As it is I'm a little ticked... all right, heck, I'm fucking pissed that my Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne disc, which is absolutely impossible to get in my area, has given out on me. As such my timelines and descriptions in this chapter maybe a bit off. Seeing as the Digital Devil Saga deluxe box is also set to come out pretty soon with NO CHANCE of me getting it short of various illegal methods, I will have to resign myself with crying into my pitiful collection of MegaTen paraphernalia.

And on that cheery note, here's the third chapter.

Date Uploaded: 14 May 2005

Chapter 03: That Almost Sounded Poetic

"So how was your first mission together?" Erin asked.

"He's incompetent and doesn't take the job seriously. I want us separated," Alexis said in monotone.

"Hey, I AM in the room, you know!" Joshua protested.

The two other women both turned to him, Erin with an apologetic smile and Alexis with a casual roll of the eyes. Erin spoke. "Don't take it personally, Joshua. Alexis doesn't like anybody."

"Very funny, Erin," Alexis said. Then she thought about it. "That does have an element of truth in it, though."

Joshua knew he should have felt angry at Alexis' callousness, but the most he could feel was shame. He knew he had screwed up in their job at Lothlórien and wanted to make up for it pretty badly.

"Come on, Alexis, one more chance," he said, giving her his best grin. "If I fuck up our next mission again I will personally bend over so you can boot my ass out the door yourself."

Alexis sighed. "Oh fine. Next mission you take down the Sue. And do a good job of it."

Joshua grinned at Erin. "Don't you just love how merciful and tolerant she is?"

"Anyway, let's get to your actual assignment," Erin said, cutting off any sort of retaliation from Alexis. She wondered briefly if she had been right in thinking that these two would be good for each other, but pushed that out of her mind and went on. "We have a wannabe goth/punker Sue who is apparently after Dante."

"Dante?" Joshua echoed. "As in Dante of Devil May Cry fame? Dude in a red trench coat with pistols not unlike Vash Stampede?"

"That's him," Erin said, nodding.

Alexis looked at Joshua. "Well, this is all yours. I know jack shit about anything in the Devil May Cry environment."

"Not exactly, Alexis," Erin said, pushing the case file towards her and Joshua. "You're going to love this part. The Sue's not after him in any of the games of the Devil May Cry series; she's after him in the setting of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne."

That apparently was not the best thing to say, and Erin seemed to know that, subconsciously pushing her office chair back a foot. Joshua watched as Alexis' hand froze in the middle of reaching for the folder.

"A… Sue? In the… Megaten-verse?" she asked in a low, dangerous voice.

"Right," Erin said, proceeding with a little more caution, even as Joshua slowly took the folder from off the desk. "Spawns somewhere outside a town called Shibuya. We're not sure exactly how she plans on encountering Dante."

"My precious fandom… is being sullied by Sues?"

"Now Alexis, don't get yourself carried away," Erin warned strictly. "A simple job; get in, hack the Sue apart, blow her up, anything to get rid of her, and then leave before anybody vital to canon can see you. None of the flailing you did last time, got it?"

"I've got it," Alexis said, giving her a sharp look. She abruptly stood up, nearly knocking Joshua over with her chair. "Excuse me, I need to prepare. I'll see you in half an hour, Joshua," and with that she left the room.

"What was that all about?" Joshua asked, rifling through the folder.

"Some agents do have a tendency to be quite partial to certain fandoms," Erin explained. "On the top of Alexis' list is the Megaten series, an RPG line from a developer called Atlus, maybe because it's so obscure. Make sure she doesn't sadistically skewer the Sue."

"Right, I'll see to that," Joshua gave her a charming smile, and then exited the room.

»»»

This time it was Alexis who was early, waiting impatiently at Yoyogi Park. She caught sight of Joshua coming over and motioned for him to hurry up.

He walked stiffly over to her. "This place gives me the creeps," he said, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "There are ghosts and demons everywhere, and not a single human person in sight. It's like the world is dead and it's trying to infect my soul."

"I'm impressed, St. Louis, that almost sounded poetic," Alexis said, giving a small grin.

Joshua looked to his right and promptly jumped at the sight of an Incubus demon floating near them. "What the hell is THAT?"

"You got a problem with me, buddy?" the demon demanded.

Joshua, no doubt trying not to eye the obscenely large phallus-like thing on the demon's crotch, shook his head. "No, man, no."

"Whatever, man," the Incubus said, rolling its eyes. "But hey, I've got to tell you guys, check out the Lady of the Fount before you leave. She is HOT!" it gave a predatory grin.

"Right, we'll definitely do that," Joshua said, cocking a finger in its direction and then turning back to Alexis with a disturbed frown. "Can we do this mission and get out of here? Quickly?"

She still had that amused smile on her face and by now it was pissing him off. "All right, all right," she looked at her watch. "We have to get to Shibuya in ten minutes time. Sue000377554 should have spawned there by then; she'll no doubt be looking to make her way out and 'bump' into Dante after he encounters the main playable character outside the hospital."

"What to the how and the who and when?"

"Just follow me," she said with a sardonic glare, moving towards the exit.

Joshua, who had absolutely no intention to sightsee or get lost in this fandom, quickly strode after her, even as behind them the Incubus called out, "No, not there, you idiots! The closest Fountain of Life is THAT way!"

»»»

Despite the wreckage that scattered all over the post-apocalyptic atmosphere of Nocturne, there were still a few vestiges of civilization to be spotted. One was the small strip of basement shops and club that was Shibuya. Alexis and Joshua entered five minutes after they had left Yoyogi Park, Joshua trying very hard not to look at the other floating Shinentai demon to the right of the entrance.

"There's two points of interest in this area, and I suspect the Sue has chosen to surface somewhere near them," Alexis said, now all seriousness again. "One is the club downstairs. The other is the door at the end of that alley," she pointed to a darkened opening across from them.

"Couldn't you have been possessive of a cheerier fandom? Like Tales of Symphonia or Final Fantasy or something?" Joshua said.

She narrowed her eyes at him but continued. "Our time is limited so we have to split up. I'll take the club in the basement and you take the alley."

"Now hang on a minute," Joshua interrupted. "Why do you take the semi-brightly lit stairs down to a club while I have to go and wander off into the gaping abyss of doom?"

"You exaggerate. It's not that big."

"You know what I mean," he snapped.

"Fine," she said sternly. "Choose then. You can go downstairs and run into demons itching for random battles, ask directions from wandering souls and finally reach a club populated entirely by ghosts. Or, you can cross this simple square, go into the relatively short alley, open the door, peek in, and get out. Pick your poison."

Joshua frowned. "Now that you put it that way, I think I'll take the alley."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Whoever finds Sue000377554 first will have to exterminate her. Make sure you're prepared. I'll meet you by the entrance in three minutes," with that she gave a curt nod and proceeded down the nearest flight of stairs.

Joshua watched her go and then, screwing up his courage he moved to the alley in purposeful strides. Once he reached the mouth he hesitated the slightest bit before plunging in.

It was dark, but then again that was expected. Nothing seemed to be wholly lit in this fan-verse anyway. Joshua consoled himself with the thought that he wouldn't have to hang around much longer and went further into the alley, walking as quietly as possible. By the extremely faint light he finally made out the image of a door. This was it.

He cautiously put a hand on the doorknob and the other on the rifle he had been allowed for this mission. Turning the doorknob slowly he peeked inside.

And belted out the loudest scream in his entire life.

»»»

If Alexis had heard that she no doubt would have beaned him over the head with her own regulation firearm. Being two floors down, however, the only sound she could hear was the pounding of music from behind the door of the club.

Unlike her uncomfortable partner, Alexis felt quite at home with her surroundings. She hadn't needed some elaborate disguise, for one thing, and the lack of life, while unnerving to others, seemed almost tranquil to her. Maybe she was just naturally morbid. Reaching for the door, she pushed it open and partially unsheathed the knife that she always carried around her person.

And she came face to face with Sue000377554.

Moments before the impossibly pretty but slightly unsettling person with feral eyes smudged with a generous layer of eyeliner sent her flying down the hallway with one punch, something flashed in Alexis' brain:

Blood! Sacrifice! Ritual! This fucking place is nuts!

"Damnit, Joshua, get a grip!" Alexis yelled as he massaged her head, seemingly unaware for the moment that she was saying it out loud instead of focusing her partner to hear it.

"Who the hell is Joshua?" Sue000377554 demanded, a razor held menacingly in one hand, her cat-like features angry.

"Oh great, you're a half-demon," Alexis said, getting a better look at her.

Despite looking like she had the advantage in this fight, Sue00377554 was seemingly more preoccupied with something else, specifically one white-haired demon hunter. She turned her head in the direction of the way out. "Shit, I'm late. Listen, chick, I'd play around a bit longer but I have a previous appointment I have to get to," and, simple as that, she bounded towards the end of the corridor and up the first flight of stairs.

Seething, Alexis hauled herself up to her feet, even as Joshua screamed out in her head. Jesus, this agent telepathy thing they had should have been made with an off switch. She resolutely tore off after her quarry.

»»» continued