Alive: A Story of Survival

Once, there was a Girl named Kazuha, who lived in a very dangerous environment, surviving on anything she could find, and fearing the beast that stalked her every move. She awakened from her slumber and observed her "Safehouse". It was a rudimentary setup. It contained a table, 2 chairs, an empty

space in the corner, near the sleeping area, which contained a scaffolding and a hammock for sleeping in. near to the exit lay a player piano which Kazuha used whenever she was bored. She exited the safehouse and made for the elevator, which took her to a complex-like area in the lab she was confined in.

it was vast and wide, containing multiple paths. She started in a broken-down storage area. Realizing that the stairway was blocked, she climbed the wreckage, allowing her to descend the stairway. As she made her way through the twists and turns that made up the ruins of the storage room itself, she

ascended another stairway to discover some rubble blocking her path. She struggled to move it out of the way the rubble refusing to budge. Finally, with one firm push, the wheel of rubble rolled out of the way. Kazuha investigated within, only to discover a corpse bearing a resemblance to her. She then saw

a flashback of the real Kazuha Aoi battling the Nova. She saw the real Kazuha being consumed by the stigmata in her body, as she began to transform into nova form, lunging at a wayward Nova, dying in the process. As the clone of Kazuha Aoi returned to reality, her nose started to bleed, but only for 3

seconds. Once Kazuha regained her bearings, she went through a hole in the wall leading to a corridor. At the end of the corridor was a lab area that was set up in what was once a coat closet. Inside was an audio recorder from the Kaho Hiiragi: "So here's where the sketchy starts: I was cleaning a spill in that

room that Luis calls a lab. He can call it what he wants but it used to be the employee coat closet. Anyway there I was mopping that puddle. It kept moving back and forth, all willy-nilly. If these messes keep up, I am leaving!". the recording ended. Kazuha then explored the rest of the closet, and found a

makeshift work table with a recording by Luis El Bridget: "The If there is even one loose cannon, we will have no end of trouble! And that cleaning woman is one such cannon. She does her job, or so she claims. She also claimed that she never agreed to any immoral experiment. All I know is that someone

needs to maintain the pipes, and she needs to stay focused.", before the recording ended. After hours of searching, all she found were embarrassing pictures of several Pandoras that Luis had been stalking through security cameras. An Idea entered her head, She removed the pictures and entered a hall

where a where the prototype, a failed attempt at cloning Satellizer El Bridget, wandered. It was a foe that Kazuha could not look at for long, let alone fight. Her only hope was to reach the other side before it spotted her. Kazuha found a run down office area to hide from the prototype. She found another

audio recorder by Ticy Phenyl: "A Girl shouldn't live for her breaks, but you try having those songs playing all day in your head over and over, like a symphony, it drives you crazy sometimes. I'm just here for peace and quiet. Those songs were meant to trigger responses in the test subjects' brains after all.".

Once the prototype left, Kazuha ran for the other side and closed the door. In the next room lay a hangar storing several transport copters bound for Genetics Academies. Kazuha explored the area and found a way into a storage room containing an audio recorder by Marin Maxwell: "Sometimes I feel like I'm

not the only one in my nest. It can be very dark sometimes. But here's the part that makes my mind wander: Every night, just as I'm ready to leave for the day, I hear a deep groan rising from the floor. Someday I will grab my light and find out what's making such a fuss…". In a larger room walled with docked

transport copters, one of them lay suspended in the air, bound by cables holding it up. Kazuha went up the nearby stairwell and entered the air vent. Crawling through the air vent, she ends up on the other side, which contains the control console for the room itself. Kazuha lowered the copter to a more

reachable level and returned to the hanger. With one careful bound, she found herself on the copter, she found within a panel on the floor in the interior a carbon dioxide scrubber, which she took. As she made her way back to the elevator, suddenly she forgot the prototype was near. The prototype roared

in her face and a struggle ensued. In the middle of the room lay 2 valves. The Prototype distended one of its arms outwards and swept its claws at her, which Kazuha ducked just in time. The prototype grabbed a support beam and hurled it at her, knocking Kazuha backwards. As the creature lumbered closer,

Kazuha recovered and ran. The creature then proceeded to rush at her. Kazuha had an idea. She tricked the prototype into crashing into the wall, stunning it, and giving her the 2 minutes she needed to turn the valves just in time, causing a blast door to open. Kazuha ran through the door into a hallway. The

door closed behind her, sealing the prototype in. The hallway was flooded and rusted through. With an acrid aroma filling it. Kazuha ran through the hallways when suddenly, the prototype burst through the blast door and chased after her. Kazuha ran as fast as she could, the prototype chasing after her like

a hound to a cat. Suddenly Kazuha was cut off by another door, forcing her to open it and wait. As the door opened, the Prototype lumbered closer. Just as it was about to grab Kazuha, the door opened just in time. Kazuha slid underneath the creature's hand, and then ran for the elevator. In a last-ditch

attempt to catch her, the Prototype broke through a wall and clawed wildly to try to catch her. Kazuha managed to evade the creature and run for the elevator. The elevator took her back to her safehouse. She attached the Carbon Dioxide scrubber to its housing, and then, using the pictures she found, she

fashioned them into a collage, and then suddenly, the clone of Kazuha saw a glimpse of the human man that she once was…and then it was gone. Suddenly she heard a door creak open. A voice was heard: "OK, Grandpa. I'm here. Now…let's see if we can find what you wanted me to see…". Kazuha went to

the back of her safehouse and found an audio recorder left behind by a familiar individual: "I know not why I even bother to record this…unfortunately, I have no other option. Please, whoever you may be…I plead for your aid. My name is Satellizer. Several Days ago, I had gotten lost in

this…dreadful place. There are monsters here. Creatures I cannot even begin to describe…they are all attempting to murder me. I can hear them outside. Please seek my messages. Please…find me.". Overcome with curiosity, Kazuha left her safehouse and took the elevator down. The elevator took her to a

severely dilapidated area with a statue at the center of the room with a plaque that read: "Our lady Mother Lancelot, Godspeed, thy judgement". Behind the statue was a hallway which led to a locked door with a plaque that read: "Area is restricted. Entrance only by warden's approval, section 3". Kazuha

pressed a button causing a door behind her to open, containing a stairwell leading upwards. At the start of the stairwell was another audio recorder: "My Father was a butcher, rest his soul. While I was growing up, my mother and I had only each other. She taught me how to be resilient. Strong. Untouchable.

Now, I am afraid of that…beast outside of the door I am locked inside. I saw many things dismembered in my father's butcher shop. I am plagued by visions of myself ending up as they did—their bodies broken and torn apart. Please…Please come find me.". Kazuha ascended the stairwell, which led her to

section 2, an atrium suspended above section 1. Kazuha navigated a series of hallways, which led to a crematorium, where terminated test subjects were incinerated. Atop one of the corpses lay another recording: "I know not how much longer I can stay alive. I try to think that someone will come for me. At

any moment, someone will open this door and save me from this suffering. If any such person exists, regardless of what size or shape they may take, now is the time. Please find me.". Kazuha wandered through a narrow hallway leading to 2 stairwells connecting to section 3. Within section 3 lay a strange,

out of place fuse. At the back of the room lay another recorder: "I am not one to deceive. Similarly, I despise being deceived myself. My mother always told me "Honesty, Satellizer. Always Honesty. Be bright and smile wide. Good things will come…" but now I see that the world is a cruel place. I want to

shine, but it is so dark. Hope is fading down here. The monsters are gathering. Please find me.". In the room ahead was an office space, seemingly where administrators worked. At the back of the room on the table lay a recorder from a young Kazuya Aoi: "So here's what I've been wondering: "So you go and

get yourself a one-of-a-kind book. Good one too. But last night, you put it on your shelf and the next day when you come back to read it, it was gone! Lost in thin air." Now the question I ask myself is: "Isn't that new, one-of-a-kind book that cleaning lady is reading just such a cool thing? I wonder where she

got it. As if I didn't know. Stupid bitch!". Ahead of Kazuha was a stairwell with a sign in front of it reading: "Warden's office". Kazuha ascended the stairwell, and found in front of her, a massive control console with several computers and a desk and a chair for paperwork on a chair nearby was another

recording from who appeared to be Satellizer: "There is little time…If you found my messages, this may be my last. So this is my final plea: "If anyone is listening…If there is any good left in this world…look out for my hidden key, and then unlock my door. Please come find me…before it is too late…sincerely,

Satellizer El Bridget.". Kazuha pressed a button opening the door 2 levels below her and returned to the restricted area and wandered through a hall leading to a massive sprawling complex-like area with a sign reading "Private quarters of Professor Gengo Aoi.". In the center of the room was a console that

controlled which rooms would open. One room was labelled "Sleep", another labelled "Leisure", yet another labelled "Work", and one more labelled "Prayer". The room labelled "Sleep" was already open. Kazuha went into the room, which contained a fireplace as well as a desk and a computer console

Kazuha found only a sushi roll, which she ate. Kazuha exited the room and went to the control console and pressed a button, opening the room labelled "Prayer". Kazuha went inside and saw a statue of the same woman as in section 1, but nothing useful. In the room labelled "Leisure, she found only a wine

cabinet and a pack of cigarettes, neither of which were of use to Kazuha. In the room labelled "Work", she found a lab area with a door which upon opening, revealed an emergency shelter for use by Professor Aoi, in the event of his life being in danger. Inside, she found a master key. Kazuha exited the

emergency shelter and explored the lab to try to find the hidden door described in the last tape left by the soul trapped in the darkness. Kazuha then entered another room containing a blast door, which Kazuha unlocked with the master key. She then proceeded to rescue the poor soul trapped in the

darkness who was facing away from the former. "Thank you. I am forever grateful." The poor soul said, turning her head towards Kazuha before breaking into a laugh that started out as light chuckling but turned into maniacal laughter. "There is no Satellizer El Bridget. There never was. There are those who

take on a variety of aliases. However, you set me free, therefore, I owe you some semblance of honesty. I am called Maria Lancelot. You did release me, but it is true what they say: Never mix business with pleasure. Farewell…" she said. In other words, it was all a lie. The woman claiming to be Satellizer El

Bridget was, in reality, a twisted revenant, luring Kazuha to her doom, So Kazuha ran, exiting the blast door and locking it with the master key. Suddenly, Kazuha heard clanging noises, seemingly emanating from inside the emergency shelter. Suddenly the clanging ceased, seemingly ending the terror. Kazuha

was convinced that she was safe. Unfortunately, she was wrong. Kazuha heard Maria laughing boisterously, and in response to a crashing noise, Kazuha turned around to find that Maria had broken through a window behind her, staring at her with sadistic glee. "You would believe that you can hide?" Maria

said, with a sultry, yet creepy tone of voice. Kazuha ran out of the private quarters of Professor Gengo Aoi, into a hallway, pursued by Maria, who unsheathed her khopeshes and charged at Kazuha, who ascended a nearby stairwell, where an elevator was positioned. As Kazuha reached the top of the

stairwell, Maria leaped across the walls leading to her position and dropped to the floor and let out an ear-splitting screech, before opening the elevator doors. As she placed her arms and her legs on the arches of the door frame, she leaned backward and propelled forward, using her position as a

springboard to reach Kazuha, before somersaulting through the air, sweeping her khopeshes erratically. Kazuha ran down a stairwell leading to a hallway. "Do you not wish for me to be perfect?!" Maria shouted as she charged after Kazuha, who hid inside a nearby restroom. Unfortunately, Maria tore a hole

through the wall and peered inside. "I see you…." Maria said, with a sickening grin, before proceeding to lean her head forward. "I see you…" Maria repeated, as she peered even closer, only to lose her balance and pass out as she tried to regain her bearings. Kazuha left the restroom, safe for the moment.

Unwilling to take any chances, she hid in a storage room filled with cardboard boxes, slamming the door closed behind her. Meanwhile, Maria's hands twitched as she regained consciousness. In other words, she was not done yet! Kazuha hid behind enough cardboard boxes to conceal her from the casual

observer. The door cracked open, as Maria, armed with her Khopeshes, entered the room and climbed a stack of cardboard boxes until she could see in front of her. As she peered closer she indicated her presence to her prey, by uttering, in a creepy voice "You cannot conceal yourself from me!" Kazuha ran

out of the storage room and into a hallway. Maria pounced at Kazuha, khopeshes in hand, only for Kazuha to trick Maria into crashing into a wall. As she turned her head to face her prey, she pounced forward, only to find that Kazuha hid inside an emergency shelter. "You will reveal yourself eventually."

Maria said, gloating. "You must reveal yourself eventually. 'Tis only a matter of time." She muttered, as she walked away. When Maria left the room, Kazuha quietly left the shelter and proceeded to make for the elevator. Unfortunately, it would not be easy. Kazuha found a recorder on a nearby table with

the voice of Kaho Hiiragi: "So here's where the weird stuff happens: I was cleaning up a spill in that room that Luis calls a lab. He can call it what he wants but it used to be a simple coat closet. Anyway, there I was cleaning that puddle, when I kept moving all willy-nilly, like it's smart or something. If these

messes keep up, I am leaving!", before the recording ended. Unfortunately, the noise from the recording attracted Maria's attention, to Which Kazuha made her way to the archives and hid behind a bookshelf. Maria suddenly charged into the archives, khopeshes at the ready and proceeded to find her prey.

"You cannot conceal yourself eternally." Maria said as she walked closer. Thinking quickly, Kazuha tossed a book from the shelf into the distance, causing Maria to run after it, before realizing it was a trick, to which she let out an annoyed sigh. "Always fleeing…Such a knave." Maria muttered. Kazuha ran past

Maria into another room filled with bookcases. Kazuha reached a narrow section of the room where bookcases filled the room, with only a passage leading past. Kazuha hid, as Maria advanced closer. "My patience wears thin." Maria said, irritated. Realizing the layout of the area, it was clear the only way

through was past Maria. Kazuha waited for Maria to walk past the bookcase Kazuha hid behind and made a dash for it. Kazuha broke left and crawled through a ventilation shaft, which led to a section reading "Archives: M-Z". Kazuha walked through the rows of bookcases, only to step back after feeling a

rush of wind, which indicated that Maria was frantically reaching her hand forward, groping around the darkness, feeling for her prey. "Wherever you may be…You will reveal yourself!" Maria shouted, before retracting her arm. Kazuha walked past the bookcases into an open area surrounded by

bookshelves. Maria suddenly appeared and continued her search. "Do not be fearful. Come out." Maria said, with a sly grin, surveying the area in front of her. Kazuha ran past her, and found an elevator leading up. Kazuha took the elevator back to her safehouse, to which Maria stared upward and declared

"Flee if you must, but when next we meet, you will be mine!". The elevator suddenly stopped in a nondescript area flooded with stigmata and littered with hearts harvested from deceased test subjects. Kazuha cautiously stepped out of the elevator and looked around. Curious about the hearts left

behind, she grabbed a few of them, seconds before a loud, inhuman shriek rang out. Suddenly, Kazuha was met by a femininely proportioned, yet decapitated human body, wearing a female West Genetics Academy uniform, with a searchlight in place of a head. Kazuha ran as fast as she could, as the

searchlight-headed beast gave chase. As the monster gained on Kazuha, she climbed a nearby rope to escape the beast. The beast searched around for Kazuha, but did not find her. After losing the beast, Kazuha dropped to the floor. The impact drew the beasts attention, as it gave chase once again. Kazuha

ran through the hallway, across a catwalk, and into a corridor, where there were 2 doors behind her. Kazuha closed the doors and placed a nearby broom between the handles to prevent the beast from entering. The beast broke through, seconds later and Kazuha ran to the end of the corridor and dropped

into a dark, flooded abyss. As Kazuha navigated her way through, the searchlight-headed beast repeatedly tried to grab Kazuha at every turn. Kazuha ran until she found herself cut off by a large gap. Thankfully, she found a rope, from which she swung to the other side. close to Kazuha was a blast door,

controlled by a lever. When Kazuha pulled the lever, the door was slow to open. As the door slowly opened, the Lookout drew closer and closer to its quarry. The door opened, just as the Lookout was within arms reach of Kazuha, allowing the latter to pass through. She found a meat grinder nearby. Thinking

quickly, as the Lookout lunged at her, Kazuha turned the grinder on, as the Lookout's left leg was caught. It struggled to no avail as it was pulled through, up to its head, which was too large. Kazuha salvaged the fuses in the Lookout's searchlight head and proceeded to leave through another elevator and

returned to her safehouse. Meanwhile, the Lookout recovered and freed itself from the meat grinder. Kazuha went to the back of her safehouse and found an old slot machine. Using the fuses she salvaged, Kazuha turned on the machine, which had a note reading: "My high score is three bars. Beat this score

to reveal a secret. Kazuha pulled the lever and the reels spun. When the reels stopped, they revealed three pictures of bombs, triggering an explosion. The explosion broke a nearby wall, revealing an audio recorder by Professor Gengo Aoi: "It has been quite a struggle to form this into words, Howard. After

many years, you know as well as I that I would not ask for your aid unless it was dire, but when a man is in a tight fix, he should call upon his allies. Truth be told, the lab is experiencing a bit of financial trouble. We have hit some…unexpected bumps. If you could wire me the funds that I mentioned in my

previous memo, it would be a great help. I hope this reaches you in Indonesia. And to Olivia, I say: I hope you and your husband are enjoying your holiday." Kazuha found a hallway leading to a room with three boxes held together by a chain and a key. Kazuha took the elevator in her safehouse to the

administrations division and found herself in a maze. She then began a search for the Professor's master key. Kazuha found some strange pieces of paper with equally strange handprints on them. Drawn to their designs, Kazuha held on to them. Eventually, Kazuha found a door with a label reading: "Office of

Professor Gengo Aoi". Kazuha reached for the master key, only for it to be snatched by a shambling Pandora zombie. Kazuha gave chase to it, but when the test subject reached the boxes in the former's safehouse, the boxes burst open to reveal three more Pandora zombies that devoured their rescuer and

turned their attention to Kazuha, who led them away from her safehouse as more of them gave chase. The army of pandora zombies was unending. Kazuha found a rope hanging from the ceiling and swung from it to the other side. causing one pandora zombie to fall. Kazuha climbed through the shaft to get

back to her safehouse, but several more pandora zombies climbed after her. As Kazuha was climbing, a hole burst open, with a pandora zombie clawing at Kazuha, who climbed past, only for 2 more holes to burst open, with 2 more pandora zombies clawing at her. When Kazuha ran past, three more holes

burst open, with 3 pandora zombies clawing at her. Kazuha found a utility stairwell leading up the elevator shaft. Kazuha narrowly missed 2 more pandora zombies climbing after her. Holes burst through, climbing attempts were made, but Kazuha managed to escape by entering her safehouse and sealing

them in by calling the elevator. Kazuha found the very back of her safehouse as a hiding place and found a makeshift altar with four candles. Kazuha found scribblings of musical notes on the wall and took the elevator to the conditioning division. Exploring the area, in a room labelled "Office of Daisuke Ibuki",

she found a strange mask. Kazuha went back to the altar and placed the mask at the center of the altar, and hid as the ground shook. A wall cracked open as a shadowy figure emerged. A voice boomed "The Mother calls to us, little moth. Are YOU a believer?". The shadowy figure, Daisuke Ibuki donned his

mask and grabbed a flashlight and went to the safehouse elevator. Intrigued, Kazuha followed him. Kazuha trailed him to the conditioning division where Kazuha saw him open a hidden door leading to his sanctuary, where there was a hidden console. He entered a specific code to trigger a mechanism in the

safehouse: "Cloud. Catch. Bleed. Stiff. Push." Kazuha went to the safehouse and waited for Daisuke to enter and caught him off-guard with a blow to the head, knocking him unconscious. Kazuha found a hidden recorder, the speaker of which is unknown, but very strange: "'Tis important to seize an

opportunity, lest it slide through your riched fingers. The past so often dies without passing on its bountiful secrets. But oh….my dear doctor. The secrets you've left behind. How very interesting. Such knowledge. Such…opportunity. The time draws near…for a dark resurrection to come at

last…mwahahahahahahahahaha!" before the recorder turned off. Kazuha was stunned by what she had just heard. Hearing a commotion coming from the conditioning division, Kazuha proceeded to investigate and found a young man in his teens with black hair, wearing a male West Genetics Academy

uniform, holding a strange-looking blade, who remarked "Sis?!" before fainting.