The year was twenty-thirty-six.
Humanity ran rampant. Overpopulation led to overuse of limited resources and technology progressed in leaps and bounds. Crime skyrocketed, plunging the world into an endless state of fear. Natural resources began to vanish in mass numbers, natural disasters filled the world as the Earth fought against the fleas that humanity had become. Nobody knew if they'd live to see the new dawn. Government and order dissolved, leaving each person to fend for themselves and their loved ones.
Just when all hope seemed lost, a group of people stepped forward. Their individual names are lost to history, but they called themselves the Arco Order. Beneath the Order, the U.R.M was formed. The Universal Regulation Movement gave humanity hope again - overpopulation was controlled, technology aided humanity in the stead of lacking resources, giving the world time to replenish itself. Crime decreased, murders and thefts were reined in and eventually completely diminished. The U.R.M allowed people to live peacefully in their assigned towns, and allowed the Order to keep track of its people and their safety.
Slowly, the Earth turned peaceful, tsunamis and earthquakes decreasing in frequency, volcanoes erupting less frequently, and storms-
"Mina," Kyouka interrupts, without lifting her gaze from her rapidly moving, transparent screen or even bothering to remove her earpods, "you and Denki need to lay off with the stories. You'll scare the interns again."
Mina's groan is only matched by Denki's own. "You're no fun," the former informs her, curling one finger into her pink dyed afro.
"I'm tech," Kyouka informs her coolly, "not field. I don't need to be fun."
"She's right," Hitoshi, her desk mate, informs them without looking up from his rapidly scrolling screen.
"Killjoys," Denki snorts.
Kyouka is fully prepared to fling the nearest pen at him, when her screen beeps insistently at her, flashing a red warning. Kyouka's eyes snap to the highlighted area.
"Well," she begins, eloquently, "shit."
Hitoshi pauses in his typing. He leans over to eye her screen, stares unblinkingly for a long moment as though something might change, and finally gives a resigned sigh. "I'll call the boss."
Suffice to say, the boss, Shouta Aizawa, is none too pleased to be called into the data room. He drags his feet as he comes in and makes his way to Kyouka, who stands from her chair and steps away from the paused screen so Shouta can see what they're looking at.
"Hitoshi said something about a hole in the data," Shouta grumbles, tapping the screen and dragging the information up as he glances through.
"Yes, sir," Kyouka replies, "it begins on the second of August earlier this year and continues to be patchy within that particular town's information through now."
Shouta is squinting now, having come to the irregularity. He flattens his palms against the screen and pulls outwards, expanding it. A few of the other technology agents look up from their screens, curious about the commotion. Even Mina and Denki pause, looking up.
"And what town did you say it was?" Shouta asks, cutting the holes in the data from the screen and dragging them aside.
"Peltragow," Hitoshi adds helpfully, but none too respectfully.
"A border town..." Shouta sighs, touching the radio in his ear. "Bring me the Andromeda team."
Kyouka has heard of the Andromeda duo, but she's never met them. In fact, she can't think of any desk agents who have - even the field agents are lucky if they get to meet the Order's top agent team. She's clearly not the only one with the thoughts if the way a murmur ripples among the desks and Hitoshi sits a fraction straighter and meets Kyouka's gaze. It seems they're all going to meet them now. She catches sight of Mina and Denki scrambling to fix their suits and feels a little relieved that they're not the only ones who are nervous.
"Oh, this is exciting," Mei hisses from across from her, practically rocking in her seat. "We're finally meeting the top dogs around here! Do you think they'll let me look at their gear? Or make new gear for them? Or better yet, go with them? Kyouka, isn't this just-"
Two pairs of perfectly synchronized footsteps come tap tap tapping down the corridor. Mei goes silent.
"Shouta," says a brunette woman with bob cut hair as she enters, looking vaguely irritated, "a little advance warning would be nice, next time. These two are ridiculously hard to find."
"Agent Mandalay," Shouta greets calmly, "that is the idea. In any case, it was an emergency."
Rationally, Kyouka knows she isn't prepared to have this encounter. Rationally, she knows that. However, it doesn't stop any and all sense from leaving her the moment they turn the corner in their crisp black suits, exuding power and poise. The man of the two is collected and unreadable, with a looming presence and dual colored hair. The woman is an actual goddess, all sleek black hair and commanding presence. Kyouka can't see either of their eyes behind their identical black shades, but she makes no effort to meet them regardless, fixing her gaze on her feet to allow Shouta to address them.
"Agent Alpheratz, Agent Mirach," Shouta greets.
"Sir," the two reply respectfully.
"Sorry for calling you two on such short notice - and to here, of all places. We have a problem I need you two to investigate."
"Aw, come on! Why can't De- uhm Hadar and I take it for once?" Mina complains. "You always give them the good missions."
"Yeah," Denki whines, "Agena is right. You never let us go on cool missions like this."
"Well," says Shouta, turning and fixing them with a steely look, "perhaps if you weren't so inclined towards troublemaking, I might."
"Sorry to interrupt," says the male of the Andromeda duo, "but you were saying?"
"Right," Shouta continues. "Kyouka, explain what you came across."
"Oh," Kyouka says eloquently, her head snapping up. "Me. Right. I'm the-"
Oh, god, they're staring. Kyouka kicks Hitoshi when he snickers and watches the subtle movement of the dual haired boy's head as he tracks the movement. The woman's attention never wavers, remaining steady on Kyouka. Kyouka clears her throat and turns to the screen. Now that she's not looking at them, it's easier to pretend they aren't there - suffice to say, she's relieved when her voice comes out steady and clear.
"Log: Year twenty-one-nineteen, August second." The screen flickers and scrolls as Kyouka speaks, reaching out to enlarge the data gaps. "Town: Peltragow. As you can see, going back to August of this year there's not only a hole but a massive gap in the data of this town. It's as though the data flow has stopped entirely, like the entire population just vanished. Before now, the routine data checks haven't shown any irregularities, yet it's clearly been three months since the data stopped being registered."
"What about the camera feeds?" The man asks.
"Mirach," the woman - Alpheratz - murmurs, "let her finish."
When Mirach doesn't speak up again, Kyouka continues.
"The camera feeds appear to be on a loop feed. It isn't evident at first glance, but if you replay and sync it, the clips are just things reused from years prior - which seems innocuous at first, but feeds this old should only be accessible by the higher-ups in the Order. To summarize, we're completely blind in this town with no information about what's happening - or happened - and who is doing it."
"And that's where you two come in." Shouta informs them, scratching at his stubble. "Your objective is to travel to the town and discover and resolve the problem. Be prepared for anything - we don't know what's out there. This is the first time in years someone is going in blind, and I'm trusting you two with the task."
"Uh," Kyouka clears her throat, turning slowly and fixing her gaze on Shouta instead of the two agents, "if I may. Whatever did this would have entirely taken over the mainframe in Peltragow. It's the only way they could so efficiently keep the data holes and feeds hidden for so long. It might be best to bring a technology agent along to restore it. Agent Hatsume-"
"Well," Alpheratz draws Kyouka's gaze with a tilt of her head, "why don't you just come along, then?"
"Me?" Kyouka stiffens. "Oh, no, no, I'm not meant for the field. Not that I'd hate going with you- you two- I'd just hold you back!"
"I'm inclined to agree," Mirach replies, adjusting his shades, "I believe it might be safer for all parties involved if it's just Alpheratz and I. After we've resolved the situation another team can escort a tech agent in to fix everything."
"I agree with Agent Alpheratz," Shouta yawns, "Kyouka, you'll accompany them to fix the mainframe in Peltragow. We don't have time to wait for the situation to be fixed before we restore data collection - this hole can't be allowed to grow any larger."
Kyouka isn't presented the chance to protest. Looking her dead in the eyes, Shouta says, "Dismissed."
The rest of the day passes in a blur of congratulations and Kyouka methodically packing what she'll need. It isn't much other than a few changes of clothes, gadgets, and food, but it's enough. Kyouka adjusts the tie of her suit once more - she doesn't make a habit of wearing them very often, given they're a lot more lax on what the desk agents wear, but she has a few stored away for events and apparently for going into the field now. The suit is stifling and uncomfortable to someone like Kyouka, accustomed to wearing big sweaters and baggy hoodies and she doesn't understand how field agents constantly have them on.
There's no time to dwell on the thought, though. She has a team to meet, however reluctantly it may be.
Alpheratz and Mirach are waiting for her by the back exit, where the corridor leads to the carport. The light in this hall always flickers relentlessly and Mei keeps saying she's going to fix it but never has the chance. Shouta doesn't care enough to hire someone else. Nonetheless, there's something almost comforting about it as Kyouka joins the two agents - it's familiar. Both of the agents are carrying duffle bags and neither have removed their shades, but Kyouka feels their gazes as she approaches.
"Are you ready?" Alpheratz asks her, reaching out to take her bag and passing both to Mirach, who turns and vanishes into the carport.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Kyouka replies, watching his retreating back.
Alpheratz smiles, a soft curl of her lips. "Don't worry too much, I'm sure you'll be fine. I was just as nervous about my first mission - besides, Mirach and I will be there, so you won't have anything to worry about."
Kyouka doesn't know if she believes her, but hell, she's pretty and nice, so Kyouka follows her regardless.
By the time they catch up to him, Mirach has already loaded all three bags into the back of a sleek, black SUV. Alpheratz swings into the driver's' seat and Kyouka hesitates only a moment before crawling into the back seat behind her. Sure enough, Mirach purposefully takes the passenger seat and straps in as Alpheratz presses the starting controls.
"You'd think they would have self-driving cars by now," Mirach comments under his breath.
Alpheratz laughs, and Kyouka wonders if she was even meant to hear it. She puts her earpods back in and settles in for the long ride.
Kyouka drifts in and out of sleep as the car drives over smooth roads endlessly, stopping only once or twice to switch drivers. At some points, she's staring at the back of Alpheratz's head in a dream-like haze, and others it's Mirach's, dual colored hair catching the sunlight. She stops recognizing her surroundings soon after they leave the facility and tries to just count trees.
Mine, something fierce and primal, vicious and angry washes over her, for just a second, and Kyouka jerks awake.
"Good timing," says Alpheratz, looking back from her place in the passenger seat, "we're here."
There's something grim about her tone, but Kyouka doesn't understand why until she sits up entirely. Welcome to Peltragow! The sign reads, but the roads are desolate, the lights off and houses looking abandoned, silent and looming. The sight sends chills racing down Kyouka's back. Instinctively, she fumbles for her tech, clicking the side of her watch to do a scan. Nothing. No life, no heat signatures but their own. There's just nothing.
Alpheratz voices her thoughts. "It's almost like they all up and left."
"Or vanished," Mirach murmurs, parking the car in front of the government building. "I'm going to look around. Alpheratz, you should go with her. There might be danger inside."
"Right," Alpheratz agrees, opening the door and gesturing for Kyouka to follow her out.
Kyouka hesitates a moment, glancing back at Mirach, and then slides out after her. As Mirach pulls away in the SUV, Alpheratz leads Kyouka into the building. It's odd; nothing seems disturbed within. There are no signs of struggle or infiltration. It really is just like everyone up and vanished. Alpheratz sweeps the corridors as they go, her gun at the ready. A map of the facility projects from her watch, flickering against the dark backdrop of the walls.
"Somehow," Kyouka comments quietly, "I feel like this is too easy."
"You're right," Alpheratz agrees, lowering her weapon and removing her shades, "it is. You already checked for readings, didn't you? Did you come across anything?"
"Nothing but the three of us," Kyouka tells her, entering the main computer room.
Sure enough, it's empty. The computers, black screened and covered with dust, sit in silent rows, as though waiting. It was as though everything had just been shut down. That was impossible, though. The data collection mainframes couldn't be shut down without the consent of the Order, and Kyouka knew for a fact that they'd never give it. Besides that, if everything had simply been shut down, there would have been an earlier notification. She circles the main desks near the door and climbs to the elevated area where the main computer rests. This one is still on, but the screen flickers and glitches. Mine, it reads, and then the word disappears.
"Mirach," Kyouka becomes aware of Alpheratz's voice. "Mirach, come in. Hello?"
Kyouka glances over the top of the computer to watch as Alpheratz pulls up a holographic screen on her watch. It's vitals and communication, she realizes, noting the large image of Alpheratz and the vitals around her, then the much smaller image of Mirach in the corner, outlined in red.
"That's odd," Alpheratz says, "his coms are off. Computer, last known position of agent six-three-six-three-seven-three, codename: Mirach."
The screen beeps and pulls up a map, flashing a small red beacon near what appears to be the town center. Alpheratz looks to Kyouka, dark eyes questioning. Kyouka sighs.
"Let's go. I can't do much until I figure out what did this."
The trek to the town hall isn't long, but it's still awful on foot and Kyouka isn't a very athletic person. Alpheratz keeps going ahead and slowing for Kyouka to catch up - she almost feels bad for holding the other woman back. Alpheratz seems almost anxious, consistently checking her com and screen. When they arrive, Alpheratz spots the black SUV first. The doors are open and it's parked crookedly, as though in a rush, and Kyouka doesn't see Mirach anywhere.
"Mirach?" Alpheratz calls, hurrying to the truck and looking in.
Kyouka clicks the side of her watch again.
"Mirach!" Alpheratz calls again. "Mirach? Shouto!"
Kyouka knows she isn't going to find anything. There are only two signatures now - herself and Alpheratz. Mirach - Shouto - seems to have just vanished from the face of the earth like the rest of the town. Kyouka has the feeling that something bigger is at play here, something that neither of them can even begin to understand. Alpheratz is still calling for Mirach, still calling for Shouto, still shouting, Todoroki Shouto, you better answer me, and Kyouka knows he won't.
"Agent Alpheratz," she tries, "we have to go. The sun is setting and we don't know what's out there."
Kyouka sees the slow tremble of Alpheratz's shoulders. "You don't see him, do you?" She states more than asks.
"He's not registering, no," Kyouka confirms. "We need to go. I'm sure he'll be okay."
Alpheratz's shoulders drop. "He's my best friend. I don't know what to do without him." Her voice wavers.
Kyouka knows, rationally, that she isn't built for field work. She's a desk agent and she always has been - technology is her forte and her comfort zone. But watching the way Alpheratz's shoulders tremble, she knows it's time for her to step out of that. She moves forward to touch Alpheratz's shoulder.
"Come on," she says, "we've got to take shelter."
Alpheratz nods.
They carry what they can from the truck - it's best to leave the truck itself, for it would draw too much attention - slinging their duffle bags over their shoulders and heading off. Kyouka pulls a map of the town up, scanning for a place that seems safe enough. She comes to a house first, tucked away neatly and inconspicuously. This is where she leads Alpheratz, shutting the door and dropping her bag once they're in.
The house is empty, unsurprisingly, but it certainly looks lived in. Kyouka could just hope whoever had lived there before didn't mind them staying the night. Alpheratz crosses the room and seats herself on the couch.
"Right," Kyouka says, "food first, and then I'll take watch. You should rest."
"I'm sorry," Alpheratz replies, "I shouldn't be acting like this. I'm supposed to be one of the Order's top four and here I am, acting like a child."
Kyouka sighs, sitting down on the floor in front of Alpheratz. "I don't blame you, though. I think anybody would react badly to their best friend suddenly disappearing like this - I know I would. My best friend is a field agent, too. He's annoying, but he's still my friend and I worry about him when he goes into the field. I promise you, we'll find Agent Mirach. Once we figure out this whole thing, we'll find him and the townspeople."
Kyouka reaches out to squeeze Alpheratz's knee, standing back up.
"Momo," says Alpheratz.
Confusion strikes Kyouka. "What?"
"My name is Momo. I probably shouldn't tell, but I feel like I can trust you with it. Call me Momo."
"Momo," Kyouka echoes, embarrassed by the way her voice cracks on the name, "then I'm Kyouka. You already knew that, but you can call me it."
"Okay," Momo tells her, "okay."
Kyouka takes first watch. Around them, the world is silent save for the soft sound of Momo's deep breathing. There's no life around them; no animals, no people, no insects, just nothingness. Even the wind is silent. She's half asleep, but Kyouka is fairly sure Momo knows what she's doing when she reaches out silently and takes Kyouka's hand.
The sun wakes Kyouka before Momo does, but Momo has a new determination burning in her eyes.
"So," she starts, as soon as they're both dressed and ready to go again, "we have no leads and it seems this is a total blackout zone. You can communicate within the town, but not contact anybody outside. In other words, it's up to you and I. We have no contact with home base."
"Then we go back to the official building," Kyouka concludes, "and figure out the problem from there."
"Exactly," Momo smiles.
Kyouka decides she'll never tire of that expression. They travel back to the government building, on their guard. Kyouka is a naturally paranoid person, but it doesn't help that she's new to the field and they're dealing with something they have yet to discover the identity of. This time, she knows the route to the control room and races there alongside Momo, hurrying up to the main computers and accessing the mainframe through her watch. Whatever had happened to this thing had been thorough.
"Kyouka," Momo tells her, "there's something out there. I'm going to check it out."
Kyouka furrows her eyebrows, clicking the side of her watch again to check. Two signatures. Oh, hell. Leaping clean over the short stairs, Kyouka races out the door after Momo. She couldn't allow them to get separated.
"Momo, wait! It's not showing up!" She calls.
But when she turns the corner, all she sees is Momo's gun on the ground, laying next to a pair of broken sunglasses. Kyouka immediately feels any and all of the courage she'd had drain from her body. No, she thinks, and then, desperately, no! There's no way she's doing this without Momo. There's no way, not even an option.
In the end, Kyouka knows, rationally, that she isn't a field agent.
"Momo!" She shouts, knowing it's futile. "Momo, please!"
Momo's voice doesn't return the call. Kyouka fumbles for her watch, clicking the side. One signature.
"Kyouka," comes a voice, soft and familiar.
Kyouka's head jerks up. A few steps further, Momo's watch is on the ground, face down. Light flickers from it - a hologram. Kyouka scrambles for it and sure enough, it's a close recording of Momo's face.
"Listen closely," she's whispering, "this thing isn't human. I have no chance of getting back to you, so I can only hope you see this and figure out what to do. Whatever this thing is, it's drawing the people to it. I don't know where they are, but I know they're alive, Kyouka. Somehow. Now listen," Momo pauses, holding her breath at the sound of a rattling hiss, and then continues, quicker, "it's sound. Whatever this is, it works sort of like a siren - it uses sound to draw people to it, hypnotizes them. The only reason I was able to record this is because of the sound my gun made when I dropped it. I'm leaving it to you, Kyouka. Good luck, and I-"
The feed cuts off. Kyouka is left staring at empty space, a new feeling of resolve in her chest. She scrambles for Momo's gun and pops in her earpods, turning up the familiar sound of the music constantly playing in them. She's got work to do; field agent or not, she's their last hope.
Although, in hindsight, she could have thought her strategy through a little more than just find the thing, follow it to its lair, free everyone and maybe get like a cheek kiss from a pretty girl, but here she was, walking down the center of the town lane with Momo's pistol at her hip. The music in her ears is comforting, but her timing has to be precise - otherwise, this won't work. She may not be a field agent, but her senses are sharp and she trusts them.
Sure enough, she feels a prickling feeling at the back of her neck. Mine, it comes again, and she realizes with a start that it was this thing the whole time. She turns slowly, coming face to face with it, all long and gangly limbs of charred and greasy flesh, sunken sockets where eyes would be and a mouth split all the way up. For a moment, fear swells in her chest, but then she remembers that Momo is depending on her, Shouto and the rest of the townspeople - she's their last hope.
Kyouka sucks it up, watches the creature's mouth open, snake-like and full of teeth, and pretends to fall under its thrall. As the creature snatches her up, it takes everything in Kyouka to remain limp and complacent. Every part of her screams for her to escape, to run away, but she can't.
The edge of the town is an unwilling host to a network of underground caves, and this is where the creature takes her. The room she ends up in is cold, despite the people lining the walls, staring blankly into space, hollow-eyed and bony. These must be the townspeople. She can't do anything but let the creature add her to the ranks of people, tucked neatly between one girl she doesn't recognize, and a much more familiar face with dual colored hair.
The thing lurches out and Kyouka seizes her chance, twisting in an attempt to loosen herself. It isn't as hard - the material is something similar to a spider's web: sticky and clingy, but not impossible to escape. She nudges Shouto.
"Agent Mirach," she hisses.
He doesn't budge, staring blankly at the other wall. Kyouka hesitates a moment, before yanking her earpods out and putting them in his ears. He starts almost immediately, gaze clearing and sweeping the area as Kyouka takes the earpods back.
"Wha- Where are we?"
"Some underground cavern system. Help me get these people out. I'm going to look for Mo- uhm, Agent Alpheratz."
Shouto narrows his eyes at her, but fishes a knife from his belt loop regardless and cuts himself loose, hurrying to start trying to get the other people out of the hypnosis. Kyouka goes in search of Momo - the order of the people seems random, judging by where she and Shouto had been, so it takes a moment, but she catches sight of the suit first, rumpled and unkempt from fighting, and her hair, loose around her shoulders.
Kyouka doesn't even hesitate this time, running towards the other girl. "Momo," she breathes in relief, touching Momo's cheek and then putting the earpods in her ears.
"Oh," Momo breathes, "I know that song."
"We have to go," Kyouka says, but Momo is staring past her again, wide-eyed.
Kyouka turns in time to see Shouto's gunshot slice through one of the creature's limbs, wide mouth yawning over Kyouka and Momo. Momo scrambles for Kyouka, whose legs go weak with shock, tugging at her, but Kyouka's gaze is set on the thing, eyes wide and lips parted. Oh god, she thinks, is this how I die?
And then the creature is swinging at her in what feels like slow motion, but Kyouka never feels the impact come. Instead, she sees Momo leap in front of her, dark hair whipping, expression hard with resolve. She sees Momo take the full force of the blow, roll across the room and stop.
Kyoka doesn't think when she yanks Momo's gun from where it still rests as her hip, raises it, fires once. Twice. Again. Again. Again.
Later, when the town celebrates them, Momo comes to find Kyoka in the data collection mainframe of the government building, watching the screens work again.
"I'm not much of a party person," Kyouka admits, fiddling with her earpods.
"Well," Momo laughs, "you're certainly quite the field agent. Thank you, Kyouka."
"No," Kyouka grins back at her, "thank you."