Darker Than Black > 12. When One Takes Back What Was Lost Within the Wall... (Part 2)

Pai:
A shooting star! Brother, I saw another shooting star!

Hei:
Okay. Next time you should try making a wish.

Pai:
A wish?

Hei:
Don't you know what a shooting star is?
It's a spark that escapes from heaven when God leaves the door open for a minute.
That's why they say you should make a wish when you see one.
Because with the door open, God is sure to hear it.

Pai:
Really? Because I have a lot of wishes I wanna make.
I wanna be a nurse in a hospital and go into space!

Hei:
Don't waste your time telling me. You need to wish on a shooting star.

Pai:
Oh, that's right. Let's see. Star light... star bright... Oh, I see one!

Kikuchi:
Hey! Turn that damn thing off, you idiot!

Hei:
Right.

Kikuchi:
Sorry. I promise you it won't happen again.
Come on, apologize.

Hei:
I... um... sorry for the noise.

Kikuchi:
You can finish later. Let's go.

Hei:
Right.

Sergei:
Let's continue.
After a thorough analysis of the available data, we have determined beyond any doubt that the incident recorded at Sotokanto block 3 during our remote camera survey is a synchrotron radiation field generated by the missing Meteor Shard.



Hei:
What?

Meena:
You see them, don't you?

Hei:
What are you talking about?

Meena:
Don't play the fool with me!
You are not the first person here that this has happened to!
Lots of other people before you have had these visions and many of them have been driven straight out of their minds!
Listen to me! Don't try to shoulder this burden by yourself!
You'll feel better if you talk with someone!

Hei:
Why?
Why all this concern for my feelings?

Meena:
It's just... if you cracked up... they probably blame it all on me...
At the very least I'd be tossed out of PANDORA and my research would be taken away from me.
All my hard work and sacrifice would be thrown away for nothing.
I can't...

Hei:
Take it easy.
The syndicate isn't going to blame you for anything.

Meena:
How can you be so sure?
They expect so much...

Hei:
They expect nothing of you.
Now hurry up and get away from here. Before somebody sees us.

Meena:
I'm sorry.
Excuse me, wrong room.

Kikuchi:
Ah, right.



Hei:
What's going on?

Nick:
Ah, Li. We're cleaning up. I drew the short straw.

Hei:
Kinda sudden, isn't it?

Nick:
That flash of synchrotron radiation we all saw during the unman camera survey turns out to have come from a valuable Gate related artifact that we've been searching for.
Unfortunately, I'm part of the recovery team that's going in after it.
Ever since that accident with the first research team, entering to the Gate has been strictly controlled.
No telling how the things just showed up in there all of a sudden.
Bad luck for me, I guess.
Actually, I'm glad you stopped by.
I was wondering if you'd be willing to take the Satake off my hands.
You'd be doing me a favor?

Hei:
Sure.

Nick:
Okay, then. That'll be one last thing I'm gonna have to worry about.

Announce:
Attention. All researchers assigned to expedition #18, please report to block 6, gate 7...

Nick:
That would be yours truly.
Look, I really hate to ask you this but do you think you could finish packing up here for me?

Hei:
No problem.

Nick:
Hey, if I get back in one piece we should go stargazing again.

Hei:
Yeah. Sure.



Kikuchi:
Mind if I join you?

Hei:
No. Sit down.
What is it?

Kikuchi:
It's your own fault, you know?
If you don't give a woman what she wants she'll look elsewhere.

Hei:
What are you talking about?

Kikuchi:
C'mon, we're both men of the world, right?



Hei:
What do you think you're doing? Did you play up to Kikuchi to get information?

Meena:
I remember that he discovered Corinna's body so I thought he might know something helpful.
I wanted to... I wanted to do something useful.

Hei:
Didn't I tell you not to interfere?

Meena:
I know. But I thought it would be okay. He's harmless.

Hei:
I know he's no threat. What if some saw the two of you together?
Did you ever think about that?
You're here to make your dreams come true, right?
So focus on that and leave the rest to me.

Meena:
It's not what you think. Nothing like that happened between him and me.
All I did was talk to him. You've got to believe me.

Announce:
Alert! We have an emergency situation. All members of the expedition 18 analytical group, please report to your assigned positions at once.
Repeating. We have an emergency situation.

Meena:
What is it? What happened?

Sergei:
These images came in from the recovery team just a few moments ago.

Researcher:
S-someone! Send backup! Hurry! Get us outta here!

Meena:
Doctor! The signs! Look at the letters!
They've been reverse somehow.

Researcher:
I don't know what's happening!

Kirk:
Freeze it right there!
Back it up. Right there. Zoom in.

Sergei:
My God...

Researcher:
What's that?

Researcher:
What the hell could've happened to them out there?

Kirk:
You mean you're not gonna send in another team?
Sir, we don't have the Meteor Shard yet. As far as we know it's still inside the Gate.

Sergei:
I'm well aware of that but these people are my responsibility and I can't take the risk of more casualties.

Kirk:
Chief!

Eric:
Our employers want to know if you've recovered the Meteor Shard.

Kirk:
Well, I...

Eric:
You realize, don't you, that this is your last chance?
I've done my best to shield you from the consequences of your past blunders.
But now our superiors expect results.

Hei:
Nick!

Nick:
Li.

Hei:
Feeling better?

Nick:
Yeah, I guess so.

Hei:
It must have been rough.

Nick:
I'm resigning from PANDORA.
I've already worked things out with Sergei and the front office.

Hei:
Do you know what you'll do next?

Nick:
I'm not positive but I'm thinking about asking for my old job back at NASA.
It's only about a fifth the size it was during the glory days but they've managed to keep going and it's still xxx at stars.
Speaking of which we gotta go stargazing as soon as you get out of here too.

Hei:
When we do you ought to bring your sister along.

Nick:
Yeah. That's a good idea.
It may sound strange but from the day we first met I felt as if I've known you for years.
You remind me so much of myself. It's almost like looking into a mirror.
I'm really glad to have met you, Li.
Did you need something, Meena?

Hei:
Are you out of your mind approaching me in public like that?

Meena:
Something doesn't add up. Why was Nick the only member of the team to survive?
I've reviewed all the footage from the incident.
And Nick is the only one who doesn't show up in any of the images.
And then there were all the shoes that were left turned upside-down.
I don't think those people were killed by some Gate related phenomenon. I...

Hei:
You think he did it.

Meena:
Yes.

Hei:
How many years have you worked with him?
In all that time, did you ever suspect him of being a Contractor?

Meena:
No, I haven't.
But then, I met you... and now I don't know what to think.
I mean, you're so much nicer than most other people.
And you're a... I know he is your friend and I didn't wanna hurt you...
What's wrong with me all of a sudden? Why do I even care?
I never thought about anything but my research before. But now... ever since I met you... I've been...

Kirk:
Stop right there!
Is the Meteor Shard in there?
Back away slowly. Both hands on the lockers.
No!

Nick:
Li. What are you doing here?
Listen, I know how this must look to you. But it's not what you'd think, I swear.
I had no choice! You've got to believe me!
This is the Meteor Shard.
For sometime now I've been giving information to the CIA.
In exchange for retrieving the Meteor Shard for them they were going to get me out of this place and reinstate me at NASA.
I'm sick of the political games here.
There's no cooperation between departments and when there is a discovery, the credit [just taken/is taken] by the bureaucrats.
I don't even know what the other teams are working on.
My dream is slipping away from me. I'll never be able to bring back the stars or take my sister into space if I stay here.
I know that might sound crazy to you but that dream is all I believe in!
And I was hoping... I could make you believe in it too...

Hei:
You know, I've seen something like that once before.
And I saw Contractors whose powers were amplified beyond their own control.
They struck out at each other blindly. So many were killed.
Every word you've ever spoken to me has been a lie.
That thing is never going to put the real stars back in the sky.
Your dreams about going into space with your sister, all lies.
You're a Contractor and we Contractors can't dream.

Nick:
What did... you say?
What happened? Why didn't my powers work on you?
So even our powers are the same, it's as if we were each cast from the same mold.
We Contractors can't dream. To tell you the truth, that's exactly the way I used to feel about it.
Maybe that's the reason I trusted you. I thought you were the one person who could believe in my dream.
I guess I was a fool to believe something like that, wasn't I?
I'm sorry. I didn't wanna drug you into this.

Meena:
What is it?

Nick:
Li! Look!
So I guess you must believe to me after all, huh, Li.

Hei:
What's that?

Hei:
Yin...

Sergei:
Go to gate 11 in research facility 3.
Hei. I've made all the arrangements to get you outside.

Hei:
So you must've known... about everything.
You even knew that Nick had the Meteor Shard.

Sergei:
Everything, yes.

Hei:
Then why didn't you do something? You could've ended it.

Sergei:
I needed to see the power of the Shard.
That had to take priority over everything else.

Hei:
What will happen to her?

Sergei:
Nothing. Her life will go on as usual.
She found what she lost. You should pay the price for it. That's all.

Mao:
Huang says that even he needs a day off once in a while.

Hei:
Mao. Tell me. Do you think there's any chance the real stars will return someday?

Mao:
It's only inside the Gate that a person can ever get back what's been lost.
Of course that's just supposed to be a superstition.

Misuzu:
The damn cat came back!

Mao:
Oh, no!

Misuzu:
I'll get you, you stupid animal!

Hei:
Thank you, Yin.