General Director Kurama stood outside on the roof of the institute, watching the sky for the incoming chopper with narrowed eyes. Kakuzawa had informed him that the representative of Armacham would be arriving soon, and that he, Kurama, was to personally greet her. Kurama looked around at the half-dozen fully armed guards that flanked him, and let out a disgusted sigh. This whole thing was just another grand show of power from his boss. Him being here was obviously meant to convey that an initial greeting was beneath his time, and the armed guards were there for the sake of his absent boss, not himself. To show that Kakuzawa and the institute he stood for were not to be messed with. Kurama could understand the wisdom of flexing your corporate muscles, but he doubted any corporation that made a monster like Alma would be so easily knocked off its pins.

At least I got Nana out before all of this mess, he thought, Hopefully she finds a homeless shelter or someplace else to lay low for a bit.

His thoughts were cut off by the growing roar of a helicopter's blades. He looked up at the sky, and the rapidly approaching aircraft. Wind began to billow around the gathered men, but Kurama stayed firm. He could feel his boss watching him from the security camera above the door. Always watching, that was his boss.

The chopper landed, and before the rotors could finish spinning, a woman had already exited the chopper, accompanied by her very own private squad. These men were in a foreign land, yet they carried themselves with stiff rigid formality. As did the woman who was so obviously Genivieve Aristide. Kurama gave her a quick assessment as the woman rapidly approached him. She was middle aged, with frown lines wrinkling her face. Brown hair, brown eyes, pants suit, and a small metal cross around her neck that he recognized as being a sign for christianity, though something told Kurama that this woman fell quite short of the glory of any god. Aristide carried herself with a confident aire. She looked neither left nor right, but straight at Kurama, not recognizing the armed men that flanked him, as if they were completely inadequate to her. Her own soldiers certainly saw them, and gripped their rifles in a manner that seemed almost eager. A shootout on the roof would just make Kurama's day. Kakuzawa would've probably enjoyed it too if the stakes weren't so dire…...who was he kidding? The boss could always appreciate a grim spectacle.

Genivieve walked up to Kurama with firm purpose and got right to the point.

"Are you Kakuzawa?" No introduction, no handshake. Kurama was already feeling grateful that he'd taken some advil in advance.

"I'm General Director Kurama," he stated calmly, "Chief Kakuzawa-"

"Isn't here?" interrupted Genivieve. Kurama bit back a scowl.

"...Is waiting for you in his office," he continued, "He will speak with you there."

"Very well," she said firmly, "Lead the way, then."

Kurama studied Genivieve's soldier's, a half dozen in total. "Are these all of your men?"

"For now. I have more coming on the way."

Of course she did. "Of course you do. Right this way, ma'am."

"You look nervous, child."

Nana didn't look nervous. She looked full-fledged terrified. This man, Paxton, took a slow, solemn step into the alleyway, and the red aura around him did not fade. If anything, it seemed to flare, bathing the dark alleyway in a visceral glow. Nana whimpered, having apparently forgotten about her vectors, or any sort of ability that might aid her in combat. Paxton had that effect on people. He stopped a few feet from the scared girl. Malevolent eyes gazed over her, before coming to rest on her head.

"Interesting set of horns, my dear," observed Paxton, "Tell me, are you one of these Diclonius that we keep on hearing about?"

Nana suddenly wished she'd taken measures to cover her ear-like horns. She wished she'd worn every hat in the world to cover her horns, and then buried it all in the sand like an ostrich. Paxton's grin widened into the hungry smile that a shark would give before it takes a large bite out of some helpless swimmer. "But more important than that, what can you tell us about Alma?"

"A-A-A-Alma?" Nana could barely string together a single name, she was so scared. This fear she felt, it was different than anything else she'd felt. In the institute, she'd had the comforting knowledge of her father to help her through the pain, and that time at the cemetery had made her too woozy from blood loss to truly feel the extent of her terror. But her senses were full, and her papa wasn't here now. "I-I don't know anything," she blurted, "I-I-I was sent to try and bring Lucy back, a-and Alma tried to kill me! Then Papa came for me, and when I woke up, I w-was back at the institute!"

"Ah, yes! The Institute!" Paxton exclaimed, "A private organization dedicated to the examination of your species!" He began to walk around Nana, hands folded behind his back, eyes continuing to examine her, drinking in her trembling fear like it was a century-old wine. "When I first heard about your species, I confess that I was curious. Shortly after liberating my brother, he and I set out to find our mother, eager to understand why she'd been so taken with one of your own. You mentioned Lucy, yes? When mother tasked me with freeing her, she made it clear her reason: to be with an old friend who'd been separated from her. It was all she could focus on. Surely, someone who could captivate mother at such a young age must be someone of great power! Well, my brother's goals differed from mine at the time. He was a soldier, a point man for a paramilitary operation. He did not realise that there might be a fearsome race of monsters made to surpass all of humanity! I let him know about this, and we came to the wise agreement to find our mother, and get to the bottom as to the mystery of your species, as well as mother's concern for them."

By this point he had stopped in front of her, gazing at her with curiosity. Nana had absolutely no idea what he was saying, and had already forgotten half of it. She just knew that there was a very scary man in front of her, and the very scary man was making her feel very small. She felt the delicious crepe begin to push its way up her throat. Some rational part of her mind, shriveled by fear, told her that she could still use her vectors, but as she looked at the raw energy emanating from Paxton, she likened using her vectors against this man as futile as catching smoke with her bare hands.

Paxton studied her panicked expression, and sighed. "Your panic has been entertaining, child, but my patience has worn thin. Mother is with Lucy. Where is Lucy?"

Nana couldn't respond. This man was so terrifying to her. She was so afraid that she began to blubber, and couldn't seem to stop.

Paxton scoffed at this display, "I knew this would be a waste of time," he muttered to himself, "Very well, plan B it is."

Paxton began to close in on Nana, and the Diclonius started to wail as his aura started to flare. It was like watching a dozen infernal arms stretching out to grab her, and pull her down to Hell. She curled in on herself, waiting for the inevita-

"What are you doing, brother?"

Nana opened her eyes cautiously, and was stunned to see the other man, Paxton's brother, had inserted himself between the two of them. In her terror, Nana had completely forgotten about the kind man, (The Point Man Paxton had called him,) who'd given her a crepe. But he was here now, and Nana was suddenly struck by the idea that with him at her side, no harm would befall her.

"Really? You choose now to have a damn conscience?" Peeking her head over the brother's side, Nana saw that Paxton looked appropriately agitated. The Point Man stood firm, his expression defiant. He stood his ground, but so did Paxton.

"I broke you from your cell for this. We travel halfway around the globe, learn a whole language, and now that we're close to having answers, you insist on intervening. The police officer was one thing, but this girl is a monster! She's not even human, but a species meant to surpass mankind! If anything, I'm doing humanity a favor!"

The Point Man looked toward Nana, at her expression that was still filled with hesitant fright, then back at Paxton, cocking an eyebrow. For a moment, the issue seemed to be up in the air, and Nana feared the worst. Then Paxton flapped his hand contemptuously. "Bah! So be it! It is doubtful she had much information in her, anyways. We'll do this your way, brother."

There was a flash of red, and Paxton was gone. The alleyway seemed much darker without his red glow, and Nana suddenly realized that the sun had finally gone down. The Point Man lowered his arms and began to walk out on his own, apparently heading toward some sort of unspoken rendezvous point. It wasn't until they'd gone, and her nerves had calmed back down, and the crepe had settled back in her stomach, that questions began to bloom in her mind. Who were those men? Alma was their mother? What did they want with her? Why did they think she'd know where to find her? Why was Paxton glowing why did his brother give her a crepe why did he prevent her from being harmedwhatwouldPaxtonhavedonetoherwasthisthelastshehadseenofthemwhatshouldshedonowwherewasherpapahowwasshesupposedtosurvivehowwasshegoingtogetmorefoodwhatwouldshedonow-

A hand rested on her shoulder, and Nana's scream of surprise almost became a shriek. Turning around she looked up in mute shock to see the Point Man once more looking down at her with warmth in his eyes. Nana completely forgot about her near death experience. She forgot about his brother, who'd tried to kill her through unspeakable means. She only remembered how this man had intervened on her behalf three times, and was coming in for a fourth time now. Wrapping her arms around his torso, Nana began to sob uncontrollably, grateful to have finally found a friend.

Up on a rooftop, Paxton watched the affectionate scene. It was a genuine tender moment, and it made him feel like tearing his hair out.

"This had better work, brother."

Kakuzawa sat in his office, hands clasped before him. He had observed the initial meeting between Kurama and Aristide. He'd been unintimidated by the display of force the americans had displayed, and unimpressed by Aristide's dismissive nature towards his subordinate. Two could play at that game, and the fact that she'd traveled across the sea in person showed deep down that this was a true emergency for her. He was already planning several ways on using this to his advantage. It was always important to hold the upper hand on any business transaction.

The door began to open, and Kakuzawa kept his composure as Genevieve Aristide entered the room along with Kurama. The two of them took a seat in front of his desk, while the guards waited outside. Two-to-one. This was a good start.

"Miss Aristide!" exclaimed Kakuzawa, "It's good to have you hear. I trust you'll be able to help us with this incident that has developed in our city."

"From what I understand," she replied, (straight and to the point, a point in her favor,) "This town already has a few incidents that have befallen it, as well as your own institute. What can you tell me about Diclonius?"

"With respect, Ms. Genevieve, the nature of your visit does not involve…"

"Oh, I believe it does, Mr. Kakuzawa. You see, it is one Diclonius in particular that is the exact reason for Alma's arrival. Her name is Lucy, right?"

Kakuzawa's polite smile had dropped. He'd reckoned it would be pointless to leave Lucy and the species she stood for, but he did not like having to be in a position where he was required to forfeit knowledge of any kind. "How much do you know about the Diclonius, Ms. Genevieve?"

Genevieve let out a sigh, as though she were dealing with a stubborn child of some kind. It made Kakuzawa want to punch her. "We know all about the Diclonius, Mr. Kakuzawa. Alma told us about them during her internment with us. Powerful beings with invisible vectors that infect people with a virus to rewrite their genetic code so that they can only give birth to more Diclonius."

Kakuzawa scowled. "You seem quite informed about the Diclonius. The government has taken painstaking steps to keep the species a national secret."

"I'm not the only one who knows how to keep tabs on everything, Mr. Kakuzawa.

"Are you admitting to me that you've committed corporate espionage to my institution, Ms. Genevieve?"

"I'm admitting nothing of the sort," she said, but gave a smile that left that statement open to debate.

Kakuzawa bit back a retort, but he would remember that sneer. "Since we've decided to lay our cards on the table, why don't you explain to me everything you can about Alma Wade."

"Fair enough, Mr. Kakuzawa. But first, tell me everything you know about her," she saw him begin to object and quickly raised a hand, "This will help us get on the same level, and save valuable time. I'm sure you'd rather not have us waste time rehashing intel that is already known."

"Fine," Kakuzawa bit out, "Our information is limited. All we know is that Alma Wade is a psionic apparition, able to appear as an emaciated woman, or a young girl. She can disappear in a mist, shows abnormal strength, or can burn a whole squad in the blink of an eye. She also has a close connection with Lucy, and is to blame for her escape. Their whereabouts are unknown."

Aristide nodded her head at this, as if she'd expected this answer. How infuriating. "There's more to all of this, Chief."

Aristide had been carrying a folder with her since she'd emerged from the helicopter, clutching it closely to her as though it were the nuclear football itself. Americans could sure be clingy. Genevieve opened the folder, and removed from it a photo that she placed on the table, facing Kakuzawa. It was a photo of a young girl matching descriptions he'd heard of Alma's child form, only she seemed different. She looked...human.

"This is Alma." A statement, not a question.

"Yes," replied Genevieve, "One of our earliest photos of her."

"So Alma Wade was once a human, then?"

"Yes. Her father was one Harlan Wade, a scientist working for our corporation. Through unknown means, his daughter was born with abnormal psionic ability."

"How is that possible?" asked Kakuzawa, "I can't imagine something like this occurring often."

Genevieve sighed, "I'm not sure, Mr. Kakuzawa. This was before I was CEO, and much of Alma's early life before Armacham was kept off the records at Harlan's request out of respect for his family. From what I can tell, his wife died giving birth to Alma. That might be part of the reason for the discretion."

"How sentimental," said Kakuzawa, not being able to completely hide the disappointment from his voice. Kurama, who'd been sitting in silence, gave his boss an unreadable stare. Genevieve continued as though no one had spoken.

"At the age of three, Alma was enrolled into Armacham for testing. The ultimate goal was to develop a psionic soldier, the perfect warrior-for-hire. Psionics would have obviously been a great edge for combat," she paused, and for the first time since arriving at the institute, a smirk formed on her lips, "Perhaps even enough to best your Diclonius."

Kakuzawa scowled at this. How could she have known about Nana's altercation with Alma? That had to be what she was implying. What else did she know?

Calm down, he thought, One step at a time. Learn what you can, then plan ahead from there.

"How well did Alma perform in your corporation's little project?" he asked, keeping his voice remarkably calm, given his current temper.

"Alma first arrived, her father claimed that she suffered nightmares, with a special attunement toward the negative emotions of other people. My predecessors subjected Alma to a brutal array of tests to find the source of her strength. Alma passed every test with flying colors, showing proficiency in every psychic ability we could think of," she smiled rather darkly at this, "Pyromancy was just the start, Mr. Kakuzawa. Alma showed a wide range of abilities, including telekinesis, telepathy, and even mind control. She could bend people to her will to a certain degree. The experiments began to grow in scale and severity, and Alma kept pace, but she began to suffer from it. Others suffered as well, as some of the scientists studying her began to suffer nightmares. It was all too much to become a coincidence. As it became clear how dangerous she was, it became necessary to keep her in more secure conditions. She was interred in Armacham for a time, and subjected to more brutal experiments. The details are heinous."

"You did all of this to a child?" said Kurama. His tone was carefully neutral.

Genevieve turned to Kurama calmly. "Mr. Kurama, I did none of this. The men and women responsible for Alma's "condition" are long dead, many of whom were killed by Alma, who'd already become formidable. After the latest incident, a decision regarding her living conditions were made. The researchers concluded that it was best if she was kept in an environment with fellow children, where possible companionship might lower her stress levels and make her more cooperative. Harlan certainly wanted Alma to be raised properly, devoted though he was to developing his daughter's potential. And so, with his help, we found a place where we thought she'd be happy: an orphanage, where she met another special girl just like her."

Mayu walked across the dark streets, Wanta walking beside her. Mayu enjoyed finally living in a house, but it was still nice to get out of the house now and then, to explore the city she'd become so familiar with. Now that she was able to rely on the comfort of a home, it allowed her to view the area she was in without stressing about food or shelter. The tall buildings, the friendly folk, it was all fun for her. It was enough to make her think that things would be okay, despite the creeping terror that was plaguing her house. But how long before this thing completely consumed their house like a malevolent, black fog. Alma seemed intent on staying with Lucy, who seemed to only know about her when she was in a certain mindset, one with a broader vocabulary. As she continued walking, she noticed two figures sitting on the stairs up ahead, one of which was talking animatedly. As she continued walking Wanta up toward the two people, she was able to make out the two different people, and was shocked by what she saw.

One of the people was a full grown man with western features. The other one was a young girl with a backpack as well as pink hair, and a pair of cat-like horns exactly like Nyu's! There was another girl just like Nyu! Mayu opened her mouth, only to have a flood of memories come rushing back. She remembered the bright sun, the limbless girl lying helpless on the ground as blood kept pumping from her severed stumps like a fire hydrant. Any words or statements she had to say died in her throat, leaving only a warbling groan to spill forth from her lips.

The girl, who'd been talking animatedly with the grown man, frowned as she looked at Mayu. Then she looked at Wanta, and her eyes lit up in realization.

"Oh, I know you!" she stated cheerily, and got up from the steps. Then, quite suddenly, her leg popped clean off her torso, tumbling to the ground with a lifeless clatter. That was all the shock Mayu could handle. She felt the darkness close in around her in a dead faint. All she had time to think was Don't fall on Wanta, don't fall on Wanta. However, before she could hit the ground, she found herself being caught by someone. Someone tall.

It had been a rather awkward conversation explaining her limbs to Mayu. The Point Man, who'd caught Mayu with surprising speed, had been far less surprised then she'd been when he'd first seen them, and had simply regarded her limbs with polite curiosity. Mayu, who was now sitting with a slightly dazed expression, could only sit and nod her head as Nana continued to explain about her strange, invisible arms called vectors which could be used to lift things, and How she'd been telling all of this to her new friend the Point Man. It was an odd thing to call him, but Nana said that it was the only name she knew him by, and the Point Man couldn't very well give another name, given that he was mute. Finally, Mayu was able to find her voice again, and was grateful for it. Wanta sat next to her, calmly watching the Point Man with curiosity.

"So, all of you Diclonius have these vectors?" asked Mayu numbly.

"Yes," said Nana, who was currently using her vectors to lift her backpack. Mayu could only gape at the floating object until Nana set it down.

"So, then that means Lucy-" Both Nana and the Point Man snapped toward Mayu at that name.

"You know a Diclonius named Lucy?" asked Nana slowly.

Mayu frowned. The atmosphere had changed suddenly. Things felt dire, as if she'd brought forth Alma's name, and she hadn't even mentioned her yet. "W-wait! She's not harmful!"

Both Nana and the Point Man looked doubtful as to this. They exchanged a worried glance, then looked back at Mayu.

"I was told that Lucy was dangerous," said Nana, "But when I met her, she seemed harmless enough. But then Alma came and-"

"ALMA!" shrieked Mayu, startling everyone else, "I remember! I saw her! She-she was so scrawny! And terrifying!"

"You've met Alma?" asked Nana, stunned that someone could survive such an encounter.

"Yes-no! She's been haunting Lucy for as long as we know. It's made life at Maple House pretty unbearable!"

Maple House. The Point Man was going to remember this house in the event that he couldn't coax Mayu into taking them there. Nana looked at Mayu with a mixture of fear and wonder. "How did you survive? How hasn't Alma killed you?"

"I-I'm not sure," answered Mayu, "But I saw what she did to you. There was so much blood!"

"Yeah," said Nana, looking down at her prosthetics. Both girls suddenly looked up as the Point Man quickly stood up. "What's wrong?"

The Point Man pointed at Mayu, then cocked a thumb back, signifying that they had to go.

"What?" she asked, "You want me to go with you?"

He shook his head, pointed to himself, then her. Mayu needed a moment to figure out what he meant, then her eyes widened. "You want to go to Maple House?!"

The Point Man nodded.

"B-but Alma!" she protested, then stopped as something clicked, "W-wait a moment! You haven't been fazed by any of this. Do you know Alma?"

The Point Man nodded again. It was a very solemn nod.

Mayu frowned, curious as to how this man might have known Alma long enough without dying. It wasn't like he could tell her; Nana had said he was mute, and she doubted a foreigner would know how to write kanji. She was reluctant to take him, but then Nana cut in. "Oh, yeah! That's a great idea, Mayu! I saw this guy take down some other guy by the beach who was trying to mug me! It was incredible the way he moved! So fast!"

Mayu looked up at the Point Man, who merely shrugged. He certainly looked tough enough, and honestly, the residents of Maple House were pretty taxed for options. If they couldn't find an exorcist, then maybe what they needed was a professional.

Lucy lay in her bed, a mattress that Kouta had set up on the floor. Her blankets were pulled over her body, leaving only her head exposed. She stared up at the ceiling, watching the plaster, not looking at the girl who was sitting beside her bed, arms curled around her legs, yellow eyes glittering over her kneecaps.

Lucy let out a sigh. "I guess I'm back, huh Alma?"

No reply.

"I know you're angry. You've every right to be. The truth is...I guess I panicked. It seemed easier for me to hide behind a shield of brain trauma. I just couldn't look him in the eyes...and tell him what I had done."

They deserved it.

"No!" Lucy winced at her volume, afraid that Kouta might hear.

He's still asleep.

Lucy relaxed a little, but not entirely. She still had to handle Alma. "Alma, Kouta's family did nothing wrong to us. I shouldn't have killed them."

We killed many.

"Yes, but...I…..."

They weren't close to Kouta.

Lucy finally turned her head to look at Alma. She could feel her sadness and anger coming from her like heat from a fire. "You really think I don't care about you, Alma? You were all I thought about during my three-year imprisonment. I was so happy when you found me, so happy to be free. But, well, you remember how things were before. Kouta was our friend. You liked him, too."

No response. Was she sulking?

"We were so alone when we first met, Alma. I remember it all like it was yesterday..."