KIM KITSURAGI - He nods. "We'll be all right, officer. This is nothing." ESPRIT DE CORPS - You feel fortified by his assurance. It's going to be all right.

YOU - There's more to the freckled woman than what you're suggesting. There's more to disco, too. And to me. INLAND EMPIRE - And more than that: you're sad. There's an absence inside of you, something missing that may have been freckled too.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY - Slowly, with your breath held, you take two small steps toward the phasmid. The creature lets out a series of ultrasonic clicks that swarm around your head like swallows… EMPATHY - Like laughter. A sort of happiness.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Are you fucking insane?!" the lieutenant snaps at you. "Don't answer that! And STOP doing it! Let's go." AUTHORITY- The lieutenant's command instantly lets all the wind out of your sails, like he overrode your mind or flicked some secret master-switch.

YOU - Wait, what happened to my face? ENDURANCE - It was time to banish that ridiculous *Expression* from your face -- and replace it with a perfect reflection of your unyielding resolve, your noble suffering. INLAND EMPIRE - You are a terror even to yourself!

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant picks up his gun and then holsters it. "In the name of god, please get a hang of yourself." EMPATHY - He's definitely not impressed by the way you're handling it, but he doesn't hold it against you either. He's supportive like that.

EMPATHY - There-there dead man, you were someone's child. It's all over now.

VOLITION - Good on you. I know you were tempted to shout *fuck*, but you controlled your impulse. Well done. YOU - "Fuck." VOLITION- This is a shame and a disappointment.

YOU - "He's always leaving... Why is he always leaving, Kim?" KIM KITSURAGI - "Who knows, detective? It's a... mystery," he says, turning his face away from you. EMPATHY - There, he's laughing again!

INLAND EMPIRE - You, every morning, walking from Voyager Road to teach gym. She -- leaving for the academy with her spring coat on. The air filled with the smell of smoke and raspberries and incredible hope. An ocean full of hope.

CUNOESSE - "Fucking pussy didn't shoot shit, did he? Didn't shoot me, didn't shoot himself in the mouth..." EMPATHY - "Didn't shoot *me*." There is sincere disappointment on her face. This kid was expecting *pandemonium* and release from her mortal coil.

KIM KITSURAGI - "God, please..." the lieutenant says quietly, without trembling. He aims, face pale... VISUAL CALCULUS - He's aiming for the eye-slot in Ruud's helmet. An extremely difficult shot. EMPATHY He has to. The rifleman will fire at you again.

INLAND EMPIRE - Under your thrumming eyelids, you see a dizzying array of colours. You won't get off this carousel quite so easily.

KIM KITSURAGI - "This church. The coast in general... we shouldn't linger here. This isn't a good place to get lost in." EMPATHY - An imperceptible tinge of fear. The lieutenant is afraid of the church. He does not know why, but he is.

ESPRIT DE CORPS - Beneath that surface query, a touch of self-doubt. The lieutenant isn’t sure he can solve the murder *without* you.

VOLITION - Subdue the regret. Dust yourself off, proceed. You'll get it in the next life, where you don't make mistakes. Do what you can with this one, while you're alive.

MEASUREHEAD – "THIS DEFEATIST TALK OF COOPERATION IS WHY YOU HAVE NO FUTURE. IT IS ALSO WHY YOU HAVE NO LOVE." EMPATHY – That's not true. You have the love of your mother... or do you?

VOLITION - And your mind healing too. Weaving itself back into shape.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Could be. In Revachol West, someone somewhere is always whispering about Le Retour..." He squints his eyes at the writing. "It's an *aerograffito*, meant for Coalition aerostatics in the lower troposphere." INLAND EMPIRE - The return to her side.

YOU - " Night, Kim." KIM KITSURAGI - With effort, he looks at you. EMPATHY- Whatever he may feel in this moment is locked away deep inside him. KIM KITSURAGI - "Good night, detective, " he says, with more gentleness than you've heard from him before."