04x16 - Medusa Mechanism

[bunniefuu]

What the hell happened?

What is this sh*t?

The plane's engine is charred black!

That sounds like the good old burnt sugar prank.

They got us good, no doubt.

I want that plane fixed quickly.

We're going after the fledgling science team.

Brody knows what to do and can guide the repairs over the radio.

What do you know?

It's like he's working remotely, except in the stone world.

Our enemy's not even bothering to encrypt their messages anymore!

To be fair, we can't do anything about whatever we hear.

Don't tell me you thought we'd ignore the invitation to fight fire with fire and do some remote work ourselves.

Attention Corn City team, we have an important mission for you.

You have until we arrive at Ground Zero.

Take apart the Medusa and figure out what makes the old girl tick.

The river is peaceful, calmer than it looks.

That means...

Our goal is still to revive a million people here in Corn City, isn't it?

Some will get sick or injured eventually.

If we can figure out how the Medusa works, we'll have our own miracle cure.

Dr. Stone, at our beck and call.

Is this what you had in mind, Senku?

You didn't tell us the reason behind our little mission.

Which means you want us to stick to the facts and try our best to succeed.

That makes plenty of sense.

I got no reason to object.

Still, maybe I'm just overthinking things, but the timing here is way too fishy.

Well played!

Niki and the Americans have absolutely no idea where our team is headed next!

And they'd never guessed that we're going straight to ground zero of the petrification beam!

Ten billion points!

We're not going there to sightsee.

We're gonna get our hands on the OG Medusa that petrified the whole planet.

Well, that would be most ideal, anyway.

Fingers ossedcray it's not out of battery.

We'll do what it takes to fight back against Stanley's planes and g*ns.

But we already know the guy likes to fight dirty, so the Medusa may be our only chance.

Yep.

It doesn't matter if it's out of juice or not.

We have to get it functioning.

That's where remote work comes in.

We'll tell them how to crack it open.

And dissect the hell out of it till we understand the mechanisms behind the tech.

I got no objection.

That said, don't expect us to leave you alone with your little toy.

You can only play with it under close supervision.

That's my one condition.

I'm on board with busting the thing open, but are you sure we can actually do it?

Like, is it even possible?

Well, Stanley's g*n managed to put a dent in it, so maybe...

Even if we do find a way to open it, we won't have any understanding of what we're looking at.

I hate to say it, but this calls for precision engineering.

We need a specialist.

Precision engineering.

You're a journalist, so can't you dig us up a crazy good engineer or whatever?

Well, there are plenty of famous high-end watch and jewelry makers in the U.S. but

it's more complicated than throwing out a name.

Just do it!

Come on!

Even if I had a name, how would I know where to find them?

High-end watches?

Yeah, of course I know.

It's a bit of a trek from there, but the Rodex headquarters isn't far from the airport.

Pretty common knowledge.

Well, maybe to you!

I have a soft spot for top-notch timepieces.

I want them all!

Doesn't everyone?

We don't have money!

I'd say you're the only one here who's that familiar with watches.

Well, even so, it'll be difficult to give directions in the stone world.

Gotcha covered!

Give me a rough idea, then I can whip us up a handy-dandy map!

Now that we have this awesome map, we've just gotta upload it to Yuzuriha in Corn City!

Upload?

Pretty wild, huh?

Even after all this time and everything we've been through, we still can't shake our 21st-century mindset.

To hell with it.

Remote work needs another tool.

Our own fax machine.

No way!

What does it do?

It lets you send pictures from very far away.

And how the hell is that possible?

Our fax machine's done!

Already?

Some kind of graph?

Or grid paper?

Are you serious?

Why it's always me?

A smart, if not painstaking, solution.

Using Morse code to transmit the black or white of every cell.

A manual fax!

But back to my question!

Why does yours truly always get stuck with the grunt work?

This feat reminds me of the great Tezuka Osamu.

He sent a manga chapter overseas doing something similar.

I never would have dreamed something like this was even possible.

All done!

I interviewed the Rodex CEO back before we were petrified, of course.

I'll know her when I see her.

That's her!

I'm sure of it!

So, here's the deal.

I see.

Say no more.

I know exactly who you need.

My star employee.

Why am I naked?

Where am I?

What's happening?

Nice to see someone react like a normal person.

Everyone else we've busted out has been some kind of mental freak show.

Look, I know you haven't been awake for long, but...

Hey, Nikki's talking to you.

Clean out those ears, Greenhorn.

Greenhorn?

Is that how you speak to someone when you're asking a favor?

My name's Joel, and you'll do well to remember that.

Or is common decency too much to ask?

You got a sharp tongue, fella, but I can play along.

Take that thing apart and tell us how it works.

We're counting on your genius watchmaking skills, Joel.

Happy now?

Here's the device.

It's a tiny bit dented already.

Ah, it's not that he wasn't listening.

He was so focused on his work, he never learned how to talk to chicks.

Oh, look at that.

Your watch!

Wow, I'm guessing you made it yourself?

How cool!

Help me!

Whoa, dude.

You just got here and you already scored some bling?

I helped myself to your tools and equipment.

I assume that's not an issue.

A watch is more than a means for a man to mind the time.

The watch makes the man.

It's completely off, but anything's better than a bare wrist, right?

Suddenly you're a hella swamp jerk?

Hand it over.

Let's see what makes this thing tick.

It can't be.

I've never seen anything like it.

This is beyond all known science of our time.

True.

I need to concentrate.

Feel free to watch me work.

But if you say so much as a single word to me as I do, I'll k*ll you.

Remember Matsukaze's tale?

He told us that all of the medusas on his island were destroyed.

Well, there you go.

Told you we could have smashed it open with something sharp and heavy.

Smashing it open isn't the same thing as disassembling it for science.

Solid intricate parts, as though each was meticulously 3D printed.

The circuitry is made of glass or some kind of mineral.

I can't begin to guess how it works, yet.

It's no different from a watch.

Every part serves a particular purpose.

This piece...

It's stained black.

The central core that everything else connects to... is a diamond?

If this is like a normal battery that's degraded over time

then if we take it out and reinstall it, it just might...

If you're actually able to fix the Medussa

You should know it's activated by saying the area of effect and how long until you want it to go off

But I'm warning you, don't try it on your own

One meter...

One second...

So you jostled the battery connections...

and managed to squeeze out one last precious drop of juice?

Basically.

The thing's busted now.

So much for our own private Dr. Stone.

Hold on a minute, you Stone World people.

Are you all this prone to chickening out?

You hired a professional craftsman, which means I will see this job through to the end.

You get all squirmy around the girls, but put you in front of some dudes and suddenly you're Mr. Tough Guy?

It doesn't matter how difficult it is.

The job needs doing.

Mountains exist to be climbed.

Let's do this!

Climb, baby, climb!

I declare this our own Mt. Tenno!

Mt. Tenno?

We're by the Andes Mountains, aren't we?

A Japanese figure of speech, meaning it's our decisive battle.

The Andes Mountains?!

I think I've heard about them in a book or something before.

This is bad.

These mountains go on forever.

There's no end in sight.

Then there's no two ways around it.

We're gonna have to find a way to pass over the Andes.

Simple as that.

We're gonna be leaving it up to our remote-capable Corn City team to analyze the petrification device.

As for us, it's full steam ahead to where the petrification of humanity first began.

We have to find and use that terrifying weapon.

It's the only hope we have of stopping Stanley before he catches us.

The road is long.

I must insist you remain well-fed throughout your travels.

Proper nutrition is key, but we're short on time.

Stanley and his team have almost certainly finished preparing their plane by now.

Good thing all we need to do is make it to the Amazon rainforest.

The ridiculously tall trees that thrive there will provide the perfect natural barrier.

No plane stands a chance of sh**ting us or even landing there.

That's great!

So how far do we have left to go before we get to this tree barrier thingy?

There's no way to know.

The landscape's changed too much over the last millennia.

Just like it did in Japan.

No problemo!

This is totally our Mount Tenno!

And once we're past the Andes Mountains, we'll have a mega-thick forest barrier upping our defenses as we ride to victory!

Do you even hear what you're saying?

We're standing in the middle of a desert that didn't used to exist!

Any insights on how things have changed, Miss Geographer?

A fair few.

Tell me something.

Is there way more snow in Japan?

I mean, like, compared to how it used to be?

There is!

As it were.

When we plotted to strike against Senku, we had to wait until the long winter pass to commence.

But how can you know that when you haven't been there yet?

We're on the other side of the world!

Easy peasy!

Humanity gets petrified!

Global temps start dropping like a rock!

And the chilly southern ocean currents fly up, up, and away!

The sea near the equator was definitely extra cold.

It's La Nina!

Bingo!

Bingo my a*s, just keep talking until any of this crap makes sense.

When the water cools, the heat moves around that way and shakes up the air!

That rocking and rolling draws cold wind in from the north all like, brrr!

Dang, it's snowy as hell!

Okay.

Let's break it down further.

When South American waters cool, it snows in Japan on the other side of the planet.

That almost makes sense to me!

This is bad.

It's like the whole planet is actually connected...

by science!

That's why it doesn't rain here.

Because cold oceans don't evaporate nearly as quickly.

So that's why this area started turning into a desert.

Pretty much!

But those mountains are keeping everything nice and separate over there

so it doesn't really matter what's happening in the ocean.

Which means once we're past the Andes, it's nothing but jungle-themed adventures for the whole crew!

And that also means...

we're climbing a freaking mountain!

But first we gotta play musical chairs!

Say what now?

We'll start with you, Luna!

About how much do you weigh?

That's way too much, Chelsea!

I don't get what's wrong.

She just asked her how much her body weighs.

Around 90 pounds.

Give or take.

That's our goddess!

So hot!

That's way too low for those proportions!

Yeah, you're not made of cheese.

Now tell me the real number!

Ah, so you want us to evenly distribute our weight across the bikes.

That's smart.

We've been too rushed to give it much thought.

But it's gonna be an off-road slog with three to a bike from here on.

We can't afford overly heavy groups.

They'd probably get stuck trying to climb.

We're splitting up on the bikes?

I'm gonna floor it, Luna.

We'll ride hard the whole night through.

I mean, let's really think about this.

Numbers only matter to a point.

If it's about balance, I don't know.

I have a sneaking suspicion Senku and I might be the perfect fit to getting across

Oh my gosh!

I never would have guessed that Luna has the feels for Senku!

This is a total love connection!

Too much, Chelsea!

Not that it's any of your business or that I have something to prove, but we're already in a relationship.

A mature, complex, grown-up relationship, you know.

Mature?!

Are you sure the two of you are an item now?

Yes.

It happened when we were talking in the medical bay on the Perseus.

If you do survive this, will you be my boyfriend?

Something akin to a political marriage, yeah?

I suppose that makes sense.

I'm guessing you already have guys desperate for your attention.

Well, yeah, of course I do!

Don't forget, I'm a cool-headed and capable gal who knew that would be your response!

I have no idea how strong your forces are

but the more people we can get to join the kingdom of science, the better.

That was well played.

Good job, Luna.

Your tots not in a relationship.

Too much, Chelsea!

Is that true?!

Yeah, I figured as much.

It makes a lot more sense that he was being skeevy again.

I'll try harder.

Interesting.

Chelsea broke through her defenses.

Maybe she strategically broached the topic of love so we'd all feel a bit more comfortable revealing how much we weigh.

Nope, dead wrong.

I was just prying because I was super curious.

How much you remember weighing isn't relevant.

We've been living here in the stone world for years at this point.

There's a 10 billion percent chance that number is different.

There, it's ready.

What is it?

After I was unpetrified, I made a ruler using my height, 171 centimeters.

A 10 by 10 by 10 centimeter crate of water just so happens to weigh exactly one kilogram.

Let's hit the open road!

This is as far as our bikes will go.

We don't have time to stand around weighing our options.

Stanley will be on the way here with his repaired plane before we know it.

We have no other choice.

We'll abandon our bikes and equipment and climb up.

Are you insane?

Even if we made it there, we'd die soon after.

Nah, we're taking everything.

Alright, we're ready to fly now.

We'll compete against that plane of theirs with our very own transport vessel of science.

A ropeway!

We're gonna build that nasty tech and use it to conquer these mountains.

We're building one of those for ealray ?