Ugly. That's the only way I can describe what the drone's surveillance footage is showing on the laptop. An angel, at least I think its an angel from the feeble halo, lies on a bed. The angel's body is emaciated and wrinkled to the extreme, resembling a giant raisin wrapped up in a cheerless hospital gown. Tubing is stuck into the angel's parchment like skin, providing it with a steady flow of blood and other substances that I cannot identify.

The angel's hands are curled inwards impotently and its eyes are covered with a thick opaque film. A thin line of drool escapes from the angel's toothless mouth, which is quickly wiped away by a SOPO officer using a paper napkin. The officer then gently pries the angel's mouth open and brings out a bowl filled to the brim with a thick slurry. The slurry is slowly poured down the hatch and the officer occasionally lifts the angel's back to help it swallow. Once the bowl has been emptied, the officer cleans the angel's mouth again with the napkin.

The SOPO officer then frowns and begins to roll up the angel's hospital gown, revealing a pair of soiled adult diapers. "Yeah, I don't need to see that. Thanks." I quickly tell The Voice.

The Voice obligingly freezes the video and skips forward to the point where the camera is focusing on a shelf somewhere in the room. On the shelf, is a small box completely wrapped in a piece canvas bearing a blazing scarlet rune.

"Just like in the sarcophagus." I muse, "So the codex has been stored with whatever that is, at the 50th floor black site."

"Correct." The Voice confirms, "I have had the drone scout further and a number of complications have emerged."

Oh?

The Voice rasps without hesitation, "Based on the intelligence that we have gathered, I have concluded that you are not capable of retrieving or destroying the codex. Any attempt on our part to proceed with this mission will have only one outcome. Failure."

"Hey." I grumble, "Show a little faith here. I sneaked in with none of the guards the wiser right? So what's the big deal?"

The Voice rumbles, "Fate's seal on the container holding the codex is the first complication. You can only physically access the codex in one of my places of power. It is impossible to destroy the codex in the black site itself."

"So I'll snatch the codex and bring it to a suitable spot where we can smash it." I point out, "Or are you saying that fossil in adult diapers is capable of wiping the floor with me?"

"No." The Voice explains, "From my observations, that 'fossil' as you put it, shows all the symptoms of being brain dead. He is only being kept alive by the ministrations of the SOPO officers. The other complication I am referring to are the officers stationed in the arboretum."

The Voice dismisses the window playing the surveillance footage and brings up a series of photographs showing the SOPO officers guarding the micro room in the arboretum.

The Voice continues, "In the best case scenario, where you manage to infiltrate the black site and access the arboretum without opposition, you will still need to subdue the SOPO officers guarding the room inside it as they simply do not move from their posts. Based on your estimation of their individual strength being a match for Inspector Scott, defeating them quickly or quietly is not possible."

"The moment you engage the SOPO officers, an alarm will be inevitably triggered." The Voice concludes, "Guards throughout the Tower will be dispatched to your location while you are tied down fighting the officers. If you succeed in seizing the codex, you will then be forced to fight off multiple waves of enemies during your escape attempt. Coupled with Fate loading the dice against you in any way that it can, failure is simply a natural consequence."

"No way." I reply, "But from the evidence we gathered, the black site was originally meant to protect that old fossil in the room. Just who, or what, is it?"

"I have no idea." The Voice concedes, "That issue is also something that does not concern us at the present. Everything points to the fossil and the codex being unrelated to each other. They were just conveniently stowed together."

I idly rub my chin while considering the matter, "Is that so? There may be a connection between the two we are not seeing. Anyway, let's say your assessment is correct. How do we move forward from here?"

"By introducing more instability into the Crossroads of course." The Voice replies, "We actually do not need to secure or destroy the codex to prevent our doom from catching up to us. Damaging the flags set up by Fate is an equally legitimate strategy. However, I suspect that once a critical amount of instability has been injected into the route, the codex will become vulnerable as a matter of course."

"Yeah. I remember you talking about that way back at the Sarcophagus." I say, "So you've identified other ways to hit back at Fate?"

The photos are now cleared from the laptop's screen and a map of The City replaces it. The image is zoomed out, allowing The City as a whole to be displayed.

"I have in fact identified several means of hurting Fate." The Voice answers as the Hero's picture appears on the map over the area representing the Academy, "The first is to prevent Fate from diverting the Hero from his proper destiny. As Fate has to expend a fair amount of its power to create divergence points, destroying these divergence points will harm Fate's ability to maintain the death route we have been forced on."

"But I am guessing that just making sure the Hero gets the throne and the girls is not enough to save us?" I ask.

The Voice replies, "Correct. A passive defense will not avail us here. We have to take the fight to Fate in order to prevail."

The map now highlights a large building painted entirely in white with its back facing the sea in a district marked as Marine Beach. The photo of a brown skinned, mustachioed man with a lean face is placed just above the highlighted building.

"Commander Hernandez asserts that we can help each other." The Voice says, "I agree. The Commander's plans were never part of Fate's grand design and have only come this far thanks to your interference in Heroine Majima's concert at the Squat. By helping to bring his schemes to fruition, a large amount of instability can be generated."

"What are those schemes exactly?" I query.

The Voice responds, "Commander Hernandez has been working with the Matsui family to attack sites under the control of the Host's Urban Redevelopment Initiative. I suspect that he originally wanted you to join the Matsui enforcers in tackling the better protected compounds. Unfortunately for the good Commander, SOPO has begun assisting the Host in protecting the URI, and it will not be long until the Matsuis simply run out of enforcers to send into the fray."

"Hernandez? The guy you're threatening?" I raise an eyebrow, "Is it wise to cooperate with him after the posturing we have been doing?"

The Voice laughs, "Most certainly. The Commander has actually tried to contact you on the mobile several times during the last few days you were lying low in the hideout, but I blocked the calls. His plans are not going too well you see. The Matsuis are in a panic and will break soon. I have opted to let the Commander stew a bit and let the situation deteriorate further so that we have a stronger negotiating position. That combined with the intimidation against his family, will ensure that we will obtain the best terms from him."

"Cool. But why all this focus on Hernandez? Its like you have a grudge against him or something." I shoot back.

"Did you read the documents Hernandez had passed to us?" The Voice rasps.

I think back, "Sure. Didn't understand anything though. It was a bunch of medical reports right?"

The Voice says grimly, "Medical reports of the SOPO officers stationed at the arboretum. The Commander knew we would be there at the black site. He also knew about the abnormalities surrounding those officers."

"Damn." I exclaim, "Hernandez must have spies of his own in SOPO. He probably figured out that we would be at the black site from tracking SOPO's handling of the codex. So that's what his offer of help was about. He guessed that I couldn't crack the black site by myself."

The map now highlights Unity College and the picture of Hobo Beard, the guy I saw at the lab, pops up on the screen.

The Voice continues, "Thanks to the lead from the Commander, I have concluded that the SOPO officers in question had experienced core growth in a manner similar to Heroine Naiberg. Further investigation on my part revealed that the officers had also been receiving medical treatments at the university under a classified project headed by Archmage Naiberg. Given your suspicions about Heroine Naiberg and the coincidences we keep finding the Archmage involved in, it would be prudent to at least detain him for questioning. If Archmage Naiberg is an ally of Fate, dealing with him will damage all of Fate's plans."

That's a good point. Hobo Beard is involved with the codex, the guards at the black site and possibly tampering with a Heroine. I don't know how tight he is with Fate, but he is almost certainly involved somehow.

The map now highlights a ritzy hotel located in Red Perch Cape District and a picture of Gallant's sister pops up on the screen.

"Finally," The Voice continues, "Siobahn Gallant has retreated to her hotel and has contacted her father with regards to the prodigal son. Her father was overjoyed upon hearing Mr Gallant is still alive, elated at news that his son's magic had awakened and infuriated by the said son's refusal to return home. He is currently arranging for more men to be flown to The City to assist Siobahn Gallant in bringing her brother home."

"Shit." I mumble, "Its all hands on deck then?"

The Voice says, "Most certainly. Your performance against Master Chance made quite an impression on Siobahn Gallant and she is not inclined to do things by half measures at any rate. As Siobahn Gallant is Fate's chosen weapon against you, removing her from play, one way or the other, will both weaken Fate and introduce a great deal of instability into the death route."

"That's certainly a full plate we have before us." I remark.

"Indeed." The Voice agrees, "There is much to do."