Zdood proudly presents:
Change
Disclaimer: Don't own nuthin' and all that.
AN: Just a little side project slash experiment with no relation to Hyperdimensional Adventures other than a certain stylized linebreak. It won't be all that long – certainly nowhere near what I have planned for HDA – and is largely just an exercise in trying something different from what I usually do.
How will Change differ? Well, quite simply, it'll be rather more serious (don't laugh! I'm perfectly capable of doing serious!... probably). Not without its share of comedy, certainly, but… don't be surprised if a fair amount of darker humor crops up. In any case, you've been forewarned, so don't come cryin' ta me about this fic being different from HDA, or about it being serious, etc etc.
…Huh. Just realized the title is appropriate for the fic on a meta level, too. XD
Oh, and this takes place post-Victory. Spoilers for said game may crop up. Again, you've been forewarned.
Anyways, on with the show!
-XO[]/\-
IF peeked out from behind the large metal crate she was hiding behind, attempting to survey the situation. Her mission had taken her to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Planeptune. Well… it had been abandoned, anyway; now there were a few people and monsters roaming about in it.
Which brings us back to her mission.
These people and monsters were part of an organization. It wasn't a big one, but it was one of many. It had been about two years since the dimension IF knew, dubbed the 'Hyperdimension,' had been merged with another, which had been dubbed the 'Ultradimension.' Two years since a psychotic ex-CPU tried to destroy both of these dimensions. And most importantly… Two years since there had been an anti-CPU coalition causing trouble. Which again brings us back to dear Iffy's mission; many an anti-CPU organization had cropped up since the incident two years ago, following the lead of the one led by Rei Ryghts. A fair number of them were peaceful, simply desiring change in the way they were ruled and voicing their opinions of such, protesting now and again, here and there. Moderatists. But there were still a number that were quite violent, that desired anything from the current CPUs stepping down to get better ones to step up, to abolishing the CPU system altogether, to even massacring the CPUs and putting their heads on pikes, and were perfectly willing to resort to violence of varying extremes – though that should've been quite obvious with that last one – to achieve their goals. Extremists… some being the worst kind of Extremist.
The group whose hideout she was currently sneaking around was an Extremist group's. One of the worse ones, and one that had already committed several acts worthy of lengthy imprisonment if her intel was accurate, up to and including murder. If her intel was accurate, this group – known as 'ZERO-Theistic' - was also planning something big.
Iffy was here to stop them, of course. To make sure they were punished for the crimes they'd committed… as well as the one they were evidently about to commit.
IF sighed… but then halted her thoughts for a moment when she noticed that the coast was clear, dashing out from her hiding spot and moving forward in the factory. Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. Stop. Another few Extremists were further up the corridor. IF hid behind a stack of old wooden crates, waiting for another opening.
The Extremists down the corridor seemed quite happy to talk amongst themselves where they were at the moment, though. As a result, the Guild member quickly drifted back into her thoughts…
Planeptune had probably gotten the most anti-CPU groups of all the nations in the years following Rei's defeat. IF hated to admit it, because it felt like she was betraying Nep by doing so, but… deep down, she couldn't really blame them.
The Guild member looked down guiltily as her thoughts continued. Nep… she was IF's friend. One of her best friends. She was a lot of fun to be around. She was a lot of fun to talk with. She was a lot of fun to do stuff with. Sure, she could be annoying at times, but that was arguably part of the purplette's charm, and quite frankly, she didn't think she'd have Nep any other way.
Unfortunately… Nep was also lazy. Astoundingly so. And while jabs at her laziness from Iffy were all in good fun… it really couldn't be denied that Nep's slothful tendencies made her a…
IF swallowed. It felt like she'd gulped down a porcupine.
Nep's laziness… well… it made her a rather bad CPU. And if IF was being perfectly honest… an outright craptastic CPU. For all the silly girl's charm, she just… didn't do her job. She just fobbed her job off on other people, namely Histoire and Nepgear. If she had been working any other job, she would've been fired a long time ago.
Granted, in some ways, it could perhaps be argued that Nep's… 'laissez-faire' … approach to being a CPU wasn't really that bad. Maybe even good. After all, her people had a great deal of freedom as a result. But the thing was… they could just as easily have that freedom without a CPU. So… if the CPU didn't do anything unless she absolutely had to, as is the case with Neptune... what was the point?
It was certainly all food for intense thought… unfortunately for poor Iffy, this food might as well have been poisoned or rotten... or perhaps an apple offered by a devilish snake. She felt like such a traitor for thinking these things about one of her closest friends, and she hated that feeling. Loathed it. She felt so damn guilty about thinking these things whenever Nep was nearby. Whenever she was laughing. Whenever she was joking. Whenever she and her were playing games. Yes, these thoughts had plagued IF for quite a while now… and eventually she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't take being a traitor right in front of Nep. She had to get away from Nep. For thinking these thoughts… the Guild member didn't deserve to be in the CPU's presence… let alone dare to call herself a close friend of the happy-go-lucky lavendette.
So IF left. She needed time to herself. She needed to sort her thoughts out. She needed to do… something. Anything.
Which, once again, brings us to the Guild member's mission.
IF stopped her train of thought again as she heard voices go past and down the corridor she'd came from. She paused a few moments to make sure they were nice and far away… and then darted out from her hiding spot and continued deeper into ZERO-Theistic's territory.
Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. A fork in the path. IF stopped. IF listened. Voices could be faintly heard from the left path. She took said path.
Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. Pit – stop! IF hid behind some sort of large machine that had a conveyor belt sticking out of it as she spotted another group of Z-T's members. Another opening had to be waited for. And so Iffy once again found herself descending into her thoughts… her traitorous… traitorous… thoughts….
In retrospect, coming here alone was stupid. But… she had needed to get away from Nep. She had needed to get away from the one she had betrayed with these thoughts of hers. And so IF desperately grasped at the first thing she could to do so. She had recently received info on ZERO-Theistic's activities. She had gotten the location of a hideout. Perfect. She'd went there with nary a second thought at the time, she'd needed to get away so badly. And this… this would do her good, right? Stopping an Extremist group would certainly clear her conscience, right? It would prove she wasn't a traitor, even in spite of these thoughts she'd been having, right?
…Right?
IF hoped so. She so dearly did. She supposed she would find out if it did soon...
Coming here alone was stupid, though. Why did she come here alone? Wait, that was a stupid question – she came alone because she hadn't really been thinking about anything other than getting away and clearing her conscience. But then she had time to think after she got here, before she'd actually entered the factory. So why didn't she call for back-up then? Did it not occur to her until it was too late and she had made it a good distance inside the factory? IF found that she couldn't really remember. Maybe it was because she felt like she couldn't face her friends, or even the soldiers that protected Planeptune? Because she was fairly certain that she wouldn't be able to face them. She doubted they were having thoughts that betrayed their close friends like she was – that betrayed their CPU like she was. Being around them as she was now would probably just make her feel worse. Or perhaps it was some other reason – the Guild member's thoughts were such a mess right now that she wasn't really sure.
Whatever the case, she was deep in enemy territory alone. And it was too late to get help now. Or maybe it wasn't? IF checked one of her cellphones… dammit, no signal. It really is too late then. Well, was it too late to turn back? To leave the factory and fight ZERO-Theistic another time? No… probably not. She'd snuck in this far, right? She could get back out. Coming here was an impulse decision anyway. A stupid impulse decision. She should've sorted out her thoughts some other way. A less dangerous way. She was far from the right mindset to do battle. Especially when she would be decidedly outnumbered. Yes. She should go back. Maybe… maybe she should confess her thoughts to Nep, even. Nep would forgive her, right? Right? Why didn't she do that before… dammit. Coming here was such a stupid decision…
'Yeah… I'll… I'll go ba-' SMACK. IF felt something hit her. Hard. She fell to the floor with a thump. She could feel her consciousness fading.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," mocked a gruff feminine voice, "Well, don't just stand there, ya bozo! Gather her up!" The voice yelled.
"Yes'm." Came a gruff masculine voice – one that didn't sound human.
IF didn't see who either of them were. She could barely see anything at all anyway. She felt herself being lifted onto someone's back. Their back looked scaly. They had a tail. The masculine voice.
IF's consciousness continued to fade.
'Dammit…'
And fade.
'Coming here…'
And fade.
'Was such…'
And fade.
'A… stupid…'
Almost gone.
'I… dea…'
A single tear leaked from IF's eye.
'I'…m…'
The tear fell from her face.
'Sor… ry…'
The tear fell through the air.
'Nep…'
The tear hit the floor.
'…'
And with that IF knew no more.
-XO[]/\-
AN: Hopefully that drama was at least passable.
Remember when I mentioned dark humor? The next part will more likely than not have a fair bit of it.