Main Scenario/Midnight Secret Talk

MS Transcontinental Race Episode
23-1	Protagonist's Arrogance
23-2	Phony and Genuine
23-3	Suspicious Stepsister
23-4	Family Reunion
23-5	Trans-MS Race
23-6	Get Set, Go
23-7	The Usual Promises
23-8	Midnight Secret Talk
23-9	Running Monstrosity
23-10	The True Hero

Later that day. The Mist Train had traversed a considerable distance in good order, without explosions.
In just half a day or so, not only have we made up the three days' delay, but we are now in the race for the top spot.
This was to be expected, but this was no race. We're not using any underhanded methods, but I'm starting to feel a bit guilty.
Dr. Gloria	(Oh, darn--)
Dr Gloria hopped into her bunk after being retrieved, in the sleeping car of the Train that continues to run at night without a care in the world.
Dr Gloria's Doggan Train has been wrecked and was no longer able to run, and as there seemed to be no desire to continue the race-- They were asked to ride with us on this train. They are all sleeping in private rooms, including Columbia.
Dr. Gloria	(I had a big mess today... No, it's just 'business as usual'.)
Dr. Gloria	(I made a big show of showing off like that, and then it exploded right afterwards... I know it's a familiar sight to them, but it's still embarrassing.)
Dr. Gloria	(When will I catch up with my mom? I'll never be able to call myself her daughter like this.)
Columbia	"I'm sorry to disturb you."
Woking	"Excuse us for coming in late at night from the shadows♪"
Dr. Gloria	"GYAAAAAAH!?"
Columbia and Woking suddenly emerged out of Dr. Gloria's blanket. Startled, Dr. Gloria backed up on her bed in her panic, her eyes whited.
Dr. Gloria	"Wha-wha- What's going on all of a sudden!? Where did you two come in from?"
Woking	"The typical, we moved here instantly with my shadow crossing ability..."
Woking	"With President at my side, of course. I'm glad I succeeded, it's difficult at night when there are shadows everywhere."
Columbia	"Seems like there are more restrictions on your abilities than you might think, my sweet."
Columbia	"To be fair, It'll be too strong otherwise. If you can travel without regard to distance, it defeats the purpose of transportation vehicles."
Woking	"As a matter of fact, this seems to be an ability developed with that intention in mind. If everyone could use shadow crossing, it would make the Mist Train obsolete-"
Columbia	"Hmm. The Messiah Project was halted as pointless when the Mist Train Project was launched. So the scientists, outraged by this, developed this unusual ability in revenge."
Columbia	"They're going to screw up the Mist Train Project, just so they can exact revenge for the dissolution of the Messiah Project-- eh? It's like a children's quarrel, it's ridiculous."
Dr. Gloria	"Um, can I help you with something as the Doctor...?"
Columbia	"Yes. I thought I should have a talk with you. We probably have mutual interests."
Dr. Gloria	"...?"
Columbia beckoned a bemused Dr. Gloria on her bed.
Columbia	"Let's have a friendly pyjama party, between lonely kids who have no place in this world."
Dr. Gloria	"Well, we can just talk... Are you sure you won't do anything weird or scary?"
Columbia	"You don't trust me... Now now, come here."
Dr. Gloria	"..."
Dr. Gloria sat down on her bunk quizzically. Columbia hugged her as if a stuffed animal. Woking, who was lying down in a suitable position, looked at them and laughed."
Woking	'I'm sorry, Doctor. She just does whatever she wants."
Dr. Gloria	"'Doctor's big sister'."
Woking	"If she were Sire's sister, then yeah you should call her that."
Dr. Gloria	"Doctor isn't really her younger sister. But you know that."
Woking	"Even so, I'm rather envious. As we said earlier in the afternoon, we're artificial beings born from a tube."
Woking	"I kind of long for the idea of a family myself. I think that's why President wants to be Sire's co-driver so much. - She's lonely."
Columbia	"No, it's because me and Mr. Conductor are destined to be together."
Columbia	"...But it's pointless to be so forceful about wanting it. Yes, I want a family that loves each other."
Woking	"You're not happy with just me?"
Columbia	"No. You are the only person that has kept me from going insane. I love you, Woking, my dear sister...♪"
Woking	"When you say you love me so honestly, it's hard for me to jest in return."
Columbia	"I don't know what to do. It's just so... So difficult, I'm supposed to be the perfect person who can do anything."
Columbia spoke with an sigh as she held the bewildered Doctor in her arms.
Columbia	"By the way, how much do you know about the Messiah Project?"
Dr. Gloria	"What? I've never heard of it. Everyone assumes that I know about it, so I can't follow the conversation..."
Columbia	"Well, I beg your pardon. The Messiah Project is classified, so normally no one knows about it."
Columbia	"But. You were the heart and the driving force behind the Mist Train Project, and it seems that you were the brainchild of Ricardo, the Divine Child- I would have thought you would have at least heard rumours."
Dr. Gloria	"No. My mom didn't talk to Doctor about anything too complex."
Dr. Gloria	"Mother took good care of Doctor when I wandered into this otherworld. She never tried to involve me in the plans she was working on."
Dr. Gloria	"I felt lonely about it, and I wanted to repay my beloved mother. Doctor wanted to be useful, so I took the liberty of watching and learning those skills."
Columbia	"It's amazing how much you can learn just by watching. It's a common belief that Ricardo's techniques can't be replicated by anyone."
Woking	"Yes. That was the only thing about her that the scientists of the Messiah Project acknowledged. They were geniuses, too, I believe, but Ricardo was so transcendent that the others couldn't compare."
Dr. Gloria	"Hmmm. Well, Doctor was born with a natural talent for such things. They say I'm the greatest genius since Alexander Graham Bell- I don't know how should I explain to people on this other universe."
Columbia	"Oh, well, I thought it was normal for people like you from the otherworlds."
Dr. Gloria	"No, no, Doctor was a strange girl over there too."
Woking	"Huh, what's that otherworld?"
Columbia	"She seems to have come to our world through a Gate from another universe. Such cases are increasing, especially recently."
Columbia	"Many of the so-called Otherparts - unnatural ruins and items that exist all over this world, are said to have drifted in from other worlds in this way."
Columbia	"Conductor's team seem to have seen such things in the Mist. Perhaps the tracks, which are said to have been built by the ancients..."
Columbia	"Welp, it's not my job to speculate on that sort of thing..."
Columbia	"We've gotten off-topic. The Messiah Project is, as the name implies, a project to create an artificial messiah."
Columbia	"Using the five noble bloods that exist in this world, the project aims to create the strongest, most invincible and perfect human beings. Woking and I are the products of such a controversial project."
Columbia	"It is a plan to force the evolution of the human race, by any means. The goal was to make humanity strong and invulnerable to Phantom Mists and monsters."
Columbia	"I am the only successful example of such an artificial savior."
Woking	"By the way, I'm treated as a failure. I was a prototype, created based on two noble bloods instead of five. One derived from Nishiki and one derived from St. Iris."
Woking	"But I was made on an experimental basis, very early in the project... I had a lot of defects here and there, I couldn't even get out of bed for a long time."
Woking	"I couldn't move my lower abdomen. So I'm glad I can walk normally now."
Dr. Gloria	"How did you manage to move?"
Woking	"Hmmm... I was given the ability to cross shadows later on. At first I didn't handle it well and got trapped in a different realm. I couldn't get out of the shadows, so for a time I couldn't return to this world."
Woking	"I think that during that time, I was exposed to an unknown energy that altered my body-- That's what I've been told. To be honest, I don't really know."
Columbia	"Yeah. Most of the scientists who were involved in the halted Messiah Project are missing now. There's a lot of uncertainty about the nature of the experiments that were being carried out at the time."
Columbia	"And so far the synthetic products of Project Messiah are also missing, no one has been found alive except me and Woking. Many of them rotted inside tubes before they were even born."
Dr. Gloria	"....."
Woking	"Well, it was such a morally repugnant study. I mean, the project was halted, or effectively - it was cancelled. I think that's a good thing."
Columbia	"Yes. There are certain things you can do for the world, for humanity, and certain things you can't do."
Dr. Gloria	"Hoh... Even over here in this world, there's proper bioethics in place too, it seems."
Columbia	"In a way. If the world really was on the verge of extinction, we wouldn't be able to talk so casually about it."
Columbia	"No, I don't think so. The Messiah Project was endorsed under the guise of countering the threat of the Phantom Mist and for the future of humanity -- The Messiah Project was considered to be a good thing. In the past, it was definitely justified."
Columbia	"However. Even now, even though Mr. Conductor's team travel around the world, risking their lives to solve incidents... The threat of the Phantom Mist has not diminished in the slightest."
Columbia	"The world is still not at peace."
Dr. Gloria	"Even so. I'm sure that you and big brother, the SSS, I'm sure that one day they will really bring peace to the world."
Dr. Gloria	"No. Mother created the Mist Train with that hope in mind. The tracks on which the train runs are sure to lead to a happy future."
Columbia	"I hope so. If Mr. Conductor's team succumb to the Mist and the world comes to an end... Some idiots might think, 'Let's restart the Messiah Project.'"
Columbia	"I wish we were the only children born unwanted and unloved by our parents."
Dr. Gloria	'...I, the Doctor, might have misunderstood you two."
Dr. Gloria	"That's why you all are fighting as members of the SSS. To protect world peace. You don't want there to be another one like you again."
Columbia	"Heh, some say it's the right job for me, because I'm brilliant and perfect. I am the protagonist of this world, and only a hero can do that job."
Columbia	"And the SSS, led by Mr. Conductor. They have done enough to be called heroes so far. The phony Mist Train that stands in their way must be eliminated."
Woking	"It would be a disaster if the SSS were to get caught in a rumour mill because of the phony's stupidity. And if the bad publicity continues to grow, we're talking about the possibility of the SSS being shut down."
Columbia	"Yes. But we can't have our heroes disappear for such a trivial reason."
Columbia	"However, I'm not so dreamy as to believe that everything I wish for will come true. I have a lot of precautions in place just in case."
Columbia	"You are one of them. During the day, you told me that if we could mass-produce trains, it would reduce the workload of the SSS and Mr. Conductor."
Columbia	"That idea is correct. We will continue to organize regular Trans-MS races. You must participate in all of them."
Columbia	"Also... try to get in touch with the technology of other countries' vehicles, learn from them and try to make it possible to mass-produce trains in the future. I will invest you with the necessary budget and personnel as far as I can."
Columbia	"Correction. I dare say that you will get rid of the SSS. Dr. Gloria of the Doggan Gang - the villainess who once emerged as an enemy of the SSS."
Columbia	"When the Train ceases to be unique, when humanity has the means to break through the Phantom Mist, times will change."
Columbia	"It will not be the one and only special entity, the SSS, that saves the world. It will be all the ordinary people, everywhere in the world, who will save the world.
Columbia	"That's what I want. I dream of a future where everyone can live happily ever after, without having to rely on a perfect and powerful messiah."
Dr. Gloria	"End the... SSS?"
Dr. Gloria	"I don't know whether you are an enemy or a friend of the SSS."
Columbia	"I've told you many times. I'm their ally, for now♪"

MS Transcontinental Race Episode
23-1	Protagonist's Arrogance
23-2	Phony and Genuine
23-3	Suspicious Stepsister
23-4	Family Reunion
23-5	Trans-MS Race
23-6	Get Set, Go
23-7	The Usual Promises
23-8	Midnight Secret Talk
23-9	Running Monstrosity
23-10	The True Hero