Chapter 2
Nepgear laid down on the ground. She had no strength left in her. An open wound had ripped away her lower stomach, her blood leaked and stained the surrounding snow. As she looked up, the moon, and the flickering streetlights were the only source of light she could see. She took out another cigarette and lit it with whatever oil was left in her lighter.
"How… how did it end up like this?"
7 days ago
"Jeez, that was a pain in the ass" Nepgear said to herself as she sent the last invitation letter to her investors. As she sorted out her papers and put them into the proper cabinets and such, she bumped into her desk knocking down one of the framed pictures that stood on the edge. "Shit!" She thought to herself. As she went down to examine the frame, she felt her heart drop as she realized it was a picture of Uni and her holding hands, the impact of the floor cause a crack in the glass to form, separating the couple. "How fucking poetic" the angered CPU candidate said as she dumped the entire frame into the trashcan under her desk.
The doorbell to her room rang and the candidate unlocked it. "Uh, miss Nepgear?" One of the office employees opened the door to her personalized office, "Can we get a new coffee machine, ours doesn't seem to work, the screen is cracked, and the coffee comes out as-" Nepgear slammed her papers against the desk, sighing deeply, and looked at the innocent employee with an expression that could only be described as a mixture of hatred, annoyance, and exhaustion. "Go buy your own goddamn machine if you care that badly!" The employee quickly left, running back to his desk as Nepgear threw one of her pens at them. After calming down she slumped back into the chair. The picture of Uni and her split in half rotted in the trash can beneath her desk. "Why am I like this?" she thought to herself as she buried her head into her arms on her desk.
The bell rang again and Nepgear, confused, remotely opened the lock, "Who is it?" A small girl air-headed girl with bandages wrapped around her head walked into the room with a smile on her face, carrying a sling-on bag over her shoulder "Aww c'mon sis, you didn't recognize my silhouette from the outside, that is the most important part of character design just so you know." Nepgear put her hand against her forehead and looked back up at Neptune, who was shuffling through the bag. "The hell are you doing here sis?" Nepgear asked sternly. "Oh you know, just checking in, wanting to make sure you're doing all-right, the responsibilities of any great older sister like me". The CPU pulled out a hard drive and laptop from her bag and handed placed it on her desk. "Uni told me that you forgot something important for work the other day. I assumed it was this" Nepgear opened the laptop and saw the presentation that she forgot the day before yesterday. "Oh, uh thanks sis, I didn't need this until next week but thanks for brining it over. You talked to Uni, right? Did she say anything else?" Neptune looked up and leaned her chin on her index finger. "Hmm not that I remember, my memory Is not the greatest I tell you, especially after that concussion" Nepgear pulled on her collar out of stress. "Well I'll be going now, you want to play some video games when you get home sis?" the frilly haired CPU asked. Nepgear shook her head and pulled out a massive stack of papers from under her desk, slamming it against the mahogany surface. She turned to Neptune with a depressed face "I'm busy." "Oh alright" Neptune nodded and exited the room solemnly.
Nepgear finished signing her last paper, "finally I can get out of this goddamn hellhole!" Nepgear pulled out a cigarette and lit it as a form of celebration, she turned to the window on her left, which had a view of a beautiful and orange sunset in the distance. The depressed candidate reclined her chair and stared at the ceiling reminiscing back to the time Uni kicked her out of apartment. Emotional pain burrowed in her chest and a tear rolled down the side of her face. "God fucking dammit!" she threw her cigarette against the window; the impact was relatively weak and made no noise. Nepgear stood up out of her chair grabbed her bag. But before she could even reach the door, a scraping noise assaulted her eardrums.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
"Oh hell…" Nepgear though to herself as she realized her cigarette had set off the smoke alarm to the building, causing the sprinklers in the ceiling to activate throughout the entire office. Everyone rushed out of the building, drenched in confusion. It would take the lilac candidate another 2 hours before she could leave the premises a security kept everyone near the entrance, stuck in the scalding sunlight.
Nepgear slowly opened the door to Falcom's barroom, still drenched in water. "You came here a bit later, the hell happened to you?" The retired adventurer asked. Nepgear collapsed onto one of the stools causing droplets of water to smack onto the counter and floor. Her mascara bled down her face, she rubbed her eyes only to spread the carbon ink all over her hands. "Aw hell, you look like an absolute wreck!" Falcom yelled, she grabbed a towel and tossed it to Nepgear. It took a good 3 minutes for Nepgear to fully clean off.
"Don't they have a no smoking policy in those buildings?" asked the red-headed bartender. "Yeah, but I half-forgot and half-didn't care." Said the depressed candidate who sipped away at her drink. "You fix my light?" Falcom pulled out the silver lighter and flicked it on, the LED Planeptune symbol lighting up with the flame. Nepgear smiled a little bit and handed Falcom's lighter back. She used the repaired lighter to light another cig, she reached down to her thigh case, only to realize that she was out of smokes. "Goddamit can anything go right for me today!" She yelled. Falcom's flinched at the sudden outburst, but then pulled a cigarette out of her chest pocket, it was slightly bent but still light able. "What would you ever do without me Gearsy?" The candidate lighted the bent cigarette and put her smoking arm down on the table. "You don't have a fire alarm here, do you?" Nepgear jokingly asked. Falcom shook her head with a smile on her face. "Its only in the kitchen, and that never opens until 8, speaking of which, how come you only go here early? The place is a helluvalot livelier then." Nepgear leaned backward and hung onto the table. "I rather have some peace and quiet, helps me relax after the shitshow that is my job". Falcom while nodded her head in agreement and left to sort out a few bottles in the corner.
"I knew you'd be here" said a certain Guild official as she entered the barroom. "Neptune's starting to worry about you, don't you want to head home now?" asked IF as she sat down next to Nepgear. Nepgear turned to her left as she rubbed in her cigarette against an ash tray. "Really? I feel like she can handle herself." IF grabbed Nepgear's arm firmly. "It's not about taking care of her, she's worried that you're avoiding her, she's starting to feel lonely." Nepgear grit her teeth and swung her arm, shaking IF's hand off. "What does that bitch know about being lonely!? She left me for years to go off with Blanc on some stupid adventure! I was stuck in Planeptune taking care of the damn place, and then she rears her ugly head back in as if NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED!" The tortured CPU screamed as she banged her fist against the steel counter top IF moved backward out of shock. Nepgear, who started to breath heavily, collapsed onto the table as her vision started to get blurry. IF turned to Falcom with a furious look on her face. "How many drinks did she have!?" Asserted the brunette. Falcom simply shrugged "Just one." IF lifted the passed out girl over her shoulder. "I'll cab her back home."
Nepgear woke up in a haze, her throat felt dry and her legs felt weak. She struggled to crawl out of bed, holding on to the drawers and dressers to support her from the ground. She collapsed next to her door, pressing her head against it, she overheard a conversation from Neptune and IF. She looked through the keyhole to get a visual of the conversation
"She was screamed about how you abandoned her for two years, I don't know if she was drunk or something, but it looks like this is a family matter. I leave you to settle it."
IF walked out of sight and Neptune looked down at the table with a visibly distressed face. The CPU got up and walked toward Nepgear's room. Nepgear rushed back into her bed with all of her strength. As Neptune opened the door. Nepgear shoved her face under her pillow.
"Hey sis, are you awake?"
The younger sister didn't respond at all. Neptune sat onto Nepgear's bed and put her hand on her shoulder. The lilac candidate nudged it back as a sign to leave.
"Look, I'm sorry for leaving you for those two years, it was an important task I had to do, don't think I did it just to avoid you". The CPU said sincerely.
Nepgear lifted herself up and rested her back against her bed. "So what!? You think a shitty apology is going to make up for it?" Neptune winced at the sudden outburst from her younger sister. She had never seen her this angry before, especially at her.
"Gearsy, I know I hurt you, but I want to make things better between us!" yelled Neptune. "Do you!? Or do you want to just sit on your ass all day and make me do all the work.!?" Nepgear furiously said as she stood up against her older sister.
Neptune was appalled by her younger sisters' insults. Despite her fluffy personality, even she was starting to get distressed from the argument. "Nepgear! I don't sit on my ass all day! Maybe if you were actually home with me instead of getting wasted at a barroom, you'd see that."
Nepgear got furious at her older sister's outburst and clenched her first, aiming it directly at Neptune's head.
Neptune transformed just in time into purple heart and grabbed the angry candidate's fist. "Nepgear! I understand you despise me for what I've done. But lashing out at me will solve neither of our problems!".
Nepgear ignored her older sister's statement and transformed into Lilac heart, she pulled back her fist and summoned her usual rifle. Neptune responded by pulling out her weapon as well. "Very well, if this is what it'll take to calm you down, so be it!"
Before the two could even prepare their weapons, IF ran back into the room, she was confused by both of them transforming but then quickly ignored it. "IF!?" Purple Heart asked, confused as to why she returned. "It's Compa! She's been taken!" Purple Heart walked up to IF and put her hand over her shoulder. "It's all-right IF, tell me what happened!"
"I don't live far from the basilicom, so I managed to drive back here quickly, but, when I got home, the window was broken, and the house was an absolute mess. Compa was nowhere to be found, and she wasn't at work!" Purple nodded at IF, she turned back to Lilac heart who also was shocked at the news. "Sister! I know we aren't exactly in the greatest of times right now. But I need you to cooperate with me."
Lilac Heart spit at Purple, "I'll find her myself!" She flew away, leaving behind the guild member and CPU of Planeptune. IF walked up next to Purple heart. "The hell's her problem?"
It took Lilac Heart a couple hours to fly back to her private club, she transformed back into Nepgear and said the usual password. As she entered, she saw a crowd forming around a stage. The rushed candidate pushed through and saw a sight she feared the most. Compa, drugged out of her mind, was shamelessly naked, on display to the rest of the club. Various deplorables betted on who would be spending a "night" with the peach nurse. Her price rose by the thousands for every bet. Nepgear stepped into the front of the crowd. "1 million!" She yelled. The rest of the degenerates stood in shock at the outrageous bet. No one dared to challenge her. Before the auctioneer could even finish a sentence, Nepgear grabbed Compa and ran into a private room.
Compa, covered by a blanket woke up, her head felt like someone had hit her with a baseball bat and her throat felt extremely dry. She looked forward to see a depressed Nepgear smoking a cigarette while staring into a mirror.
"Ge…Ge?" The exhausted nurse could barely move her arms. Nepgear huffed out some smoke and turned around to see the naked nurse. "Compa, I'm so sorry…" Nepgear pushed in her cigarette to a nearby ashtray while Compa tied the blanket around her body. "Ge-Ge, where are we?"
Nepgear sighed and turned around, the nurse looked fairly well despite her recent circumstances. "Don't worry about it, just stay in here and you'll be fine" Her clothes were folded on a chair next to her bed. "Ge-Ge, why was I asleep with my clothes off?" Nepgear buried her face in her hands and looked back at the confused nurse. Compa didn't exactly panic at the situation due to the effect of the drugs, her sense of judgement was knocked off balance. Nepgear knew this, and knew she had limited time. Would she kill Compa? In order to keep her club hidden. Or would she return her back to IF? Risking her entire operation.
The club that she ran was a human trafficking club that snatched unaware girls and women. It also worked as a front for various drug deals and shady transactions. Despite the very immoral and deplorable nature of the place, Nepgear ran it as a way to maintain Planeptune's shares, which had nose-dived in the recent years. This club wasn't the only one that existed, but it was the only one that was supported by a CPU candidate. "Compa, I'm tired, just rest." Said the CPU candidate desperately. She hated this place like any other upstanding citizen should. But she needed this place, she thought so at least.
Compa turned her head in confusion at the depressed candidate, but then laid back down on the bed and went hastily to sleep. Nepgear pulled out a handgun from her drawer, it was the usual standard issue model given to the security and armed forces of Planeptune. She walked toward the innocent, pure nurse and pointed the handgun directly at her forehead. She had everything she needed to get away with the deed. Sound-proof walls. Discreet area. And if someone found the body, they didn't really intend nor could report it to the authorities, and all the evidence would be cleaned up by the maids who questioned nothing.
Nepgear focused her aim, her body started to shake, and tears slid down the side of her face. Unable to continue, she dropped the handgun and collapsed to the floor. She was lost and confused. "Ge…Ge?" the sleepy nurse asked. "Are you okay?" Nepgear stood back up and sat on the bed. The naked nurse grabbed Nepgear by her hand. "Ge-Ge, if there's a problem you want to talk about, I'm always here to help." Nepgear laid down on Compa's lap, "Where do I even start?" Compa stroked the candidate's hair in an attempt to calm her down. "Well, what's been hurting you the most recently?" Nepgear gagged and sat up straight. "Well… it's Uni. We broke up." Compa's eyes widened in shock, but the affect of the drugs caused her to remain in place. "I just, I don't know why I'm doing this!" The candidate grabbed and pulled at her hair. "Why am I like this! Why do I have to be a terrible person!" Compa sat up straight next to Nepgear and put her hand on her shoulder. "Ge-Ge, what are you talking about? You've never been a bad person, ever" Nepgear laughed at the obviously mistaken judgement from Compa. "No Compa, I have. I hate my job and everyone who works there! I get wasted after work every day and lash out at the people close to me! Oh gee Nepgear, why the hell do you think Uni broke up with you!?" The tortured candidate said to herself in a mocking tone as she stood up and walked toward the mirror, getting a solid view of the mess of a person that reflected off the glass. "Why, why do you think so!? Maybe it was the drugs, Nepgear! Maybe it was your attitude! Maybe it was the fucking alcohol! Maybe it was because in the end you are nothing more THAN FUCKING FILTH!" Nepgear slumped onto the counter with her hands on her face, wiping away at the profuse tears that erupted from her eyes.
Compa stood up and approached the crying lilac-dressed girl, who was crying into her hands. "Ge-Ge, maybe you could start with an apology for Uni" The drowsy nurse said. Rage flourished through Nepgear's veins. She stood straight up and kicked Compa to the floor. "Ge-Ge!?" Compa clutched at the point of impact and looked up to see Nepgear towering over her, carrying a drug-stained knife. "You think I haven't tried that you dumb broad!? You think I didn't try to sort out my life!? Guess what, I HAVE, I've tried over and over, only to wake up and feel even shittier then next day! My piece of shit job tears at me! Neptune fucking annoys me! What am I supposed to do Compa! TELL ME, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO FUCKING DO!"
Compa looked up in fear, at the raging candidate. "Ge-Ge, I'm sorry, don't hurt me! Please!" Nepgear ignored the injured nurse's plea, she raised her knife in the air, preparing for a fatal stab.
*Crash*
IF, gun in hand, barged through the door. Behind her, Purple Heart was arresting all the patrons and taking down those who retaliated. IF stood back in horror at Nepgear, knife in hand ready to strike at Compa. IF pointed her handgun at Nepgear, IF's expression was a mixture of everything she despised: fear, agony, sadness, betrayal, despair, anger, and disgust.
"Nepgear!" Yelled the armed Brunette as she fired a shot that pierced open Nepgear's stomach.
Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, not exactly as shocking or eventful as the last chapter but I'm hoping to build up more tension and drive Nepgear through more serious and mentally brutal situations in the later chapters, I wanted this chapter to establish Nepgear's situation as an introduction to the hellish journey that awaits her.