Chapter 2 - Faye Ling Upwards
Kokonoe's Lab, Sector Seven - Blazblue World - One hour after the end of the last chapter
(General P.O.V)
Bang…..Bang….Bang…
That is the sound of Kokonoe slamming her head against her console over and over again for the last fifteen minutes as she is still trying to figure out what the hell happened with Lambda-11, as she had control perfectly fine right up until the point she sent the Imitation Murakumo Unit to Kagutsuchi which is when the readings she was getting from Lambda went completely nuts on her.
Compounding matters is the fact that in a berzerk state, Lambda-11 was able to disable her subordinate Tager with ease before fleeing the scene as fast as she could which had left Tager in a particularly bad position that was compounded by the fact that a certain bounty-hunting brat with a mechanical doll showed up almost shortly after.
Granted Tager was able to deal with the kid but the fight was a lot closer than expected since he was just coming off a decisive defeat against Lambda-11, even so, Kokonoe never expected the sudden turn of events although she does have a theory that the situation came about because of the impossible to erase bits of memory and soul that were discovered in Lambda-11 earlier.
She wanted to hope that either it wouldn't cause any issues or the sliver of Nu-13's soul within Lambda would overpower that nascent soul within the Imitation Murakumo Unit, but it seems that she ended up being wrong on both accounts although she can't help but feel like she either was missing something or overlooking something here.
"Tch, at least I can still keep an eye on Lambda's readings now that she seems to have calmed down although I can't seem to establish a communications Ars with her anymore, must be blocking it somehow…" Kokonoe says while looking at Lambda's stats, noting that she's registering a lot more neural activity for a being with barely a sliver of two souls so she wonders if her equipment misread the soul within Lambda's body somehow.
As Kokonoe thinks about it for a moment, she wonders if Lambda's screams were a sign that her soul was explosively growing all of a sudden which would probably explain why Lambda acted so erratically, the Imitation Murakumo Unit was probably hit with a ton of brand new sensations that overloaded her mentally.
Unfortunately for the Pink-haired catgirl scientist, she's unable to verify any of her theories as she is unable to contact Lambda directly anymore, which means she needs to get Tager to find her once he's recovered from having to battle opponents in rapid succession.
But there is one thing that has piqued Kokonoe's interest more than anything regarding the situation with Lambda-11, and that's the unusual reading from Lambda-11's soul that indicates some sort of forcefield has formed around the Imitation Murakumo Unit's body.
Unfortunately, the only one who could actually say for sure if that's actually what she's seeing here on her console is Relius Clover, the creator of the Prime Field Devices that Murakumo Units are made from, and she has absolutely no intention of letting that bastard get a hold of Lambda if she can help it.
However she is going to have to explain to the rest of Sector Seven exactly how she lost Lambda-11 and that is not a conversation she is looking forward to one bit, so she'll have to hold off on doing that for as long as possible.
One thing is for certain however, she is getting a lot of research data from Lambda's readings even as she acts on her own, meaning even if she never gains control of Lambda ever again she is still going to be able to benefit from having constant live access to the Imitation Murakumo Unit's statistics as that way if Lambda ever decides to return she could probably figure out a way to upgrade them in the future.
Although she wishes that the incident hadn't ended up frying some of her equipment due to the backlash from whatever happened to Lambda-11, equipment that she's not exactly going to be able to replace for at least a week or two if even a cursory glance at the damage is any indicator of how badly the equipment was wrecked.
But first things first…
"Tager, can you hear me…?" Kokonoe asks through a communication line with Tager, who grunts over the communication momentarily as she can hear Tager is just about done catching his breath from the second battle.
"Loud and clear, how are things on your end Kokonoe?" Tager asks, which has the pink-haired catgirl just give an annoyed grumble as she looks over all the damaged equipment that got hit by the strange back-lash that occurred as Lambda-11 went berserk one last time before responding.
"Multiple pieces of equipment that are neither easy nor cheap to replace are completely fried, almost like they were hit with a massive electrical surge," Kokonoe says to Tager over the communications line as the Cybernetic Oni is silent for several seconds, likely processing what he just heard before eventually…
"That would likely be from the electrical abilities she demonstrated on my end if I had to make an assumption on where the damage came from" Tager eventually says, causing Kokonoe to freeze as she immediately checks the readings from Lambda-11 again and finally notices the strange constant surge of electrical energy flowing through the Imitation Murakumo, at least from what Kokonoe can see…
She hadn't noticed because it was overshadowed by the other things that she was getting from Lambda's readings, but now that she knew what to look for the abnormality was staring her right in the face as if mocking her for not seeing it sooner.
"Tager, I want you to go find Lambda-11 and keep an eye on them if possible, the readings Indicate that Lambda-11 has calmed down now and has started to proceed further into Kagutsuchi," Kokonoe says after a period of thinking, as she has a hunch that the best option right now is to see what Lambda-11 is up to now that they've calmed down.
"Understood, can you give me the coordinates of her current location?" Tager says over the communication line, to which Kokonoe is quick to give him before cutting the communication line to her subordinate.
Kokonoe sighs for a moment before she takes a drink of her coffee which is thankfully untouched by all the damage around her lab, but as she's drinking from the Coffee Mug, she can't help but wonder what Lambda is up to right now.
After all, she's the first Murakumo Unit, even if she's an Imitation of one, that has acted outside of its original programming….right…?
13th Hierarchical City Kagutsuchi, not far from Litchi's clinic - 2 Minutes later
(Lambda-11/SI P.O.V)
It's strange how large a Hierarchical City is when you walk about it in person, despite how it's built on a mountain of all things one would think that the lower oxygen levels would be a problem but there is a possibility of some sort of Ars Magus (Artificial Magic) is involved.
Regardless of whether or not that's true or not, I am surprised at how little I seem to be raising any eyebrows among the crowd, although perhaps that's due to how there are likely a lot of bounty hunters in the city looking for Ragna The Bloodedge and they likely believe I'm one of them.
Well, they wouldn't be wrong if that is the assumption, as I am looking for Ragna but not for the reasons they might be thinking as I truly do want to find him and protect him, even if he technically doesn't need protecting…
Still, I can at least enjoy the good fortune while it lasts as Kokonoe will likely be looking for me before long, so I need to continue moving along and stay with the crowd for the moment, blend in so they can't find me conventionally.
Of course, I do need to find somewhere to recuperate as I doubt I'll be able to find Ragna in a single day no matter what, but I doubt I will be able to pay for conventional places of rest as I lack any funds of my own for the moment.
As I continue to wander the city, I can't help but feel like I recognize this part of Kagutsuchi which is strange as I've never actually been to the city before today, soon realizing that the familiar is coming from the memories of my past self and how the locale in question is indicative of a certain person's clinic being nearby.
It's strange really, due to how young my soul is, I'm being more heavily influenced by my past self's memories and emotions than I should be compared to someone like Noel Vermillion or Ragna the Bloodedge which would explain why I don't feel as mechanical as I should be mentally.
But it's not just my past life's influences that are affecting me, it's the fragment of Nu-13's soul that has likely integrated into my soul as well, which explains where the warmth comes from when I think about Ragna…
Although I wish that the process of awakening those memories of my past self wasn't so painful, nor did I want to ever remember how I suffered my first death, how I screamed out to the scientists who created me to stop, how I just wanted to live and not feel so much pain.
I think the only reason I didn't get all those memories wiped by Kokonoe like I would have been normally, is due to the company's protections ensuring that the process of awakening isn't hampered by outside forces.
Shaking my head free of those thoughts, I realize that I have actually ended up close by a Clinic of sorts, a clinic that belongs to one Litchi Faye Ling, a former member of Sector 7 if memory serves correctly who is trying to restore the monster known as Arakune into her beloved friend Roy.
I turn my red eyes to look at a Help Wanted sign at the front of the clinic, which I can't help but raise an eyebrow at as if I recall, Litchi should have an assistant that should be helping her already so it's strange that she is asking for additional assistance.
Part of me wants to just walk past the Clinic and continue searching for Ragna but at the same time I recall how in the events of Blazblue Alter Memory that tried to condense the timeline into an anime, Litchi helped Ragna recover with Taokaka's aid.
While it is unclear if this is true for the main timeline or if it's something that only happened in Alter Memory, I think it would be best to see if there is something I can do to help Litchi in return and this request for help could be just what I need to find out how, especially if Ragna does end up here later.
Either way, I make my way into the Clinic…
13th Hierarchical City Kagutsuchi, Inside Litchi's Clinic - Moments Later
(General P.O.V)
As Lambda walks into the Clinic, her red eyes glance around to see Litchi nor her young assistant anywhere inside the building, at least that's what she believes at first until she notices movement behind a drawn curtain not that far in.
It is then that Lambda notices the counter not too far from the doorway she entered through and walks over, spotting a small bell on the counter and deciding to gently tap the bell, a gentle chime coming from it which halts movement from where the curtain was drawn.
"One moment please!" a woman's voice calls out from behind the curtain after which, Lambda's ears can hear whispering between the woman who just spoke up and another, younger person who stays behind the curtain as the woman steps out.
The woman who walks out is a tall, young, and downright beautiful Asian woman with long black hair tied into a bun that seems to often change into a ponytail, pink eyes, and if the memories that belong to Lambda's past life serve her correctly, especially if the creator of the BlazBlue World's word on the matter is correct on the matter, an incredibly large pair of breasts that are ranked as the biggest in the series.
Lambda is admittedly confused as to why that fact stuck in her mind in regard to the various memories in her past life, but her Murakumo mind just passes off as something that could easily be written for a Dosier on the woman in front of her.
Because that same woman is none other than Litchi Faye Ling, the owner of the clinic she's currently in…
"Ah, welcome how may I help you?" Litchi asks Lambda with a smile, as Lambda breaks out of her analysis of Litchi to focus her attention less on the woman herself and more on the fact she's being spoken to now.
"I wish to inquire about the Help Wanted sign displayed on the front of your Clinic…" Lambda says in a soft, slightly monotone voice as her red eyes gaze into Litchi's own briefly, with Litchi soon looking over Lambda's attire and noting how beyond a bodysuit and white shroud, she's not even wearing shoes.
"I see, may I ask if you have any medical training of sorts?" Litchi asks the young blonde-haired girl in front of her, feeling a strange sort of passing familiarity about her but can't remember where exactly this familiarity is coming from right now.
Lambda pauses for a moment before finding that there is at least some basic First Aid training from the Raven Branwen abilities she has, of all places, which means she is able to nod her head at the question.
"Only basic First Aid due to my Profession Ms. Faye Ling…" Lambda says in response, which prompts Litchi to finally notice the strangely elaborate blade at Lambda's hip and assumes that she's likely another bounty hunter for Ragna the Bloodedge but that can isn't reason to turn the young woman in front of her away at all.
"I see, I suppose I could have you help alongside my assistant, do you have anywhere to stay if I may ask?" Litchi asks Lambda, to which the currently Incognito Imitation Murakumo Unit shakes her head, prompting the taller Asian woman to frown at someone who looks so young with nowhere to call home.
"In that case, while you're working for me as one of my assistants you can stay with me at my place, does that sound agreeable?" Litchi offers as a gesture of compassion because she doesn't want her to potentially sleep on the streets or something like that, to which Lambda gives a small, but noticeable nod in affirmation which has Litchi smiling as she quickly brings in Lambda and Introduces her to her first assistant Linhua.
But as the three are getting to know each other, someone is watching them through the window from a great distance…
13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi, Lower Level N.O.L outpost Rooftop - Seconds later
(General P.O.V)
"Heh, didn't think that you'd end up at Litchi's place Lambda, figured you'd have gone down to the Lower Levels where Rags is likely at now…" a man in a fashionable black suit and black fedora says with clear interest, a special pair of binoculars held in his hands as he watches Lambda talk with Litchi and her assistant.
"Seems that she's still slowly trying to get out of her shell it seems, as the other two are doing most of the talking…" The man says as he can see that Lambda is still recovering from the admittedly painful awakening, knowing what exactly she likely remembered as the man winces slightly at the thought of it.
"I suppose it's a good thing she never awakened during her first life, otherwise she'd be dead before she could have even been around to screw with the other me's plots, I mean it would really be a shame but thankfully the company Interns responsible for Substitutions are not idiots when it comes to this shit…" The man says as his yellow serpentine eyes continue watching Lambda as it is his role as a Company Representative to make sure the newbie doesn't kick the bucket before they actually do something worthwhile, especially in this mess of a world.
As the black-suited, fedora-wearing man watches Lambda from afar with some Binoculars he took from his pocket space, he feels a presence come up behind him, making him sigh before turning to face them, seeing that it's just one of the N.O.L soldiers who watch the outpost.
"Captain Hazama What are you doing here...?" The NOL soldier asks, knowing that the man he believes is in front of him should be somewhere else in Kagutsuchi right about now, the black-suited, fedora-wearing man soon decides to see if he can try and get the nuisance off his back by bluffing him…
"Just performing some reconnaissance on a...person of Interest to my investigation~," the black-suited, fedora-wearing man says, a serpentine smile forming as he can see that the N.O.L soldier doesn't exactly believe him…
"I'll have to call headquarters to confirm that Captain Hazama, it's just basic protocol you know..." The N.O.L soldier says as he turns to go and contact the NOL branch in the city to confirm the black-suited, fedora-wearing man's words, unaware of the fact a pair of yellow serpentine eyes are now glowing malevolently at him at this point as he's grown from a nuisance to a potential problem now.
"Oh don't worry, here let me tell you the authorization code and we can clear this up right now..." the black-suited, fedora-wearing man says as he gets close to the N.O.L soldier who stops in his tracks and turns to face the other man in the current location with him…
The moment the black-suited, fedora-wearing man touches the N.O.L solider however, a thick purple energy flows out of him as the NOL soldier looks at him in terror before a single word comes from the black-suited, fedora-wearing man's lips as he gives a malevolent, serpentine smile…
"Hakai..."
Almost immediately after, the N.O.L soldier cries out in utter fear and terror as he begins to fade into bright purple motes of light, within seconds where there was once diligent soldier of the N.O.L now stands an empty space with the man completely wiped from existence in this Blazblue World…
The black-suited, fedora-wearing man soon looks at the spot where the N.O.L soldier was just now and begins to chuckle before bursting into a malevolent fit of hysteric laughter as he takes great pleasure at what he's just done.
"I still got it, even though it's been decades since I stepped foot in this world, I still got it!" The man says with a downright sinister serpentine grin, soon calming down as he is about to resume his self-imposed task of watching over Lambda before he gets a cheery ring tone coming from the Tempest Jewel Ring he has on his finger.
He pauses before sighing as he knows who it is that's calling him right now, so he reluctantly puts away his binoculars into his pocket space and looks around before finally answering the call on his Tempest Jewel Ring.
"Ah hello Wifey, How was the pizza I bought you?" the black-suited, fedora-wearing man says while holding his Ring a short distance from his mouth so the voice comes through cleanly, his gaze keeping a lookout for anyone who might overhear him.
"It was good, I ate it and I want more of it again ya bastard" a woman's voice responds from the Tempest Jewel Ring, the voice that belongs to the wife of the the black-suited, fedora-wearing man himself, the one he previously referred to as Alpha.
"You do realize that I prefer not to make constant trips to Real Life Instances as there is always a chance I could get recognized right…?" the black-suited, fedora-wearing man says with annoyance at his wife, the other side of the call going silent before eventually…
"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before knocking me up with your kid ya prick!" Alpha soon says with a snarl, making him sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose with a free hand to stave off the annoyance slightly.
"Didn't you practically beg to get pregnant during the hate sex we had six months ago, to the point that you wouldn't let me pull out?" the black-suited, fedora-wearing man gives an annoyed yet calm retort, soon smirking as he can hear his wife get all flustered and stammer at how true that statement is.
"Fine fine….still, how's the other me in the new girl's world, think they'll end up like how I did…?" Alpha soon says in a calm, somber tone as the man himself thinks for a moment before eventually…
"Depends on how He responds to the fact that Lambda-11 is around and will likely be difficult to manipulate directly, especially since, if I remember what the Dossier said about Lambda's past life, she should know full well what He is…" the black-suited, fedora-wearing man says with but a of hint of concern as he knows what Alpha is talking about all too well, especially his own personal involvement in that situation back when he was just starting out as a Contractor.
"Look out for them, Please Yuuki…" Alpha says with a pleading tone, with the black-suited, fedora-wearing man sighing but knows he doesn't have it in him to deny his wife this, not after what the two have been through over the decades.
"Alright, I'll make sure to keep an eye on them, it is my assigned job here right now after all Dear," the black-suited, fedora-wearing man says in a soft, reassuring tone, a tone that the man himself never thought he'd ever take when he first became a Contractor but that can often happen when you become a contractor of the company after all…
And as the black-suited, fedora-wearing man ends the call to his wife shortly after, he can't help but wonder what kind of contractor will Lambda-11 become in the future, it's something that he hopes to find the answer to during his time looking out for her…
After all, it's the job of a Veteran Contractor to make sure to look out for newcomers like her, so they don't become one of the many Contractors to end up dead in their first world, the black-suited, fedora-wearing man has seen far too many of those before…
As such he pulled out his binoculars to see what Lambda was doing right now…
13th Hierarchical City Kagutsuchi, Inside Litchi's Clinic - Moments Later
(Lambda's P.O.V)
"Is something wrong Lambda?" Litchi asks me with concern as she notices how I went stiff slightly, I ignore her for the moment however, and look out the window of the clinic as I'm trying to see if anyone is outside watching me right now but find nothing…
"I apologize Miss Litchi, I thought I was being watched from outside but I must have been seeing things…" I say, calming down instantly which seems to make Litchi sigh before smiling at me and shaking her head, amusement clear on her face at my actions.
"It's alright, I suppose one with your skills tends to listen to their instincts after all, even if it doesn't make much sense at the moment," Litchi says as she begins to look me over momentarily before turning to Linhua.
"Can you please check the cabinet for a suitable garment for Lambda's size Linhua?" Litchi asks her young assistant, who nods and quickly sprints off to one of the cabinets and is about to open the first cabinet she sees when Litchi seems to react strangely to the one she's about to open.
"A-ah Linhua, not that on–!" Litchi tries to say but is too late as the moment Linhua opens the cabinet, a large number of colorful articles of clothing, N.O.L uniforms, Maid dresses, and even a female version of Ragna's clothes are in there, complete with a few unopened bottles of wine.
I think there are still even more cosplay clothes in that cabinet than what my past life memories indicate, something that I can't help but feel a sense of unusual dread over for some reason, I cannot comprehend a logical cause for it.
It's dead silence in the clinic as Litchi is frozen at her hidden cosplay stash being exposed, Linhua is trapped under a pile of those same clothes and I am just looking over all the articles of clothing on the floor now with a calm, analyzing gaze with that same strange dread still filling me.
"Miss Litchi is that your cosplay collection…?" I ask in a soft, monotone voice that is laced with a tinge of curiosity, Litchi is broken out of her shock by my words as she turns to me with wide eyes as she takes a moment to respond…
"I…e-err….I suppose, although unfortunately, all the clothes I ended up getting are not able to fit a woman like myself" Litchi says wistfully, as she seems to wish she could actually try the clothes on herself but can't due to her bust size being an issue here.
Almost immediately, I came up with a solution to Litchi's problem that is aided by the memories of my past life regarding this situation, although I still don't understand why I feel this dread grow stronger when I consider asking this…
"Miss Litchi, some of the clothes you have in your possession appear to be the right size for me to wear, if it would please you, I could wear one of these as my uniform instead" I offer to Litchi, whose eyes widen and looks to the stash of Cosplay clothing, to which Linhua has managed to free herself from, and then look over my body with a critical eye before she has a smile that spikes the dread I felt from before even higher.
"Alright then, it's settled, every day you work here you will wear one of the outfits I pick out for you instead of a normal assistant's garment, now then…which one should I pick first~?" Litchi says as she walks over to the pile of clothing to look them over.
Why do I feel like I just signed up to be Litchi's dress-up doll?
Author's Notes
And here is Chapter 2 of Azure Intervention, the plot is slow going for the moment but now Lambda has a job at Litchi's Clinic, as well as a place to stay which is at least more than what Lambda had going for her at the start of the story.
Now then, let's get started on the Plot Discussion as we have some stuff to go through this time around…
Kokonoe's grumblings
Here we see the aftermath of Lambda-11's awakening from the perspective of Kokonoe who's finally had time to take stock of the situation on her end as well as Kokonoe's immediate theories regarding Lambda's actions
Considering that Kokonoe did technically repurpose Lambda for her own ends, it would make sense that she is still able to get readings from her, even if she can't control her anymore which will come up in the future for various reasons.
In the meantime, Kokonoe intends to keep an eye on Lambda both on her readings as well as Tager now looking for her, with the two now interested in trying to see what Lambda's next moves will be.
Speaking of which…
Lambda and Litchi's Clinic
Here we had some internal musings from our newly independent Imitation Murakumo Unit, who is taking stock of her situation right now as well as exploring Kagutsuchi with the fact that she isn't in her Murakumo armor working to her advantage here as her human appearance and her Dust Blade allowing her to blend in as one of the Bounty Hunters looking for Ragna.
Of course the issue of finding a place to stay for the time being has come up, meaning that she'd need to find both a means of securing Income and a place to rest her head now that she doesn't have Kokonoe to rely on.
It just so happened that Litchi was in need of assistance here, which allowed Lambda to get some work so she could get some funds of her own, although it came with the added surprise of Litchi kindly offering to let her stay with her for the time being while working at the clinic.
The scene with Alpha and "Yuuki"
Like with the last chapter, here we have a scene with our mystery man keeping a serpentine eye on Lambda-11 from afar, with the man dropping hints about who he is exactly as well as a brief interaction with his Wife who we get to at least get dialogue from this time.
I will admit, that their subplot and backstory will be developed over time as the main plot progresses so even as time goes on, it'll be interesting to see how directly our fedora-wearing contractor interjects into the plot as things happen.
But as demonstrated right before Alpha called, "Yuuki" is very much dangerous…
Now then, next time on Azure Intervention!: First Shift at Litchi's Clinic, the Faye Ling Residence, and a familiar threat.
See you all Next Month!