It always seems that authors are faster in their early days...
And with that, Remilia has officially begun her quest. But she's not sure where to start.
Gensokyo was never really technologically advanced, kappas aside. So she has little knowledge on how to interact with anything around her.
Just as she was thinking of hitting a computer to see if it would help, she hears a strange voice coming from a corner in the ceiling.
BGM: L's Theme from Death Note
"So, you've finally woken up, it seems."
Remi is quick to angrily yell "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME AND MY SISTER, YOU PERVERT?!" at the voice while using her arms and wings to cover herself. To which the voice responds "I understand your concern, but know that I do not work with the ones who detained you. They are not my friends and I do not approve of their actions. And do not worry, I turned off the security cameras. Neither I nor they can see you, right now.", which calms the vampire down slightly.
"What do you want from me?" Remi asks in a still annoyed tone. To which the voice replies "All you need to know is that our goals align well with each other, so I am assisting you in your quest as much as I can.".
Remi is quick to claim "I don't need any help.", but the voice is just as quick to reply "I do believe that Gensokyo has been isolated for long enough that you know little of your surroundings. Not to mention that the architecture of this facility is somewhat unintuitive. I believe that it will be in our best in-" but Remilia interrupts him "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT GENSOKYO?!" to which the voice responds "I may never have been in Gensokyo, but trust me when I say that I have intimate knowledge of this "Land of Illusion" you live in. But that is a story for another day. Now as I was saying, I believe that it will be in our best interests if you allow me to explain to you how this facility works. Will you spare me some time?" to which Remi reluctantly says "...Yes...".
"Good." Says the voice "So, as you can see, this facility is at the peak of human technology. But they have an unhealthy obsession with puzzles and riddles. For example, the door to exit the computer room can only be opened from this side with the help of three keys while the database computer, the one with the largest screen, needs two key-cards to activate and a password hidden in the file you've just read." Remilia let's out a sigh and says "This sounds an awful lot like one of these "video games" that the other Shrine Maiden keeps going on about... Anything else I need to know, Voice Guy?", to which "Voice Guy" replies after a sigh "It is not yet time for me to reveal myself, so you may call me that for the time being. Better this than what they call me. As for your question, it will be in your best interests to look into the database computer in order to know about the enemies you are about to face. And one of the keys you need to exit the room is in the computer, so you need to activate it in order to leave."
"What if I just force the door open like I did before?" Asks Remilia. Voice Guy is quick to respond with "Your room had no power, and therefore no way for them to know anything about your movements. But if you damage anything puzzle related, they'll know something's up and it may not take long for them to realize you broke free.". "So what?" Asks Remi as she shrugs. "Then they will set all the lights they can to artificial sunlight and turn on all the sprinklers they have access to." Says Voice Guy. Suddenly, Remilia is no longer feeling as haughty and arrogant. The idea that you're in a facility where the people in charge could just activate two of your weaknesses can do that to you. It is well known that vampires can't stand sunlight or running water, and rain counts as running water, and that's why Remi never takes a shower.
At this point, Remi just gives up being defiant, she really doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. Though she will try to see if there really are sprinklers in the facility in case Voice Guy was lying.
"If you have anything else to say, say it now. For example, any clue of my sister's whereabouts would be welcome." Remi says in a bitter tone. Voice Guy then answers with "Your sister is much deeper in the facility. She was considered the more dangerous of you two after she managed to cause major damage with her powers even when asleep. You will find more information on her whereabouts in the database computer. They may know that something is up if I keep using the speakers, so I will take my leave, soon".
Remi says to herself "You're just like a certain person I know. Always so sneaky and evasive with some sort of secret plan you're not telling anyone..." to which Voice Guy replies: "Speaking of which, how is Yukari doing, these days?" This question freezes the Scarlet Devil in her mental tracks.
"H-how do you know about Yukari? I-if you wanna know, s-she's so secretive she could be cripplingly depressed and suicidal and I wouldn't know anything about it, but I could tell that something was on her mind lately, but I have no idea what. It could be you, or it could be Lunar Capital out for payback for three invasion attempts. It could even be some kind of global price raise in the Outside World, for all I know." Remi says.
"That is an answer for another time. Thank you for answering as best as you can. Now before I leave, I will give you a clue about the password's location: Another Side, Another Story"
BGM ends
And with that, Voice Guy was gone. And Remi was even more annoyed. Of COURSE Voice Guy would be one of the Gap Hag's acquaintances! He's so sneaky it just makes way too much sense! But what is he to her? And old rival? A sworn enemy? Her ex-boyfriend? Her long lost brother? An old friend? Her evil half? Her good half? Are good and evil even part of her mindset? So many questions, so little answers. Normally, she'd be amused by that, but now is NOT the time to pile up questions! She has a sister to save, answers to get, perverts to kill, exits to reach and clothes to find! The last thing she needs is MORE QUESTIONS!
But she figures that there are at least a couple answers she could get right now from this blasted database computer. So on to find those key-cards.
She starts by going through all the drawers in the room. Empty, empty, worthless junk, empty, empty, locked. As she's about to force it open, she notices a note on it. It says "Better look for the key. They might notice if you force locked doors, desks, boxes, chests, safes and drawers open. Keep looking in the drawers, there is always at least one unlocked drawer with something useful.". Well there goes brute forcing her way through puzzles. Thanks, Voice Guy.
So she keeps looking through the drawers. While none of the other drawers are locked, only three of them have anything remotely useful.
The first one has a slip of paper with "413" written on it. Seem to be a code for something. She puts it away in her...in her...oh right. No pockets, she's naked. And she refuses to put items in any holes she has. So she just puts the note on the big table in the middle of the room.
The second one is a key. But not the key she's looking for. On closer inspection, it seems to go in one of the three keyholes on the exit. No need for that, yet. On to the middle table it goes.
Third time's the charm, though. The third item is the key to the locked drawer. She's quick to unlock it and in it is some kind of plastic card. Must be one of the those key-cards to activate the computer. She puts it on top of the database computer. Now on to the next key-card.
She notices a safe on the wall. It comes with numbered buttons from 1 to 9 and a 0 under it. Must be what the code she got is for. As she gets closer, she notices that the safe has what appears to be the picture of a green house (as in a house that is green and not a greenhouse) made with four squares and a triangle. But the top right square seems to have the bottom left piece coming off. Remi has no idea what it means nor does she care. Maybe the other Shrine Maiden would be interested, but now's not the time.
So she inserts the code and the safe opens. Remi notices that the inside of the safe is full of stickers of grey skinned people with orange horns. Are they onis or amanojakus? Whatever, maybe that other Shrine Maiden would know, but again, now's not the time.
Inside the safe is another key for the exit and another key-card. She takes both. She puts the key on the middle table and takes the opportunity to look in the file.
"Another Side, Another Story, huh?" All she can think of is to look behind the file and lo a behold, there's something written on the very back of the file. "They could've at least hidden the password on the back of a page INSIDE the file" Remi thought. Then she took note of the password: "l0l1c0n4l1f3"
It took her a while to figure out that it's a sentence. But once she realized what that sentence was, all doubts that the staff of P.A.R.A.S.O.L. was full of perverts flew right out the nonexistent window of this computer room. It's only because she needs that password that Remi did not just rip the page to shreds and disintegrated the remains.
So with that, she went to the database computer and inserted the two key-cards in the obvious entrances (the two slits on the front). She then entered the perverted password with a look of disgust on her face.
And with that, she was in.
Her options were "Open key compartment" and checking a bunch of files labeled as profiles. "Might as well get it over with." Remilia thought as she opened the key compartment. A part of the front opened like a mini-drawer, with the last exit key being in it. Remi took it and placed it on the middle table with the others. Now on to the profiles.
Remi first went for the one about P.A.R.A.S.O.L. itself. According to the profile, P.A.R.A.S.O.L. stands for:
Production.
And.
Research.
Associated.
Source.
Of.
Lethality.
Remi could just facepalm at such a name. And coming from HER who gives her Spell Cards names such as Demon [Remilia Stretch] or Scarlet Devil [Scarlet Devil], THAT is saying something. Little did she know that this was only the tip of the iceberg of P.A.R.A.S.O.L.'s name giving...
Anyway, she was here to know what they're up to. So she keeps reading.
From what she can gather, they find "abnormalities", contain them and do research on how they can make all sorts of super weapons and super soldiers with them. They also seem to pride themselves in a working environment that favors puzzle solving to ensure that their "staff keeps getting smarter and smarter every day". As she reads that, Voice Guy's, er, voice comes back.
"This is a prerecorded message. If you are hearing this, it means that you've learned what they dedicate their life's work for. I am simply recording this message to say that, yes, they are really that stupid."
"So he has recorded messages just to make fun of them, huh? He really hates them that much?" Remilia thought.
There doesn't seem to be anything else significant about their profile. So she goes on to the "specimen". Starting with "Specimen Scarlet".
To no surprise, it's a pair of profiles about her and her little sister. Each with a photo of them sleeping. Photo that goes from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders. Remi is quick to notice that Flan's photo has no hat and bare shoulders. It's easy to guess that she's just as naked as her. The confirmation of Flandre's nakedness INFURIATES Remi to no end. "Don't worry, sis, I'll find some clothes for you, too." Remi swears to her sister's photo.
There is a part regarding containment procedure. Her profile mentions that she's actually contained in Sector 1, the main R&D sector. The containment involved being under constant sedatives that would keep her asleep for as long as they're constantly injected in her (Remi was disgusted in the idea that they were constantly injecting stuff in her, though the small pipes that were stuck to her when she woke up should've been a dead giveaway to that) While her sister's profile mentions that she's in suspended animation AND under constant sedatives on the bottom floor where all the most dangerous specimens are contained. "So I'll need to go through pretty much the ENTIRE facility to get to Flan? They'll pay for making me go through all this, I promise that." Thought Remilia angrily.
The profiles say things about "using" them to make artificial vampires and mainlining their powers to their needs. Near the bottom, Remi find an addendum about a discussion regarding a "breeding project", with mentions that there are already volunteers...
After reading that last part, the young looking vampire FREAKS OUT and almost breaks her neck checking to see if she's still a virgin. Then she notices a part discussing how the breeding project may necessitate that the specimen is awake for reasons that go right past her head and that the last entries on the breeding project (which were regarding whenever the preparations needed to subdue a vampire who is awake are done) were posted only a few hours ago... Yeah, there's no way they could've "gone through" with THAT in such a short time. Especially since it's clear that something's up.
But the point still stands that they want to do THAT to her and her precious little sister. She takes a mental note of the list of volunteers and swears to CASTRATE every single one of them and give them a painful impalement the same way her (so-called) ancestor did: RIGHT THROUGH THEIR ASSHOLES!
Now on to the other specimens.
Remi goes for the profile about a "Specimen Voice Mimic". The photo shows what looks like some kind of black and red creature that looks like a mix between a wolf and a crocodile with no visible eyes. Profile says that it can mimic any human voice it hears to the perfection and that they use it to lure in their preys. Their preferred meal is human flesh, but they'll go after any species that isn't them and have a hard time differentiating humans from human-looking abnormalities. P.A.R.A.S.O.L. is trying to use them as attack dogs of sort and to come up with a special voice mimicker.
"Figures." Remilia thought. Nothing else worth noting. Moving on.
Next up is the profile for "Specimen Schizophrenia Monster". Instead of a photo, the profile has a bunch of drawings of weird and creepy looking monsters. Apparently, the Schizophrenia Monsters are monsters that only the schizophrenic can see (with a name like that, it was either this or monsters suffering of schizophrenia). They're incredibly hostile to humans. P.A.R.A.S.O.L. is working on making them attack dogs of sorts and use them to develop a way to make an invisibility system that makes them invisible to anyone who isn't schizophrenic ("I know of a certain fairy who could make their entire research on invisibility on these things obsolete. Same goes for that amateur detective's little sister." Remi thought on that last one).
"Well I know for sure that Flan isn't schizophrenic, no matter what the rumors say. But maybe that mindless satori is... Or Marisa, knowing her. Hey, maybe that moon rabbit could inflict schizophrenia on others." Thought Remilia on ways to find these monsters. Moving on the the next profile.
Next up is the profile for "Specimen Acidmorph". The photos for the male, female and Queen all remind Remilia of a movie poster she once saw in Kourindo. The Acidmorphs seem to be some creatures who originate from space who have acid for everything that is liquid in them. An unusual trait of their is that they explode in a burst of acid when they die, no matter what the cause of death is. Males can be identified by by their more greenish color, smaller built and their tendency to "mate with any living female of any race they come across" ("Gross" thought Remi who was quick to decide that all the males must die first, and then she was even MORE grossed out when she realized the implication of how every liquid in them is acid). Due to their larger size, the females are the dominant ones. Every colony of Acidmorphs have one Acidmorph Queen, which are bigger than elephants, faster than cheetahs and stronger than whales ("Still not faster than tengus or stronger than onis, though. Both of which I am, on the other hand." Remilia thought smugly). P.A.R.A.S.O.L. is working on making them attack dogs of sorts (seems to be a common trend for hostiles creatures) and weaponizing their acid.
"After reading about the properties of their acid, I can safely say I've regenerated from worse." Thought Remilia as she moved on to the group of profiles that were in the "Code Orange" file.
She first goes for "Specimen Corpse Soldier". The photo shows what looks like the rotting corpse of a man dressed like a World War I era soldier, but with a menacing, sadistic grin on his face and eyes so full of malice they made that "Wicked Hermit"'s eyes look like puppy dog eyes. The profile is quick to say that his clothes seem fused with his body and impossible to remove ("So stripping is a common practice of those perverts regarding their specimens." thought Remilia with disgust). The Corpse Soldier can move through walls and make everything he touches corrode and can "manipulate decomposition". He is described as a sadist to the extreme who takes pleasure in torturing others and favors targeting children, ESPECIALLY blondes (Remi instantly got worried about him getting near Flan). He "loves to [DATA EXPUNGED] young boys and [DATA EXPUNGED] young girls until they are [REDACTED], even though testing has confirmed that he is sterile" ("They REALLY should've redacted or expunged that last part." Thought Remilia in sheer and absolute disgust). P.A.R.A.S.O.L. is working on weaponizing his corrosion abilities and making soldiers like him.
"That's it! If I find this pervert, I'll make sure he's too dead to get anywhere NEAR Flan!" Though Remilia in a mix of disgust and rage.
Next up is "Specimen Blink-Mover" ("Is it that hard for them to come up with decent names?" Thought Remilia who herself was known for having similar struggles). The photo shows what appears to be vaguely humanoid statue of...something...and has a vaguely angelic look to it. P.A.R.A.S.O.L. apparently has yet to fully comprehend the Blink-Mover. All they know is that it only moves when no one is looking at it, but moves really fast when it does move, fast enough that it can move a few meters in a literal blink of an eye. It is extremely hostile and will snap the neck of anyone it can reach. P.A.R.A.S.O.L. still isn't entirely what to do with it, but they consider finding ways to sick it to enemies and watch as they all get their necks snapped.
"I hope neck snapping isn't the only thing you can do, because I can regenerate from that without any problems. You would be a disappointment if neck snaps is the best you can do." Thought Remilia smugly.
Following that is "Specimen Undying". The photo shows some kind of vaguely reptilian brute covered in spikes with red glowing eyes and sharp teeth. Undying has the ability to adapt to pretty much anything that could kill or get in his way, making him virtually immortal and invincible. Despite his monstrous appearance, he is very eloquent in many of Earth's languages, but he is extremely hostile to all living things. He seems to find the very universe he is in inherently "disgusting" (the word "disgusting" appears to be his catchphrase). P.A.R.A.S.O.L. actually wants to find a way to kill him off permanently, but they're also interesting in finding ways to make soldiers with his ability to adapt.
"Sounds like a decent challenge to me." Thought Remilia with a cocky grin.
Almost done. Up next is "Specimen Plague Doctor". The photo shows what appears to be a humanoid garbed entirely in some weird modernish take on a, fittingly enough, plague doctor, with a black trench coat and a nice fedora to go along with a metallic looking plague doctor mask with black lenses. The description says that the Plague Doctor's clothing is actually part of his body and cannot be removed by any means ("Oh great, more excuses for others to remain fully dressed while I and Flan are naked." Thought Remilia as she was rolling her eyes). The Plague Doctor has the ability to kill any human he touches with his hands, though it appears to only work on humans. He can turn any corpse in good enough state into a zombie who will obey him without any question. He is also described to have incredible superhuman strength, skills, reflexes, agility and durability ("Truly a worthy opponent." Remilia thought with a grin). Oddly enough, P.A.R.A.S.O.L. appears to be seemingly working WITH the Plague Doctor to create more powerful genetically, mechanically and biologically enhanced zombies of all sorts. Though it is described that he was initially hostile to the staff, it appears that he mellowed out after an interview where one of the leaders (referred to only as Dr. Ace) convinced him that working together would be "mutually beneficial". The interview is mostly nothing noteworthy, except for one part:
Dr. Ace: You keep saying that you have the Cure, no, that YOU are the Cure! Is that correct?
Plague Doctor: Yes, I am the Cure.
Dr. Ace: But the Cure to what, exactly?
Plague Doctor: The Cure to the worst of all diseases.
Dr. Ace: Which is...?
Plague Doctor: Humanity.
"Okay...the worst part is that I find it hard to blame him for believing such things..." Remilia thought with concern. Having witnessed many atrocities done by humans across the centuries.
The profile also comes with profiles for the many types of zombies that the Plague Doctor has made. From the common slow-moving "Walker" to the elite "Tyrant" with mentions of "Project Ouroboros".
"Better make sure none of them follow me and Flan to Gensokyo..." Remilia pondered.
Now all that's left is "Specimen Shy Face". The photo shows a pale emaciated humanoid with long limbs and sharp claws. While he clearly has no clothing, he also clearly lacks any "features". He has completely blank, white eyes and sharp teeth visible even when his mouth is closed due to lacking any lips. He is normally passive and never interacts with anything, content to just wander around or stay in one spot. That is, until someone sees his face. At that point, he becomes extremely distressed and eventually flies into an unstoppable rage in an attempt to kill whoever saw his face all the while screaming at the top of his lungs. Whoever he kills, he will then proceed to [DATA EXPUNGED] until nothing is left of them, not even blood. A photo of his face counts as seeing his face but a drawing doesn't. P.A.R.A.S.O.L. is trying to weaponize him by using photos of his face to send him at potential enemies. Though there is a group that argues that they're better off killing him, which is easier said than done since he seems nigh indestructible.
"So as long as I don't see his face, I should be fine. Better avoid any photos of him as we-Wait a minute! Wasn't there a PHOTO of his face included in the profiles?!" And just as Remilia realized that, another record of Voice Guy came in.
"This is a prerecorded message. If you're hearing this, it means that you've realized the lethal mistake they have committed in Shy Face's profile and that he will now be coming after you. I am recording this message to warn you about a foe who will relentlessly chase you across the facility. But do not worry about being caught off guard, for you will hear his screams long before you will even see him, giving you plenty of time to prepare for battle. And yes, they are truly that lethally idiotic, it was only a matter of time before the situation we are in now would come. Good luck, Remilia Scarlet. May fate be on your side."
Remilia sighs in frustration at the current predicament. She was hoping she could find some clothes before getting into any battle. "Well fate certainly isn't on my side, right now... I better to work changing that."
And with that, Remi took the three keys and placed them in the exit door. She then noticed that each key had the image of a phase of the Moon embed into it: Crescent, Half and Full. She also noticed the door wouldn't budge even though she turned all the keys. She instantly realized that this is one final puzzle: Turn the keys in the right order to open the door. However, it was super easy: The correct order what the order of each phase.
So Crescent was first, then Half and finally Full. And the door opened.
So there was Remilia Scarlet: Naked as the day she was born, leaving the now only temporary security of the computer room ready to face any threat that would stand in the way of her sister, her freedom, and her clothes.
And that's it for the first chapter. It sure was a long one. Mostly due to all that exposition. But the next chapters should have a LOT more action.
A huge shout-out to Omega E The Reader for helping me with the design of some of the Specimens. Couldn't've done this without you. Thanks.