Coppelion (COPPELION)

Girl: IBARA!

HOLD UP FOR A MINUTE, IBARA!

YOU'RE WALKING WAY TOO FAST.

STOP FOOLING AROUND, YOU TWO.

COME ON.

IBARA.

COME ON. LET'S STOP.

JEEZ.

I DON'T WANT TO WALK ANYMORE!

YEAH, ME, TOO.

YOU'RE ALMOST THERE. SEE?

HEY, THE SIGN!

WE'VE MADE IT!

HMM. OH, YEAH!

WE FINALLY MADE IT.

Girl: I KNOW.

LET'S TAKE A PICTURE.

Second girl: WHAT? I DON'T THINK THERE'S TIME.

OH, COME ON. GET IN.

IBARA, COME GET IN THE SHOT.

VICE PRINCIPAL?

Man: WHAT'S YOUR POSITION?

WE'VE JUST ARRIVED

AT ONE OF THE 23 WARDS, SIR.

AND WHAT DO YOU SEE AROUND YOU?

FIELDS, A SCHOOL, A HOSPITAL.

THERE'S A POND, A STEEL TOWER,

AND UTILITY POLES,

SOME CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS, TREES,

OFFICE BUILDINGS, A SCARECROW.

Vice Principal: ARE THERE ANY PEOPLE NEARBY?

Ibara: NOT A SINGLE SOUL.

CONTINUE TO THE CENTER OF THE CITY.

PHONES WON'T WORK THERE, SO SWITCH TO YOUR RADIOS.

YES, SIR.

ALL RIGHT, YOU TWO,

LET'S GET GOING, SHALL WE?

BUT, IBARA.

YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?

STOP WORRYING SO MUCH.

JUST THINK OF IT AS A FIELD TRIP.

TIME FOR SOME SIGHTSEEING IN THE OLD CAPITAL.

Ibara: FIRST WE NEED TO CROSS THE RIVER.

IT'S DOWN THIS ROAD.

ARE WE GOING TO WALK THE WHOLE TIME WE'RE HERE?

WHY CAN'T THEY JUST SEARCH FROM THE SKY OR SOMETHING?

Ibara: DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHAT WE LEARNED IN SCHOOL?

THEY CAN'T SEE WHAT'S GOING ON

IN THE CITY FROM UP THERE,

SO SOMEBODY'S GOT TO GO INSIDE

AND INVESTIGATE IT FROM THE GROUND.

I GUESS THAT DOES MAKE SOME SENSE.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO MINDLESSLY

WALK AROUND A PLACE LIKE THIS.

WE'RE NOT PUPPETS, YOU KNOW.

WE STILL HAVE TO DO THE JOB WE'RE ASSIGNED TO DO, AOI.

I KNOW THAT,

BUT ARE THERE PEOPLE

REALLY LIVING OUT HERE STILL?

WELL, WHO KNOWS?

OUR JOB IS TO FIND OUT.

Ibara: YES? VICE PRINCIPAL?

Vice Principal: WE'VE JUST PICKED UP A RADIO SIGNAL.

IT'S AN S.O.S.

IT'S WITHIN A FIVE-KILOMETER RADIUS

OF YOUR POSITION.

SO THERE ARE PEOPLE NEARBY? HERE?

Vice Principal: IT'S POSSIBLE, YES.

FIND AN OPEN AREA TO SET A SMOKE FLARE.

Ibara: YES, SIR.

WHAT DO WE DO ONCE WE FIND THEM?

DON'T DO ANYTHING.

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS FIND THEM.

WHY WAS THERE AN S.O.S. ALL OF A SUDDEN?

THERE'S BEEN A DRASTIC INCREASE IN THE PAST MONTH.

CONSIDERING THE DANGER,

THEY MUST HAVE HAD A GOOD REASON TO STAY BEHIND.

COMMANDER, WE WILL SOON

BE FLYING OVER OUR TARGET AREA.

10 MINUTES.

MY TITLE IS VICE PRINCIPAL

AT THE NATIONAL DEFENSE ACADEMY TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

JUST CALL ME THAT.

NOW HAVE EVERYONE SUIT UP.

YES, SIR!

WOW!

THAT RIVER IS HUMONGOUS.

THE WIND FEELS NICE.

Aoi: WOW.

THE WATER'S ALL SPARKLY.

HEY, GUYS, COME CHECK IT OUT.

WHY DON'T WE STOP HERE

AND TAKE A SMALL BREAK TO EAT?

I MEAN, IT'S WAY PAST LUNCHTIME ALREADY.

I GUESS WE CAN.

THIS AREA IS BIG ENOUGH FOR THE VICE PRINCIPAL

TO LAND HIS HELICOPTER.

ALL RIGHT!

HMM.

YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO EAT ALL OF THAT?

THERE'S SO MUCH.

OH, MY GOD!

IT'S SO YUMMY!

WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS, A PICNIC?

W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

I JUST GAVE MYSELF

A SHOT OF PURE NUTRITION.

IT'S EASIER THAN EATING, DON'T YOU THINK?

BUT THAT'S--

THAT'S LIKE...

WHAT IS IT, AOI?

IT'S NOTHING!

AH, THESE RICE BALLS ARE DELICIOUS! MMM!

SO ARE THE SAUSAGES

AND THE CRAB CROQUETTES. MMM!

IT'S ALL SO GOOD!

I LOVE BEING HUMAN!

IT'S THE BEST! MMM.

THERE IT IS.

LAND NEXT TO THE RED SMOKE.

DID YOU HEAR THAT?

YEAH. IT SOUNDED NEARBY.

IBARA, COME TAKE A LOOK!

IT'S A PERSON.

H-HE SOUNDS LIKE HE'S REALLY IN PAIN, IBARA.

BUT YOU HEARD THE VICE PRINCIPAL.

RIGHT. HE TOLD US NOT TO DO ANYTHING.

LOOK AT THIS. THE COUNTER IS SHOWING

ABNORMALLY HIGH LEVELS OF CONTAMINATION.

THEY'RE COMING FROM OVER THERE,

NEAR THE GUY IN THE HAZMAT SUIT.

HELP...

Man: PLEASE, SOMEONE,

HELP!

TAEKO.

GO GET ME THE FIRST-AID KIT.

BUT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR THE VICE PRINCIPAL.

TO HELL WITH THE RULES.

I'M GOING IN.

IMPOSSIBLE.

WHERE'S HER MASK?

I'M GOING TO FIX YOU RIGHT UP.

MY GUN IS LOADED WITH A MEDICINE CALLED AETHER.

IT'S A CURE-ALL. HOLD STILL.

THERE. THAT SHOULD START TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.

W-WHAT ARE YOU?

AN ANGEL?

IBARA'S HELPING THE SURVIVOR, SIR.

BRING HIM IN. HURRY.

Man: YES, SIR! BRING HIM IN RIGHT AWAY!

Second man: BRINGING HIM IN RIGHT AWAY!

Vice Principal: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, NARUSE?

THE AETHER'S INTENDED FOR MINOR CASES.

IT'LL JUST GIVE HIM TEMPORARY RELIEF AT BEST.

AND WITH THE LIMITED QUANTITIES WE HAVE,

WE CAN'T AFFORD TO WASTE IT ON PEOPLE LIKE HIM.

I KNEW IT!

THEN YOU SHOULD MAKE MORE OF IT!

I INTEND TO TREAT EVERY LIVING PERSON WE FIND.

THAT WHAT WE'VE BEEN TASKED TO DO, ANYWAY.

WHO ARE THOSE GIRLS?

HOW CAN THEY SURVIVE WITHOUT WEARING

ANY MASKS OR HAZMAT SUITS?

Vice Principal: THEY ARE KNOWN...

AS COPPELION.

THEY HAVE BEEN GENETICALLY ENGINEERED

TO HAVE A STRONG RESISTANCE

TO THIS TYPE OF HARSH, DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT.

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH THE TWO OF YOU NOW?

NOTHING. IT'S JUST THAT

IF NORMAL PEOPLE CAN'T SURVIVE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT,

DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE'RE...

YOU KNOW?

THAT WE'RE PUPPETS AFTER ALL?

OH.

DON'T BE SILLY.

WOULD A PUPPET LOVE TO EAT AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE TO?

COME ON. LET'S GO.

WAIT UP, IBARA!