To the readers
I appreciate any comments on the story.
Notes
[] are used to indicate stage directions
All dialogue follows a "Speaker: dialogue" format
{} are used for author comments.
CONTINUE
[Cut to Axel & the mysterious girl maneuvering around monsters with Mabel giving instructions while looking at a map on the screen.]
Mabel: Stop ahead. There's a golem on the left. Now jump to that platform…now. Duck down. Two sprites above. You're safe to move. The elevator to the tower is just ahead, but its being guarded, I'll find a way around.
[Inès wakes up. She sees a golem standing over her. It turns toward her.]
[Show from Mabel's perspective. She is just clicking through windows. She sees Inès stir. She gets out of her chair.]
[Inès is surprised. She sees the golem reach toward her. She screams and kicks out into its chest, knocking it off balance and sending it off the platform.]
THUMP
[Inès looks over the edge.]
Inès: Is it dead?
[She sees Mabel on the floor below.]
Inès: [gasps and flinches] … are you okay?
[No response.]
Inès: [shouting] Please. Just say something. HELP! Is there anyone else here?!
[Axel and the girl see the elevator platform, but there are a ton of sprites and golems patrolling the area. The monsters guarded a structure with two levels of square platforms with various cover on them. Ramps connected the two levels.]
Mysterious Girl: That's where we have to go.
Axel: Then we just have to wait for an opening.
[Inès's voice comes in from above.]
Inès: HELP! Is there anyone else here?!
[Show Inès crying.]
Mysterious Girl: [from speakers] What's going on there?
Axel: Can you look at the map and tell us where the enemies are?
Inès: Look, I didn't know it was her. She's hurt. I need someone to help her.
Mysterious Girl: If you put her in the scanner, I can bring her here. It worked well enough for you.
Inès: What are you talking about? Nothing worked for me.
Axel: Virtualization isn't the answer to every problem.
Mysterious Girl: [sass sass] It's worked so far.
Axel: We don't need another person here, we need someone to direct us around the monsters.
[Show Mabel in the scanner unconscious. Inès runs back up to the terminal.]
Inès: Okay, what do I do now?
Jackal: Down girl.
[Jackal is behind Inès. She turns around just to have Jackal flip her over her shoulder and down the stairs.]
Inès: Owwww.
Ethan: Nice.
[Jackal tries accessing the terminal.]
Jackal: Hello. Anyone listening.
[Axel hears her]
Axel: [to Mysterious Girl] Cut the audio.
[Mysterious girl severs the comms. The audio window shuts down]
Jackal: Damn it! Ethan, do me a favor and make sure she stays put.
[Ethan taps Inès with her foot. She moans, but doesn't move.]
Ethan: Done. [recognizes Inès] Oh hey you're that nutcase.
Jackal: Jackpot. They already have a virtualization set up. Where was I?
Ethan: You wanted me to be discount Shinji Ikairi so I could kill this XANA thing. Well, trying to. And failing. Congratulations.
Jackal: [To Ethan] Get in the scanner.
Ethan: Can I ask a stupid question?
Jackal: Maybe.
Ethan: WHY DO I HAVE TO DO IT?! You have grunts working under you.
Jackal: [through grit teeth. Embarrassed.] Youcantbeanadult.
Ethan: What?
Jackal: You can't be an adult. [Ethan starts laughing] Shut up, I know its cliché. The supercomputer creates an avatar for you based on your subconscious desires. The older you are, the more complications there are. We don't have the time to prepare one of our avatars on this computer.
Ethan: What's the cutoff?
Jackal: What? Why?
Ethan: Because you just put a disclaimer on this sci-fi tech. I'm 17, I want to know if this applies to me.
Jackal: You're in the safe zone.
Ethan: Sweet. I'm not doing it.
Jackal: Why now?!
Ethan: Because I'm not a young adult novel turned movie protag and you want me to be one.
Jackal: I've got a very good reason for you to do it.
[Pulls out her gun.]
Ethan: Okay, okay.
[She makes sure Ethan steps backward into the scanner.]
Jackal: I am going through this exactly once, so listen up. You are going to step into that chamber. It's going to teleport you to a virtual world where nothing but the monsters that you've been fighting exist.
Ethan: Awesome.
Jackal: Pay attention! [Ethan wipes the smile off his face.] Your objective is to destroy XANA. It's a multi-agent system, an A.I. basically, that is trapped here on the Annex. You need to find the physical manifestation of it and destroy it with whatever weapon you spawn with. Anything related to it has an eye symbol on it. You'll know it when you see it. Just kill anything that isn't you.
Ethan: Was already going to do that, but okay. And once I'm done, how do I log out?
Jackal: [smugly grins] Oh you don't. [starts virtualization process that Inès and the Myseterious Girl set up. The scanner starts to close.]
Ethan: Wait! WHAT is this SAO bull-!? [cut off as the scanner closes]
[He starts kicking the interior of the scanner]
Jackal: Transfer little brat, Scanner little brat, virtualization.
[Ethan is virtualized. He appears above the plateau with the elevator platform next to it. He flicks his right hand and the plates along his arm transform into 2 angular rails forming a hexagonal firing barrel. The grip on top of his arm slide down into his hand completing the pistol. None of the pieces were actually touching each other. They just aligned themselves in the shape of a pistol by some magnetic force. Unlike a normal pistol this one had the barrel underneath the grip. He whips out the weapon and fires. The slide on the pistol slams back as the laser fires through the golem's face. He hits the ground, he's legs buckling, knocking him into his back, which he immediately transitions into a roll to get back on his feet.
He actually double checks after he lands to see the pistol was attached to his arm.]
Ethan: WTF is this?
[Ethan absent-mindedly strafes back and forth to avoid the lasers whizzing around him while he checks out his own avatar.
Ethan's avatar looks like a super soldier crossed with a soccer player. He is wearing a red hoodie with a white liner. He kept his brown-blond-orange tip hair style while his eyes are ringed in red face paint. The paint ends in sharp points at the corners of his eyes which now had red irises with silted pupils. Around his neck & shoulders he had white metal plating that connected to a magnetic holster on his back with a segmented glowing meter running down his spine. His hands are covered with glossy white armored gloves with red padding underneath interconnected armor plates. The right glove extended back a bit into a gauntlet and has a few longer plates on the underside and top of his arm. He was also wearing red sport shorts with white circuit pattern down the side. His shins were covered by shin guards made of the same in same white glossy metal as the gloves except thicker. On the interior side of each shin guard was a recess containing a hovering small red orb. On his feet, he was wearing red running shoes.]
Ethan: First you force me into this, and then you…look at this [gestures for no one in particular to look at his pistol] All I wanted was a full auto, hair trigger side arm for my weapon and the computer managed to Anime-fy that! The barrel is upside down. That's stupid.
Ethan LP: 100 - 90
Ethan: Watch what happens when I shoot your face off.
BANG
[He one-shots the golem that actually landed a shot on him in its eye, sending it flying back.]
Ethan: See if I have a gun from this world, it's too easy. I can one shot ALL Y'ALL!
[He waves the barrel the encroaching tide of enemies surrounding him. Ethan doesn't even react when he starts getting hit with lasers]
Ethan LP: 90 - 80 - 70
BANG
[a sprite falls this time.]
Ethan: There's no recoil. Which... actually makes sense, it's a video game.
Ethan LP: 70 - 60 - 50
[Ethan's avatar sparks.]
Ethan: Besides the neon colors, this outfit is barely different from what I normally wear. I mean besides the pallet swap on my torso sail. [tugs on his red windbreaker] AND WHY AM I WEARING SHIN PADS?!
Ethan LP: 40 - 30 - 20
Ethan: I wanted tactical gear. Bullet proof vest, bandolier, a MOFFING helmet. Not whatever weeb catalog this outfit came out of.
Ethan LP: 20 - 10
Ethan: [jerks his glare to the golem that just shot him] Hey! That's it Alienware. You're being recycled into iphones. I'll even include the hole. Oi "Jack-hole" lady. Sherlock's phone is still hooked up. Put on my grinding mobs playlist.
Jackal: [as she's opening his music app] Why does he have your playlist on his phone?
Ethan: Because I want the thing to happen, but I don't want to do the work.
Ethan: [thinks] It's a new game. Just stick to the FPS basics for now.
[It's Time to Party- by Andrew W.K. starts playing]
0:00
[as soon as the music picks up]
BANG BANG
[He double taps a golem and breaks out of the mob of 20 enemies surrounding him.]
Ethan: [thinks] Keep moving. I can use the environment to force them to face me in only one direction.
[He runs parallel to the edge of plateau, the drop into the void just a meter to his left. The monsters on his right keep firing. A golem charges him. He shoots its foot, tripping it and sending it over the edge.]
Ethan: [thinks] Keep line of sight blockers between us. Use the cover to turn engagements into a series of 1v1s.
[He runs behind cover, a series of geometric prisms at the corner of the plateau forming battlements.]
Ethan: [thinks] Don't approach them, they approach me, and I set the terms. Keep reticle at head height.
[As a golem turns around a corner, he just ends it in one shot without adjusting his aim.]
Ethan: They're smart enough to follow me around corners. Hmm, mediocre pathfinding AI.
[Retreats to the other corner of the tower structure as another golem turns the corner. He peaks out and double taps it before dipping back. Turns and sees Axel and the Mysterious Girl hiding.]
Ethan: Oh, hey Sherlock and thing I'm going to kill later. Boost me. [starts running at Axel]
[Startled, Axel cups his hands, catches Ethan's foot and launches him up. The golem catches up and stampedes into their hiding place just as Ethan flies up and over its field of vision, reorients by pushing off the wall of the battlements, slams down and grapples its egg shaped head.]
Ethan: ASSASSIN-JACK! [puts his barrel in the side of the golem's head]
BANG
[As more monsters emerge from the same corner into the hiding place, Ethan drops off the slumped body and runs past the other two with stunned expressions before they follow his lead. He casually headshots a golem slashing at him as he exits the shadow of the battlements. A kamikaze sprite is hurdling toward him. He rolls, exits into a crouch as it impacts where he just was.
As he's standing up and aiming at his next golem target…]
PNCKER BOOM
[The golem he just destroyed blows up and he's caught up in its death throe explosion.]
Ethan LP: 10 - 5
[The golems Ethan was aiming at switch one of their arms to shields.]
PING
[Ethan lowers his gun. The golems pull back in a shield wall four wide and attack with cannons in their non shield hand while constant kamikaze sprites keep him dodging.]
Ethan: [thinks] They are adapting just like humans would. Better change up tactics between each kill.
[A golem in the shield wall breaks the formation and tries to bash him with the flat of its shield.]
Ethan: Don't rush enemies that piss you off idiot. [aims below the shield at its exposed legs] You're just gonna get-
CLICK
Ethan: IT ONLY HAS 12 SHOTS?!
[He looks at the gun like "how DARE you". He slides under the golem's legs as it rams where he just was with the edge of its shield, his shin pads skidding against the metal surface. He drags his hand to turn himself around as he slides and kicks the back of its leg, forcing it to take a knee.]
Ethan: [looks at the shin pads in astonishment] Oh!
[Checks his shorts and jacket pockets as he stands up.]
Ethan: Wait, how do to I reload?
[The golem is glaring at him with its huge eye. Ethan eyes the empty gun and throws the pistol in that same huge eye. {What a nice target} With it reeling from the hit, Ethan uses its shield as a stepping stone to backflip kick its head off.]
Ethan: If you won't stay dead…
[Allows the golem's limp body fall over himself to serve as a shield from the other monsters' attacks, the lasers thudding into its body. He grabs the limp golem's arm, whirls around and heaves it at the nearest patch of monsters. While he didn't get any golems in the shield wall with the headless body, he had trapped a golem and a couple of sprites, sunken into the plasma of the golems' bodies. He nudges the fallen golem's head under his toe and taps it up into the air.]
Ethan: [as he kicks] GOOOOOAL!
[He spin kicks the head into the pile of monsters.]
BOOOM
[The death throe explosion of a golem takes out the group of enemies he targeted on his 3 o'clock. Then he serpent strafes to avoid the shots of the enemies on his 6 while retreating from the shield golems cannon fire to the entrance bridge Axel and mysterious girl used to travel here on his 10.
Axel and the girl find cover from lasers chasing them as they run onto the elevator platform, all its guards sucked into the battle. It starts to descend.]
Mysterious Girl: The Men in Black must have materialized him instead of Mabel.
0:36
[Ethan spots the headless golem Axel fought before. He grabs its canon arm and tries to rip it off.]
Ethan: Is there going to be a pickup prompt?
[A circuit pattern spreads from Ethan's hands onto the golem. It completely covers the robot, and its form starts to glow, then crinkles and starts to compress]
FLASH
[The golem is absorbed into him.]
Ethan: Um, WHAT?!
Ethan LP: 5 - 100
BING
Actualization Synchronization % Increase
Epiphany:
Realizing you have the power to take control of your life.
Unlock:
Master Rifle
[A new weapon spawns on the magnetic holster on his back. It's a rifle with a thick white trapezoid casing above and below the barrel. The barrel itself is grey chrome. There are lilac accents along the barrel, around the grip, and lilac engravings on the casing. There is a holographic display on the back of the upper casing above the trigger that reads "32".
Ethan takes it off his back. His jaw could not be further dropped.]
Ethan: Oh, Helllll yes.
[Ethan runs for cover, funneling enemies into a crack between two metal pillars marking an empty elevator platform zone. As soon as a gaggle of golems tries to follow by gathering at the opening, he pivots on a dime. He jumps and uses their own shield as a spring board to get height, wall jumps off the pillar and clambers on top of a large horizontal floating platform.
0:44
Ethan takes a kneeling shooting stance, one knee down, the other leg at a right angle with the floor, on top of high ground with his master rifle and clears out all the enemies chasing him. He sweeps the gun across three golems approaching from behind with one swift, smooth motion and three pulls of the trigger.]
Ethan: Trip
PRUNG
Ethan: -da
PRUNG
Ethan: -kill
PRUNG
PNCKER BOOMBOOMBABOOM
[As he's firing, a kamikaze sprite buzzes up behind him. It readies itself up, intensifies its orange glow, then charges at his back. Right before impact, he twists around, grabs the sphere out of the air. Red circuits grow over it.]
Ethan: Got ya.
[The form of the sprite flashes red, crinkles, absorb into him, then red light emerges from his hand and morphs into his pistol from before. Ethan looks down and sees his original pistol still down on the ground.]
Ethan: [smiles] Ah, I absorb robots and turn them into guns.
[The pistol splits into its pieces and retracks onto his gauntlet. There's a golem charging up its canon, aimed at Ethan. Ethan gives it an exasperated look. He looks at the group of enemies on its right, then snaps the aim, camera looking through the sights of gun on the golem's legs. He shoots the golem in the knee, redirecting its cannon shot at the enemies beside it.
More kamikaze sprites start dive bombing him. He holsters his rifle on the magnetic pad on his back and draws his pistol again, taking out of a few sprites before he's forced to dodge roll. In the following explosions-
Ethan LP: 100 - 50 - 30
Seeing his current predicament, he jumps off the platform…
…and slams into a golem. He rides it for distance and then jump kicks it into the air like it was a skateboard and shoots its head off mid flip, killing three more sprites in its death explosion.]
Ethan LP: 30 - 20
[He lets the explosion carry him toward another golem, snatches its head midair and smashes its head into another golem to kill both.]
Ethan: In. Your. FACE! {in time with the lyrics of the song}
0:58
[Ethan laughs manically. He doesn't even care anymore and just having fun. As he's about to hit the ground, he spots the shield wall of golems advancing on him again. Ethan recovers from the fall into a slide, breaking with his outstretched foot. His slide caused the side of his skin guard with the recessed segment to knock against the ground, the orb jostling loose and rolling on the ground. He ignores the golems shooting at him and examines the orb. There's a checkered hexagon pattern.]
Ethan: It looks like a mini-
[Taps the orb, it expands into a red and burnt orange soccer ball.
Ethan has a wicked smile.]
Ethan: [looks at the new toy] Well according to video game rules, if it's red and glowing, its gonna explode. [sings in time with the music.] "It's time to party. Let's party. [He kicks the ball and it bounces off the wall behind the 3 golems with shields. It lands in the dish shaped collar of the center one and …] Gonna have a party tonight!"
[Ethan turns away, grinning and applauding himself. Ends his performance of madness with a flourish of his arms.]
KABOOM
[The three golems explode behind him.]
Ethan: UN-FRIGGIN-BELIEVABLE!
1:30
[Ethan walks away from the explosion. He notices a golem survived his rampage. He reaches down and grasps its head.]
Ethan: Integration.
[A circuit pattern spreads across the golem and Ethan absorbs it.
Ethan LP 20 - 100
The counter on the rifle goes back from 28 to 32.]
Ethan: Oi Jackal! Gonna need more robots!
[Jackal, currently trying to revive Maggie with an adrenaline shot, gaps at Ethan's kill count in horror.]
Jackal: This might be our biggest success… or my worst mistake ever.
[Jäger lumbers through the hallway door.]
Jäger: Everyone on my team down. Lost contact with Rinzler and Elite. [takes in the room.] Where is the striker?
Jackal: [taking Maggie's pulse] Not here. [mutters a curse] She's not responsive.
Jäger: [looks at the machine, then back to her.] Why did you virtualize someone? She specifically said-
[Jackal directs Jäger at the screen.]
Jackal: [straight face] He just started and he's killed 36 monsters and he's heading towards XANA's location as we speak.
Jäger: 36! Okay, but why did you-
Jackal: She thought that something was leading those kids here right?
Jäger: And how does that justify you making the situation worse?
Jackal: We keep losing because we're following a plans "they" can anticipate. I'm putting the "unexpected element" into the situation. Something no human or AI would expect.
Jäger: So … you put a savage teenage boy in charge of the most powerful technology on earth because it's the "least" logical thing to do. [Just accepts the ridiculous situation] …O, okay.
[back on the Annex, riding down the elevator]
Mysterious Girl: [smiles] Oh good, he destroyed all the monsters.
Axel: [terror] Oh no, he destroyed all the monsters.
Mysterious Girl: [confused] Why's that bad?
Axel: Hide.
Mysterious Girl: What?
Axel: Don't talk. Hide!
[Axel and the girl run for the ramp to the lower of the two floors of the elevator.]
Jackal: Kid, XANA's moving right behind-
[Ethan's already at the edge of the plateau at the now empty elevator platform zone and opens fire.]
PRUNG
[A laser hits the girl in the shoulder.
Mysterious Girl LP: 100 - 80
Axel pulls her under cover of the roof of the elevator. It's descending diagonally towards the planet surface from the plateau they were on. Axel peers out from their cover by the staircase only for a laser to wizz by as he ducks back. Ethan jumps down from where he was shooting to a plateau on their altitude. He resumes firing. Axel and the girl change to cover behind support pillars at each corner of the platform.]
Axel: Can you do anything?
Mysterious Girl: I have a creation ability, but that just creates stationary objects.
Axel: He can just repos, reposition. So, you're useless.
Ethan: [To himself] I wonder how BS the physics are. [jumps off the edge. Superhero lands on the top of the elevator roof.] Yep. Completely ridiculous. Perfect.
[Pan to show Axel waiting behind the ramp to the second level/roof of the elevator for Ethan to come down. He's ready to strike the second he sees Ethan's feet.
Ethan, gripping the lip of the roof, takes advantage of the elevator lacking walls, swings down from the outside, and push kicks Axel in the back. Axel goes down. Ethan snags his rifle off his back and unloads at him.]
PRUNG PRUNG PRUNG PRUNG PRUNG
Axel LP: 100 - 90 - 80 - 70 - 60
BING
LP has dropped below 70%. Switch to phase 2.
[The first four hit, but the last round pings off Axel's armor, giving him a chance to clasps his halberd as it appears on his back. Axel blocks with that weapon by spinning it deflecting the next shot. Ethan adjusts his aim to hits Axel in the hand where he's holding the halberd.
Axel LP: 60 - 50
[Axel loses his grip and when he tries to grab the weapon as it falls. He stumbles, but he did manage to grab it and launches a thrust. Ethan dodges Axel's thrusts and uses gun kata with his rifle to smack Axel in the face.
Axel LP: 50 - 45
Ethan brings his rifle up to Axel's face for a headshot. Axel parries the gun away from his face and knocks the weapon out of Ethan's hand, then-]
Axel: [as he kicks] Chamber! [his greave slams into the floor, boosting his kick.]
[He kicks Ethan so hard in the side he skids across the floor and slams into the support column. Pan down to show that Ethan blocked the kick with his chrome gauntlets.]
Ethan: Hi Sherlock.
Axel: Hi Obelisk.
[Ethan points at Axel's avatar in confusion]
Ethan: How's that a representation of your subconscious?
[Axel analyzes himself.]
Axel: I'm noble? I like computers. So… Future technology knight?
[Ethan shrugs in acceptance.]
Ethan: Is this not awesome? It's like a cliché "go to the virtual world" show except the power system isn't complete BS.
Axel: [recognizes Ethan's rifle] Is that the-
Ethan: Master rifle that 117 uses? Yep. You?
Axel: Dual ended halberd. Turns into a scythe when I'm at low health. I'm basically the opposite of the "video game boss when you fight him vs when he joins your party" meme.
Ethan: Nice.
Mysterious girl: Are you going to kill each other or what?
Axel: No he's nicccce…acceptable…tolerable.
[Ethan sees the girl.]
Ethan: Oh look, found XANA. That was fast. [points rifle at her]
Axel: [pushes his arm down] Wait. Who do the MIB think she is?
Ethan: The AI controlling all the monsters. The MIB "convinced me" to come here, find it and kill it. And if I was an AI trying to not be found and killed, I would disguise myself into the cliché waifu princess who everyone wants to protect. Now [re-aims weapon] would you kindly turn back to your monster form? I want the moral high ground when you get blown the F up.
Jäger: We just lost the last checkpoint. Still no response from Elite's team.
[Two golems enter control room.]
Jackal: I think it's safe to assume we're the last ones.
[The golems take out Jackal. Jäger deflects one sword swing with a riot shield, shredding it, but the second golem just picks him up one handed by his suit and throws him into a desk across the room.
Inès slightly wakes up. The nearest golem sees her move and aims it cannon at her. It's charging up. Almost fully charged.
The boss of the MIB jumps on its back, stabs it with a knife, and uses the handle to yank its body backward. Its plasma shot sails high and bursts near the ceiling on the far wall, shattering one pane of the dome's dirty glass windows, raining down shards.
Her black suit jacket was shot to tatters, her oakleys had one frame shattered, her blue eye full of anger, but surprisingly her tie was still immaculate. She sweeps out the legs of the second golem.
The Boss: [unearthly levels of seriousness] Girl. Get up, get your friend, and run. I'll finish this.
Axel: Obelisk, [turns to Ethan] It's not a trap. It's not tricking me and it's not the one controlling the monsters. It's helping us stop the monsters. Otherwise, why would it have the monsters attack it?
Ethan: Reverse Psychology? Then who else is controlling them?
Axel: I saw a bunker. Had "evil lair" written all over it.
Ethan: So where is it? [lowers his gun]
Axel: I saw it burrow into the planet. We can't get to it. [Ethan re-aims his gun] Let's deactivate the device that sending the golems to real world.
Ethan: How do we do that? Escort little miss plot device here to the heavily guarded fortress doing all the work while all she has to do is touch the magic crystal with her special magical deus ex Machina power to stop the bad guy.
Axel: [points at Mysterious Girl] Don't answer him!
Mysterious Girl: Actually, it's a tower.
Ethan: Okay! [puts his gun to his head. Jokingly] [turns back to Axel with a "I told you so" look on his face.] Sherlock, it's an escort quest NPC. It will find the stupidest way to commit suicide and make sure we're killed with it.
Mysterious Girl: Can I be called something other than it?
Ethan: No, because you're going to die in two seconds.
Axel: Yes. You're an AI, so we'll call you Ai.
Ai: [perks up and smiles] I love it.
Ethan: [back to the subject] I'm not doing something that will get us killed.
Axel: We can't be killed here.
Ethan: I might be OP, but we'll die if I have to protect this thing.
Axel: No, I mean there isn't any consequence for losing.
Ethan: [suddenly curious] But if you die in the game, you die in real-
Axel: Nope.
Ethan: WHAT?! I…. EXPLAIN!
Axel: Yeah, if you die here, you don't die in real life.
Ai: WHY is this such a HARD concept for you humans?!
Ethan: Mass media. Genre tropes. Making it so people can tell outrageous stories while still having stakes. Take your pick.
Ai: [frowns] He shouldn't have been virtualized.
Axel: [mocks her earlier comment] I thought it was the solution to every problem.
Ai: It is, but I don't like him.
[Axel pats her head.]
Axel: Good girl.
[She is extremely happy at the praise]
Ethan: So, if either of us dies, we're completely fine but the waifu has permadeath?
Axel: [a little annoyed at the rephrased question] Yes.
Ethan: Awesome [aims at Ai] Then I don't have to go through all that trouble of an escort mission when I can just shoot all of us and turn off the computer in real life.
Ai: No, because…. oh.
Axel: [smiles] Actually no.
Ethan: [frowns] Whyyyyy?
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