Snyderverse Neptunia Snippets
by Derald Snyder
Snippet 59- Sniper and Crusader
Timeline- After Snippet 02 and 'The High School Turnabout'.
*Laguna City, Lastation, nightfall*
Uni suppressed a yawn as she waited at the street corner she'd been directed to... (Hope they get here soon, or I might nod off,) she thought to herself. It wasn't often that the Lastation Guild asked for help from the CPUs, but this was the first time in recent memory that the CPU Candidate had been asked specifically. On the other hand, she'd been somewhat off-put by the codename of the agent that was supposed to meet her here... (Hope he doesn't turn out to be a fruitcake or something...) Her head jerked up as she heard a vehicle approaching, soon seeing a large but otherwise nondescript black car drive into view, Uni noting that the windows were tinted as it slowed to a stop, the driver's window sliding down... (Whoa, handsome!) she couldn't help but think.
"CPU Candidate Uni?" the driver of the car spoke, who had short black hair and dull blue eyes.
"That's me. Are you, um..." Uni hesitated. "Agent... Fruit-bat?"
"That's me," He chuckled. "You can call me Agent Duane, if that suits you better. Anyway, get in. We've got no time to waste."
"Right!" Uni nodded, quickly striding over to the passenger door and climbing in. Once she'd shut the door, though she was awed by the sleek dashboard with several readouts and radar. "Whoa... this looks so much more impressive on the inside!"
"That's kind of the idea. Don't forget to buckle up," Agent Duane advised as he shifted the car into gear, Uni getting pressed back into her seat from the abrupt acceleration. "Like Alfred always says, it's what's on the inside that counts..."
"Right," Uni grunted as she managed to buckle up. "Who's Alfred?"
"Technically, he's my butler, but he's really more like a second father to me," Duane elaborated. "He raised me after my parents were murdered by a mugger..."
"Your parents were murdered?! That's terrible!" Uni gasped.
"Yeah, that's part of why I joined the Guild- to help take crime off the streets so no child has to suffer what I did..." Agent Duane then made a hard right turn, Uni instinctively bracing herself against the car's inner frame. "Anyway, to business. We've got a Pear-level threat, possibly Peach-level, at the abandoned storage facility in the northwest sector..."
"Um, what?" Uni sweat-dropped.
"Oh, right, I forgot. Have you ever played Suika Game?" Brian asked.
"You mean the Watermelon Game, where you merge smaller fruits into bigger and bigger ones, all the way up to watermelons? Yeah, I have. It's really addicting!" Uni said. "Noire refuses to touch it because of that, given all her CPU business and other stuff..."
"You mean her cosplay hobby, right?" Duane smirked knowingly. "Anyway, we've come up with a threat-level system based off that game... simply, the bigger the fruit, the more severe the threat. So Cherry would be something like a bee swarm or rat infestation, Strawberry would be cats, dogs and other aggressive smaller animals, and so on."
"I think some people would say that a bee swarm is a bigger deal than an angry dog," Uni pointed out. "So what's a Pear-level threat?"
"Organized crime or serial killers. And a Peach-level would be a terrorist plot," Brian explained. "We got word that some criminals got their hands on some cryogenic weaponry from a previous incident, that was supposed to have been safely secured. No petty thug could have gotten access to those weapons without professional help, which is why it's a potential Peach-level threat."
"I see," Uni nodded. "I'm afraid to ask what a Watermelon-level threat would be..."
"Worldwide apocalypse. Like the Deity of Sin," Duane replied. "Obviously we would leave that to you and the other CPUs... And a Melon-level would be a regional event, like a plague or pandemic. Or one of the Four Fiends that worked under the Deity of Sin back in the day."
"Right," Uni nodded. "So I guess you need me because I can snipe those criminals at a distance without risking getting frozen?"
"Something like that. And I'm your partner because I was involved in stopping the previous incident with this weaponry," Brian stated. "I don't like going in blind, but time is of the essence, so that's why the Guild requested you for backup..." He then braked, he and Uni shifting forward in their seats from inertia as the car came to a stop. "We're here. From here on out, keep your voice down, got it?"
"Okay," Uni agreed as they got out. Looking around, she saw a tall tower of stacked shipping crates... "That looks like a good place for me to set up for sniping."
"All right, but don't transform, the light will attract the criminals. We want to catch them by surprise," Agent Duane advised as he began to undo the buttons on his thick trench coat.
"But how else am I supposed to get up there?" Uni protested.
"I'll grapple you up there. Just give me moment to get my gear on..." With that, Brian Duane opened his trench coat, revealing a dark gray bodysuit with black boots and a bat symbol on the chest. Letting the coat drop to the ground, Duane slid on a pair on black armored gauntlets over his hands, then pulled out a horned cowl and slid it over his head...
"No way," Uni gasped in shock, taking a step back. "You're- the Batman?!"
"Now does my codename make more sense?" Batman smirked. "Come on, let's get you up there." He walked up to the tower of shipping crates, grabbing Uni firmly around the waist as he shot out his grapple gun, pulling the duo up to the top. Once they regained their footing, they both peeked over the edge, seeing a moderately-lit area with several people moving about, looking almost like mice from so high up. "I hope you've got a good scope on your sniper rifle for this height..."
"Oh, it does, don't you worry," Uni whispered back, promptly summoning the rifle in question. "I'd tell you the specs, but I get the feeling you don't care as long as it gets the job done..."
"I don't like using guns," Batman said bluntly. "Anyway, go get ahead and get set up; I'll give you a signal once I'm in position."
"Let's hope I'll be able to see it from down there," Uni fretted.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Batman smirked, before jumping off the other end snapping his cape out and using it to glide downward into the darkness...
*Down below...*
"Come on, get a move on!" ordered a man dressed in what appeared to be dark-colored medieval mage's robes, with a black feathered cap pulled low to hide his eyes. Standing at his side was an older man dressed similarly with balding brown hair and extremely pale skin with a futuristic visor on his face. "These cryogenic weapons will be a great boon to our elite soldiers when we make our move..."
"Watch what you say, Myson," the visored man chastised. "These pawns don't need to know the grander scope of our plans..."
"As if these beasts could ever comprehend our grand designs, Kylon," Myson snarked back. Looking back over the area, he noticed one thug looking this way and that for seemingly no reason. "You there! What is the problem?"
"I... I'm just afraid that the Batman might show up or somethin," the lowlife replied.
"Batman?! You're scared of an antiquated comic book?!" Kylon spoke up in angry disbelief.
"Oh no, he's real! I seen 'im with my own eyes!" the thug shot back. "Got the bruises to prove it, too!"
"Come on, man," one of his fellow lowlifes interjected, "it was obviously some guy in a cosplay costume playin' hero! You're scared of someone like that?!"
"Oh sure, you scoff!" the first thug retorted. "We'll see how much you're laughin' he beats YOU all black and blue!"
"How about instead of arguing about a costumed man, you get back to work?!" Kylon roared, the two thugs fearfully snapping a quick apology before running off to retrieve more weapons.
"Amazing what some of these lesser beings believe," Myson shook his head. "I suppose it comes with being suppressed by the fell CPUs..." He watched as another man walked by, pushing a tank full of the unique chemical compound used for the cryo-guns.
"They will be swept away with all the other lessers when the time comes," Kylon muttered under his breath. "Even if someone tried to imitate that comic book, my visor would pick them out right away..."
"Still, we should remain vigilant," Myson pointed out. "Your brother Solon was confident in his technology, yet in the end he was cut down by the fell CPU Rei Ryghts..."
"He was always too arrogant for his own good," Kylon grumbled. "He should have known better than to confront a former final boss all alone... But a man in a costume is easily dealt with in comparison, IF he exists..." Just then, half of the lights in the area suddenly flickered and went out! "What the...?!"
Suddenly a spotlight shone on one of the shipping crates, a white circle with a dark shadow in the center, resembling a bat!
"It's the Batman! He's here!" the scared thug from earlier screeched, dropping his gun and fleeing in terror.
(Guess that's my signal,) Uni thought as she took aim at the cryotank... a direct hit, the tank exploding and engulfing every thug in a ten-foot radius, freezing them solid!
"What the hell was that?!" Myson cried looking about. Meanwhile his partner began scanning with his visor, looking upward and detecting a life-sign atop the tower of steel crates...
"We've got a sniper! Up there!" Kylon pointed, the thugs armed with conventional firearms promptly shooting at the tower's top, forcing Uni to pull back. But suddenly someone came down behind the visored man, pulling him up into the air. "Yahhhh! Halp!" he screamed as he was suddenly dropped again, now hanging in midair with a rope around his leg, his visor falling off as he thrashed about! "Get me down! Get me down!"
Following the rope upward, Myson saw a horned shadow with a serrated cape... "It can't be...!"
"Shoot him!" one of the thugs cried, he and his comrades opening fire, the Batman promptly vanishing into the shadows.
"Stop it, you fools, don't waste your ammo!" Myson ordered as he picked up Kylon's visor and donned it, scanning the area... "There!" he pointed, the lowlifes opening fire again, Batman barely evading, tossing something as he retreated, which exploded into a smoke cloud that made quite a few of thugs cough intensely! But then a report was heard from high up, Myson crying out as his visor was hit and damaged, rendering it inoperable! "Damn sniper!" he cursed as he pulled off the headgear, muttering an incantation, firing a blast of dark magic upwards which blew apart the the top of the tower!
Suddenly there was a bright light in the air next to the tower, revealing none other than the HDD form of Black Sister! "The Fell CPU Candidate?!" Myson cried in shock.
"EX Multi Blaster!" Uni intoned, firing a blast which forced Myson to jump and roll away as a small explosion resulted! The thugs turned their guns on Black Sister, only for Batman himself to abruptly drop in their midst, slamming two thugs' heads together before proceeding to beat down the rest!
"Someone get the freeze guns!" one of the thugs cried, several criminals grabbing the weapons in question and firing at Batman and Uni! The latter began flying in three-dimensional pattern to evade the ice beams, returning fire and hitting one cryo-gun which exploded and froze its wielder solid! Batman flipped to evade an icy blast, only getting his cape frozen, rushing over to the man that fired and tackling him down, ripping the gun from his hands and hurling it at another lowlife, nailing him in the face!
"Incompetents! Must I do everything myself?!" Myson growled as he prepared another magic spell, dodging a shot from Black Sister before firing into the group of thugs that Batman was dealing with, freezing them all in a mini-glacier! "There! Now for you, fell CPU!"
"I don't think so!" Uni shot back. (I gotta help Batman, but first...!) "Aero Shooter!" she intoned, jumping between several rune platforms to dodge enemy fire while shooting back, ending with an explosive round that sent the lowlifes sprawling everywhere! "And now, XMB: Empress!" She fired a beam similar to her EX Multi Blaster, except bright yellow and very hot, aiming at the glacier Batman was frozen in, sublimating it to steam almost instantly! Unfortunately she was hit with a freezing beam from a cryo-gun, falling to the ground with her frozen processor wings shattering on impact with the asphalt.
"Good work! I'll finish her, you deal with the Batman!" Myson ordered, the remaining thugs moving to do so as he walked over to the fallen CPU Candidate... But he didn't realize how fast the Caped Crusader could recover, abruptly being grabbed and pulled backwards by the Dark Knight's grapple gun, causing him to bowl into the lowlifes and knocking most of them down! Batman then leapt at an armed thug and tackled him down, disarming him before rolling away from another freeze beam, shooting out his grapple again and pulling the thug over to him, smashing him to the ground! Another thug cocked his assault rifle-
-only to cry out in pain as he was shot in the shoulder by Black Sister, down but not yet out. The CPU Candidate then rose to a kneeling position, aiming at Myson as he righted himself, only for her shot to blocked by a magical barrier! But this gave Batman time to come up on the warlock from behind, kicking at his knee joint to make him fall back, then smashing his fist into Myson's face! He then spun out of the way of another freeze beam, Uni promptly firing down the offender with a Venom Shot!
"The hell with this, I'm out!" one thug cried as he dropped his gun and fled, several others following suit as a result now that both their bosses were down and out. Batman watched them go cautiously, keeping his eyes peeled for sneak attacks as Black Sister pulled out a healing potion and downed the contents.
"Bleh... okay, I'm feeling better now," Uni grunted as she stood back to her feet, using her rifle as a temporary crutch. "You all right, Batman?"
"I've survived worse," the Caped Crusader responded, shaking some ice shards off his cape.
"Damn you!" cried Kylon, still hanging in mid-air. "To be foiled by a comic book character, of all people! Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"He's Batman, duh," Black Sister ribbed. "What do we do with him?"
"I'll get one of these thugs to break his fall; you shoot him down," Batman instructed, dragging one of the prone bodies underneath Kylon. Uni then fired at the rope, the man screaming as he fell and crashing into said thug, Batman promptly pressing a foot to his chest before Kylon had a chance to get up. "Now then, who are you, and what are you planning to do with these weapons?!"
"I'm not talking!" Kyson grunted defiantly. "Glory- to the Deity of Sin!" He then bit down on something, shuddering and going limp, blood leaking from his mouth.
"What the-?!" Batman kneeled down and checked the man's mouth... "Damn it! A cyanide tooth!"
"Ew, nasty!" Black Sister looked away, her stomach churning a little. "Wait, what about the other guy?" She promptly strode over to Myson, kneeling down and checking his mouth... "Ah, got it!" She pulled out the fake tooth filled with poison, crushing it under her foot. "Okay, we should be able to question this guy instead!"
"Good thinking," Batman nodded as he walked over, grabbing Myson by the chest and roughly shaking him awake. "Rise and shine..."
"Urrrghhh..." the warlock grunted as he roused. "N, no... I won't talk..." he clenched his teeth, but nothing happened.
"Sorry, no suicide for you," Uni taunted, pointing his rifle at Myson's head just in case. "Now how about you talk before Batman breaks all your limbs?"
"Tch... you fools," Myson glared at the CPU Candidate. "We have existed since the very first fell goddess appeared in Lowee, and the Deity of Sin first arising to lay her low. Disrupting this operation is but a temporary setback, nothing more!"
"You realize the Deity of Sin is dead, and ASIC destroyed," Batman pointed out.
Myson laughed bitterly at this. "Naive fool, it was we who helped organize ASIC aside from the Four Fiends to begin with! And one day, the Deity of Sin will arise again, and cleanse this land of you lesser beings and the fell CPUs who control you!"
"We don't control anybody!" Black Sister protested. "You're nothing but a delusional religious fanatic!"
"Your group have a name?" Batman got in Myson's face.
"Ngh... the Lowee Guild calls us 'those who slither in the dark'," the warlock responded. "As apt a description as any... but soon we will rise from below, and unleash our revenge for not allowing us to manipulate video games to our will!"
"How about getting good and beating games the way they're supposed to be played, instead of cheating?!" Uni countered.
"Go to hell!" Myson shot back, only for Batman to lay him out with a hard right hook to the face.
"Well, you're going to jail, and so is your hired help," Batman said as he stood up. "He'll be out for a while. Good work, Black Sister. I'm glad we asked for your help this time."
"No problem," Uni nodded as she reverted to normal. "So I guess now we call the rest of the Guild to clean up?"
"Right," Batman nodded. "Hopefully they can get more out of this guy in interrogation..."
"Yeah... but, why did you decide to become Batman?" Uni asked.
"It was your sister's idea," the Dark Knight smiled wryly. "I told her about how I wasn't very good at getting criminals to talk, so she made this costume for me..."
"Noire did?!" Uni gasped in disbelief. "I mean, if it works, I guess, but still..." Her head then turned at the sound of sirens. "Oh, sounds like the police are on their way..."
"Someone must heard the gunfire and called it in," Batman mused. "All right, we'll have them contact the Guild when they get here and help get these thugs into custody."
"Sounds good," Uni agreed, as the first of many police cars became visible in the distance...
*Snippet 59- End*