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Source: collected/018-mortal-steel-episode-1.mp3
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00:00:00.600 Speaker 1 [rock music]
00:00:09.080 Speaker 1 Mortal
00:00:49.960 Speaker 1 Steel. Prologue: Unmaking. Six months ago.
00:00:58.260 Speaker 1 Gabriel Kline waited for the people on the other end of the video call to die.
00:01:03.840 Speaker 1 Everyone still with him in the conference room averted their eyes, but not Gabriel.
00:01:08.880 Speaker 1 Gabriel stared into the eyes of a doomed man. Nor did Professor Saitama turn away
00:01:14.500 Speaker 1 from the camera as people piled furniture against the door in the video behind him.
00:01:18.620 Speaker 2 We are releasing everything we've worked on. Please do not judge us harshly for what
00:01:22.540 Speaker 2 you find. It is not my judgment you should fear.
00:01:27.000 Speaker 1 Something collided with the door in Saitama's conference room, causing their
00:01:30.900 Speaker 1 makeshift furniture barricade to shudder. People screamed and spoke hurriedly in
00:01:35.100 Speaker 1 Japanese. Saitama's gaze did not waver, and neither did Gabriel's. He would
00:01:40.980 Speaker 1 not miss a moment of this magnificent man's life.
00:01:44.780 Speaker 2 Should I beg forgiveness? It couldn't hurt, old friend.
00:01:49.340 Speaker 1 Someone started sobbing next to Gabriel, and he put out his hand for them to hold.
00:01:54.280 Speaker 1 His surgeon, Marie, gripped the hand tightly, as if she could prevent the Japanese
00:01:59.160 Speaker 1 team's fate simply by holding it tight enough. Something hit their door again, hard
00:02:04.300 Speaker 1 enough to scatter the barricade. People hurried to rebuild it, but it was futile. A
00:02:10.120 Speaker 1 long, pale snout pushed through the buckling barricade. More people braced the door
00:02:15.440 Speaker 1 itself. An inhuman hand with sagging pale skin and only three
00:02:20.820 Speaker 1 fingers slid through the crack. Still, the Japanese team braced the door with as
00:02:25.320 Speaker 1 many people as could fit around it. The creature raked its dagger claws across the
00:02:30.240 Speaker 1 men and women bracing the door until none could hold it any longer. I can't look.
00:02:35.660 Speaker 1 Tears streamed down Gabriel's face, but still he watched as the demons tore the door
00:02:40.680 Speaker 1 from its hinges and ripped into the people on the video feed. Nightmarish creatures
00:02:45.480 Speaker 1 with impossible proportions, like tall dogs with reverse joints, sagging
00:02:51.440 Speaker 1 skin, and no hair. Professor Saitama stared forward into the camera, chin
00:02:57.220 Speaker 1 held high.
00:02:58.500 Speaker 2 Arigato, Gabriel.
00:03:00.740 Speaker 1 Mercifully, the other man cut the video feed just as the massacre began. Gabriel
00:03:06.600 Speaker 1 Kline stared at the black screen where his friend's face had been just moments
00:03:11.100 Speaker 1 before. A living, breathing, wonderful man and his dedicated team of
00:03:16.940 Speaker 1 selfless heroes, torn apart for their crime of existing. Gabriel placed a
00:03:23.020 Speaker 1 hand on the black screen and bowed his head, letting the warm tears patter onto his
00:03:28.420 Speaker 1 robes.
00:03:30.460 Speaker 2 Arigato, Saitama.
00:03:31.740 Speaker 1 [somber music]
00:03:48.280 Speaker 1 [machine beeping] Pastor Ethan Cutter was wheeled down the hallway of the advanced
00:03:52.020 Speaker 1 clinic, the only such building in Last Respite, one of the three remaining human
00:03:56.980 Speaker 1 strongholds in the old Los Angeles area. It differed from the other clinics in Last
00:04:01.700 Speaker 1 Respite. Those were hot, cramped buildings packed with people too sick to cure, too
00:04:07.440 Speaker 1 injured to heal. If you went to a clinic, you usually went there to die. The
00:04:12.780 Speaker 1 advanced clinic, in stark contrast, was the pinnacle of human achievement. It was
00:04:18.019 Speaker 1 the place you went to become something greater. But like the other clinics, it was
00:04:23.280 Speaker 1 also a place you usually went to die. Ethan told himself he was prepared to die.
00:04:29.140 Speaker 1 He'd told everyone else that at every step along the way. But as they prepped him
00:04:33.180 Speaker 1 for surgery, he found that he was actually terrified. Maybe it wasn't too late to
00:04:39.040 Speaker 1 back out. Dr. Marie Singer glanced at a rapidly beeping machine.
00:04:44.860 Speaker 3 Your heart rate's rising.
00:04:47.040 Speaker 2 What can I expect here, Doc?
00:04:49.080 Speaker 1 She smiled reassuringly and held his hand as they wheeled his gurney toward the
00:04:52.900 Speaker 1 operating room.
00:04:54.640 Speaker 3 This will be easier than any of your training until now. This next step is on us.
00:05:01.140 Speaker 3 We'll take good care of you.
00:05:03.240 Speaker 1 Just like they'd taken care of the first three candidates before him, the ones that
00:05:08.360 Speaker 1 had died on the operating room floor. He wasn't supposed to know about that, but
00:05:13.720 Speaker 1 people talked. Dr. Singer glanced at his vitals again and frowned.
00:05:18.440 Speaker 3 Ethan. May I call you Ethan?
00:05:21.520 Speaker 2 Sure.
00:05:22.960 Speaker 3 Ethan, you need to calm down.
00:05:26.320 Speaker 2 I just need to know what to expect.
00:05:29.140 Speaker 1 She pursed her lips, clearly uncomfortable with talking about the next step. Ethan
00:05:34.000 Speaker 1 knew in the abstract what was happening. He'd signed up for it, after all. But he
00:05:38.460 Speaker 1 needed to know. If he knew, he could face it. All of which was ridiculous,
00:05:44.460 Speaker 1 of course, because he'd be unconscious for it. Somehow, it still mattered to him.
00:05:49.040 Speaker 3 Oh, I was ready.
00:05:49.640 Speaker 1 The doors of the operating room slammed closed with finality. There was the sound of
00:05:54.360 Speaker 1 an air seal, and then all of them were bathed in an antiseptic mist. Dr. Singer
00:05:59.520 Speaker 1 waited until the mist stopped to speak.
00:06:02.888 Speaker 3 We are going to make you into something better. You will still be you, just
00:06:09.468 Speaker 3 more. In order to do that, first we have to unmake you.
00:06:16.068 Speaker 3 The first two-thirds of the operation will be removing body parts and keeping you
00:06:20.628 Speaker 3 stable. It's a delicate balance between working fast enough to keep you alive and
00:06:25.728 Speaker 3 working slow enough to not make any errors
00:06:29.648 Speaker 1 Ethan turned away from the surgeon and stared straight up at the ceiling. That was
00:06:33.908 Speaker 1 all he needed to hear, a mission. He gave that mission a singular focus
00:06:40.528 Speaker 3 Hmm.
00:06:42.828 Speaker 3 Heart rate's falling
00:06:44.468 Speaker 1 She leaned over him and placed an oxygen mask on his face. Dr. Singer held his hand
00:06:49.308 Speaker 1 again and squeezed tight. She dropped the reassuring smile, which must have been
00:06:53.548 Speaker 1 effective on children, and gave him a serious, humorless gaze instead, searching his
00:06:59.048 Speaker 1 face with those intelligent dark brown eyes. Ethan felt the anesthesia start to kick
00:07:03.948 Speaker 1 in
00:07:05.668 Speaker 3 Will you fight for me, Ethan? For all of us
00:07:10.008 Speaker 1 Yes, I'll fight. Don't you worry.
00:07:16.028 Speaker 1 Then the world faded into nothing, and his fight began.
00:07:25.728 Speaker 1 Part one: The Messenger. Six months later.
00:07:33.208 Speaker 1 Pastor Ethan Cutter, ordained minister and cyborg, waited outside the Archbishop's
00:07:39.088 Speaker 1 office door, his face two and three-quarter inches from the wood. The wood was an
00:07:45.168 Speaker 1 old world hardwood with a synthetic lacquer. It had an approximate breaching
00:07:49.548 Speaker 1 strength of zero point four tons. Ethan shook his head to clear the simulations for
00:07:54.628 Speaker 1 suggested breaching points
00:07:56.688 Speaker 2 Just a moment, just a moment
00:07:58.928 Speaker 1 An elderly man in ornate red robes opened the door and smiled up at Ethan
00:08:04.108 Speaker 2 Sorry for the wait. It's a chore just to get up at my age
00:08:08.448 Speaker 1 He turned and walked back into his office, leaving the door open for Ethan to follow
00:08:12.707 Speaker 1 him
00:08:13.328 Speaker 2 I don't suppose you have that problem, do you?
00:08:16.288 Speaker 1 Negative. Ethan winced at his own words.
00:08:21.268 Speaker 1 I mean, no, sir. Archbishop Gabriel Klein collapsed into his large office chair
00:08:27.228 Speaker 1 behind his desk and gave Ethan an undisguised look of exhaustion.
00:08:32.168 Speaker 2 Do you sleep?
00:08:33.688 Speaker 1 Ethan moved into the room, ignoring the fourteen yellow warning marks that flashed
00:08:37.968 Speaker 1 around the room on his HUD, warning him of potential dangers like hidden weapons or
00:08:42.788 Speaker 1 secret entrances. Never mind that this was the office of his commander. Sometimes.
00:08:49.488 Speaker 1 Not like I used to. The Archbishop motioned for him to have a seat. Ethan didn't
00:08:54.448 Speaker 1 know how to tell the man that he didn't need to, that his titanium joints
00:08:58.268 Speaker 1 experienced no strain from standing. That, and even if he did feel discomfort, he
00:09:03.848 Speaker 1 could simply turn it off
00:09:05.748 Speaker 2 Please, sit
00:09:07.928 Speaker 1 Yes, sir. Ethan sat down without even considering it. That unnerved him. Had he
00:09:13.588 Speaker 1 chosen to sit? More importantly, could he have chosen not to? Yes,
00:09:19.708 Speaker 1 he could still choose. The Archbishop folded his hands and watched him carefully.
00:09:25.188 Speaker 1 His skin showed early signs of melanoma, most of it benign, but the spot on his neck
00:09:30.088 Speaker 1 was ninety-four percent likely to be malignant and growing. The outlook, given his
00:09:35.888 Speaker 1 age and other cursory data, was not good. You have skin cancer, you know.
00:09:41.908 Speaker 1 The Archbishop's eyebrows went up. Then he spun in his office chair and looked out
00:09:46.328 Speaker 1 the window behind him. It wasn't a real window. Windows were defensive weak points.
00:09:53.168 Speaker 1 It was a real-time video feed of the view from the other side of the four-foot
00:09:57.148 Speaker 1 concrete and steel wall, though, and that served the purpose for his thoughtful
00:10:01.728 Speaker 1 stare
00:10:03.148 Speaker 2 I'll consider myself lucky to die of skin cancer
00:10:06.628 Speaker 1 The electronic part of Ethan's mind didn't really know what to do with statements
00:10:09.988 Speaker 1 like that. It started searching around for old movie and TV quotes and feeding him
00:10:14.588 Speaker 1 ideas. It liked those one-liners for some reason. He shoved the unwanted information
00:10:19.648 Speaker 1 away. He did that a lot lately. This was something he could handle himself.
00:10:25.588 Speaker 1 So, what's wrong? Archbishop Klein looked over his shoulder and gave him a weak
00:10:31.088 Speaker 1 smile
00:10:32.748 Speaker 2 We're living on borrowed time, Cutter, all of us. When the strongholds in Mexico
00:10:37.908 Speaker 2 finally fall, they'll circle back north to clean us up, and that's all it will be,
00:10:43.268 Speaker 2 cleanup
00:10:45.328 Speaker 1 Ethan let the words hang dramatically between them for just a moment. There was more
00:10:50.048 Speaker 1 here. Klein wasn't the type to lay down and die. Unless?
00:10:56.028 Speaker 2 Unless we do something drastic
00:10:59.068 Speaker 1 Archbishop Klein turned all the way around and met Ethan's eyes. He started to
00:11:03.528 Speaker 1 speak, but hesitated
00:11:08.088 Speaker 2 I'm not ready to reveal the full extent of my plan. I would probably be killed if I
00:11:12.708 Speaker 2 did
00:11:13.528 Speaker 1 Come on, not even to me?
00:11:14.988 Speaker 2 [laughs] Especially to you
00:11:19.608 Speaker 1 Four months ago, Pastor Ethan Cutter had awoken from his coma just hours before they
00:11:24.628 Speaker 1 started disassembling him. They'd given up on his recovery and were repurposing the
00:11:29.748 Speaker 1 parts for the next candidate. Despite his miraculous recovery and the ultimate
00:11:34.928 Speaker 1 success of the Hail Mary project, they had not warmed much toward him since then. In
00:11:40.608 Speaker 1 truth, the leadership of the advanced clinic had considered dismantling him four
00:11:45.368 Speaker 1 separate times. He wasn't supposed to know that, but keeping his second mind from
00:11:51.388 Speaker 1 rifling through unprotected data was like keeping a hungry dog from its food
00:11:56.948 Speaker 2 But you don't need to know my plan to do your part in it
00:12:00.448 Speaker 1 Archbishop Klein absentmindedly touched the spot on his neck, then abruptly stood
00:12:05.368 Speaker 1 and straightened his robe, straightened his back, lifted his chin, and narrowed his
00:12:11.088 Speaker 1 eyes
00:12:13.078 Speaker 2 You're being let out of your cage, Ethan. Are you ready to kill some goddamn demons?
00:12:19.338 Speaker 1 Both halves of Pastor Ethan Cutter's mind were in complete alignment on his answer.
00:12:25.158 Speaker 1 For the first time since he woke, all of him wanted the same thing. Oh,
00:12:31.258 Speaker 1 yes, sir.
00:12:32.698 Speaker 2 Good. Now go.
00:12:34.858 Speaker 1 The Archbishop nodded once and waved in dismissal. Ethan spun his right hand like a
00:12:39.538 Speaker 1 drill bit, then clenched the fist and stepped into the hallway. He looked back over
00:12:44.338 Speaker 1 his shoulder at the Archbishop.
00:12:47.818 Speaker 2 I'll give him heaven.
00:12:59.698 Speaker 1 The conference room was standing room only. Gabriel didn't often leave his post at
00:13:04.398 Speaker 1 the advanced clinic. They had teleconferencing, after all. But this emergency
00:13:08.898 Speaker 1 meeting necessitated that all the leaders of the Last Respite Holy Military Base
00:13:13.678 Speaker 1 meet in person. Somehow, the practice of meetings had survived the apocalypse.
00:13:19.918 Speaker 1 Figures. Meetings, like cockroaches, could never truly die.
00:13:25.678 Speaker 1 Archbishop Lucius, Chair of Public Communications, was standing and screaming, like
00:13:31.498 Speaker 1 usual. He pointed an accusing finger at the seated Gabriel.
00:13:36.038 Speaker 2 You, you, you, you let it out? He only has access to 30% of the design
00:13:41.978 Speaker 2 weapon systems. It's an abomination. Who knows what the Japanese hid in that
00:13:47.938 Speaker 2 tech?
00:13:49.078 Speaker 1 Gabriel ignored both lines of argument. This wasn't about public safety, or
00:13:53.858 Speaker 1 blasphemy, or espionage. What would the now deceased Japanese research team hide
00:13:58.818 Speaker 1 anyway? Professor Saitama had been honorable and faithful to their shared cause
00:14:03.878 Speaker 1 until the very end. Gabriel felt that it was sometimes better to let a friend stab
00:14:08.878 Speaker 1 you in the back, to fully trust some people, and simply hope for the best.
00:14:14.698 Speaker 1 Lucius was not one of those people.
00:14:17.818 Speaker 2 He hasn't hurt anyone. Yet. What about the incident at the firing range?
00:14:24.058 Speaker 1 Gabriel ground his teeth.
00:14:26.458 Speaker 2 If the bar for technology is perfection, we will never make another advance. Perhaps
00:14:31.158 Speaker 2 we should fight the demons with reliable, sharpened sticks. Don't mock me.
00:14:36.738 Speaker 1 Gentlemen, please. Bishop Erica Long, ever the mediator, raised her hands between
00:14:42.358 Speaker 1 them. The rest of the room was remarkably quiet. The other factions in the church
00:14:47.118 Speaker 1 seemed content to let these two duke it out. Erica leveled a serious gaze at
00:14:52.078 Speaker 1 Gabriel. You released an experimental and dangerous prototype into an encampment
00:14:58.078 Speaker 1 of civilians. We at least deserve an explanation. Gabriel ignored the self-satisfied
00:15:04.198 Speaker 1 look on Lucius's face. He took a deep breath. How to convincingly reveal just the
00:15:10.218 Speaker 1 tip of a plan.
00:15:12.278 Speaker 2 There is a possessed in the outskirts known as Stalker, a former priest.
00:15:16.698 Speaker 1 A wave of uncomfortable muttering went through the assembly. This was a sore topic.
00:15:21.738 Speaker 1 The rebel priest had been well-liked, until he'd taken a demon into his heart and
00:15:26.178 Speaker 1 set himself up as a leader in the outskirts surrounding Last Respite. Old Los
00:15:31.618 Speaker 1 Angeles had been a populous place 30 years ago. Not everyone could fit inside this
00:15:36.438 Speaker 1 fortification. Not even close.
00:15:40.158 Speaker 2 I've sent Pastor Cutter to find him, and if he can, kill him. What?
00:15:46.038 Speaker 1 Lucius slammed his hands on the table and the room fell into disorder as people
00:15:49.938 Speaker 1 fought to speak.
00:15:50.698 Speaker 2 He can't do that.
00:15:51.378 Speaker 1 Bishop Erica was unable to bring order to the room.
00:15:53.758 Speaker 2 Okay.
00:15:53.778 Speaker 1 Let me speak.
00:15:54.658 Speaker 2 That is not what we gave you the funding for.
00:15:55.098 Speaker 1 Gabriel ignored the lobbed insults and waited, seated patiently in his chair until
00:15:59.758 Speaker 1 the room calmed enough to speak again. The Stalker has a psychic link back to the
00:16:04.558 Speaker 1 Southern Demonic Horde. He's feeding information to them. If we intend to survive
00:16:08.878 Speaker 1 the year, we need to sever that line of communication. Lucius' face went a deep red.
00:16:14.658 Speaker 1 He was about to start another tirade when Erica spoke first. You should have spoken
00:16:19.478 Speaker 1 to us first, Gabriel. Gabriel tried his best to look apologetic. If he had spoken to
00:16:25.258 Speaker 1 them first, it would have taken a week to drag every leader into the same room. He'd
00:16:29.658 Speaker 1 accomplished the same outcome here, and much quicker, if a little more heated. But I
00:16:35.158 Speaker 1 agree with the strategy.
00:16:37.378 Speaker 2 You can't be serious, Erica.
00:16:40.138 Speaker 1 It's worth the attempt, Lucius. Besides, if he fails, the Hail Mary prototype will
00:16:45.398 Speaker 1 be destroyed in the process. Lucius seemed mollified by that. He was a hothead, but
00:16:50.918 Speaker 1 not an idiot. Either way, he would gain something. Bishop Erica Long turned to
00:16:56.158 Speaker 1 Gabriel again, and she raised her voice as if to speak for the entire room.
00:17:02.158 Speaker 1 Let's see what your pet project can do. It walks a dangerous line with blasphemy.
00:17:08.698 Speaker 1 But it's either this or we ask New Hope and Crucifer for help. Lucius'
00:17:14.698 Speaker 1 face darkened at the mention of the rival denominations, only a shade lighter than
00:17:19.618 Speaker 1 the demons in his eyes. And just like that, he was sold on the plan.
00:17:25.558 Speaker 1 Do you have the detonator? Gabriel nodded once. Give it to me. He
00:17:31.458 Speaker 1 hesitated, but knew he would lose this one. He'd already used up all his political
00:17:36.518 Speaker 1 capital on his earlier stunt. So he fished the detonator remote out of his pants
00:17:41.318 Speaker 1 pocket from beneath his robes and put it in Bishop Erica's outstretched hand. If he
00:17:46.258 Speaker 1 goes rogue or doesn't report in or lays a single hand on an innocent, I will slag
00:17:52.198 Speaker 1 him. Gabriel looked around the room. His peers all had that same look of resolve
00:17:58.218 Speaker 1 on their faces. It was the outcome they all expected. Only Gabriel truly
00:18:04.318 Speaker 1 believed in Pastor Cutter.
00:18:08.618 Speaker 2 I understand.
00:18:21.850 Speaker 1 Pastor Cutter stood in the armory amidst the hum of activity. For reasons he didn't
00:18:26.350 Speaker 1 understand, he was only given 30 minutes to prepare for this mission. Given its
00:18:31.170 Speaker 1 apparent importance, that didn't make much sense, but he found it physically
00:18:35.170 Speaker 1 difficult to question orders. So he waited patiently as women prodded and adjusted
00:18:40.550 Speaker 1 the thousands of parts that made up his body. They were all women, wearing identical
00:18:45.650 Speaker 1 black and white robes with simple headdresses. Nuns. Half a dozen hands pulled
00:18:51.590 Speaker 1 on him, filling internal containers with unidentified liquids, running last-minute
00:18:56.730 Speaker 1 diagnostics. Meanwhile, the table in front of him was being covered with a selection
00:19:01.570 Speaker 1 of external equipment. There was no way he could carry it all, so he was already
00:19:07.170 Speaker 1 making a mental inventory of the pieces he knew he wanted. Without asking, that
00:19:11.890 Speaker 1 inventory was being tracked in a list on his HUD. Even after four months living with
00:19:17.390 Speaker 1 the second mind bolted on, its capabilities, however mundane, still surprised him.
00:19:23.510 Speaker 1 It seemed the Japanese team had thought of everything.
00:19:27.570 Speaker 1 Ethan picked up the first item on the list, marked high priority. It was a comically
00:19:32.930 Speaker 1 large handgun, jet black with silver ornamentation. Silver crosses marked the sides
00:19:38.950 Speaker 1 of the gun's grips with another thin silver cross on top for iron sights. He picked
00:19:44.010 Speaker 1 it up. The weight felt right. Six months ago, he'd have to fire this weapon from a
00:19:49.810 Speaker 1 seated position just to stay upright from the recoil. Now he could easily fire it
00:19:55.710 Speaker 1 with one hand. The nun still laying equipment on the table paused when she saw him
00:20:00.950 Speaker 1 pick up the gun.
00:20:02.810 Speaker 4 You like that? That's my personal handiwork. It fires custom silver lead ammunition.
00:20:08.710 Speaker 4 You could take down a T-Rex with that.
00:20:11.310 Speaker 1 Does it have a name?
00:20:13.090 Speaker 4 A name? It's just a gun.
00:20:16.010 Speaker 1 Ethan narrowed his eyes. Not in my hands.
00:20:19.670 Speaker 4 [laughs] All right. What's its name then?
00:20:23.570 Speaker 1 Ethan responded without hesitation. The Messenger. Even though it was his
00:20:29.430 Speaker 1 first time holding the weapon, he placed it in his hip holster with practiced
00:20:33.190 Speaker 1 precision. The gun was so long it spanned from his hip almost down to his knee.
00:20:39.310 Speaker 1 What's, uh, your name?
00:20:41.230 Speaker 4 Sister Fran.
00:20:42.530 Speaker 1 Well, nice to meet you, Sister Fran.
00:20:44.990 Speaker 4 Oh, we've met before, Number Four.
00:20:47.290 Speaker 1 We have?
00:20:48.610 Speaker 4 Of course. You were asleep, but we've been there since the beginning. Who do you
00:20:53.150 Speaker 4 think keeps you running? It's us.
00:20:56.490 Speaker 1 Ethan looked at the nuns working around him, people staring at computer screens with
00:21:01.370 Speaker 1 cables running directly into his body, people muttering to each other in a hushed,
00:21:06.250 Speaker 1 serious conversation as they pointed at numbers on a larger screen above him. He
00:21:11.190 Speaker 1 recognized one of the nuns, the surgeon, Marie, the last person he saw before the
00:21:17.250 Speaker 1 anesthesia kicked in. For some reason, he had trouble remembering anything before
00:21:22.570 Speaker 1 that surgery. He turned his focus back to Sister Fran. Well, I sure do thank you.
00:21:28.930 Speaker 4 You're welcome. Try not to get too beat up. Every bullet hole is more work for us.
00:21:35.430 Speaker 4 Now hold still.
00:21:36.870 Speaker 1 She smiled and gently lifted his left arm. A valve opened in his wrist, and Sister
00:21:42.190 Speaker 1 Fran began carefully pouring liquid into the hole, her face a mask of focus. Perhaps
00:21:48.090 Speaker 1 this was holy water. It would be good to have some on hand in case he actually found
00:21:52.550 Speaker 1 the possessed man today. It was a solid defense against psychic intrusion and could
00:21:57.470 Speaker 1 ward off lesser demonic creatures. What is this, holy water?
00:22:01.690 Speaker 4 Hmm? Water?
00:22:04.490 Speaker 1 Yeah. Did you bless the water? She looked around at her coworkers as if there were
00:22:10.150 Speaker 1 some mistake.
00:22:11.970 Speaker 4 Sir, we blessed the napalm.
00:22:16.410 Speaker 1 A wide grin spread across Ethan's face. [laughs] Oh, I like you,
00:22:22.270 Speaker 1 Fran. A red light flashed above Ethan, and the nuns hurried over to him to start
00:22:26.930 Speaker 1 unplugging cables and sealing valves. Once they were done, he looked like a regular
00:22:31.690 Speaker 1 human being again. Almost.
00:22:35.070 Speaker 4 We're out of time. You need to move.
00:22:37.330 Speaker 1 Ethan nodded. Two nuns started pushing open the heavy steel door, leaning into the
00:22:42.630 Speaker 1 door with all their weight as they walked. The other dozen or so nuns stood in a
00:22:47.610 Speaker 1 loose group around him, parting just enough so he could leave. They stopped looking
00:22:52.470 Speaker 1 at monitors, stopped adjusting machines. They had dark circles under their eyes.
00:22:58.870 Speaker 1 Each of them was covered in grease and sweating through their heavy robes, and yet
00:23:04.430 Speaker 1 they were all smiling. He might never know the debt he owed these people. He didn't
00:23:09.630 Speaker 1 even know most of their names. Sister Fran gave him a thumbs up.
00:23:14.390 Speaker 4 God go with you.
00:23:15.590 Speaker 1 Then she rushed over to the table, still loaded with equipment he couldn't
00:23:19.410 Speaker 1 reasonably carry. She handed him a pair of grenades.
00:23:23.310 Speaker 4 But just in case, take these, too.
00:23:26.430 Speaker 1 Ethan gave the group a sharp nod of thanks, then started toward the doorway, bright
00:23:30.830 Speaker 1 with light from the outside world. The 40-foot concrete walls surrounding Last
00:23:36.010 Speaker 1 Respite slowly came into view as he walked out of the advanced clinic. What was left
00:23:41.370 Speaker 1 of humanity withered and died outside those walls. The outskirts was a lawless
00:23:47.230 Speaker 1 hellscape where the strong made the rules and the weak got trampled. The
00:23:52.970 Speaker 1 apocalypse had come and gone here. This was just the fight to determine who would
00:23:57.950 Speaker 1 rule over the rubble. Today, he was finally going to get a say in whether that would
00:24:03.170 Speaker 1 be good, compassionate people or literal demons. Truthfully, he
00:24:09.050 Speaker 1 didn't know whether he was an instrument of God's will or not, but he was an
00:24:13.170 Speaker 1 instrument of retribution. A lot of prayers had gone unanswered in the last 30
00:24:17.890 Speaker 1 years. Most of them he couldn't do anything about. But for those few who prayed
00:24:23.950 Speaker 1 for retribution, well, they were about to get their
00:24:29.110 Speaker 1 prayers answered.
00:24:31.520 Speaker 1 [upbeat rock music]
00:25:27.620 Speaker 1 Sister Fran knocked on the Archbishop's door. A moment later, the kindly old man let
00:25:32.400 Speaker 1 her in.
00:25:33.260 Speaker 2 [whip cracking] Good evening, Francesca.
00:25:39.660 Speaker 2 Something on my face?
00:25:41.800 Speaker 1 Mm, no, sir.
00:25:43.460 Speaker 2 I'm just about to sit down to dinner. Come on in.
00:25:47.440 Speaker 1 She hesitated at the doorway. Was that an invitation or a dismissal?
00:25:53.260 Speaker 2 Seriously, come in. It's okay to let your hair down.
00:25:57.080 Speaker 1 Fran moved to see if her hood was still up. Yes, it was. Should she let her hair
00:26:02.660 Speaker 1 down? Why was that important? The Archbishop shook his head and smiled warmly at
00:26:08.360 Speaker 1 her. So she took that as an invitation and closed the door behind her. She stopped
00:26:13.560 Speaker 1 trying to read the man's expression and got right down to business, where she was
00:26:17.580 Speaker 1 most comfortable. I found another file in Saitama's data dump. You're gonna wanna
00:26:23.360 Speaker 1 see this. She walked over to where Gabriel sat at his desk and set her tablet down
00:26:28.000 Speaker 1 in front of him. Fran swiped through the blueprints, stopping on the artist's
00:26:33.000 Speaker 1 impression of the final product, which was incredibly dramatic. Gabriel stopped
00:26:39.000 Speaker 1 chewing, his eyes opened wide.
00:26:44.660 Speaker 1 We can't. It's as tall as a building.
00:26:47.320 Speaker 2 [laughs] It looks like it's straight out of an anime.
00:26:51.760 Speaker 1 Fran nodded enthusiastically. They had maybe 10% of the materials needed to
00:26:56.520 Speaker 1 construct it, not that they would even try. It would be an egregious waste of
00:27:00.980 Speaker 1 resources. There was a reason tanks didn't have legs. It was simply impractical.
00:27:06.860 Speaker 1 Gabriel scratched his chin thoughtfully. Maybe we could make a smaller one