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[The feed opens on Gladio, sat in his garden, the sun shining down on him. The sky is bright, the weather warm but a cool breeze ruffles his hair. The garden is well tended, green and well kept. The scene might have been a lovely and calm one if not for the serious look on Gladio's face. He's not quite looking at the screen, but off to the side, seemingly lost in thought for a long moment before he heaves a heavy sigh.

Still not looking at the screen, he starts to speak.]

It's been long enough. I've had time to think, so I'm going to tell you why I did what I did.

[He goes quiet again, considering his next words.]

I know... some of you are pissed we did this. You were happy livin in blissful ignorance, trusting this world without question. And for a while I was too. Till I realised how messed up that was.

I was so desperate for a peaceful life I didn't think...

[Gladio glanced at the screen then, his eyes narrow slightly.]

When did we all just roll over and accept this insanity? We were kidnapped from our homes, our families, and trapped in this bubble. We were given the most basic info and told to accept it. The most basic food we can't even really call 'food', and we accepted it. We were given tasks and rules and hoops to jump through, and we accepted it. We were forced to touch, kiss, hold and reveal secrets to strangers, and we accepted it. It was the 'will of the Gods'. We all just nodded and accepted it. Why? Why have we accepted all this? Why do people keep coming and going? Where do they go? Do they just go home? Or are they taken? Are they being hurt? Experimented on like the animals they had us catch? Why do these weird things keep happening? Why can't they answer our questions?

And why are we terrorists for wanting answers? We hurt no one. We destroyed nothing. We're the heroes of this world, right? Here to save the planet. So what are they keeping so secret?

Why aren't you all asking questions?

Why're you just rolling over and accepting their truth?

[Again he looks away, heaved another heavy sigh and brought a hand up to rub tiredly at his eyes. He definitely looked tired. Stressed. His tone shifting from angry to confused to desperate for people to understand, and for himself to understand why no one else was fighting.]

We're forced from our homes... Our families. We form bonds with people only to watch them vanish. And... I don't know bout anyone else, but I didn't consent to this. I never signed up for this world.

I want answers. We wanted answers. And we weren't gettin them. So we went looking for them.

[Here he laughs, low and without humour. A shake of his head and a sardonic glance at the screen.]

The fact the natives reacted the way they did should be a red flag. What're they protecting so badly? What's so secret? What aren't they telling us? Is it about what really happened to this world? Who these 'Gods' are? How we actually got here and why? Where our friends go when they suddenly disappear?

And we're the bad guys?

How's that make sense?

[Gladio shrugged and with one last sigh he reached out and switched the feed off. He'd said what he wanted. Now he would lie down in the sun and try and calm down.]

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And you think that justifies antagonizing them? If the natives truly are being manipulated, how is making an enemy of them going to help anything? All such methods do is instill fear and distrust; not just of you and whoever else was involved, but all of us. If this is what you consider 'careful' I worry for what recklessness must resemble.

...This place is all I have right now. My past is so far gone as to be immaterial, and my future I know all too well. I want this realm and her people--both native and otherwise--to be safe. But this is not the way to ensure we find the answers we need to gain that end result.

If I may, though I know quite well that you do not wish to be contacted by me.

You indeed have many years of experience, Ardyn, and your insights are invaluable. I am truly thankful for all I have learned from you, as I am thankful that I have come here and learned that, while I used to believe that I was reaching for the stars, I was reaching for little more than the lights on a ceiling. There is much more that I need learn than I had ever imagined.

[He gets a little excited here.] Just think, I was considering mere travel by magitek engine, when dimensional travel should have been on my mind!

[But calm down. Calm down. That was not the point of this reply.]

But while I am thankful for all that I have learned from you, I would like to remind you that we are not all immortal. I have already spent a significant portion of my life on this planet, and I already had more than a lifetime's worth of work on my to-do list.

And for all that I have no evidence of what became of Rin.

Nor have we any evidence of what became of Will. Nor others. We have little more than testimonials and observation of what happened to some, and nothing to show what happened to others, and we know there have been differences between experiences of those we have witnessed.

I am not a patron of these gods. I owe them nothing, but they owe us answers that are long overdue.

To my infinite regret, I agree with you that we have many questions left unanswered, especially in the case of those that have left us. Do not presume I am without those that have gone beyond my reach here.

But I fail to see what any of this has to do with the point that I seriously doubt the native population truly understands the actions of their gods any more than we do. And damaging what little trust we have between us is not going to find those answers any more swiftly.

What trust have we if they hide their research from us?

Ardyn, Experiment 920194 seems to be related to Experiment 1. They wish to reverse what they did to themselves, but they cannot create something from nothing.

When we came here I thought my role obvious. After all, if they wish to create biological forms for themselves, who better than I? I may have no current experience, but I have everything necessary that they would need.

They never asked. Instead people disappear, and we learn of genetic experiments, and they keep their labs from us and don't even provide suitable replacements for what we have lost. Perhaps what they give us access to might placate some, but I know a student lab when I see it. That is if someone asked what you were capable of and you showed them a coin trick.

If anyone here is aware of where this sort of experimentation may lead, would it not be me?

I have my doubts that there even is a native population left. We already know their memories have been tampered with. If their bodies are gone and their minds are gone, what are we left with?

They're still people, Verstael. Unconventional, certainly, but people with their own thoughts and feelings. I don't give a damn what they're comprised of or what's missing from their memories.

[If their bodies are gone and their minds are gone-]

[It struck too close to a nerve for Ardyn--with a physical form that was barely even real and a mind full of blank spots and holes. What were they left with? What was he left with?]

It's as I said. You don't trust them, so why should they trust you? I wouldn't have trusted you if you offered to craft me a human form one way or another, and after all this I doubt they ever will.

They are machines. And, while I see no purpose in warring unnecessarily, it has been obvious for some time that they may be little more than that. Were I to program a toaster to tell people that it once had a human form it would not make it the truth.

Everything that they tell us may very well be programmed lies, which is why we must rely on our own research. Just as it may be possible that they have a consciousness, they have placed themselves in bodies where they may be uploaded, downloaded, or... deleted. We do not know the truth of what state they are in.

We are in a city. We are surrounded by machines that may be puppeteered by anyone. There are research towers that are hidden from us and us alone, for there is no one else here to hide things from, and we are disappearing without a trace. At what point do you take action?

And you take action based on mere assumption? You accept something as outlandish as dimensional travel, yet you draw a line of disbelief at the idea of living souls in mechanical bodies? Are you truly so shortsighted, or do you merely care so little for anyone and anything apart from your own research?

...On second thought, you needn't even answer that. I suspect I already know.

There are no assumptions that people are missing or that they are performing experiments. Nor did I assume that they keep their research from us. It was not an assumption that they were doing genetic experiments. It is not an assumption that they wished to reverse what happened to them. It is not an assumption that they discovered they could not proceed without samples. I acted based on what I knew in order to find that which I did not know.

I do not draw the line at souls in mechanical bodies. I draw the line at us knowing if that is what we're dealing with. We should not assume that we know who we are talking to when we have no proof. I find that many here are operating on assuming the best case scenario, and it is usually recommended that we prepare for the worst case.

You are much older and wiser than I. You must understand what our circumstances truly are, regardless of surface-level appearances, if we are incorrectly assuming that the natives are exactly as they present themselves. Malicious intent would not even be required, because they themselves would not need to know that they are being manipulated.

I was trapped in a glorified closet for two millennia, Verstael, I don't know a damn thing and I have no idea why in the Astrals' name you've convinced yourself otherwise.

But even I know you've done something monumentally idiotic in method even if the intent is not strictly wrong.

You greatly underestimate yourself.

Then, may I ask: What methods have you found that work? I am always of open mind.

Have you considered not making yourself an antagonistic force or otherwise any manner of nuisance?

Yes, from M.E. 722-IV-7th, 1-Lasdia-13th to M.E. 724-III-16th, 3-Dianir-20th. Seven hundred and eight days, or approximately two years.

[Perhaps he got a little pushy with what he wanted sometimes, but he didn't classify himself as a nuisance before that.]

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scourgingstars - 2021-07-06 22:48 (UTC) - Expand

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original_is_best - 2021-07-06 22:50 (UTC) - Expand

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runs_on_batteries - 2021-07-06 23:20 (UTC) - Expand

Hi, I'm Iron Man. Maybe we haven't met. I'm a superhero and I save people. It's who I am.

I have an obligation to not sit back and cower while enemies reign over us. I don't let fear rule my actions and my life. I step up when there's a chance someone innocent like maybe Will or Cor or Luna or someone else that maybe mattered to you or someone you care about in one of those towers having tests run on them while everyone was just out here hugging.

I also want this realm and her people to be safe. I want the natives to not have information deleted from their systems. I want them to know what happened to them and how to prevent it from ever happening again. How are we supposed to protect this world if we're too scared to do it?

I stand by my actions and I'm proud of the rest of my team for what they did.

[Ardyn swiftly bit his tongue against a kneejerk response that would have expressed in very clear terms exactly what he thought of Tony and his demeanor.]

...I knew a man like you once. A good-intentioned prince who insisted his path to the kingdom's salvation was the only path, no matter the cost. He was just as fearless as you, with just the same conviction.

And he looked so far ahead to the larger picture that he never once stopped to realize his own people spoke his very name in fearful tones, terrified they and their families might be trampled underfoot in the name of Lucis' longevity.

He wasn't wrong to fight as hard as he did to ensure the kingdom would live on. But he was wrong in sacrificing all those he sacrificed to achieve it.

Tell me, then, will you be so proud when your name is spoken in the same way merely because you suspected wrongdoing?

[For all Tony's bravado that response actually sees some of it slip and he winces. However, it's only for a brief moment before he's glaring at the screen again even angrier than before.]

There is evidence of experimentation on these natives. There's clear proof that parts of their memory have been robbed from them. Why aren't you hearing that this isn't just some random conspiracy theory? There are facts!

We were careful to develop a plan that ensured injury and damage was at a minimum. Did that prince of yours bother with that or are you merely ignoring it because you want to assume we were completely reckless to make yourself feel better for not caring what might be happening to those who vanish from here? Out of sight, out of mind?

For god's sakes, Ardyn, we're not as weak as you seem to think we are. They need us to survive and the gods know it. We're literally their energy to survive. That's why we're here. We have some power. Have we damaged some of this artificial Stockholm Syndrome friendship we've developed? Sure, but so what? I'd rather give up some goodwill to make sure our friends aren't being lab rats.

Don't you dare assume I care nothing for those that have vanished from this place. Not a day has gone by that I do not think of them, and you know nothing to imply otherwise.

[Ardyn was tense in the face of that anger, still keeping his own as tightly controlled as he could.]

He certainly thought he did, but oddly enough the people left alive didn't actually seem to think of it in terms of 'at a minimum'. They were more concerned simply that the neighboring village was on fire. Because people like him and like you often see things simply in matters that can be resolved with brute strength and power.

You claim we have power over them, and perhaps you are right. Then that only means we should be using it to work alongside them, not hold it over their heads like an executioner's blade to be wielded as you choose to demand whatever little they do know.

I am daring! Your actions speak volumes- or should I say your lack of actions! It's easy to say you love someone or think about them, that takes no effort at all! The hard part- you know, when it's actually important- is putting that care into action. What have you done?

[His eyes narrow.]

Presume what you want about me, but you've got this all wrong. No one's village is on fire and the worst twist is your panties.

Information should be free. We should have been working together this whole time. This- what happened here- is on them. And yet, we're still going to use that information they refused to give us to save their damn world for them and free them if they're being oppressed because that's also who we are. That's what it means to care, in case you still weren't sure.

[He frowned sharply, silent for a moment or two as he again pushed back a comment one or both of them would regret. He had been through a situation too like this long before, and how many times had he replayed arguments like this over and over in his head?]

So you would blame them because you and yours ran out of patience? Because they did not trust us enough to share information, you gave them reason not to instead of reason for the alternative? I do not blame you for your impatience in itself, but a 'solution' like this should have been saved as an absolute last resort. Surely there is some middle ground to be sought between 'doing nothing' and 'causing chaos'.

And do not speak to me of what it is to care for others, for you know not what it is you say.

[Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose for a second, trying to reign in his anger. Maybe seeing Ardyn take a breath had reminded him to do it too, who knows. When he spoke again, his voice wasn't as loud.]

How much patience should someone have when they think someone they care about is being tortured? That's the catch. That's the line in the sand. That's the point of this that made everything go from acceptable to unacceptable.

I can compromise and be diplomatic with them and with you on just about everything else, but no. I won't budge on that. We had to know if someone was being hurt in those towers and make it stop.

We had evidence. We had a reasonable theory and a precedent of lack of questions being answered had been set. We took precautions so the natives wouldn't get hurt.

[Tony flips the feed to private.]

Tell me Ardyn. If that had been your nephew or Regis. How long should we have waited for the last resort? Because I promise you, if Reggie or Noctis ever go missing I hope you'd help me storm every building in this city until we're absolutely sure they're not here being hurt.

I don't have actual solid reason to believe anyone that's gone missing is still in this realm, much less being experimented upon. Unlike the rest of you, I have faith enough in this world's people not to assume the worst based on the faintest shreds of an idea.

[Tony's last remark was a step too far, and Ardyn snapped coldly without raising his voice:]

Not that it's any of your gods-damned business, but both my late fiancée and my little brother left this realm some time ago. If I had the faintest suspicion grounded in any reality that they were being hurt and not just some mad assumption, this conversation would not be happening and I would have done something before you ever arrived at all.

Don't ever question whether or not I care for my family. You don't know anything about me.

I don't put much stock in your reasoning skills since I've said we have evidence multiple times and you've yet to ask what those are. This theory of yours can't be based on anything rational if you don't test it against anything. It's only faith. From my experience people who believe in something on blind faith alone usually end up in cults being brain-washed and doing very terrible things to others. This is how corruption works and you're legitimately scaring me that you think this is reasonable.

[He might've continued to be belligerent but as Tony listened to Ardyn seething at his words, he did feel a touch of guilt. With another sigh, he held up a hand, palm to the screen.]

I'm sorry, but that's part of my confusion. That's what I would've expected you to do. I picked those two because I know they mean something to both of us. But, I'm sorry, I'll take it down a notch though.

[He gets it. There was a line and he crossed it. This was him, backing off a bit.]

Look, you don't know me either if you believe half the assumptions you've made during this argument. Do you honestly believe Regis would care so much about me if I was such a careless bastard? Do you think someone who has been trained by your family standards as a Shield wouldn't be more careful? If you have so much faith in these natives, why can't we have just a little benefit of the doubt?

Perhaps it might help if you knew, I was captured once for three months. I was tortured and hidden away so well no one was ever going to find me. I wasn't experimented on, but I was forced to do things for this organization built to oppress communities. I realize you're immortal but for someone who has been kidnapped and is in that kind of powerless position, three months is an eon. There are others in my group who have also suffered similarly.

Then tell me what your blasted evidence is! Prove you have reason to believe anyone's being held captive or experimented on. And if you did have such information, you should have come forward with it before doing anything this sudden and drastic.

[He seethed quietly for a moment or two, cooling off just a little as Tony backed down.]

...When I told you I was 'away' for a time? I was imprisoned alone on a forsaken island. Immobilized in complete darkness and near-absolute silence, nothing for companionship but my own delusions for two thousand years. No one ever knew I existed until I was found by a certain mad scientist some months before I came to Havenwell.

I have sympathy for you. I mean that, truly. But you need to understand that you aren't the only one in this conversation terrified of the idea of confinement.

There we go. To who?

[Didn't think he was the type who could back down, did ya?

Since they'd gotten this far, he was going to offer one more step toward an olive branch.. or maybe two.]

And I'm sympathetic you went through that too. I can't imagine what that must've been like. Clearly we can understand each other to a degree here even if we don't agree with how the other one has handled this situation.

We can do this a number of ways but, if you'd like, I'll pour us a couple drinks at my bar and I'll show you what we found in the native's journal entries. It's a relatively public place. You can bring someone if you wish. Whatever would make you comfortable.

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scourgingstars - 2021-07-07 05:10 (UTC) - Expand

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runs_on_batteries - 2021-07-07 05:21 (UTC) - Expand

[ Ah, this. ]

Ardyn? [ The way she says his name is gentle, placating. Her message to him comes later, perhaps, after others have already responded and the conversation's continued. ]

This has just reminded me of something. Can we talk?

[Whenever she happened to message him, Ardyn had actively tried to cool down; still a little irritated, but consciously trying to steady himself rather than continue to talk without thinking.]

Of course. Name the place and I'll be there.

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