Magic is entering in her office, she have a black eye on where she got hit by the crazy red haired girl, she sit on her chair, she starts reading the reports of the day until a few minutes after her phone rings, she picks it up
"Yes?" The says
A men with an Australian accent speaks to her "I did it. I shot the idol as you asked."
"Oh hello Marksman... But is she dead?
"Not sure about that, but the news say that she is in a vegetative state."
"So not confirmed dead?"
"At least she wouldn't be able to sing for at least 2 weeks."
"That's good but it payed you for killing her and not just making her go into a comatose, when she he's getting back up try to kill her again, shot her in the head and then move on the others targets."
"Okay, I will do it."
"Good. Recall me once you done it Marksman"
Magic ends the call
"I swear what I have to do for money." The man complains he then swipe up his contact list and call his dad "Hello father that's me."
"Howdy, how are you son?"
"Not good, I didn't manage to get the money for now. And you?"
"Your on a mission? this crazed gunman job is not paying you?"
"Ye- Argh "crazed gunman" dad, I'm an assassin. The difference being one its a job and other a mental sickness."
"Anyway, don't forget to send it, we need it to save your mother."
"I know." the man says as he end the call with his paternal, he then check for his pockets "crap I forgot the list at the hotel."
Back at Magic who returns to what she Is doing, she then remembers something and put her hand on her forehead
"Oh, I almost forgot." She says
[Meanwhile.]
A humanoid rat is sitting over a lava lake, he is on a platform, his phone ring, he answer it
"Hello boss?"
"Hello Warechu, what's your progress on your mission?"
"I'm taking a break on the search, but I think its close form me now!"
"Okay, call me when you found it."
"Yes madam!"
Magic ends the call, the rodent get up and stretch, he then head deeper in the area
[Meanwhile.]
LEANBOX
NEAR THE BASILICOM
END OF THE MORNING
The group of Nepgear which include Nepgear herself obviously, IF, Bethesda, Compa and RED exit the Basilicom, they are starting the search for the sniper who attempted to kill 5Pb.
"So where we should start searching?" IF asks
"If the assassin is not form Leanbox then we should check firstly the hotels." Nepgear says
"How many hotels there is in the city?" Compa asks
"If I remember correctly there is 20 of them, we should split up so it should be faster."
"Okay let's do like that."
The group starts splitting up
"WAIT!" Yells someone
Obsidian walks up to them
"So you are all going to investigate?" He says
"Well yeah. We are gonna check the hotel to start." IF says
"You want to help us?" Compa says
"Yes my research are going to nowhere right now." Obsidian says
"You know how many hotels there is by the way?" IF asks
"Pretty sure there is 18."
"Okay is this confirmed now."
"..." Bethesda stays silent
And now they split up into the city, they go into different hotels but of course…
"Sorry there is no one who corresponds to your description here." A receptionist says to IF
"We never seen someone like that here." Another one in other says to Nepgear
"No, sorry." And this continues to other member of the party
"There is no room in that hotel that he's sleeping in." All the members
Obsidian is in the street looking for the next hotel
"Psst." A voice says coming form his left side
He stops and see a man wearing a hood and hiding its face with a mask, he's slightly taller than him
"What your progress on the analysis?"
"Hello Corvidae, you mean the analysis of the bullet?"
Corvidae nods
"It leaded to nothing, sorry about that."
"I see, he must have taken precautions."
"Not exactly. Its more that the DNA don't corresponds to anyone in Leanbox."
"Is Chika aware about that?"
"We just had a meeting to talk about the assassin so of course I had to talk about it."
"Okay. Keep me alerted if you find something."
"I will."
Corvidae then disappears trough the alley like a shadow, he head in the other side and walks out of the alley, he remove his hood and mask
At the same moment IF passes near the alleyway, she doesn't really pay attention to the guy exiting form it, she's heading for the next hotel
[Meanwhile…]
On an another part of the city, Bethesda is looking at his phone, he's on a map app and with a hotel marked near him, its written on it "hotel of the chief.", he looks and see the said hotel, its a pretty mid one, not a luxury and neither a seedy one
"look likes this is the last one on the list." Bethesda says as he start to head inside of it
"Welcome." A receptionist says behind a desk
"Hello… I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Is there someone dressed with a black jacket, a slouch hat and… with a pair of sunglasses here?"
The receptionist thinks for a moment before responding "I think that there is someone that fit this description."
"Do you know his name?"
"No, he never really presented himself and we are not spies."
"Fair enough. He have a room here?"
"Yes of course."
"Where his room is?"
"I cant tell this information."
Bethesda puts two bills of 5000 credits on the desk
"..." The receptionist think for a moment and check on her computer next to her "Its the 7th room in the third floor." She says
"Okay thanks that all I needed to know." Bethesda says and leaves the hotel form where he came form, just as he's about to exit the building he bump into Nepgear
Nepgear immediately recoils a few steps behind "sorry sir!" She then looks up "Sorry Bethesda!"
"Calm down I we just bumped into each other nothing bad, its not like you stabbed me accidentally." Bethesda responds
Nepgear then calms down "So you checked this one?" Nepgear asks
"Yeah and I have the confirmation that the suspect is ."
"Really?"
"You can verify by asking the receptionist."
"Oh, I trust you on that."
Bethesda sighs as he get his phone, he text the others makers
"Done" he says as he get his phone into his pocket
"Should we don't stay next to the hotel to not look suspicious?"
"Right." Bethesda look around and see a small bistro on the other side of the street "You're hungry or you want something to drink?" Bethesda asks to the candidate
"That restaurant here?"
"Yeah it would be a good cover."
Nepgear and Bethesda get to the bistro, they take a seat and soon after a waiter comes to them with a small digital notepad
"What's your order?"
"A Black-Briar Mead for me." Bethesda responds while looking at the
"Isn't that an alcoholic drink?" Nepgear asks
"Yeah."
"But you shouldn't drink alcohol at work." Nepgear says
"And? Its that make not gonna make me drunk after drinking one cup of it."
"Alright then..."
"..." Bethesda thinks and rectify his order: "Well never mind mister, I will take a Nukacola instead."
"Okay. And what it will be for you." The waiter say to Nepgear
"A-a Nepbull and a hot dog please." Nepgear says
The waiter walks away inside of the bistro
"So how long they will take to come?" Nepgear asks
"I don't know. They can be everywhere in the city... Look like we have time to discuss."
Nepgear sighs "i have a plenty of questions."
Bethesda slightly lean towards Nepgear "Don't ask thing too loud, there might be ASIC agent here." Bethesda says at low voice
Nepgear lower her voice "Firstly, what IF was talking about on the dreadnought?"
"… Its a complicated story." Bethesda sighs "Well where to start? Oh first I want to apologize."
"Why? What did you do wrong?"
"Remember about the phone call when you were at Lastation?"
"Yes, you called IF to take news."
"And I told her to hand the phone to you."
"Okay... but what that have to do with IF getting pissed?"
"I will get here when I will get here… So yeah I told you something like the fact that you shouldn't hesitate to kill a ASIC agent."
"Exactly, I took it as good lesson actually."
"It was more manipulation than a lesson. I not only longer apply it to Underlings but also high ranking admirals!"
Nepgear is confused and shocked by what she heard "...What?"
"Yeah, I know that wasn-"
"I-i can't believe you done this."
The waiter come back with the drinks and hand it over to their table he then go back
"Thanks." Nepgear and Bethesda says to the leaving waiter
"And that's why IF called me a bitch, she knew what I was doing, I was injecting my hate of them to you. I-i was w-wrong since the start."
Nepgear sobs as she take a sip of her nepbull "You were one of my heroes, why doing such I a thing?"
Bethesda take a breath and takes a sip of his Nukacola "I'm gonna be honest with you on one thing Nepgear… Where the CPU's are predetermined to do everything for the good being of the people they rules over. Us, the Makers primary defend their own interest, to the point of doing some very immoral things. In my concern, I am no hero. After all of this end, please, be cautious of makers you meet in the future."
"I understand better now..."
"I also have another thing to tell you..."
"What is it?"
"Have you heard about the rumors that workshop in Planeptune used war prisoniers as slaves that were killed when they were exhausted?"
"WHAT?!"
Everyone in the bistro stares at Nepgear
"S-sorry." Nepgear says to the people in the restaurant
The people go back to what they were doing
"That's sound so unreal, Planeptune were in the first country to ban slavery in first place, why they would reinstate it?" Nepgear asks
"Well because it was a dire situation. The workshop in question were building the tilt rotor to bring capital supplies to the city and military, they had no choice: it was sacrificing a hundred of war prisoner or sacrificing thousand of civilians and military men. When you know the context its much more complicated." Bethesda explains while taking good care of not saying that the plan was executed by his own initiative
"What are you trying to mean?"
"I'm trying to say that you don't win anything without by sacrificing something."
"I get it. But that's hard to trust now."
"Don't take it literally… You did a mistake by forgetting to take care of the back of the ship, everyone does make mistakes even people who seem perfect. You had something else to ask?"
"…I'm not sure if should ask you that..."
"Go ahead."
"I-i."
"Ask me."
"Well this I about yesterday again, when you left the Basilicom you seemed angry."
"Oh about that... I actually i don't know if i should talk about that... BUT! Let me explain..."
[Yesterday, in the evening.]
Bethesda and Chika are standing in front of each other
"So why you wanted to talk personally?" Bethesda asks
"Well you know about the current situation of Leanbox." Chika responds
"And?"
"We need help in waiting that my dear vert returns. We started to hire Makers for an undetermined time and you will have to stay with us."
"Hang on, I get the situation is tough here but its not like Leanbox is about to collapse."
"The state itself no, but the economy yes."
"How you want an inventor to boost up the economy? Ask that to the economy minister."
"Create us some civilians consumers things like-"
"I stop you right now. If people are getting poorer there is no way that an expensive invention will fix the problem."
"The one reason of the poverty is due to pirate raiding commercial ships with capital good on them."
"Send the navy to escort the said ship then."
"That's what we are doing! But there is too many pirates."
"I see… and what about the deal with Planeptune?"
"What deal?"
"The deal that says that have to help them until the ASIC is gone."
"Oh! About that, you will be able to go back at Planeptune after Vert is back okay? And anyway they aleready took great benefit of your aid."
"You were aware what I did there?"
"Of course! I still had contacts with Histoire… That just gave me an idea..."
"One last thing! If I'm back here, will I can get what always belonged to me?"
"Uh?"
"My father lab."
"That lab? You will only have a partial access and control to it."
"Why?"
Chika get closer to Bethesda "After Badd vanished, we got the hand on the laboratory, unfortunatetly we discovered some things, and not only what researchs was made by badd but also the one of your dad, I can tell you that there is things that you DON'T want to know."
Bethesda is angered by what he just heard: "Its my paternal research! I should be able to access to it whatever your opinion on it!" He then turns back and head to the exit
"Wait!"
Bethesda opens the door passes trough it and closes it
[End of the flashback.]
"That's why I was pissed yesterday." Bethesda says
"But what your father did to get these thing secret?" Nepgear asks
"I don't know and I don't believe Chika on that, he is a good man."
"So… you are gonna stay here?"
The waiter comes with a hot dog on a plate, he put it on the table and leaves
"Maybe, but she can't force me there."Bethesda responds
"But if Leanbox needs you that bad, shouldn't you just stay here?" Nepgear says and then takes a bite in her hot dog
"I would but the situation must be even worse."
"Like how?" She takes another bite
"Like… The mascot getting destroyed and causing the nation to collapse."
"That bad… By the way is the mascot safe?"
"I can't tell, a very few people is aware of the actual location of the disc." Bethesda says, shortly after saying that he feels his phone vibrating in his pocket of his lab coat, he pick it up
"Who is this?" Nepgear asks
"That's Cave." Bethesda responds while reading the message "She saying that she used the med pack on 5Pb."
"Oh… By the way… What do you think about my sister?"
"Neptune? To make it simple even if sympathized with her I still wonder how Planeptune didn't collapsed due to her. I realized then that she only do things when she is not lazy like that Lowee mascot story, but it must be rare."
"You think she's lazy?"
"I think everyone think that she's lazy, that just pierce eyes how that obvious even the one of blind people."
[Later…]
The group is finally gathered near the Hotel of chief
"So you are sure that its here?" IF asks
"With every cells of my body." Bethesda responds "We need to find a way to get in his room and find some clues to confirm that he his the man we are looking for."
"The question is now, how we get in his room without looking suspicious?" Obsidian says
A few minutes of brain storming ensues
"We could disguise someone as a maid?" RED says
"…Wow you actually got a smart idea." Bethesda responds to RED
"But who will disguise? Considering that we need someone knowledgeable and that knows where to search for and in all discretion."
"Like a spy?" Compa asks
"Yes."
Everyone looks at each others and then turns to IF
"Hell no! I'm not dressing up as a maid!" IF responds
"It had to be expected." Nepgear says
"What do we do?" Compa asks
Nepgear sighs "Grab her."
[Moments of rare violence later…]
IF is walking in the hotel corridor dressed up as a maid with a cleaning trolley, she's blushing of embarrassment, she eventually make to the room, she's open it with a key card, typically the ones for hotels employees
She get inside of it and closes the door "I'm in the room. I'm beginning the search" she says to her phone
"Okay i will tell you when the suspect will be back." Bethesda responds to her
Bethesda who is currently observing the surrounding trough an alley. Note that Bethesda have a bruise on his cheek, there is Nepgear looking down on the top of a building, Obsidian is at the opposite side of Bethesda on another alley, Compa and RED are at the bistro at a table outside of it.
IF starts to search trough the room for something, some clue, she check the drawers, there is nothing interesting, under the bed? Nothing. In the bathroom, neither
Compa is drinking an orange juice while looking at RED…
"So that why I'm thinking that boys are gross." RED who is rambling about some lesbian bullshit
"Interesting."
At the same moment, Compa notices about someone passing behind RED, there is someone that fit to the description the suspect and he's starting to walk towards the hotel, Compa slightly lean forward to see better
RED quickly notices what Compa is doing "You seen something?" RED asks
"Yes. The bad guy." Compa says while getting her phone
RED turns her head and see the man
"Beth. I think I see him."
"Where is he?"
"Coming form your side."
"Okay, wait a second I'm gonna ask IF the progress." Bethesda responds to Compa, he then enable the double call of his phone "IF! Did you found anything."
"I'm checking..." IF responds while having her phone blocked between her shoulder and her head
"Hurry up! he's getting into the hotel!" Bethesda says while looking at the man entering in the building
IF starts sweating while staying focus, she continues searching, she lift the TV of the main room and find a piece of paper, she's read it quickly and get it in her inventory
"I found an important note!" IF says to her phone
"And what it says?"
IF then look around and see that the room is in a bad state due to her searching
"I will tell you when I'm outta here!" She then ends off the call and quickly put her phone on a strap on the leg of her outfit "Damn… I don't know how far he is form the room, should I clean it? No way I won't have time..."
The suspect walks trough the stairs case, he goes to the corridor of his room at the floor 3 and goes to the room 7, he put his key card into the door locker and opens it, he sees that a loot of things is not in their correct place that when he left the room, he also see a cleaning trolley in middle of his room, there is also the window wide open
"Geez, did the maid that cleaned my room had her lunch break in middle of her task? I'm gonna leave a 3 stars on trivago." The man says as he head for the widow and closes it
The man didn't notice that there were IF hanging with her quatar that she stabbed on the concrete wall under the window, she sighs in relief
"That was close" she says
"Uh, Iffy?" Compa says under her
"Yeah?"
"We can see your underwear!"
"Uh!"She quickly hides her panties by putting her hand between her thighs
"Awwww." Bethesda and RED and some guys the crowd are disappointed
IF embarrassment is quickly replaced by a gigantic anger "STOP FUCKING LOOKING YOU FUCKING BUNCH OF SICK-"
[LATER…]
There is IF holding the note, she took off her maid costume by the way… but its not actually a not but a note but…
"A list. This is a list of people." Obsidian states
"And the idol name is written on it on the top of paper."
"There is also others ones, there is the name of Chika on it, also some other Leanboxian personalities."
"Who are those names?" RED asks
"Hey." Cave says as she comes up to the group
"Oh hello Cave." Obsidian responds, "How did you knew that we were there?"
"Bethesda told me."
"By the way you came to the right moment" IF says
Cave sees the marks on RED and Bethesda "Someone attacked you?"
"No, its due to a fan service moment IF didn't liked that." RED responds
"We had to make her wear a maid outfit to get some valuable information."
Cave raises an eyebrow… "…Got it." But agrees anyway "So what does it says?"
"Its a list of people. Which include 5Pb. And Chika."
"Let me take a look at it." Cave asks
The paper is handled to Cave, and she reads it
"There is also Yvoire, Turquoise and 303."
"But why he want to target them?" Obsidian says
"Especially they don't have much in common." Bethesda says
"These people are all against the ASIC." Cave says
"...Oh." everyone responds
"Yeah no doubt he must be working for the syndies." IF says
"So what do we do now?"
"We should report that to Chika."
"It seem to be a good solution to me."
"Shouldn't it be better that we catch him now?"
"Yeah, so he don't have any chance do get away." IF says
"How about someone tell her, and all the others focus on on the killer." Obsdian says
"I want to avenge 5Pb." Bethesda says
"Me too." Obsidian sighs
"Its my fault that I couldn't protect her so I will give him back hit for hit."
"That's sucks, you guys knows the city better than we do." IF says
"So guess your coming with us?"
"But who gonna give the message?"
"…I think I know someone that can do that." Obsidian says while he get his phone "Corvidae? Yes we found the assassin, go warn Chika about that."
"So how we capture him?"
"I have an idea..." Bethesda says
[Meanwhile, in the hotel.]
(Magnum force theme plays)
The assassin is looking everywhere is the room
"Where I put it?"
He continues searching for a couple of minute
"Is that possible that a maid took it? No I would have been already arrested. Good thing I made a screenshot of it in case."
Knock Knock Knock
"Who it is?" He asks
"Open the door please." The man at the other side of the door politely asks
"Who it is first?"
"The hotel manager."
The man get his phone and look trough a CCTV of the corridor, this is not the hotel manager, in fact there is 4 people next to the door one of them that he seen yesterday, The man get his sniper rifle and point it to the door, he load it and look trough the scope
"Sir! I would have to open it by myself!"
"GO AHEAD!"
BRUNK
On the other side of the door there is Bethesda slamming the door with his warhammer
BRUNK
BRONK
The assassin slowly pull the trigger of the rifle.
KRSSSTTTT
IF burst trough the window of the room with her quatars in hands
The man looks on his side seeing the girl landing next to him
"DROP THE GUN!" She yells
Too late, the man aleready pulled the triger…
BANG
The bullet flies trough the room
CRASSSHHH
Bethesda just broke the door open but as he enters in the room he get hit in the right arm
"UGH!" He drops his war hammer on the ground
The second after Cave and Obsdian enters the room, Cave with two guns, Obsidian with the big iron
The man is encircled but he still have something that can get him out of that situtation…
IF rushes and slashes the man with her quatar
The sniper manage to dodge the first attack…
SLACK
But not the second one who stabs him in the leg
IF continues her assault but somethings distract her, there is something that fallen form the man pocket that look like a flash bang, the others also seen it. Cave quickly closes her eyes
BANG
The grenade explode, blinding everyone in the room, but not the one who dropped it who had his eyes away form the explosive, he runs to the window and jump trough it, he quickly pull out the grappling hook and aim at the building in front of him
ZIIIPPPP
The hook flies to the edge of the building and fixate, the cable stretches and it pulls the wider towards to building
Cave runs to windows and propel herself trough it, she manages to catch the leg of the assassin and grabs it with one hand, she grabs her scissors on the other hand
The sniper quickly notice that the there something on his leg, he turns his head back and see the the red haired woman, the attempts to kick her out
But the woman dodges the boots effortlessly
"Leave my fucking leg!"
"YAHHH!" A girl yells
Purple sisters dives on the killer with her gun blade raised
The killer get a kukri out of his jacket, he raise it up in the direction of the incoming CPU candidate, ready to strike...
SLICK
The man swings his kukri machete but Purple sister fled past him without reaching her... in front, she cut off the cable of the grappling hook
The Assassin is surprised by what just happened "HOLY-"
The sniper and Cave starts to fall down, Cave finally let go the leg of the man and she safely rolls on the road. Conversely.
"AAARRRGHHH!" the sniper yells…
SPLAT
And splat himself on the ground
"Well looks like we got it…" IF says while looking at the man on the ground
Compa comes shortly after and checks the state of the man "He's still alive."
Obsidian comes running "Still alive?"
"Yes."
"..." Obsidian looks at the assassin
PLONK
He kicks him in the face "That's for the Idol."
"That looks fun! Can I join in?"
"Sure." Obsidian says "No." IF responds
RED is not sure who she should obey to but considering her disarray for boys, she obey to IF
Bethesda comes shortly after while holding his arm "Compa! You got some bandages?"
Compa is startled "Yes, why?"
"That motherfucker shot me in the arm!"
"Oh!" Compa rushes to Bethesda while opening her purse
"By the way nice acrobatics." IF says to Cave
"Thanks." Cave responds
[Later...]
The group is resting while observing the killer is getting arrested by the Leanboxian police, the assassin got bandages over all his face due to the physical reaction called friction that scrapped his face, Chika is there on the scene, accompanied by a strange man...
"Good job. He will not longer be able to cause troubles." Chika says "When he will be able to talk again. He will interogate him."
"By the way who this is?"
"This is Corvidae, its not his real name by the way."
"Let me guess…"
"Uh?"
"No nothing."
Corvidae looks strangely at Bethesda, well actually we don't know since he wears a mask, Bethesda looks back
"Yes?" Bethesda says at Corvidae
"I think I know you."
"Well of course I'm pretty famous. For good and bad reasons."
Corvidae doesn't responds
"So how's the idol?"
"Apparently she is quickly recovering thanks to a stranger who healed her he don't know how."
Cave and Bethesda glances at each others
"The concert is going to take place tomorrow. You all better be in good shape." Chika says
She and Corvidae starts to walk away, the man than stops for a second
"We will meet again Bethesda."
He then continues walking away, leaving the group there, confused
And so the Assassin is finally arrested but they don't know that the day that they spent tracking him down will be fatal for Leanbox...
As you guys can see by the delay between the last chapter and this one, that I had not longer time to make this, but well this is starting to be a habit.
So other things about the future of this fanfic is that I in a previous chapter (the finale of the volume 3) i mentioned an equivalent to Victory II in the inventor tale timeline, So yeah i scrapped the idea because it would make it a way too long, but I still planed to make a sequel to this fanfic but I will say more when I will be done with this one.
So this not the final chapter of the volume as you can see. But I planed to end the volume after the chapter 6 or 7, it depends if I skip some things or not.
On this, see ya later!