A stern looking figure was poring over several streams of data with furrowed brows. He had been one of the pioneers that had played a large part in organizing the veritable chaos that surged after the advent of ADs. He had encountered several situations that had threatened the order they had managed to establish after that chaos - most pressing of which was the day 'he' decided to revolt.

That had been the turning point. The sense of security that they had held after reigning in and taking control of the veritable monster that held boundless promise had never been so utterly challenged as much as that time. They thought they had finally put it behind them. That the fires were all quenched. It looks like they were wrong.

An orderly looking young man entered the sparsely furnished room he used as his office and pulled up additional holo-windows through the rooms terminal.

"Sir, it's the regular report on Priority 1 Case: H-42 regarding AD# 105-2 Zeta." he promptly announced.

He paused and looked expectantly at the young man that just entered.

"Go on."

"Sir. We've received reports that one of our Local Overseer's 'collaborators' had gone rogue and attempted to eliminate the forcefully injected Unit without any authorization. The matter had already been dealt with by one of our external subcontractors."

The wrinkles on the stern looking man's forehead deepened at the news.

"Oh? Is that so? I do hope you managed to gather further data on the subject in order to confirm whether or not it truly poses a threat to 'The System'. And if normal means really would result in a Forced Lock-Out."

"We've received some from the aforementioned subcontractor. It's still slightly inconclusive for now. But they did post someone to observe the subject and gather the necessary data."

"What's the name of this subcontractor?" the stern looking man asked.

"Alterion Agency sir." came the prompt reply.

"Alterion? The one headed by the young former heir of the Lindblum consortium is it?... Can they be trusted?"

"We've already made steps to monitor their activities."

The stern man let out a light sigh and his mouth curved into a somewhat tired looking smile.

"Good. Continue monitoring the situation. We can't be either hasty or careless. Proceed with utmost caution. If we're up against 'him', there's no way this is going to be easy. Speaking of which, about the other matter..."

"We've already begun investigations. We already narrowed it down to a few suspects. I'm sure we'll finally find out who the traitor from the inside is very soon."

"Mm... I expect good news."

"Certainly."

The young man exited the office after bowing slightly. The figure left inside slumped seemingly on mid air, reclining as if seated on a large yet invisible chair.

"So you're finally coming back to haunt us eh. Ghost of Laplace..."

***

Within an endless void space stood two figures.

"They've already started snooping around." chimed a melodious voice that came from a transcendent raven haired beauty. Her every gesture was filled with utterly mesmerizing radiance. Not unlike a goddess from myths of old.

"Mm... I assume you've already taken steps to avoid capture. As much as I hate to admit it, I still do need your cooperation for a bit longer." replied an indistinct 'figure' that was together with the 'goddess'.

"What do you take me for?" she retorted indignantly.

"Of course I've made preparations. Try as they might, they won't be able to catch even a whiff of my scent."

"Hah! Well I guess it's as expected of a vixen like you. Shady dealings and goings on are your forte after all." came the sarcastic reply.

"You wound me. Honestly, why are you just so stubborn? You old tsundere!"

The 'goddess' arched her elegant eyebrows and retorted with a wry smile.

"Say what you like. Anyway, it seems that things are proceeding smoothly."

"Yes. Everything is proceeding at a steady pace. We've also managed to rope in the former 'young master' of Lindblum."

The indistinct figure gave an impression as if 'he' had raised 'his' eyebrows in mild surprise.

"That actually worked? Still, we can't expect him to cooperate until the end. After all, our goals may seem to intersect, but they can never be more different."

The 'goddess' smiled bewitchingly.

"Don't worry. I have confidence in my persuasiveness. I'm sure that young man would prefer our methods as opposed to his. After all, we do not wish destruction. Only change."

The cogs move ever faster.

To what end... was still uncertain.

-Arc 1 End-