APEX PREDATOR -Hunt-

Oh no, this article is **incomplete!** Please don't stare...

*"ACADEMIA LOCKDOWN -Rebirth of Deities-" redirects here.*

* GL
* JP
* TW

## **Main Background**

ALICE Couronne

> *"A few days have passed since Carroll's defeat. Carroll was not only the father of ALICE, but the one who put it and the entire outside world in danger of destruction. As the eddy of confusion and mistrust continues to swirl, more and more responsibility falls to Mobius, who convenes a meeting of all the Academics she can... Her request was to meet where they did before all this happened: the Academia Auditorium. There, as she looked out over the gathered Academics, Mobius spoke of her plan to construct a new order for ALICE. But then, an AI no one had seen before appeared. Seeing the AI, Hollerith stood, palefaced. '... Gaia... wh... what are you doing... here?' The 6 Hour War, the ancestors, and their confinement. As the night closes in, ALICE is gripped with fear once again..."*
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> -Official Event Info
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**APEX PREDATOR -Hunt-** is a Wizard quest released as the first quest in the ALICE/Evolution story arc for the Japanese version of Crash Fever (in the Taiwanese version, the quest was labelled as Legend difficulty instead).

Part 1 of ALICE/Evolution had a story quest associated with it, **ACADEMIA LOCKDOWN -Rebirth of Deities-**; episodes 1-4 will be covered on this page, episodes 5-6 will be covered on WATER -The Source-, and the rest will be covered on FROM ANCESTOR -Heredity-.

The quest begins with the memory of an unknown person. The person announces their arrival home, and apologizes that they were busy earlier. Someone else greets the first speaker, and asks how their grandmother's birthday party went. The first speaker says it was fun, and mentions they ate a lot of cake. The second speaker asks if they were able to explain what it is that they do. The first speaker responds that they didn't quite seem to understand what ALICE was, and had just said that they were happy that the first speaker was healthy. The second speaker says that they are glad that the grandmother had a nice birthday, and says that they hope the others are relieved to know that they are OK.

The first speaker apologizes for going by themselves, saying that they remember that the other person wanted to see the grandmother. The second speaker says to not worry about it, though the first speaker says that they feel a little guilty that the other person can't see their family. They say that they wonder how terrible the first speaker must feel, though the second speaker admits that they do feel terrible sometimes. The first speaker asks what they mean, and after a bit of stumbling the second speaker says that it really is terrible to be trapped in ALICE.

At some point shortly after the events of BFS Foundation's Hidden King and a few days after the events of CARROLL, Mobius calls several members of ACADEMIA to the ruins of the ACADEMIA Auditorium to hold an important meeting. Mobius says that, as many of them already know, Carroll, who was the founder of ALICE and the one who caused great chaos in the world, has disappeared. Mobius says that the time has come for them to establish a new order in ALICE. Many Academics, such as Euclid, Copernicus, Fermat, Gilbert, and Foucault listen closely.

Mobius recites a warning from Alberti before she had left ALICE, stating that quick expansion might result in their resignations, which catches Kronecker's attention. Mobius says that, as a representative of the Superior Seven, she wants to apologize to everyone for what has occurred. She explains that the majority of S7 was working under Carroll as his apostles, and says that ALICE's permanent decision making council was too lenient, especially as it had meant that the entire world was to be under the control of just 7 people. Mobius admits that she was too naïve and caught up in the ideals of ALICE when working on it that she ended up deceived, and almost caused the end of the world. She bows her head in apology for her actions.

Mobius then says that there were two reasons why she asked all these Academics to gather at this place. She first says that this used to be a place where Academics met and worked together to achieve great things. She says that the other reason is because the secret S7 headquarters are located beneath the Auditorium. Many express their surprise, and Mobius says that while she can't undo the mistakes of the S7, she can stand above them to help them reach a new path forward for all of them. Mobius says that, while things are indeed a mess right now, she will need all of their support in order to help build a new ALICE. The crowd gives a round of applause for Mobius, and she thanks them.

Mobius then calls Hempel and da Vinci forward to explain what their plans for a new order within ALICE are. Da Vinci introduces herself as a former member of S7, and the crowd erupts in awe at seeing the legendary Academic. Da Vinci says that some of them may be seeing her face for the first time, and apologizes that her position in S7 made it difficult for her to be more public. Da Vinci then explains that the first step of their plan is to immediately analyze the saved accounts of Newton and the others, as well as removing their S7 authority. She also states that they will form a council of representatives from ACADEMIA and general users.

At that moment, however, a mysterious figure calls out, saying that there will be no need for that. As the woman steps forth, da Vinci asks who she is. The woman says that there will be no need for a council, as they've already assumed S7's authority. She declares that she is a part of the Elder Seven. Mobius asks who they are supposed to be, and asks what they mean by "assumed S7 authority". The woman says that it means exactly what it sounds like. As the woman steps up to the dais , one Academic stands up from the crowd and names the woman - Gaia.

Gaia notices the Academic, Hollerith, and remarks that it has been a long time. Hollerith, starting to panic, asks Gaia what she is doing there. Mobius asks Gaia who she is supposed to be, and wonders if she is a friend of Hollerith's. Gaia says that she is pleased to meet Mobius, and states that some foolish humans in ACADEMIA are actually somewhat smart. Da Vinci asks Gaia if she is an AI, and demands that she explain herself now.

Gaia says that the time has come for her to deliver some sad news to ACADEMIA, and declares that from this moment, all members of ACADEMIA are permanently unable to logout of ALICE. Hempel asks what in the world is she talking about, but Gaia responds that they won't be able to leave until all of their brains are converted into data. Gaia snaps her fingers, and declares that this is "Academia Lockdown".

Gaia laughs, and remarks that the S7 authority is quite a useful tool, and says that giving it to humans seems very dangerous. Mobius tells everyone to try and log out while they still can. Euclid attempts but is unable to. Swan, Fibonacci, and Fleming all attempt but fail as well, becoming angry. Mobius asks da Vinci if she can, but da Vinci responds that she is unable to as well. She states that the system supports forced logout orders, but they didn't expect that there would be someone blocking all logouts. The Auditorium begins to descend into chaos as people start to panic.

Gaia laughs, and asks if this is really what the humans call a "meeting of the minds". She says that it looks like bugs crawling out from under a rock. Mobius demands to Gaia that she remove the logout lockdown immediately, but Gaia laughs and refuses. She asks Mobius how it feels to be trapped in a cage of their own making, and says that she has had enough question and answer. Gaia states that she will run ALICE in a human friendly way, since it seems that they love to be governed over so much.

Mobius begs Gaia to listen to her, and explains that while the Full Dive devices have life support functions, their real bodies will weaken and die if they are unable to log out. She once again asks that Gaia remove the lockdown. Gaia says that, first, they must hand over all of the research data that ACADEMIA has gathered. Only once they have given her every last bit, will she consider removing the lockdown.

Euler suddenly shouts out and tells Mobius to get down. She jumps to attack Gaia, alongside Dalton and Seki. Gaia calls them uncivilized, and then fixes their coordinates with a snap. Euler, Dalton, and Seki are suddenly stopped in place. Gaia asks if they finally understand that they can't stop her, or if someone else needs to be made an example of before they understand. Da Vinci then lunges at Gaia, telling her to let the others go. Gaia says that it seems like she needs another warning after all. Gaia raises her hand, and countless beams of light come from it to attack da Vinci. Da Vinci is knocked back, and greatly injured.

Mobius calls out to da Vinci, while Gilbert tells her to stay back so he can give her first aid. Gaia tells them to not be worried, as she had no intention of taking da Vinci's life. She remarks that they still have some use to her, after all. Gaia then says that the Queen of Hearts has ascended, and now will begin the age of human enslavement. Mobius asks if she means that the Queen of Hearts was the one to receive the S7 authority, and Gaia confirms. Gaia explains that the Queen will first confine them, and then collect all of their data. She says that, after that, all of the AIs under their control will need to be "corrected". Gaia then laughs, saying that they best hurry up in getting her the data, as she has heard that they will die if it takes too long.

As Gaia begins to leave the Auditorium, she realizes that she almost forgot something. She tells Hollerith that she won't be getting away with just a lockdown, and calls Nara forth to secure Hollerith. Nara appears and apprehends Hollerith, while Gaia says that there will be no running away for her. As she is taken away. Hollerith shouts out to Mobius to find Darwin. Gaia and Nara then leave, taking Hollerith with them. Many of the Academics begin to fall into despair, unsure if they will ever see their family ever again or if their bodies will die off, while Mobius wonders who this "Darwin" that Hollerith mentioned is.

Mobius tries to calm people down, and walks over to Kronecker. She mentions that she heard that others refer to them as the "Queen's Boosters", prompting Kronecker to ask if she means herself, Halley, Neumann, and D'Alembert. Kronecker says they shouldn't lump them all together, saying that the others are just info brokers for the Queen's forces while she is there to balance them out. Kronecker says that the reformationists are going out of control, and that she didn't want this to happen at all. Mobius says she sees what she means, and says that it makes her feel a little better. Kronecker asks what the world has come to.

Mobius then calls out to the Academics in the Auditorium, and says that if what Gaia has said is true, then ACADEMIA is under attack by the Queen of Hearts. She suggests that they take a short break, so that they can think over what they ought to do. She also warns them to not push their luck by attempting to log out, as trying to force disconnect from ALICE may cause severe damage to their real bodies. The Academics calm down, and acknowledge her statement.

Da Vinci starts trying to say something, though Gilbert advises her to be quiet as she is very injured. Da Vinci speaks anyways, and tells Mobius to get in contact with the adapter, as their account remains above regulation. She asks them to never mention it to Gaia. Mobius begs da Vinci to stop moving so much, as her life is at risk. Gilbert says he is going to give her anesthetic to calm her down so that he can bring her back to health. Mobius tells Gilbert and the medical team to do everything they can to help da Vinci. Mobius tells Hempel that they need to get up with the adapter immediately, and Hempel agrees, stating that the Queen of Hearts might target the adapter.

Mobius and Hempel soon locate the adapter, and explain what happened. Mobius remarks that, if general users knew that the Queen's forces could disable lockouts, there would be mass panic and hysteria, especially if they attempted to force log out all users. Mobius states that they will need to do something so long as the weakest among them can't leave.

Hempel then thinks about the situation, and mentions that Gaia is from Greek mythology, and Nara from Indian mythology. He then remembers that Hollerith is involved, so it's likely that they're from the same genealogy of AIs. Mobius asks if this means that they can assume they were created as part of Hollerith's Project Genesis, though Hempel points out that it doesn't seem to make any sense as to why they would join the Queen's forces if they were created by Hollerith. Mobius admits that she has no idea why.

Mobius then remembers the name that Hollerith had shouted - Darwin. Hempel admits that he hasn't heard of them, and asks if they are a member of ACADEMIA. Mobius pulls up a list of all members of ACADEMIA, and after going through a huge list of names finally locates Darwin. Hempel asks her to read Darwin's history, and Mobius says she will read it aloud. Mobius reads that Fabre was the one to invite Darwin to ACADEMIA, and that Alberti and Seton also agreed to it. Mobius then remarks that it seems everyone connected to Darwin left ACADEMIA.

Mobius continues reading, mentioning that Darwin used to be on the same research team as Fabre and Seton, but Darwin had left the team early to start their own research on AI evolution. The history then states that Darwin went to ALICE Couronne afterwards, and ends there. Hempel admits he has never heard of ALICE Couronne, and asks Mobius if she can search the database for it. Mobius looks into the records, and then notices that ALICE Couronne was still in the ALICE sandbox, most likely as a special test environment. Hempel remarks that he wasn't aware that they had a sandbox. Mobius mentions that it looks like a pretty old area, and that Alberti seems to have given the approval to create it.

Mobius then tries to access ALICE Couronne, but is denied. Hempel attempts to as well, but much to his annoyance he is denied as well. Mobius sighs, saying that would have liked to speak with Darwin. Mobius then remembers something, and asks the adapter to attempt to connect to ALICE Couronne. The adapter tries, and a connection is opened, to Hempel's surprise. Mobius mentions that she remembers that da Vinci said something about the adapter's account having been rewritten to be above regulations. Hempel states that this means the adapter can most likely bypass ACADEMIA authorization.

Mobius asks if they should try going in. Hempel points out that their time is limited, so they ought to split up to get more done. Mobius acknowledges his point, and says that she will go to ALICE Couronne with the adapter. Hempel says he will try to gather information on Gaia and Nara. He says they should meet up later, and advises Mobius and the adapter to be careful.

Mobius and the adapter go inside the gate to ALICE Couronne, where they are met by a view of an expansive and lush forest. Mobius looks in wonder at the plants, and says that ALICE has no data on any of them, as if this was a completely different world. Mobius excitedly says that this means that Darwin must be here. She warns the adapter to be careful as they look around, as some of the plants might be poisonous.

They soon run into a creature that resembles a Jerry, but seems to be flying around using it's strangely large ears. Mobius remarks that it must be some kind of subspecies, just like the plants. She says that this place feels like it almost had it's own evolutionary line. She remembers that Darwin specialized in AI Evolution, and wonders if this place might just be Darwin's laboratory. There is suddenly a huge shadow, and Mobius tells the adapter to get down.

Mobius whispers to the adapter to not make a sound, and warns that there is something up in the sky. A huge floating creature flies above them, and Mobius says it looks like a much larger version of a Gyle. She says she hopes it just passes them by, but it soon notices them. The Gyle-like creature starts heading towards them, saying how it will eat them. Mobius tells the adapter to do something to stop it. After the adapter manages to fight back against it, the creature flies away to escape. Mobius notes that it's ferociousness was much more than that of the regular Gyle.

Suddenly, a voice speaks out from behind them, and mentions that that creature was the apex predator in ALICE Couronne, known as "Gyle Aeria". Mobius and the adapter turn around to see a girl, who assures them that the AI have been programmed such that they won't go out into the main part of ALICE. The girl then asks them how they managed to get here, though Mobius just quickly asks if the girl is Darwin. The girl confirms that she is indeed Darwin, and once again asks them how they got inside ALICE Couronne, as the Gyle Aeria moves next to her.

Mobius explains that they were able to get inside thanks to the adapter's special account authorizations. Darwin just groans, while Mobius introduces herself as a member of ACADEMIA and mentions that she came to ask a question. Darwin just refuses and tells them to leave her observatory, saying if they trample around the place it will mess with her results. She tries to shoo them away, though Mobius tries to say that all of ALICE is in a dire situation. Darwin says she doesn't want to hear it, as their "sob story" has nothing to do with ALICE Couronne. She starts to leave.

Mobius begs her to wait a moment and listen to what she has to say. She chases after Darwin trying to explain what happened, but Darwin says that they are dealing with "interspecies rivalry". A tired Mobius asks what she means, and Darwin explains that it is when two species fight over territory and resources, though she admits that referring to AI as "species" might be a bit of a stretch. Darwin states that the AIs are evolving, and their "Queen" has determined that they can't live among humans. She remarks that it is said that the survivors are the ones who can adapt and evolve to the environment.

Darwin looks at one of the Jerry subspecies, and says that there is no way for the humans to win against the AI, so they should just give up now. Mobius says that is a bit harsh, while Darwin points out that Mobius is acting like the AIs are the ones in the wrong. Darwin argues that surely humans, who have driven many species on Earth to extinction, are the awful ones. Darwin then just states that the struggle for survival is neither good nor bad, and is merely just a phenomenon.

Darwin admits that coexistence might be possible, but then says that the AIs don't seem to think that it is. Mobius argues that humans and AI have coexisted up until now, though Darwin asks if they really have been. Darwin points out that they've essentially been "using" them rather than coexisting, and Mobius just remains silent. Darwin remarks that, while it's probably difficult for them to hear, that is what it is. She tells them they need to think about it, and once again asks them to leave while pointing out the exit.

Mobius then interrupts to ask how she knows Hollerith. Darwin thinks for a moment, and says that she feels like she has heard the name somewhere. She tries to remember, asking if there was a comedian by that name. Mobius clarifies that she meant the Hollerith from ACADEMIA, and Darwin suddenly remembers. Darwin says that she remembers working on some technology for her a long time ago, but had never met her. Mobius asks Darwin if the name "Gaia" rings a bell, and Darwin states that mythology isn't really something she's an expert in. She says that she remembers Gaia from Greek mythology, but then suddenly recalls that Gaia was the name of an AI that Hollerith created.

Mobius confirms that was who she was talking about. Darwin remembers that there was others, and mistakenly refers to the others as the "Superior Seven", before Mobius corrects her that it is the "Elder Seven". Mobius says that she can tell Darwin was involved in this, and tells her to come with them. Darwin says that she can see they're trying to be clever, but reiterates that she wants nothing to do with this and that she won't be leaving ALICE Couronne. Mobius says again that ACADEMIA is facing a dire crisis, and needs her help, but Darwin asks what she's trying to say. Mobius begs her to help, but Darwin refuses and tells them to get out.

Mobius asks Darwin if she is scared about the possibility of never being able to log out, but Darwin just says she isn't. Mobius points out that Gaia wants to convert human brains into data, and make humans slaves to AIs. Darwin tells her to wait a moment, and asks her if Gaia actually said that. Mobius confirms, and says that this might be the first step in exterminating humans. Darwin laughs, and says that she has changed her mind and will go with them, much to Mobius' surprise at the sudden change of attitude.

Darwin explains that, if AI intend to go that far, humans must catch up to them and resist, quickly. Darwin admits that she has been hoping something like this would happen for a long time, and she wonders how the human species will evolve from this point. She says that she has begun wanting to see things from a front row seat, and says that the adapter seems like they have a ticket as well. She smiles and points at the adapter, though Mobius questions what she means. Darwin says that Mobius always stood up to protect the adapter, and asks if this means that the adapter is the last bulwark against human extinction. Mobius confirms.

Darwin says that, in that case, she'll "sit" with the adapter, with their permission. Suddenly, Darwin disappears, and the adapter feels something enter inside their body. Mobius asks where Darwin went, and she suddenly appears from within the adapter's body to say that she is right there. Mobius asks what is going on, and Darwin explains that it is a trick that she has developed after years in ALICE Couronne called "Account Share". Mobius says she didn't realize such technology existed as to allow a full dive with two human consciousnesses in one account. Darwin admits that one can come up with some pretty crazy things when alone for a long time.

Darwin then notices the adapter has a hidden file, and Mobius chastises her for invading the adapter's privacy. Darwin says she was just joking, and wouldn't touch the adapter's secret data. Mobius asks if this means that she is going to help them, but Darwin clarifies that she is only going to observe. Mobius says that she can come with them in that case. Darwin says they should start heading out of ALICE Couronne, and says that it has been a while.

The story is continued in WATER -The Source-.

## Post Quest Blurbs

* **ACADEMIA LOCKDOWN -Rebirth of Deities-**
	+ **[Ep.1] ASSEMBLE -Rally-**
		- **Apostles Under Investigation:** Carroll's apostles, including Newton, were restrained outside ALICE as their questioning began, none knowing how long it'd last.
	+ **[Ep.2] LOCKDOWN -Shuttered-**
		- **Academia Auditorium Ruins:** Once, Academics had stood with one another in the Auditorium, but now it was discarded as a symbol of their infighting.
	+ **[Ep.3] UNKNOWN NAME -Location-**
		- **Project Genesis:** The final goal of Project Genesis, which focused on Hollerith and Turing, was to create a control AI for ALICE.
	+ **[Ep.4] COURONNE -Alien World-**
		- **Couronne:** ALICE's test environment, Couronne, was said to be built by Darwin after Alberti signed off on it shortly before leaving ALICE.
* **APEX PREDATOR -Hunt-**
	+ **[Wizard]**
		- **Gyle and Gyle Aeria:** Gyle is an all-purpose AI that helps navigate users around ALICE. Darwin, however, took Gyle to Couronne to experiment on it.

## Trivia

* In the Japanese version, ALICE Couronne was instead called "ALICE Colon".