Navigating the cluttered factory, I reached what seemed like a workshop. Pulling back a tattered curtain in the back, I found photos of Miranda, Dimitrescu, Donna, and Moreau—each crossed out with an X—along with pictures of Mia, Rose, and Chris.
"What's this?"
'I get the others, but why Mia's photo...?'
"Pretty tough, huh?"
A sweet scent hit me as his voice rang out. I spun around, handgun ready, and there was Heisenberg tossing aside his cigar. No hammer in hand this time.
"Let me guess. You thought you could save Rose by taking me down, like the others?"
"I heard she can be fixed."
'According to Duke, anyway.'
"Listen, you don't seem to get it... Damn it, shut up!"
A roaring engine noise echoed from somewhere, and Heisenberg, scowling, yanked open a nearby hatch and shouted.
"Hey, quiet down! I'm in the middle of an important talk! ...Sorry about that. Sit."
'I'm gonna check it out.'
"Yeah."
Not wanting to piss him off, I sat obediently in a chair by the hatch. Evelyn sank into the floor... and popped back up, pale as a ghost.
'Ethan! Something's down there! Some weird thing with a propeller engine stuck to its body!'
"So, here's the deal... Hey, what's with the face?"
"You were gonna push me down there to get attacked by that propeller engine freak if I didn't play along, weren't you?"
"Huh. Impressive. That was the plan, but seems pointless now. How'd you know?"
"I told you, I've got Evelyn. She's got no physical form, so she can slip through anything."
"That's handy. What's Evelyn saying about my pride and joy—my failure, Sturm?"
"She called it a weird thing with a propeller engine on its body. You sane?"
"You! You don't know Porco Rosso? The beauty of that roaring engine..."
"How old's that movie!? You look like you belong in the Mamma Aiuto gang. By the way, that means 'Mama, scary!'"
"Alright, shut that irritating mouth, or I'll kick you down to face Sturm and send my whole army after you."
"Sorry, my bad. Forgive me."
He moved to kick the chair, so I apologized. No way I'm fighting that thing. Then, maybe joking, Heisenberg manipulated the chair's metal, dragging it to the center, and laughed.
"Joking aside, about Evelyn... Can't you make her visible to me? Moreau somehow could see her."
"..."
'Blood... maybe?'
Heisenberg's request made me pause. I pulled out my knife, nicked my palm to draw blood, and held it out.
"Drink."
"Huh?"
"Just drink. Taking in my blood and flesh seems to let people see her. Dimitrescu and Moreau did."
"Got it. Here goes."
As Evelyn watched with amusement, Heisenberg dabbed the blood with his finger and put it in his mouth, grimacing.
"Ugh, this tastes awful, man!"
'Big hag said the same thing!'
"...So you're Evelyn. Have I gone mad too? Whatever, nice to meet you. Karl Heisenberg, at your service, little lady."
He doffed his hat and bowed to Evelyn. Pretty suave.
'As expected of Madao. A true dandy!'
"What's with that nickname? Wait, 'big hag' is Dimitrescu? Hahaha! Nice one, kid. What do you call Donna, Moreau, and that idiot Miranda?"
'Black-clad loner, mama's boy freak, and Mother-whatever変態仮面.'
"Hahahahahaha! That's gold! You've got style, kid."
'Oh, stop it~'
Heisenberg roared with laughter at Evelyn's bizarre nicknames while she scratched her head, embarrassed. You two are getting along too well.
"Now, to business. You're being played by Miranda. To keep things fair, I'll let you in on something. The gorilla who 'killed' your wife? That wasn't Mia—it was Miranda."
"What!?"
'Gorilla's Chris?'
Heisenberg's bombshell left me speechless. But it was Mia. We talked like always, lived like always... and that was Miranda?
"She's got the ability to mimic anyone. She impersonated Mia Winters to kidnap Rose."
'That explains the weird vibe I got from her then.'
"Wait... then where's the real Mia?"
"No clue. Dead or locked up somewhere—hopefully the latter? Anyway, the gorilla didn't know Miranda could mimic corpses too. He botched the kill, Miranda got Rose as planned, and you got dragged in. She sees you as a candidate for her new family. That giant-ass woman, the creepy doll psycho, the slowpoke monster, and finally me—her replacements. Get it? You're being tested to see if you're worthy of being her family."
All those battles were orchestrated by her? No way!
'Making Ethan her family over me? Unforgivable.'
"Me, her family? I've got no intention of that."
"Exactly! Same here, but look at me! Miranda's not sane! This village, all the monsters—including me—are her creations! A mad lab for her special fungus!"
"Special fungus..."
'So I was right—they're like me.'
I nodded at Evelyn's words. It wasn't my imagination. That Cadou shares roots with Evelyn.
"You know most villagers have Cadou implanted? All test subjects! She can mutate or kill them anytime. After getting Rose, she set Lycans on the now-useless villagers to slaughter them. Dimitrescu was in on it too, wasn't she?"
"Then Elena..."
"No idea who that is, but they were doomed to die serving Miranda. Don't dwell on it. Focus on how we kill her. She'll come for Rose at the chalice site. That's our shot."
'Using Rose as bait!?'
"You didn't mention that! You said we needed that chalice stand—"
"Relax, we'll move before she takes it. I don't want Miranda getting Rose either. Honestly, I wanted her too."
"What?"
"That kid—sorry, Rose—has insane power. Enough to scare even Miranda... Damn it, how many times do I gotta say it!?"
The roar of Sturm echoed below again, and Heisenberg yelled at the hatch. Evelyn and I exchanged glances, chuckling. ...Compared to the others, this guy feels oddly human.
"Hey, don't laugh. I was gonna use Rose's power to take Miranda down, but I changed my mind."
"Good. If you planned to make Rose a murder tool, I'd have shot you here."
'I wouldn't forgive the guy who chopped up Rose either.'
"Give it up, you can't hit me. That's right, you, Ethan. And Evelyn. Your power gives me hope. Team up with me? My factory's mechanical army, free from Miranda's control, plus the freakish power she gave me, combined with yours—we'd be unstoppable! Take down Miranda, and I'll restore Rose and give her back. Not a bad deal, right? Let's kill the bitch who took everything from us!"
Evelyn and I locked eyes again. ...No reason to refuse. If he wanted to use Rose's power, I'd have said no, but he's after our power now. Not a bad offer, right, Evelyn?
'I'm in, I guess. No guarantee we can beat Mother-whatever alone, and if Madao really will restore Rose...'
"Alright, I'm in, Heisenberg."
"That's the spirit! Perfect! Partners from here on out, you and the kid."
I gripped Heisenberg's outstretched hand firmly. A strange alliance. Like with Evelyn, who I once fought, seems I'm fated to team up with former enemies. If it saves Rose, it's not bad, I thought.
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