DISCLAIMER: Can get pretty dark. Please recite the MST3K Mantra throughout the fic. Thank you.
"Feeling lucky today, chief?" asked an enforcer as she held a box filled with office wares just outside the twin black doors. Her footsteps echoed around the office as she approached her superior's desk and settled the box there. Breathing a sigh, she placed her hands on her hips and continued, "It's only guard duty, chief. No need to be so excited."
The SMD chief stared at her subordinate with narrowed eyes, "Even if it is just guard duty, it is no excuse for me to let my guard down. We're enforcers, we have to take our jobs seriously or else something bad would happen."
"This is why no one finds you cute, chief," mused the enforcer with a snicker only to feel a cold sensation of fear running down her spine. She glanced at her superior whom was radiating a thick curtain of killing intent before swallowing the lump in her throat as she apologized, "W-W-Wait! It's not like I meant it that way! Of course the chief is cute! Beautiful and responsible! Anyone who says otherwise is worth giving a beat down to! This is I know as one of your workers! Ehehehehe!"
Glaring daggers at her subordinate for a few moments, the SMD chief released a sigh. She stood up from her seat behind her desk and walked past her employee. Without turning back she said, "I will be going now. Lyrica's waiting for me. Look after the base in my absence."
"Got it boss!" said the enforcer with an alert salute, a bright grin on her face.
The superior officer went down the hallway and passed by a few of her other colleagues and subordinates. They all gave her a polite greeting though a few seemed to have frozen in place in awe at her appearance, maybe a little fear mixed in. Being stared at like that made her a little uncomfortable yet she never showed it in her face. She was after all a composed ice queen in the eyes of others even though she wanted to be a little different from that.
She descended down the white fan shaped staircase in the middle of the lobby and continued towards the exit. The guard whom was at the door opened it for her and the sun's rays shined, its light dazzling her so much that she had to block it with her palm.
A normal day in Leanbox.
A tired sigh echoed around the set as its source leaned against a metal pole and rubbed the bridge of her nose. A number of people were hastily making the final preparations for the concert in the next few hours and judging by the way they moved they were getting frantic. Women dashed around lifting props or pushing carts, all desperate to make it in time for the main event that evening. Though despite the pressure building up at the pit of their stomachs, they still found the energy to smile and greet one another as they passed. What enthusiastic fellows.
A young woman with short maroon hair tied in twin pigtails crossed her arms as she observed the people around her. There were some that were hammering the banners they crafted themselves while the others were busy restocking on the special effects to be used in the evening. Poles and tools laid scattered about thanks to the clumsy handling of the workers so it was easy to trip if one were not careful enough.
At the distance was the grand stage where the main star of the event was diligently practicing her dance along with her backup dancers. 5pb moved with such grace and elegance that a few workers couldn't help but gawk not looking where they were going and eventually hitting one another. It was days like these that gave the young woman a content feeling.
Approaching the panicking workers, Cave knelt down and helped them pick up their fallen tools. Surprised that the Head of the SMD would take her time and help them, the workers managed to blurt out their thanks before running off. The young woman could only watch them go while waving them goodbye with an indifferent expression. People were always flustered whenever she attempted to help them yet she had no idea why. It could be the fact that she held a high position in the law enforcement of Leanbox yet she did her best to act kindly despite that.
No matter what she did, people were either afraid or in awe of her. She almost wondered why they couldn't be more like Lyrica. She turned her gaze back at the stage where her friend and charge was practicing and sighed. She was the total opposite of her friend whom people wouldn't think twice in flocking around. A shame that Lyrica was the shyest person Cave knew and was not used to dealing with others. If she could deal with people when off the stage then she would be perfect.
Most unfortunate that she had that kind of personality. The same thing could be said to the maroon haired young woman.
Standing up, she crossed her arms and went back to her guarding spot and leaned on the pole once more. With a yawn, she looked up at the peaceful blue sky above her and reached out at the clouds with her hand. Enveloped in a relaxing feeling, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "My feet hurt…"
Gamindustri, a world where wacky monsters existed alongside wackier human beings. Guarded by the four main Goddesses of the four nations, the entire world was currently enjoying a time of peace following the events of the ASIC incident. It's been two years since the situation has been resolved and Cave could feel herself getting rusty due to the lack of action. Back then, she participated in the effort of releasing the captured Goddesses from the Gamindustri Graveyard, the home base of the ASIC menace.
During those dark days, she was always on patrol. Not a day passed where she wasn't arresting someone for hiding illegal Arfoire chips or fighting a boss monster on her own and winning. She would usually guard Leanbox with her troops against the increasing monster attacks as well as suppressing any rebellion which might take place during Lady Green Heart's absence. It was through her and the Oracle Chika's effort that Leanbox was kept safe during those dark days until the CPU Candidate Nepgear released their Goddess.
A series of events followed and the root of the ASIC was vanquished and peace returned to Gamindustri. As much as Cave appreciated the peace and quiet, she couldn't help but miss those days where she would go adventuring with Lyrica. Aside from the fiasco that happened in Planeptune a few months ago with the blue Goddess and the few remnants of the ASIC causing little trouble to her and her troops, nothing of note happened during the past few months.
Until a few weeks ago…
"Cave!"
Wrenched out of her thoughts by a voice, Cave turned to her left and greeted the approaching person with a wave of her hand.
"Hello Lyrica, are you done practicing?" she asked with a tilt of her head yet her expression remained the same… Empty and devoid of emotion. It was almost like she was a robot from her lack of facial expression and tone.
This, however, was a normal reaction to 5pb who had gotten used to it from a long, long time ago. The pop idol smiled brightly as she replied to her friend, "Nope, just taking a break. Why are you standing around like a statue for? Try sitting down! Your legs would hurt you know."
"No. I have to stand guard. I can't let civilians past this point. Besides, standing keeps me alert," explained the maroon haired girl as she tapped her feet.
"Is that so?" 5pb took a step back and placed a hand underneath her chin as she examined her friend's appearance, "It's your break time anyway. The more tired you are, the less alert you'll be. Have you eaten your lunch yet? I'll be going back for one last rehearsal and we'll be on our lunch break. Would you like to eat together?"
Having been guarding the same spot and observing the frantic workers, Cave completely forgot about hunger due to being so immersed at staring at the people passing by. A loud rumbling sound from within her stomach reached the two girl's ears.
The maroon haired girl whom rarely showed emotions had a light shade of pink appear on her cheeks as she averted her gaze, scratching the back of her head as she said, "I'll wait then…"
"We'll make this quick! Just wait here, okay?" the pop idol squeezed her friend's hand while smiling brightly.
Without any other response, the maroon haired girl could only say, "Okay…"
5pb nodded and ran back to the stage, her long blue hair dancing behind her as she went. Whenever Lyrica was near the stage or involved in music, there was a hundred eighty degree turn in her personality. She would be bright, energetic, and enthusiastic if she was performing. She was totally in her elements whenever she danced and sang before the crowd, every move she made was brimming with confidence that still surprised Cave to this day.
Offstage, 5pb would revert back to her normal self, a shy, vulnerable, nervous, socially inept girl that Cave somehow found adorable. The only reason she joined the force was for the sake of protecting her friend from anything that would come to harm her. That reason soon expanded to protecting the entire nation yet looking after Lyrica was still number two on her priority list. After the ASIC incident though, she managed to see the new changes in her friend. She had the CPU Candidate of Planeptune to thank for that. These days, Lyrica was becoming braver and braver in going out on her own without Cave's assistance.
Now, what was she thinking about before 5pb decided to get her attention? Ah yes, the previous weeks. Cave checked her terminal and pressed the air above her right wrist. A moment later, a crystal blue hologram showing news reports and updates began scrolling downwards to a certain article. Once an article was found it would zoom in before minimizing to the side. These were the news regarding the recent attacks on each nation's Sharicite Vaults.
Starting a week ago, a certain individual had been organizing solo raids on the four nation's most protected vaults. Other than the motive of theft, the local authorities of each nation had been mulling over theories for the culprits plans. While people who weren't fond of the Goddesses existed, rarely would they initiate terrorist attacks with such direct methods. It was as if the culprit was sending a message to all of the nations about what they could do.
Cave didn't know if the one responsible for these attacks was very brave or increasingly stupid.
To take on the Goddesses was nothing short of asking for a death wish. While the nations had made sure to keep an eye on this mysterious individual, there weren't much course of action other than the fortifying of their vaults' defenses. At the most, the CPUs were treating the attacks as inconveniences rather than threats. If the Goddesses had the same personalities from the past then the nations would've long since plunged into war for they would start blaming each other for these raids.
It just goes to show on how much the four nations are aiding one another in maintaining their peaceful daily lives.
Still, knowing that such a person existed and was actively wreaking havoc in Gamindustri was more than enough reason for Cave to be on guard. She had already spread her troops all over Leanbox to capture the culprit should a report be sent to her.
The SMD Head turned her gaze at Lyrica at the distance before beginning reading the articles in her terminal. She had done this for quite a number of times already, taking in bits and pieces of information she had long since memorized after the first three re-readings. The culprit was proving to be quite the elusive little fish. It should be only a matter of time before they're caught.
"Hi there. How are you?" another voice called out to greet her as the sounds of footsteps grew closer and closer to her side.
Cave looked up towards a girl with lush brown hair and brilliant green eyes, dressed in a thick blue jacket while a green ribbon decorated her head. Parting her lips, the maroon haired girl replied, "Greetings, IF."
The Guild member crossed her arms and smiled as she said, "Looking sharp as ever, Cave. I'm here to take your place. You can go take a break now if you want."
"Much appreciated," said Cave as the brown haired girl took her spot, "The nurse is not with you?"
"Ah… Well… Compa's assigned to another place. Lastation I think. They're a little short on medics so Histoire had her dispatched there to help with whatever she can. The Guild's got a lot of people to spare so we're doing our best to find that person who's been bombing everyone. Any luck yet?"
"Negative. No news or information about the culprit's whereabouts. It's like we're being forced to chase our own tail," the SMD Head voiced her opinion in the matter in a tired tone.
"Our own tail, huh?" IF became a whole lot quiet for a few seconds before saying, "That person's going to be an annoying itch if we don't stop them soon. Neptune's too lazy to deal with it herself and Nepgear's busy with handling Planeptune's state of affairs. Seriously… That idiot."
"Patience is a virtue," muttered Cave.
"I know, but sometimes I just want her to be more considerate," grumbled the Guild Member, "There's no helping it, I guess…"
"I'll be going now," declared the SMD Head, deciding to drop the conversation there to wait for Lyrica. Without waiting for a response, she turned her back towards the brown haired girl and walked away.
Behind her, she heard IF's voice continue on talking, "I see, well happy lunch break then. Stay frosty…"
Cave felt like turning around at the last bit yet her terminal suddenly began to ring as one of her officers were calling her. She never managed to look behind her since she dismissed the last bit as her imagination and answered the call.
"Cave here. What's your status?"
"Ma'am! -et -r-u-h! At—cked! Reinforcements!"
The maroon haired girl's face suddenly turned into a frown as she tapped into her terminal to get rid of the static.
"What's wrong? What's happening? Answer me."
"Bombs! A –ot injured! Bas-l—co— exploded! Requesting orders!"
An attack? Thought Cave as she said out loud to her terminal, "Contacting HQ for reinforcements. On site personnel do what they can to help the civilians. I'm on my w—"
BOOM
An earth shattering explosion rocked her world as a burst of flames and force went off a few feet beside her, sending her off her legs and down on the floor.
BOOM
Cave's ears rang as she went deaf for a few moments, yet despite that she still managed to hear the second explosion as if it were far away.
BOOM
A third explosion went off and this time, she managed to witness it burst at the ceiling above her, sending iron beams and debris from the roof falling down on the concert hall.
BOOM
The stage burst into flames and the support poles' fragments flew into random directions while the fire began to spread around the concert hall. Cave shook her head and forced herself to stand up, the chaos around her merely beginning to get out of control as panicked workers ran around screaming their heads off. The entire hall rumbled as the ceiling collapsed from the third explosion, crushing the stands and props that were going to be used.
A two sided attack. Thanks to the order she had given before the connection was cut off, most of her troops were gathered unto one place to stabilize the situation. It would take a while for them to reach the other side of Leanbox's capital after doing their job on the first blast site. For now, she should focus on saving Lyrica and taking her to safety. The surrounding fires were beginning to intensify while chunks of the ceiling crashed near her. She made her way towards the stage where she last saw her friend.
Attacking in broad daylight when they knew that the SMD was actively looking for them, the culprit behind these attacks sure was bold to make such a move. She gritted her teeth as she slapped her hand on her left ear to regain her hearing. Limping towards the stage, she came across an injured worker with her leg stuck beneath the rubble. Cave immediately went to her side and offered her assistance.
"Are you okay? Please hold on," she said as she attempted to move the debris out of the way to free the worker. There was a lot of blood so she assumed that the worker's leg had been crushed. Someone would have to support her and get her out of here, unfortunately, Cave had priorities.
The worker whimpered and sobbed at her broken leg once she was released. Apparently she hadn't felt the pain yet and was still in shock at the sight of her wound.
Cave barked at a panicking worker to help their colleague. In the next few moments, the injured worker gave her thanks before heading to safety. A light explosion went off behind her, making her flinch yet the maroon haired girl shook off the uncomfortable feeling and went on.
She searched for Lyrica amidst the ensuing mayhem and falling rocks yet she seemed like she was searching in vain no thanks to the smoke and fire. Her heart felt like bursting from her chest as she worried about her friend's condition. There was no use panicking now since she had to find her. If Lyrica wasn't injured, she would definitely be going around saving people yet Cave had yet to catch sight of her.
Whom she did find was a girl dressed in a thick blue jacket, staring into the flames without moving an inch.
The maroon haired girl went to IF's side as she gasped for breath, "What are you doing here? It's dangerous! Lyrica, did you find Lyrica?"
"Your friend's over there," replied the Guild Member, lifting her hand to point a few feet away in front of them.
At the foot of the stage was Lyrica herself, desperately attempting to help and heal an unconscious worker while the flames neared her. Smoke and dust filled her lungs making it hard to breathe so it was a struggle to focus her magic as well as send oxygen to her lungs. She couldn't just leave an injured person behind while she escaped, she had to do her best to save the worker.
It didn't seem like Cave was wrong in her guess. She didn't waste any time and immediately shouted, "Lyrica!"
"You're going to die if you step forward," muttered IF.
At that moment, the maroon haired girl came to a halt while a heavy black support pole crashed just a few feet in front of her. If she had taken those three steps then she would have been most certainly crushed. She whirled around and looked at the brown haired girl behind her. Something about her was different.
That was when Cave noticed the girl's red eyes. The Guild Member stood unmoving as she observed the proceedings, making no gestures of rushing in to help. She just stood there with her arms crossed as if she were watching a very interesting play, like a child bored out of her mind. Still, with the heat and the noxious smoke, the maroon haired girl could be wrong in what she was seeing. But then again, Cave was conditioned to work even in such harsh environments.
Whether it was the effect of the collapsing building and her own fear for her best friend's life, there was no denying that she felt the repulsive aura which surrounded IF.
It was just not normal. The maroon haired girl never encountered anything like it. There was something wrong with the brunette, she just couldn't put her finger on it. She felt as if her muscles refused to work with her while her mind were being constricted by a powerful force. It felt sickening and repulsive. Her strength seemed to be being drained just by staring at the Guild Member.
Once she was on her knees, IF turned her red eyes towards Cave and tilted her head with a questioning look, "Weren't you going to save Lyrica just now? What are you kneeling there for?"
Gritting her teeth, the maroon haired girl fought the urge to vomit. She hated to agree with this… 'thing' yet she was right. She had to save Lyrica, this wasn't the time to be thinking about anything else. Gasping for breath, she used every bit of her willpower to stand up on her feet, staggering a bit as she regained her footing.
"Careful now," warned IF as she pointed upwards at the falling debris. 5pb was still on the doing her best to free the trapped worker with a few others.
The blue haired idol looked around and immediately spotted Cave. She waved her hand and called out to the SMD Head, "Cave! Over here, we need your help!"
"Dangerous…" was all the maroon haired girl could say as she staggered forward, "Get away…"
"Cave?" 5pb blinked twice with worry in her eyes. A nearby spotlight exploded and made her jump while another support pillar fell just beside Cave. The resulting crash threw the SMD Head of her feet and into the ground, just a few feet away from the motionless Guild Member. Witnessing this, Lyrica began approaching her in alarm, "Cave, are you all right?! Hey!"
The maroon aired girl's head was throbbing hard once she realized she was just near IF. It was as if someone was beating her head with a diamond bat equipped with spikes before being dumped into a lake full of cold water and shoved into an oven. She felt as if her skull was about to crack underneath the aura the Guild Member was emitting. It hurt, it hurt so much that she wanted it to stop. She had never come across this kind of sorcery in any of the magical text books she had skimmed through.
The repulsive aura was similar to the atmosphere are around the Gamindustri Graveyard yet only intensified to such a ridiculous extent. She can't let Lyrica come near this person, even if this person looked exactly like IF.
She wanted to warn Lyrica of the threat beside her yet her voice wouldn't come out thanks to the unbearable pain.
Don't come, don't come, don't come, don't come' don't come, don't come! Stay back! Get away! She's dangerous! Lyrica!
Just as the pop idol was approaching her, the Guild Member beside her turned around and began walking away while saying, "Not yet… Consider this a preview…"
"Hold on, I'm coming!" the blue haired idol broke into a run as she saw her friend collapse amidst the approaching flames.
The SMD Head could feel strength surging back into her body as her mind began to clear. Behind her, IF had already vanished into thin air for some reason so she hastily stood up and ran towards Lyrica.
That was when a burning support pillar crashed into the pop idol.
She managed to utter one word before her the thing fell on top of her, "Cave..?"
Cave's world went gray afterwards. Dust and debris burst from the crashed pillar, obscuring the maroon haired girl's vision. Coughing from breathing in the dusts, she shielded her eyes with her arms. She stood on unsteady feet, limping towards the fallen support pillar with a blank expression.
That didn't just happened. It all went too fast. Gritting her teeth, she knelt on the ground as her legs lost their strength. Looking at her right leg, she noticed how fast she was bleeding from the shrapnel which imbedded itself within her flesh. The shock from getting hit didn't allow her to notice it at first yet now that she did, her mind as was assaulted by the stinging pain it caused.
However her full attention was focused on crawling towards the fallen support pillar. She had to get Lyrica out of there. She couldn't afford to lose her. It would've been all her fault for not getting to warn her. She cursed herself and her bad luck for this situation. The bare skin she had exposed came in contact with the rough ground, making her pathetic crawl border on hell due to the amount of pain she was receiving. Burning pieces of the building fell nearby as she approached the fallen pillar.
If she ever made out of this alive, she was going to make the rescue teams suffer. Once she was before the pillar, that was when she started lifting the metal debris off the place where her friend used to stand. Her hands were screaming out as they burned from the hot metal while her muscles groaned in protest from the heavy lifting. She was pushing her body to the limit going as far as standing on her injured leg.
"Please be safe…" she gasped as she got rid of the final barrier between her and Lyrica.
Finally, she collapsed on her knees once more, lightheaded and dazed from the loss of so much blood. She swallowed down her exhaustion and crawled towards the girl with long blue hair, eyes closed and unmoving. 5pb's legs seemed to be stuck underneath the fallen pillars yet otherwise her entire body was fine. Cave managed to get close enough to check her pulse and breathing to confirm that she was alive.
A sigh of relief escaped the maroon haired girl before finally losing control of her body and falling down. The building was still in the process of collapsing yet Cave felt a whole lot better than a few minutes ago. She held her friend's head close to her chest and breathed in the familiar scent of her hair. It was relaxing, comfortable, and assuring. Holding something so familiar in the midst of the chaos did wonders to her heart. Still, questions floated within the SMD Head's mind.
The last things in her mind though as she lost her consciousness was the ceiling exploding and light invading her vision. An angel wielding a spear landed above her. She wasn't able to make out the angel's face since she had already blacked out then.
She could've sworn she heard someone sobbing.