Chapter 2: Counter Fascist Weapon
~Lastation basilicom~
"Lady Uni! Please come out! They are rioters at our doorstep they are demanding a response from you! Something! Anything! Please! Just say something to calm them down! Anything!" One basilicom staff member pleaded.
"She's worthless!" Another member cried. "She hasn't said anything since she came back here!"
Indeed, Uni was simply curled up in her bed as screams and cries of rioters roared near the Lastation basilicom. The entire inner-city was consumed with rage and anarchy, business and services were closed, and either burnt or broken through. Uni knew she has to do something but didn't know what to do, she was prepared for any of this, she had always been used to Neptune telling her what to do, and her staff giving her commands to help her own citizens, but to face of against her own citizens is something she never dreamed of.
Not so far away, Lilac Heart was flying in from the west, horrified by the inner-city skies consumed with smoke, she flew down closer to the horrifying image of countless buildings being burnt to a crisp.
"Goddamit Neptune!" Lilac Heart screamed angrily to herself. With extreme haste, she dashed down to the front of the basilicom. The coalition of Planeptune and Lastation soldiers saluted her and set aside the share-energy infused barriers to grant her in, immediately closing said barriers upon her entry.
"Lady Lilac Heart thank god you're here! Uni has been trapped in her room ever since she got here!" The basilicom staff member yelled at Lilac Heart.
"The hell happened here!?" Lilac heart screamed as she dashed to Uni's room banging on it. "Uni! What happened!?"
"She was spotted by a group of protestors and was chased down… she was injured as she was trying to run back, and when our security saw her injured… they fired upon-" the staff member was choking on their own words, incapable of finishing her words.
"Fired on their own citizens? The hell?" Lilac Heart grew irritated by Uni until she heard the share barrier close behind her, the soldiers protecting the entrance had retreated inside, as hundreds of citizens were throwing makeshift hand grenades and molotov cocktails at the entrance.
"Lady Lilac Heart, we can't hold off this many people! We need to evacuate!" One of the soldiers begged, he was covered in blood and ash. His helmet had multiple marks which bullets had grinded off of.
"Contact Histoire at the basilicom! She'll send in some transports, meanwhile…" Lilac Heart pulled out her beam saber approached the doorway. "I'd rather not get violent with our own citizens but, if it's going to have to be like this…" Lilac Heart exited the basilicom and faced the inferno outside.
~Planeptune Outskirts~
Neptune stood at the ruins of her childhood home. Ever since the war she's made frequently consistent visits to her past. She didn't know what she wanted from this place, she didn't know why she spent hours upon hours of her time simply standing in front of her home and hoping for what could've been.
She closed her eyes, and in the corners of her mind she saw her mother flying home, her younger sister running around the house, her father preparing her breakfast. But no matter how hard she closed her eyes they would re-open eventually, and the truth hit her harshly every time.
Very little was left to salvage, every book that was still readable had been preserved at the basilicom, whatever furniture was usable was preserved in Neptune's personal storage, paintings and photos were digitally recreated and printed using Neptune's vast computational network. Yet despite all this, Neptune was still empty and hollow like the house in front of her.
Neptune inched her head slightly to her right, she could sense Histoire approaching her from behind.
"What did I say about following me here, Histoire?" Neptune angrily asserted.
"I'm sorry Lady Neptune, but Nepgear has now just arrived in Lastation, according to what little reports have been sent out, Uni has done nothing. In fact, she has been held up in her room all day. Nothing has been said as to why." A slight beeping noise came from Histoire position, the tome pressed a holographic circle that appeared next to her, the call was almost inaudible at first, Histoire could barely make out what the soldiers on the other side were screaming.
"Lady Histoire, the riots are going out of hand now! Ever since er… the accident more and more people across the inner city have been rallying up against us! Lady Nepgear said she was going to protect us but regardless we need to evacuate! Please!"
"You're authorized, Histoire."
"Acknowledged, Lady Neptune, sending orders to hanger bay Alpha 00 to Alpha 05"
Neptune stared back at the house one more time before turning away and heading back toward the basilicom. "Histoire, open the safe for me when I get back"
~Lastation Basilicom~
Many of the citizens recognized Lilac heart and immediately stopped the barrage, some ran away while others stood in fear.
"People of Lastation! Stop this ceaseless violence! Please! Violence isn't going to grant you independence-" Lilac Heart cut herself off, realizing the hypocrisy of her own words. How many times had she been violent toward her own sister whenever she was demanded something from her? But she couldn't let her own faults stop her now.
"It… it'll only further separate us." Lilac Heart pleaded, but just as the crowd was willing to disperse, Abnes appeared with three large automatons and another much taller woman behind her.
"People of Lastation! Do not listen to the enemy! She is a puppet of Planeptune! She only seeks to pacify and weaken our resolve! Besides what right does the candidate have to speak of unity? She failed to protect Leanbox's basilicom and failed to save Lady Blanc from her own demise in the battle for Leanbox! She's a failure of a CPU, she's just as much of a threat to us as her mother was to the rest of Gamindustri!"
Lilac Heart felt her body move against her will as she found her fist and body fly toward the direction of Abnes's face, only for it to be blocked by a long and curved sword held by the other woman alongside her. The woman's skin was pale and Lilac, she looked far older than Abnes and had two pink twin tails not unlike the ones Noire once donned a year ago.
"It's an honor to meet you for once, Lady Lilac Heart" The woman pulled her sword back and swiped it down at Lilac Heart who just barely managed to block it with her own blade. "I… no" The woman turned back at the three machines behind her, one was blackened in intimidating and dark armor, another was rather fat – almost obese – and was covered in orange plating, and the last one stood tall and knightly with the insignia of a lion engraved on it's chest. "We are the Counter Fascist Weapon unit… and I am CFW Magic."
The woman slowly made her way toward Lilac Heart, as she did, she snapped open her blade and transformed it into a scythe that sparked against the ground it scratched. Lilac Heart ran up to her and swung her sword high in the air, feinting the attack and pulling back her sword into a forward thrust, but CFW magic didn't fall for her trick and simply parried her blade, swinging her scythe across Lilac Heart's chest and stomach, blood quickly trimming down the CPU candidate's body.
Lilac Heart jumped back and pulled out her MPBL, dashing backward as she fired blanks against her pursuer. But CFW magic was precise and agile, continuing a slow and steady pace as she made little movements to dodge Lilac Heart's laser rounds. Only one round came close to injuring her, as it grazed her left twin tail, but she didn't let Lilac Heart intimidate her at all.
"What the hell is she!?" Lilac Heart harshly whispered to herself as she backed up to the entrance. She looked back inside and saw the basilicom staff carrying a traumatized Uni up toward the roof of the basilicom.
With a hint of relief, Lilac Heart turned back to face CFW Magic who was still approaching her. "You know, for someone hell bent on destroying the basilicom you don't seem to be in much of a rush!" Lilac heart joked as she approached CFW Magic.
"Personally, I care naught for Lastation's rebellion, in fact, I am far more interested in you Tennouboshi's, and just as I hoped, you showed up here during the chaos."
"Well, I see now. Then surely you won't mind if I just make a little adjustment to the environment?" Lilac Heart charged her MPBL and Shot the roof near the entrance of the basilicom, using the debris and rubble to lock and from entering.
"Faithful to your allies to the end I see. I would expect nothing less from a Tennouboshi." CFW nodded in respect to Lilac Heart, her scythe was brought back, and a share field appeared behind her, which she kicked off of and dashed toward lilac heart.
"Share energy!? But how!?" Lilac Heart panicked, instinctively hiding behind her beam saber only for it to be knocked away once again, Magic placed the scythe behind Lilac Heart's neck and snapped the trick mechanism, closing the blade into sword form. Nepgear grabbed the blade and the hilt preventing them from meeting and decapitating her. But the blade was stronger than Lilac Heart was used to. Her hand that held the blade was slowly cut open as it closed in on her neck.
"Is this really all that Tennouboshi's legacy has to offer? I'm started to become disappointed here, Lady Lilac Heart." Magic let out a tired sigh as she squeezed the trick mechanic on her blade, increasing the force it took to squeeze down on lilac Heart.
But the candidate wasn't going to give in so easily, as she stomped the ground in front of her creating a cloud of dust that blinded CFW Magic, freeing her from the blade's grasp and taking it away, throwing it to the side. Now, both Candidate and Weapon were unarmed.
Lilac Heart swiped in with a hard right to Magic's face and a left to her stomach, opening her up to knee her in the stomach, launching the Weapon slightly in the air to tackle by the stomach and suplex her down the stairs of the basilicom's entrance.
They landed side by side on the staircase, but as lilac Heart was recovering, Magic recovered fast and kicked her in the face, breaking the guard rail she was using to pull herself up and knocking her back into her human form.
Blood swirled up in Nepgear's mouth, which she spit out and pushed herself up as Magic walked toward her. As the Weapon grabbed her by the collar and prepared a hard right, Nepgear grabbed her arm and turned around, bringing it over her shoulder and snapping it downward, breaking it out of shape.
Magic flinched and stepped back but was mostly unaffected as she grabbed her broken arm and snapped it back into place.
"Nice magic trick…" Nepgear worryingly joked. "Is that how you got the name?"
"The name magic is derived from the concept of miracles. Power from nothing, from beyond, from god, maybe even from oneself. Regardless, I stand here against not just you, but the Tennouboshi line as a whole. I refuse to fall as long as one of you is still standing."
"What's the beef with my family? Neptune piss you off just as much as she does to me?" Nepgear joked once again.
"Decades ago, your mother massacred the entirety of Planeptune's government. A heinous and terrible crime against humanity, yet here, almost 35 years later, her children rule over Gamindustri. What kind of unjust world is that?"
Nepgear took in a deep breath, almost nodding in agreement with Magic. "You aren't entirely wrong, what my mother did was terrible no matter what justification she had for herself. But just because she had committed crimes doesn't mean they're also my fault! What don't you understand about that?"
"You can tell yourself that all you want, but unless I've been seeing things incorrectly you were oh-so willing to punch a small little girl over some words she said. Sounds a lot like Uzume left a lot of herself into you…" CFW Magic turned to see Abnes hiding behind the knightly CFW unit.
Nepgear mentally punched herself, she was entirely in the wrong. She started to question is a part of her was truly her own or if she would be nothing more than a shadow of her own mother. The thought consumed her so badly she didn't even realize that CFW magic had recalled her scythe, Nepgear tried to recall her beam saber, but she wouldn't be fast enough as Magic was already swinging straight for her neck.
As much as Nepgear was fearful, apart of her wanted to die, almost willing to let Magic land the finishing blow. But with a fearful shriek from not only from Magic, but the rest of the rioters, Nepgear opened her eyes to see her older sister in her Neo-Alpha form holding CFW Magic's scythe in place.
CFW Magic immediately jumped back. "All CFW units, retreat at once!" She barked through the radio and dashed toward the rooftops of nearby buildings. The other CFW units followed her, with Abnes stilling clinging onto the knightly unit.
Nepgear shuddered as Neo-Alpha floated above her silently. The goddess perked her head toward the west, demanding for Nepgear to transform and return to Planeptune.
~Planeptune basilicom, a Short Hour Later~
Nepgear was standing in front of Neptune, who was sitting atop her desk with her legs crossed and an apple upon her hand.
"Nepgear… *nom* do you know what you did?" Neptune looked blankly at her sister, taking a bite of her apple while still maintaining direct eye contact with her. While there was no visible expression of anger or even annoyance Nepgear could still feel Neptune's immense aura from where she was standing.
"Yeah, I saved Uni and the other basilicom staff. Sorry about that, didn't mean to do my fucking job." Nepgear scoffed
"Lastation's basilicom is being occupied as we speak, all armed forces have been told to regroup at the Lastation-Planeptune border. As of right now, Lastation is without proper guidance, maintenance or leadership." Neptune pulled out her mechanical katana and unsheathed it "Do you know how I found this sword, Nepgear? I searched for it. I didn't have Blanc or Vert find it for me. I found this sword and fought my enemy by my own, do you want to know why? Because it was my job. I wipe out what threatens my country and keep it safe. These riots… these 'Counter Fascist Weapons'… they were going to force Uni into being the CPU she needed to be-"
"Oh, go fucking blow yourself!" Nepgear roared "You expect Uni to be just as optimistic and confident as you are!? You don't even know what she's been through! She spent years in a fucking test tube only to see her shithead sister and cuntwipe scientist fuck up an entire nation- no entire continent! And now she's expected to clean up that mess while you stand here moping outside that STUPID FUCKING HOUSE!?"
Neptune, without hesitation pulled out the share scythe and swiped at Nepgear's HDD core, removing her ability to transform. Nepgear jolted in pain and fell down on all fours. She looked up to see her older sister holding her share core in hand.
"You cunt… give it back!" Nepgear growled, still in shock from the sudden burst of pain.
"Not until you earn it back, you've done nothing but disobey me and cause further havoc. For what possible reason would I even consider giving this back to you?" Histoire flew next to Neptune, who grabbed the share memory and placed it inside Neptune's personal safe behind the old painting of her mother.
"Do you want to keep all your teeth where they are right now!?" Nepgear stood back up, still in a haze of pain as she was barely able to keep standing.
"Do you really think hurling insults and threats at me - no - anyone is going to fix all your problems? They didn't exactly stop Lid or anyone else of Lastation's previous regime." Neptune said, still in her monotone voice, a chord that started to anger Nepgear even more, more so than if her sister had been screaming at her.
It had been like this ever since the last war ended, her sister changed to become far colder and calculating than she was before. Nepgear even started to hate herself for never appreciating the carefree spirit her older sister once had, but she settled that the Neptune she once knew was long gone and this brick wall standing in front of her was just another casualty of the war that destroyed millions.
"No, I don't think hurling insults solves problems, this does!" Nepgear flung her body forward to launch a haymaker punch into Neptune's face only for her sister to push aside her arm, knee her in the stomach, lift her by the waist, and piledrive her into the mahogany wood of the office.
"Are you cooled off yet?" Neptune taunted in the same monotone voice.
"Bitch, I'm just getting started." Nepgear pulled herself back up as blood from the top of her head slowly crept over her eyes. She brought up both her arms in a guard position and taunted Neptune. "C'mon, if that's the strongest punch you got, no wonder you keep your ass holed up here all day."
"You're incorrigible" Neptune took off her robes, showing nothing but a dress shirt and dress pants underneath. "I can't promise this won't hurt." Neptune warned as she put her arms up as well.
"Just don't bitch out and use your HDD, how about that?" Nepgear ran toward her sister Neptune did as well, and they both jumped into the air with both fist colliding each other at the same time creating a shockwave that rustled the many files and books that were laid around the room. Both sisters were launched back to opposite ends of the room, with Nepgear thrown towards the entrance and Neptune into her desk.
"How many times have we fought since we've reunited?" Neptune smirked as she stood back up and wrung out the pain from her wrist.
"Don't know, don't care. Ever since I left that shithole of a high school, I've been hoping for a life that was actually worth a damn… now I'm stuck here with you." Nepgear scowled as she wrung out her entire arm, far more brutalized by the clash of knuckles.
"You don't find being a CPU candidate fulfilling?" Neptune's left eyebrow raised up as she walked back to the center of the room.
"Saving people… changing lives… making a difference. It's all I've ever wanted but ever since the war I feel everything has stagnated – no – it's gotten worse. I can't wake up without seeing Lastation in flames or Lowee in a depression. I thought as a CPU candidate I was going to fix these problems but here I am fighting you just to get the chance!" Nepgear rushed toward her sister and tackled her stomach, slamming her over her desk as the two fell into the library of files and documents, the two now at opposite walls facing each other.
"You just don't get it, do you!?" Neptune blocked a barrage of wide and sloppy punches from Nepgear who was barely able to see through the blood that covered her eyes. "Did you not understand a damn thing since the war ended, after all that Noire did?" Neptune's fist clashed with Nepgear's, parrying back her attack leaving her stunned. With the opening, Neptune grabbed Nepgear's leg and pulled her toward herself into the air, and then used her fist to haymaker her right into the face and back into the ground, causing her to bounce across the wooden floor leaving holes and broken planks across the once refined office.
"The war left Gamindustri in tatters! It's the job of the CPUs to take control and fix these problems!" Nepgear coughed up a swathe of blood before wiping away the stain left on her face, and standing back up, her body was starting to numb from all the pain, with her first and face feeling nothing but static.
Neptune hopped over her desk and flexed her fingers and hand, prepping herself for another fistfight. "CPUs dictating the world instead of mankind? That's the very same belief our mother had when she massacred our government, the same belief Noire had assimilating her country into a fascist empire! CPUs exist to serve mankind! Not to control them!"
"I'm not asking for control! I just want to take matters into my own hands!" Nepgear didn't care about the blatant hypocrisy she just babbled, her mind was hazed and the harder she thought the less focus she had on staying conscious.
"That very reasoning is the why you're still a candidate. You're an idealistic child given too much power. Mankind may be flawed yes, but there will always be people to rise against those with malice intent, it is these very people we must serve! Mankind will choose and we will guide them on those decisions! Not choose for them!" Neptune jumped at Nepgear and swung her right leg downward for a devastating kick, but Nepgear caught it, swinging her around and flinging her back into the ceiling where she landed feet first into the roof.
"If I remember things correctly, it was you who broke into Lastation by yourself. You took out Vio and Noire by yourself, why the sudden change of heart?" Nepgear smirked, the two sisters staring at each other from opposite vertical ends from the room.
"I got lucky, and time was ticking. Had our own government not been in shambles, there would've been a proper assault-"
"No… no." Nepgear quickly interrupted. "The Neptune that I met eight years ago wouldn't have spouted that absolute horseshit I just heard." Nepgear slammed her foot into the ground, propping up a wooden board into the air and roundhouse kicked it into Neptune who punched it and broke it into pieces on pure impact. "I know why you're too afraid to take action…" Nepgear put on a cheeky smile behind her bloodstained face. "Face it Neptune, you aren't concerned about power, you're just afraid to use it." Nepgear laughed as she wiped blood away from her eyes, her purple eyes staring upward, mirroring Neptune's.
"Calling me a coward? Outrageous!" Neptune kicked off the ceiling and tackled Nepgear into the ground, slamming her fist into Nepgear's face, before pulling her back up by the collar.
"You were already overwhelmed as Planeptune's CPU… now that you took control over all of Gamindustri, you hid. Blanc was gone… mother was gone. You were all by yourself. Looking back on all this now I can't say I blame you entirely, but still…" Nepgear slowly raised her hand and pointed it toward Neptune's heart. "Just as you always have, you hid from responsibility until absolutely necessary, and as leader of all of Gamindustri you hid behind others to hide the truth, you were scared. Scared to take on this continent, to lead these three countries. And you know what? That's fine…"
"That's fine?" Neptune asked concerningly, not even denying what Nepgear was saying.
"Because if you're scared, that means the sister I knew is still *hack* somewhere in there…" Nepgear pressed her finger toward Neptune's heart. "Lil ol Neptune who just wanted to eat some pudding and play videogames is still hidden in there, just waiting to be comforted once again."
Neptune grew furious, it was one thing for her sister to insult her, it was another to completely treat her as of she was truly the child. With immense pent-up rage, Neptune lifted up Nepgear by the collar even further and rammed her fist into her face, knocking her out cold.
The CPU stepped back. Her sister was still breathing. Barely. Neptune was horribly nauseous and kept walking back until shed bumped into her desk. She stood there for a good moment, almost hyperventilating, until Histoire finally left the bedroom.
"I've already called for a medical team to pick up Nepgear, well, I called them to pick one of you up. As for the floorboards and ceiling, would you like for me to call some repair drones? Or would you rather fix it yourself?" Histoire asked with a slight underhanded and angry tone.
"Histoire… you heard what she said… was she right? Have I really been hiding away all this time?" Neptune held her hand over her heart, it was beating faster than it ever had in the past year.
"I'm not your therapist, Neptune. I am your oracle. And as such I exist to provide updates, reports, and logistical information. All I can tell you is this… when you were facing off against Lastation. You had weapons and the spirit of your mother left behind to guide you. All I can ask you is this, Lady Neptune. What have you left for your candidates, other than orders?" Histoire quickly left Neptune's presence and joined the medical team that arrived.
Neptune stood silent, only staring silently as Nepgear was carried away by a very confused and distressed medical team. "Something to leave behind…" Neptune limped back into her office chair, and as much as she wanted to cling onto someone, she looked around and saw that there was no one else in her office.
"Mom… what am I supposed to do?"
To be Continued
