NOVPUB[ — Status Screen —
Dame Wasp: Master, things turned out just as you predicted. The unattached mind-reading apparatus helped break the ice and get things started.
Emi: Brilliant, Master! My sister would love to have a strategic shinobi like you in her private army.
Ace: It was only possible thanks to DD and Specwork's precise profiling of Emmitt Ewell. Great job, you two.
DD: Thank you, Master.
Specwork: Thank you, Master.
Ace: The combination of the mind-reading apparatus and the emotion-reading ability is incredible. DD, team up with Speclimes to perfect this combo. Considering our growing list of enemies, we might need it more often than we would like.
DD: Yes, Master.
Specarc: Affirmative.
Specorc: Affirmative.
Specwork: Affirmative.
Specroll: 59 65 73
Specwork: Specroll means "yes" in hexadecimal sequence. It still hasn't fully adjusted to the new world.
Ace: Dame Wasp, don't forget to destroy the USB drive.
Dame Wasp: Are you sure, Master? Elinor might need it to help you in case something unexpected happens.
Ace: Don't worry. I have my own plans. It would be a waste to give up such valuable information over something like this.
Dame Wasp: As you say, Master. Should I proceed with gassing Prince McSuile?
Ace: Yes, go ahead. Use the maximum setting. His lungs are strong, he won't die from something like this. My only regret is that he'll never know it was me.]
The moment Elinor called his name in the interview room with Emmitt listening, Ace knew he could no longer keep his infiltration of Base Wulfric—and even Nastrond—a secret. Not unless he silenced both Elinor and Emmitt, which would go against the very reason he was there in the first place.
Ace believed this because keeping his infiltration secret hinged entirely on the cooperation of Elinor and Emmitt. He could influence Elinor—but not Emmitt. As for tampering with Emmitt's psyche, like he had with the interpreter, that was out of the question. Even with the curse cuffs on, Emmitt's trained mind and body were too strong. On top of that, the overpowered substitution effect of the cuffs severely limited the scope of techniques Ace could try on him.
As for reasoning with him? Out of the question. You don't negotiate with a damn curse terrorist/criminal.
So then, why give the USB drive to Elinor instead of using it to gain Emmitt's support directly? Why take the gamble?
Because we don't negotiate with terrorists. Besides, the more important point was, Emmitt wouldn't know what Ace had uncovered or how far he had uncovered.
Emmitt had no idea what was on that USB drive. Based on the profile drawn up by DD and Specwork, Ace believed Emmitt would assume the worst—that Ace had uncovered everything. Ace's calm and confident demeanor towards the USB drive reinforced that idea, suggesting that whatever was on the drive was enough to keep him out of serious trouble with the government.
Still, wasn't this essentially the same situation? Ace telling him the worst or Emmitt assuming the worst, weren't both the same?
No, they weren't the same. What made it different was the uncertainty. Ace revealing his hand would remove the uncertainty factor.
Emmitt was acting based on worst-case assumptions, but that was not the same as knowing the worst had transpired. There was no desperation, no urgency—just calculated caution. Knowing that the worst had happened would immediately prompt one to salvage the situation. However, the uncertainty would leave them complacent about what's next.
Inside the interview room, Emmitt was likely celebrating the fact that he had prevented the government from discovering whatever Ace had unearthed, rather than scheming about how to deal with the variable named Ace.
Right now, instead of desperately thinking about how to inform his people about Ace, Emmitt would be too focused on enjoying his small victory. By the time the idea of alerting his people even crossed his mind—if he managed to do it at all—Ace would have already sold the information to everyone who could afford it.
By the time Emmitt got word out, the Roanoans would likely have too much on their plate to waste time or resources on chasing Ace. And if Ace's plan to sell the information about their existence went as expected, he doubted the Roanoans would want to be on his radar.
All in all, the operation to infiltrate Nastrond was a major win in Ace's book. Instead of negotiating with the terrorist, he got him to work in his favor. However, throughout the entire mission, he found both the Army and the C.I.B. to be alarmingly inefficient. He wondered if the curse array formation covering the base had made them complacent. When it came to handling Emmitt, he could give them a pass—Emmitt was strong enough to render their standard procedures useless. They'd have no choice but to improvise.
Given the time, Ace was certain they'd start pulling in resources from other bases across the country to extract the information they wanted. After all, it hadn't even been a full day since Emmitt had been taken into custody.
That meant Ace had to move fast because with every passing second, the government was one step closer to unearthing the secrets locked in Emmitt's mind. Every second that passed increased the risk of decreasing the value of his information to the government, his biggest buyer.
As for gassing Prince McSuile? The unique glass cells used by the country to detain cursed criminals also doubled as gas chambers, designed to subdue violent offenders. They came equipped with a selection of potent drugs—some strong enough to induce eternal sleep.
However, Void-Tier individuals were simply too powerful for these mass-produced cells. Proper containment would require custom-built units specifically engineered for the Void-Tier convict in question. So, gassing Prince McSuile while he was in one of the standard glass cells would, at best, amount to a prank—or worse, get him in trouble with Kerrigan if Prince broke free in annoyance. 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
As much as Ace wanted to get back at Prince McSuile for everything he had put him through, he was currently too weak to do anything about it. He could only bide his time and settle the score in the future.
