Mardock Scramble: The Third Exhaust Page #3

and was left out in the blazing sun.

He was ravaged by dehydration

and respiratory distress,

...and eventually died in the dark

when his strength gave out.

After the funeral, my father and I went to

where my brother had been found.

There, I climbed into the trunk my brother

had died in and had my father close it.

I wanted to know what

my brother had felt.

It was terrifying in there.

As I frantically struggled there in the

pitch blackness, I heard my father's voice.

"Pull the latch.

There's a latch inside."

I found the latch.

And I survived in my brother's place.

If only my brother

had known about that latch.

If only he had had someone

to tell him it was there.

If only he had been lucky enough

to save himself.

If he'd had any one of those three,

my brother wouldn't have died.

It's the people without those three

who lose first.

I don't know which

of the three you have.

But you've been spared because you do.

You mustn't forget that.

I won't .

Player wins.

Player wins.

Balot...

Sometimes it's more painful

to win than it is to lose.

The more you win, the greater

the weight you have to carry.

Hit.

Stay.

Draw.

Next hand.

Hit.

Hit.

Stay.

Player loses.

No one will laugh at you

if you decide to quit now.

Next hand.

Double down.

Congratulations. According to house rules,

trip sevens pay out 1 .5 to 1 .

Tactics and strategy

are the key to victory.

Tactics are the

individual decisions.

What's the first?

Stay. Don't take a card.

Next?

Hit. Take another card.

Third.

Double down. Take one, last extra card

and double your bet.

And the fourth?

Split. When you have

matching cards,

...set out more chips and play them

as separate wagers.

And surrender. Pay half your bet

and fold your hand.

Strategy is the accumulation

of these five tactics.

With timing and teamwork,

victory is assured.

Even money.

Even money?

But you're sure to win.

In spite of that, you're going to throw away

a double payout and maximum victory?

We're talking four million dollars. You're

really going to walk away from that payout?

Yes.

I didn't think

you had it in you.

Just now, I saw courage.

And humility.

For the first time, I saw someone achieve

total victory with my own two eyes.

I once died the same way

your brother did.

But I had people who rescued me

from the locked car.

To think that my cards

were defeated...

I can't see the cards.

The cards don't matter anymore.

This is your victory.

Your perfect victory.

If you don't mind, would you tell me

what you hope to find in those chips?

I think I made a deal with someone.

I wanted to be able to do this on my own.

You're like a mermaid.

I just remembered a story about

a mermaid who gave her up voice...

...to receive magic legs

that let her walk on land.

I bet that she was

just as brave as you.

The owner?

Precisely. Too bad, I'd hoped to continue

the cool act a while longer.

I'm really sorry, Bell Wing.

Oh, please. You've been head over heels

for this girl for a dozen hands now.

Please call the owner.

I want to return these chips to him.

You had me fooled. You weren't trying

to break the bank at all, were you?

The owner's days are numbered if you

have it out for him, young lady.

I just hope that the spell on you

lasts for a long time.

He's here.

Cleanwill John October.

Shell's business partner,

as well as the father of his fiancee.

Take those back.

You little whore that was born

in a garbage dump...

Take only the yolk. Don't touch

the shell or the white.

But if you do--

Return them at once.

A wise choice!

I gave you everything!

I'll keep spinning

the wheel somewhere.

If you're ever in the mood,

stop by and see me.

I will.

You sure you didn't

forget anything?

I smell murderous intent!

Crap! Boiled?!

Balot, use me!

Forget! This is as her primary physician!

Balot's already at her limit!

Oeufcocque!

Balot!

Balot...

Rune-Balot...

Thank goodness...

She's stabilized.

Abnormal skin fiber growth?

The data says something's wrong.

But given the situation she's in,

it's perfectly normal.

We've got some hard work

ahead of us.

After all, we have to pore over the

memories of a homicidal maniac.

Let's just pray

that it's for the best.

We'll use Shell's memories to establish

the process that led to his crimes.

You and Oeufcocque should

be able to do it in a day.

But are you really sure

you want to do this?

I want to know.

I want to know why me.

If I can find some answers,

any at all, it'll be enough.

Balot is perfectly rational

about this, Doctor.

Right.

Okay, let's scramble some eggs.

I'm begging you, I don't want

to go back to my father.

I'll make you beautiful.

We need to establish context.

There's no meaning.

Let's go back to the entrance.

Trouble will be knocking

on your door soon.

This deal

is for me alone.

You had misgivings about

what you were given...

A blue diamond.

That's my solution.

Keep it up. Shell's motive for committing

murder is being becoming clearer.

There's nowhere that I

want to go back to...

Why...?

Why me?

Why am I so afraid of her?!

Hold yourself together.

That isn't your fear.

I can't possibly know why that is.

I've already forgotten everything.

There's nowhere that I

want to go back to...

I promise. Even if I lose my

memories, I'll remember you.

There's something that

I want you to hear.

I'll remember you,

no matter--

I was raped by my father.

Stop! Don't get drawn into it!

Calm down, Balot!

Stop it, Doctor!

Damn... Balot is stronger

than I expected.

I'll make you beautiful!

I'll make you

into something beautiful!

This is wrong...

He didn't kill the first girl.

We'll have to send her

all the way back to the very end.

The first person he killed was...

I had a processing specialist turn my

dead mother's ashes into a diamond.

We've reached

the emotional trauma.

Why... Why me?

Mother, stop! Mother!

23 hours.

That's how much time has passed

since you laid down in there.

Get some rest.

You won't have any bad dreams.

Oeufcocque is right there with you.

Good morning.

The trial date's been set.

I was a fool.

If only I'd told you more of

what you needed to know...

Please. Help me become a new person

one more time.

I'll erase everything.

Sexual molestation

by the mother.

When he was 1 8,

Shell killed his mother.

He rigged her car and burned her to death

inside, making it look like an accident.

Without that memory, it left him unable

to keep his emotions in check,

...and that became the root

of his homicidal urges.

Shell started to think what he

was doing made perfect sense.

And so Shell selected girls with a past

identical to his own, and sacrificed them.

I think it was after Shell's lover died.

A girl that Shell truly loved.

It seemed to come as a real shock when

he learned that they had identical pasts.

That the two of them

had chosen someone so similar.

Shell didn't kill that girl.

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