O-01-111 & O-05-30

"Yesterday's events took the life of two employees from Central, one from Security, one from Information and three from Training. Queen of Hate wiped out almost the entirety of Training, while King of Greed emptied the hallways of Control Department, where the Central Team was assigned. That means that we, the Control Team, will have to keep a firm hold on the things going on inside the facility now that every team has been weakened. You know the drill. If an employee panics and attempts to murder their partner and paint the corridors with blood, we stop them in their tracks before their madness takes the lives of ten more employees. Prioritize putting off the fire above all else. Rescuing the panicking employee is a desirable secondary objective, but not a main concern. If an abnormality breaches, we kick its butt and send it back in the same direction from whence it came from. If an Ordeal desolates the facility, we make them regret their choice to mess with us. You can learn from T-02-43 and O-02-56!"

"Er, boss?"

"Yes, employee 00107?"

"Are we going to talk about yesterday?"

"But we just did that."

"I mean the elephant in the room. You know. You going nuts and jumbling all the work types and all that."

"Ah, yes. I must apologize to all of you. After all the things we've been through, my incompetence and my incapacity to keep things under control made me lose myself in a torrent of harmful feelings. I'm over it now."

"Really? What we did yesterday was worth the effort?" Another employee questioned, a smile growing on their lips. If Malkuth's robotic chassis were capable of smiling, she would have returned them the grin. In fact, the brunette I saw did.

"No. I have just made peace with myself. I'm sorry. Your Sephirah is a clumsy slow incompetent girl who will never be worthy of your sacrifices, but at least I now know better than to make a fuss out of it and get you killed in the process."

"You're wrong, Malkuth."

As I gathered their looks, I pressed a hand against my face. Whenever I looked at her, I saw glimpses of something else. It felt similar to the explosions that followed any silence… What the hell was happening to me? I've been spouting nothing but nonsense lately… and it was about to keep getting worse.

Irritated by the incoherence of her double appearance, I chose to close my eyes.

"You did something amazing: you learnt your limits. That means you can finally focus on the things you can do without any distractions. If this hellhole of a corporation has taught me anything is that by slowly but surely working on the tasks available to you, growth will take place. By bearing the will to stand up straight, you can firmly grasp onto the things you hold dear. So don't kick yourself and say that it was all for naught. I will punch you."

"Aaaaand you ruined it, captain. Would you really punch our dear Sephirah? How could you!"

"That's right!"

"Protect the Malkuth!"

"Down with the captain's tyranny!"

These cheeky bastards. Did they really have to tackle me and engage Attachment work via tickles? Well, it had been a long time since I last laughed like that, so I accepted the punishment.

After my team was done bringing justice for the Malkuth, she approached us.

"You may die tomorrow… but this moment… I will carry with me for the rest of my time."

The fluff levels were over the roof, but I participated in the collective hug nonetheless. Damn it. I was proud, okay? For the first time since I joined the company, I felt happy for taking that dreadful decision.

"Well then, boss. Shall we get things started?"

"You know it! Team, move out and teach everyone that we are here to keep things under control!"

"Except the captain, who has new abnos to inspect."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"Good luck with that, employee… No. Good luck, [DATA EXPUNGED]."

The boss who always address me by my ID number… said my name. The emotion stacked inside my throat.

"Thanks, Malkuth. I'll make a thorough inspection on O-01-111 and O-05-30!"

That wonderful start of the day casted on me a protective spell against the usual madness and drama. The elevators were barely fixed. The departments felt emptier. The surviving clerks worried over who would die next while fixing the damages from the previous day. But I was happy. Hehe. Did I visit Today's Shy Look or something? Haha, such a bad joke, but whatever. I truly was happy.

When I arrived at the Central Department, I encountered an odd situation. Tiphereth A was scolding the only survivor from the previous day.

"They deserve praise, miss Tiphereth. Zero held down the fort here at Central and dealt with the Violet Ordeal of Noon by themselves. That's way more that you could expect from a rookie."

Her digital eye glared at me.

"Inspector, don't support them. They have neglected their growth for the past two days. As a result, not a single employee from Central can take care of its own abnormalities."

"To be fair, they are WAWs. They have it the toughest among all departments. I still have to go to Safety to help with their ALEPH, so you don't need to rush their training."

"Oh, yeah? And what do you think will happen when you die? We need to prepare your replacement as soon as possible or we'll be in big trouble."

"I agree. If I died, the world would undoubtedly become a worse place… but I am only one of Control Team's members. They have capable employees there. And don't forget about the team leaders." I pressed a hand over Zero's back. "Be a little more patient with them. They will shape up to the task, right?"

"I-I will do my best!"

Tiphereth A didn't tolerate my presence. From what Malkuth told me, she wasn't fond of ASIYAH folks. I could understand why she wanted to become independent from us and deal with their own share of troubles, but growing up is a slow process that can't be rushed.

"How about this? I will bring this employee with me and give them tips so that they can perform better. A tutoring system, of sorts."

"W-Would that be alright, senior?"

"Yeah, of course. Virtue can be built later, but wits is the key factor that will keep you alive. Come along." I grabbed them by the shoulder, waved at the Tiphereths and started walking towards the stairs. "Is Zero really your name?"

"Ah, n-no. My employee ID is filled with zeros, despite the others being coded 005XX, so my… my former teammates nicknamed me that."

"I see… Sorry about that. But, hey. What a coincidence. My ID also has lots of zeros. It's [Confidential ID]. What's yours?"

"[Confidential ID], senior."

"You don't need to call me senior, Zero. Everyone refers to me by my nickname."

"Inspector."

"That's the one."

"Don't you hate to be the first to interact with abnormalities we know nothing about? You could die!"

"If I still held fast to my fear of death, I wouldn't have made it this far. Besides, I think I am suited for the job. I have come to enjoy meeting the abnormalities."

The look on their face was priceless! That rookie was so innocent it was even cute. I messed with their blond hair, making them fix their fringe onto their ears. However, they showed a lot of promise. The Control Team A and B were composed of utter newbies without a sense of orientation within the facility. They needed a beacon to follow. If Zero survived for long enough, they would shine. I could see it.

"We're here."

Containment units 21 and 22. Abnormalities O-01-111 and O-05-30. I instructed them to take a peek through the windows in order to tell me their impressions.

"One is a tiny floating green girl and the other is some kind of machine."

"A machine? That's weird. Usually, the tool abno is the fourth one in each set. Maybe this one has an individual 'will', similarly to Red Shoes. Tell your team to be careful with this one."

If you see someone walking into this chamber without official orders, stop them. They may have been charmed by the abnormality. –Inspector

"But you haven't even entered yet!"

"Inspection takes place from the very moment I get any info on them. Think, Zero, think. How could this abno kill me? If an abno lacks limbs or the means to move, then they will force others to do their bidding."

"O-Oh. I hadn't thought of that."

"Because you lack experience. Once you get a feel for how abnormalities function and operate, you will detect patterns and predict outcomes."

"What about the other one, then? Is she another Magical Girl?"

"I think so. Are you prepared to be mocked by the other departments for housing so many magical girls?"

"Please, spare me!"

"Haha. I'm only kidding. Personally, I don't think it's that bad. Once you become able to deal with the magic girls, I will come visit every once in a while, if that's fine with you."

"Of co-course!"

The moment of truth. I knocked on the door before entering.

"Hi there. How are you doing?"

Magical Girl of Love, Justice, Happiness… and maybe Bravery? Yeah, let's go with that one. Magical Girl of Bravery resembled a pale small child of green bubbly hair who floated above the ground. She wore a light green shirt, with a yellow ribbon on her chest, and wide short pants of a darker color scheme. Tiny green shoes. A white cloth covered her eyes, seemingly blinding her, but she sensed my presence all right. Small green emeralds were attached to her arms, ribbon and belt. She wore symmetrical yellow feather-like adorns on her head. A small club-hammer thing floated next to her hand.

Upon sensing my presence, she floated towards me.

"Are you the one who keeps justice in this world?" She asked.

"To be fair, justice is rarely upheld in this place, but we try."

I greeted her without a real plan, but now that we were having a conversation, I may just engage in Insight Work. The manager allowed me some… freedom… with these initial interviews anyway.

"Are you familiar with the other magical girls? Justice, Happiness and Love."

"I am the youngest, the Magical Girl of Courage."

"Courage, huh?" Close enough. "Do you struggle with your fears, perhaps? Or do you want to be an icon that inspires courage to everyone?"

"Both. I fear being unfair and treat others unequally, which is why I wish to set an example by personifying these values."

"Cool. Your pink sister lends us her help whenever we struggle to fight evil. Well, she… forces her help on us, actually, but we appreciate it." As long as her powerlessness doesn't fill her with anxiety and awakens her violent reptile shape. "How do you feel about aiding us?"

"I don't believe that to be a good idea. I want to be fair to everyone, which extends to you rivals as well. A magical girl shouldn't play favorites."

"Are magical girls not allowed to have friends, then? That's quite the lonely lifestyle."

The child lowered her, clearly stirred by that word.

"Friends? Could we be friends?"

Option A: I say yes and befriend her, paying the obviously painful price. Even a helpful abno like O-01-04 had a bad side to her deal. Taking advantage of this girl and tempting her to tilt the balance in our favor could prove both beneficial and prejudicial.

Option B: I give her a vague response and prod further. I like B. I am all for B. B-gang forever.

"That may be a possibility. One we may explore later. As for now, I'm just here to meet you. Do you mind telling me more about you and the other magical girls? Anything you tell us could be of great help."

Alias: Magical Girl of Courage/Servant of Wrath. WAW level.

She may tilt the balance into our favor… if we are desperate enough to accept the potential risks.

Employees with Justice level 3 or lower, keep away from her.

Works fine with Insight and Instinct. She enjoys lecture, so lend her a book if possible. Attachment Work not possible with her. The only choice is to BEFRIEND her. –Inspector

"I'm not looking forward to her breach. She may require special attention like her sister, so we better place someone on vigilance duties in this hallway. Two of them, actually. If one of them falls to that machine's charm, the other will have to stop them. Heh. I see you also like taking notes."

"I-I just saw you carrying that notebook everywhere, so I thought I should copy you to become better…"

"A decent attempt, but remember that you will never become me, no matter how hard you try. You don't have to be me. Just find the best you."

"Find… the best me…"

One more.

A large rectangular industrial meat grinder –alarms are going off in my mind– held by 4 small legs. One the front, there was a black circular joint which divided the lid from the bottom. The lid had a rather thick pipe. The interior was lined with sawblades.

I crossed my arms. How was I going to die this time? I mean, I was obviously going to enter the meat grinder, but… how? Mental corruption? Charm? What were the conditions? What do you do with a meat grinder? The Instinct would be to put some meat into it. The Insight, cleaning it and oiling its joints and mechanisms. The Repression, kicking it repeatedly. The Attachment… petting it? What could you do to make a grinder happy?

Entering.

Do not engage Attachment work with this one.

I didn't have meat to grind –other than mine, and that was a no-no–, so I chose to practice some Insight.

I touched the lid and it opened on its own. A heavy pulse expanded through my chest.

"Oh, no. I fill the requirements to enter this grinder. Its calling me. What do I do? If I start the work, it may be too late for me. Do I go in? Or out the chamber?"

The answer was harder than it should have. Mental corruption really is the worst.

"Y-You're back so early? How did it go?"

I placed a hand on Zero's shoulder.

"It didn't go. It tried to bewitch me, just as I feared. Had I not turned around and ran away, I might have jumped inside that meat grinder. We need to find out its managerial tips before attempting any work."

"But who will do that if not you?"

I heard the Inspector had an apprentice, of sorts. I entertained the idea.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What were your virtues' levels?"

Fortitude 3, Prudence 3, Temperance 3 and Justice 3. An all-rounder. They practiced Instinct with Forsaken Murderer, Insight with Punishing Bird, Attachment with Child of the Galaxy and Repression with 1.76 MHz. High enough to resist low-end traps, but low enough to avoid whatever tried to bewitch a high-level employee like me. If the requirements were more extreme, however… …

[DATA EXPUNGED] didn't force me into it. They just gave me the chance to save their life by risking mine, since they were sure they would die if they stepped into the chamber again. I… wanted to follow their example, but I was scared!

However, in Lobotomy Corporation, we face the fear to build the future.

So I faced my fear in search of the best me.

Throughout the tense labor of rubbing a cloth through the sharp machinery of the abnormality, I could heart my heart beating against my ears. That thing was alive! I could feel it. I felt its persistent gaze, like dangerous yellow eyes on my neck, eyes that measured the quality of my meat.

Shaking like a newborn, I exited the chamber in one piece. I accepted the notebook that was offered to me. My own notebook.

A very dangerous HE that toys with your mind. Bla White damage.

It lures and forces people to feed it meat. I don't think feeding it anything is a good idea, actually.

Stay on high alert for possible mind corruption on employees. –Zero