Another chapter, and another few hints for the next project.


Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

P.V.M.


If there was one thing Magnavox did not expect doing... it was this.

Seated by a table, drinking her own favorite tea, Magnavox was conversing with a visitor. A visitor that she most certainly was surprised to see. A visitor who destroyed everything Magnavox knew just by simply being here.

"I'll admit, Mr. Ludwig. One of the best parts of watching over this world lately has been seeing what sort of thing you'll do next."

Medic, one of the people that the Old Man has brought into her dimension, was here in True Celestia.

"Oh, really? Tell me, Frau Magnavox, vhat vas your favorite?"

The silver-haired Goddess took a sip of her tea, before putting down the cup. "Let me think." She put a finger to her chin.

She had to admit that Samuel has brought a very interesting and amusing bunch into Gamindustri. That alone ignited her curiosity and made her eager to see what sort of thing they would do next, or how much change they would bring into that dimension.

But if there was one person that interested her the most it would be their Medic. Crazy, curious and skilled. He was breaking the rules she has placed with ease... and was passing that knowledge onto other characters.

"I would say it would be corrupting my dear Compa."

Her voice turned into deadpan, and her tone accustory. However she quickly added "She's just hilarious to watch."

Going from a meek and polite girl, to basically a female version of him. Medic had a great influence on her, raising not only her medical skills but also shaping her personality to match his. She wasn't kidding when she said that this version of Compa was much more entertaining to watch. Medic just gave her something Magnavox didn't know she needed.

"Ah yes." Medic smiled at the memory. "She has proven herself to be quite zhe apprentice."

Considering they've met a little less than a month ago, Compa was a great help to the German doctor. And at the rate she was progressing he might even start considering her to be his equal. She could revive people without using the Medi-Gun now, operate all of his equipment and handle herself in the field. Truly, she will become an exemplary doctor in her own right!

And now, as Medic and Magnavox watched Gray Mann's army invade Planeptune, Medic could see how Compa took up the mantle of becoming his team's sole healer… and rising up to the challenge.

She kept the team alive and avoided unnecessary danger, which was the bare foundation of being a competent field medic. When the Medi-Gun's healing wasn't cutting it, she switched to the crossbow, which said a lot about her judgement, critical thinking and reaction time.

She was single-handedly carrying the whole team.

Until she met the Deputy and died as quickly as Scout, but that wasn't something he could blame her for.

"One of my greatest creations." Medic smiled and reached towards his cup. While Magnavox was drinking tea, Medic was enjoying a steaming dark coffee.

However his mug wouldn't budge. The mercenary tried to raise the mug, but it was like something glued it to the table. No matter how hard Medic tried, his coffee remained unlifted.

"You know, I may be a fan of you but you still haven't answered my question." Magnavox said.

Medic blinked. "Vhat question?"

"How the fuck did you get here?!"

They were in True Celestia, a place that no random person should even know about - much less be capable of getting here. The CPUs would not be able to enter this place without being invited, and Magnavox was omni-potent… or rather almost omni-potent as even she was unaware of how Medic even accomplished something like that, so casually and arrogantly as usual.

She could bash his head in, wipe his memory and send him back to the Neo Hyper Dimension… but like Magnavox said; she was a fan of his work.

And this also gave her a rare opportunity.

Medic fell silent for a moment, trying to recall how he has achieved this unimaginable feat. However after a moment of thinking he couldn't recall anything. "Huh. You know, I don't really know."

Magnavox was surprised. "You don't know?"

"Ja, I vas drunk at zhat time. Now I feel fine though."

Of course he felt fine, as everyone who entered True Celestia were kept in peak condition. Any ailments were healed immediately upon entry, aging wasn't a problem as well. Even hangovers were but a dream here.

Unfortunately it didn't cure the lack of memories that came with being heavily drunk.

"That's a shame."

That was annoying.

He was proof that there was a hole in Magnavox's security, but she had no leads on where to begin searching. The True Goddess will have to devote years into looking at the entire security system to find the issue… and then make sure that fixing said issue won't break anything else.

99 little bugs in the code.

99 little bugs in the code.

Take one down, patch it around,

127 little bugs in the code…

Ugh.


The sound of battle drowned everything once more.

Bullets flew left and right, zipping faster than the eye could see. Rockets and grenades blotted out the sky, showering both sides with lethal doses of death and shrapnel. The collateral damage would be massive… if the ammunition used here wasn't pathetic against structures, even the biggest rockets left only a black smudge on the walls, which was swept away by wind a moment later.

This bode well for the defenders, as they didn't need to worry about the invaders flushing them out of their superior positioning. Even when completely surrounded and shot at from every angle, the buildings still provided some sanctuaries of safety - allowing the defenders to reload, rearm and tend to their injuries before continuing to fight.

They had every advantage they could get. But the enemy might as well be endless.

"Metal cowards, run from giant man!"

"Not one of ya's gonna survive this!"

"You big head wankers!"

For every machine that the mercenaries destroyed, 5 more took their place. Every bullet they fired at the army, thousands more were fired back. For every inch the machines have gained, many of them fell in exchange.

If this was an army of flesh and blood, these losses would be unacceptable. But the machines didn't care about their losses - they just fulfilled their objective. To destroy Mann Co.

Heavy laughed as he unleashed the full might of his minigun, single handedly keeping one of their flanks secure. Demoman blindly fired explosives from behind cover, laying waste on the machines while they couldn't do anything to him. Sniper from the roof took potshots at the approaching giants - weakening them before they entered the fray.

The machines were endless, but so were the mercenaries.

Every injury could be healed within seconds, every dead person was brought back in less than a minute. They had plenty of ammunition to spare and an entire day to do this. There was no actual objective for the machines, no convenient place for the machines to drop their bombs into.

The army would come here and find nothing. Nothing but death.

IF, with her Flame Awakening, melted the steel and gunpowder, wreacking havoc among the invader's numbers. Engineer repaired and loaded his Sentry Gun, while Sentry Busters beeped from underneath him - unable to reach the spot the turret was on.

Everything seemed to go smoothly, but they knew better. The worst has yet to come.

And it came in the form of country music and a cowboy's war cry.

"Yeehaw!"

A gun was fired, its sound drowning out the hundreds of other guns. Their nemesis has entered the field.

The first one to fall was Compa. A bullet struck her from an impossible angle - splattering her brains on the floor. This in turn removed the mercenaries' main supply of healing, making all of them more vulnerable.

The next was Sniper. His killer let him see how the bullet richotected four times before immediately killing him through full cover. Now the invaders' giants were faster, and could enter the field at their full might.

The other mercenaries took cover. Soldier almost died next - with the bullet merely scratching his helmet. The same machine that has killed them before was here, now they had to wait. Engineer grabbed his sentry and ran, however the other machines gunned him down. The weight of the building slowed him down just enough for the invaders' bullets to catch him.

Without access to upgrades the mercenaries were fragile, unable to take as much damage as they used to during the defenses of actual Mann Co. facilities. It was a shame they didn't have any upgrade stations around, this battle would've been a cakewalk otherwise.

Demoman was the only one that continued to fire, as he didn't require the direct line of sight. Then he fell too, killed by a one-in-a-million shot. Soldier grimaced at the sight - the bullet took out half of his teammate's head, a gruesome image. As Demoman's body left to Re;Spawn, the american merc pondered what kind of caliber this machine was packing.

"Heavy does not like hiding from tiny men." Heavy grumbled.

"Keep waiting, son." Soldier reminded him.

Due to the lack of heat coming at the invaders the army went in unopposed, stomping their way into the streets. Immediately they sought a good place to drop their bomb but alas… the mercenaries didn't make one. They were defending a map with no objective, there was no loss condition for them.

Spy kept his eyes on his target; the Giant Engineer with a cowboy hat - the Deputy that gave them trouble before. That one machine which killed them all in one swoop. The moment it passed through his hiding spot Spy charged at him, butterfly knife in his hands.

The blade… didn't go as deeply as Spy hoped, as it lacked armor-piercing upgrades. However that did not dissuade the merc from trying and trying again, trying to do as much damage before the Deputy turned around.

"You should've just hide, coward."

The Deputy shot his gun at the wall. The bullet richotected once- two times and embedded itself within Spy's skull. "I suggest going back to France."

Unlike other giant robots, this one didn't need to turn around. He could shoot wherever he wanted and he would still hit whatever it wanted. As long as it was on the field, every mercenary was in danger of death.

The loud sound of Dead Ringer was ignored by the machines, they also ignored a lone machine that was trying to scale the walls.

Spy grunted from exertion. With all of the entrances barricaded the only way for the mercenary to get back to his team would be through climbing - something that was very hard considering the lack of ledges or holes that would help.

Something that would've taken Scout less than a minute took Spy three times as much, considering his lack of climbing experience and the worst physique of the team. However he still made it on top.

Soldier looked at him from behind his cover, waiting for a signal. Their gazes matched and Soldier knew what to do. Spy has failed to assassinate the giant, then it was time for their plan B.

And their plan B was absolute chaos.

Soldier put his fingers into his mouth, and let out a loud whistle. Loud and long, making sure that everybody heard it.

And his response was a bullet soaring towards him, and a maniacal laughter of a grand wizard. Soldier has ducked underneath the former as he, and everyone else, heard a bell ringing. The organ has started to play as well, creating a haunting melody that spelled doom for anything, and anyone that was currently on these streets.

None of the instruments were actually used, it was canadian magic that created the music.

"Ahahahahaha! My time has come!"

Hidden safely inside the restaurant, Merasmus prepared a summoning ritual of not one, but three vicious monsters.

"Come forth, horrors of Halloween!"

Outside the building, in the middle of the streets, magical glyphs started to light up. Cursed purple flames surrounded the area, allowing passage of the trio of horrors that the wizard was about to unleash upon the world.

"Wreack terror upon these machines! Teach them how to fear! Ahahahaha!"

The mercenaries didn't need to fight the horde of machines by themselves.

With Merasmus's help, they can send Halloween bosses to do their bidding.

And as the Headless Horseless Horsemann, the MONOCULUS and the Skeleton King appeared on the field, supported by a skeleton army, the remaining mercenaries leapt out of hiding.


Samantha stared at the entrance with a passive gaze.

"Huh… go figure."

It was a hatch hidden inside of bushes and behind a tree. It was practically invisible unless you knew it was there. In a way it was the perfect place to hide something. People who come here would focus on the obviously-suspicious building and miss the well-hidden door, just like they've demonstrated.

Clever, Samantha would give them that.

"The cables go underground and then here, into that cellar." CFW Magic said. "It's unlocked and no one is inside, but the terminals are there. There's also blood."

Uni and Nisa tensed at the mention of blood. Samantha did too, anticipating to see another bloodbath like before.

"You go first." Fay said to the Lastation girls. Nisa and Uni looked at her, Samantha did too, raising her eyebrow at her girlfriend. The CPU Candidate gulped and meekly stepped towards the hatch, Nisa was right behind her - glaring holes into her captors.

Not liking them at all, but finally doubting they might've not been the murderers. Or at the very least knowing they would force her to go one way or another. In either case, Nisa has finally started to comply.

With shaking hands Uni grabbed the hatch and pulled it open. Inside were stairs; dark and steep stairs, and a faint metallic smell that Uni still recognized. Blood.

She looked back at Fay, and she nodded at the two of them to go deeper.

Uni had to steel herself before descending. Her steps were slow and careful, not only trying not to fall but also trying to not step in anything.

Once they moved in, Fay turned her gaze towards Magic. "Mind if you give us some privacy? I have something to say to Sam."

Some privacy? Samantha thought to herself. What sort of thing did she want to tell her that it required no one else to hear?

Magic shrugged. "Okay. Don't stay too long though."

She moved in as well, even closing the hatch behind her as to not accidentally overhear them talking.

"Well… what is it? Why now?" Samantha said.

"Well… I spread the seeds and… our plan is in motion."

A plan in motion? Samantha narrowed her eyes and looked at the ground, her mind working to process what sort of plan they've made.

Oh.

Oh.

The previous universe they've been assigned to. The one with that fucktard that decided to separate her and Fay. Apparently she has decided to finally commence the plan they've been working on for so long.

Spread the seeds… there were not many people she could've gone to. With a community like them it was actually a perfect opportunity.

"The seeds…" Samantha said, her voice sounded like she remembered something she hasn't in a long time. "How did it go?"

"Horribly, horribly right. Everything went nice, but shit really hit the fan… Kinda like here."

Samantha nodded at the report. "Well… at least we won't have to deal with that mess." After all, they were in a wholly different universe. Problems that happened during their past assignment won't matter during this one. "You think phase 2 would work?"

"That's… actually hard to guess. It depends on what Wilbur does with that stuff."

"Depending on if Magnavox forgives us and keeps her word, we might actually not need him anymore."

If they caused problems even half as bad as they've here, then Magnavox would definitely get some complaints and reports. The Gods were a prideful and vengeful bunch, they would surely let their current master know about her little slaves past transgressions, and to make her understand that they wanted her to exact punishment.

That actually was a problem to both of them.

"On one hand, it's good to know this would work. On the other… this was the worst timing ever… of all time." If Magnavox wanted she could rip the contract and everything Samantha did would be for nothing. She and Fay would not get a peaceful life here, and instead they would get punishment before being sent onto another assignment.

"Sorry… Both for giving you problems and not letting you know for so long."

"It's okay." Samantha smiled and wrapped her hands around the blonde woman.

Samantha couldn't be mad at her, as Fay didn't know about the deal Magnavox gave her. All Fay knew was the plan that would give them their own shot at peaceful life.

Fay smiled and wrapped her own hands as well.

After a moment of silence, with both partners enjoying the intimate contact, they both let go and entered the cellar.

The robots and soldiers of Lastation have made themselves very comfy here. Inside a rather spacious basement they found all kinds of furniture; multiple beds to give soldiers a place to sleep. An actual Lastation console hooked up to a television inside the wall, a couch that could hold up to 4 people.

Posters of various video game characters hung from the wall, portable coolers full of beer and energy drinks. A chest full of snacks.

This didn't look like a command center, this looked more like a man cave.

Magic was waiting around the corner, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. She gave them both a nod as they entered.

"This… does not look like anything I expected. Is it here?" Samantha asked.

Magic motioned towards the end of the room, where Uni and Nisa were crouching next to a small terminal. "Yes. Uni and Nisa are already by it, don't expect much though."

While the Lastation girls were blocking the view, Samantha could spy a removed cover lying against the wall. That piqued Samantha's interest as she walked towards them.

"How is it?"

The cables inside the terminal were removed. Entirely removed.

While Samantha expected them to tamper with the terminal, she didn't expect her to go to such lengths. Even with all of her skills there was no way Samantha could've fixed this thing, especially not when they don't have time for that.

"We found it like that." Magic piqued from the end of the room.

"Well... fuck you, Miss Pauling."


Their plan B… has been a mistake.

While the Headless Horseless Horsmann and Skeleton King mainly targeted the machines, because they couldn't reach the mercenaries and girls stationed way above, the same couldn't be said about the MONOCULUS.

The giant flying eye, instead of targeting the invaders, has set its gaze onto the wrong targets. IF in particular froze as the beast stared right at her.

Even being told in advance didn't dissuade the unnerving appearance of the Halloween boss. A giant eyeball covered in brown foreskin, with severed nerves behind it. The beast looked at her for a moment before letting out a roar and shooting a rocket right at her.

The projectile was slow, but even then IF started to run as other mercs started shooting the eyeball.

"What the hell guys!?" IF shouted. "It's shooting at me!"

IF was now exposed, but no machine has taken the opportunity. The Horsemann hacked and decapitated everything around him, while the Skeleton King now had an army of smaller skeletons to aid him. The enemy was distracted, but the mercenaries weren't able to seize this opportunity in full.

Merasmus summed it up pretty nicely.

"Congratulations, fools! We've played ourselves!"

The MONOCULUS switched targets and started shooting at Heavy and Soldier. Both of them stepped out of the range however Heavy was unable to do so, as he was too slow to fully escape. The explosion didn't kill him, but it hurt a lot.

"I'm back!"

Compa appeared out of one of their hidden teleporters, announcing herself with a loud yell.

"Who needs healin-"

And Compa died again, killed by the very same thing that took her life last time. Even when fighting the malevolent menace, the Deputy of the Machines has still found time and opportunity to keep the mercenaries on the backfoot.

"Yo, are you serious?!" Scout exclaimed, both in shock and surprise. "What the hell, man! That's cheating!"

Another gunshot, this time aimed at Scout. The young mercenary snapped to the aside and his eyes widened in shock, as the bullet buried itself within his leg.

"Ow!"

"Men, we need to destroy that robot!"

That Giant Engineer was the highest threat in this fight, even bigger than the MONOCULUS currently harassing them. As long as it was alive they were all in danger.

"Okay, how?" IF said.

Knowing what to do didn't mean they knew how to do it. It was a giant robot after all, meaning it could withstand a lot of punishment. And the mercs also had other things to deal with.

Compa, Sniper, Demoman and Engineer were dead. Their most crucial members were missing the fight. Every time they got injured they had to bear with it, or sit next to a dispenser. Every time they wanted to strike the Deputy they had to expose themselves to retaliating fire. A dangerous thing to do, considering the circumstances.

However Soldier had a plan.

"Frenchie, grab the bot's attention!" The merc ordered. His teammate froze and looked at him, silently asking 'how do I do that?'

One glance from Soldier was all he needed. Spy nodded and pulled out his revolver, waiting for a signal.

"Heavy!"

The russian merc ran to the edge of the building, as close as he could without exposing himself to danger. Soldier ran in the opposite direction and started shooting the MONOCULUS, taking the eye's attention onto himself.

"ATTACK!"

At Solder's loud battle cry, Spy leapt out of cover and fired a quick shot in the Deputy's direction. He exposed himself for just a short moment, a second at most, but that instant's effect was immediate and tremendous.

"Spy!"

"That spy is not one of us!"

"Spy is not our Spy!"

All of them, as if sensing a bigger threat than an undead reaper among their tanks, immediately shifted their attention from the halloween monstrosities, to a mercenary currently hiding in the corner.

That included the Deputy.

While Spy tried his best to stay alive and keep the robots' attention on him, Heavy leapt out of cover and poured an endless stream of bullets into Giant Engineer's chassis - without fearing retribution from the invaders.

The machines have a list of priority targets that they will focus on before anything else, no matter how little of a threat it may actually be. Alongside Medic, Spy was really high on that list, and every robot in the vicinity will outright forget about anyone else as soon as they notice him - trying their damndest to kill him or at least chase him out.

So if Spy were to peek out of cover every couple of seconds, he could effectively draw aggro from the entire machine army, and then someone like Heavy would be free to clear out the whole area or get rid of the big threats.

Heavy roared as Sasha continued to sing her song, covering the Deputy within the iron curtain. This continued for an amazing twelve seconds before their main enemy finally snapped his hand towards the merc and silenced him. Heavy's body fell over the edge and fell onto the ground below.

"Heavy died!" IF reported, giving the Deputy a cue where to aim next.

The Guild Member died not knowing what happened.

The next shot went to where Spy was last hiding, however the merc was long gone from that spot. With that, the Deputy and the rest of the invaders turned their attention back towards the Headless Horsemann and Skeleton army.

They knew they wouldn't be able to destroy that giant in one go. They had too little fire power to do it. Unupgraded weaponry meant their damage suffered, and no resistances required them to take cover more often.

The best option right now was to wait for the others to respawn. Keep themselves alive, try not to expose themselves to the Deputy or get hit by MONOCULUS. Build their strength and numbers for another assault.

The usual stuff.

And then tragedy struck in the form of a Random Crit… but not one directed at the mercs. The critically-boosted rocket struck the floating eye, and the electrical discharge stunned it, making it fall, dazed. At first glance it would be a perfect opportunity to attack, but the mercs knew better.

They were all going to die soon.

As MONOCULUS broke out of its daze the color of its iris changed to an angrier red. The monster roared in anger and started attacking the mercenaries once more, but this time more viciously. The rockets it fired were faster, more numerous and deadlier. Evasion was impossible, taking them head on was suicidal.

Pyro was overwhelmed in a first wave, managing to reflect the first projectile but falling to the subsequent swarm. Then Scout died almost instantly. After him it was time for Spy.

One by one the mercenaries died to MONOCULUS. There was no safe place for them to hide from danger, flanked and surrounded as they were. They had no choice but to die.

That was fine, as they always could try again.

And again.

And again.

Soldier swore vengeance as the MONOCULUS killed him last.


As Neptune's eyes spied the port on the horizon, and the Carrier Tanks parked inside, her devious mind cheered at nearing her goal. She was close to success.

The current made it easier for her to swim, as both of them were going in the same direction. The water was cold though… colder than Noire's tsundere heart.

She almost drowned a couple of times. It's been ages since the last time she was swimming.

But she wasn't alone in the river though. A group of weird sharks with neon signs have marked the river as their territory, and were a huge help to Neptune. In the form of motivating her natural flight or fight instincts.

You can interpret it as the CPU of Planeptune being hunted by wildlife.

The danger was enough to force her body into pumping more adrenaline into her veins, and she has very quickly remembered how to swim quicker.

As she swam towards her goal, her eyes spied a burly, half-naked man on a raft… fighting a swarm of crustaceans. One of them had a hat on. ...Wasn't that the one that hung around with Nepgear? Hatty? What the hell are they doing? And Hatty actually seemed to be winning, as more crabs were jumping out of the water, gradually overwhelming their foe.

It was a moment later that she realized the sharks have abandoned her in favor of an easier meal - the Spycrabs. Neptune could only pray for Hatty's safety, as she could not afford to waste time getting into the port.

The gameplay design also didn't allow her to fight underwater.

So while she ran away from the bizarre scene of nature, Neptune made her hasty escape towards the port. The Carrier Tanks were still parked inside, and the robots were still pouring out of the tanks - marching right into the city.

But soon she'll rectify that and cut off the reinforcements. She just needed to deal with a slight problem first.

There was no way into the port from water.

No ropes, no ladders or stairs. Nothing that would allow Neptune to climb back onto the ground. The walls were completely flat too, meaning she couldn't just climb the walls.

...What do the workers do when they have a man overboard? Hope he pulls himself up by his bootstraps?

Neptune swam in one place, pondering her options while trying to keep her head above the water level. The answer to her problem was simple, she could just go HDD and fly. ...If it wasn't for the fact that it had crashed earlier. Still, there was no sense in not trying. A lot of things tended to be fixed by turning it off and on again.

Hoping for the best, Neptune attempted to turn on her HDD. And to her relief, it worked.

Light engulfed the port and alerted the robots of an intruder, but it was too late as the first machines were instantly sliced apart with Purple Heart's sword.

Why did her HDD crash earlier, and why is it fine now? Maybe she got a boost in shares during the fight that fixed the problem? Maybe it was some lingering glitch from her captivity? Or maybe the plot just demanded it? She didn't have time to think about it, and right now the hows and whys didn't matter.

Eight Carrier Tanks and a robot army. It was time to start cleaning her nation.

"Neptune Break!"

One, two, five, eleven and more robots fell underneath her ultimate move, as Neptune moved faster than light and swept through the machines one by one. With one modified move Neptune has cleared out the whole port.

After the painful struggle of throwing her unpowered form against the robotic tide, being back in peak form again felt great.

However, her EXE Drive ran dry while her enemies did not. Neptune nonetheless gave herself a 'feel good' moment after getting to flex her true strength again.

Then she froze as the armor on the Carrier Tanks shifted - opening up many little holes inside their armor.

It was always a question of why the mercenaries were always on the defensive. Why couldn't they go onto the offensive and attack the vehicle carrying the invading army? The answer to that was simple. Each of the Carrier Tanks were armed to the teeth. Each Carrier Tank had enough firepower to shred any person that came too close, no matter who they were.

And Neptune wasn't facing just one tank, but eight of them at once.

This was why it was much easier to just let the robots invade. Once the Carrier Tank ran out of soldiers it would simply return back to the base - as per Gray Mann's orders. There was no need to fight it as usually the Carriers were not an issue during the siege.

As the hundred turrets lined their sights on Neptune, she prepared herself for pain.

It took 0.2 seconds for the Carrier Tanks to blast Neptune out of the port, creating a Purple Heart-shaped hole in the ceiling.

Then a new hole appeared as Neptune blasted back into the port, crashing into the Carrier Tank like a meteor about to destroy all life on earth… the clang of her sword was loud, but the sword didn't move an inch. The armor on these tanks was thick, thicker than on the Killachines.

More robots started to pour out of the tanks, and they already set their sights on the CPU. Not only that, but the other tanks' turrets started to line up onto her…

...and on the Carrier Tank she was standing on.

An idea appeared within her mind, shown as a light bulb above her head.

Could she use those turrets to her own advantage? Even armor this strong wouldn't be able to withstand the deluge of firepower from 7 other tanks. If she destroyed even one Carrier Tank, and every robot inside, that would be a solid blow to the invasion.

So Neptune waited for the tanks to fire on one of their own. The robots looked at her, aimed their guns at her, but didn't fire a shot as they marched towards Neptune. Even the defense systems on Carrier Tanks were silent. Neptune frowned, realizing that they won't fire when there was a great chance of friendly fire.

They were dumb, but not that dumb.

Then she noticed the turrets on the tank Neptune was standing on had been replaced with… tesla coils?

The CPU found herself surrounded on all sides with electricity-inducing machines. Before she could take off to escape the threat she was struck with lighting all over her body, hurting and paralyzing her body.

Neptune screamed in pain as she fell into the water.


The mercenaries had a new plan.

...Which was the same as their old plan.

However Soldier said it using different words, so it was technically a new plan.

The mercenaries teleported back into the battlefield, silent as they could as to not alert the Deputy about their position. This was even more important for Compa, who seemed to be the Deputy's priority target.

The Halloween monsters were still fighting, but they wouldn't last for long. The Skeleton King was injured and about to die, surviving only thanks to the continuous spawns of smaller skeletons to aid him. The Horsemann at the same time was chopping robots' heads with just one hand, the other clutched its torso.

Fortunately for them the MONOCULUS ran out of mercenaries to kill, so it finally turned its attention on the machines. The rockets it was shooting at them were slow but capable of weakening entire groups of machines - just enough for smaller skeletons to mop them up.

There was some surprising synergy between the three of them. The Horsemann took on the biggest of threats, as it had the most health and damage. The MONOCULUS weakened the groups of smaller enemies, and the skeletons cleared them up.

If they had a healer, they'd make a pretty strong team.

The mercenaries jumped into the chaos, eager to demolish the machines and destroy the Deputy.

Because where two sides fought, the third one won, and the mercenaries proved this true as they caught the machines off-guard. Their numbers dwindled quickly, adding more bodies onto the streets. Even the giants fell under the combined firepower of Team Fortress and the Horsemann's Headtaker. The Halloween monsters were now able to push forward - and the mercenaries helped them every step of the way.

Victory was in sight, but it only took 3 bullets to turn the tide.

As 3 bullets was all it took to put down the Headless Horseless Horsmann.

The Halloween beast fell with a roar, finally returning back to hell after fighting so many for so long. And without their shield and sword, the skeleton army would be quick to fall as well. The invaders were already ripping them apart.

The MONOCULUS teleported, leaving a portal to another dimension that was just barely out of reach for the mercenaries to get in. It reappeared behind the mercenaries, and immediately shot at the first thing it saw - them again.

One of their wildcards fell, one was about to die, one prefered to harass them rather than the enemy.

"Plan B, men! The worm has turned!" Soldier roared on top of his lungs, sending one of his own rockets towards the giant eyeball. His attack hit the MONOCULUS right in the pupil, at the same time the slow-moving rocket of the giant eye has missed.

IF had no idea what her partner just said. "The worm has what?"

She flinched, as by some insane luck she managed to deflect the bullet shot by the Deputy… only for the same bullet to kill Soldier. IF had trouble comprehending the amount of luck that was needed in that shot. It was a headshot too. Critical hit.

Seems like she won't learn what that worm meant.

"Just shoot them!" Sniper snapped at the brunette, popping headshot after headshot on the enemy medics. IF made a sound of realization - Just shoot them, the easiest plan in the world. However instead of shooting a gun, IF tapped into her SP reserves.

"Demon Flames!"

The explosion of fire engulfed a small group of machines. The temperature heated up their chassis and almost overheated them. Almost. The rest was done by spooky scary skeletons going in to finish the job.

The Deputy fired another shot. With Compa hiding quietly behind the wall, the Giant Engineer instead focused on other mercenaries.

The nurse remembered she was carrying a canteen filled with a very good goodie. The nurse quietly gasped as she recalled what that thing on her belt did. "Go, go!" Compa quietly egged her patient on, turning on the Canteen's boost.

Heavy jumped out of his cover and enjoyed the newly-found power of critical-infused bullets. He directed all of that destruction and carnage at their worst enemy - the Deputy.

The Giant Engineer quickly hid behind cover, minimalizing the damage he was taking. The moment Heavy lost sight of the Deputy he redirected the minigun at other machines, taking apart a few of them before the critical boost ran out.

That was when the Deputy struck, shooting the wall in front of it and making the bullet ricochet at the mercenary. Heavy's head recoiled from the impact, wincing as the bullet smashed his skull, but still able to stand. The Deputy didn't kill him, and Heavy didn't give him a chance for another shot. The mercenary put on his Fists of Steel and crouched behind the wall, waiting for the injury to heal.

The robots that were lost were now replaced, and they swarmed the streets like the previous group. The Skeleton King was overwhelmed and fell, and with him the Skeleton army ceased to be. Yet another asset they had was lost, but IF had a plan.

Putting on her Flame Awakening form again, the Guild Agent called out to their resident firebug. "Pyro, give me fire!"

The merc in question perked up, and was more than happy to oblige.

Fire and heat charged towards the Guild agent, a terrifying picture if it wasn't exactly what IF wanted. She took control of the stream of fire and enhanced it, making it hotter than ever. Pyro stared at the head of its own Flamethrower, noting how it started to glow due to heat - soon about to melt.

Once at high enough temperature, IF redirected all of the flames onto the streets. The ground below them was engulfed in heat as if it was water, and the all of the machines below suffered an ugly and untimely demise.

Every machine except those further away, who now had a clean shot at the Guild agent as she was burning the streets.

The first shots were inaccurate, as Scatterguns weren't known for their accuracy. The impact of bullets against the walls alerted IF that she was under fire, and prompted her to hide. She did so without seeing the grenades towards her.

She hid in the corner only to see explosives appearing through windows, cutting off her escape route.

Other mercs saw explosions and bits of IF flying through the window, and the blood now staining the glass.

They felt like they wouldn't be able to rely on IF's help for the next minute. Just a small hunch.

As Sniper separated another head from its body, he saw something concerning. Something he didn't hesitate to relay to the rest of his team. "Guys! These robots brought bombs!"

Bolted to some of the machines were big and cumbersome explosives, painted white and blue. It was the same kind of bomb they had to protect Mann Co. from. Gray Mann's way of dealing with buildings.

A giant bomb strong enough to blow everything up.

However they didn't have a hatch to put the bomb in, so what was the target now?


So the Carrier Tanks won't shoot if there was a danger of shooting one of their own. That made Neptune's plan of destroying the heart of the invasion with friendly fire much harder, to the point where she won't even bother doing it.

Fortunately she had another idea… the initial idea that motivated her into even coming here.

She will put herself at the entrance of the port, and stop all traffic.

Cut off reinforcements, sever the logistics lines, make them unable to retreat. The moment Neptune appears in front of the port is the moment the whole Planeptune becomes the invader's grave.

As an added benefit, the Carrier Tanks won't be able to get there to chase her out, so she won't have to worry about them.

With a new gameplan set, the determined Purple Heart leapt out of the waters and flew towards the ceiling. The turrets defending the Carriers fired upon her, but they were more help than hindrance - either propelling her forward and upwards, or making a hole in the ceiling.

They stopped firing once she was out of sight.

And Neptune started descending once she was near her goal.

Falling from the sky like thunder, Purple Heart let out a loud battle cry. The machines below snapped their head upwards to stare at her, and were squished underneath her heels - their chassis unable to withstand the amount of force the CPU put it through.

Once more Neptune was surrounded and severely outnumbered. However unlike before she now had the advantage of increased stats and longer reach. The blade of Purple Heart was longer than the one she was wielding in her human form.

The invaders fired… and missed, as Purple Heart wasn't there anymore.

"Cross Combination!"

Dancing among their numbers, the CPU of Planeptune trashed and destroyed several machines with but a mere stroke of her blade. Where Neptune could manage to take them apart one at the time, Purple Heart took three - while also taking much less retaliatory fire.

She could feel shares flooding her, strengthening her even more. She moved faster than ever, her weapon felt lighter and cut better. Injuries hurt less.

Were those shares because of her own citizens? Was this the work of their Mysterious Benefactor? Plot-induced power up? Neptune didn't bother thinking about it, she just utilized it as best as she could. Questions could be answered later.

The machines were helpless in the face of her wrath. They fell in dozens, even the giants. Soon the bottleneck was cleared, with only scraps and broken wrecks underneath her feet. Neptune awaited the next group to arrive.

Only for a loud thunder to strike her ears, and the shaking earth to knock her off her feet.

Her head snapped towards her own nation, and with horror she stared as one of her buildings fell, followed by another. In just a few seconds she has lost something her own citizens have made. In just a few seconds the machines have left their mark on Planeptune.

The newest group of reinforcements didn't last a moment, as whatever shred of mercy Neptune had was gone.

"You damn machines!"

She threw herself with reckless abandon, momentarily blinded by rage and anger. First her little sister was hurt, then her nation was invaded, then she had to abandon a friend and possibly leave him to die… now they're making even more of a ruckus.

Her people were afraid, her friends were in pain - fighting to salvage whatever they could out of this situation. This was something not even she could brush over.

This was a very bad day for Neptune, and that was the moment she finally snapped.

But unlike Blanc, her anger and rage was cold and composed. Purple Heart didn't say anything as her weapon cut through a dozen machines. A thirst for vengeance was growing within a normally peaceful and chill CPU. That thirst could only be sated by oil and scrap metal.

As Neptune trashed the newest reinforcements her sword accidentally struck the wall, but the blade didn't slow down for even a moment. It cut through pavement as easily as through metal, fueled by thinly veiled wrath of a pissed off ruler.

Goodness have mercy on anyone who dares to cross the line she put, as hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.


A bomb was bad news.

A bomb meant that the machines had a specific target in mind, and they were ready to destroy it.

A bomb meant that the mercenaries now had a clear goal to protect, else Planeptune will suffer more damage.

Their plan to bait every machine here, and then slowly pick them apart has changed. If the machines have brought a bomb then they will need to make sure the robots don't pick it up. Not only because they'll carry it to wherever they want it to blow up, but also because bomb carriers get stronger the longer they're carrying their loads.

If they hold it for too long, they could become a big threat to all of them. As big as the Deputy that was still not dead yet.

Fortunately the machines that carried the explosives were an easy target, as something as big and cumbersome as that slows down the slower machines into a crawl. This allowed Sniper to shut down anyone that dared to touch the bomb, not letting it move further than a few centimeters at the time.

They could also use it to their advantage, as now they could be sure that the machines were convening here - exactly where the mercenaries wanted.

"Hey, Merasmus! You got any more tricks that will help us?!" Scout screamed.

"Uhh… Merasmus's options are a bit limited without the Bombinomicon, but I have something!"

"Then do it!"

"Alright then! The Wheel of Fate!"

"No wait, don't!"

But Scout's cries were too late as a magical wheel of fortune appeared above Planeptune, spinning what sort of magical shenanigans they'll encounter right now. "Come on wheel, give us a good one." Merasmus said to himself.

The wheel started to slow down, and the critical boost was a next card to be picked.

"Yes, yes!" Shouted Merasmus in excitement, as the wheel slowed down to a crawl… while the pointer was on the crit boost. "Come on!"

However the pointed bypassed the critical hits and moved to the next card, much to the mercs' dismay. "Noo!" Merasmus screamed in anguish as the next card was picked.

Big heads.

"Oh god!" Scout touched his own head, feeling it grow bigger with every second. His voice grew deeper as well.

"Damn you, Merasmus!" Soldier shook his fist into the air.

"Merasmus is very sorry!"

Instead of receiving help they were instead given something useless. The only one that benefited from it was Sniper, who now had easier targets to shoot. The Wheel of Fate's effects affected everyone on the battlefield, be they flesh and blood or metal and steel. Their heads grew into comically humongous proportions, and their voices became so deep as if they inhaled some reverse helium.

While you could argue that their targets became easier to aim at, the Wheel of Fate worked both ways - as the machines too had a much easier time to hit the mercenaries.

And because the invaders were much more numerous, it was ultimately a disadvantage to the defenders. Bullets scratched and grazed their exposed flesh, as cover was now unable to conceal it entirely.

They could go deeper into the buildings, get inside and wait for the spell to run out. But that would be a wise thing to do, eh?

"Enough of this, men. Attack!"

Following Soldier's loud roar, the mercenaries retaliated in full. They emptied all of their ammunition onto the carrier of the bomb and everything around it, making sure that no one will be able to touch that bomb for a while.

Their plan worked for a solid three seconds. Then they went back to hiding as the Deputy peeked out of cover. Pyro and Scout lost their lives, both killed by the same bullet. The rest was forced to make a better plan.

Or in the case of Demoman - blindly shoot stickies through the window and wait for a few seconds. A moment later there was a shower of scrap metal just happening outside the window. Demoman shrugged and continued what he was doing.

Only to be stopped by the Deputy, taking him out with another one-in-a-million shot.

Soldier saw this whole scenario, and summarized it with two words. "Damnit, boys…"

One giant.

One Engineer.

And so much trouble just because of one machine.

Each of their attempts was relentlessly foiled, be it through their own blunders or Deputy's sheer luck(?). The machines marched unopposed, walking over corpses of their fallen comrades without batting an eye. Soldier's eyes were narrowed as he watched through the window. The bomb carrier was getting near the building he, Heavy and Compa were hiding, the machines staring at them but not firing - as there was glass between them.

It would be so easy to blow them up, but the Deputy was already lining up his next shot - undeniably aiming for him. The Giant Engineer kept them all in check, and the mercenaries had to hide and regain their numbers.

The bomb carrier finally reached the first building of their little fortress, and the people inside had no time to react before the bomb went off. The blast shocked all of the remaining defenders, who believed they were safe. One of their safe havens was blasted into pieces… their occupants had no time to react before Re;Spawn embraced them.

That was the reason Gray Mann's army brought bombs. If there was no hatch to blow up, then the machines will systematically destroy every building one by one, until the whole place became a crater.

Until no survivor was left.

"Coming in hot!"

The Deputy snapped its head towards the sky, where it spotted a white blur quickly diving towards it. The Giant machine fired once, twice, three times at the attacker… to no avail.

With a booming roar Blanc crashed into the streets, her weapon splitting the Deputy's hand in half. The limb fell down to the ground, and the Deputy bent down to pick up his gun. That proved to be a mistake as Blanc's axe collided with its head and sent the machine reeling to the ground. The rest of the robots snapped their guns at the new threat. They didn't hesitate to shoot, but neither Blanc hesitated to attack.

Nor the mercenaries hesitated to assist.

The CPU of Lowee stomped the ground in front of her, splitting the ground in front of her. The crevice traveled all the way towards the robots. Pavement cracked and caved, destroying the robots' footing and their aim. The invaders' bullets went wild in all directions… but none of them found their target.

An easy target for the mercenaries to finish off.

"Nice of you to join us, ma'am!" Engineer snapped the CPU a casual salute.

Seeing Blanc with them raised their spirits and morale, especially after seeing her destroy the machine that troubled them so much.

"What's the plan guys?" Blanc shouted, staring at Engineer's giant head. "And why is my voice weird and your heads so big!?"

As she said so, the Wheel of Fate's effects started to cease. Everyone's head returned to normal, as did their voice. Blanc decided to drop the pressing questions about the way Engineer's head shrunk like a balloon. "There are lots of machines coming in here!"

"Yup! We've decided to gather them here to easily clean them up!

Blanc thought about it for a minute, and then applauded their ingenuity. With so many of these robots running around, it would be hard to destroy every single one… unless you've gathered them to a single place.

And as the CPU noted the boarded windows, fortified buildings and high ground, she has come to the conclusion that the mercenaries are playing King of the Hill.

"Gotcha!"

Blanc spun her axe around, waiting for the next wave to arrive. Unlike the mercenaries she waited in the middle of the streets, like a decoy waiting to be hit… so that the trap could be sprung. With a CPU in their ranks the mercs' strength significantly rose, as nothing Gray Mann had could stand against the invincible rulers of Gamindustri.

Then their attention was caught by a pillar of white, silvery light appearing near the port. It flashed out as quickly as it appeared, but everyone saw it… and by some reason they all knew this wasn't a normal strike of lightning, as nothing could be that visible in this thick storm of dust.

But all questions were silenced as the next wave of robots appeared, and the mercenaries met them with a hail of bullets and explosives.


Magnavox put some sugar into her tea, swirling the contents with a spoon. "Say, Mr. Ludwig. Would you like… power?"

The True Goddess asked the question without looking at the person across her. She already knew what his face looked like - his eyes scanned her all over with a raised eyebrow, as the brain considered her proposal. After all it wasn't often a god offered you a deal, and Medic had experience with these kinds of deals.

"Vell, I vouldn't mind power. However I'm obliged to tell you zhat I've already sold one of- my own soul to someone else." He answered cheerfully.

Magnavox already knew that from Samuel. Medic sold his soul to the devil, however he had more than one soul stored inside his body. If she wanted then Magnavox could probably persuade him into giving up another soul… but she didn't want that. Why would she need a man's soul?

"It's fine. I don't need your soul, I want something else."

Magnavox had a different price in her mind. Something that would both entertain her, and get the Brothers off her back.

Medic became wary as the silver-haired goddess told him she wanted a different payment. The same trick he used on the Devil couldn't be used here, so Medic knew he had to proceed carefully. Making any kind of deals with beings like her was dangerous, no matter if they were a devil or a saint. The decision couldn't be made lightly.

"Vat is it, then?"

"One of my overseers has been a little… naughty, and it's giving me trouble."

Really… Samuel has proven himself to be obedient and dedicated to his position, but at the same time also oh so mischievous behind the scenes. Magnavox was actually impressed with what she learned from her friends, and it also explained where Samantha even got the idea of bringing the mercenaries here.

A really clever man. And a very patient one at that.

If Magnavox wasn't already doting on the old man, she would've severed the deal right here and there. Smite both of them on the spot and throw their sorry asses to another universe.

But she won't do that. As Magnavox was a nice boss and wanted to see Sam succeed.

So as her silver eyes stared deeply into Medic's own, she reached out to him. A small crystal appeared on her palm, surrounded by silver flames. The jewelry resonated with power, enough power to make even Medic, who had relatively little experience with Gamindustri magic, to get goosebumps.

"This is but a small part of my power, take it and become my servant."

The power stored within this crystal would put the man before her on par with her own Overseer, even if they were aided by her partner and the CFW. This would be enough to appease the Brothers, without jeopardizing Samantha's operations too much.

And also it would be hilarious to see everyone's reactions.

"Find Samantha Neikan, find Fay… and beat them up for me. 'Kay?"

Medic stared at the object with a calculating gaze. Weighting the pros and cons of the deal, as well the possible ways she could screw him over. Questions flooded his mind, and Magnavox struggled to hide a smirk as she heard each and every single one.

How long would this power last? What were the side effects? What did this power do? Was it immortality like the other CPUs? Would it allow him to undergo HDD? Would it allow him to channel SP like the Gamindustri's natives? Will he have to sacrifice his gender and become a woman?

Magnavox offered no answers to the questions plaguing Medic's brain, but she didn't need to as Medic's hand started to reach towards the crystal. The questions ceased. He was thinking of only one thing.

For science!


His descention was announced with a loud and bright thunderstrike. The light blinded everyone nearby, the sound deafened all. Medic felt power.

Power unlike anything he ever felt before. All of his research, experiments and experiences during the Gravel War and Gray Mann Uprising couldn't even come close to the sheer, absolute power Medic felt right now.

He has become God. The whole world was at his fingertips.

"M-Medic?"

Neptune looked at him with a mix of shock, awe and surprise, unsure of what she was seeing or what she should feel. From the thunder that suddenly appeared before her, to him suddenly standing right in her presence. Purple Heart was confused, as she most certainly sensed the changes on Medic's body. She could sense the power that was now under his control, and her body tensed in fear. Her body instinctively knew to bow before their new overlord, but her mind was blank out of surprise.

That surprise stopped when robots appeared behind Medic.

Neptune raised her blade to strike, already running to protect her mortal ally. However she didn't go far before surprise took over for the second time, as Medic took just one. Small. Step.

Just one step.

And he was already behind the invaders.

That speed was supposedly impossible to achieve, as neither Neptune nor the Machines even saw Medic moving. Neptune didn't even have time to blink before Medic outright reappeared before the invaders.

Who were now turning into literal dust, scattering into the wind.

Neptune was now looking at him with wide eyes, while Medic stared down at his hands.

Within 0.00000000000000001 second Medic had pulled out his Übersaw and charged at the machines, eager to test his newly gained abilities. Medic has focused his attention on… something inside him andthe machines moved so slowly they might as well be frozen in time. He didn't need to run, he could just calmly walk over to them before they even had a chance to shoot.

To the outside world it was an instant, but Medic spent a moment simply observing the frozen machine - trying to see if it even moved. He wanted to know if he slowed time to a crawl, or outright stopped it.

After being satisfied with what he learned, Medic stabbed the machine with the Übersaw. The weapon and the machine broke immediately, unsuited for force of this magnitude. Medic was genuinely shocked and surprised as his fist went through the handle and the rest of the weapon - as easily as it would go through the air.

Medic was not prepared for something like this.

The next time he tried attacking, he did it with his bare fist.

The cracks appeared around the entire head, like a spider web that enveloped the whole object. Medic's hand entered the robot's head with ease, penetrating the metal chassis like it wasn't there. He felt like Saxton Hale.

And this was only a fraction of Magnavox's power.

He has ascended.

With the powers given to him by the Goddess herself, Medic has ascended into a higher realm.

Medic laughed as he realized the sheer destructive potential he now possessed, and sought to test it further. He turned back and set his eyes on Purple Heart, who was looking at him with a mixture of shock and awe, as well a bit of wariness.

He was always curious about this whole immortality thing the CPUs possessed, and now he had the means to push it to its limits.

But first he had to deal with the… annoyance.

Neptune watched as Medic turned his back on her and walked away. He disappeared within the port's entrance, and Neptune heard the Carrier Tank's turrets firing. Explosions shook the ground while Medic's maniacal laughter could be heard even from where she stood. For a moment the CPU feared that the whole building might collapse.

Neptune had questions to ask. "...What kind of plot are you setting up for us, author?"

The hair on her neck went straight from the magic in the air, and Neptune could hear the magically-induced explosions coming out of the port, followed by actual explosions. The CPU stood outside the port, wondering what was going on inside the port and at the same time not wishing to know.

"I mean… You gave Medic a power up?"

Him, and not her.

Even as a CPU, Neptune couldn't help but to pout out of jealousy.


Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

P.V.M.


Oh boy, you had to wait a long time for this one. For a good reason, though. Both me and my editor had exams that we needed to study for; I was learning and putting hours for my driving exam, while MortalitasBorealis had school exams taking his free time.

Don't worry, the next chapter will come quicker. It will also officially end the invasion and advance the plot to its next stage. Noire will play a big part in it.

Though I have to say I'm unsatisfied with how the invasion played out. I wasn't expecting it to be so hard to write properly. One thing I noticed was that… this invasion would have a lot more impact if I took time building-up Planeptune. Show more of this place and the residents, make you guys grow more attached to it.

A food for thought for future projects.

Hopefully the next major battle will come out better, because it should be one of the last.

Responses:

- Mad Android

We are in the endgame.

- Harmless Orange