Day 58: Lieutenant General Charles Berg's Office (Fourth Shift)

[das_berg]

As his eyes combed over the latest mission reports, Berg let out a small breath in frustration. While mission #57-1 had been a success, the data delivered during #57-2 had mysteriously disappeared. There was no reason that should have happened -- the base radioed a messaged confirming the case's safe retrieval, but now it seemed like no one could

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[roseoverture]

Utena didn't back down when Berg looked her in the eye, or when he countered with how he hadn't designed any of this. It didn't matter if he hadn't been part of this at the start. He was participating in it now, wasn't he? He'd had a choice to back away from it and he hadn't. That's how Utena saw it. Just because Berg hadn't decided which tortures went into which spots, that didn't mean he wasn't one of the torturers.

That Berg admitted as much didn't do much for his position. What did, however, was the question that came next. Utena did waver some as the sadistic choice was presented to her. A horrible fate...? she thought, blue eyes blinking in uncertainty. Was she hearing that right?

Her first instinct was to ask what the hell Berg was talking about. What kind of "horrible fate" did he mean? Another emotion, however, surged over that one like a wave of lava bursting up from the depths, the girl prince's barely-contained indignation rearing its head once more. "I would find some other way," said Utena through grit teeth. She took in a deep, quaking breath, raising her voice as she went on: "There's no way there are only two options in that situation! A true and noble person never gives up on anyone, no matter what! Not on the people in their world, and not on the people stuck in limbo either!"

She didn't care how naive that might have sounded. She wasn't even thinking about that. All she was thinking was that however hard the military was trying - whatever they thought could save more people from suffering - they sure as hell weren't trying hard enough yet.