Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

November 2, 2096

Erika Neumann was struggling to keep her composure.

She was here. She was coming.

For her.

Everything felt delirious, strange, unnatural. Her office was seemingly floating in space as all of her miscellaneous equipment started levitating. Then the door opened.

And through the door entered death itself. A plague doctor donned in a black cloak. Its black-gloved hand reached for her, urging her to submit and relinquish her will to it.

But she didn't want to. Her labored breathing started to hurt, leaning back into her office chair in a futile attempt to escape.

But its arm continued to extend towards her. It knew there was no escape.

There was no other way.

But she didn't want to die.

"Commander?"

Erika gasped almost painfully as the hallucination quickly dissipated. Blinking a few times and soothing her breaths, her eyes gradually focused on what was in front of her, and the image sharpened enough for Erika to recognize her caller.

It was Pinne peeking through Erika's office door, wearing her casual clothing - a sweater and pants.

"Commander?" She called out again. This time, Erika responded with a sigh as she turned her head to her left, looking at the clock.

"Pinne... it's almost 2130 hours. And didn't I tell you not to call me Commander? We're not in the military anymore," Erika mentioned with a tired expression.

Pinne glanced at the clock and sure enough, the clock showed 9:27 P.M. She chuckled weakly, still standing behind the door. "Yeah, sorry...look, I know it's getting late, but I need your help."

Erika adjusted herself on her seat, taking a deep breath and straightening herself. "Okay. Ask away."

Pinne finally opened the door and stepped in, nervously clasping her hands in front of her." Um...Comma- Erika? Do you...ever have bad dreams?

-

"Alright, tell me about it..." Erika said as she prepared for a scan on Pinne, who was inclined on a medical reclining chair. As she adjusted the scanner over Pinne, the news on the TV came up, and both the commander and the nikke looked over to see the recent headline:

TOP STORY: SYUEN STILL MISSING

CEO OF MISSILIS INDUSTRY STILL MISSING, PROCLAMATION DAY DRAWS NEAR

"Tch. Never thought she had it in her to be so charismatic," she uttered with venomous dislike. "Still can't believe she's running for governor."

"I've..only heard from a few of my friends. Is she...really that bad?" Pinne asked with innocent concern. Erika sighed before replying, "You haven't worked with her, which is great, mind you. I've worked with her long enough to know how...shifty that little runt is."

And shifty was not just the only word to describe her. Thankfully for Erika, Pinne did not press further and fell silent, not knowing enough about their relationship.

After dealing with the sudden Rapture uprising, Erika was glad to renounce her business relations with Missilis Industry, specifically, Syuen. Because the rapture uprising was successfully quelled, most Nikkes would quietly retire to settle down elsewhere, integrating into public life. Nikke xenophobia, unfortunately, remained persistent, although they were vastly outnumbered by the majority who wanted rights for these independent human-like androids. Thanks to the Big Three's efforts - more like Big Two's efforts, with some reluctant help from Syuen and the Central Government - nikkes were finally given rights to exist as citizens.

That did not stop some criminal activity, however. Despite the laws set in place, some went underground, forming their own groups, while factions still holding grudges like the Heavenly Ascension - now called Liberators of Man - continue to oppose them in several skirmishes with soldiers and nikkes still in service.

Syuen. The only name that could easily break the young commander's patience.

Despicable. Vain. Greedy. Selfish.

There were no limits as to how low Syuen would go just to get what she wants. In the back of her mind, she wondered what kind of ideas were brewing in that petite woman's head.

Maybe that's the reason she's running for governor. More power. More opportunities.

After retiring to a peaceful place, she would set up a small clinic for nikkes that needed help. She had not received many customers, but she was content with her job.

"So, uh, about my dream..."

"R-Right. Please go ahead."

Pinne nodded. "So, as I was enjoying my meal, all of a sudden my teeth started to fall out!" Pinne exclaimed. "And then blood from my mouth started pouring all over my food! It was...terrifying."

Erika hummed as the scanner shot a harmless ray of light, starting from the top of her head and sliding down to the soles of her feet. Hearing Pinne's account, the pale woman had an idea of where this was going.

"Sounds like you're worried about something."

"Y-Yeah, actually," Pinne admitted as Erika examined through the survey of the scan on her computer. Pinne took a moment to breathe before asking, "Erika, do you ever get the feeling that...you're being watched?"

Erika stopped tapping on the screen, surprised at the sudden question. She stared at Pinne in confusion. "...please elaborate?"

"I was about to go to bed after helping Snow White with her work, and..." Pinne hesitated. Then, she spoke, and Erika detected nervousness radiating from her words. "...I could've sworn I saw something; someone...standing outside my window."

Erika sighed. "You live in an apartment, right? Are you sure it wasn't someone just passing by-"

"Erika. I live on the seventh floor."

Erika fell silent. She knew that Pinne wasn't the kind to lie. She trusted the happy-go-lucky nikke with her life. Hearing all of this, she wasn't sure what to say and instead continued her survey. "Have you spoken to Snow White or Rapunzel about all this?" Erika questioned.

"Rapunzel was busy, so I couldn't ask...Snow White says it's probably my memories acting up again...or it's just in my head."

Erika sighed, moving the scanner away as Pinne sat up. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with you. All your modules are functioning properly; really, you're in perfect condition." Leaning over to the metallic table beside her, she grabbed a jar of pills labeled Vincent's Valium.

"Here. Take this: this should help."

Pinne sincerely shook her head. "I don't need them."

Erika insisted. "Oh, but I think you do. This isn't normal. And besides, these are made legitimately."

Pinne hopped off her seat, pouting. "Now you're starting to sound like Rapunzel."

Erika merely hummed in acknowledgment, placing the jar back where it was. "Speaking of her," she began. "she must be thrilled to have you back soon."

"After hearing what Vincent's Pharmacy did to me? Trying to get me to take an unhealthy amount of that valium? No way!" Pinne cried, throwing up her hands. "I bet she's going to sue them for what they did."

"Definitely wouldn't be the first, that's for sure."

Pinne seemed to take notice of this comment and wanted to ask what she meant, but decided to ask later. "Erika," she started. "You may be our commander, but you're also...our best friend. Please...don't let them get to you, okay?"

Erika sniffed in amusement. "As if I would ever let them walk over me. Now come on, it's getting late - I'll take you back home."

But as they were about to head over to the door, Pinne pointed at a table that was previously empty. "Hey...those weren't there before, right?"

Erika looked to where Pinne pointed and saw a box of movies. Erika strolled over to check, perplexed by its sudden appearance. "Strange. I don't remember putting this here...did I even..."

As Erika continued to wonder to herself and look around, Pinne secretly took one of the movies and hid it behind her back. Erika sighed, oblivious. "Ugh...forget about it; let's go, before it gets dark."

"O-Okay."

Erika and Pinne passed through the doorway, with Erika shutting the double doors. The two would head over to Erika's medical van, unaware of the same plague doctor in Erika's hallucination observing them under the veil of darkness. The mysterious individual stared at the two oblivious women before silently leaving, vanishing into the night as a storm rapidly developed from above, soon to pour across the area.

Chapter Text

Dorothy was not in a good mood.

While they had scored themselves a decent lead to Syuen's whereabouts, she wasn't a hundred percent sure about the whole ordeal. Paranoia, naturally, settled into her mind as she remained silent in the car, awaiting Crow's return.

What if this wasn't their lead?

What if this was an ambush?

These notions continued to relentlessly torture her mind, and it wasn't alleviated due to two factors. One, the billboard of the election standing defiantly against the rain on top of the many buildings in the vicinity. It was promoting explicitly Syuen, loudly declaring its intentions:

ELECT Syuen for Governor of The Ark

Dorothy inwardly scoffed. Even after the war was over there were still those trash who wanted to initiate a senseless bloodbath for their own benefit. Those so-called "Liberators of Man" were no better than the people they were fighting.

It's been two years since the end of the war, nineteen years since the founding of Heavenly Ascension, and almost thirty years since the beginning of the war against raptures. Frankly, nothing seemed to change other than the methods used in this war between the Ark and the Liberators of Man.

Now onto the second factor.

She didn't know when it appeared, but the shadowy humanoid figure that had been shrewdly observing her in the dark had been in the same back alley for nearly an hour. Whatever it was, it had not moved from its position within that timespan. She ignored it at first, but as minutes turned into ten minutes, then twenty, then forty-five...

Bending slightly forward, she opened the rather spacious glove compartment and hesitated before reaching for a handgun designed specifically to kill nikkes. She slightly held it up in the event that the indistinct stalker would make a move.

But it continued to stare at her. The temptation to exit her car and directly confront this individual grew stronger in her heart.

Fortunately for her, she didn't have to do that. A knocking on the car door shook her from her skeptical state, and the door opened to reveal Crow,  dressed appropriately for a private detective.

"...what the hell are you doing?" Crow said, eyeing her and the pistol suspiciously. Dorothy was about to address the mysterious figure, but when she turned back to look at it, there was no sign of it being there. It had simply vanished into thin air.

Crow grabbed the pistol, taking it from Dorothy's hand. "Give me that before you do something stupid. I need that."

Dorothy offered no resistance, but she did offer a jeer. "And I thought you told me to keep a lookout."

"I told you to stay in the car," Crow passed it back, rejecting it. Dorothy, nonetheless, remained perturbed. "You seem confident that you won't be ambushed," Dorothy grumbled.

Crow sighed, exasperated. "Listen, she's alone. This interrogation wouldn't take more than a minute."

Dorothy gazed at her incredulously. "She's an Elysion veteran. Surely you're not that delusional?"

"I only need to make her talk."

"And what if she doesn't want to?" Dorothy challenged.

Crow snarled. "Just keep an eye out for Ark Security."

She slammed the door in front of Dorothy and hastily hurried over to her destination. Dorothy, in the car, groaned with fatigue.

She may be her partner, but that doesn't mean she has to tolerate her.

Emma, her eyebags visible, wished she brought an umbrella with her.

The rain had unexpectedly poured down despite the previously clear skies several hours ago. She wanted to keep her business uniform clean, but alas, time was against her and she didn't have enough time to consider bringing an umbrella. And besides, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

All she needed to do was give them the briefcase.

She wasn't completely sure what it was, but according to her employer, it was supposedly something that could fix it. A vague description, but she figured it might be for Vesti and Eunhwa. She hoped that they were still hanging on.

Several years ago, the three of them were part of an operation gone horribly wrong, resulting in the two, Vesti and Eunhwa, earning very complicated damages to their head area that made them comatose. It was a strange occurrence, considering the nikkes and their ability to not only be able to diagnose themselves but also be designed in a way that they wouldn't be too difficult to repair. When the doctors explained the situation to her, at first she couldn't believe that this would happen. But it was war, after all, and injuries - especially fatal ones - were common, and unfortunately, it just so happened that luck was explicitly cruel to them at that moment in time.

Emma was devastated. However, they offered a solution. They would preserve and maintain their life span in a safe environment, where they would continue to find the key to their problem. They also mentioned something about testing various methods of extending life but refused to elaborate more since it was classified information.

Stopping in an alleyway, she leaned against the wall - gently dropping the briefcase she was carrying - and checked her watch, sighing tiredly. It was 8:31 P.M., meaning that her employer should be arriving shortly.

A click of a gun rebounded hauntingly in the alley. Emma didn't look up, but from the corner of her eye, she recognized where the sound came from. Or rather, who it came from.

"Missilis," Emma simply noted, not bothering to mention the name of the nikke in question who was aiming a gun at her.

Crow slowly stepped forward as she aimed her gun at Emma. "Now, what's an Absolute member doing out here, in the back alleys where all sorts of danger lurk in the shadows?" Crow purred dangerously, before smirking. "That attire; it almost doesn't fit you."

And it was true: the uniform Emma wore was somewhat small; her breasts were threatening to burst the buttons open, and her skirt looked a bit too tight for her thighs. Emma sniffs in half-amusement. "Thank you, but I didn't ask for your opinion."

Crow merely hummed in acknowledgment before continuing. "I'll get straight to the point: who are you working for? New employer, I assume?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Crow gripped the handgun tighter and tried again. "Who kidnapped Syuen?"

Emma remained silent, which further irritated Crow. "You know very well about the consequences of withholding information, Emma. Worst-case scenario, you'll be shut down permanently."

The slight wince from Emma was not lost on Crow. Crow internally, with some disgust, thanked the Central Government for still being too stubborn and clingy, enacting the law shortly after the nikkes gained independence in a somewhat successful attempt in retaining their control over them.

Crow's eyes wandered to the briefcase and raised an eyebrow. "Mind telling me what's in the briefcase?"

She noticed Emma's subtle clenching of her fist as she lowered to grab it. "Please mind your own business," Emma politely said, though the glare and the fairly veiled anger in her voice indicated that she was nearing her limit. Crow didn't notice.

"Hand it over," Crow directly ordered Emma, reaching for the suitcase.

But before Crow could touch it, she let out a tight gasp as Emma grabbed her arm, jerking her close to her. She tightly held the collar of her shirt, raising her slightly above the ground. Emma's face contorted in anger.

"Fine. You want it?"

Using the case, she whacked it on Crow's head. Whatever was in the briefcase was surprisingly heavy, as the combined speed of the case and its weight sent Crow tumbling across the wet floor, along with the pistol. Dazed from the decisive blow, Crow groaned as she attempted to stand up, but Emma was not finished with her as she forcefully lifted Crow up and practically tossed her into the trash bins.

As the rain continued to pour down increasingly harder, Dorothy continued to fiddle with the knob of Crow's radio, looking for anything that would even remotely entertain her until she found herself listening in on Ark Security's frequency. Normally she would've continued turning it, not wanting to hear the voices of a fairly corrupt department until she heard a conversation that piqued her interest.

"This is AS-224, reporting a 242 and a 503 at Anderson Cemetery. Vehicle in question is a...black hearse."

"10-9, uh...you're serious? A-A black hearse?"

"10-4, yes, you heard that correctly."

"AS-224, are you kidding with me right now? Why a hearse? Also, who steals a freaking hearse at this late hour?"

Dorothy couldn't help but laugh light-heartedly. Corrupted they may be, there's still some laughter to be found from them.

"Who was that?"

Dorothy immediately stopped laughing.

"I don't know, but that wasn't me."

"OF course I know it's not you, idiot. That was a high-pitched voice."

"Crap!" Dorothy hissed, quickly turning the knob to a different frequency.

Crow quickly staggered to her feet, still trying to recover from the sudden blow, and was about to draw her weapon but saw a fist about to collide with her face. Jerking herself to the left, Crow narrowly avoided Emma's fist that dented the trash can behind her. Crow was about to grab her weapon but Emma was faster, knocking Crow's handgun away from her hand and finally landing a hit on her left cheek.

As an ambulance swiftly rolled by with its blaring sirens, Dorothy sighed as she closed the car door. Leaning on the side of the car, Dorothy - with her thick jacket - lowered her cap in an attempt to blend in and not stand out too much. Though it was already getting late, she wasn't taking any chances.

Her ears picked up a rushing vehicle. Dorothy turned to see a long car speed past her before braking hard and parking beside the sidewalk. Soon after, four individuals obscured by the unlit areas of the sidewalk briskly exited the black vehicle - which, upon closer inspection, realized that it was a black hearse.

Dorothy didn't move, but she felt the urge to get in her car.

Trying to observe the burglars, she did notice a few details from each of them, namely the pigtails, the cap, and the sharp features of one's attire.

The fourth figure emerging from the car, compared to the rest, was wearing a more normal outfit. The one that stood out for her was the ribbon, making out the shadow outlines of the ribbon from the bright background. The more she circumspectly studied them, the more they began to seem familiar to her, more so the fourth individual.

Her thoughts were disturbed by grunts of pain and the sounds of the metallic property being battered. Wasting no time, Dorothy quickly activated her weapon and rushed to the scene of the struggle.

Emma bashed Crow against the wall one more time for good measure before threatening to crush her neck. Crow choked, trying to rip Emma's hands away in a feeble attempt to save herself. Emma was considering finishing her off before a voice interrupted her.

"Drop her."

Emma quickly turned her head and, seeing Dorothy aiming her assault rifle at her, hesitated for a moment before finally relenting and releasing Crow's neck. Emma got down on her knees with her hands up, and Dorothy finally deactivated her weapon.

Crow was coughing fiercely before looking up to see Dorothy's hand outstretched to her.

"You're welcome," Dorothy sarcastically said with a hint of wittiness.

Crow snarled but took the hand. "I could've handled it myself, thank you."

Dorothy tilted her head in a humorous manner with a smug face. "Ooooooohhh... so you were simply having a 'proper conversation' between two nikkes?" Dorothy ridiculed with an exaggerated tone.

Crow growled but eased up. "Listen, we have to get out of here."

Dorothy raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to interrogate her?"

"That can wait. My camera is in the car. Go and fetch it for me now."

Dorothy furrowed her brows before quickly strolling back to her car while Crow retrieved her handgun. Crow glared at Emma to make sure she was still on her knees before her eyes wandered back to the briefcase.

Dorothy, out of earshot, growled. "Don't think that I will have your back next time, Crow."

Crow went on her knees and leaned towards the briefcase, thoroughly studying it. She noticed a row of numbers and concluded that it was password-protected. Crow turned to Emma. "What's the password for this thing?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't know. And even if I did, what makes you think I would-"

Before she could finish her retort, her head was blasted from the side by a shotgun, destroying one-third of her head. Crow was about to retaliate but four individuals rushed in, with the fourth one - looking like Death itself - brutally slamming the butt of her submachine gun into her face.

Crow tried to look up but was greeted by a barrel between her eyes, and saw the intruders. One was seizing the suitcase while the other two were looking around to see if anyone was coming. Their clothes looked awfully familiar, almost as if she had seen them before. Did they work at Missilis as well?

Knowing that the feminine figure in front of her - whose face was concealed by a plague doctor mask but didn't conceal the glowing eyes underneath - was sticking the barrel of her submachine gun on Crow's forehead, Crow closed her eyes and embraced what she thought was her death. Miraculously, the Deathly Figure spared her life and turned to leave. Crow fell face-forward with a sigh of relief.

"Crow, what's going on?! I heard gunshots-"

Dorothy came in sprinting with a grave face, carrying a camera, and Death raised her weapon and unloaded several bullets at her, to which Dorothy hastily dodged by diving behind a wall. The four mysterious figures hustled to their parked black hearse in haste - with the case in hand - immediately hopping into the aforementioned vehicle before fleeing the spectacle.

Dorothy, hearing the roaring of the car, peeks from her cover and races towards Crow. Crow pushes herself up to look at Dorothy with a pained expression. "T-They took the briefcase!" Crow growled distressingly.

Dorothy then witnessed the hearse speeding away into the night before quickly snapping a picture of it.

Chapter Text

The rain continued to pour down relentlessly, seemingly not letting up. Erika had to adjust the headlights of her ambulance to "high beam" because it was growing increasingly difficult to see. The only sounds they could hear were the wipers of her car scrubbing the front window back and forth, and the pattering of raindrops beating the vehicle.

"Hey...Erika?" Pinne broke the tension. Erika's eyes maintained visual on the road but acknowledged her. "Yes, Pinne?"

"What exactly did you mean when you said...'not the first?' You're...not talking about that incident, right? The one that you told me?"

Erika sighed. She knew that Pinne was going to ask that question sooner or later. Nonetheless, she's the only nikke that knows about the project she formerly led. After all, Pinne herself, secretly, participated in the project.

While the rest of the Goddess squad was aware of what happened to Pinne, Erika only gave them a half-truth by explaining to them that Vincent's Valium tried to give Pinne an incorrect drug that was unsuitable for her. She did feel guilty for lying to them, but she simply could not reveal sensitive information; information that could rock the world. Both Pinne and her agreed to the truth that they fabricated.

The truth is, Erika has a sneaking suspicion that the drugs are not incorrect; rather, they were created that way on purpose. She wasn't sure of the full effects, but she could definitely see it in Pinne. It all started with her telling Erika about her dreams, then a minor memory loss, and later a sense of danger that would emerge from an unknown source and in sporadic frequency.

Erika refused to involve any of them in matters that could potentially escalate into a worse situation, making Pinne promise to secrecy.

Erika narrowed her eyes. "There...were others," She answered vaguely. Pinne, however, seemed to have caught on, as indicated by her widening eyes. "Wait, so...this happened before?"

Erika fell silent, uncertain as to how she could answer the question. But before she could think of a response, Pinne already began asking another question.

"Erika, please...tell me: what happened with...uh, what was it called? 'Project Phoenix,' right?"

"That's correct."

"What...happened? To the device, I mean - what went wrong? I only know that the...experiment...was a failure, but that's all you told me."

The disgust when Pinne said "experiment" was not lost on Erika. Even now, hearing it repulses her, even nauseates her. She could still remember the time when the alarms went off - which was a sign that a fatal error had occurred - and everyone rushed to see the result. Erika pursed her lips, reluctant to recall her memories.

"It...it doesn't always function according to its schematics. From time to time, the code gets mixed in trying to execute the command and, well...the body data gets corrupted when it tries to come through."

"I...don't understand?" Pinne tilted her head.

Erika pursed her lips and focused on the road as she tried to drive calmly with somewhat shaky fingers. "I've seen it twice...once in the labs, and another on the frontlines."

"The frontlines?"

"Yeah...everyone was told to keep their mouths shut about the incidents. I...didn't need to be told that. Not after what I've seen..."

"What...you've seen?"

Erika hummed. "Back at the lab...the file for Trial 004 had been corrupted. Then we heard screaming so we ran to check it out, a-and...I-I..."

Pinne gave a look that told Erika of wanting more, but she simply shook her head, not wanting to reminisce any more about the incident. "Pinne...trust me: you do not want to know what it was."

-

Erika slowed her ambulance to a halt, stopping beside the apartment Pinne lived in. Pinne smiled at Erika as she turned to face her. "Thanks for driving me home. But...are you sure you don't want to visit us? Maybe you can say "hi" to Snow White! And maybe Dorothy and the others if they're already back home..."

Erika sighed regrettably. "Just tell them I did, Pinne. I have to get back to the office."

Pinne's eyes dimmed in disappointment but nonetheless nodded. "Okay. But really, Erika...try to get out more often, alright? Maybe visit us? We all miss you."

Pinne opened the car door and stepped outside as Erika watched in lament. Regardless, she tried to put on her best smile as Pinne waved at her. "I'll see you again, right?!" Pinne exclaimed through the deafening storm. Erika stared at her.

Erika made her decision. As soon as she had the time, she will visit them as soon as possible.

Erika waved back at Pinne. "Yes! We'll see each other soon!"

Pinne continued to wave even as the ambulance rolled away from the apartment, and disappeared into the veil of precipitation. Pinne, realizing that she was getting too soaked, hurriedly entered through the apartment's double doors.

Meanwhile, under the cover of both rainfall and darkness is a black hearse occupied by three women. The female driver with a black half-cap lowered what seemed to be a recording device before a holographic screen materialized in front of her. On the other side of the screen was the plague doctor.

"Maxwell, status?"

"It's done."

"Good. Proceed to engage."

Her eyes glowed red as she nodded firmly before a black metallic mask manifested on her face. She smiled sadistically before it covered her entire face. "Understood."

9:49 PM.

Pinne somewhat flinched as she saw the time. She made a note not to come home too late.

As she glued her eyes to the screen, watching the movie she secretly stole from her beloved commander, Snow White marched in holding a plate of just a toasted sandwich while glaring at Pinne, who shrunk into her sofa. "If you are going for a check-up, do it before night time."

"S-Sorry." Pinne rubbed the back of her head sheepishly before reaching for the sandwich.

It seemed as if Dorothy, Scarlet, and Rapunzel were still busy, seeing as they had not yet returned. According to Snow White, Rapunzel was still attending to her church duties (As to how? Even they didn't know); Scarlet was still teaching in her new dojo; and Dorothy...was still assisting Crow. Nothing more needed to be said.

Snow White silently grumbled before returning to the kitchen, asking, "How was the examination?"

"It was alright!"

"Did you...ask her to stop by?"

"She said she was busy," Pinne said with a frown. "I feel bad for her...she's been working almost all the time."

There was a moment of silence between them, the movie continuing to play forward with or without Pinne's attention. Then Snow White finally asked. "...how is the commander?"

Pinne hesitated for a moment before settling with, "She's okay, but...I think she needs rest."

Pinne finished half of her sandwich before placing it back on the plate and reaching for her glass of water, taking in a few gulps and gently placing it down before the phone rang.

"Don't stay up too late."

"I won't!" Pinne responded to Snow White's demand before picking up the phone and switching on the virtual screen. The caller was unknown.

Cautious, Pinne answered the call and the holographic screen shifted to see who was calling, but it showed...nothing.

"Uh...hello?"

"Thanks for driving me home. But...are you sure you don't want to visit us? Maybe you can say "hi" to Snow White! And maybe Dorothy and the others if they're already back home..."

Pinne felt herself recoil inwardly from hearing her own voice, and fear seeped into her as she stuttered trying to get words out. "I-I...w-what...? W-What is this?"

"Okay. But really, Erika...try to get out more often, alright? Maybe visit us? We all miss you."

Pinne clenched her fist as she tried to remain calm, but found it difficult to control her voice. She was right: someone had been stalking her. "W-What is this?! A-A prank?! Who are you?!"

"I'll see you again, right?!"

Then the line went dead, and all hell broke loose.

Pinne heard the booming of the front door being blasted apart and saw a red laser pierce through the walls. The explosion launched Snow White across the spacious room, and she slammed against the wall before sliding down, groaning in pain.

Pinne quickly stood up as she saw three masked individuals, all donned in black, rush into the room. She wasted no time activating her weapon.

-

Erika groaned, her head hazy. She lifted her head, seeing that she had fallen asleep at the wheel. Wait, at the wheel?

Erika then realized that she had somehow fallen asleep while driving. She looked around frantically, then released a sigh of relief - luckily, the night was empty and there were no other drivers on the road - apart from the black hearse that sped past her. She was surprised that she didn't crash. In fact, she was pretty sure that she didn't park her car next to the apartment.

Looking down at her watch, she saw that it was nearing half past ten and deemed it too late for her to return. She decided that it was best for her to stay in the apartment instead of driving back home. The rain was slowly but surely developing, so Erika dashed through the rain across the vacant road under the covers of the flat roof leading to the entrance of the apartment.

After taking deep breaths, it was then that she noticed the apartment glass doors left ajar, the lights eerily shut off. She suddenly felt a sense of dread build within her, and she hesitantly stepped into the apartment.

Cautiously, she approached the desk, trudging over the debris of papers. Peeking over the desk, she saw the receptionist slumped in her chair, a large hole drilled through her noggin. Erika couldn't help but gasp at the brutal scene.

The double glass doors shattered behind her, and Erika at once turned around to see the same plague doctor figure before her. Robed with a black cloak and a blue ribbon, the plague doctor said in a sickeningly sweet voice:

"Will you please...?"

Erika's vision blurred, her body failing to respond before blacking out.

Pushing the gas to its limit, Crow gritted her teeth, speeding through the nearly-empty highway as Dorothy stared intently at the picture she had taken. "A mortician? That's their...hand-off?" Dorothy started.

"Tch, almost. What could be in that briefcase?" Crow irately pondered.

"It could be simple as money? Or valuables like gold or diamonds?"

"Unlikely. If it is, why would Emma hide its contents? It must be important."

"A bomb, then."

"Then she wouldn't hit me with it if that were the case." Crow sighed exasperatedly. "Listen, they're going to shut us down if we don't find out where Syuen is."

Dorothy pressed her lips before leaning towards the radio and fiddling with its knob. Crow glanced at her incredulously before turning her attention back on the road. "What are you doing?"

"Getting some help."

Crow scoffed. "Dorothy, that only receives; what makes you think it will-"

"Breaker-breaker; this is AS-227, need an update on that stolen black hearse?"

A hologram screen popped up, showing the profile of the policeman: a middle-aged man.

"Roger that, AS-227; this is AS-229 - I have visual on the previously mentioned hearse heading south on Exodus."

Dorothy smirked, irritating Crow even further. "10-4. Tail the vehicle," Dorothy ordered.

Immediately the sirens coming from the other policeman's car blared.

"Tailing it now; looks like they're pulling over on the Anderson Avenue -  I'm intercepting the vehicle," AS-229 reported before the sirens cut off. Dorothy and Crow, listening in, could hear the policeman open the car door and close it.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm gonna need you to roll down your window; I can't see your-"

Gunshots immediately rang out as they heard the policeman yell: "This is AS-229 - Under heavy fire! 11-99! I repeat: 11-99, they are-"

The transmission cut off, and a hologram screen showed that they had lost connection with the policeman. Crow narrowed her eyes. "What street?"

"Anderson Avenue."

Crow, without hesitation, pulled the handbrake and pulled the car into a 180, swerving it onto the other lane of the highway before releasing the handbrake and floored it towards Exodus.

Ẅ̶̰̩́́̒̾̓͆e̸͎͔̥̲̹͌͜i̶͙̬͉͍̲̝̓͌̐̍s̴̡̼̣͎͈̖̍̓ŝ̸̠͈͔͈̮ ̷̥̱̩́̇̿͝ĺ̴̙̜̣͆̈́͊̊ǫ̸͔̋͑͊̕ͅó̸͜k̷͎͙͉̏̈́́͌ĕ̷̡̥̻͈͙͎̇̈́̈̏ḏ̸̭̜̠̖̆͘ ̵̦͈̘̺̌̓o̶̡̡͖͇̮̦̪͘n̴̨̛͎͍̯͇̞͈̈́́̑́͋̾ ̸̻̱́̉́́̌̀̉i̸̢̪̪̙͕͍̯̍̇͗̓͝͝n̸̛͙̤ ̷͍͗ḥ̶̾o̴͍͗̈́̈́r̴̡̯̯̰̈̒̀̿͛̕ͅr̴͔̭̯͓͗̅̐̊ŏ̸̡̩͗͘ȓ̷̛̰͕̣̦̔̒͘ͅ ̸̣̠̙̳͈̩͗̓̅̈́̚a̵̤̝̺͗̍̿͂ş̸͚͇̹̬̫͊ ̵͕̜͎̳̩̆̌s̸̭͗̿̾̌̈́͝ͅḣ̴̭͉͚͈̺̍̏͘ẹ̸̥͚̹̱̹̉̾̃̋̒̑ ̷̩̙͆͛͌̃̀͛w̵͉͚̬̜̄̉̋ă̴̺̮̗ţ̸͎̞̝̓̎̅͜͜c̵̹̬̠̹̬͚͂̇̋͝h̵̯̭̜̀̿̀e̴̗͓̮͛̏̿͒̉͠d̴͍̬͌ ̴̦̇͋̓̒̾f̴̧̢̛̬͇̄̉̏̅́r̵̩̞̈͂̊̆̒o̴͉͈͍̜̗̾̎̆̈́̈́ͅm̴̭̩͖̗̃̐̾͗̋ ̶̛̣̜͎̄͑t̷͔͎̅̔h̷̢̹͇̟̤̣̗͛̓̈́̅͑̔̚ȇ̷̗̞̦ ̷̨͇̟̫͔̈́͂̄̌̕͜͜b̸̞̻̫̘͑̎͝ą̸̌̽̀̚l̶͇̓̀͝c̸͎̽͒͝ȏ̴̯̘̲̙́̂͘̚n̶͉̦͑̽͝y̶̝̼̹̟̹͈̏͠͝ ̵̢̞̻͙͇̖̽͋t̵̼͆̅́h̴̡̘̣̖̗̱͔͊̎̕ȩ̴̹̱̥͇̮͐̓̑̆͗ ̷̡̥̘̯̦̟̮̈́̒ḁ̴̛̱̐̄̄̂b̶͚̗̲̦̃̽n̸̨̛̻̯̰͒̒́̌̾͠o̵̢̯̗̗̝̐̀͊̎̆͠͝r̶̛̯̮̱͈̟͎̺̎͐̊́m̴̘͇̞̜͚̐͜a̵̝̤̯͈̖̔́̔̈̆̏̕ḻ̴͔͚̗̊̀ͅ ̵̰͆͗͗͂̿ṡ̶̞̗̗͕͗̌̃̌̔̌ṇ̷͖̆͑̍͝ǫ̷͉̘̿͐̒͆͜w̸͕͋̐̈́͆̈́s̶̨̰̫̼̖̟̏̑̋̒t̵͇̝̽̕ọ̵̅̑͠ṛ̶͇̗̂́͆͜m̶̲͙͍̣̪̏̀̈͛ ̵̨̀̄̎͒͝ş̸̹̥̾̑͊̚ẗ̴̡̠͓̱̜̗̰́̒̉r̸̩̙͇̱͕͚͔̊̚ị̸͔͋͌̏̉̍͜͝ͅk̶̮̰̳̹̜̙̉͐̐͜e̴̳̱̮̲̅͝ ̴̧̮̜̮̤̗̀́̄͝͠t̵̨̛̺͓̹̄h̴̭͓͈͚̤̲̃͒̑̊̑̊͜e̵̡̛̼͍̖̤̭͑̊̊͜ ̵̼̭̮̥̏͆c̸͚͕̙̑̈̄͊̂̈̍i̵͎͂ͅt̵̻̻̅͛̎y̷̨̞̟̦͈͎͎̋̍̃͗.̴̖͇̊́ ̸͈̥͛͌

R̴̜̹̂̌ä̸̮̼͔̹̯͇͛͆̐̆͒͜ĭ̶̢̯͈̳̯͑̒̚š̷̢̛̜̰͈͝i̵͎̘̤̞͚̎̉̈́̽ͅͅń̸̜̞͕̬͐͗͘ǵ̷͈̣̑̿̆̄͘͜ ̴̪̒h̶̦̫̺̖̳̊̈́̓̓͊̾e̶͖̲͉̯͊̏̑r̷̼̀͊̏ͅ ̸̣̌͂̐͛͋h̵̢̝̤̫͌̃̿̅ȧ̶̩̹͖̱̩̤̈́́̃̈́n̴̟̅̐ḑ̷̮̥̠̯͆̂͋̐̓͑͝,̵͕̤̖̟̘̏ ̵̢͚͉̝̝̋̽s̷̡͚̥̜̾̔̑h̶̲͍̿̉͂͆̌͆ȩ̶̛͙̰̒̊̆ ̷͔̠̠͓̾̐͠s̵̨̛͍̪͉̭̅̊̐́̉́p̴̥̃̊̂͌̇̊̏ö̶̟̓͂́k̵̡̮̩̪̜͖̔̈́̿̑ë̵̘̘̥́̊̌͠ ̵̢͇̖̤̙̒̋̌̎͗̀͠ͅi̸̩͇͙͘n̵̗̞͑̎͗͛ẗ̷̙̟͇͒͒̈͠͝ͅǒ̴͈̼͎̞̣̹̭͋̀ ̷̹͔͈̫̻͖͒̿͗̚h̵̾̐̾̉͌͂͠ͅê̶͕̇̾͒͘r̷̜̫͇̙̪̫̹͑̑͒̾͝ ̸̛̗̲̓̈́r̴̼̖͇͕̜̱̈̋̃̄a̶̱̖͎͚̯̦͑̓̊̋̂͘d̶̨͙̩́ì̸̭͊̈̑͆o̴̭̯̬̳̙͊̌̿͠ͅ,̵̙̘̣̓ ̴̗͎̜͎͘ē̴̛̩̙̲̬̏v̶̢̤̪̈́̈́ĭ̶̝̒͂d̷͖̳̹̖̳̤͌̀̅̿̌̌̔ẽ̵̺̰͓̙̍̑͐̀͋͝n̴̙̜̮̓͗̓́̄t̶͇̮̆̊̽́̍̓l̵̨̻̪̤͓̺̺̿̒̀̆̕͝y̵̮̘͇͎̘̐̄̂͋͝ ̷̣̊͑̄̕e̸̳̲̤̽̋͛͝x̷͍̱̘͈̬͇̝́̑̏̇̔̕̕h̷̨̳̦̦̟̬̉̊̀̎̈́̈͘a̸̼͗̀̽̍̐̓u̵̺̝̇̔s̶̰̳͚̼͆͂̀̎̾͋t̸̛̜̲̥̹͖̱̖̏͛̑̾ȩ̴͉̠̅̈̇͆̉͠ḑ̶̢̣̱̲̞̹̐̓̂̽̓̚ ̸̛̘͇̘̽̐̓̏ḟ̵̻͖͍͙̞̯̓͝ͅr̸̠͐̽̔̕͝͝o̶̗͎͈͇͌͗ḿ̸̘̖͉͕̳̇͜ ̸̣͉̟͍̙̻͛t̴̥̓͗͂̕h̵̨̢̨̯̳̬͇̿͝e̴̥̻̭̋̈́̃̃ ̷̲͔͊e̴̠̹̩͍͇̭̓̐̇͋͌̅v̷̡̻͙̮̋̿́̊̀̾e̸̬̬̐͝n̶͈̝͂t̷̨̼͐̈́s̶̝͓͕̭͇̗̑̈́̐̚̕͜:̸̢͉̎̋͆̽͂͝

"T̸̨͖̋h̶̨͛͑̓i̸̲͉͎̫̰͐͑s̴͎̼̜̱̰̿͒̏ ̶̡̹̤͈͇̍̀̃i̶̛͍̽͌s̶̢̳̭͍̗̅̓ ̷͖̖͈̻̻͗̆͑͝W̷̼͕͑ë̸̢̗̠͗͠į̸͖̓̌̚̕s̶̡̛̑̀̃ś̴̛͖̐͆̈́ ̴̖̘̻̖̹̿̋ò̷̡̫̪̎ͅf̵̗͕͖̪̯͌͑̅ ̷͕̖̻̒Ș̸͕̰̝͒̾̒̕ͅē̵͎͝c̵̢̖͇̼̖͂t̶̩̱̄̏̍̎͜o̴̤͊̈́̎͋r̵̺͔̠̜̊̇͂͋͘ͅ ̵̮̬̯̯̙̌7̶͔̩̚9̸̡͕̮̱͑3̵̢̛̮̟̗́.̸̥̻͎̽̍̀̕ ̵̎

P̶̰̬̹̮̈̏͛͠r̶̞̱͔̀ọ̸̧̳̈́̂̉̑͐j̷̛͎̠̭͊̉͗̀͜ê̷̡̝͉̫c̶̡̤͇̼̘̈̀͆t̷̬̝̝̟̍̊́̒ ̷̣̺̰̙̘̍̂̐P̵̞͎͚̖̔͒͝h̷͔͎̲̝̰̉̃o̷̪̬̬͐̎͑͛e̴͇̓̿̕͘͠n̴̬̠̰͂͂̊͒i̸̩̚x̸̽ͅ ̷̞̣͗-̸̡͙̰͕̀̐̇͌ ̸͉̝̝̣͚͊̿̎ S̸̡͚͂̌͐̂̕ţ̸͓͎̒ͅa̶̜̾̈́͠ẗ̴̢̗̮̟̤͗ū̴̗̬͗͗̌s̶̡̠̲͛̀̇͂͘.̷̢͐͐͐.̶̞͚̰̬̜́.̷͈̞̞͚̌͒f̷̠̎ạ̶̉̀͂ï̷͍̬̪ͅl̷̞̥͑̆́̾͘.̶͔̰̖͎̄̐̋ ̸̦̫̖͓͑̀̒̃

A̸̹͉͓͂̏̔̕ṫ̶̛̥͈͍̬̥ṭ̶͓̹̽̌̊͛̌e̴͈͙̹̓̇̅̍m̴̙̳̑͒̔̋p̴̻̖̓ṫ̵͉̬͒̔ ̵͇̣̥̃́̑̃̕e̴̯͈͉̓̏̚v̵̱̰̤̹̺̓̂̂ą̵̟̻̈́͗͆̈́c̸̟͂u̷̪͇͎̤͗̆̽a̵̡̺̔̉͆̾͝t̷̡̺̤̭̣̓̍î̸̼͂̃͠o̸̝̺͊ń̶̼̔͌̑̐ ̸̧̹̘̑ơ̸̪͍̋̾͊̔f̵̩̬͚̣̃̕ ̵͚̾́͘̕͝Á̸̺̉̚ŗ̸̢̧̦͗͛̈́̎k̷̨̖͓̓̍͝ ̸̛̯̬̜͎̪̿̚2̸̳͍̾̔̀͋́ ̴̳̣̼̎͂̊-̴̛̠̯̠̲̈́ ̷̡̳̜͈̊̋͘͘S̴̠̤̟̬̏͂̋͝t̸̛̗͔͖͔͉̍̄͘ȁ̸̭͔̙̦̊t̸̛̺͚̻͋̂͝ǘ̷̡̼̪͂̍͆s̵͙̪̱̀͆͑.̸̛̜.̴͔̲̮͖̅̈́.̶̤̕c̷̨͚̝̺̿̂o̴̧̦͛ṁ̸̥͕̫̣̹͝p̷͈̯̫̰̋̽̓̋͛ḽ̴̹́̔e̶̮̗͋͛͆ṱ̴̞̟͓͕̊ě̷̛̘̼̯̿̓̇ ̶̭̯̥̔͘f̵̣̃̃̑͆a̴͓̯͈̥̒́͒̈́ī̸̯̞̭̭͜l̶͔͇̝͂͗͠ù̶̜̦͉͌̔̊ȓ̸̬̑̎̽̑e̸̛͇̼͈̞͕͊̑.̸̡̫͔̾̄͐͝ ̵͓̯̺̜̯̈͒̑̈͝

D̸̫͆̄͆̿ę̸̡͕̖́̕ȁ̸͎͇̥̾̏̈͠t̵͇͓̩̣̔̒͌͗h̶͈̣̜̱͑ ̷̬͔̦̃̌̓̚t̴̡̪̘̮̅͒͝͝o̵͈̗̞̙̔l̵͓͎̮͔͊ĺ̴͈͊̕.̴͔̤̆̔̋̕͝.̸̨͎͔̂.̶̹͖̆̅ͅẗ̴̨̘̺̩͙́̔͗̉̄õ̸̞͔̍ö̶̞̼͈̜́ ̸̟̏͛m̷̹͓̦̮̦̅̒͘û̷͉͈̹͚͐̃c̵̢̳͕͇͉͋̄h̶̢̐͂̌̕.̴̗̘̟̉̋͜.̸̹̯̺͚̺̈́̆̉̂.̴͙̠͉̝̀͗̓͋̂"

Erika gasped for air, as if she had been drowning in her fears. Her eyes wildly glanced around before realizing she was back in her office.

Shaking her head, she was about to rub her eyes when she saw that her hands were bloodied. She almost screamed.

She stared at her shaking hands for a moment, unable to process what was going on as her head became clear. What happened? I remember waking up in my car, and then going to Pinne's apartment, and...

She sighed as she quickly stood up, almost running to the bathroom to wash her hands. She suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine, but couldn't explain why.

-

[BACK AT THE ALLEYWAY]

One police officer lit up her flashlight and pointed it on the floor, on the walls, and on the balconies. She saw nothing and sighed. "I don't see anything."

"Nevermind that," another police officer showed up behind her as he tapped her on the shoulder, "we got an all-units call from Anderson Avenue. C'mon."

The female police officer chuckled. "Sounds like it's gonna be one hell of a night, huh?"

-

Quickly washing off the blood, Erika switched off the faucet as she stared at her reflection on the mirror. What was going on? Why was she having these...passing-out episodes? Was she sick?

Erika was about to go over to the medical table when her reflection suddenly smiled. Erika recoiled as "Erika" began to "speak:"

"Still in your delusions, huh?"

Erika shook her head. "You're not here."

"How can you be sure? You're talking to me, so at the very least you acknowledge me - or should I say, yourself?"

Erika narrowed her eyes. "I don't want to remember."

"Erika" sighed. "Doesn't matter if it's your brain stopping you or if you're willingly trying to not remember. That pain in you is going to kill you anyway, so why be stubborn?"

Before she could retort, she heard a knock on the door. Like a paranoid animal, Erika turned to the source of the sound and nearly jumped. "Erika" chuckled, her smile still remaining, though there was a hint of sorrow in her eyes. "I suggest you stop drinking that sweet poison and take the bitter pill. It'll be quite a journey to swallow."

Then the smile faded. Erika stared at the mirror for a moment before realizing that the mirror was reflecting her true image once again. She waved, the Erika on the mirror waved as well.

Sighing, she shook her head, muttering to herself that she was merely hallucinating as she trudged awkwardly towards the office door. Looking down, she saw a folder under the door.

Alarmed, she quickly opened the door and poked her head out of the doorway, only to see no one there. The hallway was dark and unlit, but her eyes found no one - not even a shadowy outline of a person.

Kneeling down, she grabbed the document and shut the door.

Emerging from the veil of darkness was a young woman with pigtails, sporting an unfitting, twisted grin as she held a device - most likely a recorder - against the door.

Erika sat down on her office chair and wore her reading glasses before reaching for her medication labeled "Vincent's Valium." Taking out a few pills, she swallowed them in one gulp. Feeling an unknown dread building within her, she opened the folder and took out the contents.

A keycard with a red outline. She recognized it. It was from Lab 33, specifically handled only by the highest level personnel, like her. Her head ached, but she pushed on and pulled out more from the folder. Her eyes went wide.

In her hands were pictures - Pinne, sleeping in her bed, taken from afar and at a seemingly impossible angle. If Erika were to use her logic, the picture seemed to be taken from another tall building.

Erika's heart anguished. She should've believed in Pinne.

Next was...Erika herself, walking towards the hotel where the former Goddess squad lived in.

The next three were pictures each taken individually - Snow White talking to a chef, Scarlet lecturing a student in her dojo, and Rapunzel praying to god in the church.

Erika felt deeply disturbed by this sudden information. Then her phone rang, startling her from her shock.

Touching the virtual screen and tapping to answer the call, the hologram sprouted up, revealing an unknown caller.

"Commander?"

To her utmost relief, it was Pinne.

"Pinne! A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry...look, I know it's getting late, but I need your help."

Erika furrowed her eyes as she held yet another picture...this time of a very familiar place.

Dubai.

"Pinne, where are you?"

"Erika, do you ever get the feeling that...you're being watched?"

From the other side of the call, Erika could hear Pinne's muffled screaming. Erika stood up. "What the hell are you doing with her?"

"The location is in the folder."

The line soon cut off. WIthout hesitation, Erika scrambled to dig further into the folder. Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw the address:

Base S793, Lab 33

I am going back to that hell hole.