Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Compile Heart, Idea Factory, Sega and whomever else worked on it.

Chapter 50

"Ah..." Anonydeath said as he looked at Rom, Ram, Peashy, Filyn and Uni as they were all lined up on a long table, strapped down with helmets on their heads and visors over their eyes.

Which was the only clothing any of them had on.

"How are my darling little nudists doing?" Anonydeath asked, knowing that none of them could answer him. "But don't worry, the only reason you're all naked is because your clothes would get in the way of our sensors. I have no interest in such under-developed girls." Well, he could admit that Uni was developed enough that if he was interested in her he'd be doing lewd things to her.

Looking at the data on his computers, he nodded as he saw that the five of them had their minds almost completely re-written. "Ninety to ninety-three percent complete, huh?" Shrugging, he walked by the nude girls and into another room where he watched as the blue robot that had been working with Noire was being rebuilt with a stronger and better body. "How is the programming coming along?" He asked while looking at the blue ninja robot, noting that it was mostly done, other than the armor on the body.

"Pretty well." One of the technicians said to Anonydeath. "Most of it was still there and undamaged, just a few lines of code that need to be fixed and replaced."

"Good. Lady Kei would be most... Upset if we delayed any longer than we have to." Anonydeath told the technician. "It's almost a waste." The man in the pink power armor whispered softly. "It's so easy to get away with all of this." As much fun as it was to do this to people, Anonydeath didn't feel right in doing what he was doing.

Not that he felt bad. But he felt... So bored because everything was going so well.

"Oh well, no point in complaining." Anonydeath said gleefully as he walked back into the room to observe the final moments when the brainwashing on the CPU Candidates was complete. "To think that the one-eyed girl was a CPU Candidate as well." Which was odd, since she had no Fearicite energy in her body, unlike the other four. "As if she wasn't born from Fearicite." He knew it wasn't possible, but he didn't care one way or the other. He had other things to worry about.

Like finding time to get to the bathroom without being seen as soon as the brainwashing was complete on the CPU Candidates.

(-)

Elsewhere in Lastation...

"Ah, Jerbins," the security chief smiled at the officer. "You know that you could have gone home or have at least taken your uniform off while you were here the past two days."

Jerbins grimaced slightly. "It's okay, chief, I'm used to being grungy." Which was true, but not in the way that the security chief thought.

"Very well." The security chief nodded at Jerbins. "Anyway, the system came on a few hours ago and we got those two processed, so we're shipping them to the Basilicom to be dealt with there. You said you wanted to take them?" Jerbins nodded and the chief smiled. "You're a good worker. Keep this up and you'll be taking my job in no time."

"If you say so, sir." Jerbins said and walked back to the cages that Warechu and Gust were in. "Alright you two, we're shipping you to the Basilicom."

"Finally." Gust grumbled as she glowered at Jerbins. "Gust is cramped up and needs to poop."

"...We'll stop at the bathrooms for you before we leave." Jerbins called out to a female officer to take Gust to the restrooms.

(-)

An hour later...

"Ahhhh..." Gust sighed and giggled from the back seat of the security car while the others looked at her weirdly. "Gust really needed to go."

"You plugged the toilets up on three floors... FROM ONE TOILET!" The driver yelled and Gust just stuck her tongue out at him. "HOW?!"

"Gust REALLY needed to poop."

"Next time, don't hold it for two days, chu." Warechu muttered and shook his head while Gust stuck her tongue out at him.

Jerbins coughed to catch the driver's attention. "We should hurry. I heard that there was something major happening at the Basilicom today."

"Ah yes!" The driver nodded and the air car jerked before flying up and towards the Basilicom. "The public execution of the enemies of the state." Both Gust and Warechu stared in shock. "Oh, not you two, though you'll be there in a couple of days, I'm talking about the CPUs that tried to destroy Lastation. Thanks to Lady Kei they've been brought to justice and will be removed from this world shortly."

"...Gust has a bad feeling." The bunny girl muttered softly.

"I hope Compa's okay, Chu..." Warechu muttered, wondering what was happening with Compa and IF and the disposed of security officer.

(-)

At the hospital...

"So that's what's going on, huh?" IF muttered as she heard the story from Compa and Chian. "Um, where's..."

"Linda knocked out the security guard, disguised herself after him," and Compa had no clue that Linda was that good with her disguises, why, if she didn't know that Linda was impersonating the security guard right now, she never would have guessed that the he that disappeared a couple of days ago was a girl right now. "And we disposed of the security officer after the others left."

"Disposed of?" IF asked, wondering what Compa meant by that.

(-)

Jerbins wondered how he ended up waking up in a cooler of food...

...While naked...

...And having several female cooks glaring at him. "Yes?"

"GET OUT! THIS IS UNSANITARY!"

(-)

After arriving at the Basilicom, the group was quickly moved through the Basilicom, with Jerbins, Gust and Warechu looking around to take in the sights. The building itself was sleek and had lots of computer terminals and even holographic ones with screens all over the place.

"First time you've been to the Lastation Basilicom?" The guard leading Jerbins, Gust and Warechu to the holding cells asked. "Well, two enemies of the state should take things in, since you'll be executed in a day or two."

"Gust is wondering why we're being led through the front door. Aren't you worried that Gust is super dangerous and can kill everyone with a mind laser?"

The guard laughed at Gust. "If you had that power, you would have already used it." Gust sighed, acknowledging that fact. "Besides, from what the paperwork said, you two were merely accomplists who helped the enemy CPUs into Lastation." The guard opened a door and they went inside a room that had a large staircase that led down to a bunch of cages. "Anyway, we'll put you in these cages to hold you before you, WAAAAGH!" The guard screamed as he was hit from behind and went falling, tumbling and crashing down the stairs.

"Jeez, Gust!" Jerbins said with a different voice before pulling off his helmet, revealing Linda's face. "You didn't need to headbutt him off the stairs..." She had a disturbed look on her face as Gust gave her a smug look.

"I think he's either dead or badly hurt, Chu." Warechu muttered as Linda pulled out some keys to undo their shackles.

Linda stripped out of the guard uniform, leaving her in just a pair of shorts and her bra. "What?" She asked as she put her boots back on.

"I thought you were going to strip down to your panties." Warechu said, getting an annoyed look from Linda.

"Ask Compa to prance around her underwear when you're alone if you want to see a girl in her underwear so badly." Linda grumbled at him. "Come on." The three got to the bottom of the stairs quickly and checked on the guard to find that he was alive, but out cold from falling down the stairs. "Well, at least he's alive." Linda muttered and swiped his keys. "Come on! Let's find Chrome and the others and blow this taco stand."

"There are tacos?" Both Gust and Warechu asked at the same time, only to get a groan from Linda.

"Knock it off you two." Linda muttered as they walked around the cells and noticed that most of them were empty, which probably made sense, if the people of Lastation eliminated everyone who became an enemy of the country, then the holding cells for them wouldn't be very occupied. "Let's find everyone and get out of here."

The group quickly made their way around before finding an unmarked door that was locked. Thankfully with the keys they swiped from the guard, it was quickly opened and they went inside.

All they found were a bunch of holding lockers, most of which were unopened. The few that were locked up were opened up and the group discovered that it was the clothes that their friends had been wearing.

"Let's take all of this with us." Linda said and put the clothes they found in their inventory. "I don't recognize these outfits..." A red dress and other clothes didn't stand out in her mind.

"Let's take them with us, chu." Warechu said as he pulled out Neptune's hooded parka. "Doesn't Neptune have a phone that can call her home?"

"What?" Linda told him. "You want to call her family back in her world and tell them that something bad happened to Neptune?"

"Fair point." Warechu said as he handed the parka off to Linda.

"Gust wonders if maybe everyone down here is naked." Gust muttered as she found Chrome's outfit. "Though Gust is sure that some people wouldn't complain about that."

"Let's just get out of here before we get caught." Linda said as they quickly checked the other lockers and found something in one of them that looked like a wrist strap with a small computer on it. Grabbing it, Linda put it in her pocket and the group ran out of the room while looking up and down the various corridors of cells for anyone.

It was nearly fifteen minutes later when they finally found someone.

"Chrome!" Linda said as she stared at Chrome, who was stripped down to her underwear while chained to the wall.

"I was wondering what was taking you all so long." Chrome chuckled at them. "Hurry up, I'm worried about Neptune and the others."

After freeing Chrome and giving her her clothes back, Linda pulled out the item she found. "Hey, do you know what this is?"

"Hmm?" Chrome asked as she finished tying her shoes and took the device from Linda. "Never saw it before." Touching the screen, she saw some numbers light up on it. "A watch huh? Neat." She put it on her right wrist and blinked as her body was covered in a green light from the device for a moment. "What was that?" She asked and looked at the small computer on her wrist, only to see that it was dark. "Whatever."

"Why'd you put it on?" Linda asked.

"Always wanted a wristwatch, okay?" Chrome muttered and rolled her eyes as everyone looked at her. "I had one when I was an active CPU that broke a few days before Filyn was born and was having a new one made when everything went to hell, alright?"

"So, do you know where the others are at?" Linda asked, getting a negative response from Chrome.

"No. I've been by myself for three days." She sighed and grimaced as her stomach gurgled. "Good thing I'm not human, I'd be dead from dehydration by now."

"Let's find the others." Linda said as they left the holding cells room and went into another room. "Huh, what's this?" She asked as she opened another door and checked inside. "What the heck!?"

The four of them went inside and found a chained up Noire, who looked up at them with some anger and distrust, before she sighed and lowered her head. "Come to laugh at a failure of a CPU? One who couldn't protect herself, her nation or her little sister?"

"HUH?!" Linda, Gust and Warechu all asked at the same time, causing Noire to look up at them.

"I have nothing left, I don't care what else is going to happen today. Kei will be here soon to have me executed by Uni." Noire sighed and lowered her head. "I have nothing. I'm powerless, my sister is being used as a weapon right now, the Fearicite that powered me is destroyed, Steamax is destroyed, so go ahead, laugh at me like you did when I was powerless, like you do behind my back when I'm not around..."

"Man, you're taking this pretty hard, huh?" Chrome asked, causing Noire to raise her head and look at her in confusion. "You're off by a little bit though. I'm a former CPU of Gamworld. I'm Chrome Heart of Eden."

"...Heart?" Noire asked softly, her eyes showing confusion. "That other CPU called herself Purple Heart. What's going on?"

"Before the Fearicite," Chrome started to explain, "all CPUs were known as Hearts. We did what we could to ensure that our people loved us and believed in us while guiding them and showing them how to live. That changed sixty years ago though."

"I almost do want to laugh." Linda said as she glared at Noire. "You Voids fucked this world up. Your kind burned IF so badly that she's in the hospital now because her body can't handle any sort of damage to it."

"And Compa lost her arms because of your kind." Warechu glared at Noire. "Maybe we should leave her?"

"Gust wouldn't complain." The bunny girl glared at Noire, who simply sighed and nodded.

"I would deserve it." Noire said to them.

Chrome looked at Noire for a few moments in silence before looking at Linda. "Give me the keys." Linda gave her a confused look. "You weren't there. I was. She fought to save Neptune and the others."

Linda sighed and handed the keys over. "If you think it's a good idea. I'm not so sure."

Chrome walked over to Noire's cell and unlocked it before stepping inside to look at the CPU. "Tell me something, Void..." Noire gave her a confused look. "Will you help us?"

"...I don't..." Noire began, before sighing. "Fuck it, you said you were a CPU, right?" Chrome nodded and Noire gave her a sharp look. "...Fine, you want to know the truth? I'm scared out of my mind at the thought of them doing something to Uni. I don't care what happens to me, Lastation or those fucking traitors or any of the people in this place so long as she's safe!" Chrome raised an eyebrow and Noire snarled at her. "I'm sick of this shit! I'm sick of living day in and day out worried that my enemies will use her against me."

"I'm honestly surprised a Void would care about her little sister." Chrome couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.

"They already figured out that I cared for Uni." Noire whispered and lowered her head. "I'm already beaten. What else do I have left? I'm hanging here in my underwear, my sister is being used as a weapon and I lost Steamax."

Chrome stared at Noire for almost a minute, when the redhead raised her head up to look at Chrome, she sighed. "I'll probably regret this, but right now, I'm sure that we're going to need your help." She reached up and undid the shackles holding Noire up, allowing the redhead to fall to the floor.

"Thank you." Noire said while rubbing her wrists. "Though I don't know what good I'll be right now. Wish I had my outfit at least."

"I don't mind, Chu." Warechu said and Noire rolled her eyes at him.

"Just so you know, rat, my panties cover my butt completely, so don't hope you can get a free peek at my rear, okay?" Noire scoffed at him while looking at Chrome. "So now what?"

"Got any weapons that can be used against them?"

Noire sighed softly. "I don't know. I'd never build anything that could be used by anyone and... Wait, what's that?" She pointed at Chrome's wrist.

"This?" Chrome looked at her wrist. "A fancy wristwatch, I don't..."

"That... Might be useful for something." Noire muttered, trying to remember what it was. "I think I had some sort of weapon system on something like that."

"If it helps," Gust spoke up while ignoring how Warechu was trying to slip behind Noire to get a look at her backside, "Chrome was covered in a green light."

"Sounds like those experimental..." Noire's eyes widened. "Wait, green light..." A grin came to her face as she started to laugh. "Ohohohohohohoho!" She put her hand over her mouth as she tried to keep her voice down. "I just remembered something about that."

"What?" Chrome asked and Noire smirked at her.

"I'll tell you, but first, put your thumb on the screen and hold it for..." Noire began to explain how to work the device for Chrome. "And there you go, just tap it and say access when you need it."

"Interesting." Chrome muttered softly.

"Yeah, about as interesting as watching Warechu trying to see if he can see your bare ass or something." Linda muttered, smirking as Warechu stiffened in fright.

Noire looked at the rat and rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever, let's go."

"Like that?" Gust pointed to Noire.

"Unless one of you has my red dress, then yes!" Noire snapped at the bunny girl. "I'm not going to stop and shower and get a new dress on, even if I could use it."

"Is this your dress?" Linda asked and pulled it out of her inventory. "We found this down in a storage locker."

"Yes." Noire said as she took it from Linda. "Give me a couple of minutes to get dressed."

(-)

Less than two minutes later, the group was on an elevator that had been behind a hidden wall and going up at a fast pace.

"I'm rather impressed by this." Chrome said to Noire. The elevator was rather small, but they were able to all fit in it.

"I'm the only one who knows." Noire told her. "I didn't even tell Uni because I thought of this situation." She sighed as the elevator got above ground and the others in the elevator were shocked at they could see out of it. "One way glass is pretty useful, huh?"

"So why do you have this anyway?" Linda asked Noire, who crossed her arms and said nothing. "Seriously? I could have left you to rot you know?"

"...I absolutely hate humans." Noire told Linda and she gave the green-haired girl a look that was pure animosity and disgust. "You're born with the freedom to grow up, find people to trust, love, marry and have children with. You also have the freedom to choose whatever you want in life. Yet all I see are people who choose to manipulate, betray and control for any little sliver of power that they can get their hands on. Offer ten people the chance to have a nice life and never need to worry about expenses again and there's no depths of disgust they won't sink to obtain it."

Before Noire or Linda could say anything more, Chrome spoke up, "it's true. Humans are selfish and greedy. That's why as a CPU, you're supposed to guide them so they can overcome those limits."

Noire scoffed at her. "There isn't a single human in this rotten world that's worth trying to guide. Give humans an inch of freedom and they'll use it to trample all over you while blaming you for anything that goes wrong in their lives."

Linda growled and was about to say something when Gust spoke up. "Gust thinks..." She looked at Noire, "that you're wrong." Noire gave her a dirty look and the bunny girl just stared back, defiant. "Gust hated all CPUs for years. White Void was the CPU of Lowee and tormented everyone for years." Gust continued to stare at Noire defiantly. "That carried over to Rom and Ram, even though they were innocent little girls, Gust hated them because they were CPUs. When Neptune showed Gust that CPUs could be trusted, Gust understood... That maybe Gust was wrong about CPUs." Her expression softened as Noire's face got contemplative. "Maybe you're wrong about humans?"

"If you hate humans so much, Chu..." Warechu spoke up, "why don't you kill them all off?"

Noire scoffed at him. "Too much of a pain."

"Or maybe," Gust began, "you know, deep down, that not all humans are bad."

Noire snorted at her. "No offense, rabbit, but I've yet to meet a single human that's worth anything more than simply how much use I can get out of them before getting rid of them before they betray me."

"And it looks like you weren't very successful on that front." Chrome pointed out to her.

Noire closed her eyes and sighed softly. "I fully expected Kei to betray me." She leaned against the wall and slumped slightly, her hair covering her eyes. "I just wish I had kept a closer eye on her and the rest of the council."

Linda, Gust and Warechu looked at Noire and none of them could see a vile, disgusting monster like White Void had been, or what they heard Green and Iris Void had been.

What they saw was someone who was tired and alone.

"So," Linda spoke up as she looked up, "how much longer until we get to wherever it is we're going?"

"We're heading to my office, so the top floor." Noire said. "This should drop us off in my secret office." She rolled her eyes at the looks she got. "I had it made when I was a candidate, okay? Anyway, there's stuff there that might help us out."

Chrome nodded and looked out and down through the one-way glass. 'Hang on, Neptune, Filyn, everyone. We're going to save all of you.'

To be continued...

Noire's "Ohohohohoho" laughter there was spur of the moment, but her first English VA (Erin Fitzgerald) voiced Kodachi Kuno from the Ranma 1/2 English dub in later seasons and that character was known for laughing like that. So, actor allusion! Hooray!

But, sadly, due to work taking a toll on my ability to write (seriously, I'm dead tired after work) I'm only going to post 3 chapters this week, so I don't get too caught up with what I've already written.