Ho-Hum and the Alien Visitation
A Hyperdimension Neptunia Fan Fiction
by Derald Snyder
Chapter 11- Generic Soldier #20 Attacks!
(Music- 'Hi Spec Robo Go!', Sonic Mania)
"Why is this happening to me?!" Uni wailed as she dashed down the street, the chopper piloted by Generic Soldier #20 in hot pursuit, the flying robots harassing her with shots from their laser rifles. "I haven't been using any cheat codes lately, I swear!" Fortunately, the robots couldn't aim at a moving target very well, which was why the goddess was currently in motion.
"Prepare to die!" Soldier #20 proclaimed as he pulled the trigger on his ill-gotten bazooka, shooting three missiles, two red and one blue, which rocketed forward before turning and locking onto Uni!
But the fact that it was Uni's weapon meant she also knew its weakness. (The blue one,) she thought, (If I knock that one off course, it'll lock on to a different target...) She jumped to dodge the first red missile, barely escaping the explosion as it impacted on the asphalt behind her. Lifting her rifle, she took aim and fired, successfully nicking the blue missile and sending it off-course- right at the helicopter!
"Oh shit! Robots, defend me!" Soldier #20 cried out, said robots obeying and flying in front of the chopper, the one in front getting hit with the blue missile and blasted into pieces!
(Yes!) Taking advantage of the distraction, Uni promptly vaulted over the railing, dodging the last red missile in the process, quickly retrieving her Sharicite from her pouch! "Access!" she cried, being engulfed in a bright light as her HDD activated, quickly spreading her processor wings and pulling up! "Alright you jerk, round two!" Black Sister declared as she took aim at another robot, her shot piercing its power core and blowing it to shrapnel!
"Dammit!" Soldier #20 grunted at the turn of events. "Robots, attack mode!" The remaining two robots promptly flew toward Uni at high-speed, firing their laser rifles! But the CPU Candidate was too agile for them, easily avoiding every shot! Black Sister then made a sharp turn around the corner of a high-rise, turning to face the direction she'd flown from... when a robot flew into view, her trigger finger twitched, the rifle shot blowing off the robot's head, the rest of the machine auto-deactivating and falling to the streets below, detonating upon impact!
But then Soldier #20's chopper came around the other side of the building behind Uni, firing another three-shot of missiles from his bazooka! Black Sister let herself fall a fair distance, firing to send the blue missile off-course again, then turning and jetting off, flying in a three-dimensional pattern to make herself a harder target for the red missiles to track! One crashed and exploded on the corner of another high-rise, while the other one ran out of fuel and disarmed, falling out of the sky.
Deciding to change tactics, Generic Soldier #20 pulled out an assault rifle and opened fire as the chopper flew in close! Fortunately bullets weren't lethal to an HDD goddess, but they still stung like hell, Black Sister gritting her teeth as she tried to evade her enemy's sights... but then the last robot flew in front of her, the CPU Candidate unequipping her rifle so she could grab the tin can and use it as a shield! While the robot was smart enough to not fire on its master, it didn't know how to deal with Uni grappling it from behind.
"Activate self-destruct!" the armored man ordered, Black Sister's eyes going wide in shock as she promptly let go, only to be sent flying as the robot destroyed itself in an explosion visible from the street! As she fell, Uni managed to pull out a healing potion from her pouch, quickly downing the entire contents, feeling her pain ease as her wounds healed over. Arresting her downward descent, she managed to land on her feet, equipping her rifle again as the enemy chopper bore down on her...
"Bull's-eye!" the sniper declared as she fired, her shot snapping the main rotor off the rest of the helicopter!
"Dammit!" Soldier #20 cried as he jumped out of the doomed chopper, activating a jetpack and flying off into the sky! As Black Sister tried to pursue, he chucked something at her that hit her directly in the chest, causing the goddess to briefly spiral out of control, allowing the Ho-Hum member to escape into the night.
As Uni touched down again, she realized what she was holding- her stolen bazooka. "...well, at least he was nice enough to give it back," she muttered to herself. "Better call Noire and let her know what happened..."
*Meanwhile, at Leanbox City Animal Shelter...*
"So what you're saying is," Vert began, looking over at a conspicuously empty cage, "that this back door is locked at night, but during the day, almost anybody can walk in here?"
"With all due respect, Lady Vert, this's an animal shelter, not a maximum-security prison," the NPC head caretaker countered. "Believe me, when I learned what happened, I took immediate action..."
"And what action would that be?!" Chika Hakozaki demanded, with her hands on her hips.
"One of m'subordinates discovered that cat escaped a few days ago," the NPC explained. "But he was so afraid of incurring' yer wrath, Lady Vert, that 'e kept quiet until I discovered the cat was gone m'self! So I told 'im, 'You wanna avoid Lady Vert's divine wrath? There's an easy way t'do that: You're fired!' I was 'bout t'call ya when you showed up anyway..."
"So why did it take you so long to find out what happened?" the Oracle inquired.
"I'll show ya," the shadow-man said, walking over and taking out a small device. Placing it in BlackGatomon's empty cage, he flicked a switch, the device projecting an image of the black cat. "My employee realized somethin' was wrong when th'cat wasn't eating 'er food... but instead o' telling' me, he changed her food out so I wouldn't notice... I only found out when I smacked 'er cage to get a reaction an' the device fell outta the cage!"
"So she's been gone for... over a week?" Vert mused. "Chika, call MAGES. and have her see if her collar is still active."
"Yes, Lady Vert!" the greenette nodded with a frown, pulling out her mobile device.
"Now then, I would like to have a word with your former employee," the CPU requested. "Do you still have his address?"
"...can I at least request that th'police interrogate him instead of you?" the NPC stammered.
Vert just smiled radiantly at him. "My dear sir, I am afraid that is not an option..."
"Okay, thank you so much," Chika said before hanging up. "Lady Vert, MAGES. says that the collar is still active, so whoever helped BlackGatomon escape either doesn't know how to remove it, or is deliberately keeping it on..."
"Most likely the latter, to keep them under their control," Vert nodded as she received a note detailing the ex-employee's address. "Thank you very much. And I would highly suggest you keep this back door locked at all times from now on..."
"Y-y-yes, ma'am!" the caretaker nodded vigorously.
*Ho-Hum HQ*
"Apologies, Overlord Momus! I have failed my mission!" Generic Soldier #20 lamented from the monitor screen. "I lost all my robots and my chopper! I only managed to escape by throwing Uni's stolen bazooka as a distraction!"
"I see," the horned man said. "Did you at least give the CPU Candidate a run for her money?"
"Well, I saw her use a healing potion, so I believe that I did," Soldier #20 responded.
"Then that will do, for now. Change out of your armor into civilian clothing, and stay under the radar until further notice."
"Wilco, sir! Soldier #20 out!" the armored man saluted, before the image cut to static.
"...outdated robots and trying to use Uni's own weapon against her! That guy was asking for failure, meow!" a high-pitched female voice spoke up.
"...as I have said before, our purpose is not to destroy the CPUs, but to keep them from becoming complacent," Momus stated firmly as he turned to face his subordinate. "Your attitude is precisely why I do not remove your suppression collar..."
"But it's uncomfortable, meow!" BlackGatomon lamented, mildly pawing at said bulky collar.
"Too bad, deal with it," the Ho-Hum leader retorted. "I know all about you backstabbing your last master, which is why I will not take any chances. After all, I only require your ability to create expendable mooks for my purposes. You should be grateful for the measure of freedom you have been given, unless you preferred being cooped up in that tiny cage..."
"...Fine, I'll behave myself," the black cat sighed, sitting on her rear end.
"Good." Overlord Momus turned back to the monitor, opening a new line of communication, Linda's face soon popping up on screen. "Underling #3, it seems you, Warechu and Dogoo Man have joined up with the others..."
"Yes sir, though I don't really care for roughing it like this," the punk girl complained. "But you're calling 'cause you've got a new evil plot for us, right?!"
"Indeed," the horned man confirmed. "Now, this is what I want you and the others to do..."
*To be continued...*