Hello! You may find that parts of this story do not line up with the Lobotomy Corporation/Project Moon lore. That is fine, as it is Fanfiction, and is non-canon. This story is to be taken as a derivative of the Lobotomy Corporation game's lore, where instead of the events in the game, the Corporation more takes a role similar to the SCP Foundation in their fictional world. Of course it is assumed that when reading this story, you have knowledge of some of the features of the game.

Thank you for your time, and enjoy!

Jasper collapsed down at the bench, dropping his tray of food at the table in front of him and causing some of it to splatter onto his gray vest. A lock of the mop of green that rested on his head fell in front of his lime eyes, prompting him to push it out of the way. With his sight clear, he scanned the cafeteria.

Across the table from him was his silver-haired friend, Kain, who sported a fashionable red long-jacket with black accents that was befitting of a high-born citizen such as himself. Coming from the upper echelons of Society in one of the larger cities, Kain was born into a rich family and it very much showed.

He sneered at the paste and mush that the cafeteria served as "food" that rested on the tray in front of him, disgusted by what the Lobotomy Corporation considered "edible fare" to feed to its staff. The food in the cafeteria was not exactly up to the standards of Kain's high-class palette, tempered by the expert skill of private chefs, and not used to the quick to prepare, cheap food.

He eyed Jasper, who wore a straight face. His acid green eyes bounced from his 'peasant food' to his coworker who was staring at his food, deep in thought.

"Did your team's project not go well?" he questioned, curious about his coworker's placid demeanor. Jasper would otherwise smile and start babbling immediately as he came to lunch, so this was different. He shot his eyes back to what he was contemplating about eating, and started digging at it with a spoon.

Jasper smiled at him, and reanimated stabbing a piece of what can only be described as 'meat' with his plastic fork. "The opposite actually, it's going fantastic!" he stated with pride, "despite her outward appearance, we've made great headway with getting more information from Red!"

Kain set his utensil down and raised an eyebrow. "Really? You seemed quite dour sitting down." Upon further analysis of his food, Kain set his utensils down and pushed the tray away.

Jasper teetered his free hand. "Ehh, just organizing my thoughts, it was a long session," he said, twirling the fork around. "She's quite the combative person, imagine my surprise when it turns out that she's actually a true to life mercenary!" flinging a bit of food over his shoulder, eliciting a shout from someone elsewhere. He winced and shouted 'sorry!' over his shoulder.

A woman with long, blonde hair sat down at the table with the two guys. Her white cloak hung near the ground as she settled into her seat, the orange accents that bordered the hem of the long garment nearly brushed the ground. A golden clasp emblazoned with the logo of the Corporation kept the cloak closed.

The woman chipped in, having overheard the conversation while approaching, "isn't that anomaly like, a Waw though?" She dug around in an orange knapsack and pulled out a brown bag. "Just what are you doing working with a Waw?"

Jasper shoved a new forkful of food into his mouth. "I 'unno," Jasper said through a mouth full of rubbery food. While the food at the cafeteria is the typical fare one may find in say, a highschool, today's meal was of a particularly low quality, being closer to chewing gum than actual food.

Kain frowned. "The company definitely made a dubious decision sending you to work with a Waw," he moved his attention to the lady, "Liz, since you have experience with the company, what do you think?"

Liz, who was in the middle of tearing the wrapper off of some yogurt, responded positively. "I'm sure it was a thought out decision, especially after the time I spent training him." She opened the lid to the yogurt with a smile. She allowed the orange accented sleeves of the cloak to slide down, revealing a spoon she had hidden in one of them.

Jasper cracked the tab on a can of cola, "That's probably it," he said, "that or the Psychology degree," he included after a moment of thought. He took a large gulp of cola, washing the taste of the 'food' that 'graced' his pallet.

"Partial Psychology Degree, Jasper," Kain scoffed, digging through his supply bag for a research report he had yet to fill out.

Liz returned with her own statement. "Still a lot better than what a lot of people who study sentient beings have," she shook her head, "I still don't know how the hell they let Dick work with the Snow Queen."

Kain shook his head as well, pulling the report out of the bag. "By God was he a stupid Bastard."

Jasper set his drink down pointedly, "C'mon, Richard wasn't that bad, maybe a bit confused, but…" he trailed off. Across the table from him, his two friends were glaring daggers at him.

"Jasper, I was training you when we went to save his sorry ass," Liz stated coldly, "he ruined that entire week for me, and you were bed bound for a month!" She pointed a finger at him, while her yogurt trembled in her hand.

Kain looked down and started flipping to where he left off. "Let us not forget that time he tried to use you as a living shield when Ppoddae escaped, or perhaps even the time he pressed that button." He found his location in his document, unclicked a pen that he had, and started working.

Jasper put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Okay, so maybe he is questionable. At least he's doing something he can do well… right?" Jasper said with a nervous grin, stabbing another piece of food.

"Last I heard, he's been transferred to the Information team," Liz mentioned, setting down her now finished yogurt cup. She then started unwrapping a sandwich

Jasper hissed. "Y'ouch."

Kain put a finishing flourish on the page he was filling out before flipping it over. "Good Riddance. Let those sadists deal with him."

Jasper interjected, "I can admit he's a trainwreck, but he doesn't-" before being interrupted by the intercom. The loud din of activity in the cafeteria dimmed, as the other diners listened in.

"Jasper Turel of the Control Team, report to the Welfare Department Immediately! Jasper Turel, to Welfare Immediately!" blared the dictating voice of the female half of Tiphereth from above. Afterwards activity picked back up, but now with the peppering of gossip and sideway glances towards the addressee. Jasper felt himself become tense, not expecting to hear himself be called to Welfare by a Sephirah.

"I wonder why the Welfare Team is calling for you," Kain idly questioned aloud, flipping to yet another page, unbothered by the announcement.

Jasper shrugged and waved his hands out in front of him. "I would have no clue! We're meant to be part of the Training Team!"

"That was the tone for a Facility wide announcement Jasper, you need to get moving!" Liz prompted, pushing on Jasper to encourage him out of his seat.

Jasper swatted at Liz. "I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!"

He grabbed his tray, and dumped what was left of his 'food' into the trash, where it belonged. With a final wave to the two, he stepped out into the hall, and hurried to the nearest elevator system that would take him to where he needed to go, dismissing co-workers who were questioning the announcement, or confirming that he had heard it to those who informed him. He waved to the occasional clerk he was familiar with as he hurried down the halls, offering a smile and a polite "Hi!" as he went.

He came to the elevator, which thankfully, wasn't busy. It's never a good idea to keep management waiting, especially in the Lobotomy Corporation. Anyone, no matter their expertise, can be reassigned for even basic infractions. A low-level researcher, such as himself, could risk harsh reparations for being so much as tardy. While thankfully many directors normally refrained from being so rough, he did not wish to be the one to cause trouble on someone's bad day.

He called the elevator, and anxiously waited for it to come to his floor. The Lobotomy Corporation was a vast facility, housing many abnormalities, from the mundane such as Old Ladies who are able to tell stories endlessly and draw the listener in, to ancient abominations, from when the world was young, and the magical and the fantastical was still in its infancy after being formed by the First Fracture. The entire facility consisted of specialized containment units, stacked on top of each other, spreading for miles and miles in all directions. Hence the long wait time for the elevators…

*Ding!*

The Elevator had arrived on his floor, and the doors opened. A group of clerks and a few agents stepped out while he stepped in, squeezing past the group with a few utterances of apologies. He was in a rush, and the typical decorum of waiting for the elevator occupants to leave before getting in was missing.

After a moment, the elevator's doors closed in front of him, signaling his descent into the depths of the facility. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the green locks, and causing them to stick out at random angles. Luckily he was the only one in the elevator, so no one was around to see the mess, and the following attempt to pat it back down. "I've gotta stop doing that…" he thought to himself.

The low hum of the elevator was the only sound that was present, as the Corporation felt that even basic elevator music was a "distraction" in the work environment. It was an interesting decision, as the only individuals that elevator music would affect are those in the elevator, thus they are not doing work anyways. It was a mystery, to be sure. Unfortunately, that also meant he had nothing to do but tap his foot, and watch the floor counter tick. "Almost there."

The elevator *ding-dinged* when it arrived at its destination. Jasper let out a puff of air, and straightened his back. "Let's go," he muttered to himself as the doors opened. He moved to step out, and immediately bumped into a co-worker.

"*Ooph* Watch it!" she exclaimed as she pushed past Jasper, and into the elevator.

Jasper stumbled away from the woman as he stepped into the hall. "Sorry!" he yelled out as the elevator's doors closed behind him with a swish.

"Off to a great start." He shook his head as he hurried down the corridors to the Welfare Department headquarters. He nimbly danced around rushing clerks, who all seemed to need to be everywhere at once. They cluttered the blue halls, but at the same time, they seemed to act as a hivemind, maneuvering around each other without issue. It was hard to not get lost in the sea of multicolored hair, and bobbing heads, however Jasper managed it, if clumsily.

"*Ohp* My clipboard!" yelled a clerk he bumped into. His clipboard was flung from his hands due to Jasper accidentally running into the distracting individual.

Instinctively, Jasper nabbed the flying item out of the air with deft precision before it could get far, and handed it back to the owner. "Sorry," he apologized, "I'm new here."

The clerk took the clipboard back with a small smile. "That's okay, I had issues getting used to the Welfare Rush as well," he said sympathetically. "If you're trying to find the HQ, just keep following the main hall!" With that little bit of advice, he hurried on his way, trying to make up lost time.

Following the individual's advice, he quickly came across a door that seemed to have a near constant flow of traffic going through it in both directions. Above it, a fancy, blue, glowing sign shined "Welfare" in cursive. "This must be the main room." thought Jasper.

He drifted across the threshold of the door along with a group of chatting agents, and was casted in a serene, blue glow that bathed the Welfare Department HQ. A mosaic of light flowed from the mysterious liquid ceiling, painting dancing lines across the dark stone walls of the grand room. Jasper's shoes made a reverbing echo as he made his way to one of the many secretarial circular desks centered throughout the room. The entire room had a mysterious air, although it had him feeling as if a weight was being lifted off of his mind as he existed within it. Mystic would be a more correct term to describe it. It relaxed his muscles, and left him feeling at ease, though reinvigorated. "No wonder why everyone from Welfare always works so hard, considering how refreshed I am just from stepping in here."

As Jasper approached one of the secretary desks, the person working at it looked up from what she was doing, and gave a polite smile and wave. "Hello there! Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, cleaning up some stray files that were on her desk.

Jasper smiled back. "Hey, I was called here by the Sefirot Ms. Tiphereth, and I hurried over," he answered, leaning on her desk in order to give his feet a chance to rest.

The secretary widened her eyes, and scanned her computer's screen. "Jasper Turel, correct? May I get your ID?" she directed, sticking a hand out.

Jasper raised an eyebrow, and unclipped his ID from his pants and handed it to her. "What's the need with the ID? Is it something serious?"

The secretary pulled the offered ID from his hand, and scanned it over momentarily before handing it back. She then proceeded to dance her fingers across the keyboard before looking back up at Jasper. "I couldn't tell you, but apparently a new project has surfaced, and the corresponding Project Manager wanted to ensure that you were verified before going to speak with her." When she finished typing away, something printed out of the printer on her desk. She tugged it free of the printer and gave it to Jasper, who had just finished affixing his ID to himself again.

He grabbed the offered document before the secretary continued. "You'll be going to Office WO-110, it's down the hall and to the left. I recommend you hurry, as Kiera does not like waiting," she dictated as she reached for the electronic lock release for the door behind her. With a buzz-click, the button gave confirmation for the lock disengaging.

Jasper nodded to the lady, and stepped past the desk towards the door that was behind her. "Thank you for your help!" he called to her as he hurried past. She responded back with a *mmhmm* while reaching for the phone on her desk to presumably call ahead.

Back in the halls of the Welfare Department, Jasper resumed his dodging of rushing clerks and employees alike. While the managerial wing of the department was noticeably less crowded compared to the main hall he just came in through, these areas were still bustling with a sizable amount of activity. He dipped into a side hallway to his left, and started counting room numbers.

"Welfare Office-106, WO-107, 108, 109… Oh Here!" he mentally exclaimed as he stopped just outside the door. He shook and lightly slapped himself, psyching himself up to enter the office. "There's nothing to worry about! Just a summons from on of the most powerful individuals in the Corporation!" he thought to himself, shifting his weight between his feet. "It could only result in something incredibly bad happening if you mess it up! Nothing too bad!"

He inhaled and exhaled rapidly a few times, and moved to knock on the office door. However, before his fist could make contact, the door was pulled open, leaving it hanging in mid-air. "Uhhh..?"

"Ahem, down here…" came a gruff voice from below him. Jasper looked down to see a fairly short guy sporting a short, vibrant pink haircut, with pink eyes, who was scowling up at him. "You would think being paged by a Sephirah would mean you get here sooner," he dismissed, turning around and walking back into the office with a hand wave.

Jasper brushed off the comment, opting to not take offense and follow the short man into the office. As he walked in, his eyes drifted around the tidy office, taking in the various filing-cabinets that stood along the serene blue walls, along with the trophies, awards, and commendations that littered the tops. Like the rest of the department, the room was seemingly lit by a light source that was shining through an unseen layer of water, the refractions and shadows subtly dancing along the walls and shining off of the reflective metals of the room. The air was moderately tepid, feeling like a cool Summer's day with a light breeze; comfortable, but noticeably different compared to the halls he just traversed.

"Are you… Kiera?" Jasper asked, closing the door behind himself. The hustle-bustle of the hall was immediately muted, leaving the two isolated in the office.

Kiera glared back at Jasper as he walked behind his desk. "Of course I am, you idiot, who else would I be?" he stated while taking a seat in the large, tall, plush leather chair that was positioned behind the magnificent, fine oak desk.

Jasper scratched his head. "Well, I just expected a... ya know..." he did a curtsy in order to finish his question.

Kiera's already angry and displeased glare only intensified. "I am a girl, dipshit," he, now identified as she, stated, pulling a collection of files out of a nearby cabinet in an exasperated manner. "Of course they stick me with the ignorant asses," she muttered scornfully.

Jasper blushed in embarrassment, and took a seat in one of the two plush chairs which were positioned in front of the desk. "Apologies, ma'am," he stated, bowing his head. He paused for a moment before looking back up and asking tentatively, "what caused the change?"

She shot him a scornful look. "The only reason you're here right now is because the Welfare Department decided that you're the best choice for a new project my team has been assigned," she growled out through barred teeth, "I can always find a different candidate."

Jasper pursed his lips, and opted to remain quiet while Kiera finished organizing the papers on her desk. The tension in the room was thick enough to slice with a baseball bat, and it felt hotter than a sauna in the previously cool room. Jasper tried to put on his best poker face to hide his all-consuming embarrassment, however he could still feel his face burning due to the numerous faux-pas he made. He could feel Kiera's glare on him as he sat there quietly, causing his anxiety to flare.

But before he could get lost in his thoughts, the office door opened behind Jasper. Stood there in the doorway was a tall, slender, and pale man looking like he just stepped out of the late 19th century. He sported black slacks, a grey vest, a blue cravat, and an extravagant blue jacket. He was slouched over, swirling a large cup of coffee in his hands, which deftly performed the movement in such a way that only hundreds of thousands of cups of coffee worth of practice could provide. Dark bags hung from his brown eyes, which scanned the office with a speed that betrayed their appearance. With a small shrug he moved to sit down.

"Ahh, Sepherah Chesed, sir," greeted Kiera, "Just in time, I was about to start briefing Mr. Turel about the new anomaly." She slid two sets of documents across the table, one to each person, before retrieving another folder from a drawer under her desk.

Chesed simply nodded, causing his cobalt blue hair to sway, before taking a long drink from the mug he was holding. "You may continue."

Jasper, meanwhile, was in shock that one of the Sefirot just walked in and sat down next to him, casually. One of the most important, most influential individuals in the entire Lobotomy Corporation had just strided into this lowly meeting, to observe a subpar employee be evaluated for a project that was way above his position. Jasper didn't even notice the papers that were slid in front of him, but instead gawked at the man who just sipped his coffee like this was an everyday meeting for him.

Kiera straightened her posture. "You are here because management believes that you have the necessary skills to make significant progress with this new anomaly," she looked up from the file, and upon noticing his star-struck expression, snapped at Jasper. "Pay attention!"

Jasper shook himself from his stupor. "Oh, sorry, I apologize!" he sputtered out while reddening.

Kiera continued to glare at him, before rolling her eyes and muttering swears and insults under her breath. She broke off her train of cursing his bloodline and returned to the topic at hand. "Now that you're no longer catching flies and embarrassing yourself, we can continue." She pulled out a blown-up print of a young, adorable girl of Asian descent displaying a 'peace symbol' with her gloved hand. Her golden eye winked at the camera, while a curtain of pastel blue hair cascaded around her pale face. A cute pink-bordered black-heart hairpin kept her hair in place as two twin-tails flowed out of sight.

After allowing the two men a moment to view the photograph, Kiera continued. "This is our recently acquired anomaly, how it was acquired is not important to you currently, however its current containment procedure is on the forms I presented to the both of you." She set the photo down, then clasped her hands together. "As you will read, we've been having only minor success with this entity, which is worrying, as it has shown a marked decrease in 'mood,' as containment has continued."

The Sephirah looked over the short packet of papers while taking a drink of his coffee, his eyes darting across the paper at lightning speed. He hummed to himself, before allowing it to fall close. He nursed his coffee in his hand for a moment. "An interestingly short procedure you have compiled here, Kiera. Are you confident your team can handle this?" he asked calmly, taking another drink of his coffee.

Kiera smirked and puffed out her chest. "I am confident that we have containment under control, although, if I may be clear-" she started, before looking over to Jasper who was still reading through the document. "-I am uncertain of your decision to include someone from the Control Team, especially someone who has such a low ranking," she finished folding her hands on the desk.

Jasper looked up from his reading with a frown. "I am competent in what I can do, and I do it well," he stated indignantly. "I managed to successfully negotiate a price with the Red Hooded Mercenary for assistance in neutralizing rogue Anomalies, after she was initially brought in and evaluated, to little success by others." He started counting on his fingers.

Kiera raised her eyebrow at him, but Jasper continued on. "I managed to recover a teammate from the Snow Queen, after she had captured him while he was doing work on her," he rolled his eyes, though said nothing else on the matter.

"And finally there was that time where I had to put down Ppoddae after being caught in the middle of its rampage, along with managing to save a group of clerks and my teammate and trainer at the time, Elizabeth Ykears," he finished, holding up three fingers confidently.

Kiera sneered at him. "I am well aware of what you've done, your prior experience and even your prior 'schooling'," she stated, "however I do not believe with your current training and attitude you are a good fit for the team, as you are very clearly demonstrating." She turned back to the presiding Sefirot and asked, "May I reject this recommendation and instead choose a better candidate for the position?"

Chesed took a drink of his coffee, then responded to her. "I do not believe I can honor that request, Kiera," he said, causing her to squint suspiciously at him, "I have reviewed his work, and spoken with the supervisors of his department personally, and they made it clear that he is the best you have available to you currently, however you may feel about that."

Kiera scowled at the Sefirot, before turning her attention to Jasper. He averted his look away from her gaze, feeling the rage that was building in her. "You are telling me, HE," she directed towards him, her voice teetering on booming, "is the best I've got for this project!? Just who the hell is the Corporation picking up from the street nowadays!? BUMS!? DUMASSES!? FUCKING DIPFUCKBUMCOCKS!?"

While Jasper cowered in his chair at the waves of anger that started boiling over from Kiera, Chesed simply stared at the scene before him. He sat his cup onto the table, which caught the attention of Kiera, who immediately locked eyes with him. "Kiera, you are getting angry, calm down and practice the breathing exercises you have been discussing with the doctors."

Kiera went from simmering boiling, to roaring boil in an instant. "And what do you think you know about how to run a project!? You don't take anything seriously, and instead just spend your time sipping your coffee and giving life advice!" She started aggressively pointing fingers at the Sepherah. Chesed continued to watch the angry man with a flat expression on his face which seemed to only make Kiera angrier as he continued on, "You don't even do anything except for lounge around watch as mistakes happen and people get caught up and-"

However, his rant was cut short when Chesed simply sat forward in his chair and, using his middle finger, pushed on the middle of her forehead. The effect was immediate as a subtle chime tone played in the room, followed by a light-blue ring of light resonating away from the point of contact. Kiera fell back into her seat, panting heavily while Chesed sat back down. He adjusted himself in his chair, and sat quietly once more.

For a few moments, silence fell upon the office, as Jasper looked between the two, surprised and awestruck. Eventually his eyes fell onto Chesed. "What… did you do?" he asked the man.

Chesed, who was in the middle of bringing his mug to his mouth, responded. "A simple trick I have picked up from those who work with me. It helps with employees who have been under a lot of pressure and stress. Kiera should be fine in a few moments." He then took his drink.

"So… why did he… 'blow up?'" Jasper asked, glancing over at the recuperating 'man'.

Chesed finished his coffee, before setting the mug onto the desk. He turned to Jasper. "Kiera was in an accident recently which caused her gender to be changed to a more masculine one," he directed over to the 'girl' in question, "so she is having issues managing the change in emotions and hormones that come with it." He stopped for a moment, then added, "Along with the additional stress of managing this new project."

Jasper looked back over to Chesed, before asking, "just why did you ask me to come here?"

"He didn't ask for you," came Kiera's exhausted voice from across the desk. She looked like she had just woken up from the longest nap of her life, despite the fact that she had only just been tapped on the forehead. Mystically tapped on the forehead, but tapped nonetheless. "I did." She sat up from the reclined position she had taken in her seat, and propped herself up on the table. "I wanted assistance with the anomaly, and asked for an expert with humanoids. I apologize for my previous outburst," Kiera murmured. "The previous 'expert' which was presented to me proved to be less than adequate, so being presented with someone who has even less time at the Corporation seemed like an insult."

Jasper's guard raised, weary of her after her outburst. "I'm not certain that I-" he started, however he stopped himself. He scrutinized her further, and saw her change in expression, where before she was being loud, confident, and authoritative, she appeared much more diminutive, and pensive, as if she were a child that was in trouble. In a way, she was. She had insulted and berated a coworker in front of one of the bigwigs.

Jasper pursed his lips. "Look, Kiera," he started, putting one hand over the other on the desk in front of him, "I get it, to a degree. People have been doubting me ever since I started working with humanoids, and I also get the stress, and the hormones, and- I get it…" he trailed off, after taking another, closer look at her.

Kiera hung her head, avoiding Jasper's gaze as he spoke, but she did little else. Her regret was obvious, almost as obvious as the tremble that travelled through her body. "I am… truly sorry for my outburst…" she sniffled, barely keeping it together. "I've been having so many problems recently. I've been told that I'm assertive, but I don't think that that's what that was…" She gasped and breathed deeply, trying to prevent the waterworks from starting.

Jasper felt whatever ill-will he held towards her slowly dissipate, causing whatever he was about to say to her to drift off into the aether. He frowned, and thought for a moment. He thought about what it could have been like having his entire identity stripped from him. What it would be like putting his coworkers, his friends, into a situation where no one knows what could happen. What it would be like, having the entire pressure of the Corporation crushing him under its weight…

"Kiera."

She looked up at him, trying to perceive him through tear-blurred eyes. "Yeah?" she asked with a sniff.

A short pause hung in the air. Chesed looked between the two, who's eyes were locked as Jasper attempted to find his voice. Eventually, he spoke.

"When do I start?"

I do hope you enjoyed. The following chapters should hopefully be uploaded within the following weeks, and this multichaptered short story should be finished within a month, however I have a terrible track record with getting such things done. I blame a crippling SCP:SL addiction.

Ĝis la revido!