Relief

[star_of_sad]

I almost can't believe it. No, no, that's all wrong. I knew it all along. I knew Toby, I mean lt Watson, was safe.

[Despite all the dramatic circumstances that happened lately, Setsuko acts really happy and glad. It's like if a great weight was taken off her body and troubled mind.]


Good to be back, Unity Group. I bet everyone's wondering what I've been up to lately, right?

After the La Gias tragedy, I woke up in headquarters of some people. They call themselves Chimera, and it looks like they're interested in gathering information and distributing it for good of mankind, this kind of stuff. This is why they knew about Asakim.

They told me to keep my head down if I'm to find him - and looks like it worked. I told one of them, really nice guy, about Unity Group. They knew about us already of course, but that one guy promised he'll get in contact soon. So yeah, that's pretty much it.

...


We had time to talk, Setsuko and I. I know what heppened to her, and to Chief. Asakim Dowen got away this time, acting like that Patulia thing was enough to take us down. It wasn't, and the next time we meet...

Comments

[majestic_keiki]

It's good to have you back. [Especially after having seen how Setsuko dealt with his absence.]

[glorystargo]

The feeling is mutual, let me tell you. It feels great to see familiar places and people... looks like you got a few additions in the meantime, though?

[majestic_keiki]

We did get a few, yes. Unity Group has a much less stable membership that I expected when I joined.

[glorystargo]

New people join and old people... yeah.

[Toby doesn't want to say it out loud, especially since many Unity Group members didn't really leave out of their own free will.]

Anyway! Now I wonder who was first to join Unity Group. Any ideas?

[majestic_keiki]

I'm not sure...Unity Group existed before I joined. But I think it had only just been founded. Maybe some of the other people who were at Nora Colony know?

[actuallyselfish]

"Chimera?" Dido asks, blinking in confusion.

Then she smiles. "Whatever. Good to see you, Toby. About time we got someone back."

[glorystargo]

Yeah, that's the name of their organisation. Kinda weird, huh? But don't let it fool you, they're the good guys.

[actuallyselfish]

"What do they do?" Dido asks. "Or defend, as the case might be?"

[glorystargo]

Looks like they're specialists in uncovering hard-to find information and making sure it reaches good ears. Or something like that.

[actuallyselfish]

"So they're...private eyes? With mechas?" Dido asks, frowning.

The image she's forming in her head of Chimera is really, really divorced from reality.

[tiger_ken]

You said this group knew who Asakim was... So then... who?

[Ken asks the obvious question.]

[glorystargo]

A mysterious jerk who works solo and seems to be after something... or someone.

Not a lot of info, I know.

[tiger_ken]

About the same as we knew... except for the solo bit. I thought maybe he might have had allies or something... but I suppose if he's working alone, then we can focus a bit more on specifically countering him whenever he shows up.

Good to have you back, by the way.

[glorystargo]

He acted like we're no match for him, but he ran away. If he stayed his ground, something tells me we'd have finished him off here and there.

[tiger_ken]

At the same time, it took everything we had - including Denzel and Shirakawa's lives - to take him down, and still he came back...

He said he 'healed'. Someone like that could be really troublesome...

[cloningblues]

I can't believe Asakim is still alive! I saw him and his machine get crushed by a gravity well before my eyes...!

[star_of_sad]

It looks like he can somehow get better even from something like this...

[cloningblues]

Either he got really lucky, is really good, or has some sort of regeneration ability. I don't like it...

But what matters is that you're all safe. We'll get him next time.

[glorystargo]

Yeah. Killing him won't be easy, but today showed us that he can be beaten.

[cloningblues]

Those Chimera people you mentioned. How much do they know about Asakim? And why didn't I hear about them before?

[caressthedarkness]

That person with the black machine...

...Was he not supposed to be...

[Dead, she'd say.]

[glorystargo]

Dead? Yeah. So everyone's telling me.

[caressthedarkness]

The Chimera...

...Did they reveal anything that would help against him?

Or perhaps...why he is after Setsuko?

[glorystargo]

Asakim works alone. He's strong, but that means we always outnumber him.

He's looking for something. Or someone. Nobody but him knows what it is, but it looks like Setsuko... might have it.


...

[caressthedarkness]

In that case, is there a possibility that we can ever stop him for good...?

...As long as he continues recovering in that manner, he will not cease...