Fragile

* DS2
* DS

**Fragile** is the young executive company and owner of the Fragile Express, and an ally of Sam Porter during his expedition to west.

## Story

### Background

Fragile was born in the world post-Death Stranding by her father, owner and founder of the logistics company Fragile Express, and mother, who was a freelance porter making various deliveries for both preppers and the government of the UCA prior to the marriage. She was named after the family company name, to whom both parents made a promise to rebuild America by the time she grew up. Born with powerful DOOMS ability, Fragile grows up hearing her father's stories of what America was like before the nation collapsed as a result of the Death Stranding but, when Fragile was twelve, her mother abandoned the two, for their own good, with the objective of destroying the UCA BB's facilities, the bond between father and daughter became stronger.

When Fragile's father died, she became the new company executive, inheriting the structure and connections that Fragile Express had obtained over the years. Thanks to Fragile's DOOMS ability and charisma, she attracted the attention of a fledgling courier company led by Higgs Monaghan, who merged with Fragile Express becoming the only one doing business in the region.

Early on, they were highly successful in delivering supplies to those in the most remote of areas, but all too quickly it was discovered that Higgs was a terrorist leading the terrorist group Homo Demens. They had gone from delivering food and medicine for communities to smuggling guns and bombs for terrorist cells. Fragile was tricked into bringing a nuclear bomb into Middle Knot City, resulting in the deaths of everyone there. Fragile discovered that Higgs was delivering another nuke to South Knot City and managed to steal it away from them, only to be caught by the terrorists. Fragile was stripped down to her underwear and given a choice by Higgs: save the city by running through timefall, which he had summoned, and throwing the bomb into a tar pit, or warping out of the area and saving herself, at the cost of all those who lived there. Fragile chose to save those in the city, and Higgs gave her a hood so that her face would be protected, wanting for her face to be a testament to those who crossed him, and for it to be remembered as belonging to the person who nuked Middle Knot City. Because of this, the rest of Fragile's body deteriorated as the price for South Knot's continued survival.

Despite her actions, the credibility of Fragile Express was now compromised along with the trust of the region's survivors, thus reducing the demands for delivery. With business and credibility at a minimum, and her body disfigured, Fragile was a broken woman but still sought revenge against Higgs.

### Meeting Sam

At some point, Fragile was in searching for Sam Porter and met him, while delivering a cargo to Central Knot City, hiding in a cave to avoid the timefall, helping him evade BTs and triggering his Haphephobia by grabbing his arm. After the BTs left, She and Sam shed tears as they watch the five floating figures survey from the sky momentarily before vanishing. She offers Sam a job working for her, noting how difficult it is for a lone deliveryman to operate in the world, but Sam declines, preferring his solitude. Afterward, she warns Sam to be mindful of the BTs' return and remarks that time fall cannot wash everything away – the ever-clinging past in particular – before departing.

### Supporting Sam's westward expedition

The two later meet again in Lake Knot City, after a fight between Sam and Higgs, who still spares no digs at her, as Fragile is hired to take Sam to the central region, as the Fragile Express is the only company to have a ship on the lake of Ground Zero, and thus be able to go to the other side. With Higgs' defeat, Fragile offers Sam a cryptobiote for the win, which he refuses, she tells of her time with Higgs, as well as her regret about how things went. On the ship, Fragile retrieves Sam's photo and, sitting next to him, tries to ask him something, not realizing that in the meantime Sam was asleep. Arriving in Lake Knot, the two separate.

Fragile is contacted again by Bridges to provide Sam with a bracelet, made with Fragile's blood and chiral crystals, to identify him as a member of the Fragile Express and have no problems with the preppers in the area, even if his presence in the private room of Sam bothers him. During the chat, Fragile notices how the two continue to meet and bond, giving a demonstration of her abilities to Sam. Here Fragile offers her ability to jump into space, thanks to the Beach, to help Sam in exchange for a promise.

Fragile agrees to answer Sam's questions about her connection to Higgs by arranging a meeting at the Logistics Center South of Lake Knot City. Here, taking advantage of a sleeping Sam, Fragile uses the shower in the private room but Sam, recently awakened from a "dream" with Amelie, notices the aged body of the woman. After an initial embarrassment, to answer Sam's doubts, Fragile tells him how her father told her about what America meant before the disaster, how Higgs approached her to the death of her father and how the two together began to collaborate. Fragile explains how the terrorists then used the Fragile Express security passes to enter cities and detonate them, only to discover that Higgs was behind it all. Not wanting her father's legacy to be tarnished by terrorists, Fragile sought out Sam for his help, and before leaving, she renews that "She will always be there".

At one point, realizing that the package he was carrying had been delivered to him by Higgs, Sam calls Fragile to his room to check it out. Opening it Fragile confirms that it is an atomic bomb, the same one that destroyed Middle Knot, and, with the timer already running, Fragile asks Sam to drop the bomb at the tar pit near the South Knot City. With the danger averted, Fragile finally confides in Sam and reveals how Higgs disfigured her body to save South Knot. Here Fragile asks Sam to confront Higgs, but not to kill him, wanting to know the reason for his betrayal.

### Averting the Last Stranding

When Sam, arriving in Edge Knot City, completes the Chiral Network he is forced to fight Higgs to save Amelie, failing as the rival then flees to the Beach. Fragile then helps Sam reach them, using her DOOMS abilities and the strong bond that the porter has with Amelie. Unable to bring Lou with him, Sam entrusts it to Fragile who reassures him, given the bond that has been created between the two, telling him that she will follow him shortly. Coming to the end of the fight between Sam and Higgs, Fragile rages on his former partner by hitting him in the face with her bare hand. Bound and without any power, Higgs is delivered by Sam to Fragile, thus keeping his promise. While in Fragile's captivity, Higgs confessed that Amelie gave Higgs his powers, that she was the true leader of the Homo Demens, and that the terrorist unit always served under her. In the end, however, Fragile decides not to kill Higgs, but gives him two choices: suicide or being stranded on the beach, choosing the second option.

With the start of the Sixth Extinction, Fragile transports Heartman, Deadman and Lockne to Capital Knot City to come up with a plan, but Fragile is not only too exhausted to carry Sam as well, but also because the Beach is no longer safe, so the porter is forced to redo the journey there. Arriving in Port Knot City, Fragile confirms to Sam of Amelie's real identity and agenda, backed by Higgs' confession on the Beach, showing the fake BB that Amelie had given to Higgs so that he could connect to his Beach. In the meantime, however, Fragile's conditions worsen.

After being briefed on Fragile's worsening condition from having excessively jumped across the Beach, Sam sets out to deliver a stockpile of cryptobiotes to her in Capital Knot City, defeating a leviathan BT along the way. Thanks to Sam, Fragile recovers, albeit in precarious conditions, and, aware that Sam needs her, is preparing to transport him. Heartman, however, stops the two, saying that Amelie's Beach, being on a higher level than the others, is out of Fragile's reach without help. Sam than realizes that the dream catcher, which Amelie gave him as a child, could be the bond Fragile needs for taking him to the Beach, and so it is, and thanks to this, Sam "saves" Amelie and stops the Last Stranding, albeit for the moment.

With the world safe, at least for the moment, and strong in the conviction of wanting to honor the people who made it the way it is, Fragile decides to join Bridges, no longer wanting to change the past but think about the future, thus bringing back into business the Fragile Express. When a decommissioning order comes through for Lou to be incinerated, Fragile meet Sam and she ask him if he wants to work for her UCA approved private delivery company. Claiming to harbor no ties to anyone or anything, expressing his continued detachment from the world of the living, in spite of the connections he has formed throughout his journey, and states that there is no place for him in the newly reconnected America, Sam leave a disheartened Fragile as the hangar doors close.

### After the Last Stranding

Later, Fragile reunites with Sam proposing a new adventure, while the two witness the emergence of a DRAWBRIDGE vehicle from the tar.

## Personality

Fragile is controlled and intelligent, as shown when she tells Sam to be quiet while under threat from BTs, clearly knowing how to effectively deal with them in a calm fashion. She also remains at ease when she is captured by the Homo Demens, despite being held at gunpoint.

She appears to have a fond taste for cryptobiotes, even commenting to Sam, that much like a proverbial apple; *"A cryptobiote a day, keeps the timefall away."* Due to Fragile's past circumstances and her ability as a "Jumper," she must maintain a steady diet of cryptobiotes to stabilize her aged body. Despite all the suffering she has experienced she maintains a friendly and positive personality, thus demonstrating great strength.

## Physical Description

Fragile is a white young woman in her late 20s or early 30s with short blonde hair and blue eyes. Most of her body is aged due to the timefall with which Higgs tortured her. This has probably lowered her life expectancy and health.

She uses a black jacket that looks like leather and has the name of her company in the sleeves and a big logo in the back. Also has a blue line detail in the front with the company name. This jacket has the function of detecting high chiralium concentrations. When this happens spikes pop outs on the shoulders. Her hands are always covered with black gloves.

Her pants are also black with a blue line on the sides and her boots are black too. These clothes have the appearance of being made of latex. Besides all this Fragile always carries an "umbrella" which is actually a high tech navigation device with slick and angular form made of black and clear panels. This artifact help her travels through the beaches working as an antenna and improving her DOOMS abilities.

## Abilities

Fragile possesses DOOMS with an extinction factor that is higher than Sam's, allowing her to see BTs. Fragile's DOOMS allows her to teleport to other locations in the world by moving through her Beach and reappearing in the material world. Doing so causes fatigue, so she uses this ability cautiously. She later helps Sam travel to Edge Knot City by sending him through her Beach to locations with high Chiralium density connected to the Chiral Network.

## Notes

* Fragile was first introduced in the E3 2018 trailer.
* Hideo Kojima has revealed that Fragile is an homage to Mary Poppins.
* If you use Fragile's jump ability too often she will get angry.
* Kojima originally contacted Stefanie Joosten for the role of Fragile. However, he never followed up on the potential casting, and would instead cast Léa Seydoux for the role.

## Gallery

Stefanie Joosten revealing early concept art of Fragile, who she potentially could have portrayedHappy Holidays 2018 art with Fragile and Amelie from Kojima ProductionsFragile concept arts from the artbook
## References

1. **^** Twitter · @HIDEO\_KOJIMA\_EN – "*The character of Lea Seydoux in DEATH STRANDING carrying the umbrella and the bag is a homage of Mary Poppins..*"
2. **^** YouTube – "*Kojima Asked Stefanie Joosten To Play Fragile in Death Stranding Then Never Contacted Her*"