Prompt: IF finds out that Underling is hiding in the PC Continent.

"Iffy!" Compa gave her a running hug, almost knocking her down the ship walkway.

"Woah! Careful there." IF sighed, and gripped her handbag a little tighter. "Geez, have I really been gone for so long?"

"No. I just really miss you." Compa said. "Wait, why are you landing in Lastation? Didn't your ship leave from Leanbox? And who are these scary guys with guns?"

IF glanced back at the heavily armed soldiers, who were holding Linda's handcuffs and escorting her into the dock. The delinquent's expression was a mix of pure relief and jittery anxiety, but at least she was not jumping at her own shadows anymore.

"It's...a long story." IF replied, after a long silence. "Let's talk on the way back in Planeptune. But hey, I bought some souvenirs! I'll let you have the first pick."

She opened her handbag, revealing the box of bobblehead figures inside. Compa's eyes lit up as she took one out of the box, and gave the jumpsuit-clad figure a poke in the head.

"Ooh. Cute." Compa smiled. "Why do they have funny lizard eyes, though?"

"...I think they modelled these things after their boss?"

IF's "suspicion-o-meter" was going up at a steady rate, as she read the instruction attached to the letter again.

The letter itself was perfectly innocent. But why was this "Bethel Hesda" woman so insistent that she shouldn't ask anyone for direction, and kept her destination a secret, the moment she came off the ship? By the time she reached the "avoid contact with Northern Capitoline's local heroic agencies" part, she was starting to think that this might all be an elaborate trap.

Despite being on high alert, IF couldn't help but be awed by the scenery. PC Continent was on par with Planeptune in terms of the grandeur of their technology, which kept the entire landmass floating above the sea, and only after IF had made her way down the maze of freeways and elevators did she realize how tall these buildings were, all stacked atop one another to an seemingly impossible height.

The deeper she went into the underbelly of the city, however, the less elegant the architecture became. Gone was the slick, minimalistic exterior and the pristine whiteness of the upper level buildings, and IF began to see exposed wires, flaking paint and rusty metal. Not exactly where she expected to find the base of "the finest heroic organization".

At last, she stopped in front of...a featureless metal wall. After double-checking the address, IF made a knock on the wall, frowning.

"Hello?"

No response. If she struck her blades against the wall, and made a louder noise, maybe they would hear it. Or perhaps this was intentional. A test to gauge her power level and wit, so they could be prepared—

There was a low beeping sound. IF stepped back, gripping the blades in her sleeves. Slowly, part of the wall began to sink, creating a giant gear-shaped dent, before the gear rolled aside, revealing the empty darkness behind it.

"WELCOME TO THE ZENI VAULT!" A pre-recorded message suddenly blurted out of the speaker at a deafening volume, as IF made her way into the tunnel, and the gear-shaped door shut behind her.

"Tan...go..."

IF nearly hurled her blade at the ceiling when she heard that voice. Under the dim light of the vault, the first thing she saw when she looked up was the trail of glistering green slime, then, the giant black snail. Hanging upside down on the ceiling, it blended seamlessly into the shadow, and only its glowing eyestalks gave away its location.

"Huh?" Out of all the monsters that she was expecting a potential villain to send at her, this had to be the most bizarre and, to be honest, pathetic one.

"Tango...can sense..." The snail whispered, in an annoyingly slow voice. "The lazy Planeptune vibe...on you..."

"Hey! Not all of us are like Nep, you know!" IF retorted. "Are you spying on me?"

"Tango...knows. Tango is...Miss C-Sha's old buddy, after...all." The snail wiggled its eyestalks in a rather unsettling manner. "Tango is...just...taking...a walk."

"Okay?" IF raised an eyebrow. "I'm here for Linda. That Deity of Sin cultist you caught. Your boss said she's currently detained in this vault. Would you mind giving me some directions?"

"Is...that...so? Then hear...Tango's advice...it is...in your best...interest..."

"What?" IF groaned. And she thought that Plutia girl talked too slowly.

"Not to...go in there. Yet."

"Why?" That sounded even more suspicious. She really hoped that bogging her down with a slow-talking snail wasn't part of their plan to buy more time for backup.

"Because...Miss Arkana is having a...friendly talk...with her...and you...shouldn't trust...Miss Bethel's...brilliant...ideas." Seeing her dubious look, the snail added, "But Tango...can't really stop you...so...go ahead. Keep...turning...right, until you see another...gear-shaped door."

Without a word, IF bolted away into the corridors. Whatever "friendly talk" they were having with that Underling, it didn't sound good at all, and the less time she wasted getting there, the better.

"Oh, and be nice to...Little...Mas..." The snail mumbled something else, but IF didn't hear the rest of the sentence.

"Halt!"

A loud command rang through the corridor, right after she caught a glimpse of the gear-shaped door. To IF's surprise, the speaker was a petite redhead girl, wearing an undersized leather jacket and a grey sweater.

"Hello. Is that Linda girl in here?" IF pointed to the door, and, upon receiving a nod from the girl, resumed her walk. "Good. Move aside, please? I need to go get her."

"I repeat, halt your steps!" The girl stomped down on the floor. IF mentally uttered a "crap" when the nearest wall slid open, revealing a giant assault rifle that was almost as tall as the girl, who picked it up with a frightening ease.

"By the order of Commander Yid Flynn, none shall pass beyond this checkpoint."

"What? Your boss, that Bethel woman, asked me to pick Underling up, and bring her back to Gamindustri for trial." IF narrowed her eyes. "Or maybe there's something else she's not telling me?"

"Bethel is a moron with a big mouth. I only answer to Commander Yid." The girl replied. "If you keep ignoring my warning, I'll have to resort to lethal force."

IF sighed, and unsheathed her blades. She really, really didn't want to get into a gun fight in this narrow corridor, and she had never heard of this "Commander Yid" person. But at this point, she was certain that something fishy was going on, and she was not turning back until she figured out what exactly it was.

"If you aren't helping that Underling, then we really shouldn't be fighting. This is your last chance to quit, kid."

"The same goes for you. If you aren't a dirty cultist trying to sneak your friend out, turn around and leave this place immediately." The girl placed her finger on the trigger. "I'm not as good as Commander Yid, but I won't—"

"Because we don't have enough trouble keeping our Capitoline branch running already? Bethel, you are a fucking genius. Almost on par with the human train wreck that is Ubiquité." A low, authoritative voice came from behind IF. "Ranger Maschine. Put your rifle down."

The girl lowered her gun meekly, without a word. IF turned back, and saw a middle-aged woman in a green T-Shirt. Her short brown hair and muscular build almost made IF mistake her for a guy at first glance, and her face scrunched up into a fierce scowl as she spoke into the phone.

"We need as much publicity as we can get. Are you saying that Arx should just hand the girl over to O-Wings after she caught her? Yeah, like that bitch needs one more thing to gloat about!"

"I don't give a crap about your childhood trauma. We've still intruded into O-Wings' operation zone, and Elizabeth A.'s lawyers are as good as yours. Stop giving her more ammunition." She paused, "By the way, your guest is here. Maschine was about to shoot her when I came in. Looks like your publicity campaign is going along swimmingly."

"Excuse me, Yid? Slayer of demons? The Ultimate Azure Corporal who fought Hell itself?" The voice suddenly rose an entire octave, "SINCE WHEN HAVE RULES EVER STOPPED YOU FROM—!"

There was a static electricity sound, and the call abruptly ended.

"Great. She broke another phone with her yelling." Yid tucked the phone into her trouser pocket, before meeting IF's stare. "As you can see, we are truly the finest heroic agency on PC Continent." A groan. "I can't believe I quit the Azure State army for this."

"...I need some explanation."

"The short explanation is, my boss is a blabbering idiot." Yid shrugged. "The long explanation, I'll leave it to Arkana. You are dismissed from guarding duty, Ranger Maschine. Let's start your training for the day."

The girl gave her a salute, after putting her rifle back inside that hollow wall. Yid patted her on the head, and together, the pair walked away from her.

"Hey! What is the meaning of this? Am I supposed to wait here?"

IF suddenly felt a...chill sensation in the air. When she turned back, a young woman, wearing a heavily decorated blue long coat, was standing there. Yet the door behind her remained sealed.

"Greetings. My name is Arkana Corvi, Miss Bethel's secretary." The woman's voice was strangely soft and serene. "I apologize for the discourteous treatment you've received. Were I notified of your arrival, I would have given you a proper tour of the vault, before we get down to business."

"So you...don't actually have the authority to arrest criminals?"

"Not inside the district where they conducted the assault on the cultist base." Arkana opened another bottle of "N-Cola" for her. She had actually apologized for the lack of tea in their freezer—apparently, her boss's love for carbonated drinks was just too strong.

"But we do have full control of this part of the Miga Lorraine County." Arkana brushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. "You have seen an overview of our heroic agencies on the tourist brochures, I presume?"

"Yes. O-Wings is the one with that...winged orange logo, right?"

"True. Their second-in-command, Miss Dice, runs O-Wings' Northern Capitoline branch. She also ordered that assault. My capture of Linda is a simple coincidence, but Miss Bethel..." She paused. "Holds a strong grudge against the head of O-Wings. She insists that I do not hand her over to them, especially after she finds out about Linda's status as a wanted fugitive on your continent."

"What does she want, then?"

"To take the credit for capturing her, and earn the Zeni Vault some publicity by contacting you, a foreign agent." Arkana was frowning slightly. "If she was here, she'd probably ask you to heap praises on our agency, once you get back and meet up with your friends and superiors. With what just transpired outside, I'd be glad with the lack of any negative comments on your side."

IF smiled a little at that. "No worries, I'm not gonna badmouth you in front of Nep. She'd totally try to fly all the way here, if she heard about how...exciting this place is. Can I grab Linda and go now?"

"Unfortunately, there are no extradition treaties between the Capitoline Triad province and Planeptune. You cannot take her back on your own, and our agency isn't nearly influential enough to be guaranteed such an honor."

"What?" IF leaned forward. "But Lady Vert told me that some of your Azure government guys asked her to send that Horyu-chu guy back, and she granted it."

"There is an extradition treaty between Leanbox and most of the Azure State. Capitoline works differently." Arkana sighed. "Even as a Capitoline native, I have to say that the efficiency of our bureaucratic machine...leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps I shall spare you the lengthy explanation on our legal working, and go straight to the solution."

"Please, take your fugitive to the nearest VSync-Stormnet branch, and tell their operatives that you've caught her on your own, after witnessing a petty crime, and recognize her as a wanted criminal in Gamindustri." Arkana said. "They have an extradition treaty with Lastation, and Yid's old associate in that agency will make sure that the process goes as smoothly as possible."

"...Fine, I guess." IF nodded. All these complex power struggles between agencies were starting to give her a headache. "Aren't you worried that Linda would tell them everything, though?"

"It will be in her best interest to stay silent." Arkana did not elaborate any further, before she led IF away from the lounge, and into the corridor beyond.

"To save time, Yid will escort both of you to the branch building, and there are plenty of empty living quarters inside. I suggest that you stay in there for the rest of the week, since they'll require a lot of paperwork, signatures and confirmation from your side."

"Rats...giant swarm of...demonic rats..."

When IF entered the cell, Linda was staring at her cuffed hands, repeating the same few words over and over again. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw IF.

"Oh, it's you again. Are you taking me back to Gamindustri?"

"No. I'm on holiday and just wanna drop by and say hello, Underling." IF put on her best deadpan expression.

There was a flicker of real despair and panic on Linda's face, before it was replaced by outrage. "Gimme a break! That's not funny!"

"So is joining a cult." IF said. "I can't believe you still miss us so much."

"Like hell I do, punk! Still..." Linda shuddered again. "After what I've been through, I'd rather go back to Gamindustri's jail! Yeah, crimes don't pay, piracy and worshipping evil deities is bad, I get it! I swear I won't say a word about my...unlucky encounter, and will be a good citizen from now on! Please get me out of here, and away from that crazy bitch?"

"...Arkana?"

"Who the hell do you think I'm talking about? Don't let her politeness fool you! I-I'm pretty sure that bitch is not human—!"

Linda's scream died in her throat. IF turned back, and saw nothing but empty air. When she shifted her sight back to Linda, Arkana was leaning against a wall, having seemingly teleported in from nowhere again. Only then did IF notice the silver pentagram tattoo on Arkana's left hand, glowing brightly under the dim light.

"Yid told me she was ready." Arkana's voice was as calm as ever, as she unlocked Linda's cuffs. "I'm sure you understand what is best for you, Linda. Please don't cause more troubles on the way."

Whatever that unsaid "Or else" was, Linda understood it perfectly, judging by her frantic nods and pale look.

The first thing IF noticed was the giant pile of bunny plushies lying at the back, as Yid pulled open the door of that huge, nasty-looking vehicle. She couldn't imagine Yid being the type of person who'd collect cute toys—it probably all belonged to that Maschine kid.

When the car started moving, however, she soon understood why all the plushies were buckled down with duct tapes.

"Slow down!" IF yelled, as the vehicle made a swerve, and the horned skull mounted on its front narrowly missed a lamp post. "Haven't you seen the speed limit?!"

"No one cares about these numbers." Yid replied. "By Capitoline standard, I drive like a gentle old lady. R-Star learnt to drive on these roads, y'know?"

As if making a point, she stepped down on the gas pedal, slamming both passengers against their seats. Linda looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

"I'm reconsidering my decision to say nice things about your agency!"

"You do you. We aren't opening a branch on your continent, and it's not like your CPUs give a crap about us."

If IF was not gripping onto her seat belt for dear life, she'd probably give the back of the driver's seat a hard kick. "How do you know? You've never even been there!"

"Oh, my childhood dream is actually becoming a plumber in Lowee. I went there, delivered a job application to their Basilicom, and got rejected because I'm not a citizen." Yid's flat voice made it very hard to tell if she was being sarcastic.

The VSync-Stormnet Agency was, like its name, separated into two buildings that were joined together by a walkway. The blue and white spire wouldn't be out of place in Lowee's older city districts, while the brutal industrial aesthetic of the black bunker managed to be more Lastation than Lastation itself.

As IF pulled a staggering Linda down the car, both of them gave Yid a sullen glare, who just smirked in response. Seconds later, a black shadow swept down from the sky, and landed on the car.

That...was the biggest raven IF had ever seen. Its wingspan was almost as large as an eagle.

"Long time no see, caw!" The raven chirped. "Still kicking ass and taking names even though you aren't inside the heartland of Azure anymore, caw? Or are you thinking about retirement already? Maybe you should open up a bunny farm and finally settle down, caw? Can I swap your Maschine for my bratty rookie after that? Oh, and who are these cute girls?"

"Hexen, I miss the days when useful, coherent things actually came out of your mouth." Yid put a hand to her forehead. "How has Aktivis not nailed your tongue to her office desk yet?"

"Abusing familiars is strictly forbidden in our agency, caw!" The raven tilted its head. "Abusing employees, not so much. Caw, my rookie should really be on the receiving end of her fury for once—oh, here he comes."

A young man wearing a steel-blue beret emerged from the main gate, followed by a woman with orange streaks in her grey hair, their neatly ironed black uniform shimmering under the afternoon sunlight. As the raven flew past them and disappeared into the main hall, the young man made a rude gesture in its direction.

"I saw that, rookie! Keep being a little shit, and I'll turn you into a chicken, caw!"

"Sledge Redwood." The young man said, completely ignoring the raven's angry screech. "I'll be taking the fugitive to her cell."

He gave Yid a nod, grabbed Linda's shoulders, and began to march her towards the building gate.

"And I'm Treya. Nice to meet you! We don't have a lot of foreign visitors." The woman greeted IF, before shifting her gaze to Linda. "Commander Yid, that...isn't a new specimen of some zombified humanoid monster, right?"

"Are you blind or what, freak?" Linda turned back and yelled at her, "I'm very much alive! Thank you!"

"No?" Treya looked really disappointed when Yid shook her head. "That's unfortunate. I could use some data on non-human entities' reaction to the Z-115 radiation, especially after the Fluffy Incident. Any chance that Tango may want to volunteer?"

"In your dreams," Yid replied. "I'll leave her to you. Try not to talk too much about zombies on your way there."

"Alright! Come with me, please!"

There was a strange chemical smell lingering around the woman, like she had been dunked into a vat of antiseptic recently, and IF could not help but wince a little, as she followed Treya into the VSync building.

"Do you have a moment?"

IF turned back, and saw a woman in a black tank top, with a red "D" symbol around her right eyes. She mentally groaned—this was the second time that a person with weird tattoo had popped up behind her, with no warning whatsoever. What was with these PC Continent people and their silent movements?

"Hi there, Dice." Treya waved at her. "Have my guys banned your account by accident again?"

"I need that ASIC fugitive back. To verify her fellow cultists' confessions." Her serious professional tone reminded IF a little bit of that Kei woman. "Tell me which holding cell she's in, and I'll be on my way."

"Oh, uh, you shouldn't be asking me?" Treya scratched her head. "I don't have the permission to—"

"I'm taking her back to Gamindustri."

Dice gave IF a stern look. "You are a foreign civilian who happened to get lucky, and caught our runaway. You don't have a say in this."

"Hey! What's with that attitude of yours?"

"Relax, Dice, We have a guest here!" Treya put a hand on IF's shoulder. "Let's not make her think we are a bunch of petty mean soldier folks, okay—?"

Right at that moment, the black screen on the wall lit up, and a cold, grating feminine voice began to speak.

"I have a say in this. And the answer is no. Now get out."

Dice stared straight into the screen. "I am doing this on O-Wings' behalf. Not Elizabeth's. I need a more elaborate explanation, before I can go back. That is basic respect towards a certified operative from another agency."

"I respect you enough to let you into the building. If she sent Respella, I wouldn't. Looks like that's a misstep on my part," The screen flickered, "because your superior's arrogance has really rubbed off on you. Treya?"

"Yes, boss!"

Before IF could figure out what was going on, Treya grabbed her and dragged her back. Seconds later, a metal barrier shot up from the floor, blocking Dice off from them, followed by a chain of rapid firing sound. After a period of dead silence, the barrier went back down, and IF caught a glimpse of the machine gun turret on the ceiling, sliding back into its hatch.

"...You just shot her?!" IF pointed at the bullet-ridden wall. "Is that how your boss deals with every person that pisses her off?!"

"That's only a hologram! Dice is a professional at creating these things!"

"How can you tell before you start shooting?!"

"Advanced security scanner—I'm sorry, my boss just really hates her boss. Normally we are on better terms, and Dice is a chill gal, once you get to know her." Treya let out a deep sigh, before reaching into her uniform pocket. "Here. Have some GobbleGums. It will calm your nerves. Now, let's forget about this unhappy encounter, and head to the living quarters?"

"Did she try to drug you with the candy and turn you into a zombie?" Compa asked innocently. "She sounds like one of those crazy scientist ladies."

"Nah." IF shook her head. "Nothing much happened after that. Just a lot of sitting around, talking and waiting. The biggest enemy I've run into is that VSync building itself. So. Many. Locks. I get that a weapon manufacturing agency needs to have good security, but I just kept forgetting which keycard opens which door!"

"Oh? They aren't a company that makes zombies?"

"They do dabble in bio-weapon research, but their most profitable business is actually selling candies." IF said. "And I know that because Treya tried to persuade me to take an entire GobbleGum machine as a parting gift, after she saw the bobblehead figures I bought from Arkana."

"Aww. That's so sweet of her."

"Sadly, I can't drag it all the way onto the ship. But I did take a dozen gumballs because she insisted. GobbleGum to that woman is like pudding to Nep, I swear." IF reached into her bag again, and grabbed the jar at its bottom. "Wanna have one, while we are waiting for the train?"

"Calm down, Linda, that creepy bitch can't summon a swarm of rats to eat you alive from an ocean away, she won't pop out of every goddamn shadow, or strangle you with shadow tentacles while you aren't looking, she's done with you and you know it..."

The soldiers next to her were giving her weird looks, as she kept muttering under her breath. Finally, the train exited the dark tunnel, and Linda slumped back in her seat at the sight of sunlight.

She didn't think she'd be comfortable around rats for a long, long time.

Ten OC Makers with lines have appeared in this one-shot, not counting all the namedrops. It should be easy to guess which companies they are based on?

Capitoline is kind of inspired by the old European PC market—they are part of the Microsoft-based Azure State, but their assimilation is a relatively recent thing, thus the cultural and legal differences. Its full name, "Capitoline Triad", is an allusion to the three old city states that made up the province: Astrad, Sinspec and the Acorn Citadel.

The limitation of a one-shot only allows me to squeeze in a few sneak references, however; for example, Arkana being a Capitoline native (Arkane is a French studio), Dice's control over Northern Capitoline (DICE is Swedish), and Yid's stray comment that R-Star learnt how to drive in the province (Rockstar's founders are British, and Rockstar North started off as the computer club of a Scottish university).

Headcanon: Studios known for their game engines—DICE and Frostbite, Epic and Unreal, for example, are Makers who specialize in developing holographic technology.

Fun fact: Carmack and Romero's first game, Dangerous Dave in Copyright Infringement, is a PC port of Mario, and when they contacted Nintendo, they got rejected, because eh, Nintendo wasn't really interested in the PC market.