Story/Isolation Forest E1/Script

TV Program Host: Good afternoon. It is currently 1530 Frankfurt time on November 3rd. Welcome to the news.

First, let us return to the hotly discussed topic of the "Regulations for Doll Security (Provisional Version)".

Following the wave of terror incidents perpetrated by Dolls, the Ministry of Justice is expediting revisions and improvements to the next iteration of the "Regulations for Doll Security (Provisional Version)". It is expected to be submitted for committee approval by the end of this month.

This move is seen as a strong signal to the public that Doll oversight policies will be tightened significantly. Sources report that news of the regulations' likely transition from provisional to permanent has sparked widespread joy among citizens, who have taken to the streets in spontaneous celebration.

Now let's join our correspondence on the scene.

Reporter: Hello, I'm currently standing outside the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.

With government-dispatched human personnel arriving on site, many hospitals in this area have now resumed normal operations. We can see right now that there's a considerable crowd gathered outside the hospital.

After hearing about the new progress on the "Regulations for Doll Security (Provisional Version)", many people have spontaneously gathered here to celebrate.

Let's speak to some of them and hear what the regulations mean to them.

Cheerful Woman: Hello there.

Reporter: Hello! Could you share your thoughts on the regulations potentially becoming official?

Cheerful Woman: Absolutely! The regulations benefit me directly!

A few months ago, I hired a nanny Doll to care for my child. Over time, my child became increasingly distant from me. At first, I thought I was just too busy with work and neglected their feelings.

But after installing surveillance cameras at home, I discovered that the Doll had been mimicking my voice behind my back—abusing my child—and even claiming it was under my orders!

Reporter: A Doll did that? That's truly awful...

Cheerful Woman: But after going through the screening and optimization procedures outlined in the regulations, that nanny Doll no longer does anything unnecessary.

My relationship with my child has improved a lot!

Reporter: I'm genuinely happy for you, ma'am.

Sir, may we ask your opinion?

[A man in a hospital gown, his face gaunt with illness, tucks a folded slip of paper back into his pocket, then nervously looks into the camera.]

Patient: Uh... me?

Ahem, I'm a terminal cancer patient, bedridden for a long time. I used to suffer at the hands of medical Dolls—their attitudes were cold, their behaviour robotic, and they had zero regard for my dignity. The emotional toll was severe.

Since the implementation of the "Regulations for Doll Security", I've finally felt the warm, meticulous care of fellow human beings again...

Cheerful Woman: Speak more naturally. You sound too stiff.

Patient: Uh... Dolls are machines, after all. Only humans truly understand what humans need.

That's why I believe the regulations must be made permanent immediately! I fully support it—

Reporter: Thank you both for your responses. Now—

[Bang!]

[A pile of miscellaneous items gets tossed out of the hospital's front doors.]

[They seem to be office supplies.]

[Next, several people in white lab coats come running out like their lives depend on it, fleeing down a side street in panic.]

???: Get out! Scram as far away as you can!

[An enraged woman storms out after them, shouting down the street.]

???: Stop messing around in the hospital! Just because the government crammed you through a few crash courses doesn't mean you can do this job!

One mixed up gentamicin with penicillin! Another turned an IV prescription into an oral one! And even better yet—one gave a three-year-old with diarrhea twenty tablets of caftobiprole in a day!

[Still fuming, the woman noticed a poster supporting the regulations' formalization stuck near the entrance. Her fury flares up again, and she rips down the poster and stomps on it repeatedly.]

Patient: Hey... I just put that up...

Does this still count toward my paycheck?

Cheerful Woman: Shut up! The camera's still on...

Reporter: ...

[Hearing the exchange, the woman directs her sharp and murderous gaze at the group.]

???: Who are you people?

Reporter: ...Ma'am, I'm a reporter with the Current Affairs News segment.

???: A reporter?

[The anger vanishes instantly from her face. She strides toward the camera and beams warmly into the lens.]

Reporter: Hello, I'm currently interviewing citizens about the potential formal adoption of the "Regulations for Doll Security (Provisional Version)".

What is your perspective—

[Noticing the reporter's hesitation as she offers the mic, the woman snatches it right out of her hand.]

???: Oh, I'm totally in support of such a great initiative!

Sure, Dolls are cheap, efficient, quick-reacting, professionally competent, and stay sharp 24/7...

But even without them, hospitals have only descended into SLIGHT chaos, haven't they?

Reporter: Uh... ma'am... the government has dispatched over 100 trained personnel to each major hospital to fill the labor shortage. Don't you think your response is a bit—

[The reporter tries to retrieve the mic, but the woman sidesteps her deftly.]

???: Yes, yes, the government rushed out a batch of medical personnel in just three days. Truly a timely solution to our burning problems!

Had I known humans could become doctors in two, three days, I wouldn't have wasted time getting a PhD.

Reporter: ...Ma'am, the interview is now over. Please return the—

???: You've asked me plenty of questions. Isn't it my turn to ask one?

Reporter: Huh?

???: You. And you. All of you who come to hospitals seeking doctors and nurses.

Would you really entrust your own surgery to a temp worker who can't even tell the difference between forceps and a hemostat?

Would you really entrust your loved ones in the ICU to someone who spent only three days learning how to care for patients?!

[The reporter panics and tries to flee from the raging woman. But once the dam of fury has burst, it's impossible to hold it back.]

???: Where are you going? I'm not finished!

Reporter: Station—cut the signal NOW...!

TV Program Host: ...Thank you for the live interviews brought to us by our on-site correspondence. There seems to be a bit of a commotion at the scene.

Now, let's focus on the important conference about to take place in Frankfurt...

[...Genetics Archive Room in the Faculty of Medicine, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.]

[Footsteps, still heavy with anger, come to a stop outside the door.]

[Swish! The moment the door swings open, a cacophony of heated voices bursts forth.]

???: ...

Student A: What do you mean the founding of the URNC has nothing to do with us?!

An entity that transcends national alliances means the end of all existing technological barriers!

This marks the beginning of an unprecedented golden age for medicine—and science as a whole!

Student B: Tsk! I pity you naïve idealists.

If alliances between nations really worked, why would we have three world wars? The URNC is nothing more than a flashy façade. You can't seriously think it will actually change the world?

Student A: The world progresses precisely through these small changes. Do you really think—

Ah, Constanze!

Constanze: ...

[Standing at the doorway, bag in hand, Constanze seems to have no intention of entering the archive room.]

Student B: Constanze, we're discussing the impact that the URNC could have on medical science—do you have any insights?

Constanze: My insights?

[Constanze smiles gently.]

Constanze: The preliminary thesis presentations are in two days. Are your slideshows ready?

Student A: Aaaah! No, not yet!

Student B: I-I'm working on it...

Constanze: I don't need to remind you of the consequences of annoying Professor Lörrach, do I?

Student A: Sorry!!

[The archive room quickly returns to its proper silence. Constanze picks up her bag and leaves.]

[Once the door closes behind her, Constanze breathes in the fresh air of the corridor.]

Constance: Phew... Is there nowhere left in this world where I can find some peace and quiet?

Everyone's obsessed with the Regulations for Doll Security and the URNC... What good is any of that to kids who can't even finish a research thesis proposal?

[Shaking her head to dispel these distracting thoughts, Constanze gathers herself and knocks on her advisor's office door.]

Professor Lörrach: Come in.

Constanze: Professor, here's the material you asked me to organize yesterday.

Also, I've already finished editing Thomas' thesis—I sent it to your inbox around 9am this morning.

Professor Lörrach: Good, I'll take a look shortly.

Still as reliable as ever. Only you can handle all these headaches perfectly.

Constanze: You flatter me, Professor.

Professor Lörrach: Oh, by the way—

[Professor Lörrach pulls out a few sheets from the towering stack of documents on the desk and hands them to Constanze.]

Professor Lörrach: Your lab application has been approved.

Constanze: That's great! Thank you so much, Professor!

Professor Lörrach: You're one of the rare few willing to stay focused on academia even in these tumultuous times.

You must be aware that all anyone talks about lately are things far removed from us.

As someone who lived through the war, I hope my students never get involved in politics. That's not a burden that young people with nothing but passion should bear.

They're too young, too easily swayed.

They know too little, and there are too many out there who want to exploit them.

Constanze: It's all thanks to your guidance, Professor. With you as my role model, I've learned how to move forward.

Professor Lörrach: Haha, you sweet talker. Have you decided on your research direction?

Constanze: The tentative idea is to construct a recombinant adenovirus expressing the apoptin protein.

Professor Lörrach: That's not exactly cutting-edge. You can take more time to think about it.

The lab equipment is goodd enough to support a wide range of projects, and the budget is decent too.

Constanze: Hmmm... Okay, I'll come up with a few more ideas. When you're free, I hope I can take up a bit of your valuable time to discuss them.

Professor Lörrach: Of course, no problem at all.

Constanze: Then I won't disturb you any further.

[After politely bidding her mentor farewell, Constanze exhales in relief as she walks down the corridor.]

Constanze: All done!

[She eagerly dials an old friend.]

Constanze: Nele!!!

Nele: ...Not so loud, Connie! You scared the crap out of me!

Constanze: I can't help it! I've got amazing news—the lab application just got approved!

Nele: That's wonderful...

Constanze: Now we can finally start prepping for the experiment we haven't been able to complete!

You have no idea how long I've been dreaming of this day...

Nele: ...Same here.

Constanze: What's wrong? You don't sound excited.

Nele: It's nothing. I just... getting emotional. Back when we were sneaking around, doing our experiment without permission, we nearly got flagged for BSL-4. Can't believe we're actually getting closer to our dream now...

Constanze: Don't worry. You and I will finish that experiment.

You know, the moment I saw you in the lab back then, I knew—no challenge could deter you!

Nele: When I brought up the idea to you back then, I thought for sure you'd say no.

After all, if we get caught running experiments that don't match our proposal, you could get seriously punished...

Constanze: Don't worry, I've got it covered.

What—getting cold feet now? That's not like you at all.

Nele: ...I'm just worried you'll get dragged down because of me. I don't have much to lose, but you... you have a bright future ahead of you...

Constanze: Oh, cut it out! I know what you're trying to say—That you've got family to fall back on if things go bad, and I don't.

But I don't care about any of that. I'm an orphan on the government's dime, and that's exactly why I'm not afraid of anything!

What could possibly be more moving more than the pursuit of truth?

Nele: ...You're right.

Nothing in this world can obscure the truth.

Even if Darwin had repented on his deathbed, the theory of evolution would not be undone.

Constanze: Bruno's body may have perished, but his insight would never waver.

So what—now that we're closer to the truth, you want to back down?

Nele, that really isn't like you!

Nele: ...You're braver than I am.

Constanze: Tsk. Don't tell me you're still shaken from what happened with Galatea?

Nele: ...You can save your reverse psychology, I know what you're getting at.

Thank you.

Constanze: I hope you do. Got your materials and data ready?

Nele: Yeah, everything's set on my end.

Constanze: Great. When are you free? Let's meet up and finalize the experiment!

Nele: Sure, Connie. I've got something to finish first—let's talk later.

Constanze: Alright, I'm always online~

[Nele puts down the communicator. Across from her, the Commander scratches their head uneasily.]

Nele: I got the lab sorted.

Commander: Hmm...

[The Commander can't bring themself to meet her steady gaze.]

Nele: Now all that's left is the materials.

[Their eyes settle on the door handle in front of them, but neither moves to open it.]

Commander: Gray... what's left of her is in there.

Nele: ...

Commander: Honestly, I can send someone else to take care of this.

Nele: No...

[Nele rests a trembling hand on the handle. She doesn't look at the Commander—maybe she's trying to convince herself.]

Nele: I understand what you're saying.

If Paradeus is to be completely destroyed, we need a perfect bullet that can strike it right in the heart.

Even if a Doll has top-tier electronic warfare capabilities, infiltrating their systems to gather actionable intel comes at an unimaginable cost.

Commander: ...

Nele: Right now, only my teacher can do it.

No, I probably shouldn't even call her that anymore...

Commander: Think of her as a cadaveric donor. Or an insult to the Lady of Ashes.

Nele: Whatever she is...

She has to rise again, and fight for us.

Commander: ...

Nele: If this has to be done by someone...

Then let this someone be me.

[The Commander, at a loss for comforting words, can only sigh.]

Commander: If that's your decision...

Then Professor Persica will assist you with the technical aspects. She's already integrated Hume's "Human Intelligence Research" with Dr. Shaw's research—it should be enough to support...

...This experiment.

Nele: Right, thank you.

[Nele looks up at the Commander with a small smile.]

Nele: To be given a chance to avenge my professor personally—

Commander, I truly am grateful.

Commander: We both have tough battles ahead of us.

Nele: Please don't worry—I'll prove myself as Professor Gray's most exceptional student.

[Nele pulls down the door handle.]

[...In the temporary ops room.]

[After assembling all combat-capable Dolls, AR-18 projects a map of the entire city of Frankfurt onto the screen.]

AR-18: Commander, everyone is ready.

Commander: Right.

After evacuating from the White Zone, we've had a few brief days to catch our breath. Let's go over everyone's recovery status.

RO635: Commander, SOP-II has completed her repairs. While her parts are currently replaced with general-purpose substitutes, they should suffice for standard combat.

So the AR Team is ready to return to the field.

M4 SOPMOD II: You bet! I've been asleep for so long—I'm feeling super refreshed now!

Commander: Understood.

AK-12: DEFY is also ready as ever.

UMP45: Unfortunately, 416 still can't be aactivated. Aside from her, the rest of 404 is ready for action at any time.

Stevens M520: There haven't been any casualties on our end. For now, we're focused on assisting 404 with electronic warfare.

Commander: Got it.

Everyone, we're running out of time.

[Click. The Commander presses a button on the remote control, and several red markers light up on the Frankfurt map.]

Commander: These are the locations of Paradeus factories we've identified based on current intel.

45 hacked into the energy sector and verified the data. These sites are consuming an absurd amound of power and water in a short time. On top of that, all of their waste output is handled by the same shell company.

No ordinary civilian enterprise would ever run with such an operational model.

Following that lead, we uncovered even more factories.

UMP45: Additionally, ever since we extracted the Commander from the White Zone, resource consumption at these factories has spiked again.

Which means they've ramped up production. As for what they're producing... I think you can all guess.

Cross: No doubt something to do with those disgusting monsters.

Hertha: So what do we go?

With the manpower we've got, there's no way we can hit them all one by one...

[AR-18 raises a hand, gesturing for everyone to stay quiet and let the Commander finish.]

Commander: You're right. Since we still haven't recovered the Elmo, we're in a state of extreme personnel shortage.

That's why I've decided on this plan...

[Click-clack.]

[The Commander taps the control a few more times, and a new layout appears on the screen.]

Bramedb: ...This is our next plan?

Even after such massive losses, and with the connection to the Lake of Cognition still severed, we're continuing with the original strategy?

Morridow: Sister Nemhran must have her reasons.

All we need to do... is obey.

Nemhran: ...

[Nemhran watches the two before her coldly.]

Nemhran: All the factories in Frankfurt are running at full capacity to power the repair of the passage to the Lake of Cognition.

It won't be long before it's operational again.

Morridow: Exactly! I knew you must have your reasons—you mobilized all of our forces in Frankfurt while we were still in the dark.

Nemhran: I don't need to explain my reasoning to you.

Morridow: ...Of course. At this point, we'll just follow your lead.

Bramedb: I'm not questioning you.

I'm just worried that after so many operational errors, the system might be overloaded and starting to misfire.

Nemhran: ...That's none of your concern.

[Morridow and Bramedb exchange a knowing eye roll and leave the room together.]

[Nemhran picks up her communicator, which has been on call the entire time.]

Nemhran: Any issues on your end?

Hebe: Not at all.

Though I heard you-know-who is now in position...

Nemhran: Hm.

[Creaaak—]

[Behind Nemhran, a lithe figure slips into the seat at the office desk and starts casually spinning in the chair.]

???: Hiya, Sister Nemhran. Long time no see.

Nemhran: ...Long time no see, Styx.