1
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:09,080
Speaker 1: [rock music]

2
00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:49,640
Speaker 1: Mortal

3
00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:55,600
Speaker 1: Steel. Prologue: Unmaking. Six months
ago.

4
00:00:58,260 --> 00:01:02,840
Speaker 1: Gabriel Kline waited for the people
on the other end of the video call to die.

5
00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:08,260
Speaker 1: Everyone still with him in the
conference room averted their eyes, but not
Gabriel.

6
00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:14,460
Speaker 1: Gabriel stared into the eyes of a
doomed man. Nor did Professor Saitama turn away

7
00:01:14,500 --> 00:01:18,560
Speaker 1: from the camera as people piled
furniture against the door in the video behind
him.

8
00:01:18,620 --> 00:01:22,480
Speaker 2: We are releasing everything we've
worked on. Please do not judge us harshly for
what

9
00:01:22,540 --> 00:01:26,060
Speaker 2: you find. It is not my judgment you
should fear.

10
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,840
Speaker 1: Something collided with the door in
Saitama's conference room, causing their

11
00:01:30,900 --> 00:01:35,040
Speaker 1: makeshift furniture barricade to
shudder. People screamed and spoke hurriedly in

12
00:01:35,100 --> 00:01:40,920
Speaker 1: Japanese. Saitama's gaze did not
waver, and neither did Gabriel's. He would

13
00:01:40,980 --> 00:01:43,900
Speaker 1: not miss a moment of this magnificent
man's life.

14
00:01:44,780 --> 00:01:48,600
Speaker 2: Should I beg forgiveness? It couldn't
hurt, old friend.

15
00:01:49,340 --> 00:01:53,420
Speaker 1: Someone started sobbing next to
Gabriel, and he put out his hand for them to
hold.

16
00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:59,100
Speaker 1: His surgeon, Marie, gripped the hand
tightly, as if she could prevent the Japanese

17
00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:04,260
Speaker 1: team's fate simply by holding it
tight enough. Something hit their door again,
hard

18
00:02:04,300 --> 00:02:09,940
Speaker 1: enough to scatter the barricade.
People hurried to rebuild it, but it was futile.
A

19
00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:15,400
Speaker 1: long, pale snout pushed through the
buckling barricade. More people braced the door

20
00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:20,600
Speaker 1: itself. An inhuman hand with sagging
pale skin and only three

21
00:02:20,820 --> 00:02:25,240
Speaker 1: fingers slid through the crack.
Still, the Japanese team braced the door with as

22
00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:30,200
Speaker 1: many people as could fit around it.
The creature raked its dagger claws across the

23
00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:35,480
Speaker 1: men and women bracing the door until
none could hold it any longer. I can't look.

24
00:02:35,660 --> 00:02:40,640
Speaker 1: Tears streamed down Gabriel's face,
but still he watched as the demons tore the door

25
00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:45,440
Speaker 1: from its hinges and ripped into the
people on the video feed. Nightmarish creatures

26
00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:51,300
Speaker 1: with impossible proportions, like
tall dogs with reverse joints, sagging

27
00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:57,160
Speaker 1: skin, and no hair. Professor Saitama
stared forward into the camera, chin

28
00:02:57,220 --> 00:02:57,940
Speaker 1: held high.

29
00:02:58,500 --> 00:03:00,000
Speaker 2: Arigato, Gabriel.

30
00:03:00,740 --> 00:03:06,540
Speaker 1: Mercifully, the other man cut the
video feed just as the massacre began. Gabriel

31
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:11,040
Speaker 1: Kline stared at the black screen
where his friend's face had been just moments

32
00:03:11,100 --> 00:03:16,860
Speaker 1: before. A living, breathing,
wonderful man and his dedicated team of

33
00:03:16,940 --> 00:03:22,940
Speaker 1: selfless heroes, torn apart for their
crime of existing. Gabriel placed a

34
00:03:23,020 --> 00:03:28,320
Speaker 1: hand on the black screen and bowed
his head, letting the warm tears patter onto his

35
00:03:28,420 --> 00:03:28,840
Speaker 1: robes.

36
00:03:30,460 --> 00:03:31,720
Speaker 2: Arigato, Saitama.

37
00:03:31,740 --> 00:03:48,260
Speaker 1: [somber music]

38
00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,900
Speaker 1: [machine beeping] Pastor Ethan Cutter
was wheeled down the hallway of the advanced

39
00:03:52,020 --> 00:03:56,900
Speaker 1: clinic, the only such building in
Last Respite, one of the three remaining human

40
00:03:56,980 --> 00:04:01,640
Speaker 1: strongholds in the old Los Angeles
area. It differed from the other clinics in Last

41
00:04:01,700 --> 00:04:07,360
Speaker 1: Respite. Those were hot, cramped
buildings packed with people too sick to cure,
too

42
00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:12,720
Speaker 1: injured to heal. If you went to a
clinic, you usually went there to die. The

43
00:04:12,780 --> 00:04:17,980
Speaker 1: advanced clinic, in stark contrast,
was the pinnacle of human achievement. It was

44
00:04:18,019 --> 00:04:23,200
Speaker 1: the place you went to become
something greater. But like the other clinics,
it was

45
00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:28,640
Speaker 1: also a place you usually went to die.
Ethan told himself he was prepared to die.

46
00:04:29,140 --> 00:04:33,140
Speaker 1: He'd told everyone else that at every
step along the way. But as they prepped him

47
00:04:33,180 --> 00:04:38,980
Speaker 1: for surgery, he found that he was
actually terrified. Maybe it wasn't too late to

48
00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,640
Speaker 1: back out. Dr. Marie Singer glanced at
a rapidly beeping machine.

49
00:04:44,860 --> 00:04:46,080
Speaker 3: Your heart rate's rising.

50
00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:48,320
Speaker 2: What can I expect here, Doc?

51
00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,800
Speaker 1: She smiled reassuringly and held his
hand as they wheeled his gurney toward the

52
00:04:52,900 --> 00:04:53,600
Speaker 1: operating room.

53
00:04:54,640 --> 00:05:00,540
Speaker 3: This will be easier than any of your
training until now. This next step is on us.

54
00:05:01,140 --> 00:05:02,720
Speaker 3: We'll take good care of you.

55
00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:08,320
Speaker 1: Just like they'd taken care of the
first three candidates before him, the ones that

56
00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:13,680
Speaker 1: had died on the operating room floor.
He wasn't supposed to know about that, but

57
00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,900
Speaker 1: people talked. Dr. Singer glanced at
his vitals again and frowned.

58
00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:20,740
Speaker 3: Ethan. May I call you Ethan?

59
00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:21,880
Speaker 2: Sure.

60
00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,420
Speaker 3: Ethan, you need to calm down.

61
00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:28,380
Speaker 2: I just need to know what to expect.

62
00:05:29,140 --> 00:05:33,960
Speaker 1: She pursed her lips, clearly
uncomfortable with talking about the next step.
Ethan

63
00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:38,360
Speaker 1: knew in the abstract what was
happening. He'd signed up for it, after all. But
he

64
00:05:38,460 --> 00:05:44,380
Speaker 1: needed to know. If he knew, he could
face it. All of which was ridiculous,

65
00:05:44,460 --> 00:05:48,940
Speaker 1: of course, because he'd be
unconscious for it. Somehow, it still mattered
to him.

66
00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:49,440
Speaker 3: Oh, I was ready.

67
00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:54,340
Speaker 1: The doors of the operating room
slammed closed with finality. There was the
sound of

68
00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:59,480
Speaker 1: an air seal, and then all of them
were bathed in an antiseptic mist. Dr. Singer

69
00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:01,980
Speaker 1: waited until the mist stopped to
speak.

70
00:06:02,888 --> 00:06:08,808
Speaker 3: We are going to make you into
something better. You will still be you, just

71
00:06:09,468 --> 00:06:15,248
Speaker 3: more. In order to do that, first we
have to unmake you.

72
00:06:16,068 --> 00:06:20,528
Speaker 3: The first two-thirds of the operation
will be removing body parts and keeping you

73
00:06:20,628 --> 00:06:25,668
Speaker 3: stable. It's a delicate balance
between working fast enough to keep you alive
and

74
00:06:25,728 --> 00:06:28,228
Speaker 3: working slow enough to not make any
errors

75
00:06:29,648 --> 00:06:33,808
Speaker 1: Ethan turned away from the surgeon
and stared straight up at the ceiling. That was

76
00:06:33,908 --> 00:06:39,568
Speaker 1: all he needed to hear, a mission. He
gave that mission a singular focus

77
00:06:40,528 --> 00:06:41,048
Speaker 3: Hmm.

78
00:06:42,828 --> 00:06:44,028
Speaker 3: Heart rate's falling

79
00:06:44,468 --> 00:06:49,248
Speaker 1: She leaned over him and placed an
oxygen mask on his face. Dr. Singer held his
hand

80
00:06:49,308 --> 00:06:53,508
Speaker 1: again and squeezed tight. She dropped
the reassuring smile, which must have been

81
00:06:53,548 --> 00:06:58,988
Speaker 1: effective on children, and gave him a
serious, humorless gaze instead, searching his

82
00:06:59,048 --> 00:07:03,868
Speaker 1: face with those intelligent dark
brown eyes. Ethan felt the anesthesia start to
kick

83
00:07:03,948 --> 00:07:04,108
Speaker 1: in

84
00:07:05,668 --> 00:07:08,968
Speaker 3: Will you fight for me, Ethan? For all
of us

85
00:07:10,008 --> 00:07:13,248
Speaker 1: Yes, I'll fight. Don't you worry.

86
00:07:16,028 --> 00:07:19,748
Speaker 1: Then the world faded into nothing,
and his fight began.

87
00:07:25,728 --> 00:07:29,888
Speaker 1: Part one: The Messenger. Six months
later.

88
00:07:33,208 --> 00:07:38,988
Speaker 1: Pastor Ethan Cutter, ordained
minister and cyborg, waited outside the
Archbishop's

89
00:07:39,088 --> 00:07:45,048
Speaker 1: office door, his face two and
three-quarter inches from the wood. The wood was
an

90
00:07:45,168 --> 00:07:49,428
Speaker 1: old world hardwood with a synthetic
lacquer. It had an approximate breaching

91
00:07:49,548 --> 00:07:54,588
Speaker 1: strength of zero point four tons.
Ethan shook his head to clear the simulations
for

92
00:07:54,628 --> 00:07:55,968
Speaker 1: suggested breaching points

93
00:07:56,688 --> 00:07:58,208
Speaker 2: Just a moment, just a moment

94
00:07:58,928 --> 00:08:03,048
Speaker 1: An elderly man in ornate red robes
opened the door and smiled up at Ethan

95
00:08:04,108 --> 00:08:07,268
Speaker 2: Sorry for the wait. It's a chore just
to get up at my age

96
00:08:08,448 --> 00:08:12,668
Speaker 1: He turned and walked back into his
office, leaving the door open for Ethan to
follow

97
00:08:12,707 --> 00:08:12,888
Speaker 1: him

98
00:08:13,328 --> 00:08:15,628
Speaker 2: I don't suppose you have that
problem, do you?

99
00:08:16,288 --> 00:08:19,108
Speaker 1: Negative. Ethan winced at his own
words.

100
00:08:21,268 --> 00:08:27,148
Speaker 1: I mean, no, sir. Archbishop Gabriel
Klein collapsed into his large office chair

101
00:08:27,228 --> 00:08:31,368
Speaker 1: behind his desk and gave Ethan an
undisguised look of exhaustion.

102
00:08:32,168 --> 00:08:32,908
Speaker 2: Do you sleep?

103
00:08:33,688 --> 00:08:37,908
Speaker 1: Ethan moved into the room, ignoring
the fourteen yellow warning marks that flashed

104
00:08:37,968 --> 00:08:42,688
Speaker 1: around the room on his HUD, warning
him of potential dangers like hidden weapons or

105
00:08:42,788 --> 00:08:48,628
Speaker 1: secret entrances. Never mind that
this was the office of his commander. Sometimes.

106
00:08:49,488 --> 00:08:54,408
Speaker 1: Not like I used to. The Archbishop
motioned for him to have a seat. Ethan didn't

107
00:08:54,448 --> 00:08:58,228
Speaker 1: know how to tell the man that he
didn't need to, that his titanium joints

108
00:08:58,268 --> 00:09:03,828
Speaker 1: experienced no strain from standing.
That, and even if he did feel discomfort, he

109
00:09:03,848 --> 00:09:05,068
Speaker 1: could simply turn it off

110
00:09:05,748 --> 00:09:06,968
Speaker 2: Please, sit

111
00:09:07,928 --> 00:09:13,528
Speaker 1: Yes, sir. Ethan sat down without even
considering it. That unnerved him. Had he

112
00:09:13,588 --> 00:09:19,048
Speaker 1: chosen to sit? More importantly,
could he have chosen not to? Yes,

113
00:09:19,708 --> 00:09:24,488
Speaker 1: he could still choose. The Archbishop
folded his hands and watched him carefully.

114
00:09:25,188 --> 00:09:30,048
Speaker 1: His skin showed early signs of
melanoma, most of it benign, but the spot on his
neck

115
00:09:30,088 --> 00:09:35,788
Speaker 1: was ninety-four percent likely to be
malignant and growing. The outlook, given his

116
00:09:35,888 --> 00:09:40,888
Speaker 1: age and other cursory data, was not
good. You have skin cancer, you know.

117
00:09:41,908 --> 00:09:46,288
Speaker 1: The Archbishop's eyebrows went up.
Then he spun in his office chair and looked out

118
00:09:46,328 --> 00:09:51,868
Speaker 1: the window behind him. It wasn't a
real window. Windows were defensive weak points.

119
00:09:53,168 --> 00:09:57,008
Speaker 1: It was a real-time video feed of the
view from the other side of the four-foot

120
00:09:57,148 --> 00:10:01,608
Speaker 1: concrete and steel wall, though, and
that served the purpose for his thoughtful

121
00:10:01,728 --> 00:10:02,028
Speaker 1: stare

122
00:10:03,148 --> 00:10:05,908
Speaker 2: I'll consider myself lucky to die of
skin cancer

123
00:10:06,628 --> 00:10:09,928
Speaker 1: The electronic part of Ethan's mind
didn't really know what to do with statements

124
00:10:09,988 --> 00:10:14,508
Speaker 1: like that. It started searching
around for old movie and TV quotes and feeding
him

125
00:10:14,588 --> 00:10:19,588
Speaker 1: ideas. It liked those one-liners for
some reason. He shoved the unwanted information

126
00:10:19,648 --> 00:10:24,648
Speaker 1: away. He did that a lot lately. This
was something he could handle himself.

127
00:10:25,588 --> 00:10:31,008
Speaker 1: So, what's wrong? Archbishop Klein
looked over his shoulder and gave him a weak

128
00:10:31,088 --> 00:10:31,528
Speaker 1: smile

129
00:10:32,748 --> 00:10:37,748
Speaker 2: We're living on borrowed time,
Cutter, all of us. When the strongholds in
Mexico

130
00:10:37,908 --> 00:10:42,608
Speaker 2: finally fall, they'll circle back
north to clean us up, and that's all it will be,

131
00:10:43,268 --> 00:10:43,708
Speaker 2: cleanup

132
00:10:45,328 --> 00:10:49,988
Speaker 1: Ethan let the words hang dramatically
between them for just a moment. There was more

133
00:10:50,048 --> 00:10:54,908
Speaker 1: here. Klein wasn't the type to lay
down and die. Unless?

134
00:10:56,028 --> 00:10:57,808
Speaker 2: Unless we do something drastic

135
00:10:59,068 --> 00:11:03,428
Speaker 1: Archbishop Klein turned all the way
around and met Ethan's eyes. He started to

136
00:11:03,528 --> 00:11:04,708
Speaker 1: speak, but hesitated

137
00:11:08,088 --> 00:11:12,648
Speaker 2: I'm not ready to reveal the full
extent of my plan. I would probably be killed if
I

138
00:11:12,708 --> 00:11:12,908
Speaker 2: did

139
00:11:13,528 --> 00:11:14,988
Speaker 1: Come on, not even to me?

140
00:11:14,988 --> 00:11:18,008
Speaker 2: [laughs] Especially to you

141
00:11:19,608 --> 00:11:24,568
Speaker 1: Four months ago, Pastor Ethan Cutter
had awoken from his coma just hours before they

142
00:11:24,628 --> 00:11:29,668
Speaker 1: started disassembling him. They'd
given up on his recovery and were repurposing
the

143
00:11:29,748 --> 00:11:34,868
Speaker 1: parts for the next candidate. Despite
his miraculous recovery and the ultimate

144
00:11:34,928 --> 00:11:40,548
Speaker 1: success of the Hail Mary project,
they had not warmed much toward him since then.
In

145
00:11:40,608 --> 00:11:45,288
Speaker 1: truth, the leadership of the advanced
clinic had considered dismantling him four

146
00:11:45,368 --> 00:11:51,328
Speaker 1: separate times. He wasn't supposed to
know that, but keeping his second mind from

147
00:11:51,388 --> 00:11:56,128
Speaker 1: rifling through unprotected data was
like keeping a hungry dog from its food

148
00:11:56,948 --> 00:11:59,648
Speaker 2: But you don't need to know my plan to
do your part in it

149
00:12:00,448 --> 00:12:05,328
Speaker 1: Archbishop Klein absentmindedly
touched the spot on his neck, then abruptly
stood

150
00:12:05,368 --> 00:12:10,988
Speaker 1: and straightened his robe,
straightened his back, lifted his chin, and
narrowed his

151
00:12:11,088 --> 00:12:11,548
Speaker 1: eyes

152
00:12:13,078 --> 00:12:18,438
Speaker 2: You're being let out of your cage,
Ethan. Are you ready to kill some goddamn
demons?

153
00:12:19,338 --> 00:12:23,658
Speaker 1: Both halves of Pastor Ethan Cutter's
mind were in complete alignment on his answer.

154
00:12:25,158 --> 00:12:30,898
Speaker 1: For the first time since he woke, all
of him wanted the same thing. Oh,

155
00:12:31,258 --> 00:12:32,118
Speaker 1: yes, sir.

156
00:12:32,698 --> 00:12:34,178
Speaker 2: Good. Now go.

157
00:12:34,858 --> 00:12:39,478
Speaker 1: The Archbishop nodded once and waved
in dismissal. Ethan spun his right hand like a

158
00:12:39,538 --> 00:12:44,298
Speaker 1: drill bit, then clenched the fist and
stepped into the hallway. He looked back over

159
00:12:44,338 --> 00:12:45,918
Speaker 1: his shoulder at the Archbishop.

160
00:12:47,818 --> 00:12:48,958
Speaker 2: I'll give him heaven.

161
00:12:59,698 --> 00:13:04,378
Speaker 1: The conference room was standing room
only. Gabriel didn't often leave his post at

162
00:13:04,398 --> 00:13:08,838
Speaker 1: the advanced clinic. They had
teleconferencing, after all. But this emergency

163
00:13:08,898 --> 00:13:13,598
Speaker 1: meeting necessitated that all the
leaders of the Last Respite Holy Military Base

164
00:13:13,678 --> 00:13:19,298
Speaker 1: meet in person. Somehow, the practice
of meetings had survived the apocalypse.

165
00:13:19,918 --> 00:13:24,338
Speaker 1: Figures. Meetings, like cockroaches,
could never truly die.

166
00:13:25,678 --> 00:13:31,398
Speaker 1: Archbishop Lucius, Chair of Public
Communications, was standing and screaming, like

167
00:13:31,498 --> 00:13:35,158
Speaker 1: usual. He pointed an accusing finger
at the seated Gabriel.

168
00:13:36,038 --> 00:13:41,918
Speaker 2: You, you, you, you let it out? He
only has access to 30% of the design

169
00:13:41,978 --> 00:13:47,858
Speaker 2: weapon systems. It's an abomination.
Who knows what the Japanese hid in that

170
00:13:47,938 --> 00:13:48,198
Speaker 2: tech?

171
00:13:49,078 --> 00:13:53,798
Speaker 1: Gabriel ignored both lines of
argument. This wasn't about public safety, or

172
00:13:53,858 --> 00:13:58,778
Speaker 1: blasphemy, or espionage. What would
the now deceased Japanese research team hide

173
00:13:58,818 --> 00:14:03,838
Speaker 1: anyway? Professor Saitama had been
honorable and faithful to their shared cause

174
00:14:03,878 --> 00:14:08,798
Speaker 1: until the very end. Gabriel felt that
it was sometimes better to let a friend stab

175
00:14:08,878 --> 00:14:13,858
Speaker 1: you in the back, to fully trust some
people, and simply hope for the best.

176
00:14:14,698 --> 00:14:16,878
Speaker 1: Lucius was not one of those people.

177
00:14:17,818 --> 00:14:23,557
Speaker 2: He hasn't hurt anyone. Yet. What
about the incident at the firing range?

178
00:14:24,058 --> 00:14:25,918
Speaker 1: Gabriel ground his teeth.

179
00:14:26,458 --> 00:14:31,098
Speaker 2: If the bar for technology is
perfection, we will never make another advance.
Perhaps

180
00:14:31,158 --> 00:14:36,258
Speaker 2: we should fight the demons with
reliable, sharpened sticks. Don't mock me.

181
00:14:36,738 --> 00:14:42,318
Speaker 1: Gentlemen, please. Bishop Erica Long,
ever the mediator, raised her hands between

182
00:14:42,358 --> 00:14:47,058
Speaker 1: them. The rest of the room was
remarkably quiet. The other factions in the
church

183
00:14:47,118 --> 00:14:52,038
Speaker 1: seemed content to let these two duke
it out. Erica leveled a serious gaze at

184
00:14:52,078 --> 00:14:58,018
Speaker 1: Gabriel. You released an experimental
and dangerous prototype into an encampment

185
00:14:58,078 --> 00:15:04,058
Speaker 1: of civilians. We at least deserve an
explanation. Gabriel ignored the self-satisfied

186
00:15:04,198 --> 00:15:10,158
Speaker 1: look on Lucius's face. He took a deep
breath. How to convincingly reveal just the

187
00:15:10,218 --> 00:15:11,458
Speaker 1: tip of a plan.

188
00:15:12,278 --> 00:15:16,158
Speaker 2: There is a possessed in the outskirts
known as Stalker, a former priest.

189
00:15:16,698 --> 00:15:21,278
Speaker 1: A wave of uncomfortable muttering
went through the assembly. This was a sore
topic.

190
00:15:21,738 --> 00:15:26,118
Speaker 1: The rebel priest had been well-liked,
until he'd taken a demon into his heart and

191
00:15:26,178 --> 00:15:31,518
Speaker 1: set himself up as a leader in the
outskirts surrounding Last Respite. Old Los

192
00:15:31,618 --> 00:15:36,378
Speaker 1: Angeles had been a populous place 30
years ago. Not everyone could fit inside this

193
00:15:36,438 --> 00:15:39,218
Speaker 1: fortification. Not even close.

194
00:15:40,158 --> 00:15:45,098
Speaker 2: I've sent Pastor Cutter to find him,
and if he can, kill him. What?

195
00:15:46,038 --> 00:15:49,878
Speaker 1: Lucius slammed his hands on the table
and the room fell into disorder as people

196
00:15:49,938 --> 00:15:50,638
Speaker 1: fought to speak.

197
00:15:50,698 --> 00:15:51,338
Speaker 2: He can't do that.

198
00:15:51,378 --> 00:15:53,738
Speaker 1: Bishop Erica was unable to bring
order to the room.

199
00:15:53,758 --> 00:15:53,778
Speaker 2: Okay.

200
00:15:53,778 --> 00:15:54,598
Speaker 1: Let me speak.

201
00:15:54,658 --> 00:15:55,058
Speaker 2: That is not what we gave you the
funding for.

202
00:15:55,098 --> 00:15:59,718
Speaker 1: Gabriel ignored the lobbed insults
and waited, seated patiently in his chair until

203
00:15:59,758 --> 00:16:04,518
Speaker 1: the room calmed enough to speak
again. The Stalker has a psychic link back to
the

204
00:16:04,558 --> 00:16:08,878
Speaker 1: Southern Demonic Horde. He's feeding
information to them. If we intend to survive

205
00:16:08,878 --> 00:16:14,158
Speaker 1: the year, we need to sever that line
of communication. Lucius' face went a deep red.

206
00:16:14,658 --> 00:16:19,438
Speaker 1: He was about to start another tirade
when Erica spoke first. You should have spoken

207
00:16:19,478 --> 00:16:25,218
Speaker 1: to us first, Gabriel. Gabriel tried
his best to look apologetic. If he had spoken to

208
00:16:25,258 --> 00:16:29,618
Speaker 1: them first, it would have taken a
week to drag every leader into the same room.
He'd

209
00:16:29,658 --> 00:16:35,078
Speaker 1: accomplished the same outcome here,
and much quicker, if a little more heated. But I

210
00:16:35,158 --> 00:16:36,478
Speaker 1: agree with the strategy.

211
00:16:37,378 --> 00:16:39,558
Speaker 2: You can't be serious, Erica.

212
00:16:40,138 --> 00:16:45,358
Speaker 1: It's worth the attempt, Lucius.
Besides, if he fails, the Hail Mary prototype
will

213
00:16:45,398 --> 00:16:50,858
Speaker 1: be destroyed in the process. Lucius
seemed mollified by that. He was a hothead, but

214
00:16:50,918 --> 00:16:56,118
Speaker 1: not an idiot. Either way, he would
gain something. Bishop Erica Long turned to

215
00:16:56,158 --> 00:17:00,798
Speaker 1: Gabriel again, and she raised her
voice as if to speak for the entire room.

216
00:17:02,158 --> 00:17:08,018
Speaker 1: Let's see what your pet project can
do. It walks a dangerous line with blasphemy.

217
00:17:08,698 --> 00:17:14,358
Speaker 1: But it's either this or we ask New
Hope and Crucifer for help. Lucius'

218
00:17:14,698 --> 00:17:19,578
Speaker 1: face darkened at the mention of the
rival denominations, only a shade lighter than

219
00:17:19,618 --> 00:17:24,318
Speaker 1: the demons in his eyes. And just like
that, he was sold on the plan.

220
00:17:25,558 --> 00:17:31,398
Speaker 1: Do you have the detonator? Gabriel
nodded once. Give it to me. He

221
00:17:31,458 --> 00:17:36,398
Speaker 1: hesitated, but knew he would lose
this one. He'd already used up all his political

222
00:17:36,518 --> 00:17:41,278
Speaker 1: capital on his earlier stunt. So he
fished the detonator remote out of his pants

223
00:17:41,318 --> 00:17:46,218
Speaker 1: pocket from beneath his robes and put
it in Bishop Erica's outstretched hand. If he

224
00:17:46,258 --> 00:17:52,138
Speaker 1: goes rogue or doesn't report in or
lays a single hand on an innocent, I will slag

225
00:17:52,198 --> 00:17:58,178
Speaker 1: him. Gabriel looked around the room.
His peers all had that same look of resolve

226
00:17:58,218 --> 00:18:04,218
Speaker 1: on their faces. It was the outcome
they all expected. Only Gabriel truly

227
00:18:04,318 --> 00:18:05,758
Speaker 1: believed in Pastor Cutter.

228
00:18:08,618 --> 00:18:09,438
Speaker 2: I understand.

229
00:18:21,850 --> 00:18:26,290
Speaker 1: Pastor Cutter stood in the armory
amidst the hum of activity. For reasons he
didn't

230
00:18:26,350 --> 00:18:31,110
Speaker 1: understand, he was only given 30
minutes to prepare for this mission. Given its

231
00:18:31,170 --> 00:18:35,110
Speaker 1: apparent importance, that didn't make
much sense, but he found it physically

232
00:18:35,170 --> 00:18:40,510
Speaker 1: difficult to question orders. So he
waited patiently as women prodded and adjusted

233
00:18:40,550 --> 00:18:45,530
Speaker 1: the thousands of parts that made up
his body. They were all women, wearing identical

234
00:18:45,650 --> 00:18:51,550
Speaker 1: black and white robes with simple
headdresses. Nuns. Half a dozen hands pulled

235
00:18:51,590 --> 00:18:56,670
Speaker 1: on him, filling internal containers
with unidentified liquids, running last-minute

236
00:18:56,730 --> 00:19:01,510
Speaker 1: diagnostics. Meanwhile, the table in
front of him was being covered with a selection

237
00:19:01,570 --> 00:19:07,110
Speaker 1: of external equipment. There was no
way he could carry it all, so he was already

238
00:19:07,170 --> 00:19:11,810
Speaker 1: making a mental inventory of the
pieces he knew he wanted. Without asking, that

239
00:19:11,890 --> 00:19:17,350
Speaker 1: inventory was being tracked in a list
on his HUD. Even after four months living with

240
00:19:17,390 --> 00:19:22,850
Speaker 1: the second mind bolted on, its
capabilities, however mundane, still surprised
him.

241
00:19:23,510 --> 00:19:25,950
Speaker 1: It seemed the Japanese team had
thought of everything.

242
00:19:27,570 --> 00:19:32,850
Speaker 1: Ethan picked up the first item on the
list, marked high priority. It was a comically

243
00:19:32,930 --> 00:19:38,890
Speaker 1: large handgun, jet black with silver
ornamentation. Silver crosses marked the sides

244
00:19:38,950 --> 00:19:43,970
Speaker 1: of the gun's grips with another thin
silver cross on top for iron sights. He picked

245
00:19:44,010 --> 00:19:49,730
Speaker 1: it up. The weight felt right. Six
months ago, he'd have to fire this weapon from a

246
00:19:49,810 --> 00:19:55,670
Speaker 1: seated position just to stay upright
from the recoil. Now he could easily fire it

247
00:19:55,710 --> 00:20:00,910
Speaker 1: with one hand. The nun still laying
equipment on the table paused when she saw him

248
00:20:00,950 --> 00:20:01,790
Speaker 1: pick up the gun.

249
00:20:02,810 --> 00:20:08,410
Speaker 4: You like that? That's my personal
handiwork. It fires custom silver lead
ammunition.

250
00:20:08,710 --> 00:20:10,430
Speaker 4: You could take down a T-Rex with
that.

251
00:20:11,310 --> 00:20:12,170
Speaker 1: Does it have a name?

252
00:20:13,090 --> 00:20:15,310
Speaker 4: A name? It's just a gun.

253
00:20:16,010 --> 00:20:19,670
Speaker 1: Ethan narrowed his eyes. Not in my
hands.

254
00:20:19,670 --> 00:20:23,070
Speaker 4: [laughs] All right. What's its name
then?

255
00:20:23,570 --> 00:20:29,370
Speaker 1: Ethan responded without hesitation.
The Messenger. Even though it was his

256
00:20:29,430 --> 00:20:33,150
Speaker 1: first time holding the weapon, he
placed it in his hip holster with practiced

257
00:20:33,190 --> 00:20:38,370
Speaker 1: precision. The gun was so long it
spanned from his hip almost down to his knee.

258
00:20:39,310 --> 00:20:40,510
Speaker 1: What's, uh, your name?

259
00:20:41,230 --> 00:20:41,930
Speaker 4: Sister Fran.

260
00:20:42,530 --> 00:20:44,150
Speaker 1: Well, nice to meet you, Sister Fran.

261
00:20:44,990 --> 00:20:46,510
Speaker 4: Oh, we've met before, Number Four.

262
00:20:47,290 --> 00:20:47,750
Speaker 1: We have?

263
00:20:48,610 --> 00:20:53,110
Speaker 4: Of course. You were asleep, but we've
been there since the beginning. Who do you

264
00:20:53,150 --> 00:20:55,410
Speaker 4: think keeps you running? It's us.

265
00:20:56,490 --> 00:21:01,290
Speaker 1: Ethan looked at the nuns working
around him, people staring at computer screens
with

266
00:21:01,370 --> 00:21:05,870
Speaker 1: cables running directly into his
body, people muttering to each other in a
hushed,

267
00:21:06,250 --> 00:21:11,130
Speaker 1: serious conversation as they pointed
at numbers on a larger screen above him. He

268
00:21:11,190 --> 00:21:17,190
Speaker 1: recognized one of the nuns, the
surgeon, Marie, the last person he saw before
the

269
00:21:17,250 --> 00:21:22,510
Speaker 1: anesthesia kicked in. For some
reason, he had trouble remembering anything
before

270
00:21:22,570 --> 00:21:28,410
Speaker 1: that surgery. He turned his focus
back to Sister Fran. Well, I sure do thank you.

271
00:21:28,930 --> 00:21:34,190
Speaker 4: You're welcome. Try not to get too
beat up. Every bullet hole is more work for us.

272
00:21:35,430 --> 00:21:36,170
Speaker 4: Now hold still.

273
00:21:36,870 --> 00:21:42,110
Speaker 1: She smiled and gently lifted his left
arm. A valve opened in his wrist, and Sister

274
00:21:42,190 --> 00:21:48,050
Speaker 1: Fran began carefully pouring liquid
into the hole, her face a mask of focus. Perhaps

275
00:21:48,090 --> 00:21:52,510
Speaker 1: this was holy water. It would be good
to have some on hand in case he actually found

276
00:21:52,550 --> 00:21:57,410
Speaker 1: the possessed man today. It was a
solid defense against psychic intrusion and
could

277
00:21:57,470 --> 00:22:00,990
Speaker 1: ward off lesser demonic creatures.
What is this, holy water?

278
00:22:01,690 --> 00:22:03,630
Speaker 4: Hmm? Water?

279
00:22:04,490 --> 00:22:10,090
Speaker 1: Yeah. Did you bless the water? She
looked around at her coworkers as if there were

280
00:22:10,150 --> 00:22:10,990
Speaker 1: some mistake.

281
00:22:11,970 --> 00:22:15,310
Speaker 4: Sir, we blessed the napalm.

282
00:22:16,410 --> 00:22:22,150
Speaker 1: A wide grin spread across Ethan's
face. [laughs] Oh, I like you,

283
00:22:22,270 --> 00:22:26,850
Speaker 1: Fran. A red light flashed above
Ethan, and the nuns hurried over to him to start

284
00:22:26,930 --> 00:22:31,610
Speaker 1: unplugging cables and sealing valves.
Once they were done, he looked like a regular

285
00:22:31,690 --> 00:22:34,250
Speaker 1: human being again. Almost.

286
00:22:35,070 --> 00:22:36,550
Speaker 4: We're out of time. You need to move.

287
00:22:37,330 --> 00:22:42,570
Speaker 1: Ethan nodded. Two nuns started
pushing open the heavy steel door, leaning into
the

288
00:22:42,630 --> 00:22:47,550
Speaker 1: door with all their weight as they
walked. The other dozen or so nuns stood in a

289
00:22:47,610 --> 00:22:52,410
Speaker 1: loose group around him, parting just
enough so he could leave. They stopped looking

290
00:22:52,470 --> 00:22:58,170
Speaker 1: at monitors, stopped adjusting
machines. They had dark circles under their
eyes.

291
00:22:58,870 --> 00:23:03,810
Speaker 1: Each of them was covered in grease
and sweating through their heavy robes, and yet

292
00:23:04,430 --> 00:23:09,550
Speaker 1: they were all smiling. He might never
know the debt he owed these people. He didn't

293
00:23:09,630 --> 00:23:13,910
Speaker 1: even know most of their names. Sister
Fran gave him a thumbs up.

294
00:23:14,390 --> 00:23:15,190
Speaker 4: God go with you.

295
00:23:15,590 --> 00:23:19,350
Speaker 1: Then she rushed over to the table,
still loaded with equipment he couldn't

296
00:23:19,410 --> 00:23:23,010
Speaker 1: reasonably carry. She handed him a
pair of grenades.

297
00:23:23,310 --> 00:23:25,750
Speaker 4: But just in case, take these, too.

298
00:23:26,430 --> 00:23:30,790
Speaker 1: Ethan gave the group a sharp nod of
thanks, then started toward the doorway, bright

299
00:23:30,830 --> 00:23:35,930
Speaker 1: with light from the outside world.
The 40-foot concrete walls surrounding Last

300
00:23:36,010 --> 00:23:41,310
Speaker 1: Respite slowly came into view as he
walked out of the advanced clinic. What was left

301
00:23:41,370 --> 00:23:47,130
Speaker 1: of humanity withered and died outside
those walls. The outskirts was a lawless

302
00:23:47,230 --> 00:23:52,930
Speaker 1: hellscape where the strong made the
rules and the weak got trampled. The

303
00:23:52,970 --> 00:23:57,750
Speaker 1: apocalypse had come and gone here.
This was just the fight to determine who would

304
00:23:57,950 --> 00:24:03,130
Speaker 1: rule over the rubble. Today, he was
finally going to get a say in whether that would

305
00:24:03,170 --> 00:24:09,010
Speaker 1: be good, compassionate people or
literal demons. Truthfully, he

306
00:24:09,050 --> 00:24:13,110
Speaker 1: didn't know whether he was an
instrument of God's will or not, but he was an

307
00:24:13,170 --> 00:24:17,830
Speaker 1: instrument of retribution. A lot of
prayers had gone unanswered in the last 30

308
00:24:17,890 --> 00:24:23,890
Speaker 1: years. Most of them he couldn't do
anything about. But for those few who prayed

309
00:24:23,950 --> 00:24:28,950
Speaker 1: for retribution, well, they were
about to get their

310
00:24:29,110 --> 00:24:30,810
Speaker 1: prayers answered.

311
00:24:31,520 --> 00:25:27,560
Speaker 1: [upbeat rock music]

312
00:25:27,620 --> 00:25:32,360
Speaker 1: Sister Fran knocked on the
Archbishop's door. A moment later, the kindly
old man let

313
00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:32,860
Speaker 1: her in.

314
00:25:33,260 --> 00:25:36,440
Speaker 2: [whip cracking] Good evening,
Francesca.

315
00:25:39,660 --> 00:25:40,680
Speaker 2: Something on my face?

316
00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:42,720
Speaker 1: Mm, no, sir.

317
00:25:43,460 --> 00:25:46,520
Speaker 2: I'm just about to sit down to dinner.
Come on in.

318
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:52,820
Speaker 1: She hesitated at the doorway. Was
that an invitation or a dismissal?

319
00:25:53,260 --> 00:25:56,180
Speaker 2: Seriously, come in. It's okay to let
your hair down.

320
00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:02,600
Speaker 1: Fran moved to see if her hood was
still up. Yes, it was. Should she let her hair

321
00:26:02,660 --> 00:26:08,320
Speaker 1: down? Why was that important? The
Archbishop shook his head and smiled warmly at

322
00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:13,500
Speaker 1: her. So she took that as an
invitation and closed the door behind her. She
stopped

323
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:17,520
Speaker 1: trying to read the man's expression
and got right down to business, where she was

324
00:26:17,580 --> 00:26:23,300
Speaker 1: most comfortable. I found another
file in Saitama's data dump. You're gonna wanna

325
00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:27,960
Speaker 1: see this. She walked over to where
Gabriel sat at his desk and set her tablet down

326
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:32,940
Speaker 1: in front of him. Fran swiped through
the blueprints, stopping on the artist's

327
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:38,920
Speaker 1: impression of the final product,
which was incredibly dramatic. Gabriel stopped

328
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:41,180
Speaker 1: chewing, his eyes opened wide.

329
00:26:44,660 --> 00:26:47,320
Speaker 1: We can't. It's as tall as a building.

330
00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:51,040
Speaker 2: [laughs] It looks like it's straight
out of an anime.

331
00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:56,500
Speaker 1: Fran nodded enthusiastically. They
had maybe 10% of the materials needed to

332
00:26:56,520 --> 00:27:00,940
Speaker 1: construct it, not that they would
even try. It would be an egregious waste of

333
00:27:00,980 --> 00:27:06,100
Speaker 1: resources. There was a reason tanks
didn't have legs. It was simply impractical.

334
00:27:06,860 --> 00:27:12,780
Speaker 1: Gabriel scratched his chin
thoughtfully. Maybe we could make a smaller one