Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Epilogue: One Last Thing to Do pt.2

The BLU Team quickly had second thoughts about this whole operation.

"Need some help here!"

"Come on, come on!"

"Heeelp!"

For all of these amazing upgrades they had, nothing could prepare them for the attack of the CPUs.

Increased damage or firing rate didn't matter when your opponent simply took no damage. Neptune was immortal. Invincible. And the BLU team was woefully unprepared for her.

Her sister was just as bad. While Neptune couldn't be hurt, Nepgear couldn't be hit. Bullets phased through her while flames were absorbed. She chopped off limbs and heads from the safety of invisibility. Completely unfair for her opponents.

One by one, the mercenaries from BLU team fell. Their Re;Spawn was constantly at work, and they even had access to instant respawns with their seemingly bottomless pockets.

They respawned, left the room… and were at an impasse. There was nothing they could do against the two women fighting them, and they didn't even know where the others were, nor did they have the luxury of being able to find out.

The BLU Team gathered by the shutters - Pushed back all the way to the end of the second point, where the one-way shutters gave the defenders a shortcut to the frontlines. An indestructible barrier separated them from a certain death. Nothing the mercenaries had, both BLU and RED, could scratch that barrier.

Nepgear's sword was different.

When the doors wouldn't open, Nepgear opened them herself. The tip of the Holy Sword easily pierced through the metal, earning muffled sounds of panic coming from the other side. It only took Nepgear a moment to make a hole big enough for her and Neptune to squeeze through.

Pyro tried to keep them out, using compressed air to push them back. It got an icicle through its skull for the effort.

The next thing that happened was chaos. A brief moment where rockets and explosions shook the earth. A hail mary born out of emotions that the mercenaries had once forgotten: fear and panic.

The Battle of Badlands was brief, but was undoubtedly a CPU Victory.

"This part of the facility wasn't really a part of our battlefield… and we weren't really supposed to be here when a fight starts… But it should lead to where we need to go: The last point."

While Neptune and Nepgear handled the BLU Team, with Falcom hidden near the frontlines to keep them powered, Spy led them through an unofficial part of Badwater Basin - through the doors that usually stayed locked. Usually.

They could hear explosions in the distance, followed by screams of their blue counterparts.

"So if we meet anyone we shoot 'em?"

But they didn't know if they were distracting the entirety of the BLU team. There was always a chance that someone might get wise and check the other exits. That, or there could be more people than just BLU team..

"...Please don't jinx us, Scout."

Scout sheepishly grinned.

Histoire suddenly asked. "So what should I expect?"

"This whole thing to be a trap." Spy responded immediately. "Even if you have a plan, consider the fact that she might have a plan for you having a plan."

And that meant Histoire would need a plan in case the Administrator had a plan for her having a plan, and then the Administrator would probably have a plan for that too and so the whole thing would spin in circles. That was the problem with smart planners. Histoire however had a wide range of magical spells to choose from.

She was confident that she could at least fight her way back to the mercenaries and girls if needed.

"Here."

They encountered another door which took them into a tunnel. "Please watch the gap, don't fall onto the train tracks." Spy warned. Histoire noticed just how close they were to the ledge. There was no railing protecting people from falling. "Now careful, we're going to be exposed here."

They walked down the stairs and stepped onto the tracks, following them towards the light in the tunnel. Now they were outside and could see the 'battlefield' area, and how Neptune and Nepgear were pushing the BLU team back.

"It's good that we brought Falcom." Histoire noted. Despite her staying hidden and as far away as she could, this battle wouldn't be so easy without the Shares brought by her mere presence. Neptune dominated the frontlines and gathered the attention, while Nepgear slipped in and out to ambush the mercenaries.

It was a massacre.

And yet they kept coming, they kept throwing themselves into a meat-grinder just like the RED team had done with CFW Trick or Judge.

A hand pushed Histoire away from the fence. "Don't expose yourself." Sniper said. "If they see us, they might send someone."

"Nep is going a bit overboard, isn't she?" IF commented, receiving a shrug from the merc.

"Eh, it's fine." Sniper told her. "Not like it's their first time dying anyway."

Spy hmph'ed at his words, but agreed. He saw how Neptune killed a BLU Engineer in the distance, then a rocket hit her and her attention shifted onto BLU Soldier. The poor fools had no idea what they were dealing with. Neptune was steamrolling them, and while he would've liked to sit here and watch they had a job to do.

They walked along the rails until they reached another building. It was a warehouse, emptied out of all of the gravel it used to store. There was also a staircase leading to another set of shutters.

These doors usually stayed closed. It was another area that was 'off-limits' for them while they fought.

But now they could use that entrance to reach the spawn area.

"This is it, now be ready. They might be just behind those doors."

If Neptune and Nepgear pushed the other team that far back, they might actually be sitting in their Resupply Room - plotting their next move.

"Pyro." IF had an idea. "We're going to make a firewall."

The gas-masked mercenary giggled at the idea and pointed its flame thrower at the exit. A firewall. With IF's fire-manipulating powers this might've been a terrifying thing. But there was one small issue.

"They have fire protection."

Those flames wouldn't actually deal a lot of damage. If any.

"...It will block their vision." IF shrugged.

"It will also block our vision."

IF grumbled but let go of that idea. Pyro was sad and disappointed, while Histoire noted to not cast any fire spells.

Fire and Explosion resistance. That was annoying.

"Spy, can you go around and check?" Histoire looked around. "Spy?" She couldn't see him anywhere.

"He already left, lass." Demoman told her. "Disappeared the moment we came here."

Histoire nodded, satisfied. "So, I guess we will wait for him. Rest and then prepare for a breach."

…There wasn't really much to prepare for. Buildings were too loud and their sound too recognizable to be placed here.

A familiar sound of the Cloak and Dagger reached her ears, and Histoire turned around to learn what Spy had found out.

…but the person in front of her was wearing blue.

Chaos erupted in an instant. BLU Spy aimed his gun at Histoire and fired. The mercenaries aimed their guns at the enemy and fired.

Histoire felt something slam into her shoulder, and the force snatched her off her book. She blacked out for a split second, when her head hit the floor.

The BLU Spy ran away, pelted by bullets and rockets that did little damage.

"Merd-aaaooough!"

Only to get caught by something from the outside. His pained shriek died down as his life ceased to exist.

Red Spy walked into the building, looking just as confused as the rest of the group. "I have… no idea how that worked." He admitted, looking down onto his blood soaked knife. "I thrust my knife just as he looked back for a moment and…" he shrugged, and the mercenaries understood what he meant.

All the speed and resistances in the world don't matter against buggy hitboxes and facestabs.

"You okay, Histoire?" Spy asked.

Histoire used Medic's leg to get herself back onto her own feet."Y-Yes." She stammered, still feeling the pain despite having two medi-guns healing her, but very quickly that pain disappeared. "Thank you." She summoned her book and took her rightful seat once more. "How is the situation outside?"

"Neptune and Nepgear seem to be wrapping up. They're at the re;spawn area just outside these doors."

Oh. So it should be safe to enter. "I see, thank you" She turned to Heavy, "Could you go in first?"

She didn't like the thought of endangering him, especially when he was so close to returning home, but he had the best chance of survival.

Heavy agreed to go without a fuss, only taking a moment for Medic to overheal him. He approached the shutters and raised them… and found BLU Spy waiting for him on the other side.

But this time he was unarmed, as he had Neptune standing very close to him - making sure that he won't do anything.

RED Spy grinned at his blue counterpart. "Back again so soon? I see that you have been… introduced to our new employer."

Neptune, due to her being technically above Histoire, could be called that. Right? In any case, BLU Spy's face fell when at the jab. "Yes. They are… they are something."

Compa leaned out to IF and whispered "They even sound the same."

A few chuckles were heard from the group. Histoire looked at Neptune, and Purple Heart said "The rest of them are down below. Nep Jr. is watching them."

"So those doors?"

"Bottom Spawn." BLU Spy replied. "And yes, the Administrator is there. I saw her go in."

"Why all of this?" Histoire asked. "Did the Administrator send you to kill us?"

"Yes." BLU Spy nodded.

"But why?"

BLU Spy shrugged. "We don't ask why."

"He has a point, we don't." RED Spy agreed.

Histoire thought back to when she just hired them, and struggled to remember if they actually did ask her why she was doing this or not. "I see. I don't approve of this, but I can understand why." The less they knew, the better it seemed.

"We could make sure to question your every order, then." RED Spy smiled, but Histoire ignored it.

"In any case… I think it's time for me to meet her."

The mercenaries led Histoire down the stairs, where she could see the rest of BLU Team sitting by the wall, freely talking while Nepgear watched over them. She turned around, saw Histoire, and waved at her.

Someone actually tried to shoot her at that moment, but all Histoire saw was the CPU Candidate turning into smoke before one of the BLU mercenaries lost their head. Nepgear then reappeared a moment later.

Both spies saw the whole thing. "It's a real shame that my watch doesn't allow me to do that." BLU Spy mused.

Thank goodness for that. Otherwise Histoire wouldn't be here now.

"You can send Mann Co. a complaint." RED Spy said. "I'm sure they will give you answers."

"Yes. I can already imagine their response: Telling me to go 'grow up' and fight like a real man."

They reached the ramp that led to another shutter. This one automatically lifted itself up when they approached.

When they entered the Resupply Room, a wave of familiarity reached the mercs. Memories of the day-long battles fought to prevent the payload from reaching the final goal. Countless respawns and frantic rushes to get back to the frontline.

This room was similar to the Resupply Room the mercenaries set up back in the hotel. An empty space with the middle, with everything else being put near the walls. And on the other side of the room there was a door labeled "Top Secret", with an arrow and the words "The Administrator is here" spray painted on the wall just next to it.

"Vell, not exactly subtle." Medic said.

The Administrator hmph'ed through the loudspeakers. "That was disappointing, I was hoping that at least one of you would die."

"Ve still have ze Reanimators." Medic pointed out.

The Administrator ignored him. "Anyway, come in, Histoire. The rest of you, please kindly stay out."

Just her and the Administrator. In an unknown place that Histoire knew nothing about.

"It's dangerous." Medic told her. "But, vell, vhat else could ve do?"

"It's fine." Histoire said. "This time I am prepared."

Even if there was another Anti-SP field, it would take a while until Histoire couldn't cast anything. She had plenty of spells prepared just to unleash them in quick succession - giving herself plenty of time for the mercs to arrive.

Histoire went through the door.

It was a stairway. A long and narrow stairway going down, barely any room for 1 person. It looked… unfinished, like it wasn't a part of official construction and was instead dug up in a hurry.

At least it was illuminated, even if it was thanks to naked lightbulbs hanging off exposed wire.

Histoire descended slowly, deliberately. The narrow tunnel gave her a bit of an advantage. If there was someone waiting to ambush her, they could only come at her one at a time.

But the only thing attacking her right now was the smell. The air was full of the choking smoke of cigarettes. To say the air was hard to breathe would be putting things mildly. There was barely any oxygen entering her lungs.

The Administrator couldn't possibly try to kill her via oxygen deprivation, right? Could cigarettes even do that?

At the bottom of the stairs there was another door. Histoire went through it without any issues.

And inside that room was the woman herself, The Administrator, sitting on a chair and staring at dozens of screens - each one contained footage from a different camera, but the biggest screen showed Histoire.

She sighed. A long, loud exhale was the first reaction she had once Histoire reached her. "And in the end you come here alone, just as I've foreseen."

She turned around, letting Histoire see her face. She looked… tired. Exhausted even. Like she hasn't slept at all.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Helen greeted her. "Don't get sick now, there is something I want you to do."

If Histoire continued to smell those nasty cigarettes, she just might actually get sick. But she was here for one thing: to see what the Administrator wanted from her. If she wanted to talk, they will talk. Maybe even negotiate a truce, if only to let her return the mercs to their families.

And if she wasn't. Well…

Histoire brushed off the dark thoughts. "What did you call me here for?" Histoire asked.

"Sit down." The Administrator said, waving her hand at a chair that was conveniently raised so that Histoire's head could actually be above the table's level.

She waited silently when the Administrator brought that blasted cigarette to her lips, before extinguishing it on an ashtray. One that was already loaded with other cigarettes.

Then… silence.

No one said anything.

But the Administrator was the one that broke it first. "It's been a few months or so."

"To me, almost a month."

"Time dilation." The Administrator commented. "Although it seems it's smaller than before. Both worlds seem to be synchronizing with each other. Soon a day here will take as much as a day over there."

Histoire thought about cutting to the chase and outright asking for her permission, but she didn't. She couldn't be rude here. If the Administrator declined, that would be it. Getting the mercs to their families would become insanely difficult.

"The proper term would be: Universes. Not just worlds."

And speaking of being rude. Histoire was now correcting her on a subject she barely knew anything about.

"Yes. Universes." The Administrator said. "And speaking of universes, have you ever wondered what other Universes are out there? What kind of people live in worlds we couldn't even dream about?"

"...Unfortunately, I haven't." She was too busy to think about something like that. But why ask about something like that? Where did she even learn stuff like that? "But considering how… different the mercenaries were from Gamindustri, the other Universes are probably just as exotic."

She could see a crack of a smile on the Administrator's lips. "Yes. Like a world where a wish-granting girl exists, sealed away."

"A wish-granting girl." Histoire could feel her blood turn colder. What did she do to Uzume? "You have met… her."

The Administrator looked right into Histoire's eyes, and said "Yes. You could say we have become… acquainted."

"And how far does this… relationship go?"

"I think you can guess already."

'Be careful what you wish for, Histoire.'

The Administrator's warning echoed in Histoire's mind.

She wasn't warning Histoire about her own ambitions. She was warning Histoire about a literal wish-granting power. About the power of Uzume Tennouboshi.

A power that the Administrator seems to have experienced.

"What did she do?" Histoire couldn't help but ask. "What wish did Uzume give you?"

"A curse." The Administrator said."She turned my wish into a curse: I see people I haven't met from worlds I haven't seen. Their past, present and future are known to me. I can see what literally every person will do. The visions never stop. When one is done, the next one starts. Over, and over… Without a damn break."

This talk has derailed to hell, or maybe it was going exactly how the Administrator wanted it. "I… see. And what does it have to do with me?"

The Administrator raised her head to look at Histoire. She stared right at her as she said, "I want you to stop these visions, Histoire. Do it, and then you and your mercs can do whatever you want."

That was… very inconvenient. "You… can't. I can't. It's not possible for me to stop these from occurring."

"Yes, you can. You can do it right here and do it very quickly."

No she couldn't. Not without Uzume being here to cancel out her wish herself. But a part of Histoire's mind thought that the Administrator wanted something else. "What… do you have in mind?"

"Kill me. Right here. Right now."

Histoire coughed.

"What?"

"I want you to kill me Histoire. You specifically."

…

Histoire had expected a fight. She was even prepared to kill the Administrator herself… but she wasn't expecting the Administrator to ask her for it. "...Why?"

"It's been months since I've been able to sleep." The Administrator snarled. "Whenever I blink, a new life passes away before my eyes, sometimes I even forget who I am."

Histoire breathed in, considering her options. This couldn't be so simple, right? Her problem was quite literally asking to be removed.

What sort of trap could she do that required her to die? "...Are you a spy?" The Oracle reached out.

She actually almost killed her right there and then when Helen grabbed her hand and put it right on her face. "Does this feel like a disguise?" She seethed, letting Histoire touch her skin. It was cold, but it felt like actual skin.

Huh. It was the Administrator. Not a disguised person, or a body double. She herself.

"Forgive me for being in shock. It's not often you have someone asking you to kill them, especially someone… as powerful as yourself."

The Administrator said nothing. They both fell into silence.

Then suddenly she began to reiterate. "I once saw Sam and the mercenaries break you out of my hideout. They worked with those CPUs together. Nepgear herself broke you out. I saw all this before you ever arrived on Earth."

Histoire frowned, unsure where the Administrator was going with this, but she nodded for her to continue.

"Then I saw you open that portal here, angering Samuel, which you managed to deal with. That vision was from before you were even freed."

"So you saw what we would do." Histoire cut off. "Everything we've ever done, every one of your plans we foiled, up to this current point in time. Then why all of this?"

"Tests to see if the future could be changed." The Administrator said. "The past is set in stone, but I hoped with all the moving parts of other people, especially in the heat of battle, maybe my visions of the future won't be so accurate. Sad to say, the outcome is always as predicted."

"So you really know everything?"

"Yes. I know the consequences of every choice I'll make before those choices are presented to me. I know the life story of people that haven't even been born yet, in worlds completely alien to my own or yours. I know how to get to those worlds, and exactly what I'd have to do to control every facet of it. I know how to become immortal and all powerful. And with every passing moment I know more, always, constantly. I wished for knowledge, and I got it. I became omniscient… only to learn how futile it all is."

Be careful of what you wish for. Histoire just remembered that she didn't have the console. Samantha did… For better or worse. "So you want an easy way out?" Histoire told her.

"I'm tired, Histoire." Helen answered. "I have witnessed many lifetimes in these past few months, multiple of them were my own, and every one felt hollow, even the ones where I achieved what I wanted. A book loses its charm when you know every detail of it before ever flipping the page. There's no point. I have seen what awaits this world, and what awaits me in the afterlife. I'm ready to move on."

Histoire did not answer. She gave herself some time to think.

Not many people can genuinely claim to know what will happen to them. Even the most intelligent people can't foresee everything, and Histoire couldn't begin to fathom what the Administrator was going through to be making this request. There was one thing she didn't understand though.

"Why me?" Histoire asked.

"You are the best option." A short chuckle left the Administrator's lips as she continued. "You can't trust people here with anything, including killing you and keeping you dead."

Histoire saw her point. This world had technology to resurrect the dead, and the woman in front of herprobably had a lot of enemies. Enemies who may not be satisfied with her simply kicking the bucket.

Histoire was not as sadistic.

"Besides, I suppose I wanted someone that could understand my last words. Someone that knows about her, especially. Who better than a fellow ruler, and the one who'll inherit Team Fortress? One last bit of sentimentality, while I can still feel it." The Administrator continued, looking wistfully into an unseen distance before looking back towards Histoire. "Does that satisfy your curiosity? Then, kill me, and you can send your men back home. None of my men had any orders involving their families. If I'm not around to give them orders anymore… they won't have a reason to go after them."

Just kill her. Put the poor woman out of her misery. Histoire steeled herself. Through her orders to the mercenaries, she's sentenced countless people to death over the past month. For the first time however, she's about to take another's life by her own hand.

Histoire took a deep breath. She was overthinking this. They barely knew each other. Histoire won't miss her. No one will miss her. It would only take a moment, then she could get up and start sending the mercenaries home. Her hands were stained already. What's one more death to end it all?

"I understand. How would you like to die?"

The Administrator smiled.

When Histoire left, she did so trying to forget what happened… And it was eerily simple. Don't think about it, just climb the stairs. Easy. Too easy.

Committing the deed only took a moment. Then she was done, and going back to the mercenaries. "It's done." She told them, her voice plain as could be. "The Administrator is dead."

She was not met with cheers, but silence… and dismissal.

"Bullshit." BLU Sniper said.

Because of course it would be a bit hard to believe that a woman who, for decades, controlled their world from the shadows would be killed within a few moments by an alien fairy who just appeared on their planet.

"What happened there?" RED Spy asked.

"She asked me to kill her." Histoire responded. "In a way that would leave nothing for anyone to revive her with."

"She… asked you to kill her?"

"Yes. She had a good reason for it. Point is, she's gone for good now. We're done here." Histoire answered the incredibly confused BLU Spy. He wasn't the only one with a look of bewilderment on his face, as every man and woman present other than the fairy were just as caught off guard. However, she spoke so matter of factly, without the Administrator's rebuttal over the intercom, that everyone was starting to believe her.

"So… That's it?" RED Demoman asked. "That was… easy. So can we go now, or nah?"

Histoire nodded. "She said no one will go after you or your families… So yes, you can go back home." Then she turned her head at BLU Sniper. "Unless, you would like to continue this pointless battle."

The BLU merc was silent, as he took this time to communicate with the rest of his team. Nepgear and Neptune put their hands on their swords - showing readiness to fight.

"We… our contract doesn't really say what we should do next." BLU Sniper shrugged. "We just had to fight you until you somehow reached her. And well…" He waved his hands at Neptune. "You lads got some scary friends there."

"I'm not that scary." Purple Heart turned to IF. "Am I?"

"Ya just brushed off everything we had like some god. That's scary, sheila."

"Well, I am a Goddess."

Oh, right. That this was their first time actually meeting someone from Gamindustri. They were here on Earth, fighting the leftovers of Gray Mann's army while Miss Pauling took other people to the new world.

"You know what... I'm not gonna argue that."

No wonder they got their asses kicked. Not even the Halloween bosses were so strong.

There wasn't anything else for them to do here. They could just leave and head to Teufort on foot, but starting over from the portal between the worlds would spare them a few hours of walking.

Without a word Engineer has placed down a teleporter and gave it a few good whacks. The first one to leave was Heavy and Medic, then Histoire was supposed to go, but she had something to take care of first. A question to ask while she still got a chance.

She turned to the BLU team. "Would you like to join us?"

Histoire's proposal surprised both teams, but the Oracle of Planeptune reached into her dress, feeling a pocket sewn inside. From there she took out her business card and gave it to BLU Sniper. "While the number on it won't work for now, we could use men like you once Gamindustri is officially revealed in this world."

BLU Sniper, after hesitating for a moment, took the card and read its content. "Gamindustri?" He asked.

"Our world." Histoire nodded. "Me and my friends are, technically, aliens here."

"First hell and monsters, now aliens." BLU Sniper murmured. "We always get pulled into some weird stuff. Well, thanks. We will consider it."

Histoire nodded and waved them goodbye, going back to the teleporter feeling satisfaction and dread.

Dread because oh my goodness I just hired ANOTHER set of mercenaries and they look and act the same!

"So, yer hired them." RED Demoman said. It wasn't accustory or hostile, but he and his team were giving her weird looks. Hiring their rival team right in front of them might've ruffled a few feathers.

"Well they haven't accepted the offer yet, but I intend to. You've been an asset, and I'm hoping that they will help out too." A beat. "You don't mind this, right?"

She hoped that they wouldn't actually have a lot to do, as most of the problems stopped existing. But if a new threat appeared, then she would have some options.

And she could always use more people to clear out the monsters in the wilderness.

Having one team of mercenaries was good, having two teams of mercenaries was even better.

She just hoped that this decision won't actually cause both teams to clash. They were looking at each other, silently communicating, and Histoire could see what they were saying.

Sniper: So, uh. We good with that?

Demoman: I dunno… oh wait, I can now hang out with my pal now! Yah, I'm good!

Soldier: Blues? You good-for-nothing drunk has been hanging out with BLUES?!

Demoman: That's way back, solly. I wonder if he remembers me.

Huh, so there were some friendships between the sides, that was good to hear.

Histoire: I hope so too-

The mercs stopped and looked at Histoire. Once more giving her weird looks.

Then Scout started screaming in a mock panic."Oh crap, she knows! Aaah!"

The Oracle gave them a smile. "I picked up on it in a little while. I think somewhere around the Memorial."

…Wait. She never actually communicated with them that way? She has had this trick for so long and never had a chance to use it?

"Welp. Yer the fastest, then." Demoman said. "Ya beat Engi, and he came up with this!"

Histoire smiled and actually expected Spy to come up with a system like this, but at the same time she could see why. Spy was mostly invisible, or disguised. Engineer on the other hand would need something to quickly alert the rest of his team.

"So… is this it?"

The Administrator and her forces were no longer an issue. There was now nothing stopping the mercenaries from leaving. They worked for her, but their job was already done.

"We will return." Spy promised. "It's just a vacation."

"Yeah…" Histoire sighed. "You guys have earned it. Thank you, truly. We would be in a much more difficult position if it wasn't for you guys."

And Histoire meant it. Despite all of the headaches they caused them, they still were a big help. They practically carried the whole effort to save the CPUs and Gamindustri from the ASIC. "Go out there and enjoy it, and then when you return I will have more work for you."

She was joking about this, but she enjoyed the dread that some mercenaries felt at that moment. At the same time, Demoman looked surprisingly eager.

"You know." Scout began. "What actually happened to the robots? I mean we fought them, and then that old guy just… left."

Histoire blinked. Gray Mann? That was a good question, what actually happened to Gray Mann?

The Oracle thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Not our problem."

He was at war with the Administrator, not them. Now that both Miss Pauling and the Administrator were out of the picture, they no longer had any quarrel with each other.

Oh, he also wanted Mann Co. for himself, didn't he? And Histoire wanted Hale to build a branch in Gamindustri.

…Not Histoire's problem. That would be Hale's problem.

"Not our problem." Scout repeated with amusement. "Yeah, I can live with that!"

"Alright, troops. Time to go! If we hurry now we will be in time for the next plane!"

"Good luck, guys!"

Soldier stopped in his tracks."...You're not coming?"

Histoire thought about this. Should she? A break would be nice, and she would get to visit an alien planet and meet the families of her employees… but she wouldn't be able to truly enjoy it. There was still a lot to do, and tomorrow will be even busier.

"Unfortunately, I can't leave on a whim." Histoire shook her head. "The work of an Oracle is never done. Maybe someday."

"Yeah, I'm also gonna pass." Falcom stretched for a bit. "I just want to lie down in bed and… sleep. I'm borked after all of this."

Soldier deflated a bit at the rejection.

IF walked up to Soldier and turned to Histoire, her face brightly smiling. "Well, we can take some pictures for you!"

Scout was immediately on board with this. "Oh, yeah! I know a few cool places we could visit!"

"Cool! Lead the way then!" Neptune said.

Compa, Neptune and even the other mercenaries were getting eager. One side would get to have a vacation on an alien planet, with never before seen sights. The other would get to show these young and attractive women around.

Histoire however had one small issue.

"Make sure to not get into trouble." Histoire interjected. "You can go, but I don't want to hear about you getting arrested or anything. Don't make the mercenaries try to get you out of prison."

"Oh please, Histy. We will be ok! If anything, we would be busting out the mercs instead!"

"I would rather prefer if no one needed to bust out anyone." Histoire sighed. "But besides that, I hope you all will enjoy yourself."

"We will take you some pictures, alright?" Falcom asked.

Histoire nodded. "Sure."

"Yeah! Be sure to bring me some too!" Falcom cheered, jumping onto the teleporter. IF and Compa quickly followed her.

Histoire let the mercs go next, until it was just her left. Her and the BLU team. "I hope we will see each other again." She told them, and then left.

…She returned to Samantha Neikan, standing with her arms crossed, looking like a disaster had crossed her.

"I forgot something." She said, unaffected by the stares and barrels pointed her way.

She locked her eyes with Histoire, and the Oracle silently gasped at the sight of the console in Samantha's grasp. The orange swirl on it marked it as one where Uzume was sealed in.

"I forgot to give you this." She placed the console down on the grass. "I don't need it anymore."

Histoire watched as Samantha carelessly kicked the console towards her. The same object that brought the Administrator to committing suicide… was just casually returned to her.

Histoire picked it up. "What did you do with it?"

"I sent CFW Magic into it." Samantha shrugged. "That's the entire reason why she and Brave basically sold out the entire ASIC to me."

All of this… just to be put in prison? They really wanted to return to Uzume "They liked her a bit too much." Histoire muttered to herself and took the console, feeling familiarity at the swirly mark that Neptune's predecessor was known for, "Thank you." Histoire told her. "Also, the Administrator is dead." Because, at the very least, Samantha deserved to know this.

The Overseer looked at her weirdly, then looked at everyone else. "The hell were you guys doing over there?" A beat. "How can you even be so sure?"

"She asked me to kill her. So I did."

"She just asked you to…" She blinked, shook her head and then rubbed her face. "Nope. That's bullshit. NOPE! I have no idea what the Admin told you, but she probably bullshited you." She then pointed her finger at the mercenaries. "You guys best be wary. Anyway, goodbye! I have a cell to return to."

And then lightning took her, which once again blinded everyone nearby. "At least she left quickly." Spy blinked, trying to get the spots out of his vision. "Wasn't Hale supposed to stay here and watch for her?"

Heavy tapped Spy's shoulder "Hale is there." He pointed at some bushes nearby… where everyone could see him lying on the ground… covered in injuries and blood.

Oh.

Hale did watch for her. But she got the better of him.

Medic walked up to the Australian. "Uh, are you alright sir?"

Histoire approached fearing the worst. He was lying down on the grass with his eyes open and a grin on his face. This man… was not dead. Not even unconscious. "I feel… alive." He chuckled. "That girl got some moves."

Medic… didn't know what to say about it, so he just used the Medi-Gun on him. The beam connected, but seemed to… not really do anything. For the first time Histoire saw this miraculous device having no effect.

"Don't bother with that toy." Saxton Hale wheezed out. "I have too much health for that thing."

"Mr. Hale?" Histoire spoke up. "Do you require medical assistance?" Not the best question to ask, considering that his state very much screamed 'yes', but that was Saxton Hale. Normal things don't apply for him.

He laughed at Histoire's proposal. "Nah, I can heal myself. Let me just… lie down here and enjoy it."

"Enjoy it?" Histoire blinked. "Are you a masochist?"

"You shut up."

He closed his eyes and just laid there… He was alive, both because Medic kept healing him and because everyone could see his chest rise and fall in a slow rhythm.

Medic looked back and shrugged. "He's stable." He told them, unsure what else he could do. Compa joined in with the healing. This went for a whooping second before Saxton Hale decided "Welp. Time to get up."

He stood up, raised his arm, and shoved his arm into his chest hair. The mercenaries balked when he pulled out a Large Medkit. The one that healed you to full.

Engineer couldn't help but ask. "You had that thing on yourself this whole time?"

"Yup." Saxton Hale offered no explanation. He just healed himself. "I have some ammo there as well, if I ever need it. Well then, how did your trip go? Be quick, I have some training to do."

"Training?" Histoire asked. "You want to fight her again?"

"Yes, so the faster you tell me what Helen wanted the faster I can go train."

"Well… She wanted to die."

"...Oh." Saxton Hale blinked. "That's… weird. Not really like her to just give up on it all, not without a plan at least."

"Believe me, I was surprised as well, but she had a good reason for it."

"Huh. She must've either planned something that required her to 'die', or something big just happened. Anyway, that's a part of our deal done."

Histoire was briefly surprised to see how quickly he moved on from her death… or that he didn't even question it that hard.

"I'm gonna go train." Hale told her. "Bidwell will contact you to hash out the details for our new Mann Co. Branch."

And then he left, starting his training pretty much immediately. Histoire wanted to say she was surprised… but she wasn't. That was Saxton Hale, the strongest person in both worlds… and he just found a rival.

Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Epilogue: One Last Thing to Do pt.2