Hello.

I got TWO new pics for you. One is Leonardo, CFW Brave when he was just a knight serving under Uzume. And the other…

...is actually not relevant to RED-Contract. Instead it shows one of the locations from my next project.

You could say it's a small teaser.


Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

The Second Decoy


With a roar and a mighty heave, White Heart cut through a couple of robots - knocking their bodies into their friends.

A couple of bullets struck her face and chest, with pain exploding after each impact. Nonetheless the CPU of Lowee faced the new threat and threw herself at them like an enraged beast. The machines fearlessly held their ground, even as Blanc ripped them apart one by one.

"B-Behind you!"

The CPU spun around, her axe flying towards her new opponent. Her weapon broke through the Giant Demoman's sword - shattering it into many pieces. Blanc continued her turn and on her next strike she demolished the robot's leg. The mechanical behemoth fell.

Blanc used the giant as cover to protect herself from a salvo of rockets. More robots poured into the area, and Blanc gave them their welcoming gift. She kicked the giant that was protecting her, sending it flying towards them. The machines didn't bother to get out of the way, and were squished flat for it.

With adrenaline still running high, the CPU of Lowee spun around to find another target. She made a full rotate before realizing that everything around her was destroyed. The coast was clear, there were no enemies left in the area.

Blanc turned around to face the crowd, her guard kept up despite the seeming lack of foes. "Is everyone alright?" She asked them.

She had two or so dozen people under her protection. All of them seeking safety after escaping from the shelter. Blanc was pleased to see no injuries among the civilians, only dirt and sweat from being forced to escape.

"Okay good." Blanc felt a little better suddenly, and the reason for that was her own shares rising. Blanc would normally be fine with this boost, if Nepgear wasn't 'dead' and Neptune's nation wasn't getting invaded and razed. Stealing shares at this moment just felt like a dick move, especially since they freed her from ASIC and helped her with the Killachines.

She decided to soften their affection to her, and instead remind them about their own Goddess. "Your CPU already went ahead to stop this invasion at the source. You just need to wait a bit longer before she resolves this problem."

She actually had no idea where Neptune was, but they needed to hear some good news. Hopefully it would also send some shares Neptune's way, if only to make Blanc feel a bit better about accidentally stealing some shares.

But now the question was… where was safe? Planeptune did have some shelters for people to hide in, but those people ran away from there - yelling about being chased by a horde of robots. The shelters were no go, and the robots ruled the streets - moving their way deeper or searching the buildings for stragglers.

Half of them conquered more land, while the other half sought and destroyed.

And Blanc was stuck right in the middle, with too many people to safely sneak around. While they were hidden in a basement right now, it was only a matter of time before they were found. Especially when there was a tunnel leading to an overrun shelter.

Staying put was dangerous, but leaving was also suicidal.

"You'll hide on the roof, alright?"

She never saw any flying robots while flying into the area, so the highest floors might be the safest place to hide from the ground-bound machines. Just block the possible entrances and they shouldn't be found.

It was a good plan.

So they walked. They walked on their two feet towards their own safety, climbing the endless amount of stairs because the elevators were out of order, and also because they were a deathtrap. If there were robots waiting on the higher floors, there would be no place for the civilians to hide.

Blanc walked in front, ready to demolish any threat in their wake. She often glanced back at the ground, making sure no one was left behind.

The path was brutal. Fifty floors worth of stairs awaited them. It was a tiring march that would put even the strongest into exhaustion. The weaker or injured… they would need breaks.

Blanc tried not to think about the lack of old people among the group. She already knew what was the reason.

Taking a look out of the window revealed the mechanical horde walking dangerously close to the building they were on. The civilians also stopped to watch.

They stared helplessly as invaders stomped on their roads, wrecking havoc and ruining lives. The robots that moved further inland were unbothered by anything, being a wreck of a car, a destroyed machine or a dead body. Those that searched the area were thorough in their patrols, making sure to cover as much of the area as possible.

Blanc made the right choice by escorting them onto a roof. There was not a chance they would survive out there - not against these numbers. They were endless.

And some of them were grouped around another building. A massive swath of blue and gray covered the foundation of the skyscraper, not even a patch of ground was visible due to the massive crowd outside.

Blanc narrowed her eyes at what she saw, asking herself if these robots found more survivors to kill. Should she break the window and go over there, abandon this group to rescue whoever was fighting for their lives over there? Or should she go away?

The robots didn't give her a choice.

A loud explosion spooked everyone, even Blanc. It came from the bottom of the building that the robots overran. The explosion even engulfed the robots that stood too close, and the shockwave came crashing down on them.

The window broke and the rain of glass showered on everyone. People panicked and screamed as the injuries built up. Many were also swept off their feet, their limbs and heads crashing down on the cold hard floor.

But people's screams were ignored, as what came next was way worse.

The building moved.

Blanc could only stare in shock as, inch by inch, the skyscraper leaned to the side… before falling down.

Right into another building.

The sound was deafening, hurting their already ringing ears even more. The impact kicked up a cloud of dust, so thick it prevented the CPU from even seeing the building. The metal bent and screeched, Blanc was sure that everyone in Planeptune heard it. She watched the whole thing unfold without a blink, never averting her gaze. That's how shocked she was.

Then the dust reached her.

It reached all around her, covering the whole area with fog.

It hit her harder than the blast's shockwave, staggering the CPU and pushing the civilians even further against the wall. They screamed once more, out of fear, out of panic, out of pain.

Where once two large buildings stood now there was just rubble, and a whole area covered in dust.

This was something the public will remember. What Blanc and Histoire will remember.

What Neptune will avenge.

Blanc got up and looked back at the crowd. They were all on the ground, some with hands protecting their heads, some clutching the injuries left by the broken glass, others watching the scenery in shock.

Within a single moment the blue sky has turned gray and dark, and their visibility has dropped significantly. Blanc turned her head towards the rubble of a building - nobody was moving there. Neither a robot, nor a human. It was possible someone could've been buried there, but could Blanc risk going there? She already had dozens of people under her protection. Should she abandon them?

She turned her back towards the catastrophe, reaching out towards the nearest person - a man in his thirties. "Let's go." She said to everyone. Blanc helped him get up and moved to lift the next person. Slowly, other people started to move too.

"B-But, where should we go?!" Someone cried. "Nowhere is safe!"

They started to panic, Blanc couldn't have that. One person was enough to demoralize the whole group. "Shut up! We're going onto the roof."

"B-But-!"

"I SAID we're going onto the roof, now shut up and keep walking!"

Be confident and people will follow you, snuff out any doubt early or everything would fall apart. She just needed to push them a bit more until they reached the roof, then she did what she could.

Nonetheless this wasn't something that would just go away after a year. They've now just witnessed history.

The march was quiet and peaceful, mercifully so. No robots have tried to stop them, nor were there any signs of them even being on the higher floors. From what Blanc gathered they haven't even investigated this area. That didn't mean they wouldn't come here sooner or later.

But once they got onto the roof their spirits have risen, as they've reached the safest place in Planeptune's coast.

And they were met with a giant beam of light.

A glowing red pillar rose into the sky, outgrowing even the highest skyscrapers of Planeptune. Blanc sensed a powerful magical energy coming out of it, and she feared the worst. Did the invaders have some sort of magical weapons or abilities? Was it someone's attempt to take as many machines down before they were killed?

The answer was far, far worse.

"Is- are we on now?"

Soldier's voice rang within their ears, as if talking from inside their heads. The civilians Blanc was guarding turned their heads in confusion and fear, thinking this was another attack from the invaders. Blanc meanwhile sighed in exasperation. Even amid a literal invasion, the mercenaries do… what the mercenaries do.

Soldier loudly cleared his throat before continuing. "Good day, maggots! Do you need a new weapon? Or maybe a hat? Do you feel like your gun is too girly for you and wish to grab a real gun?"

Was he… advertising? Was he seriously trying to advertise something now of all times?!

"Then good news, robots! We, at Mann Co.! The realest one! We have everything you want! Just follow this magic beam of light and don't think that it's a trap! It is not! We are going to sell weapons to you, sparkbags! We are waiting for you, you worthless lady-bots! Muhahaha! Come and get me!"

Blanc realized what Soldier was… trying to do. But she didn't believe these machines would actually fall for it.

A machine couldn't be that dumb…

Could it?


It all started when IF asked for plans… because she didn't have any.

The shelter was overrun and trying to get to others would be a moot point at this point - the machines surely overran these as well. And as a final nail to the coffin, the streets were practically unusable due to the constant stream of enemies. They were effectively stuck here, inside a red dome that separated them from the outside.

But what could they do now? Neptune was missing and at that point it would be impossible to find her, trying to take back the port wouldn't do much against the army already inside the city.

"We FIGHT them!"

The first one to speak was Soldier, and IF listened to him. Because his… personality aside his battle plans actually weren't that bad.

"Men, I have a plan! The Greatest Plan! A plan that requires bold men like us. A plan that will allow us to gather all of the machines right here. And then we fight them all!"

An idea to gather all of their enemies in one place. Even if they somehow achieved that it would be suicide to fight an army of this size… but so were the other fights they've fought. They died fighting CFW Judge and CFW Trick, died fighting Hilda Gehaburn, died fighting the Killachines.

Why not die here as well?

"Okay, how will we do it?" IF asked.

Soldier turned towards her, his face turned into a wide grin. "We create a decoy, and defend it with our lives."

And so IF's hopes started to fall. "A decoy? Anything else?"

"Nope! We make a decoy and then defend it with our lives. Isn't that a great plan, boys!" Soldier turned to his team for approval.

IF wasn't done however. "But then… how would the robots even find the decoy?"

An idea of moving all of the machines into the trap was… fine. But what Soldier proposed was half-baked. They needed something more in order to actually get the robots, all of the robots, where they wanted.

"Merasmus… could help with that."

Fortunately they had a wizard listening to their conversation from across the room, still powering up the shield that held everything else at bay.

"Shut up, Merasmus! You and your voodoo are not even a part of this briefing!" Soldier however, immediately snapped at him for talking.

"No wait, this is good!" IF stepped in. "What do you have?"

"Merasmus could conjure a ritual to amplify the-"

Soldier cut him off. "Speak in American English, you necromancer-wannabe!"

Merasmus took a deep breath, then another one before he looked back at Soldier. The merc was glaring back at the magician, daring him to speak another word. Or do literally anything else. Anything Merasmus would do will be met with a comment from Soldier. "I could make you talk really loud."

Soldier, thinking Merasmus was challenging him, started to shout at the top of his own lungs. "I'm already loud! Without needing your hocus-pocus crap! How would making me talk loudly help!?"

"To be honest, yeah. How would that help?" IF added.

The only thing that popped into IF's mind was making some sort of announcement. A sign that told every machine in the area that they were here. They were seeking out anyone they could find after all, so Merasmus could make the robot's search a bit easier.

…Hold on, maybe this was actually a good idea.

"You could tell all the robots to come here." Merasmus explained his reasoning.

"So you want them to come here for a chat, hippie?!" Soldier jabbed a finger at Merasmus. "What's next? A tea party and a concert from Tom Jones?"

"I would love a concert from Tom Jones!" Scout cheered from the sidelines.

...Only to be shushed by Soldier. "Shut up, Scout! I won't allow any hippery in this base. And that includes your houdini tricks, wizard-"

Merasmus held a shoe in front of Soldier's face. An old boot that had a hole in its sole, faded out colors and smelled weirdly. If you looked closely you could see a scratched out flag of the USA on the back of it.

"I'll trade you this shoe." The Wizard proposed.

Soldier's reaction was instantaneous. "Why would I need your stinky-!?"

"It was made in America."

The merc snatched it from Merasmus' hands with no hesitation. "Team, we got ourselves a new member! Meet Merasmus, my old roommate! Merasmus, say hello to my team! We got Scout, Soldier… wait no, I'm Soldier…"

"Yes, good day everyone." Merasmus deadpanned.

Somewhere in the background, IF snorted while Compa chuckled in amusement.

While Soldier's brain stopped working due to an unexpected error, others got to work on the battlefield.

Some of the mercs were painting 'Mann Co.' on the walls - just to let the robots know they were on the right track. Engineer and Sniper were designing an area that would allow them to defend the bait easier, setting up choke points to turn into killzones or creating pits to delay the hordes. Merasmus was using his magic to turn their plans into reality - using magic to terraform even the tall buildings of Planeptune.

Then a loud explosion made everyone pause. It was louder than anything else they've heard so far, dwarfing over the sound of gunfire or screams. The mercenaries and the girls looked at the source… and a few of them couldn't believe what they saw. IF among them.

"W-What in the world?!"

What they saw was a skyscraper falling to the side… right into another building. The shock was deafening and an earthquake shook the whole nation. For a few moments the only thing everyone could hear was the loud sound of the building collapsing.

As the building fell, a dark cloud of dust rose into the air. Like an avalanche speeding down a mountain, it sped towards the mercenaries' little base - crashing against the barrier with such force to make it waver.

While those inside the magical dome were unaffected, this didn't apply to those outside. Be it the invaders… or civilians.

The robots were here to bring the city to the ground. Literally if they needed.

"Let's… get this done quickly. Come on." Spy said, nudging IF's shoulder to snap her out of her daze. Other mercs resumed their work, but IF and Compa could only stare at the destruction - or rather at the dark cloud surrounding them.

They stared at what was once a beautiful blue sky, now reduced to dark fog - hiding numerous threats swarming what was once a beautiful city. While the mercs were here for less than a month, the girls spent their whole life living in this nation. Never once seeing a destruction of this scale happening to their own home.

Thousands of people dead? Yes.

Destroyed "village?" Also.

But never once seeing a skyscraper toppled into another skyscraper.

There was no going back from that. This was something people will remember, even after the invasion was over. This, and all of these people that died from these robots.

IF will remember that.


"So... what was your plan?"

Samantha calmly paced around their recent captives - Uni and Nisa. They were doing their best to escape their bindings, but it was a futile task. Samantha was well-versed with rope, and the prisoners were stripped to their underwear - the more they moved the more the rope would scrape their skin - which would hurt and bleed after a prolonged struggle.

Fay was searching through their clothes, looking for hidden blades and weapons. Every second she dropped one or two daggers into a pile, scavenging them from Nisa's outfit.

"Like seriously, how do you think this fight would end? We had CFW Magic - who can take on 4 CPUs and win unscratched. And me and Fay kicked Vert's ass in Leanbox."

She was trying to make them see reason and finally start talking to her. Because so far all she was met with was silence… and them struggling to break free.

Meanwhile Fay deposited another throwing knife onto a pile of throwing knives. Just one look made Samantha question the comfort of holding at least three dozen knives in a jumpsuit. Where they were hidden Samantha had no idea either. Fay looked like she was pulling them out of thin air.

"This could've ended really bad for you if we were someone else. You could've gotten killed, raped, tortured, kidnapped, held hostage, ransomed. Kei could've never seen any of you again. Noire could've never seen you again."

This got a reaction out of Uni, which was something Samantha hoped to see. There was that brief moment where Uni ceased to struggle, her mind finally realizing the possible consequences for their actions.

They were completely at Samantha's mercy. If she wanted, she could do some horrible things to them.

And Samantha had the knowledge and experience of doing some truly terrifying stuff.

At the same time, Nisa felt like she had enough. "What is your point?!"

Samantha was overjoyed at a chance of some non-violent interaction. She clapped her hands together and matched Nisa's gaze. "I'm trying to make you understand just how fucking dumb your decision was! You charged head-first into an enemy you had to know you couldn't handle. Magic alone is notorious enough to reconsider a fight. And she has backup for goodness sake!"

Why did they do it? If it was just Samantha and Fay then that could be written off as them not recognizing her, but there was CFW Magic with her. They had to know her for sure and realize that they stood no chance. Was that their hubris? Nisa has a tendency to be a bit hot-headed. Or maybe they had a really good reason to do that… like desperation.

Planeptune is being invaded by Lastation's robots. Samantha narrowed her eyes, recalling CFW Brave's report.

"Why are you even here?" The brunette asked.

"Why would we answer your questions?!"

"Because I'll either ask nicely and we could talk things out without violence, or…" Samantha reached into her Hammer Space, retrieving a rather large needle filled with glowing blue liquid. "I could start using the alternatives."

She let the threat hang in the air, starting right into Nisa's eyes to make her back down. Both Uni and the heroine stared at the syringe in Samantha's hands, wondering what the liquid inside was.

Then Nisa threw something at Samantha.

Her hand was a blur and the Overseer only had a split second to catch the object. Her hand snatched the object from the air - revealing it to be a throwing knife.

Nisa kicked off the floor and charged at the brunette, burying her fist into her gut. Her fist felt like it just punched a brick wall and the area of impact flashed with green colors.

That was the only thing Nisa achieved, before Fay tackled her onto the floor.

"I didn't even feel that. And you!" Samantha stepped to the side, avoiding a bullet sent from Uni. She then threw Nisa's knife at her. The knife hit the gun with a blunt side, pressing a button to drop the weapon's magazine. "Don't." Samantha warned her.

Uni shot her again with the last bullet in the chamber. CFW Magic blocked the bullet with her barrier.

"I think I said something, didn't I?"

Samantha summoned her own gun and shot at Uni. Not at her body, but at her weapon. The bullets punctured the frame, destroyed the inner workings and broke it. Uni would not be able to shoot it again.

"Honestly, you girls are simply outmatched. Get it through your skulls."

They were outmatched but Samantha has genuinely underestimated them. They weren't struggling to get out, but to make Samantha lower her guard. Then once that was done they started their escape for real - using a knife that Nisa must've hidden inside a goddamn Hammer Space. She was half-naked! A knife would stick out like a sore thumb!

But they made two mistakes: First was them picking a fight instead of trying to run away. The second would be trying their captors' patience. Things didn't go well when you challenge your captors.

Nisa was struggling under Fay's iron grip while Uni was disarmed. It was two-vs-one. This would usually make people scared, but Uni just looked more determined. "You're not going to surrender, right? I see that look in your eyes, you're planning something." Uni didn't answer Samantha, her eyes darting here and there, trying to figure out a way to get through her and CFW Magic.

Samantha would have none of it. "Lesson one." She sighed, aiming her gun not at Uni… but at Nisa. "Don't stupidly challenge your captors."

All of Uni's determination was gone when the gun shifted from her to her friend. Samantha knew this type of people. You could torture them all night long and they wouldn't break, but target their friends… and they will tell you everything.

Samantha would give her one last chance.

"Why are you here? What is this place? Why are Gray Mann's machines and Lastation soldiers' here? Answer those or your friend gets it."

She said slowly and loudly, enough to ensure that Uni would hear them. The CPU Candidate looked troubled, finally unsure of what to do. If she tried to run, she would be leaving Nisa at Samantha's mercy - but she also stood no chance of breaking her out.

"Don't listen to her-!"

Samantha pressed the trigger.

The bullet hit the floor next to Nisa's face, almost taking out her nose. Nisa flinched and shut up. "My finger slipped." Samantha said. "Fay?"

At her partner's command Fay summoned a rag and wrapped it around Nisa's mouth, gagging her. Uni could only stand there with a broken and unloaded weapon. A step in any direction would cause Samantha to snap her gun from Nisa back to Uni.

"Why are you here? What is this place? And why were these people here?" Samantha repeated again.

"Th-these are Gray Mann's headquarters. We were sent to assist an elite squad of Lastation's soldiers to take control of this place."

Samantha blinked.

...That's it?

"See? That wasn't so hard, right?" Samantha smiled and put away her gun, much to Uni's relief. Samantha didn't know why they were defending this information, but the fact she started talking meant that she was making progress.

It also gave her one important piece to the puzzle.

"So this being his HQ, it means that Gray Mann can control his robots from here. Right?" Samantha turned around and started pacing around the room. This would have been Uni's chance if it wasn't for Magic standing there.

Samantha continued her thinking, paying no attention to Uni or Nisa.

"Miss Pauling was here, otherwise she couldn't lead us here. We found everyone dead and CFW Brave reported that Planeptune is being invaded… yeah I can see what's going on."

"U-Uhhh..." Uni drawled out.

Samantha gave her a dismissing wave. "I'm just rambling to myself, don't worry." She turned around to face CFW Magic and Fay. "Okay, it is very likely that Miss Pauling sent the robots to invade Planeptune… though…" There was an off-chance that Gray Mann could've actually done that. Samantha briefly turned her head towards Uni. "You don't know if Gray Mann sent the machines, right?"

"...Maybe?"

Samantha stared at her, long and hard. The Overseer judged the Candidate with her gaze.

Then she reached for her gun, and Uni quickly changed her tune. "I'm not sure who sent the robots to invade."

The Overseer pressed further. "What about Kei, or Noire?"

"Kei thinks it's Gray Mann so she sent us here to try and stop the machines. Noire left to help defend Planeptune." Uni said.

Noire left to what? Samantha thought. "She wants to cross the whole ocean on her own? How? By just flying there?"

Uni shrugged, and Samantha didn't press further. That wasn't important. "Okay, so basically you have no concrete evidence that Gray Mann sent them, right?"

Uni nodded.

"Okay then, Miss Pauling has done it." Samantha said to herself, scratching her head. "We need to find a way to stop the machines."

Considering the very likely chance that Miss Pauling has sent them they probably wouldn't be able to actually stop the invasion from this place, however Samantha still needed to try. One of the requirements the Overseer has set up earlier was to not allow any nation to fall. It could be argued that she failed that after everything she has done within Leanbox, but Leanbox was still standing. Now Samantha had to ensure that Planeptune stood as well. "You know where the consoles are, right? You will lead us to them."

Uni's eyes widened in surprise "H-Huh?"

"Lead the way. You know where it is, right?"

No, Uni did not. She was never in this place, so she has no idea where the main console was located. But she was afraid to say it in fear of Samantha's reaction. She could say she was lying and threaten to shoot her, or Nisa.

"O-Okay."

The broken gun was abandoned and Uni started walking. The Candidate took slow, nervous steps towards the Overseer. Samantha moved out of the way, making sure to keep herself out of melee's range and the gun even further. She knew what Uni was planning to do, and stopped it way before she could carry it out.

"Okay Fay, let her get up. She's coming too."

Fay got off Nisa without a word of argument, roughly lifting her up. The moment Nisa's feet touched the floor her fist flew at Fay's face.

Fay caught her hand, twisted it so that Nisa faced the opposite direction, and pushed the blue-haired girl away.

Nisa almost fell down from surprise and the sheer strength the blonde woman put into the push. Nisa turned back for another round, only for the pink barrier to surround her, encasing her within a transparent cylinder.

"Seriously, cut it out. This won't work." CFW Magic spoke her first words ever since their encounter. "You constantly annoy us, resist and try to fight. You wouldn't stand a chance against either of us, much less all three. Give it up."

"Never!" Nisa shouted. "I would rather die knowing I haven't helped murderers like you!"

Samantha stopped and turned around. "Murderers?"

Nisa nodded firmly. "Yes!"

She spread her hands as far as the barrier would allow, showing all of the blood and bodies littering the walls and floor. "A death so barbaric it puts those mercenaries to shame. I won't ever help you, I would rather die kicking and screaming!"

"What if," Samantha interrupted, raising her finger "we didn't do it?"

"You're covered in blood." Nisa responded.

"What if... and hear me out. What if we actually arrived a few minutes before you and found the place as it is now. What if we found a suicide bomber and we tackled him to take him down. What if he blew himself up regardless… and we ended up covered in blood."

...Nisa responded in a way any sane person would after hearing this.

"This is stupid."

Samantha surprisingly didn't fight it, merely shrugged. "Well... it's the truth."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't need to believe me, you just need to walk."

"What if I'm not going to walk?"

"...You just love being difficult, don't you? Magic, move her."

The barrier surrounding Nisa started to move, dragging Nisa inside with it. The blue haired woman now had no other choice but to walk, else the barrier would move her. "You win this round."

"I'm gonna win the next one too."

"Umm…" Uni felt almost afraid to speak up. "Can we at least get our clothes back?"

They stopped. Samantha looked at her, then down. Uni and Nisa were still in their underwear, and walking like this was a bit embarrassing.

"...Fine."


Alone in the Medbay, Machias Vanessa was sitting by the bed. The dead body of 5pb was covered in a blanket - awaiting to be revived.

He was watching her, watching her being dead, as if she would suddenly spring to life. The Leanbox's idol looked as pristine as ever, her skin clean and well-cared for and her expression soft. There was not a sign that she was actually dead, besides the not-so-obvious lack of breathing.

She was dead while he was alive, a rather ironic scenario considering he was supposed to be her bodyguard.

But she just needed to last a little longer. The mercenaries would deal with that invasion that was going on, then they would revive 5pb, and then...

And then what?

What would be their next step?

Neither of them could leave this place, as Miss Pauling could be anywhere. While it was Machias that got a target on his back, 5pb was in grave danger simply because he was working close to her. 5pb would not be able to perform any longer, because that would be a prime opportunity to kidnap her or even worse, assassinate her. Turn her into a lesson for Machias to learn - that the Administrator didn't appreciate traitors, no matter what their circumstances were.

Machias and 5pb were effectively locked in a cage, stripped of their freedom and unable to do anything.

All because of that one bitch.

Because she didn't want to find another way.

She called it necessity but Machias knew better. Samantha could've found a better way but choosed not to - simply because Machias was there, a much more convenient plan of action.

The former goon sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a wallet. Inside it was a picture of his family - people he would no longer be able to visit anymore. People that were in danger because of something he had no say in.

Why did this happen to him?

He did not choose to be a spy. He did not choose to be an infiltrator standing by 5pb's side. He did not choose to join any of it, he was only forced to do so because he was dealt a bad hand. Because he had to repay his grandfather's debt to the Administrator. He had to repent for parents' sins - no one asking for his opinion or approval.

His life was at risk due to choices of others forced upon him.

His wife and kids were in danger thanks to circumstances he couldn't control, people he had no strength to resist.

Machias was forced to pay the price for each of their mistakes. His grandparents and that bitch who forced herself into his life.

"What should I do?"

He had no options but to stay here, doing whatever they tell him to do. His and 5pb's lives were in Histoire's hands - she could discard them if she wanted to.

His ears picked up the sound of doors opening. He ignored whoever was walking in, focusing his gaze on the blue-haired idol. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, and he hoped he made it clear enough.

Fortunately the other party was also not interested in having a talk. Unfortunately they wanted something else.

Pain exploded on the back of Machias' head, throwing him forward onto 5pb's bed. The black-haired man screamed both through pain and surprise. Another bullet hit him in his back - hitting and breaking ribs.

The third missed, as Machias threw himself to the side. The bullet hit a vial and shattered it, splashing the contents onto the floor.

Machias grabbed his Enforcer and fired at the intruder. He was firing purely out of reflex, simply firing back in the shooter's direction. One of his bullets hit their mark, the rest missed. At the same time the intruder charged at Machias.

His gun was swept away, firing its last bullet into the ceiling. The intruder then stabbed Machias with a knife, which he blocked by grabbing the intruder's wrist. Both him and the intruder were now at a standstill, with each one immobilizing one of their opponent's hands.

The outfit of the intruder made Machias freeze, and his heartbeat to quicken. They were wearing a trenchcoat and a fedora hat - an outfit that perfectly matched his own.

"You..."

One of Miss Pauling's men was here, trying to murder him.

Not only that… Machias could hear more footsteps coming here.


Once the captives were clothed they were free to go, exploring the building in full to reach the command centre.

Or rather… mindlessly wander around because Uni has no idea where she was going, nor anyone else.

While the brunette kept her attention on Uni, to the point of making her nervous, Fay made her own attempt at talking with Nisa.

"You know… Sam might look a bit rough but he was just concerned about you two. You need to understand that to help someone, first you need to look after yourself."

The blue-haired woman glared at her. Her expression all but screamed that Nisa didn't want to talk to anyone, much less her. Unfortunately she wasn't in position to just walk away, as she was still encased within CFW Magic's barrier.

"A dead samaritan can't help anyone, and what both of you did was suicidal." Fay added.

"...You'll have to forgive me for getting a different impression from her." Nisa deadpanned. She then blinked several times before her eyes widened and she turned to face Fay once more. "...W-Wait, he?!"

"She." Fay swiftly corrected, just as the others glanced at them. "I mean she, sorry. And you two kinda attacked us out of nowhere, so we had to defend ourselves."

"And you and her are covered in blood!" Nisa accused. "How could you not kill everyone here!?"

"Because if we did why are you alive?" Fay asked.

To that Nisa had no answer, and her mind struggled to come up with a proper reason.

"If we really killed everyone here, we would have no reason not to kill you as well. And yet, after all of this struggling, picking fights, and attempting to escape, you're still alive and in relatively good shape."

"I..."

If they killed everyone here, then keeping those two girls alive would be impractical and problematic. There would be no reason for them to leave these two potential witnesses alive.

"We didn't torture you. We didn't abuse you. We could've done all of that and we haven't. Why do you think so?"

Fay's voice was soft, gently poking Nisa's mind into the right direction.

"Umm…"

"If we've murdered them, we would also do the same to-"

She pressed too hard.

"Shut up! Just shut up! I don't want to listen to you anymore!"

While at first it seemed Fay was getting through her, Nisa stubbornly refused to give in. Proud and unyielding, never accepting she was wrong. Now she won't listen to whatever Fay would try to say.

"Fine then, goodbye."

Fay returned to Samantha's side, and her partner already knew what happened. It was hard to miss after all, especially as Samantha was interested in their conversation.

"You can't reason with some people." The brunette said.

Fay shrugged, satisfied even with that outcome. "I tried, I guess." She has done what she could. Even if she failed at what she tried, nobody could hold it against her.

"Give her time. Either she will eventually realize, or someone else will make her. Like you, Uni."

The CPU candidate jumped nervously at the call of her name. "E-Eh?!"

"We've been going in circles for quite some time already." Samantha said, and Uni's heart started to sink out of fear. "You don't know where it is, do you?"

"N-No! It's- It's just-"

"You. Don't know where it is." Samantha sighed and reached out to Uni. She recoiled, thinking she was trying to hurt her. Instead Samantha just patted her shoulder. Uni had no idea how to react.

"It's fine." Samantha said. "We've looked basically in every room this building has. It's not here."

Nothing they've encountered even slightly looked like a computer, or a terminal. In a world like this, no computer or phones would be weird enough, but even so they had a radio dish seemingly connected to nothing.

"Magic, check if that dish on the roof has any cables? Look where they lead." Samantha ordered.

"Sure."

Taking the most direct course to outside, CFW Magic opened the nearest window and jumped out of it, flying upwards and disappearing out of view.

Samantha and Fay took this chance to rest, with both of them sitting by the wall in one of the few clean spots, devoid of blood or corpses. Seated next to each other, Fay relaxed while Samantha had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Why do you think this happened?" Samantha asked.

"Hmm?" Uni hummed in response.

"All these killings, sending Gray Mann's robots to Planeptune." The brunette clarified. "What would be their goal?"

"Chaos and war." Came an immediate response from Nisa.

Samantha wanted to ignore her but couldn't, as she herself had no idea what Miss Pauling was planning, nor what was her goal.

The next to speak up was Fay. "We don't have anything concrete to guess, but there's a saying 'Where two are fighting, the third wins.'"

"So they wanted to get Lastation and Planeptune to fight, so this third can win." Nisa said.

"That's… scarily plausible." Samantha nodded.

And it would match Miss Pauling's modus operandi, not fighting the enemy directly but rather manipulating others to fight for her. But if that's the case… then shouldn't Planeptune invade Lastation? Was this Miss Pauling's retaliation for the mercs ditching her? Or was that just but a small part of her greater plan?

What else does she have in store for all of them?

Was the invasion of Planeptune just a beginning of some grander plan?


Through their effort and actions, the stage was set.

Thanks to their determination and diligence, the actors were ready.

Now all they needed to do was to call the audience.

The restaurant and the buildings around it were fortified and barricaded, with boards covering up their windows. Nothing would be able to enter. To move around the mercenaries constructed a network of teleporters, connecting every building with another. They also constructed bridges out of leftover planks, allowing them to physically walk over to a new location if they wished to.

They would have the height advantage but if one fell off, that would be it for them.

But the teleporters would give them an option of getting right back into the fray - wherever they wanted. They had not one, but five teleporters connecting the hotel with the frontlines. Each one hidden in a separate location.

And everywhere they looked, they could see the words 'Mann Co.' splattered with fresh paint.

Merasmus stood on the roof of the restaurant - now splattered all over with the words 'Mann Co.' The wizard was ready to cast the spell to amplify someone's voice - that someone would be Soldier… who wouldn't allow anyone else to do it.

"Beake Lighnero!"

Merasmus raised his staff high and from its tip a red beam of light appeared. It reached as high as the eye could see, it could possibly even leave the planet.

It was time to summon the army.

"Voicterous Amplifidy!"

With another swing of Merasmus's staff, Soldier's throat started to glow with a warm, orange light. The sensation felt a bit giggy and left him confused. "Is- are we on now?"

"Yes." Merasmus nodded. "Say your piece, Soldier. And Merasmus' magic shall carry it to everyone in this land."

Soldier cleared his throat.

"Good day, maggots! Do you need a new weapon? Or maybe a hat? Do you feel like your gun is too girly for you and wish to get a real weapon? Then come check out our newest Mann Co. Store!"

If there was one thing Soldier was good at besides war, it would be tricking Gray Mann's robots. These machines would not hesitate to rip apart everything that was affiliated with Mann Co. Add to that them looking to destroy everything in the area, and there wouldn't be a chance of them ignoring his message.

"Then good news, robots! We, at Mann Co.! The realest one! We have everything you want! Just follow this magic beam of light and don't think that it's a trap! It is not! We are going to sell weapons to you, sparkbags! We are waiting for you, you worthless lady-bots! Muhahaha! Come and get me!"

Like a flick of the switch, the whole city suddenly grew silent. No gunfire, no explosions, nothing. For a single moment the whole nation ceased to function, all thanks to Soldier's announcement.

The only sound they heard was the beating of their own hearts, the air entering and leaving their nostrils, the movement of their clothing. They waited with anticipation for the invader's response, while Merasmus dropped the shield protecting them - allowing the invaders to enter the decoy.

Everything was silent.

Stomp

Stomp

Stomp

Loud stomps filled the silence. Stomps not of a lone giant, but of an entire invading army. The directives were overridden, and the enemy was marching in - They will burn. They will destroy. They will crush everything bearing Mann Co.'s name. That was their primary objective, anything else was secondary.

Mann Co. will fall. Either to Gray Mann or to the ground.


Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

The Second Decoy


We're reaching the end of the invasion, however what are Miss Pauling's men going to do inside the mercs respawn?

Will Neptune stop the invasion? Or is it going to be Samantha that intervenes.

And will I stop writing this author's note like so?

I finished the chapter, sent it to my editor, and went to sleep. Only after waking up I decided to write the AN.

Here are the images, remember to remove the "()"

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Responses:

- Mad Android

CFW Brave needed to die… simply because I had no idea what to do with this guy. To me he was hard to write and plan around, so the easiest option was to take him out.

And yes, the mercenaries are aware that CFWs are on their side. Samantha sent Histoire a message after all.

- Harmless Orange.