Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Compile Heart, Idea Factory, Sega and whomever else worked on it.
Chapter 62
Chrome looked at Gust and nodded. "We need to destroy that thing." While that had been the plan originally anyway, the new information changed things quite a bit. 'Who knew that Fearicite could do this to regular people?'
Chrome paused at that thought and thought back to her time in Lowee and how people not only hated White Void, but also Rom and Ram. 'Even I hated them, were we influenced by Fearicite all this time?'
Her thoughts then turned to Leanbox and how the people there seemed to have no problem with how Green Void had a breeding program set up to get the most physically desirable traits for her citizens and would send people who were too old for her tastes to the tentacle breeding pits after they were no longer capable of having children and how people, if they were scarred would either be bred with tentacles or be forced to churn out children as rapidly as possible.
Her pupils shrank as more and more behavior that didn't make sense became more and more obvious to her as she thought about it. "I can't believe this, we've all been influenced by this thing for the past sixty years?!"
"Chromey?" Filyn was confused. "What do you mean?"
"After the Fearicite in Lowee was shattered by Neptune, the people quickly started to warm up to Rom and Ram," Chrome answered her, "I thought it was just because of how White Void had been for years and with White Void being dead and Neptune watching over them the people would give them a chance, but now..." She trailed off as her mind wouldn't stop spinning at these revelations.
"You think we've been influenced by Fearicite since we were born?" Linda asked, getting a nod from Chrome. "Wait, but IF has a real beef with Voids due to what happened to her and..."
"Gust gets it," Gust nodded, interrupting Linda, "Gust and IF and Linda all trusted Neptune easily. Even when Neptune said she was a CPU, we only thought she was a Void. IF hates CPUs because she was burned, but she still puts faith in Neptune."
"Because Neptune is the only one who can stop the Voids." Linda protested, though she wondered if that was just a justification on IF's part or if maybe that was what her girlfriend truly believed.
"What..?" Neptune asked as she panted on the bed while cracking an eye open. "Is all the noise?"
Compa looked at Neptune and looked around at the room. "Oh what the heck?!" She pushed past Steamax and grabbed some equipment off of the walls, including a breathing mask and put it over Neptune's nose and mouth. "Breathe, Nep Nep," she looked at Anonydeath and Steamax, "is this thing set up to let her breathe?"
Anonydeath tapped a few buttons on the console, "it is now. There's some chemical in the oxygen tank that will help numb the pain and make things better for her."
"You do realize, Mr. Robot," Compa spoke to him, "if something bad happens to Nep Nep while she's here..."
"That I won't live to see the weekend?" Anonydeath asked rhetorically, "sister, you don't need to tell me that. And there's something I need to ask you," he nodded to Chrome, "don't you think you're over-thinking things a little bit?" He sighed at the looks of confusion he was getting. "Look, I have no doubt that the Fearicite was probably influencing the people to dislike Voids to keep them powered up, but isn't it just as likely that the people went along with their situations because they thought it was normal?" Chrome gave him a confused look and he sighed. "Former slave here, girlfriend, remember?"
Chrome felt her cheeks go slightly red. "I'm not your girlfriend."
Anonydeath laughed at her. "Well anyway, as a child slave I thought it was pretty normal to live like I did until I was freed by Black Void. Now, let's say that you're right, that the Fearicite was influencing people. What if it was just enhancing what the people felt so that they'd be more likely to hate the CPUs and the Candidates since that's what Fearicite is powered by? And either way, you have no proof one way or the other."
Chrome sighed and nodded as she slowly started to calm down. "Perhaps. Yes, you're probably right. Maybe Kei became the way she did because she was working with the Fearicite directly?"
"Plus sis wasn't a bad person, even as a Void." Uni said, her voice soft as she looked at Gust. "...But in case you're right, that Fearicite can influence and corrupt people, that Fearicite Crystal needs to be destroyed."
Seeing Uni tremble, Gust sighed heavily. "Do you want to do it?" Uni jerked in surprise. "Gust knows that you loved your sister."
Uni nodded and felt her eyes water up. "Y...Yeah, I'll..."
"Don't do it in here!" Both Compa and Anonydeath yelled at the same time, causing Uni to jerk in surprise. On the bed, Neptune moaned in pain while Compa undid the CPU's jacket to get sensors directly onto her body to scan her.
"I wasn't going to." Uni answered. "I'll... I'll go." She sighed and walked off with Gust following after her.
Rom and Ram looked at each other and nodded before running after Uni. They were followed by Linda and Peashy, who was urged out by Filyn, who followed after them.
"Well, that'll make it easier to work on this." Anonydeath said and looked at Steamax. "Well, Steamboy, aren't you going to follow after Uni-dear?"
"Lady Uni will be fine for now." Steamax told him, "I have faith that she'll do what's right. As for you," his eyes seemed to narrow as he looked at Anonydeath. "I'll be watching you closely."
Anonydeath sighed and shook his head. "Well, whatever." As the sensors gathered data, he looked over it and tilted his head as he looked it over. There was interesting data that was popping up on the screen, but it ultimately didn't tell him anything until he was able to fully analyze it.
(-)
On the top floor of the Basilicom...
Standing in front of an open window, Uni looked at the lightly pulsating Fearicite Crystal in the tube that she was holding. "...Noire," her voice was soft and trembling, "I love you, I miss you... Please, I don't want to forget you." Her body trembled as she threw the tube and Fearicite Crystal into the air before pulling out her energy rifle and blasting it into oblivion. "I did it..." She whispered softly before dropping her gun and sinking to her knees while burying her face into her hands and crying. "N...NOIRE! WHY?!"
She only cried for a few moments before she felt a soft pair of arms wrap around her from behind. Lowering her hands, she looked behind her tearfully as she saw Rom smiling at her. "R...Rom?"
"It's okay." Rom turned Uni to face her and she hugged the grieving girl. "It's okay to cry." Uni returned the hug and Ram got behind Uni and hugged her too. "If Big Sis Neptune died, I'd be crying my head off too."
"Uh huh," Ram said while hugging the crying girl, "so it's okay to cry."
Suddenly another body joined in and Uni shifted to see Peashy hugging her and smiling up at her. "...Thank you." Uni sniffled as she wiped her tears and let go of the hug.
"Gust knows that must have been hard," Gust spoke up as she and Linda walked up to them, "but Gust knows that if you only focus on your pain, it will hurt worse."
"You know," Linda tapped her chin, "your sister was pretty unusual, right?" Uni nodded, sniffling. "Well," Linda motioned to some chairs around a table, "why don't you tell us about her?"
Uni jerked in surprise and looked at Linda weirdly.
"Besides," Rom smiled at Uni, "I'd like to know what a good Void was like."
"Sure," Uni smiled while tears fell down her face. "And thank you."
Rom just smiled back at her.
(-)
Hours later...
"Well..?" Chrome asked as she and Compa looked at Anonydeath. Steamax had left to check on Uni and get her scanned to make sure that there was nothing wrong with her.
"Well what?" Anonydeath asked her, sighing at the look he was given. "Well, if you want to know, her life signs are strong, but erratic."
"Typically that's not a good thing." Compa pointed out. "They'd be better if they were stable." She looked at the nude CPU, who had a sheet over her body as the diodes that they had placed directly onto her body to scan her while she rested...
...Or rather, tried to rest. Her face was in obvious pain and she was taking short, shallow breaths and Compa hated how there was nothing she could do for Neptune.
"Well..." Anonydeath began and looked at Neptune, sighing as he turned away from her. "I have a question for you." He asked while looking at Chrome. "How important is it to you that she lives?"
"There's still one more nation we need to go to," Chrome told him, "without Neptune, we can't go." She looked at Neptune and sighed heavily. "And even more... She's someone who's important to me."
"Alright," Anonydeath nodded and pulled up a screen before pulling out a collar. "I'm thinking that she's reacting to the Fearicite was directly injected into her, so if we cut off her access to it..."
"But that would leave her powerless!" Compa protested and Anonydeath looked at her.
"Sister, I know that, but right now that might be what she needs so she can recover."
"How does it work?" Chrome asked as she looked at how Neptune was pale, sweating and trembling on the bed and realized that if nothing was done, then she would lose Neptune.
"It sends a signal that interferes with Fearicite energy." Anonydeath told her. "It might help."
Chrome looked at him, her eyes went to the collar and then she looked at Neptune and her eyes softened. "...Do it." She and Compa both watched as Anonydeath fastened the collar around Neptune's neck. "So now..?" She trailed off as Neptune's breathing became easier, though she remained pale and sweaty.
"Thought so," Anonydeath nodded and looked back at the data screens as he saw Neptune's life signs stabilize. "So it was the Fearicite that was causing such a reaction in her." Turning, he started to walk out. "Well, unless there's a massively bad reaction, I think I'll leave and let her relax. We can adjust the collar later or modify another one so that she'll be able to transform into her HDD form."
"Why are you being so helpful?" Chrome asked him, grateful that Neptune looked like she would be okay.
Anonydeath looked at Chrome and sighed before tapping a button on the side of his neck, causing his helmet to slide back and reveal his face.
Chrome was rather shocked at how handsome Anonydeath looked under his helmet and found herself blushing softly. "Well?"
"...Because," he told her, "I thought of Kei as a little sister. Isn't it the job of the older brother to make sure that his little sister stayed safe?" He looked at Neptune and then back to Chrome. "She went down the wrong path, she convinced me, Mr. Badd and the others that her idea was the best. Allow me to fix my mistakes."
"Speaking of mistakes..." Chrome began and the next thing Anonydeath knew, he was flat on his back with Chrome stepping on him from above. "What you did to my little sister and the other CPU Candidates..."
Anonydeath sweat-dropped heavily as his helmet shifted back over his face, covering him back up. "Listen, girlfriend, some guys like being stepped on by a hot woman like you."
"I'm well aware." Chrome told him. "Don't tell me you're one of them."
"...Wear a tiny miniskirt while you step on me and I might be." Anonydeath chuckled nervously at the look he was given. "Hey, you asked."
"I have to wonder, just why shouldn't I do something like break parts of your body off?" Chrome asked him, her eyes narrowed at him. "You brainwashed my sister, the other CPU Candidates, and turned them against us."
"...I'm the only one who can help her?" Anonydeath suggested and jerked his head towards Neptune. "In fact, I can make it so she can transform without worrying about the Fearicite." Chrome raised an eyebrow out of curiosity and Anonydeath continued, "thanks to the data I got on your sister and her, I can filter most, if not all, the Fearicite so she can just draw upon whatever that other energy is."
Chrome narrowed her eyes and removed her foot from Anonydeath. "You better not be lying."
"I wouldn't live to see the weekend if I was." Anonydeath told her.
(-)
In another room...
Uni was blushing softly as doctors worked on her body. "I wish I didn't have to sit here in just my underwear."
"We're almost done." One of the doctors said as the scans finished up on her. "Thankfully we have information on your body before Gernia G. started to work on you. So we can compare your current state to your previous state."
"Lucky me." Uni muttered, not sure if she should be grateful that bitch had done that or not.
"And done." The doctor said as the scans finished up. "You can get dressed now. We'll send this data to the right people and get back to you as quickly as we can."
Uni nodded and put her clothes back on, glad to not be exposing so much of herself. Sure, they were doctors, but she was still a girl, dang it! After getting dressed and adjusting her clothes properly, she left the room behind and walked out, stopping as she saw Steamax leaning against the wall next to the door. "You didn't need to wait."
"I already failed to protect your sister, Lady Uni." Steamax told her. "I refuse to fail again."
"...Steamax..." Uni sighed, her eyes watering up. "Please, can... I..."
"Let us go to the upper floors first, so you can regain your composure." Steamax told her and she nodded as the two made their way over to one of the lifts to take them up to the upper floors.
As they went up, Steamax nodded to Uni. "It's okay to vent your emotions." He watched as Uni sank to the floor and buried her face into her legs. He said nothing and let her quietly cry until they got to the top floors. "We're here."
Uni nodded and stood up, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, I..."
"You have nothing to apologize over." Steamax told her. "Grief when someone you deeply care for perishes is common."
The two walked out of the lift and found their way into the main office that Noire used to work out of. Sniffling, Uni pushed her way in.
A sudden scream made Uni look up in shock as her vision became filled with someone falling her way. "WAGH!" Both Uni and the person cried out at the same time as there was a squishing and a splat sound as Uni found herself on her back with Ram sitting on her face.
"Gust told you not to play on the desk." The bunny girl had an amused look on her face as Steamax lifted Ram off of Uni, who was laying on the ground and twitching. "Are you okay? Gust knows that flying butts to the face is not fun."
Uni twitched and sat up, giving the long-haired girl a glowering look. "What are you all doing in here anyway?!"
"Pea found something!" Peashy yelled as she lifted what looked like a small cube out of the bottom desk drawer.
"Be careful with that." Steamax said as he put Ram down and ran to Peashy, who ran away from him while laughing. "Give that back, you don't know what that can do!"
"But Pea wants to know!" Peashy ran around the room in a circle with Steamax following after her.
"I'm sorry," Ram gave Uni a shy look. "I was playing around on the desk and I slipped on a pen and fell backwards."
Uni sighed and found that she couldn't be mad at the other girl. She noticed Rom and the green-haired girl and the large rat in one corner of the office looking through some photos and just shook her head. "It's fine. I didn't say you couldn't come in here. I just wish that I had gotten to come into big sis's office first and..."
"Got you!" Steamax grabbed Peashy and picked her up. "Please stop struggling, I do not wish to hurt you."
"Put Pea down!" Peashy yelled and threw the cube in her hands to the ground, where it suddenly beeped, glowed a light blue and a holographic image appeared in the middle of the room.
"It..." Uni stared in shock, her eyes watering up.
"Can't be." Steamax finished as he dropped Peashy in shock, who sat on the ground while staring at the image. "Lady Noire?!"
"Hello, Uni." Noire said, a somber look on her face. "If you're seeing this recording, that means that I'm dead and you're likely a Void now. If that's the case, I'm truly sorry. I never wanted that for you. If I died some other way and you're not a Void, then I'm thankful."
"Noire..." Uni whispered softly and reached a trembling hand to her sister's hologram. When her hand passed through the image, she found her eyes tearing up again.
"I want you to know, even if you became a Void, I'm proud of you." Noire's face softened up. "I want you to become a good, proud ruler of Lastation. I'm sorry that we didn't get to spend more time together, I really am. I wanted to do things with you. Go out to eat, play some games... Stuff like that. That's what people do, right?" She sighed softly. "I wish I knew how I died, but if it was to treachery, I want you to know this, Uni, don't fall to the same trap I did. Please?" Noire took a deep breath and let it out. "If I never said it while I was alive, I love you, little sister. I always have. I'm sorry that I never got to tell you when I was alive."
Uni's eyes filled with tears and she sniffled as she heard those words. "Noire... You told me." She smiled at the hologram. "So, please, don't..."
"It's almost time." Noire sighed. "If you want to remember me, well..." She scratched her cheek. "I was always partial to black roses. And, please, Uni... Become a good CPU for Lastation. Do that so I can rest easy, okay?"
The hologram disappeared and Uni scrambled to the cube and picked it up, cradling it against her body. "I promise, Noire." Uni sobbed softly. "I...I'll become a good CPU for Lastation."
It was the least she could do for her sister.
To be continued...
If you're wondering, the Fearicite will be explained later.