Brick Ballades [locked to a certain someone]

[a_louse]

[In a completely different place than any of the Unity Group bases...]

[The room seems to be a guest bedroom at a rich mansion, straight out of a film noir. The view through the window shows a dark city built in the same style, but with a strange, glass and steel dome over it. A bizarre, unknown sight. The room is empty, safe for one person who is probably waking up right now...]

Comments

[star_of_sad]

[That one person wakes up from a confusing mess of a dream. A dream full of disturbance and sadness, and names that have no familiar meaning.]

Ahh! Ch... chief?!

[Setsuko catapults herself up to a sitting position. Then she realizes she has no idea where she is.]

H... huh?

Where am I?

[a_louse]

[Creeaak, the door opens, and a butler-like individual enters.]


Ah, you are finally awake, miss. Good. You were out cold for a long time, Master Roger was starting to get worried.

Welcome to the Smith mansion.

[star_of_sad]

Master Roger? What is g... uhh...

[Setsuko grabs at her forehead, forced by a sudden pain.]

I-I'm sorry, my head is pounding...

[a_louse]

Shall I bring you some headache medicine?

Master Roger is the top negotiator in Paradigm City. He found you during his current job, unconscious, and brought you and your strange robot here. Usually everyone who stays at his home is requested to wear all black, but you already fit the dress code.

[star_of_sad]

No, thank you, it's alright, I just...

I never heard of Paradigm City before. My strange robot? I don't remember that.

...

I can't remember anything.

[a_louse]

You lost your memory? Hmm, what a conundrum. I believe you should talk to Master Roger.

[star_of_sad]

Setsuko Ohara. I remember my name, and that's it.

No... that's not all, I remember that I had something very important to do. But, what was it?

[Setsuko gets up from the bed.]

Thank you. I'll go talk to him now, umm, sir...?

1/2

[a_louse]

Norman Burg. Please, call me Norman. This way, miss Ohara.

[Norman leads the way through the house. This place is pretty big... He finally reaches an office.]

2/2

[a_louse]

[The central place in the office is taken by a large desk, with lots of stuff on it - papers, case files, more than one hourglass, some weird gadgets, even an open and recently used medical kit. The man sitting behind it is looking at one of the papers right now.]

What is it, Norman? You know I'm busy with a case right now.


Indeed, Master Roger. However, miss Setsuko Ohara is awake now, and she's here to see you.

[Hearing that, the man puts the paper away and stands up. He looks a bit more lively right now, and also somewhat bruised.]

You should've said so from the start, Norman! Hello. My name is Roger Smith, welcome to my humble abode. I'm glad to see you're alright now, miss Ohara. I was surprised to find you like that, out cold behind the controls of an unusual machine. It's not a Megadeus, is it?

[star_of_sad]

Thank you for taking care of me, mr Smith.

[Setsuko looks around the whole office with curiosity. Last but not the least, its owner. Roger seems hurt - just what exactly happened here?]

I am sorry but I cannot answer your question. I do not know what a Megadeus is. In fact... I can barely remember anything.

[a_louse]

Really? That's strange... Paradigm is the city of lost memories, but the event that caused widespread amnesia among the citizens happened 40 years ago. I doubt you were asleep for that long.

Do you remember anything specific? Something that could help you stir your memory?

[star_of_sad]

Something like that happened? 40 years... somehow I don't think I've been transported to the future, no.

Hmm!

[Setsuko starts to pace nervously. Think logically, don't let panic overcome you!]

I know there is something really important that I must do. Mr Smith, you said it yourself that I was piloting some kind of a robot?

I'd like to see it.

[a_louse]

That might work. Come, we'll have to go outside.

[Indeed, going outside reveals a large shape behind the mansion, sitting in an alley where it doesn't attract too much attention. Roger and Norman pull the drape off it, revealing the Virgola. The cockpit is open.]

Well? Does it look familiar?

[star_of_sad]

It... ah!

[Seeing the unit, its cockpit open and welcoming like that... Setsuko is suddenly overcome with a wave of fear and anguish. Her legs weaken and she takes a step back, defensively.]

[a_louse]

Please try to stay calm. There is nothing dangerous, nothing inside there that will hurt you. I checked to make sure of that.

[Roger puts his hands on her shoulders, reassuringly.]

[star_of_sad]

No...

[Setsuko shivers for a second. But she manages to get a grip - a little.]

I, I know. I'm alright... this robot makes me think that something bad happened. A sad memory, but I lost it... a memory of a memory. Does that even make sense?

I'm sorry, Chief. Could you take a look inside one more time, if it's not too much?

[a_louse]

Chief...?

No, it's not a problem. I doubt I'll find anything new, but let's see...

[Roger looks inside the cockpit. The controls are very different from what he's used to, but he's not trying to pilot this thing.]

[star_of_sad]

Umm, I called you that, mr Smith? I wonder why, it just felt fitting somehow, ha ha...

[The cockpit is weird, with a lot of screens everywhere. All of them are dark, but a small button keeps flashing red, something which it didn't do before. It's marked as "distress signal".]

[a_louse]

I'm glad my old friend Dastun isn't here. He'd be annoyed I'm trying to steal his title.

Hmm...
[Roger presses the button, to see what happens.]

Miss Ohara? Do you remember any friends from your past?

[star_of_sad]

[The button stops blinking. There are no other noticeable effects.]

No, I don't remember anything.

But...

[Setsuko considers the situation.]

Normal people don't pilot robots like this, do they? And I'm wearing some kind of uniform.

I think I'm a part of a military unit or something similar.

[a_louse]

[Disappointed by no other results, Roger presses the button again to turn the beacon on again. Then he leaves the cockpit.]

If you're from a military unit, then it's one I haven't seen before. But we'll find out the truth soon enough; your robot is sending a distress call. It's only a matter of time before your old friends find you.

[star_of_sad]

That's... good, I suppose.

[a_louse]

It depends what they bring with themselves. Some memories are better left undisturbed.

In any case, I'm afraid I don't have the time to wait for them. I still have a job to work on... A job that got very complicated.

[star_of_sad]

Y-yes?

[Setsuko doesn't want to talk about her own past at the moment. Something about piloting that unit makes her very uncomfortable.]

What is it that you're doing? If... I'm not intruding by asking.

[a_louse]

I am a negotiator. My most recent case was to negotiate with a criminal named Beck, to release a girl he kidnapped. Her name is Dorothy R Waynewright.

Beck didn't want to let go off her easily, though. His men attacked us several times after that. I hate to say it, but last time, they succeeded. Miss Waynewright is currently in their hands.

Beck won't hurt her, she's too valuable to him. But that doesn't mean he's not serious. Two men, including my client, were shot by his goons.

[star_of_sad]

So he's a kidnapper and a murderer.

It sounds like your job is very dangerous mr Smith. You just said you're a negotiator but it feels more like a private detective.

[a_louse]

It happens a lot in this line of work.

Beck will be brought to justice. I believe criminals should act in a professional manner, and his deeds have been anything but. But first, I need to find out where he keeps Dorothy. I was hired to free her, and my job is not done yet.

[star_of_sad]

How does a criminal act in a professional way?

... You are going to free her? See, this is what I mean by private investigator. Do you even have a lead on where she could be?

[a_louse]

Respecting his end of deal would be a good start. As well as not shooting unarmed old men.

I have a few people and places I could visit. But that will require doing a bit of legwork.

[star_of_sad]

That's... a good point.

Even more lives might be at stake here. If... there is a way I can help, I would like to do that.

[a_louse]

That won't be necessary... But I suppose you could join me during the investigation, if you really want to. Just remember that things might get hairy; I don't want to put a lady in danger without her permission.

[star_of_sad]

So you are fine with it if you do get her permission, mr Smith?

[a_louse]

Of course.

[star_of_sad]

I'll help as much as I can, then. You found and rescued me, I need to pay it back somehow.

I can't just sit down on a sofa and do nothing.

[a_louse]

You say such a thing even though you remember nothing?

You're a detemined girl, miss Ohara. Alright, let's go.