February 1st. Busan, International Training Complex.

  When Lucida entered the room, the atmosphere of the sterile office changed instantly. It wasn’t a physical cold, as with Wei, or the electrical tension of Marcus. It was a sensation of ancient, infinite weight. She sat opposite the Assistant, and her hair seemed to absorb the light from the lamps.

  The Assistant cleared his throat. He knew this interview would be the most dangerous.

  "Lucida... there is sufficient information about you in the Sector's archives," he began, trying not to look her directly in the eyes. "A question straight to the point: how do you feel about Subject Zero? And what does your team think of him?"

  Lucida slowly closed her eyes. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and the silence in the room became oppressive.

  "Zero..." she whispered, and her voice was like the rustle of broken glass. "He is the most terrible thing that could have happened to this world. His existence is a mistake. He should not have been born. He should not possess such power."

  She opened her eyes, and within them flared the flames of primordial rage.

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  "He acts like a child! Possessing power capable of extinguishing stars, he prefers to play at being human. It is..."

  The Assistant risked pushing further:

  "But wasn't it Zenhald who destroyed the winged Kaiju from whose flesh your unique S1 suit was created? Didn't he give you the ability to fly again?"

  Lucida instantly slammed her palm against the table. The sound was quiet, but the legs of the table groaned piteously.

  "I hate him!" she hissed. "With every cell of my cursed body! I don’t give a damn about this suit; I don’t give a damn about his 'gifts.' I despise him. Everyone else looks at him and sees a shining savior, a hero in white robes... But I saw what others did not. I saw his true face."

  "You’ve known him for a very long time," the Assistant reminded her.

  Lucida suddenly laughed—a wild, broken laugh.

  "YES! A long time! But what of it?!" She dug her fingers into the edges of the table. "What do I remember?! Only fragments! Bloody shreds of memories! Damn Aurora... SHE ERASED EVERYTHING!"

  She suddenly lunged to her feet, and her aura slammed against the walls of the office.

  "A-A-A-A-H!"

  Lucida delivered one short strike from top to bottom. The massive iron table, designed to withstand enormous loads, simply burst in the middle, turning into a pile of mangled scrap. The heavy plate crashed to the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

  The Assistant recoiled, nearly flipping over along with his chair. His ears rang from her scream.

  A second later, Lucida froze. Her breathing leveled out; the rage vanished as quickly as it had arrived, leaving only a cold void behind. She adjusted her hair and looked at the Assistant with a perfectly calm gaze.

  "Is that all?" she asked, as if she hadn't just destroyed government property.

  "Yes..." the Assistant rasped. "That's all."

  She turned and walked out, without even a glance at the ruins of the table.

  [Yanu Connection]

  "Stress level of Object S-1: 81%," Yanu stated. "I recommend replacing the furniture with wooden versions. They are cheaper to break."

  The Assistant wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  "Yanu... She doesn't just hate him. She wishes him dead."

  The Assistant looked down at his trembling hands.