As a brief aside; italics are used to identify speech. All of my future chapters are going to be somewhat long; since I'm going to try dividing them as the actual NGE series; 26 episodes and a movie(ish) chapter. Feedback would be appreciated; if I should split up the chapters more or not.
Rebuild of Touhou
1.0: A Beginning (Ends) in Darkness
It had now been thirty years since the cataclysm of the Second Impact. The world was still uncannily quiet; though to a far lesser degree as the inhabitants of Gensokyo had felt it safe enough to spread out once more. Conversations were still hushed; women still feared what went bump in the night and many of the more remote areas of Gensokyo remained abandoned. The Scarlet Mansion; now christened Human Town-2 by the administrative human-youkai government served as the capital of a once proud world that was only now getting back onto it's feet.
As one got farther from the mansion the density of inhabitants grew less until the shores of the lake; where a large bridge had been built to accommodate the now flightless population. Such a structure would have been alien in pre-Impact Gensokyo; but it was now a fact of life as thousands streamed across it from their work in Human Town-2 to their homes in the Hakurei Shrine during the evenings and back every morning. While the transition from the ease of living with magic to a life where one needed to work for a living was quite a shock to the somewhat decadent residents of Gensokyo; they had proven surprisingly resilient in making the change and now worked with as much diligence as one would expect of an 'outside' human.
Across the lake from Human Town-2 was the Forest of Magic; treetops only barely visible from the beaches of the island if one looked on a good day. Having had a bad reputation even before the Second Impact the forests were still largely abandoned; most of the houses in the forest were abandoned and the paths overrun by uncleared foliage and weeds. Very few people even bothered traveling through the forest; rather sailing around it by boat if necessary.
Over time, urban legends and old wives tales had built up about the place; including one particular tale about how a young girl with malicious intent wandered the forests looking for victims. Ironically this tale actually had a semblance of truth to it; though Alice Morichika was anything but malicious. Having been left to grow up in seclusion with only token parental assistance from a tender age; Alice tended towards somewhat antisocial behavior, but nothing that warranted the title of a creepy child. She was a blonde-haired girl; now aged fourteen and dressed in somewhat worn pink scarf overlaying a blue dress with a pink band running across her hair from ear to ear.
She dwelt in a white, pseudo-Victorian affair at the waterfront edge of the woods; surprisingly well-maintained considering that she was the only person actually living in the house, the paint always appeared to have been freshly applied and the windows were always spotless. Alice took pride in maintaining what was technically 'her' house; though it occasionally bugged her that nobody actually bothered paying attention to her hard work. Not even her own mother came by; Tenshi Morichika spent most of her time at work and they had last seen one another when Alice was six years old.
So it came as quite a shock to Alice when her mailbox; which had never actually seen use and had been rusting away since the day she had been left by herself, had it's red flag turned up. At first Alice thought it was a prank; some child's idea of a dare or something along those lines. But curiosity had won her over and she had deigned to check the box. When she opened it- with some difficulty given that she had given up on keeping it well conditioned when she had realized that nobody would ever bother to mail her letters- she had found a letter from her mother, of all things.
It was a picture, depicting a gray haired girl dressed in a maid's outfit. White apron, frills, even two little bows pinned to her shoulders. Alice groaned upon looking at the picture; why her mother would send her such a picture was beyond her. Scrawled on a corner of the picture in a cramped hand was the simple message:
"Her name is Sakuya Izayoi. If you are interested in a rendezvous with me to discuss some issues pertinent to you; Miss Izayoi will be waiting for you at the forests edge tomorrow at noon." It was signed by Tenshi herself. Alice raised an eyebrow to herself; such a move was something she never expected from her widowed mother. They had never even talked on the phone. Needless to say, Alice was somewhat skeptical. She figured that it was some sort of practical joke or screw up; and she almost tossed the picture away before she figured it would be best to keep it should she decide to follow up on the offer.
Retiring for the night, Alice ran through the house with a broom as was her routine; then fell asleep on the living room couch. Above the fireplace opposite was mounted a family portrait; it depicted a rare image of her mother actually smiling and being together with her father, Rinnosuke Morichika. Alice had never known her father, he had apparently died before she had been of an age where she could clearly commit him to memory. Every night before sleeping Alice tried to probe her subconscious for buried memories of her dead father. And every night Alice ultimately threw her face into a pillow, her attempts frustrated; and settled into an uneasy sleep.
Morning came around, Alice awoke and prepared herself breakfast. It was always simple; rice and steamed vegetables from the small orchard she tended to in her backyard. She never bothered changing from her daily clothes into something more suitable for sleep; she only changed into a fresh set of the exact same clothes every few days when she washed her used set, for she had two. Her mother couldn't even be troubled to leave a decent wardrobe for Alice. Alice cared little for the most part, but the thought still occasionally troubled her.
She was going through her morning routine; sweeping off the front porch of the house when she heard footsteps. Alice looked up, slightly perturbed. Very few people ever bothered entering the Forest of Magic; so Alice wondered just why somebody would be coming this way. The footsteps were coming closer; branches cracking and leaves crunching as the unknown person drew closer. Alice listened for a moment, then realized that there were to many little noises to account for only one person; there had to be at least ten bearing down on her position. And the noise was too heavy to be raised by a band of curious children. Alice remained still; keeping her eyes trained on the source of the noise. A rustle, the slight shaking of a bush underneath some weight. A whisper, then silence.
Then from the bushes emerged a group of youkai; twenty or so armed with bullet emulators. All trained on Alice. Alice froze on the spot; let her broom drop to the porch with a dull clatter. The youkai were simply dressed; with plain black dresses cut short at the knees to allow a fuller range of movement. Similarly plain headbands kept any stay hair from falling into their eyes. Their expressions were blank; they merely kept their sights on Alice. She held her hands up to indicate her unwillingness to fight and get killed; a blonde girl who was their apparent leader approached her.
"Please back up against the wall." Her voice was dispassionate; almost robotic in it's tone. She brandished her emulator for effect; Alice hastily complied and pressed herself against the door of her house. The leader turned back to her unit and nodded; immediately they fanned out and took positions around the clearing in which Alice's house had been built.
"If you don't mind me asking," Alice projected across to the leader; who turned to consider her. "Who are you all and exactly why was a squadron of women sent to detain me?" The leader approached her; uncomfortably close as they were practically eye to eye. Alice coolly held her gaze as the leader spoke into her face.
"That is classified." The leader was still speaking with no hint of emotion and still had a blank facial expression. Alice wondered if this was how she naturally spoke to people. "All you need to know as a civilian is that this is BIRD business." Alice inclined her head. BIRD was well known as having been the driving force behind the miraculous post-Impact recovery. They had their detractors of course; but they were largely respected and even admired amongst the general populace. Alice knew that her own mother's work had something to do with BIRD; though what exactly Tenshi did Alice was largely in the dark about.
"Well can I at least have the pleasure of knowing who has so kindly taken the time to detain me?" Alice asked dryly.
"Medicine Melancholy, head of BIRD Division-2." Medicine began to idly play with her emulator; pulling the clip out of place and tossing it around as if it were a toy. "And you would be?"
"Alice Morichika." Alice said it casually, already resigned to bear whatever she suffered at the hands of her captors; but Medicine was somewhat more impacted, her eyebrows raising and her eyes widening as she heard the name.
"Morichika? Just like Tenshi Morichika?" Alice nodded at this, raising her eyebrows in turn as she heard her mothers name.
"Tenshi's my mother; why do you know her? Is she important in BIRD?"
"Important?" Alice noted the slight hint of incredulity that sneaked into her otherwise still indifferent tone. "Ms. Morichikia has been the head of BIRD for six years, so yes I would say that she is important." Alice considered this; her mother hadn't told her that she had taken up such an important position. It stung slightly; knowing that Tenshi hadn't even made the slightest mention of such an important detail. "What, did your mother never tell you that?" Alice shook her head, Medicine offered her a slight grimace. "She's that kind of person to everybody in BIRD; don't worry. Even her own mentor, Miss Nagae is treated pretty coldly by acceptable standards."
The two of them were silent for several minutes; while Alice ruminated over whether her mother had ever mentioned anything about her role, Medicine reassembled her gun and went ordering her unit about. After reaching the satisfactory conclusion that Tenshi had never mentioned a thing; Alice called Medicine back to her:
"Miss Melancholy, would you please do me a favor?" Medicine returned to Alice's side; still hovering unusually close to Alice as she spoke. "I promise I won't cause you any trouble, so can I please move from this wall now?"
"I'm actually considering sending you off the premises." Medicine now had some sort of mechanical device in her hand; she was clicking at it at some intervals, waiting at others, then resuming the typing once more. "As the daughter of Ms. Morichikia we have no right to detain you. Besides, the nature of our operation is such that it would be best if you weren't around when we started." Alice nodded, she edged around Medicine; who only pivoted and kept their faces in near contact as she continued to address Alice. "Now, will you need an escort or do you have something in mind?"
Alice looked up, through the sparse foliage to the sky where the sun already shone brightly at it's apex in the sky. She had been up longer than she had thought. "Don't worry," Alice didn't bother to look down to Medicine; but kept her eyes trained on the blue skies above. "I have something in mind."
Human Town-3. If there was anywhere in Gensokyo that could be considered a true safe haven, it was Human Town-3; built on the former Harukei Shrine. From a distance it could be seen; as far away as the shores of the lake housing Human Town-2; with a large constructed footpath connecting the two cities. Human Town-2 may have been the capital of Gensokyo; but Human Town-3 was it's true heart. And it was also BIRD headquarters.
The entire town was surrounded by a massive set of artificial shields that had been inspired by the concept of bullet 'walls' that the residents of Gensokyo could once fire at will. Each individual shield consisted of thousands of pressurized bullets; 42 in total stacked tightly together to form a massive, nearly impenetrable mass that hung like a barrier around the entirety of the city. If close enough to the dome one noticed that the surface was rather like liquid; it rippled and splashed about instead of remaining inert in place.
There was only one place where the shield could be dropped; a metal gate facing Human Town-2 where entrance was allowed in times of peace. Traffic here was nearly constant; most lived here under protection and worked administrative positions in Human Town-2. Beyond the gate were many traditional style homes; made of wood or brick as most could still afford to keep their houses in classical style. Shops, markets, and all manner of other buildings also lined the streets; all the way up to the Shrine Pyramid.
A large, more artificial construction in comparison to the surrounding buildings; the Shrine Pyramid had been built around the original Hakurei Shrine gate for reasons that remained classified. Lined with glass, the building shone in the light of the sun and stood as an impressive monolith that showcased the power of BIRD.
Within the extensive complex was a large hub; here there was plenty of open space between various wall inlets where information or maps could be displayed. The inlets housed the staff of BIRD when they were at work; as it did now, with BIRD members occupying most of the terminals and typing away on keyboards that brought up new tidbits of information onto the overall picture being formed in the center of the room. From an elevated position Tenshi Morichika and Iku Nagae served to overview the situation; directly beneath their booth they watched a group of rabbits babbling amongst themselves and pointing at times to the data projection that was forming in the room's center.
Tei Inaba, their leader dressed in a clean white dress looked up to the two of them in their booth. She nodded at them; Tenshi cocked her head slightly before turning to Iku.
"A bit of an irritation; CAT sending these fools to interfere with our own operations." Iku shrugged; Tenshi turned to Tei and shouted down to her, "Remind me again why we require the aid of the so-called Gensokyo Defense Force when we posses the products of Project Wadjet?" Tei's ears perked up at this; she cupped a hand to one and pantomimed speaking. Tenshi reiterated at a louder volume. Tei nodded and shouted in turn:
"You're being a bit cocky Ms. Morichikia." Tenshi folded her arms across the railing and scrutinized Tei as she continued to speak. "The Gensokyo Defense Force directly represents the interests of the people; and as a result it is only natural that we should have representatives in the BIRD. Unlike us, BIRD is strictly a mercenary group by all definitions of the word." Tei smiled wickedly when she saw that she had hit a nerve; Tenshi had balled up one of her fists and now glared openly at the rabbit who was cheeking her.
"Yes, the Gensokyo Defense Force is a military group directly representing the people," Tenshi began coolly; despite her still tightly clenched fist and still ugly glare. "But it also only has one armed unit- in comparison to our five." Tei took a step back and gritted her teeth at this; it was true that the Gensokyo Defense Force was extremely small in comparison to BIRD. "In fact, it is even one of our own units that you have sequestered for this operation." Tenshi examined a nail. "Thus you are in no position to talk, Miss Inaba." Tei grimaced and shot back:
"I would like to remind you, Ms. Morichikia that we still control a substantial portion of your finding. If you wish to lose access to this money; by all means do keep speaking." The two women continued to stand off; glaring at one another and throwing insults back and forth until Iku felt the need to step in. Wrapping her arms around Tenshi she pulled the blue-haired girl back despite protestation; saying as she did so:
"Ok then, I think we are at an impasse here. Come along Tenshi; not wise to try and prolong the conflict..." Iku managed to deposit Tenshi with some force into an armchair; Tenshi finally calmed and picked at her cuffs, talking as if nothing had occurred:
"Let us see what the Defense Force can do then." Iku nodded; relieved that her student was dropping the matter. Something wise that the Tenshi she knew from twenty two years ago wouldn't have done; though the changes and relative maturation had not come without a price. Tenshi had always cold and somewhat aloof since the death of her former husband Rinnosuke. It was a long and complicated story; one that Iku didn't have the time to recall at the moment. A live video feed appeared on screen, depicting Medicine Melancholy and her squad; who had turned Alice's- technically Tenshi's- house into a sort of stronghold.
"Miss Melancholy, report." A squeaky voice was this one, a relatively young rabbit with pinkish ears named Reisen; who judging by her nervousness had only just joined the Gensokyo Defense Force. "Erm... position?"
"Forest of Magic... of course." Medicine raised an eyebrow at the feed; Tei covered her face with her long ears and Reisen stuttered; thrown off by her unnecessary comment. She fiddled with the control board and stammered out:
"So... yeah, erm... are you armed?"
"We wouldn't be here if we weren't..." Medicine cocked her head; most likely to Reisen, who was now looking helplessly from Tei to Medicine and back again. Iku was chuckling; even Tenshi cracked a cruel smile. Already the Defense Force was making itself look foolish. Tei was actually flushing with embarrassment now; she finally snatched the microphone from Reisen forcefully and grumbled into it:
"All preliminaries run through?"
"Yes madame." Behind Medicine the members of the unit were yucking it up over the ridiculous questions they had just heard; Reisen had made herself scarce and slunk down in her seat so that only her forehead could be seen over the control board. "What is time to impact?"
"Two minutes until Angel reaches your position." 'Crazed-ones', or 'Angels' as they had been nicknamed; were youkai that had managed to keep their powers even after Second Impact, but at a terrible cost. Their minds had been warped and perverted; reduced to only their basest instincts and filled with a lust for bloodshed. Most of them had vanished while Human Town-2 and 3 were still under construction; but with the recent completion of Shrine Pyramid they had suddenly been spotted once more in the abandoned northern reaches of Gensokyo. The approach of one into occupied areas; a youkai who was identified as having once been a girl by the name of Rumia, had been documented but a week ago. And now she was on the very outskirts of the towns themselves.
"Are you even remotely concerned about the safety of Alice?" Iku tapped Tenshi on the shoulder while they waited on Tei to finish briefing the unit and berating her underling.
"I sent Miss Izayoi after her; she will be fine." Tenshi didn't even look up. Iku sighed slightly and took her own seat; taking out a pen she began to fill out some forms while keeping an eye on the proceedings. Hopefully Medicine had been able to get Alice out of the area in time.
"Thirty seconds to contact. You should begin to see the effects of Rumia's presence now." Indeed, a sudden change in the air began to occur. It was subtle at first; then it began to rapidly pick up as the seconds passed by. Globules of blackness began to appear; they might have been camera malfunctions had the members of BIRD Division-2 not noticed the effects as well. The blackness began to connect together; little specks of darkness turned into puddles that soon engulfed the entire area. Tei switched the camera to night mode; they turned the camera and could now make out a figure approaching.
It appeared to be a normal girl. Blonde, with a red bow tied into her hair; wearing a black dress with pink sleeves. Her expression was normal; the expression one might have if very tired, eyes drooping and mouth agape. But what drew the eye was her forehead. Here, even in the darkness one could clearly see a symbol. A circle surrounded by three stubs that burned black and yellow and clear; despite the choking darkness about her the symbol burned bright and clear. Her eyes fixed on the camera. They rolled over the unit; who had quickly donned night-vision lenses and considered Rumia in turn. For a second, nothing occurred.
Then, with supernatural speed Rumia drew up to the division. For a second, time seemed to slow as she hovered on the periphery of the camera's vision, before a division member that couldn't have been more than sixteen. A single bullet at point blank range. The girl flew screaming, across the entire clearing until she landed with a sickening crunch against a tree. For a second more the remainder of the unit was too stunned to react. Then all hell broke loose.
Medicine shouted orders; none could be caught amidst the cries and screams of her comrades. They fired their emulators; either they missed by miles or hit but had no effect whatsoever on the Angel. Rumia zipped around with her insane speed; randomly striking members of the unit with her fist. Trees, the ground, even the house, it made no difference. They were all obviously dead upon landing; the camera caught the lolling of lifeless heads and copious blood in sickening detail. Fifteen left.
Tei on her part tried to rally the unit; but her cries couldn't be heard in the chaos of the battle. The darkness was so thick it clouded the camera and blurred their vision of the battlefield despite the night vision afforded to them. This had the eerie effect of amplifying Rumia's symbol; causing it to create a strange line effect across the camera as she moved extremely quickly back and forth thought the battlefield. Ten left.
Medicine was now firing, her gun shot extremely bright yellow bullets so they could clearly see the sweat on her face and bared teeth as she emptied her gun at Rumia. Uselessly as well, most of the shots missed and the few that hit did nothing to deter the Angel. The screams had died down, if only because there were so few left to scream. Five left.
On their part; the Defense Force seemed to see the writing on the wall. Tei was trembling; only barely keeping her hold on the microphone with her shaking fingers. Reisen had lost her lunch into the nearest trash bin. Still struggling to stay calm; Tei ordered a retreat of the remaining unit. Medicine complied and shouted at her women to withdraw. None could hear her, because none were left. One left; who quietly withdrew from the battlefield. Rumia was still whirling about the field; randomly blowing apart trees as her symbol continued to glower at the camera. For the finale she attacked the camera itself; vision flailing about wildly until the camera broke against the wall of the house.
The Gensokyo Defense Force stood in shock. Final read out from the camera was that the slaughter fest had taken all of thirty seconds. Thirty seconds, and one of the best divisions available- which they didn't even posses- had been utterly crushed. Tenshi has chuckling to herself as she watched. It was practically decided now. Much to Tenshi's irritation; Tei ordered their last resort that didn't involve BIRD- an Evil-Sealing Circle. A plane, which had been circling at low altitude over the battlefield the whole time; received the order.
"Miss Inaba, are you sure of this? Miss Melancholy has had little time to get away from the impact zone." Tei nodded stiffly; Reisen actually cried out at this but Tei forced a hand over her mouth. The bomb was dropped.
The explosion was impressive; a new video feed from the plane itself showed that the explosion had spread from Alice's house as ground zero to the forests edge and shorelines; a distance of roughly a kilometer. When the cloud of expanding reddish rings of energy dissipated; the darkness had been blown away and one could see that the trees had been pushed outwards, at the center they had actually been uprooted and tossed a fair distance away. Tei ordered a zoom-in on the impact zone.
Rumia was there. Her symbol had faded to a dull glower and her eyes had shut themselves; but she was otherwise unaffected. Tei slumped into her chair, slammed a fist into the control board. Tenshi wore a wide grin as she stood. For a second, she was tempted to mock Tei, give her comeuppance for cheeking her earlier. But then Tenshi decided against that. Instead she returned her face to it's usual scowl; called to Tei as she normally would.
"I believe that it is up to BIRD now." Tei slowly nodded; then turned once more to the screen, where darkness was already beginning to accumulate once more. "Iku. Call Patchouli and tell her to meet Miss Izayoi."
They had managed to escape the blast. Sakuya had pushed Alice down to the ground in time and the worst that they had felt was a searing heat on their backs. When Sakuya pulled them both up again, she looked to where the rings of energy were still spiraling about the blast zone and raised an eyebrow in slight amazement.
"Can't believe they actually used the Evil-Sealing Circle." Sakuya shook her head slightly, turned to Alice as Alice shook dust from her dress. "Are you alright Alice?" Alice nodded gratefully; they continued down the pathway towards Human Town-3.
Alice had gotten to the edge of the Forest of Magic at noon and had managed to meet up with Miss Sakuya Izayoi. She was actually dressed like a maid in real life, had extensive skill with knives which she demonstrated by cutting off a sliver of Alice's hair without even grazing any skin, and had an extremely elegant voice that Alice found herself enthralled by. Sakuya was by all definition of the word a lady; proper and unquestionably gorgeous.
"I highly doubt that they finished the job- those Angels are tough by all accounts we've got." Alice hadn't known that the reason for her evacuation had been the attack of an Angel; she had felt somewhat sad when she realized that the blast had undoubtedly leveled her house. The feeling passed; and Alice found herself wondering if Medicine had survived.
"Can people survive an Evil-Sealing Circle blast?" Alice asked with a casual inflection to prevent Sakuya from giving her a less than accurate answer.
"It's possible, if they're far enough or tough enough. Those Circles are pretty weak in actuality; its only that they're the best we have for now." Alice nodded, somewhat reassured. From all that she had gathered of Medicine by speaking to her; the blonde was a tough nut who would wear down a little bomb with no problems.
Alice moved on to other matters and found what intrigued her most was that she was actually engaging in conversation. Having been shut up in her own little house in the forest for so long; she found it difficult to believe how easy and fun spontaneous conversing was. She and Sakuya had spent five minutes discussing Human Town-3; and what Alice thought would be a boring speech turned out to be an interesting analysis of the usefulness of Human Town-3 from a different perspective. Alice had never had a discussion of such import before.
"So they built the Shrine Pyramid over the original shrine," Alice continued their conversation as they drew close to the metal gate that marked the entrance to Human Town-3. She was impressed by the size of the city; it seemed to be packed to the brim with buildings and people of all descriptions; circling around the ever impressive pyramid. "You mentioned something about an ulterior motive; what did you mean by that?"
"Some people, not including me though I'm actually on the fence for this one; think that something of great importance was hidden in the Hakurei Shrine that they covered over with the Shrine Pyramid." Sakuya grabbed lightly at Alice's wrist and indicated a small path leading off the beaten trail. "Patchouli is amongst them." They proceeded down the small path; behind a small mound and out of sight of the city.
"Patchouli?" Sakuya placed a palm on a section of rock where the path curiously terminated. She knocked at it several times; before nodding to herself. She pulled out a card as she addressed the question:
"Our head scientist and my personal friend." Sakuya flashed the card over the portion of rock that she had identified; with a low rumble the rock pulled aside to reveal a hidden passage leading into the earth. "After you."
Alice complied and stepped into the tunnel; with Sakuya following afterward. Alice was startled for a moment when the hidden door rolled shut behind them and drowned them in pitch blackness. But then artificial lights along the walls activated and lit their path once more. They descended down the tunnel; conversing more about Human Town-3 and BIRD; before they came to a door that impeded their way.
"Sealed- we'll need clearance from the other side." Sakuya knocked at the door once. Alice began to worry that they were now stuck; but Sakuya caught her concern and smiled. "Don't worry; I'm sure they sent somebody after us." They stood there for a minute or so in silence; Sakuya seemed to be thinking about something and Alice didn't want to disturb her. Eventually, their cavalry did arrive to open the door; in the form of a woman.
She seemed to be in her twenties, around Sakuya's age or only a year or two older. Her hair was purple; covered by a hat of a lighter purple shade that was decorated with little stars and moons. And she was in a swimsuit. A dark blue school swimsuit to be precise; with the name 'Patchouli Knowledge' printed on the white band across the chest. Sakuya actually face palmed upon seeing Patchouli; sighing between her fingers.
"What the hell have you been involved in now Patchy?" Patchouli smiled; glanced at Alice and nodded. Alice shrugged back, still somewhat disconcerted by the unwanted fanservice.
"I was working on the Yin-Yang Orbs in one of the underwater cells when they called me to fetch you both." She appraised Alice closely. "Seems a bit thin- we'll be sure to get her some real food at some point or another. So you're the 1st Children?"
"Erm... you mean 'Child' don't you?" Alice felt the need to interject here.
"They're called 'Children'." Sakuya shrugged at Alice when she raised an eyebrow skeptically. "It's true; don't ask me why but both CAT and BIRD officials refer to the chosen as the 'Children'." Patchouli nodded to confirm Sakuya's statement; the three of them began to walk once more, making their way to an elevator and boarding it as they spoke.
"So what do you mean by chosen one?" Alice looked to them for an answer.
"That you will learn soon," Patchouli said cryptically.
"Doesn't sound promising."
"You'll get used to it- hopefully," Sakuya tried to reassure Alice. "It's an extremely important position." She touched the knob for ground level; Alice inclined her head at the pair of them but remained unsure. They were silent for the rest of the journey; the ding of the elevator arriving resounded thought the cube as the doors opened. Alice stepped out into the room.
And she gasped. It was a massive cylinder of a room; the floor at their level with the sky visible vaguely from the ceiling through what appeared to be a skylight of some sort. In the center of the room was a greyish metal circle. Around it were three pedestals; with only one occupied. And on that pedestal, a doll. It was garbed in a black and pink dress, a razor clasped loosely into it's hands. It had a tiny, realistic face that almost perfectly emulated a human's. And it looked exactly like her. Alice looked at the doll; she felt as if a mirror image of her looked back. She approached it timidly; noticed a single red card with gold trim that the doll was resting on, along with a marionette controller.
"And that, daughter is your weapon."
Alice remained staring at the doll for several seconds. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. She turned around. And Tenshi was there. Blue hair, flamboyant dress and hat. Her mother. In the flesh.
"... Mother..." Alice was unsure what to feel now. She wanted to so something but she couldn't. She remained in place; staring at her mother and Tenshi staring back at her. Their gazes were locked together. Tenshi was unmoved.
Tenshi, who had arrived shortly after Alice; motioned for Patchouli and Sakuya to vanish, they nodded and hastily stepped into the elevator. Tenshi and Alice were now alone- mother and daughter alone in the room. Alice fidgeted: glanced around the room, at the doll, anywhere but her mother. Tenshi continued to coldly appraise her daughter. Finally, she spoke:
"Your weapon. As a chosen 'Children' you are to use them against the Angels. It is called Shanghai; and it was built expressly for you." Tenshi examined a nail, she seemed to be somewhat bored.
"What...?"
"You are a chosen 'Children'. You will use this weapon against the Angel Rumia. This is why I brought you here." Tenshi didn't even seem to want to talk; her responses were short and even then they seemed forced.
"What...?"
Tenshi sighed with slight exasperation. "I said-" she began.
"No." Alice began. "'What' is being used to express my incredulity. As in; how could you ask this of me?"
"I see." Tenshi continued to stare at her daughter, who's head was now fixated on the ground.
"What as in; how could you expect this of me?"
"Because the weapon was designed for-"
Alice looked up at this; her face contorted into a furious expression, eyes wide and brows furrowed as she began to shout. "No! As in, how the hell could you ask this of me when you've done your damned best to ignore me for eight years of my life?"
"I've been busy-"
"Yeah; but you can't spare any time for your only daughter?" Alice continued to vent, she felt her blood boiling as she railed against her mother. And to make matters worse, her mother was still impassive; looking at Alice with a slightly bored expression on her face. "You didn't leave me anything- you didn't tell me anything?And now you want something from me? I'm sorry- no, I'm not- that's unacceptable and I'm leaving now!" Alice continued to glare at Tenshi as she began to move for the elevator.
"So I take it then that you refuse?" Tenshi kept her gaze even with Alice's; the anger seething from her daughter didn't seem to affect her in the slightest.
"No, I don't refuse my dear mother." Alice sarcastically replied. "I can't believe you; I bet Dad died because you were such a prick-"
"Do not," Tenshi suddenly gained an edge to her voice; her pitch darkened and Alice actually took a step back, startled. "Ever. Mention your father to me." Her jaw was set; her eyes danced with repressed fury. Alice cocked her head and met the gaze with anger of her own. Mother and daughter remained locked in this standoff until Tenshi finally mastered her temper and turned away heavily. "In that case, it seems that I have no choice." From her pocket, Tenshi produced a version of the device that Alice had seen Medicine using earlier. She typed something out and closed it again. Alice tried to make for the door; but Tenshi used her body to block the elevator. Alice growled but remained in place.
The extremely awkward minute of silence that followed was finally broken by the ring of the elevator. Tenshi stepped aside as the doors slid open; something large was wheeled out. Alice lightly clapped her hand to her mouth. Two youkai medics were wheeling out a bed; and on it was a human. A brunette, with a red and white miko dress and large flowing sleeves separate from the rest of her clothing. And she was bleeding. Her arms and shoulders were heavily patched with bandages; soaked red in her own blood that was now seeping past the bandage and onto the bed. Her mouth was slightly agape, her eyes clouded over; she seemed to be only barely conscious.
"Reimu Hakurei, 0th Children and your only existing replacement." Tenshi motioned to the bed-ridden girl with an arm; she lingered for a second on her extensive wounds. "If you refuse, Reimu will be deployed in your place. Her weapon is not even ready yet; but that is the best we can do." Alice gritted her teeth as she examined the injured girl. Her eyes met with Reimu's for a second; they didn't respond in anyways to the glance. Alice turned away, horrified by the sight.
"So. Are you willing?" Tenshi gave Alice a wide shrug for dramatic effect. "The choice is entirely yours." Alice bit her lip and turned to face Tenshi; giving her one glare before she responded:
"You bitch."
Alice now stood at the apex of the shield; Shanghai dangling on string from one hand with the card tucked neatly into it's mouth. The wind from this altitude caressed her face and whipped her hair up; the cool night air was crisp on her skin. For several minutes Alice stood there; considering what her next move would be, wondering why she was there to begin with. The unenviable condition of Reimu had gotten Alice to agree to fight Rumia.
They had equipped her, and launched her via the gray circle which was actually a form of catapult; past a metal ring hovering above directly above the exit point on the shield which had opened it for her to pass. Now she stood atop the shield; staring down from her vantage point at the entirety of Gensokyo. From this height she could discern the devastation left by the dropping of the Evil-Sealing Circle; marked by charred ground and the scattering of trees from ground zero. Rumia couldn't be seen; she was still only the size of a human despite her extreme power.
So Alice could stand here with her thoughts while she waited on the go from Sakuya. As it turned out, Sakuya was in charge of the defense of Human Town-3; and would give her instructions on how to proceed. They ran all sorts of tests on how she was responding to Shanghai; ran diagnostics on her own state. Alice was surprised that the diagnostic didn't read a spike in her blood pressure; she was still extremely peeved at her mother and had only agreed to do this for the sake of Reimu. Alice was actually surprised by her own outburst; she had never felt that the mother's questionable behavior had been an issue. Not until that point had she ever felt anger over it.
"You there Alice?" Sakuya sounded just as clear and elegant over microphone as she did in person. Alice nodded; having been told that they had a video feed on her and that she wouldn't need to say anything. "Ok, you have five minutes with Shanghai; from the moment you activate it to kill Rumia."
"Why is that?" Alice didn't have a microphone of her own but she figured that they could read her statements silently.
"These things are built with more 'outside' technology than Gensokyo magic. Thus, we must keep them counterbalanced with injections of natural magic which can last for five minutes of action at best; a full day if you're doing nothing at all with the weapon."
"And if I run out of time?" Alice asked, already dreading the answer.
"The object assumes it's natural form and returns to the 'outside'. You'll either be brought along with it or destroyed in the resulting outburst of energy."
"How wonderful."
"Are you ready?" Alice nodded. Sakuya began shouting orders to the rest of the crew. "Patchy, bring diagnostics to the front- we need to monitor her reactions. You, get that graph out of the way!" Alice took a deep breath; she was still unsure about what she was about to do. But it was too late now; she had to see this through to the end.
"Rumia sighted." Alice glanced about herself, then spotted the Angel. The glow of the symbol could be seen from the dome; a vague twinkle down the Human Town footpath that was slowly approaching the shield. "Alice, prepare to deploy." Alice steeled herself; felt all her muscles ready to burst into action with the unusual feeling of anticipation. A second passed. Then, the command. "Go."
Alice sprung into action; quite literally she jumped like a coiled spring from her position and began to slide down the shield; aiming her body to Rumia's rough position. Sakuya had instructed her to think of what the doll should do as she did it; all of Alice's fears vanished in the excitement of the moment. She flew off of the surface of the shield and soared into the air; in her head she pictured the extension of the wire and the puppet using it's hands to slow her descent to a reasonable speed.
Shanghai almost immediately sprung into action. The screech normally reserved to metal striking other metal was now emitted by the puppet's fingers catching along the shield's surface. Alice felt herself slowing; soon she was descending the shield at a comfortable rate. Rumia was closer; she could make out the blonde girl- who seemed to have dropped her darkness shield with the coming of natural night. Her eyes were blank; her mouth lolling, her focus entirely on the city before her. Rumia wasn't expecting anything. Alice couldn't help but grin at the audacity and boldness of her actions; she imagined the doll pushing off the shield and sending them in an arc towards Rumia. And it happened.
As she soared through the air, Alice let loose a battle cry despite herself. Rumia looked up- a second too late. Shanghai slashed downwards; it's razor flashed once. With a quick adjustment Alice got Shanghai to push off the ground and cancel out her own momentum, bringing her to a standstill before the Angel. A large stab wound had been impaled right through the symbol. Alice heard cheering from those in the control room. She grinned herself; a strange mix of exhilaration and relief coursed through her body. Alice had met the enemy, the fabled Angel; and not only had she survived, her victory had been absolute. Sakuya was congratulating her; they would return to base and celebrate.
And then Rumia kicked her.
Despite the gaping wound in her head; Rumia simply looked up again, straight at Alice. Before Alice could react she met a shoe directly to her chest. For a second Alice was too confused to respond. And then reality caught up with her.
All at once things happened. Her vitals descended into critical condition; the celebration in the lab was cut short by frantic yells and scrambling. Alice felt her mind teetering on the edge of consciousness; she sailed through the air and crashed into a lamp post set into place by the foot path. It fell, she heard it fall onto something soft; heard a squeal of pain. But she was in too much pain to respond. She tried to move; tried to get Shanghai to move. Nothing happened. Rumia was approaching. There was shouting from Sakuya and Patchouli and everyone else that she could vaguely hear.
Now Rumia was standing over her. Alice's thoughts were fleeting now. A foot was raised, a foot dropped.
Alice was engulfed in darkness.
For those who wonder how the plot will play out; it won't be as depressing as NGE. It will most likely still be depressing however.
I wrote this whole chapter in one day- my quality may have slipped at some point,