## Story 1 ![33-1.png](/uploads/33_1_859ea252f4.png) Dim light fills the cold, mechanical room.
An anguished man sits alone, surrounded by monitors.
These screens separate him from the land beyond.
A great number of prisoners had lost their fleeting lives at his command.
They died in battle against the Flowers—creatures that consume people,
grow large, and multiply beyond comprehension.
The man has climbed the ladder, moving from being a meager prisoner to a superior officer.
His authority is total. He observes all that happens within the facility, as well as the outside world.
Suddenly, a three-dimensional map manifests before him.
It displays the base in bright crimson colors.
Lights flash, warning him it is at risk.
The monitor on the wall shows a map of the battlefield painted a similar red.
The man flicks a nearby switch.
The main hall of the base is projected over the room.
He sees row upon row of soldiers, all employed in service to the facility.
They are prisoners who have no choice but to fight.
They turn to the man and lift their right hands high in recognition of his authority.
He stares at them wordlessly.
Then, with a decisive nod, he makes an announcement:
"Our time has come.
We will now commence the extermination of the Flowers.
I expect you to give all to this struggle—up to and including your lives." ## Story 2 ![33-2.png](/uploads/33_2_c914c0dd5d.png) The superior officer prepares for deployment.
Other prisoners have already begun the final battle against the Flowers.
As he watches them, he thinks back on the path that has led him to this point.
For so long, the battle had been a stalemate—a constant series of successes and setbacks.
But with the successful development of their plasma cannons,
the tide began to swing toward humanity.
Their advance was astonishing. Historic.
A long-awaited victory was tantalizingly close.
Or so they thought.
Ah, but fate is cruel.
Perhaps it was due to their degraded equipment.
Perhaps an effect of the Flowers' attacks.
Though the reason eludes the man, the base has fallen into a state of collapse.
The damage done to it is now beyond their ability to repair.
Soon they will be unable to create more weapons.
They must secure a victory before that day. They must.
It is reckless plan, but not one without method.
Though slim, there remains a chance of victory.
But to achieve it, they must thread a silver needle in the dark.
Knowing this, the man has ordered an all-out attack.
As his gaze sweeps over the prisoners—his compatriots—he murmurs two quiet words:
"I'm sorry."
They throw themselves into the fray, tossing aside their own lives
without knowing they are humanity's last chance.
The man swallows his guilt and readies his weapon.
A woman comes to stand beside him: his wife.
They both know they will not return.
Even though all the power resides in his hands.
He must continue the fight.
"We must avenge our child."
Who said the words first?
Perhaps they spoke them together. After all, they have
both said them unconsciously countless times before.
And with those words settled in their hearts, they set out for their ends. ## Story 3 ![33-3.png](/uploads/33_3_c7278a6a27.png) The man and his wife are driven to the battlefield in a special vehicle.
Suddenly, the wife turns to her husband and speaks:
"Is there really no hope of repairing the base?"
Though state-of-the-art, the base is still a mere building constructed by flawed human hands.
Its eventual deterioration was expected—and planned for.
But for it to decay so suddenly and so swiftly?
It is almost as though someone is deliberately trying to make a point.
As if they are attempting to signal the end.
The man places a hand on his worried wife's shoulder.
The facility at the center of the base was originally
off-limits—completely concealed from the outside.

Even in his position of authority, the man cannot enter the facility to learn why the base is failing.
But there is little point in such thoughts now.
Better to fight and perhaps survive than be wracked by doubts.
For if they do survive, there will be much work to be done
bringing humanity back from the brink of extinction.
Though the wife quakes in fear, she senses her husband's determination and nods quietly.
In that moment, their wills align.
But then, a Flower attacks their vehicle.
The massive abomination crashes down upon them with the force of a meteor.
It happens so fast, the couple does not even have time to voice regret.
It is a savage end—and wholly unsatisfying.
The vehicle in which the man and woman sit is crumpled beyond recognition...
Killing them both before they can draw their next breath. ## Story 4 ![33-4.png](/uploads/33_4_4fec1b5199.png) The central facility of the base is completely closed off from the rest of the world.
It is forbidden place; even the highest and most powerful of humans is denied entry.
Yet though it should be deserted, its interior is illuminated by a soft light.
Suddenly, a monitor flickers to life.
The word "REBOOT" appears in large letters on the screen.
It then displays a map of the facility, changing its color from a threatening red to a calming green.
A mechanical voice speaks from the monitor:
"ALL SYSTEMS GREEN."
As though drawn by the voice...
The prisoner and his wife appear before the monitor.
The voice speaks again:
"NO IMPROVEMENT FORECASTED FOR SCENARIO xxx: FLOWER CLEANSING.
FORCE-TERMINATE THE OPERATION?"
The man nods and replies:
"Begin new scenario using the collected data."
The prisoners are gathered in the facility hall once more.
Among them stand the man and his wife—the very ones who should be in the central facility.
They reaffirm one another's resolve as they always do,
even though they possess no memory of the conversation:
"We must avenge our child."
And watching this scene unfold...
Is a man and woman, hands joined, who hold power beyond the greatest of authorities.
They create as many prisoners as they desire only to cast them aside,
searching for the perfect strategy to eliminate the Flowers for good.
They speak as one.
Theirs is a plan that desecrates life. That uses it as a tool.
Though it pains their souls, it is all done for the greater good.
"We must avenge our child."
With this decision in their hearts, they press the switch and reset the world.
They do so to bring about a new beginning.
To see it through to a new end.
And thus it begins...
Thus begins a new tale.

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