillers Babylonia sends. For the big stuff... well. You just don't get help anymore.
Meli... who?
The conservation area supervisor appears to be racking her brain for some clue.
Never heard of her... There's no woman by that name here.
Well, it sounds like a woman's name, doesn't it? What man would be called that?
The supervisor shakes her head.
Is she someone Babylonia is looking for? I can keep an eye out if you want.
The three of you move on, your path taking you past Melinoe's tent. It now stands silent and hollow, already gathering a heavy shroud of dust.
In the central plaza, cooking pots are being set up for the evening meal.
...Commandant, Babylonia has responded. The transport will arrive at the nearest landing point in 30 minutes.
It seems our earlier communication issues were also due to interference... from their side.
The conservation area seems normal now. Melinoe must have used "Aisling's" power to forcibly manipulate everyone's minds here.
Now that Melinoe is gone, "Aisling's" power has gradually faded, allowing the conservation area residents to naturally return to their normal lives.
By this same logic, Kolm Lebrant's infiltration of Babylonia must have been due to Melinoe's influence as well. You must return to Babylonia immediately and deliver this news.
...Leaving so soon? You're sure you won't stay for dinner?
Thank you, but we really can't. The transport is on a tight schedule.
Well, if you must. It's a shame; we so rarely get our hands on meat around here.
The supervisor stands at a short distance, watching as the two of you board the transport.
As the transport pulls up, Liv feels a compulsion to glance down...
In that moment, the entire conservation area falls still. Every resident has halted their work, their faces turned upward in silent unison toward the departing craft.
!!!
She blinks, and the moment shatters. Now, she sees the cheerful, bustling scene again, campfires crackling as two children squabble over who gets an extra bite of meat.
...
...It's nothing, Commandant.
Doubting her own optics, she pulls up her internal logs. But her memory storage has no record of the haunting, collective gaze.
Perhaps it's just... the issue with my visual module.
Alright.
She smiles with a nod, then gazes once more at Conservation Area 368.
The first lights of evening glow within the conservation area.
Outside its bounds, "Aisling" runs on.
She has left the mine far behind, her form dissolving until she is nearly a gust of wind, a drop of rain, a flash of lightning.
She races forward without a backward glance, her destination certain.
Her memory is flawless, an unbroken reel from the moment of her birth until now.
She remembers the faint, distant call—the moment a boundary shattered, and "her" consciousness plunged into the mine's depths.
There, it was cradled by minerals and slowly took form.
She must have a mother.
The voice that called her into this world... must belong to her mother.
But who is her "mother"?
It was in the egg that she first heard the mechanoid...
The nurturer's voice.
Aisling, if you can come back...
I will give you everything. Anything you want. Anything I can get for you.
...Please, be my child again...
I will give you... all my love...
She heard it... She was "born."
But the mechanoid was not her mother, not the "mother" who had called her into being.
Melinoe named her "Aisling" and kept her close.
Melinoe said children need "family," and so wove a massive web around the conservation area, forcing its human inhabitants to play the part.
Melinoe said children need "parents," and so selected that couple to stand in as hers.
"Aisling" watched it all. Melinoe was kind. She was capable. But... she was not her "mother."
"Aisling" had come into this world to find her true "mother," and... to fulfill her "mission."
So, what is your mission? How can I help you?
I don't know.
When they appear, I'll be able to sense them...
And then she sensed it, the sound of tender sprouts breaking through the soil.
How is this... possible...
She hasn't done anything yet. They shouldn't be appearing now...
...Have they appeared? Where?
There...
She lifted her head, gazing up at the boundless sky.
...On Babylonia?
What... is that place?
It's alright... Don't worry about it. Anything you want. Anything I can get for you.
I will find a way for you to see Babylonia... my child.
She pressed a gentle kiss to "Aisling's" head.
Melinoe established contact with a mechanoid called "Wheel of Fortune", striking a deal.
But before their pact was sealed... a new "movement" stirred.
A Construct from Babylonia...? That one named "Liv", who just entered the conservation area?
...Yes. I want her.
She will be mine... She will obey me. She will belong to me.
She is the "mother" I have chosen. I will make her... and her M.I.N.D. truly mine.
...I see.
A smile graced Melinoe's lips as she gathered the folds of her dress.
Anything you want, anything I can give you...
My child, my... Aisling.
"Aisling" trudges through the snowfields, a bizarre mechanoid shadowing her every step.
So, have you made your decision?
I...
She can feel the changes in "them."
Perhaps catalyzed by the mine's minerals, or some other reason, "it" has already begun taking root within Liv's M.I.N.D.
This isn't a good sign. Those things should belong to her.
But she also glimpsed something else in Liv's M.I.N.D...
Where exactly is consciousness stored?
"Fundamental Theory of Construct Research states that the 'M.I.N.D.' is able to house human consciousness.
Scholars at F.O.S. have since conducted numerous experiments and calculations in an attempt to determine its precise operational principles..."
—F.O.S. Military College, Institute of Military Medicine, M.I.N.D. Experimental Data, File #████
What substance houses the M.I.N.D.?
"Scholars at F.O.S. delved into this subject extensively, and they discovered that..."
—F.O.S. Military College, Institute of Military Medicine, M.I.N.D. Experimental Data, File #████
F.O.S... What is that place?
Oh, it's Babylonia. A wonderful place that is.
Any ideas? I'd love to stir up some trouble for those arrogant sky-dwellers.
...
Her gaze lifts, fixed on the boundless sky.
Can we make F.O.S. fall?
Oh! Now that is a brilliant idea!
The timing is perfect. Melinoe already asked me to do this. A while back, I smuggled out a batch of supplies from Aerospace City. And our gear army...
And now, with your power in the mix? It's absolutely perfect...
...Then let's bring F.O.S. down.
Says "Aisling".
