Or maybe he'll need the rest of his family to convince him.
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Well that was a very nice reunion between Otto and Alto in this update. Otto must be quite lonely at this point with Elizabeth Alexandria and Victoria Louise gone, so I’m glad he reconnected with Alto.
I’m also very glad Wilhelm Karl doesn’t know about the Annionaverse. I don’t want to imagine what he’d do if he ever figured out about the multiverse, it put the post Rapture Annionas to shame.
I’m hoping that either Wilhelm Karl doesn’t exist in the Annionaverse or he is a better son to Otto than he was in the Hohenzollernverse, I’m personally leaning towards him not existing.
I’m also very glad Wilhelm Karl doesn’t know about the Annionaverse. I don’t want to imagine what he’d do if he ever figured out about the multiverse, it put the post Rapture Annionas to shame.
I’m hoping that either Wilhelm Karl doesn’t exist in the Annionaverse or he is a better son to Otto than he was in the Hohenzollernverse, I’m personally leaning towards him not existing.
I had to give Otto a break from everything I put him through in the past.Well that was a very nice reunion between Otto and Alto in this update. Otto must be quite lonely at this point with Elizabeth Alexandria and Victoria Louise gone, so I’m glad he reconnected with Alto.
I’m also very glad Wilhelm Karl doesn’t know about the Annionaverse. I don’t want to imagine what he’d do if he ever figured out about the multiverse, it put the post Rapture Annionas to shame.
I’m hoping that either Wilhelm Karl doesn’t exist in the Annionaverse or he is a better son to Otto than he was in the Hohenzollernverse, I’m personally leaning towards him not existing.
He'd have stolen all of Walternate's tech and [REDACTED].
It could go either way. He won't appear in the Annionaverse, and I won't mention him.
Synthesis, Part 2
Tesla Dynamic, Frankfurt, the Reich - 1:00 PM
Mina walked into her office and sat behind her desk. She looked at Anders and Diana.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Mina said, “What can I do to help?”
“Dr. Malcolm Truss,” Anders said, “He used to work for Tesla Dynamic, but he left the company maybe ten years ago.”
“The name doesn't ring a bell,” Mina said, “Let's see what we can find."
She typed on her computer and pulled up an employee file.
“Okay, I remember Dr. Truss,” she said, “Graduated LIT in 1982, came to work for us in 1993, left in 2001.”
“What kind of projects was he working on?” Diana said.
“Well, several,” Mina said, “Perhaps if you told me why you're interested in him, I might be a better help.”
“He was abducted from his house this morning, and we think a shapeshifter was responsible,” Anders said.
“A shapeshifter?” Mina said. "But what would a shapeshifter want with Malcolm Truss?”
“We were hoping you could tell us,” Diana said.
“There was one project Malcolm was working on,” Mina said, pulling up a file on the screen, “Advanced cellular replication. It was designed to help patients with extensive tissue damage: burn victims, cancer patients, amputees. It copied the genetic data of the healthy cells of the patient and used it to replace the damaged ones. Malcolm was in charge of it.”
“And did it work?” Anders said.
“No, he never had a chance to find out,” Mina said, "Wilhelm shut the project down, citing ethical concerns.”
“Ethical concerns?” Diana said.
“Yes,” Mina said, “But I only bring it up because it was based on copying human tissue.”
“Kind of like shapeshifting,” Anders said.
Rural Rhineland
Nadine held her pistol in the passenger seat as Malcolm nervously drove down an empty two-lane highway.
“There are people who think very highly of your work and you,” she said.
“What people?” Malcolm said.
“You don't know them, but they know you,” Nadine said, “They share your vision. They will pay you to continue your research.”
“You always bring a gun to a business proposal?” Malcolm said.
“I couldn't take the chance you'd say no,” Nadine said, “We need your help."
“Help with what?” Malcolm said. “I don't know what you're hoping to find in those files. That work never went anywhere. It's useless.”
Nadine rolled up her sleeve, revealing patches of translucent skin.
“I was terminally ill,” she lied, “Stage Four melanoma when they came to me.”
“Cellular replication?” Malcolm said. “They did it?”
“The cancer went into complete remission,” Nadine said, "It was a miracle... at least for a while. But the procedure didn't fully take. The cells, they aren't stable. My cancer is gone, but…well, I'm still dying.”
“There are no files,” Malcolm said.
“What?” Nadine said.
Malcolm tapped his head. “It's all up here. I'll do it, Nadine. I'll help you. But just so you know, I don't do my best work at gunpoint."
Strasburg field office - 1:30 PM
Angela, Anna, Olga, and Kurtz left the elevator and walked into the lobby.
“Walter said the shapeshifters we encountered at the train yards couldn’t complete their shifts,” Anna explained, “They were flawed.”
“And this has to do with Dr. Truss how?” Kurtz said.
“The cellular replication project he was working on, they might require his expertise,” Ana said.
“So you're suggesting Malcolm Truss was kidnapped so the shapeshifter could perfect itself,” Kurtz said.
“If the shapeshifter needs Malcolm to fix itself, then they need equipment, medical supplies, which means they're on the move,” Angela said.
“Malcolm's car was missing from his home,” Olga said, “We put the, uh, plates and car's make out to local police.”
“Well, if the shapeshifter's flawed, then it might have something to do the data disk Dr. Humboldt pulled from inside the two we killed at the train yard,” Kurtz said.
“Maybe that’s what’s malfunctioning,” Angela said.
“Anna, you decrypted the disks for the mechanical shapeshifters,” Kurtz said, “We tried using your software, but we can’t get it to work. Do you think you could help us?”
“I'll see what I can do,” Anna said.
Reichstag, Vienna, Holy Roman Empire - 2:00 PM
Kaiser Otto walked up the grand steps of the Imperial Century-era building. At least, it would be Imperial Century-era if it was built in his universe. Men and women in suits walked past him, most of them looking at their smartphones. The few who noticed him didn’t pay much attention. Over here, he wasn’t the Kaiser. He was just another person. He found some comfort in his anonymity here. He didn’t have to worry about his bodyguards waiting around the corner or the paparazzi lurking in the shadows, waiting to snap his picture. He felt free, for one of the few times in his life.
By the door, a middle-aged woman in a business suit waited by one of the lion statues and under the Anniona imperial seal (which sort of resembled the Hohenzollern coat of arms). She looked up as Otto approached.
“Dad?” Elisabeth Alexandra said. “What are you doing here?”
Otto hugged her tightly and cried into her shoulder.
“Dad?” Elisabeth Alexandra said. “Are you okay?”
“No, it’s good to see you again,” Otto said.
“Oh, right,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “Dad told me you were visiting.”
“But then again, you’re on the Imperial Security Committee,” Otto said, “You have the clearance to find out yourself.”
“True,” Elisabeth Alexandra.
“How’s your mother?” Otto said.
“She’s fine,” Elisabeth Alexandra said.
“Do you know when she’ll be home?” Otto said.
“The end of the day, usually,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “I’ll call her up. We can wait inside. I have a nice office.”
Otto followed Elisabeth Alexandra inside.
Yeah Sentinel is likely involved in this, which means we might get to see Pavel and possibly the Smoking man again
If I can figure out how to involve them in the plot. Not that I'm against them showing up...Yeah Sentinel is likely involved in this, which means we might get to see Pavel and possibly the Smoking man again
It's a comforting moment, but I can only imagine how Elisabeth feels about her father's doppleganger.
Its good that Otto is coming to terms with the alternate versions of his long dead loved ones. Truth be told, I'm actually more invested in Otto's story in this ark than the usually X-Division shenanigans. I mean supernatural anomalies and conspiracies are all well and good, but after so much time spent on those its nice to see something more grounded and relatable, plus Otto moving on from his past has more emotional investment from me than what X-Division currently is doing. I don't mean to sound dismissive, like I said X-Division's exploits are still fun in a way, its just that I connect more with smaller human and personal emotional moments like with Otto in this update, just my honest and personal thoughts here.
I agree. I found the "main" plot for this episode kind of lacking, a step down from previous ones, but it's plot important. I had more fun working on Otto's story here and on character-driven moments in future ones. I really like writing emotional moments and grounded situations. It's actually pretty hard for me to write action scenes, so I try to avoid those. Everybody will get their chance to shine, and some fan favorites will get cameos.Its good that Otto is coming to terms with the alternate versions of his long dead loved ones. Truth be told, I'm actually more invested in Otto's story in this ark than the usually X-Division shenanigans. I mean supernatural anomalies and conspiracies are all well and good, but after so much time spent on those its nice to see something more grounded and relatable, plus Otto moving on from his past has more emotional investment from me than what X-Division currently is doing. I don't mean to sound dismissive, like I said X-Division's exploits are still fun in a way, its just that I connect more with smaller human and personal emotional moments like with Otto in this update, just my honest and personal thoughts here.
Synthesis, Part 3
Strasburg field office, the Reich - 3:00 PM
Anna toiled away in a lab full of test equipment, using a soldering iron to solder wires onto the memory storage disk. She plugged the wires into her laptop and ran her program. Outside, Angela and Anders watched her. Olga walked over to them and handed Angela a file.
“We got a hit on Malcolm Truss’s plates,” she said, “A gas station near Seltz, not far from here.”
Angela looked at the file. “Truss comes in, pays for his gas in cash, alone.”
“Not exactly the behavior of someone being held against their will,” Anders said, “Seems more like an accomplice.”
“Unless he doesn't know he's with a shapeshifter,” Angela said, “We should go.”
“Agreed,” Anders said.
Seltz
Malcolm stopped the car at a warehouse on the banks of the Rhine. He and Nadine got out and went inside. Nadine flipped on the lights to reveal a very well equipped laboratory.
“The people I work for built this lab according to the specifications in your file,” Nadine said, “Automated tissue micro-arrayer, blood gas analyzer, centrifuges. I think you'll find we've got everything you'll need.”
She sat in a chair and rolled up her sleeve. Malcolm put on glasses and inspected the translucent skin with a flashlight. He used a syringe to get a skin sample.
“This is amazing,” he said, “The artificial tissue has adapted... remarkably well. Considering the extent of the grafting, it's lucky your body didn't reject it. The fact you're even alive is nothing short of a miracle.”
“Then I suppose that would make you a miracle-worker,” Nadine said, “After all, the grafts were based on your research.”
“I never thought I'd say this, but…I wish Wilhelm Tesla were alive, just so he could see you,” Malcolm said, “I truly believed the work we were doing was going to change the world. And just like that... Tesla shut down the project. And all he could say was, ‘Some things are not ours to tamper with. Some things... are God’s'."
“One man shouldn't stand in the way of progress, not even Wilhelm Tesla,” Nadine said.
Malcolm put the sample under a microscope and typed on a computer.
“Well, the good news is I found the source of the cellular degeneration,” he said, “It was quite obvious once I knew what to look for. It’s because your genome isn't fully propagating through the artificial tissues.”
“Can you fix it?” Nadine said.
“I had hoped this day would come,” Malcolm said, “Yes, I can.”
Strasburg field office - 3:30 PM
Kurtz walked into Anna’s lab.
“I was told you found something,” he said.
“It's a DNA sequence,” Anna said, “I found six distinct genetic profiles on that memory from the shapeshifter tech. Apparently these things are able to switch between every single identity they've ever taken, not just the last one.”
“That'll make it a lot more difficult to find them,” Kurtz said.
“No, it'll make them impossible to find,” Anna said, "The new, improved models do a lot more than just take on the appearance of another person. They replicate their victims down to the molecular level, including every last strand of DNA.”
“You're saying they are completely indistinguishable from whoever they're impersonating?” Kurtz said.
“They're the perfect infiltrators,” Anna said, “They can become anyone. If they perfect this technology they can get close to us. They could replace any one of us. And short of performing surgery to find those memory disks, we would have absolutely no way of knowing."
Seltz
“Okay, you should lie back,” Malcolm said.
Nadine lay back in the chair as Malcolm prepared a syringe.
“You may feel a little nauseous,” he said.
He injected her with the treatment, and she lurched forward, briefly uncontrollably shifting into Karen Truss.
“What the frak?” Malcolm said. “Why do you look like my wife?”
Nadine pointed her gun at Malcolm. “You said you were going to help me, and you will.”
Strasburg field office
“Wait a minute,” Anna said, typing on her computer.
“What’s going on?” Kurtz said.
“The disk is broadcasting a signal,” Anna said.
“To who?” Kurtz said. “Sentinel?”
“Well, that's just the problem,” Anna said, “I can't break the high-grade encryption without more processing power.”
“Meaning?” Kurtz said.
“I need a bigger computer,” Anna said.
Several minutes later, Anna arrived in the situation room, carrying her equipment. Kurtz and Erich helped her plug it into the main computer. She ran her program and called over Diana and Olga from their offices.
“How long will this take?” Erich said.
“Not long at all,” Anna said.
Angela and Anders looked at the computer.
“Those are coordinates,” Olga said.
“To what?” Kurtz said.
Anna brought up a map of Strasburg.
“So what do luxury cars and shapeshifters have in common?” she explained. “They both have the same GPS systems, apparently.”
“You're saying they have tracking devices?” Diana said.
“Yeah, I think whoever's in charge wants to keep an eye on his agents,” Anna said, “That's the one that you guys have here. The one we just hooked up. But there are actually two different sets of coordinates being broadcast.”
“That's in Seltz,” Olga said, pointing to a blip in Seltz.
“I think you just found our shapeshifter,” Diana said.
“For the time being,” Anna said, “But whoever's monitoring that network, they’ll soon know I breached it. They can shut down our access at any time.”
“I’ll call Anders,” Diana said, taking out her phone.
Seltz - 3:35 PM
“How did you do that?” Malcolm said. “Why did you look like my wife?”
“My offer was sincere, to continue your research with people who'd provide the resources to complete your work,” Nadine said.
“What people?” Malcolm said. “Why did you look like my wife?”
“Malcolm, it's not important right now,” Nadine said.
“Why did you look like my wife?” Malcolm demanded.
“Malcolm, great progress requires great sacrifice,” Nadine said, "Your work created me. Malcolm, you need to step back and see things objectively as a scientist. You let go of Karen long ago for a greater purpose. Don't let that all be for nothing. I'm offering you something precious, an opportunity to take back what Wilhelm Tesla took from you...your legacy.”
Malcolm thought for a moment. “It may be possible... to alter the compound... to accommodate... multiple genomes.”
He typed on his computer.
“How?” Nadine said
“We need to induce a state of permanent hyper-replication,” Malcolm said.
Nadine grabbed his hand and twisted it. Malcolm screamed in pain, clutching his broken hand.
“What are you doing?” Nadine said.
“I am adding a bonding agent!” Malcolm said.
“I'm familiar enough with biochemistry to know restriction enzymes would fragment my DNA and trigger a massive internal hemorrhage,” Nadine said, “I’ve done research on them before. I know you know about it. Tesla started similar experiments after he found those stupid books. Now finish what you started. I won't ask again.”
“Okay, five minutes for the centrifugation process,” Malcolm said, “And then we'll know if the serum's complete.”
Outside, Angela and Anders and their teams approached the entrance to the warehouse.
"Okay, we'll take front,” Angela ordered, “You go on my signal.”
The other teams, led by Agent Werner, advanced around the building and took up positions at the other entrances.
“On your go,” Werner radioed.
Angela kicked in the door, and she and Anders stormed inside, followed by Werner and the other teams charging in from the other entrances. They were immediately met with machine gun fire. As Nadine fired back at the Athanatoi agents, she pushed Malcolm aside, grabbed the serum, and jumped several feet onto a stairwell, then leaped off a wall to reach the top floor. She then disappeared through an exit door.
“She's headed to the roof!” Werner shouted, running after her.
“You, get Malcolm out of here!” Anders shouted, directing a team over to Malcolm.
He and Angela ran upstairs and to the roof, where they found Werner on the ground. Angela took out her radio.
“This is Agent Hansen,” she said, “Agent Werner is down. We need paramedics on the roof.”
“She jumped,” Werner said, pointing to the river.
3:45 PM
Paramedics wheeled Werner into an ambulance as Angela and Anders watched. While Angela followed the paramedics to check on Werner’s condition, Anders walked over to Malcolm, who had put his broken hand in a sling.
“Herr Truss?” he said. “Agent Anders Humboldt. I understand it's been a long day. We just need to get a statement from you. And then an agent will take you home.”
“What that... thing said about Karen... it's true, isn't it?” Malcolm said. “She's dead?”
“The police found your wife dead in her home this morning,” Anders said, “I'm sorry.”
“It's my fault,” Malcolm said, “Some things are not ours to tamper with."
“Excuse me?” Anders said.
“It's something someone said to me once,” Malcolm said, “I didn't understand it at the time. But I do now.”
“Anders!” Angela said.
“Excuse me,” Anders said.
He walked back over to Angela.
“The dive team found a body,” Angela said.
The team emerged from behind the warehouse, carrying a body bag. They put the body bag on the ground and opened it, revealing Werner’s body inside.
“That's not our shapeshifter,” Anders said.
“That's Agent Werner,” Angela said.
They looked at the ambulance, but it had already left. Angela’s phone rang.
“Hello?” she said.
She listened for a few seconds and then hung up.
“They found the ambulance a few blocks away,” Angela said, “The shapeshifter’s gone, and everybody inside is dead.”
Since we’re all familiar with the unfortunate burning of Norte Dam cathedral this week, how are Paris’ landmarks doing in TTL? Sorry about this being not much of a cultural question, but the burning of Norte Dam left me saddened (and this has happened while my grandmother has cancer and preparing for surgery in India as well) so I just feel it’s good for me to ask anyway.
Notre Dame isn't as big. That's all I know.Since we’re all familiar with the unfortunate burning of Norte Dam cathedral this week, how are Paris’ landmarks doing in TTL? Sorry about this being not much of a cultural question, but the burning of Norte Dam left me saddened (and this has happened while my grandmother has cancer and preparing for surgery in India as well) so I just feel it’s good for me to ask anyway.
Synthesis, Part 4
Strasburg field office - 6:00 PM
Diana and Anders entered Angela’s office and set down a stack of files on her desk.
“We got the files you asked for,” Diana said.
“Thanks, Di,” Angela said, “By the way, I sent in the reports to Dad and Kurtz already, so you guys don’t have to do them.”
“Thanks for letting us know,” Anders said, “Angie, we’ll find her. I mean, look at how much more we know now than this morning.”
“Yeah,” Angela said, “We’ll get through this. Do you want to go get dinner?”
“That would be great,” Diana said.
“We’ll meet you in the lobby,” Anders said.
“Great,” Angela said.
She began reading the files, and Anders and Diana left.
Vienna, Holy Roman Empire
Kaiser Otto noticed Senator Elisabeth Alexandra von Hohenzollern’s office in the Reichstag looked remarkably similar to Crown Princess Elisabeth Alexandra’s office in Blachernae. The same books sat on the bookshelf in the same corner of the room, with slight differences in name. There was a globe of the world on a side table next to a miniature Holy Roman flag under a portrait of Emperor Claudius; in his daughter’s office, it would be a globe of his world next to a Roman flag and under two portraits of Kohl and Schröder (it wouldn’t make sense to put his own portrait there). The chair he sat in was his daughter’s favorite chair. That desk was a gift from her husband when they got married.
Elisabeth Alexandra looked up from the book she was reading (Second Chance: A Jacob Colmar Adventure - 15th Anniversary Edition by famous author Raul Blucher) and looked at Otto.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Otto said, “Just a little homesick.”
“I get the feeling,” Elisabeth Alexandra said.
The door opened, and Otto turned around. Victoria Louise walked into the room and stopped. Elisabeth Alexandra got up from her desk.
“Uh, hi, Mom,” she said.
“You said it was urgent,” Victoria Louise said.
“Yeah, we have a visitor,” Elisabeth Alexandra said.
Otto got up from his chair.
“Otto?” Victoria Louise said. “What are you doing here?”
“Mom, I sent you the report,” Elisabeth Alexandra said.
“Hello, Louise,” Otto said, “I’m from the other side.”
“My husband always talked about you and your world,” Victoria Louise said, “How he was Emperor there. He would never shut up about it for the last seventy years.”
“And I always wondered about your world,” Otto said, “About how I wasn’t Kaiser here.”
“What are you here for?” Victoria Louise said. “You obviously didn’t make the long journey here just for small talk.”
“I just wanted to see you again,” Otto said.
Victoria Louise looked at him. “So I’m dead over there.”
“As of this morning,” Otto said.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Victoria Louise said, “If it helps, when my mother died, I found it best to—”
“Yeah, I know that,” Otto said, “I talked about it with the other me. How did you do it?”
“We may come from different worlds, but we’re still human,” Victoria Louise said, “We both know we don’t have much time left. I just made my peace with the fact that she’s gone.”
“I understand,” Otto said.
“You know what I would suggest?” Victoria Louise said. “What I did might not work for you. Everybody grieves in their own way. It’s different for you. Just go home. Do the funeral. Grieve for her. And then come to your own decision.”
She hugged Otto.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said, “But I can’t decide for you.”
“Thank you, Louise,” Otto said, crying into her shoulder, “Thank you anyways.”
Unknown
In another warehouse lab, Nadine injected the Malcolm’s serum into her arm and waited. Slowly, the translucent skin on her arm and other parts of her body returned to normal. Her discomfort eased, and her face relaxed. The serum had worked. She reached into a locker and took out an Eligerica 251 typewriter. She set the typewriter on her desk and typed a few lines.
A few seconds later, she received a response.
Angela’s residence - 11:00 PM
Angela walked back through her door and hung her coat in the closet. As she made her way to the bedroom, she didn’t notice a thick noxious gas seeping under her front door until she had breathed it in and quickly fainted. Two men wearing gas masks forced open her door and entered the residence.
“Should we move her to the bed?” one said.
The other reached for Angela’s security camera and turned it off. He then took out a syringe and injected a substance into the back of Angela’s head.
“No need,” he said, “She won’t remember the last two hours, anyway. When she wakes up, she'll have one hell of a headache.”
They got up and left.
Uh oh, that cliffhanger can't be a good sign
And I hope Otto can finally find the peace he deserves, dude's been through much ever since his dad got assassinated.
And I hope Otto can finally find the peace he deserves, dude's been through much ever since his dad got assassinated.
So... third universe? I'm thinking third universe getting involved.
Sometimes grieving is all you can do.
Sometimes grieving is all you can do.
There's one more thing he needs to do in this universe.Uh oh, that cliffhanger can't be a good sign
And I hope Otto can finally find the peace he deserves, dude's been through much ever since his dad got assassinated.
Walter probably thinks so.
Wait,what?Third universe?Where would the information for this universe come from?