When the super mode time limit doesn't exist, being a fugitive becomes a lot more complicated and everyone has a worse time. Somehow things work out.
Diverging events from Chapter 9. Angst veering into crackfic.
Akane's mind was nothing but a desperate fog as she regained consciousness. Being on the Astral Plane was never a welcome wake up experience. What had happened? Where was Akira? Everything felt wrong, but it didn't feel like her first experience with severe redshift on the day they lost dad. Nothing after that fight with Jena but overwhelming adrenaline and terror came to mind. Was Akira all right?
Akane shifted her head slightly and caught sight of a blue and black arm covered in drying dark goop. This was a Legion's arm? Okay... Where was her body? Wait, this was her body?! Words simply wouldn't come out of her throat no matter how much she tried. Best she managed was different pitches of the screeching roar type sounds she heard every time her Legions were summoned.
Despite all her efforts to recall more, everything was a blank between that fight with Jena and here.
Curiosity made her look closer at the goop because, well, she had to know. That looked a lot like the purple goop she associated with fighting a Homunculus and probably was from fighting Jena on the overpass.
Akane didn't know what to make of herself as she dared to move and see what her body actually was now. It was almost like having her Legion summoned except her human body was not there. Well, not missing so much as occupying the same space as the Legion would be? She flexed her muscles and summoned claws. Could she find her way back, make sure Akira was okay, and ask for help?
Akane realized she'd never gone so completely cut off from all contact. On the Ark people were everywhere all the time. Off the Ark there'd always been a police radio connection, Hal's drone hovering around, or even a Legion. She was utterly alone for the first time in her life with no idea where to find a gate back.
No answers were going to be found here in this place of endless red crystal. Plus, if she stayed here, it was only a matter of time before the Astral Plane's boring surroundings drove her insane if redshift didn't get her first.
Akane heard something different in the distance that didn't match the sterile hush of the astral plane. A desperate cry for help. Akane sprinted towards it. Her loud shrieking howl got the Chimera's attention. The thing rounded on Akane.
Well, she was able to make the Chimera see her as an enemy. Of course, now she hoped that she was at least as powerful as she felt because this one looked big. Some kind of Arm type, which were annoying to fight. The boy at its feet seemed all the smaller in contrast because of its towering frame. Akane summoned her claws and moved to draw it away from the victim.
After the fight Akane had to take a moment to calm herself down. She didn't quite trust herself entirely after this new transformation and it would be easier to calm down the civilian if she weren't in the middle of an adrenaline rush of her own. She looked to the boy in the green shirt who curled up against the wall. "Did... you come to save me? I...I just want to go home. I can't move... Where's my dad?" She nodded at him before approaching.
Akane thought, "If I feel like I am controlling the Legions, can I blueshift people?" Akane knelt by his side to test if blueshifting was something she would be able to do now. The kid passed out while she was trying to pull it off but she managed an eventual success. Akane gently picked up the boy when she was done and hoped he'd not been taken far from the gate.
Akane soon found the gate the kid presumably had been dragged through. There likely would be other problems to worry about once in the Ark after she got this kid out.
Adding problems to the pile, would she be visible to normal people or not? Legions and Chimeras were not visible to normal people, but would that apply to her? Or would be be visible like Aberrations?
Since the kid remained asleep, she could not ask him. In fact, it was lucky for her that the gate was not around any people or cameras when she exited. (Or so she thought. She was familiar with official security of the area but...)
This alley looked really familiar even in the dark... Akane knew this area. Maison Forest and close to Max's safehouse? This was incredibly good luck and a relatively safe spot was nearby for the kid to be left for a patrolling officer. Destroying the gate would hopefully mean no more chimeras coming through to the area.
Shizu's card readings weren't needed to see Akane's future, whatever it held, was going to include a lot of anxiety. Ducking around people and security drones was not fun for her and getting into the apartment required much fumbling around the electronic lock. Then once she opened the door, there were the cats to worry about. She sliced open some cans with a single blue claw. Bless their sociopathic and food-motivated little hearts, that was the key to get them to stop hissing and hiding. It might have helped that Akane had brought out Legions in their presence before. Some of the food ended up in the bowl instead of on the floor despite the physiological issues Akane was experiencing.
Akane dug around the place looking for supplies. A tablet or computer for messaging someone would be nice, but none turned up. What Akane found was a heap of energy bars, Ted-style gadgets, bottled water enough to last a month, pens, paper, and a spare amount of Captain Howard size clothing. (Would that fit? Dad was tall, sure, but definitely not pointy.) No hats or mask were found. Akane eyed a cardboard box and considered it.
The door rattled, sending Akane into a panic. She ducked into the bathroom and shut the door quickly before small footsteps and muttering echoed into the room. The room with the freshly served cat food. Akane would probably be muttering things like, "Oh shoot, did the cats finish off the food yet? Will Marie notice that they were just fed? Wait, maybe I shouldn't be hiding from Marie."
Marie's voice said, "Oh you poor, hungry things! Akira asked me to feed you while he's working today!"
Akira lived! Akane melted into a Legion/Human puddle of relief.
The meows all said, "Feed me! I have not eaten in a century." Akane silently blessed shameless food-motivation again for driving the cats.
There were food sounds of scraping metal, then Marie said, "Hey, I'm going to leave Lappy with you guys to keep you company for a while! I feel like you need some happiness and that way, he'll be safe until I get back here after my rounds!"
Akane dared to breathe once Marie's footsteps were well down the hall. She looked over the felines, then to the Lappy suit sitting on the sofa.
She had the most unscrupulous idea she ever had entertained.
Akira felt like he hadn't slept since he last saw Akane. How was it that he was busier when there was so many Legionises now? He couldn't say no to Yoseph's oh so reasonable requests though. The Ravens were wonderfully trained, responsive to commands, and not prone to insubordination. (He'd still rather have Akane. When he found out who framed her, they were so dead.) Someone had to protect the city with the increase in gates and no one else was qualified for this job. He finally sat down to get a rest in when the phone started ringing. Akira got fed up with the repeated noise and answered the call. "What!? Can't you-" Akira snapped, then caught himself. That was unnecessarily harsh. He felt even worse when he heard what Marie had to say.
"I can't find Lappy!" Marie wailed over the phone call.
"Oh, oh shoot. I'm really sorry, Marie. Where did you leave it, can one of the guys in your area help look?"
"I left him in your cat safehouse! I knew he would keep your cats company until I finished my morning work but when I came back, he-he-he was gone! Dognapped! Who would be so cruel?!"
Akira walked past a live news screen and glanced at it. "I don't know, Marie, but I doubt Yoseph will give me a chance to go look, I'm really sorry but-oops." Akira stood at attention the moment he saw Yoseph glaring at him.
"Are you wasting your time with something inconsequential while the future of humanity is at stake?"
"Sorry, Commander. I just saw there was a repeated ringing in and-"
"Marie knows better than this. Her new supervisor can talk to her about how delegation works. In the meantime, I want you to take some of your Ravens and..." Akira nodded dutifully as he listened to the orders. "Poor Marie," he thought.
I didn't realize you could play through chapter 1 again to change out the twin you picked at the start! Getting to hear the dialogue in the other voice was neat. They even swap out the power up music. The name I picked was random off the ones they suggest, so it was Akane. Fusion mode is freaking tall and it ruined my original stupid idea. A simple added scarf won't make the difference in sizing for wearing the mascot suit and something that tall would absolutely be banging their forehead on doorways. I forgot that there was some officer early in the game trying to destroy a gate by shooting at it. That detail worked in my favor this chapter. Anyway I had this idea, then saw some of the other quality writing people have. "The Immortal Life of Akira Howard" was quality serious stuff and "Neuron Incident Report" was just too funny. No one else seems to have this idea though!
Co-op is still pain when your brother is good at the game. Game was good enough fun that it was still worth repeatedly dropping into the abyss. Jerk. We also had fun making fun of the silent protagonist because come on, you have good voice actors already for both twins.