AN: Sorry for the delay for a few days, but here it is! The last chapter before all the fun begins...
As usual, I wanna thank everyone who helped me RP their characters. You guys rock!
Also, starting next chapter I'll be answering reviews at the end of the chapters. I really would lve to hear your thoughts!
3/6/20 Rewrite: Changes have been made to fit the new canon, and some errors have been fixed.
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Floor 1
Female Dormitory Common Area
A muted murmur escaped the Geneticist as she slowly sat up with a puzzled expression. The world around her seemed to blur and it only seemed to exasperate the twinging sensation that pulsated in the back of her head.
The buxom blonde kept a composed demeanor as she extended a single hand before gently patting the couch she found herself seated upon. A look of relief filled her bright unfocused green eyes as she slowly lifted her black-framed glasses before pushing them up the bridge of her nose.
The result was instantaneous as the world came into focus. Miranda slowly allowed her head to pivot around what appeared to be a dormitory hall before she noticed a woman slumped on a couch adjacent from her. She bore a lab coat similar to her own.
Without a word, she bounded to her feet before pursing her lips. "...Could this be the Institute?... I think I arrived but it all feels so...fuzzy. Like I should remember something important, but I can't..." she murmured aloud.
She tapped her chin in concentration before relenting after a moment with a sigh. 'Ugh, this feeling reminds me of the last time I drank. Could I have fainted or was this all by design?' she pondered as she crossed over to the adjacent couch.
Wordlessly she leaned over, her massive cleavage inches from the other woman's face as she reached out before grinning mischievously as she took a pen from her coat pocket and tentatively poking the woman's cheek with it several times. "Oh dear, I've never seen a spider the size of a small cat before. How fascinating..."
"Ugh, what?" Fuka Tanaka mumbled as she steadily sat up, rubbing her eyes. Upon having her vision clear, the Virologist's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing an unfamiliar woman with ample cleavage, instinctively crying out and backing away.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed she was in the girl's common hall. She eyed the other unfamiliar girl suspiciously. Despite Fuka's unfamiliarity with the blonde woman, she wore an Institute lab coat. "I'm sorry, who are you?" The Perfect Virologist asked warily.
The blonde offered a sheepish smile in response, a twinge of guilt coloring her features as she returned her pen to her coat pocket. "Sorry for spooking ya luv. I just needed some answers and as cute as it was I couldn't let you slumber all day," she responded before extending her hand outward. "Miranda Bailey, former Ultimate Geneticist. I don't suppose you know what's going on? The last thing I recall was arriving at the institute...and everything is hazy after that."
The blue-haired Virologist warily accepted the handshake stiffly. "Fuka Tanaka, Perfect Virologist." She squinted her eyes in thought. "The last thing that happened..." She recalled opening the door for those strangers with Professor Idabashi. "I'm sorry, but did you come in with those people from Towa City? I don't remember seeing you..." Fuka mused.
The blonde shook her head in response. "No, as I recall Seriozha mentioned everyone else was already present. I was in the South Pacific when all that supposedly happened. I had a somewhat informal interview..." she trailed off as she reached up to rub at her forehead. "A short time later I arrived here. I-I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something though."
Fuka raised an eyebrow at that. "So you came here alone later? But wait, that should not be possible... I mean, I know Seriozha talked about bringing another person here, but still..." The blue-haired woman gasped, pushing her glasses up on her face with a shaky hand. "Miranda, may I ask what the date is?"
The Geneticist continued to massage her temple a moment. "As memory serves it was the 18th or 19th of November. I was so jetlagged after the helicopter ride that I can't be entirely sure. My thoughts were distracted because I was also..." she trailed off once more as her eyes widened. "Bloody hell, I'll need to have some wellness tests. I know there was something else. Something very important," she mused as chewed on her bottom lip in irritation.
"19th of November? But it was the 14th of November when I blacked out. The hell?" Fuka mumbled, shaking her head. "Whatever the case, something is odd..."
"Obviously something bad has happened." Cut in a young yet commanding voice. The two women turned to see Song walk out of her room.
"Oh, Song. Hello." Fuka greeted in relief. "It is good to see a familiar face."
"Indeed." The Probabilist replied simply, nodding her head in agreement, and turning to size up the buxom blonde with intrigue. "Tell me, you say you have forgotten something important? Do try to remember. Every little bit in this odd situation may help."
Miranda nodded at the new arrival with a thoughtful expression. "Believe me when I say that I'm trying to. Considering the blackouts, it's possible whatever caused it might also be the reason for my gap in memory. I take it you awoke a moment ago too?" she questioned as she adjusted her glasses.
The Probabilist shook her head. "That is correct. And like Fuka, my last memory before passing out is the 14th of November, as we opened the vault door."
"Oh good, so it isn't just me..." Fuka sighed in relief.
"So it seems. If I had to make a wager, I would say the probability of the rest of our colleagues being in the same situation is very, very high." Song then turned back to eye Miranda, fiddling with her fingernail. "Which would mean that you, mysterious stranger, are the outlier in all this." The young girl raised a hand to Miranda. "I am Song Aisin Gioro, the Perfect Probabilist."
Before the Geneticist could open her mouth, Song gave her a small smile. "Ah, I already heard your name. Miranda Bailey. It is nice to meet you."
The blonde offered a slightly bemused chuckle in response. "Well, it seems we have introductions out of the way. Though we certainly have more questions than answers. Shall we look around? I'm getting a distinct feeling that this place is far less secure than Seriozha claimed."
"Seriozha being full of hot air? Tell me something I don't know..." Fuka mumbled under her breath.
"Miranda is right. Our best course of action would be to find everyone else. Let me see if I can contact them..." Song agreed, reaching into her lab coat.
Upon seeing Miranda's confused look, Fuka explained what she meant. "We all have these high tech portable laptop and tablet hybrids created by Professor Idabashi. One of its functions allows us all to send messages to one another."
"What?" The young probabilist muttered, searching through her lab coat more hastily. "My Genesis Pad is gone..."
Fuka's eyes widened, as she searched herself as well. "Mine is gone also... and my ID badge too... this is bad."
The Geneticist thumbed at her chin. "Seems we'll have to do this the old fashion way then. You both know this facility right? Any suggestions where we should start our search? I hope we won't need those badges to access everything, otherwise, this search may be a short one."
"Unfortunately, it seems that will be the case." Fuka sighed, running a hand through her hair. "We need our ID badges to access any floors higher than this one. The elevator won't work without them."
"Fuka is right. Though if there is a silver lining, it is that there are only 3 other main areas here. The female dormitories, where we are now. Then there's the cafeteria and kitchen area, the rec room, and of course, the central garden. Unless everyone else is on the higher floors, it will be easy to find everyone else." Song hummed in thought. "For now, I believe we should head towards the male dorms across the hall."
Miranda straightened her lab coat as she eyed the hallway for a moment. "Well, there's no time like the present right? Since you both are much better acquainted, I'll follow your lead. Hopefully one of the gentlemen here might have more answers then we do."
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Floor 1
Male Dormitory Common Room
Kagemaru swatted at his face as he felt something pecking him, his eyes closed as drool rolled down his cheek. "Ugh, leave me aloneee..." He whined. Upon hearing a squawk, his eyes shot open. "What is it, Corvo?" He whispered, looking around and noticing they were in the male commons area. "Hmhm, how mysterious! To fall unconscious so suddenly... how exciting!"
Kline, meanwhile, also started stirring into conscious. His eyes blinked rapidly, and ever so slowly the programmer found himself getting up to his feet. "Good lord...what was that? What happened?"
"Heh, looks like we all got sucker-punched into sleep." Chuckled Leo, as he rubbed the back of his head. "What a bother."
"Now now, don't tell me you two aren't excited!" Kagemaru cackled with a wicked smile. "We're now dealing with the unknown, something humans always fear. This in and of itself is an experiment! Excellent!"
"I'm glad you're so happy over our current predicament," Kline snapped, rolling his eyes as he looked around. "Well. I suppose we may as well and try to find the others, yes? Perhaps someone else has a better idea of what happened."
"Yeah yeah, maybe we can stop by the rec room first for a drink? I could use a shot right about now." Leo looked up, his good-natured smile quickly slipping away as he noticed something on the wall. "Hey, you guys... has that monitor always been them?"
"Eh? You mean the TV?" The Phobologist asked in confusion.
"No, bird boy. I'm talking about that small monitor there, by the camera." He pointed, directing their attention to a small monitor hooked up next to the camera. "We've always had cameras, but that's new..."
Kline paused and tilted his head curiously as he stared at the monitor. "Yes...I do believe you're right. That wasn't there before. I'm getting a bad feeling about this..."
"Muahaha, and we seem to be missing our badges and Genesis Pads. And the plot thickens!" Kagemaru giggled. "We can't leave this floor now."
"Man, what a pain. And I left my favorite wine in my lab..." Upon seeing the looks the other two gave him, his eyes darted around with a nervous laugh. "Uh, I mean... not that I was drinking while on the clock or anything..."
"It is quite odd, isn't it?" The small boy mused, petting Corvo. "We blackout as soon as we open the door for those mysterious visitors. Is that a coincidence?"
"Likely not," Kline agreed as he shook his head. He scowled a little, before murmuring, "It must have been a trap. An obvious one too, in retrospect. I doubt that was even Doctor Idabashi they had with them."
"Eh, not much we can do about it now. The old fart Director made the call, and we need to roll with it." Leo shrugged. "Best thing we can do now is decide what to do from here, and regroup with everyone else."
"Heh, that's surprisingly good advice from someone like you!" Kagemaru snickered. "If worst comes to worst, I can use Corvo as a spy. It's really fun, trust me! I can use him to scope things out if you all wish?"
"It certainly couldn't hurt," Kline replied, giving a small shrug.
Kagemaru nodded, giving a quick whistle as Corvo flew off down the hall. The three waited in awkward silence before the bird returned. It squawked at the Phobologist for a few seconds, before Kagemaru turned back to face them. "Hehe, so it seems that we have all been divided into groups of three in different areas around the first floor. Some of the girls are heading this way, one of which is someone we don't know. How fun!" He cackled.
"Another new girl? What do you mean..." Leo started, before the door to the male commons area opened, revealing Song, Fuka, and an unfamiliar blonde girl.
Kline raised an eyebrow, glancing over the newcomers before focusing on the unknown girl. "I'm sorry, but who is this? And what in bloody blazes is going on here?!"
Fuka sighed in relief upon seeing the three boys, before shaking her head. "Well, there's a lot to cover but... this is-"
"Muhaha, you must be Miranda Bailey! The Perfect Geneticist." Kagemaru cackled, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"And just how do you know that?" Song inquired, looking at him suspiciously.
"I eavesdropped on the Director talking to her. I thought she wasn't coming for at least another week or so..." The phobologist mused.
"Yes well, apparently her last memory is later than ours, while we just remember November 14th. It raises some troubling questions." Fuka frowned.
"Wait, what? Have we really been unconscious for that long?!" Kline panicked, rearing back in shock. "But no, that...can't be the case. Unless...well, someone or something must have tampered with our memories. But...how? Why?"
He paused, bringing a hand to massage his temples. "Well, one thing at a time I suppose. Speaking of the Director… has anyone seen him? Where is he?"
"No. Not at all. And that is what is most concerning." Song sighed, shaking her head. "Even worse, without our Genesis Pads and badges, we can't contact anyone or go to the higher floors. This is clearly something that has been planned."
"Someone tampering with our memories... I don't like it." Leo then shrugged. "Oh well. I say we just go with the flow and see what happens. After all..." The suave man said, approaching Miranda and gently taking her hands in his. "it's not everyday you see such a lovely lady."
Miranda blushed, looking away. "O-oh, why thank you!" She giggled.
"Ignore him. He says that to every girl he sees." Fuka snapped, swatting Leo's hands away from Miranda. "Even now, he can't take anything seriously."
"Yes, I do believe we have more important things than fornication to be worrying about," Kline agreed as he shook his head. "Well then, what shall our next move be? Finding more of the others?"
"Yes. We all need to regroup as one. The central garden will be our best bet." Song agreed with a curt nod.
"Hehe, well then, shall we everyone? I have a feeling the real fun is about to begin!" Kagemaru said excitedly.
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Floor 1
Kitchen
Tomoe groaned as she stirred awake, rubbing the back of her head as she sat up. The psychiatrist took a look around and noticed she was in the kitchen. She heard a loud moan, jumping slightly as she looked next to her and noticed Emil's head on her shoulder. She smiled slightly.
"Ohhh Emil wake up!" She teased, lightly pinching his cheek.
His eyes still closed shut, the young man settled a hand over the woman's before letting out a low yawn. The dark bags under his eyes seemed just a touch lighter than they had been. The Optometrist stayed right where he was beside Tomoe, clearly awake, though oddly silent.
"Oi, can you two lovebirds knock it off?" Iris moaned, rubbing her eyes as she guided her wheelchair over to them. "We have some serious shit to worry about."
"Right. Sorry." Tomoe blushed, slowly standing up and patting Emil on the head. "Why are we in the kitchen? Weren't we in the entrance hall, before passing out?"
"Aye." The mycologist replied glumly. "Even worse, our ID badges and Genesis Pads are gone. This ain't good."
Emil steadily rose to his feet, making sure to wipe his glasses clean first and foremost. "Apologies. It's been quite some time since I've slept so well. Thus, I was trying to enjoy the afterglow while I could. Was that an odorless sleeping gas, perhaps? Hmm, where pills fail, the toxicity of gas prevails? It would be worth replicating in the future," he mused before muttering to himself, "Alas, dreams still escape me..."
"I didn't catch a scent or a color of any gas..." Tomoe mused, raising a hand to her chin in thought. "As far as I remember, none of us were coughing, it was almost instantaneous as soon as the vault door was open."
"Aye, that's not suspicious at all!" Iris laughed somewhat bitterly. "Glasses boy, you're pretty smart, how did we get knocked out all at the same time like that?"
Glasses boy calmly adjusted his glasses, the white light glancing off their lens. "Nearly instantaneous... Even the direct application of chloroform would take minutes, and at a glance, it doesn't appear as though any of us are suffering from side effects... This is pure conjecture, but one possibility is that the metaphorical seeds for such had already been planted inside us long ago." He wriggled his fingers. "In other words, whoever is responsible may have control over the minutiae of our bodies. That would be disastrous, to say the least."
"That is worrying..." The psychiatrist shuddered, hugging herself. "I feel so... violated."
"Let's just stay calm, and figure out what to do next," Iris said, attempting to keep the peace. "Obviously, without our badges, we ain't goin' nowhere beyond this floor. It's safe to assume the others are in the same situation, so we should probably find them."
Emil raised a finger in quiet protest. "That's as reasonable a course of action as any, but first I'd like to perform a quick health inspection on the two of you to ensure that all is well. And since this is an opportunity like no other, I also have the perfect pair of glasses I've been meaning for you to try on, Iris." As usual, he began to unbutton his raincoat.
"What the bloody hell? My glasses are perfectly fine, thank you very much you pervert," the wheelchair-bound mycologist replied with disgust.
"Um, I wouldn't mind some new glasses..." Tomoe said with a small smile, earning an incredulous look from Iris. "I think my prescription has changed anyhow?"
"Oi, we're seriously doin' this right now? Alright then." Iris sighed, throwing her hands up in surrender.
The Optometrist's shoulders sagged just an inch as he buttoned back up. "I'm used to being called perverse, though I thought you of all people would understand, Iris... There is nothing wrong with change every once in a while... Seeing the world from a new perspective, behind a new pair of lenses... I've incurred a temporary deficit to my enthusiasm. Let us be on our way now." He spared a dispassionate glance at Tomoe. "Your prescription is fine as it is, Mrs. Kagami."
The two girls watched Emil slowly walk off.
"Pervert," Iris growled.
"I just think he has a crush on you." Tomoe chuckled. "He clearly doesn't like me. I wonder why?"
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Floor 1
Dining Hall
Ayeka felt herself stir awake, her hands gripped firmly on the handles of her wheelchair. Rubbing her eyes as she began to focus, she took note of the fact that she was in the Dining Hall. Many questions began to come up, especially since she had just been in the entrance hall with Fuka. Where was everyone else?
"Uggh, my head feels like it's spinning," Ranze moaned as he lifted himself off the floor next to a turned over chair. He looked around slowly before fully standing up. "Did I fall? No, wait why am I here?"
"Hehe, are we playing hide and seek now?" Ysandro giggled, rushing over to join them. "Wait, weren't we in the entrance hall?"
"Yeah, we were..." Ayeka paused, raising a hand to her chin in thought. "Why and how did we all blackout at the same time?"
The redhead crossed his arms with a sigh. "It looks like it. I told the director that letting in those people was a bad idea. I don't know why we ended up here, but it's obvious who's responsible."
"Eh? So this isn't a game?" Ysandro asked, confused. "Those people seemed nice!"
"Appearances can be deceiving, Ysandro," Ayeka responded patiently, doing her best to overlook his stupidity. "Ah, it looks like we don't have our badges and Pads. Whoever thought this up was well prepared."
"Damn, this is really getting annoying. They could have been spies who have had their eyes on this place and our research," Ranze explained looking between the others. "Hmm, we need to be careful moving forward, are either of you two feeling any different than usual? Besides any grogginess from just waking up?"
"Hm, no. I feel just fine." The epidemiologist mused. "And my wheelchair seems to have not been tampered with either, thankfully."
Ysandro bent down to pet Minino, who was yawning. "Nah, I'm good too, and so is Mini-pup! So everything is fine, right? None of us are hurt!"
"So, we should decide our next course of action," Ayeka told Ranze, ignoring Ysandro. "Perhaps there are other around here?"
"I wouldn't call us waking up with no memories fine," the Prostheticist muttered. "But I would imagine the others still here too. Though if they're on different floors we're going to have some trouble getting to them without our badges."
"Indeed. We should be careful-" Ayeka started, before her eyes widened. "Is that...?"
Sure enough, the door to the kitchen swung open as Emil, Iris, and Tomoe came out.
"Oh! Hello. Seems we're not alone after all. What a relief!" The perfect psychiatrist smiled, giving the trio a small wave.
"Aye, it is a relief to see a few more of us. Easy to assume that the rest of us are on this floor too." Iris added, her wheelchair making squeaking noises.
"If anything, this should be more worrying," Emil said calmly. "This is too organized."
"I have to agree, I'm willing to bet all our memories stop at the door opening. This isn't something someone does without a good bit of preparation," Ranze added straightening up his jacket.
"Right. We need to stick together, we have the numbers to overpower our captors if need be. We just have to-" Ayeka started.
"Hey, wanna hear a story?" The Animal Behavioralist cut in with a bright smile. "One time, my brother..."
"No," Iris said simply.
"But..."
"No."
The group of six stood silently for a moment before Tomoe sighed. "Well, we might as well head for the central garden. No point in hanging around here."
Ranze nodded towards the Psychiatrist. "Yes, I think we best move along. We aren't likely to get any answers. Plus if we may find out some useful information by seeing who all we even can find, and who we cannot."
"Alright. To the garden we go then!" Tomoe smiled, holding the cafeteria door open for everyone. "After you all."
As everyone began to file out, a dejected Ysandro was last. Tomoe patted him on the back comfortingly. "I would love to hear your story later Ysandro. And I'm sure Akuji will too."
The Animal Behaviorist gave her a bright, grateful smile.
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Floor 1
Rec Room
Ikouze licked his lips, sighing as he shrugged himself awake. He slowly stood up and rubbed his eyes, noticing he had been slumped against an arcade game cabinet.
"What the heck?" He frowned, noticing two familiar faces sitting on one of the couches together, one of the girl's heads leaning on the other. He sighed.
"Hey Azra, Shadya... wake up!" He shook Azra first, growling. "This isn't the time to take a nap!"
"Mm, no this is too comfy to get up from," Azra mused quietly. She nuzzled against the still sleeping Pathologist and tried her best to drift off to sleep again.
"No, no! Wake up!" Ikouze cried, shaking her violently until she rolled off the couch and fell on the floor. "You too Shadya! Wake up!"
Shadya opened one of her eyes, blinking as she looked at the AI specialist with a frown. "Nope." She said, closing her eyes again.
The Entomologist groaned softly as she slowly sat up from the ground. She rubbed her shoulder as her millipede seemed to also be woken up by Azra's fall. She stifled a giggle from the bug tickling across her shoulders as she finally started looking around her surroundings.
"Heh, I'm not saying I'm mad about waking up snuggled against a cutie like Shay, but why are we here? Weren't we all at the entrance just a moment ago?"
"That's why I'm panicking!" Ikouze stressed, shaking his head. "For us all to blackout like that, what happened?"
"Mm, maybe those visitors weren't so friendly after all..." Shadya spoke up with a yawn, rubbing her eyes. "Where is everyone else?"
"Would the visitors have even been able to do that though? We hadn't even fully let them in yet. Something is fishy about all this," Azra explained as tapped her chin in thought. This didn't last long as Arcelio continued moving around, also attempting to get his bearings, causing the Entomologist to crack a smile.
"I agree with that. We can't just assume the worst..." Ikouze started, noticing Azra's giggling. "Hey, Azra, can you please save... whatever that is, for later?"
"Eh, let her. We could stand to stay calm in this situation." The pathologist yawned, searching her lab coat before her eyes widened. "Hey, are you guys missing your ID badges and Genesis Pads?"
"Huh? Oh, you're right, Shay, I don't have any of my stuff on me," Azra muttered as she finished looking through her lab coat. She looked concerned again as she lightly started stroking the giant bug who finally seemed to calm down. "All right, so we woke up in a different room, we were scattered, and our important tech seems to have been taken from us... I'm really not liking the looks of all this."
"Do not worry! I'm sure the Director has a perfectly good explanation for this!" Ikouze replied confidently, slamming a fist against his chest with a smile. "Perhaps this is simply a test, or a team building exercise! Let's make sure we make the most of this!"
Shadya lazily stood up, stretching as she peered around. "It's quiet. I don't like that. Where is everybody else?"
"I'm sure they're elsewhere. Come on, let's all be positive about this!" The AI specialist urged.
"Being worry warts doesn't really solve anything, so I'm with Ikou, we shouldn't get caught up with the negatives!" Azra agreed with a nod. She looked over the other two as she crossed her arms. "Let's get off our asses and start finding everyone."
"Agreed. The closest area is the garden right outside, surely some of the others have gathered there?" Ikouze suggested.
"Mm, sounds good to me. Hey Azra, I don't have my pillow, can I use your shoulder again when we get outside?" Shadya mumbled.
The green-haired woman grinned as she walked up and reached for the other's hand, holding it gently. "Of course you can! Though I should probably warn you that Arc here will probably want to crawl and snuggle with you too."
Ikouze looked between the two with a faint smile, before turning to look at the door. "Well, shall we ladies?" He asked, opening the door.
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Floor 1
Central Garden
As Hermit struggled to wake up, the serene sound of water flowing slowly became more and more clear. Squinting her eyes, the physicist was able to make out that she was indeed in the central garden. It truly was beautiful, with an expansive field of flowers, trees, and an artificial river. In the middle of the large garden, was the massive elevator that seemed to never end, and led up to the control room of the 4th tower of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where they often ran experiments involving radiation.
However, two things caught Hermit's eyes: a massive tree that towered above all the others, that seemed to shine with an ethereal glow. The second was a large stage that had been set up next to the strange new tree.
"Well, those certainly are new," spoke up a rough male voice behind Hermit. She jumped, spinning around to see Kazu walk up next to her.
"Oh, Kazu!" The Perfect Physicist gasped, shaking her head. "Don't sneak up on me like that, I got scared!" She pouted, turning away. "I'm on edge enough as it is."
The Theorist bowed his head in apology as he stopped close in front of Hermit. "Forgive me, I certainly didn't expect someone as large as would be sneaking up on anyone. It was quite shocking to suddenly wake up here of all places. Anyway, are you feeling all right?"
Hermit hummed, leaning her head to the side in thought. "Um, I think so. Everything seems to be running just fine!" She turned back to regard the strange tree with intrigue. "Well, if you're feeling a bit adventurous, think we should go check that out?"
"Yes that sounds fine, but can I ask that you stay behind me? This whole thing is feeling a bit ominous," Kazu explained as he stepped towards the tree, before stopping to regard the physicist.
"What? You think I need a big, strong man to protect me because I'm scared?" The android pouted, playing with her hair before giving Kazu a sheepish smile. "Actually, I wouldn't mind. Thanks!"
"You're welcome, and I didn't mean to imply anything, I suppose it's just a matter of instincts," the giant man mused. His own smile disappeared as he turned back to face the strange tree and began walking toward it with Hermit in tow.
As the two approached the massive tree, the first thing that caught their eyes was what was causing the trees strange glow: countless golden apples decorated the tree, glowing as if beckoning them forward.
The second thing was the small, white-haired boy sleeping under the tree, his head drooped forward as he snored lightly.
"Akuji is still sleeping..." Hermit deadpanned with a sigh. "Leave it to him to sleep through all this."
Kazu nodded as he wearily stepped forward towards the sleeping man. He spared a glance at the tree before turning down to the geodesist and gently shook him awake. "C'mon, rise and shine sleeping beauty."
"Ngh, 5 more minutes... actually how about another hour?" Akuji yawned, as he shakily stood to his feet and rubbed his eyes. "What do you want? Wait, are we outside?"
Hermit simply nodded, pointing to the tree behind him. The geodesist's eyes widened. "Whoa, when did that get there?"
"Don't know. It happened sometime between when we all passed out, and now." The physicist shrugged. "And that weird stage too..."
Hermit, Akuji, and Kazu all looked at the stage, that also had a podium on it embedded with the Chernobyl Institute's logo.
"It certainly seems like we missed quite a lot. I suppose we may as well check it out now before going to find the others," the Theorist muttered running a hand through his beard.
"Don't think that's needed." Akuji replied, gesturing around the garden to the various doors, as the other Perfects began assembling in the garden.
"Well, I suppose this makes things easier!" Ikouze chirped, smiling as he looked around at his colleagues. "We're all here together again!"
Kline hummed, raising a finger to his chin in thought. "Yes, but now that means that we're all trapped on the first floor together. And if this is all of us..."
"...then that means that the Director is indeed missing." Song finished, furrowing her brows in thought. "That's not good."
"Aye, ain't that a kick in the teeth. Knew we shouldn't have opened those vault doors." Iris grumbled.
Azra shrugged with one arm as she carefully wrapped the other around the pathologist resting against her shoulder. "I mean, it's not like we really could have known anything like this would happen. Plus once the Director decided on it it's not like we had a ton of choice."
"Right. I'm sure Seriozha would want us to remain calm." Miranda spoke up, giving everyone a smile.
"Uh, wait. Hold the phone. Who the hell are you?" Ranze growled, looking at the Geneticist. "Is everyone just gonna ignore this?"
Miranda visibly flinched, with Fuka stepping in front of her. "Everyone, this is Miranda Bailey, the Perfect Geneticist. And believe it or not, her appearance actually has given us a helpful hint. It seems its at least been a few weeks since the incident with the mysterious people. Miranda says she arrived on the 18th."
"Later in the month? What?" Tomoe frowned, straightening up her glasses. "Do not take this the wrong way, but does she have any evidence to back up this claim?"
"Jeez, why do you guys have to freak out so much? Can't we talk about this someplace where we can sit down at least?" Shadya muttered. She let go of the entomologist and without another word laid down in the grass to go back to sleep.
Azra sighed for a moment as she patted the girl on the head. However once she stood back up the green-haired woman began to let out a small stream of giggles as she turned back to the center of the group. "You guys don't have anything to worry about. You have my word that we can trust Miri and her big wonderful boobies!" Azra cheered as she practically tackled the Geneticist, burying her face against the taller woman's chest.
Everyone remained silent for a moment, before Emil straightened his glasses. "Ah, you two know each other? What a coincidence..." He mused.
"Yes, we do!" Miranda gushed, embracing the entomologist tightly. "It's been quite awhile, and it seems Azra's enthusiasm has not changed a bit!"
Ysandro giggled, holding a hand to his mouth in an attempt to suppress them. "Well, there we go! If Azra says we can trust her, then we're good!"
"Hehe, well can we really?" Kagemaru smirked, petting Corvo on his shoulder. "Who's to say that this isn't some sort of long haul plot, and they're in on it together?"
Leo blinked, shaking his head. "Dude, seriously?"
"Whether we can trust her or not is a topic for another time," Fuka sighed, rubbing her temples. "We first need to figure out what's going on."
"I agree!" Ayeka spoke up, giving Fuka a smile. "Like, what's up with that stage and massive, glowing tree?"
"We were just talking about that before you guys showed up," Hermit replied. "We have no idea."
Kazu nodded along with the physicist before adding, "I must say though, having this stuff just appear does add some credibility to Miranda's claim that a few weeks have passed."
"And those golden apples are quite strange. Are they really just for show?" Kline asked curiously.
"Hmmm." Song mused thoughtfully. "The tree itself is clearly real, so therefore we can conclude that the apples most likely are too. How fascinating. I have never seen anything like this."
"I wonder if they taste good?" Akuji spoke up, breaking his silence.
"Well, only one way to find out!" Ysandro cheered, as he reached up to the tree to grab one...
"No, don't grab that, you goddamn idiot!" Screeched out a loud, booming voice.
"Whoa, what the hell?" Leo's eyes widened as everyone began looking around. "Who said that?"
"It sounds like it came from over the loudspeakers, those can only be accessed in the fourth-floor control room…" Ikouze trailed off, biting a fingernail nervously. "It also sounds like they're using a voice changer."
"Well, aren't you all a smart bunch. Oh yes, this is going to be fun…" The voice snickered.
"Who are you? Show yourself, coward!" Ranze barked, sweat visibly dripping down his face.
"Coward? I've been called many things in my life, but coward is certainly a first. Also that's real rich coming from you, pal." The voice taunted. "But, I digress. Since all of you are here, I think it's finally time to get this little experiment started! If you all will please direct your attention to the stage…"
As everyone turned around, Fuka felt her heart hammering in her chest. All of this felt so surreal, like a dream. She knew that deep down, something bad was about to happen. That much was clear from them blacking out.
Suddenly, a large whirring sound, as if from a giant motor, caused all of the Perfects the recoil in surprise. After a moment, the sound stopped.
"Eh, sorry about that. Trying to keep this big fancy place running can be a bit strenuous sometimes…" The voice chuckled, though this time it wasn't over the loudspeaker, "Oh, you folks can't see me. Oopsies!"
A clawed hand scraped against the top of the podium, as slowly but surely a small bear like figure made its way up. As it came into view, the Perfects felt their blood run cold.
"Is that… a stuffed bear?" Ayeka trembled, squeezing her eyes shut. "This isn't happening."
"This looks awfully strange…" Kline observed.
"Gee, good job. Figure that out by yourself?" The automaton teased, pointing a gloved finger at them. This Monokuma wore a yellow and black hazmat suit, and instead of the standard red eye, it glowed a brilliant yellow-green. "My name is Hoshasenkuma! And don't compare me to my cousin, ya hear? Unlike him, I'm an intellectual!" Hoshasenkuma boasted proudly.
"Oi, that means 'radiation bear' in Japanese. How fitting. Ya certainly look the part." Iris observed. "Whaddaya want with us?"
"What do I want? Well, that's simple!" The green eyed bear leaned forward, peering at them one by one. "Naturally, I'm here to make you all kill each other! It's time to get the world's second annual killing game started!"