Elena was currently explaining that power armors that are supposed to be self powered by transmitter liquids would be able to continue pioneer work safely.
"The originium arts of the liquid can be controlled by someone from far away, basically turning it into a remote controlled robot. But it would be more responsive and they act heavy equipment that doesn't need expensive vehicles." Elena who helped design them explained.
"I see, but you don't know what people are capable of. You think it's going to be used by pioneers huh? How cute." Ash laughed and she glared at him.
"Yeah, I could see this a mile away. Remote controlled weapons that could go to war. Casualties would pile up on the other side." Saria chimed in.
Elena got depressed. She genuinely thought that the robots would be used for construction and high risk pioneering.
"Foolish girl, the government doesn't fund things like these. They fund projects that can be weaponized. Aren't you a bit too naive? Common sense is rare indeed." Ash shook his head in disappointment.
"Hey! I have two doctorates!" She fired back and Ash snorted.
"I don't have one, but I'll be jotted down as the greatest researcher in history. Scientists with doctorates are a dime a dozen. What have you achieved? It's not the education girl, it's what you bring." Ash rolled his eyes at her.
She was just confused and Silence sighed. "He made the best suppressants in the market. It's so ridiculously expensive that nobody can buy it. Only Paradiso gives it out personally." Silence explained.
"He also reduced the amount of people dying due to hunger. He's saving thousands of lives at this very moment. You can't boast about your PhD's against him Elena." Saria added.
"You girls are going to make me blush, come on. Let's investigate deeper." Ash started walking forward.
They were being attacked by stronger and stronger robots. "These are the ones that are supposed to be the replacements for excavators and stuff like that." Elena frowned, she did not expect her work to turn out like that.
"They pack a pretty strong punch." Ash stopped the fist of one that is even larger than him.
"Ifrit, the room is clear." Ash announced and she grinned immediately.
The Sarkaz chimera went to work and she melted everything that was in the corridor.
"Such terrible arts..." Elena couldn't believe her eyes. She was sweating from the sweltering heat.
'How old is that girl? She can't be older than ten years. Yet her arts is decimating everything that is right in front.' Elena blinked dumbly at Ifrit's fire arts.
There were some that was still moving though, making her click her tongue. "I guess that I still can't be like big sis Alastor."
"Well, her flames are a bit different Ifrit. She's called the lord of crimson for a reason." Ash shrugged and Ifrit pouted.
"I want a cool name just like her. Though I know that she's had more time to strengthen her arts." Ifrit formed a goal.
"Enough chitchat, let's find what the hell is wrong in this place." Ash could feel some kind of arts up ahead.
"Astgenne, Saria, Silence, come to the director's office. I'll explain more there." A voice announced through the speakers.
"Wait, that voice... Isn't that Dorothy? Why is she here, she's the director of the department of Originium arts." Saria frowned and it clicked.
"She's the one who made these... You need to have tons of knowledge about arts to make these." Ash concluded.
"Dorothy can do it, she's the youngest among the directors of Rhine labs. Dorothy is incredibly intelligent. I would even dare to say that she's the greatest scientist in Rhine labs. If it concerns originium arts, she is unparalleled." Silence expounded on them.
"We found our jackpot then, come on. Prepare for a trap." Ash made the now named Astgenne lead them to Dorothy's office.
As they walked towards the director's office, Ash released an EMP around them and he gestured for them that he would enter the room first.
Ash opened the door and what greeted him was a blonde young woman of the Zalak race, rodents. (pic)
"You Dorothy Franks?" Ash raised a brow and scanned the room with lightning speed. He wasn't delusional enough to think that he was invincible.
"Yes, I am. Where are the others? I would like to explain everything with them here." Dorothy replied cooly and Ash let the rest of his group enter the room.
But he was twitchy and ready to shield them immediately if the place was booby trapped. Arts have tons of applications, he has no idea what is in store for them.
"Dorothy, what in the world is happening in this testing facility?" Astgenne was confused and she wanted answers.
"Hah, Ferdinand and I collaborated for this project actually. But I did not expect that he would be using my creations for this kind of thing." Dorothy sighed.
'She's good, her facial muscles twitched when she mentioned Clooney. Her heart is stable though, this girl is pretty good indeed.' Ash thought she could've fooled everyone else with her calmness.
"Then what of the transmitters? Why are they doing that on their own?" Astgenne raised a brow.
"Ferdinand controls them, that's the reason why I'm holed up in my office. They won't let me out of here because I'll be creating more of them." Dorothy frowned and Ash just listened for now.
'A plausible excuse too, it seems that she isn't just smart, she has the common sense to blame everything on Clooney too.' He was thinking of what to do next.
'But she's hiding something else, I don't know what it is. But it's there, she isn't telling us everything.' He waited for her to finish her story.
"Clooney forced you to make these, Dorothy?" Saria was getting angry.
"Yes, he said that the union army wants it to turn Columbia into a superpower. Especially with the Gelato Accords being passed." She looked at Ash subtly.
Dorothy went up to them and she went to Astgenne. "I'm glad you're alright Astgenne." She hugged him and Ash put a coating of his powers around her skin.
It stopped everything that could hit her and it did. As they heard something drop to the ground.
Some fluid splashed to the ground and Dorothy was shocked.
"It was a good plan, unfortunately for you. I can see everything that you were going to do." Ash chuckled and Dorothy suddenly went behind her table.
She clicked something, but nothing happened. "I fried the electronics here too, good try. Got any more plans you can use?" Ash grinned at her.
"It seems that Asmodeus Naumann is more formidable than I imagined." Dorothy sighed.
She then hid once more. "Hold tight!" Ash shouted and the room was suddenly destroyed by some of the whitish, silver fluid.
It had geometric shapes on it, like a triangle, circle, and a rectangle. "Please give up, you know that I don't want to hurt anybody." Dorothy requested of them.
'Strange, that was the truth...' Ash furrowed his brows. Saria and Ifrit blasted it with their arts.
"Why are you doing this Dorothy? What happened with the pioneers?" Astgennewas in disbelief. Dorothy was ditsy and kind. She wasn't one to participate in these kinds of things.
"It's so that no one would have any more conflicts Astgenne. I'm from a family of pioneers too. I was lucky that my parents saved money for my tuition. But my mother died in a catastrophe." Dorothy closed her eyes and sighed.
"With this Dreamland, everyone will only feel serenity. No fighting, no hunger, no disease, no disasters. You would only be together with those you love. That is why I started my research." Dorothy clenched her fists.
"Hah, so it's an illusion huh? It's actually impressive that you made something like this. But based on what you said earlier, these transmitters are what you use to hijack brains right?" Ash pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Hijack isn't the term that I would use, but yes. It is the culmination of Joyce's data. We connect their consciousness to a databank and the transmitter plays a simulation." Dorothy explained patiently.
She thought that if she made them understand what she was doing, they would partake in it.
"Then how is that liquid metal moving?" Ash pointed at the floating geometric shapes and Dorothy froze.
'I focused so much on completing my dream that I didn't notice that detail.' Dorothy blinked.
"Clooney is using your transmitters to turn the volunteers as a controller. I couldn't feel it earlier, but that thing over there has a connection with something in the basement." Ash pointed down.
'It's similar to Skadi and the seaborne, it's probably a neural link based on arts.' Ash frowned.
"No, I must let you see that this would bring people a utropia with no more suffering." Dorothy was about to make a move.
Ash released his energy and he reached out with his hand. The liquid metal that was floating in the air started to compress.
It then disappeared as Ash locked it in a dimensional pocket.
"H-how?" Dorothy couldn't believe it. The metal was incredibly resistant to arts. But what all of them didn't know, is he didn't use arts.
"Come with us, I'll show you what is really happening." Ash made a come hither motion and Dorothy flew right towards him.
He blew a hole right through the basement and jumped right inside.
Saria shrugged and took Ifrit and Silence with her. "Hey! Don't leave me alone here!" Astgenne shouted, but they of course didn't come to get her.
"What is this!? Kyah!" She was suddenly pulled in by Ash's telekinesis.
"P-please don't do that, it's bad for my heart." Astgenne breathed as she subconsciously stopped doing so.
They then saw someone who Ash has been looking for. Clooney was injecting some bound people with the transmitters and Dorothy blinked dumbly.
"Gah!" Clooney's face turned ugly as he saw Ash grin at him.
"Well, well, well, what's a little cat doing here?" Ash dragged his thumb over his neck.
"N-nothing." Clooney immediately hid the syringe he had in hand and was sweating bullets. He cursed him inside his mind.
'What in the world is he doing here? Damnit! I was so close!' Clooney gritted his teeth.
He then controlled the power armors around to take as many people hostage as much as possible.
"Don't move, I'm warning you." Clooney glared at them like they were his most hated enemy.
'Shit, Ho'olheyak said that she took care of Muelsyse and Mayer. How in the world did they find this place?' Clooney prepared to bail.
"Guhahaha! Using the old hostage trick on me Clooney? Go on, do it, I dare you." Ash pointed his finger at him and he felt a shiver in his spine.
'He's going to kill me!' Clooney froze and he didn't know what to do.
"Come on you pussy! Do it! I dare you motherfucker! Do it!" Ash aggravated him and he was shaking, he looked like a bullied kid that was going to cry.
He then raised his arms in surrender. "J-just spare my life, please." He kneeled on the ground and begged.
"Pussy, you can't even do it. I was looking forward to kill you. Feel every vertebrae on your neck break as I squeeze them. That would have been a wonderful end, don't you agree?" Ash shook his head wistfully.
"I'll accept your surrender, but you'll be handled by Shining." Ash cut off the oxygen to his brain and all the robots froze. Clooney then dropped like a sack of potatoes.
"Damn... I think killing him is a much better fate." Silence winced, she read up on what the Confessarius do. Shining would fuck him up.
"I see, I have been tricked by Ferdinand. I trusted him." Dorothy frowned deeply. He was her mentor when she first started in Rhine labs.
Astgenne gritted her teeth, she couldn't do anything. "It's okay Dorothy... We both trusted him. We didn't know that he'd use this to weaponize your creation."
'I thought of using them, but they're too risky. It needs brains as conduits to work. That's too much computing power. Only I can use it, but it would definitely render me useless.' Ash rubbed his chin, weighing the pros and cons of the metal.
He decided against it, because using his powers against enemies is much better than controlling it himself.
"I am sorry, Saria, Silence, Astgenne. It seems that I was wrong..." Dorothy injected herself with a spare she had and she went unconscious.
"Shit, she even used it on herself. But I reckon that she used it to shut the whole thing down." Ash theorized and they waited for her to do so.
Inside Dorothy's simulation, she saw several people in the wilderness that wasn't just sand and originium crystal clusters.
"Mom, dad... Everyone." Dorothy saw her colleagues in the government institute she was in before going to Rhine labs. And also her parents.
"What is the matter Dorothy? You got accepted in a prestigious college, I'm proud of you." Her mother hugged her and she could only nod.
When she was noticed by a prestigious college, she needed to attend it of course. And little did they know, her departure to Columbia was the last time she'd meet her mother.
"Mom... I'm sorry, while I was studying... Your camp got hit by a catastrophe." Dorothy teared up.
"What are you talking about Dorothy? Dad and I are right here for you." She smiled and Dorothy had a realization.
Even if she was there, it didn't mean that it was real.
"It was nice seeing you everyone... Dad, mom." Dorothy cut off the connection with her arts and she woke up again.
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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.