NIKKE: Xenoverse

Prologue: War Never Ends…

Surface

CRACK! BOOOOM!

The sound of cracking was heard and was followed quickly by an explosion as what looked like the sky overhead was cracking apart. Out of the hole in the sky fell what looked like a male with dark skin out of the hole as well as a black mist following behind him and disappearing into the distance. The male crashed into a ruined street and laid there as the sky closed up and repaired itself instantly as he crashed to the ground. He laid there for a few minutes, unresponsive… Until a few figures rushed up to him and checked on him quickly.

"Command, we've come in contact with the mysterious anomaly… It's a male, looks to be about you adult age… Maybe 23? He has a weak pulse… Administering first aid," one of them, a blonde with a serious face, said as she brought her left hand up to her left ear, "Anis, keep an eye out."

"I got it, Rapi! Just work on him!" the girl the other referred to said as she pointed what looked like a grenade launcher out and looked around. The one named Rapi checked on the male and suddenly the male jolted and coughed violently.

"Easy. You fell from a large height… I have to check for any broken bones," Rapi told him calmly as she patted him down while he coughed. He took deep breaths and held his right hand over his bruised chest. Upon further inspection, the male had brown eyes, short black hair curled up in a small afro on his head, and wore what looked like a Gi colored dark blue and white with brown shoes and black combat gloves and armbands. He also got what looked like a red chain necklace with a charm of a black katana hanging down from the necklace and upon even closer inspection… He had what looked like gold coverings over his left index and middle fingers as well as his thumb. His clothes were torn in several places, but the most puzzling thing… Was the long black lanky haired monkey tail swishing out beside him on the ground.

"Might have a fractured ribcage. Fucking Demigra and his kidney shots…" the male grumbled as he flinched in pain, "Thank Chronoa for Senzu Beansprouts." He waved his left hand in front of him and what looked like a blue holoscreen appeared in front of him. Rapi looked curiously at this and Anis took notice.

"What the heck?! This looks like our comms!" Anis said in amazement as the male reached at the screen with his left hand and pulled out a brown pouch. He opened the pouch and reached in to take out a green bean. He ate the bean while Anis and Rapi looked on in confusion. Then, as if like magic… His wounds were rapidly recovering and the pained look on his face was relaxing.

"Phew… Thank Kami for Senzu Beans," He said as he cracked his back while stretching. He placed a hand on his chest again and a weird green light enveloped his clothing and the clothes mended the holes and cuts that littered it. He got up and looked around, confused on where he was.

"What the hell is this place? This does not look like TokiToki City," he said and looked at the women that were astonished by his quickly recovery. He placed the pouch back in the holoscreen and scratched the back of his head, staring at them before answering.

"…You're not a human, are you?" Rapi asked after a minute of silence.

"Not fully. I'm a Hybrid Human/Saiyan," He said as he tilts his head to the side, "How do you not know about that? Am I not back in TokiToki City?"

"What the heck is a TokiToki?" Anis asked him and it was his turn to be surprised.

"Okay, that is a problem…" the male said as he pressed a few times on the holoscreen and flinched visibly in shock, "Dimension Unknown?! No signal?! What the fuck do you MEAN?!" He ran his hands through his hair as he looked conflicted. Anis has question marks floating above her head as Rapi studied the male and took a few more glances at his tail.

"Okay, so… Clearly I'm not at the Time Vault or TokiToki City… I have NO IDEA where the hell I am at… And, I have no way how to contact my boss on my well being or location, because I have no Dimension Buffers to triangulate my signal. Please tell me at least Selene is online…" the male said as he looked at the screen and tapped a few times before reaching into the screen and pulling out what looked like a blue visor that goes over his eyes and puts it over his eyes. He pressed on the left side and waited a few seconds before hearing a voice.

"Suskian? Is that you? I'm so glad… Your readings went offline when TokiToki returned to the Time Nest," a female voice said over the visor. The male, now called Suskian, sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"At least you're okay… And, TokiToki is back in the Time Nest. Which means Demigra is dead. At least, I hope so," Suskian said as he swiped the screen away.

"Excuse me. I hate to interrupt… But, I need information on who you are and why you fell out of the sky," Rapi said as she stared at him, "Moreover..."

"What's up with the tail?" Anis asked as she looked at Suskian's tail.

"…Okay, where do I start?" Suskian said as he folded his arms while thinking of what to say. Then, Rapi got a serious look on her face as she points what looked like a large black assault rifle at him. Suskian stared at her as she leaned to the side and fired off a few rounds behind him. The bullets hit what looked like a large white spider like creature several feet behind Suskian and blew it up on contact. Suskian looks behind him and blinked in surprise.

"Well, that's something you don't see everyday…" Suskian said as Anis pulled him back.

"Find cover! Now!" Anis told him.

"For what?" Suskian asked as question marks appeared above his head as more white monsters appeared out of nowhere and began advancing on the group of 3.

"Raptures! Incoming! Engage!" Rapi told Anis.

"I'm serious! Find cover!" Anis told Suskian as she points to some rubble.

"…Nah. I'm good," Suskian said as one of the Raptures flew towards him. He backhands it with his left hand and raised his right hand to fire off a yellow beam of energy at another, blowing another small group of 3 Raptures up into debris and bloody green chunks. Rapi and Anis were shocked but stayed focus on engaging the enemy, firing off their weapons at the incoming Raptures.

"I can help thin the herd, if you like. I'm not some damsel in distress. I have fought a Demon God and killed him, so I'm pretty strong," he told them as he shrugged his shoulders, "Plus, I can sense these are strong, but they feel around Ginyu Force power levels. And, you 2 feel around Cell Saga power levels. We can help each other out."

"…Then, you need to keep the vanguard clear," Rapi told him seriously, "We will learn more about you later…"

"Suskian Naoko," He said to her with a bow, "I'll watch your backs" He jumps and axe kicks an incoming Rapture into the ground, blasting it afterwards with a green energy wave. He backflips onto the back of a flying Rapture and rode it as more Raptures chased him down, thinning down the herd. Anis and Rapi rushed in to the ones in front of them, engaging and shredding them all. Suskian grabs onto his Keychain and closed his eyes.

"Tarnished… Bladed Weapon. Switchglaive, Moon Stance," He said in a chant and the katana charm glows red and a large black scythe appeared in his right hand. He then jumps off the back of the flying Rapture and connects the scythe into the back of the Rapture, causing it to screech in pain as it's flight patterns become erratic. Suskian yells and pulls the Rapture to the ground several yards below them, slamming it into the ground and causing it to explode into a fiery explosion. He then engaged in combat with the ground Raptures, using his scythe to keep the Raptures at the length of the scythe as he swung. As he fought, he noticed that there was a black mist surrounding the Raptures.

"Suskian, enemy Horde is exuding Demon Realm Magic! You have to go harder than before!" Selene said in his visor that he still wore over his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and reared his left hand back, which had the seal glove over it and suddenly… A lightning spear appeared in his left hand. Then, what appeared to be 6 glyphs appeared around him.

"Prideful Knight Lightning Release!" Suskian yelled as he flung the 1st spear at an incoming Rapture that was racing towards him. It was pierced in the front, shocking it and freezing it in place from Paralysis. Then, the glyphs fired off several dozens of lightning spears at the incoming Raptures and stopped them where they stood. Then, Suskian held up his left hand again and a large fireball appeared above him.

"This should wipe them out quickly… Slothful Solar Blaze!" Suskian yelled and the large fireball explodes when he flung it into the ground. It sends a torrent of flames around Suskian and melts all the Raptures around him to a puddle of magma. He took a deep breath and hovers above the ground to fly off back to where Rapi and Anis were.

[-]

He lands on the ground and sees Anis and Rapi finishing off their battle with the Rapture horde. He walked towards them and dusted off his hands, tossing his scythe into the air and it vanishing into a red ball of light.

"Whatever those things are, I bet there are more," Suskian said to them and the girls glanced at him.

"You're definitely not a Nikke… So, what exactly is a Saiyan?" Anis asked him and Suskian hummed to himself, figuring out the right words to say. He snaps his fingers and nods his head.

"Have you ever watched anime before?" Suskian asked them and they had confused looks on their faces as they stared at him, "Didn't think so. Okay, so… My name is Suskian Naoko, like I said before. I'm a Hybrid Human/Saiyan and the leader of Delta Squad of the Time Patrol, an elite squad of Time Patrollers that police the timelines and protect it from beings who wanna corrupt it in any way, shape, or form. A Saiyan is basically an alien race that gets stronger the more they fight. I'm half Saiyan, which means I have hybrid potential and would grow exponentially faster than a full blood Saiyan."

"…Had you not come from that crack in the sky, I would have not believed you. So, how did you make that?" Rapi said seriously as she folded her arms.

"I didn't make that on purpose. I also mentioned I killed a Demon God just now. That crack in the sky is from that battle," he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Whoa, whoa! Gods exist?!" Anis said in shock.

"Well, where I come from… Yes. I work for a Goddess that watches over the flow of time. I call her Chronoa, but the more proper honorific is either Boss or Supreme Kai Of Time," Suskian told them as had a smile on his face.

"You hold a lot of respect for her if you smile like that," Anis said as she folded her arms under her huge chest.

"I do. She's not just my boss, she is like a mother to me. I'd fight the universe to keep her safe. She gave me a second chance at life by making me a half Saiyan and gave me the job as a Time Patroller. I don't want to disappoint her in any way," Suskian said and Rapi raised an eyebrow at that.

"Second chance?" Rapi parroted Suskian and he nods his head, "You've… Died before?"

"Yes. My previous life, I died saving a family from a burning building. I was wished back by a wish granting dragon," He told them.

"Okay, now you're pulling our legs. Wish granting dragon?" Anis asked.

"Right, Dragon Ball probably doesn't exist in this world. So, what's with this world? What the hell were those monsters we just fought?" Suskian asked them as he looked around at the ruined city.

"This is the surface. We are at war with the creatures you saw before which are called Raptures. We are Nikkes, the best defense against the Raptures. We fight the Raptures and ensure the safety of everyone. We are also… Not human," Rapi explained as she placed a hand on her chest.

"Nikke… No wonder you had a stronger power level than I suspected," Suskian told Rapi as he tilts his head to the side, "So, are there more of you?"

"Of course. There are hundreds of us Nikke around," Anis said with a nod, "We are living weapons, after all."

"That's… A bit draconian to say. You have emotions and aspirations, don't you?" Suskian told them as he folded his arms.

"It's not that simple… We live to fight. It's in our code," Rapi told him, "The feelings you have wouldn't work in the battlefield. Just think of us as… Weapons."

"No. I won't do that. To me, anyone can lose their lives on the battlefield… I want to feel emotions when I fight. It lets me know I'm alive," Suskian said stubbornly, "Chronoa always told me to feel when I brawl. It keeps me sane. If we are to work together, we need to establish that I won't just leave either of you to die. If I can help in any way, I will." Rapi and Anis looked at him and at each other.

"After all, I'm only half human." He smiled at that little joke he made at the end.

"Oh, a jokester, huh? I see we might get along fine…" Anis said dryly. Suskian shrugged his shoulders and Rapi closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again and nodding her head.

"Very well. We must keep going… We have a team to meet up with," Rapi told Suskian as she held her rifle in her hands and turned to walk ahead.

"Come on, you," Anis said with a smile as she nudged him forward.

[-]

An Hour Later

"How long do we have to wait?" Suskian asked as he was sitting cross-legged on top of a destroyed car, surrounded in a white aura.

"What are you doing?" Anis asked him as she stared at him.

"Meditation. It helps me regulate my Ki," He told her as the white aura turns red.

"Until the team we are told to wait on comes by," Rapi said. Then, they hear an explosion and they go on alert.

"What the hell?!" Suskian yelled as he stood up and the aura that surrounded his body fluctuates. Rapi and Anis sees a large helicopter on fire crashing down to the ground a far distance away and Suskian looks in the direction of the crash.

"That looks bad. Was that the team we were supposed to meet?" Anis asked in shock. Suskian frowned and hops off the top of the car and stood next to Rapi, giving her a side glance.

"That was the only helicopter that was supposed to be operational today… So, that means…" Rapi said and Suskian sighed as he cracked his neck.

"Wait here. I'll go check it out," Suskian told them.

"…Be careful," Rapi told Suskian, "If you find anyone, signal us with this." She hands him a flare gun and he hangs it onto his belt.

"I'll be back," He said and hovered above the ground, flying off in the direction of the smoke billowing into the sky.

"…Do we trust him, Rapi?" Anis asked as she touched Rapi's left shoulder. Rapi took a minute to answer before glancing back to Anis.

"I didn't feel any deception from his words. Nor do I feel any type of evil from him. So, I hope for his sake… He stays that way," Rapi said as she looked at Anis.

[-]

Suskian lands on the ground and looked ahead at the burning wreckage, seeing a lot of burning bodies inside… But, then hears gunfire in the distance to his left. He rushed to the left, ready for a fight. He stops to see 2 women battling a bunch of Raptures with a lone male who looked to be in his mid 20's with fair skin and short scraggly brown hair, keeping his distance while watching the 2 women fight. The male wore what looked like a military commander outfit while also wearing a matching hat to go with his outfit. Suskian ran up to the male and checked him over.

"You alright? Were you in that helicopter crash?" Suskian asked him and the male nods his head before staring at Suskian's tail in confusion, "Don't worry about my tail. You should be taking cover." Suskian grabs his necklace and closed his eyes, once again chanting…

"Tarnished… Long Range. Lion GreatBow, Mode Demigod." A large purple and black GreatBow appeared in his hands and he notched a long and big arrow in the drawstring and aimed upwards.

"King's Space Rain!" He yelled as he fired off the arrow into the sky. It multiples into thousands of arrows that was surrounded in what looked like purple and black energy that pierced through the many Raptures and left the 2 women unharmed and untouched. After the Raptures went down and died on impact with the arrows, the 2 women came back to where Suskian and the male were and took stock of the situation.

"Marian, disengage battle mode," one of the girls, a long haired brunette, said as she puts away her dual pistols. The other, the black haired girl named Marian, took a deep breath and shook her head. She then shuddered as she held her damaged leg. Suskian can see that it looked like there were wires poking out of her leg. It was then that he realized what Anis and Rapi were talking about Nikke not being human seriously.

"Are you injured?" the male asked Marian as he checked her leg out.

"Yeah… Or, rather malfunctioning? It's not hindering my battle capabilities, so I'll manage," she said to the male, "Thank you for worrying for me, Commander."

"Ryu Sayabu, or Ryu," He said as he stood up and looked at Marian and the brunette and then at Suskian, "I've never met a human like you before."

"You're half right. I'm human, but I'm not all the way human. I'm a hybrid," Suskian said as he looked around the area for more Raptures, "Plus, I'm not from around this area."

"Are you from the crack in the sky an hour ago?" the brunette asked Suskian and he scratched the back of his head, "You are, aren't you? How did that happen?"

"Hard to explain. I'll do that later. There is a team you all need to meet up with," Suskian told them, "Ryu, Marian, and…"

"IF. Not if, IF," she said as she tilts her head to the side, "That's my name."

"IF. Okay, nice to meet you all. Oh, one sec…" Suskian said and pulled out the flare gun, "I'll signal to them and let them know I found you all." He fired off the flare gun and an orange flare shot into the sky. A few seconds passed before a red flare was shot off into the air from where Rapi and Anis were still located.

"There they are… Let's hurry."

"You sure that's them and not any Raptures?" IF asked Suskian.

"Yes, I'm sure," Suskian said with a smile, "Let's be careful out here."

[-]

A Few Minutes Later

The group of 4 headed the path that Suskian was leading them to , where Rapi and Anis were waiting on him, when Suskian stops and the others stop as well. Suskian bows his head and closed his eyes, as if he was listening for something. He then heard nearby gunfire and raised his head quickly, pointing to the left.

"That way. Gunfire… They must have encountered more Raptures," Suskian told the group.

"Marian, IF. Take point," Ryu instructed.

"Yes, Commander!" Marian said and points her gun forward.

"Roger that, Commander," IF said as she pulls out her handguns and nods to Marian. Both girls rushed ahead as Suskian took Ryu by the arm and raced after them with Ryu in tow. Rapi and Anis were locked in combat with a horde of Raptures, as Suskian deducted… But, something was off about this batch. The Horde of Raptures were emitting a sinister black aura and seemed more durable than any Rapture they have come across today.

"This is bad! We need backup!" Anis called as she took cover after firing off 2 grenade rounds.

"I know. But, I'm more curious on this black aura they are emitting. It came out of nowhere, and it made them stronger. We need to report this to the Ark when we get back," Rapi said seriously.

"If we get back…" Anis said softly and Rapi glanced at her, "What? This looks bad."

"Keep a cool head, Anis. We can hold out… Suskian is coming with Reinforcements," Rapi told Anis, "If anything, he is our only hope…" Just then, hundreds of bullets whizzed over Rapi and Anis' heads and they looked to see Marian and IF firing and taking cover nearby.

"Are you 2 our rendezvous?!" IF called to Rapi and Anis. Anis blinked as Rapi gave a hand signal to IF.

"Looks like you're busy! Need a hand?!" Suskian called as he lands on the cover point and placed Ryu next to Anis and Rapi, "Wait! Is that Demon Realm Magic?! I'll handle their aggro, you push when I give the signal!"

"You know about the black aura?!" Anis asked him and Suskian nods his head to them, "They started pushing us back aggressively when they started emitting that aura!"

"It's Demon Realm Magic… I'll explain everything later. Just wait for Mt signal!" Suskian called as he was surrounded in a white aura and yells out as the aura emitted white electricity around it and his hair straightened out. He charged ahead and drop kicks a nearby flying Rapture into a wall, causing it to freak out and tremble from the damage it took. Suskian backflips and lands, firing off a large yellow energy wave and blew up the Rapture on contact. The black aura surrounding it vanished. More Raptures flew at Suskian but he grabbed his necklace and chanted.

"Tarnished: Remembrance Blade. Blasphemous Blade." A long red broadsword that looked to be surrounded in throbbing veins and tendrils appeared in his right hand. He held up the blade and what looked like red and black flames surrounded the blade and his eye color changes as his aura surrounded in a red light and it morphed into large serpent like creature.

"Now, Taker's Flames of Rykard!" Suskian yelled as he leaps into the air and slams down the sword onto the ground, lava erupting into the sky and setting several Raptures ablaze instantly.

"Now, FIRE!" Suskian ordered the girls and they immediately went on the offensive, unloading hundreds of bullets and bomb silos onto the Raptures. The Raptures tried to fight back to no avail… But, it was too late. The fight was over before it began thanks to Suskian's attack beforehand weakening the Raptures. Suskian cracked his neck and sighed as he spun the red veined broadsword at his left side. He glanced back at the girls as they came out of cover and Ryu stood up with a shocked look on his face.

"You're quite powerful for a human," Marian told Suskian as he had the sword over his left shoulder.

"In a way, I am still human. I'm just half-Saiyan, too," Suskian said and IF blinked a few times.

"Did you say Saiyan? That explains the tail," IF said and everyone glanced at her, "You guys never watched anime before?"

"…No. I've never heard of anime before," Rapi said calmly.

"No. I've heard of cartoons," Anis said as she scratched her cheek.

"When we get back to the Ark, I'll have you guys watch some anime. So, you're definitely from the Dragon Ball universe. It explains the powers. But, that blade isn't from there, is it?" IF told them and then looked at Suskian.

"No, it's not actually. Neither is the Seal on my left hand," Suskian said as he showed the finger glove on his left hand, "Have you heard of the word Tarnished?"

"No, but my comrade Vert has. It was from this VERY old game named Elden Ring that she plays," IF said as she folded her arms.

"In a way, that exists too. Nice," Suskian smiled as he nods his head, "Looks like I made a friend already." The others listened to IF and Suskian talk a little more before he cleared his throat and chuckled.

"Sorry. We should move to the next destination. Where we headed, Rapi?"

"We follow the Commander's orders next," Rapi said as she glanced at Ryu.

"R-right. Ahem… We are here to investigate the disappearance of several Nikke in the area. Since we are all here, we should team up," Ryu said as he regained his composure.

"Well, you're the Commander. We don't have ours," Anis said.

"You don't? What happened to them?" Suskian asked Anis.

"He died about 10 minutes before you showed up, Suskian," Anis said and Suskian sucked in a sharp breath.

"Ouch. Unlucky," Suskian said as he glanced at them, "How did he die?"

"The idiot tried to fight the Raptures with human weaponry," Anis said bluntly and Suskian blinked a few times in confusion.

"Wait, you guys aren't using human weaponry? That explains why Ryu couldn't help much. No offense," Suskian said as he glanced at Ryu.

"None taken. Sad that you 2 lost your commander," Ryu said earnestly.

"Don't be. He proclaimed that he could beat them all up while screaming obscenities," Anis said as she shook her head.

"Legit thought he was Rambo. What the hell?" Suskian snorted, "I can see why you said don't be sad. Guy signed his death certificate. God, that sounds callous…"

"Humans aren't like us Nikke. They can't combat the Nikke without casualties," IF said calmly.

"You 2 failed in your mission to protect your commander. How can you not care?" Marian admonished Anis and Rapi.

"Hey, that's not fair. Ease up, Marian," IF said calmly.

"Agreed. How can they protect someone that just want to play hero and not back it up?" Suskian said seriously, "It's the same thing in the Time Patrol. They don't want someone that can't back up their talk with weak hearts or overconfidence. If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen." Marian looked away in frustration and Ryu comforts her.

"Marian, it's not like they didn't try. Their commander just had a death wish. They wouldn't let it happen again," Ryu said calmly. Marian sighed and looked at Ryu.

"You're right, Commander. Let's let them prove it with action," Marian said and she got ready to move. Everyone set out, the earlier tension gone.

[-]

An Hour Later

"This is Command. Rapi, Anis? Can you hear me?" A staticy voice e called over the comms that Rapi and Anis had on their person.

"Shifty? This is Rapi. Go ahead," Rapi said as she stops and brought her left hand to her left ear. Anis brought her right hand to her right ear and listened in.

"Oh, good! You 2 are okay… Have you found any survivors?" Shifty called.

"Yes, no thanks to your crappy management. What the hell was that about? Why did you send in a helicopter in where there are some anti air Raptures were in the area?" Anis admonished Shifty in a harsh tone.

"…What? There are no reported anti air Raptures in the area… How is that possible?" Shifty said in genuine confusion.

"Huh? Wait a sec, what do you mean, no reported…" Anis said in confusion this time.

"Shifty, is it possible to send in the black box from the destroyed helicopter to me?" Rapi asked seriously, "I have a bad feeling…"

"Of course, Rapi. And, about that weird anomaly… You said it was a human male?" Shifty said.

"Well, half human male," Anis said, "We'll explain later." Rapi subtly glanced at Marian and IF with suspicion as Suskian was talking with IF gleefully about some anime that IF has seen. Marian, however… was talking with Ryu with what looked like affection.

"Something isn't adding up," Rapi said softly as she stared at Marian, "Suskian, can you come here for a second?" Suskian glanced at Rapi and saw how serious she looked.

"Yeah, sure…" Suskian said, "Give me a second. I'll be right back, IF."

"Don't take too long," IF smirked and Suskian walked over to Rapi and she pulls him to the side.

"I'm not sure why, but I don't trust Marian. Something is off about her, I just don't know what," Rapi told him calmly, "Do you have any sort of power that senses anomalies in a person?" Suskian nods his head as he glanced at Marian slightly and then back at Rapi.

"What am I looking for?" He asked her.

"…See if you can see any corruption of any kind in her… Well, core. Her brain, really," Rapi said, "It's possible that Marian might be corrupted."

"What makes you say that? She seems normal… Then again, I don't know anything about Nikke," Suskian told her, "I'll give it a shot. But, is there a reason why I'm doing this?" Rapi glanced back at Ryu and Marian again before answering.

"Do you remember the helicopter explosion? There were no missiles of any kind fired at it… And, it just blew up out of nowhere. Plus, our contact told us there was no reports of anti air Raptures in the area. So, it's either we weren't careful and there was a new Rapture…" Rapi said.

"Or something or someone on the inside blew up the helicopter," Suskian finished Rapi's analysis, "Sabotage. Okay, I see where you're going with this." He takes a look with his Ki Sense and scans Marian for any anomalies… In which he senses what felt like a red festering spot on her brain. He visualized that it looked like a parasite on her brain. Suskian silently glanced at Rapi and sweat dropped.

"I… See a red bug like spot on her brain. Is that bad?" Suskian told Rapi. Rapi blinked a few times before answering.

"That… Doesn't sound good. Is it like… Growing?" Rapi asked softly. Suskian scrunched up his face and nods his head.

"It's gross looking, too. Like a boiling pimple," Suskian gagged and shuddered.

"…Thanks for looking. This is a problem… Marian might be corrupted," Rapi said calmly as she looked away.

"Rapi, I retrieved the black box from the destroyed helicopter. You're gonna want to take a look… It's not good," Shifty said via comms.

"I have a feeling. Send it over," Rapi said calmly. Her eyes glowed blue for a few seconds before she flinched and pointed her assault rifle to Marian, which surprised Ryu and IF as Marian looked confused.

"Marian, stop where you are. Hands in the air."

"Whoa, whoa! What is going on?" IF asked in shock as she got in the way.

"IF, wait. Please just stand out of the way," Suskian said sadly, "It's… A problem we have to address."

"What problem?! We're on the same team! She and I are in the same squad!" IF argued as she blushed, "Suskian-"

"The helicopter. I saw what happened. The black box was recovered, thankfully… And, it revealed the truth to what happened. There were 2 C4 explosives inside the helicopter… And the detonator, which was on the only person- Or Nikke, for this instance- Was rhe only person holding it. That Nikke… Was you, Marian," Rapi said seriously as she glared at Marian, "You killed several people on that helicopter and injured the Commander. What's your game?" IF looked… Horrified as she turned slowly to Marian, who still had her hands raised in the air with no emotion on her face and no response on her lips. Then…

"Over here… O-Over h-here…" Marian said as she seemed to start twitching with her head notching to the left side. IF trembled in sheer terror as she saw Marian began glitching out.

"Marian?! No, no! Marian!" IF panicked as she backed up, "No… She's…"

"She's corrupted?! How?! Was she always corrupted?!" Shifty said in horror.

"…Yes, she was. I seen the corruption in her brain. It looks so nasty," Suskian said as he shook his head.

"…You can actually see it?" Anis asked Suskian and he nods his head. IF sank to her knees, horror and depression on her face.

"IF, get back! We need to terminate her!" Rapi ordered.

"I… I can't… Marian is my... Friend…" IF sobbed. Suskian then flinched as he felt a powerful and sinister energy coming towards them.

"OOOOO-OVER HEEEEEEE-ERE..." Marian said as her voice was garbled and glitchy. Then, the ground under their feet began to rumble.

"Incoming! A Tyrant Class Rapture is coming this way!" Shifty called via comms, "Code name: Blacksmith! Be careful!"

"Ryu, give the order!" Suskian told Ryu, "Nikke listen to a commander right?" Ryu looked at Marian as she still glitches out but was now staring at him with a sinister look on her face.

"Joooooin me, Comaaaaander…" Marian said with her glitchy voice as she reached out her hand. Then, what looked like black tendrils grabs Marian from a dark alleyway and yanked her inside.

"Damn it! Everyone, ready for battle!" Suskian called as he grabs his necklace and chanted, "Switch weapons: Tarnished: Bladed Weapon: Storm's Edge!" A long bladed katana with a white ribbon attached to the end of the hilt appeared as the Blasphemous Blade vanished into thin air.

"Commander! We need an order!" Rapi called to Ryu, who was still shell shocked at Marian's glitchy form. Anis shook him out of his trance and he took a deep breath.

"…Sorry. Everyone, get ready to battle… We have a mission to complete," Ryu said as he wiped his forehead. IF, despite her state, pulls out her weapons and shook her head.

"Marian… I'm sorry. I won't let you suffer anymore… I wonder how long you have been… Corrupted…" IF said softly as she raised her tear soaked face and took several deep breaths. Anis, Rapi, and IF looked around as out of nowhere, a HUGE spider like white creature bursts from the ground and roared at them. It has several tendrils surrounding around Marian, who was still glitching out.

"We'll save you! I promise!"

"Attack! Go!" Ryu ordered and the Nikke and Suskian charged into battle. Rapi, Anis, and IF charged ahead with guns blazing and bullets flying into the Rapture while Suskian flew into the air and cuts into the tendrils that held Marian hostage. Blacksmith swung one of its long legs at Suskian, who flips over the leg and cuts into the leg with several lightning fast slashes. It screeched as it cocked back another leg and swung at Suskian again. But, just as it was gonna connect… A grenade Salvo blew the leg back.

"You're welcome!" Anis called and rushed ahead. Suskian smirked as he lands on the ground and glanced at IF, who was reloading her handguns.

"IF… I need you to aim at Marian," Suskian told her and she gave him an incredulous look, "Before you say anything, this guy isn't giving me an opening to cut the tendrils off her. If maybe you can take aim, it would concentrate on you while I go in. Can you do it?" IF stared at him and nods her head before taking another deep breath, a serious look growing on her face.

"Go. I got your back," IF told him and aimed at Marian. Just like Suskian said, the Rapture began targeting IF as it charged at her. She rushed off while firing off several shots at it. Suskian flew up into the air as Rapi and Anis fired on the creature as well from behind cover. Then, the male Saiyan began cutting into the tendrils, cutting them to pieces as Blacksmith was distracted by IF, Rapi, and Anis. They were even dealing lethal damage by targeting its head. Eventually, Suskian cuts Marian free and flew away a bit to bring her to a safe area. It was then that Marian stopped glitching and moving… But, Suskian loomed her over and saw that she was HEAVILY damaged, like an arm and leg missing, part of her face was destroyed and revealed a red optic gem in the place of her eye, and several wires coming out of the stumps of her arm and leg.

"Android… If I wasn't used to hanging with Android 21, I wouldn't have believed stuff like this. But, this is still sad. You deserved better than this… IF will miss you, truly," Suskian said to Marian, not knowing if she hears him or nor. He hears a large scale explosion and glanced back to see a large black cloud billowing into the air. He stood up and saw the others coming towards him and Marian. He glanced down back at Marian as Ryu and IF came over to them.

"Can I… Have a minute, please? I need to say goodbye," IF said softly as she puts her guns away. Ryu nods his head and Suskian stood back as IF knelt at Marian's right side.

"…Marian? It's IF… Iffy, you know. Are you… Still there?" IF asked. Marian twitched and turned her head to IF.

"I-Iffy… I'm… Sorry to make you cry. I… Promised I wouldn't…" Marian told IF. Tears spilled down IF's cheeks as she shook her head.

"Screw all that! I just… I wish we had more time to watch anime together… Or even play games with Vert and the others in Silver Gun together… It should have been the 3 of us against the world…" IF said sadly as she stared at Marian.

"You… Are the family I… Always wanted, Iffy… You… And Vert," Marian told IF as she held IF's hands with her undamaged hand, "I… Love you both dearly… But, I have to go…" IF nods her head slowly as she stood up and covered her face as she turned away. Suskian comforts IF as Ryu steps up to Marian. He points a silver gun at Marian and trembled as he stated Marian down.

"Commander, you can't hesitate here. If you do, she turns into an irregular," Rapi told Ryu and he closed his eyes and lowered the gun, "Commander-" Then, Marian… With the little strength she had left, holds Ryu's hands and moved the gun to her forehead with a smile on her face.

"Over… Here… Commander. You are a gentle and kind soul… Caring for us Nikke when you didn't have to. You are… A special man. Thank you… For the bandage… It made me happy, knowing humans like you exist in this world…" Marian told Ryu and nods her head, "It's okay… Let me go…"

"I'm sorry, Marian… Goodbye," Ryu said and took the shot, blowing Marian away and the contents of her head splattered all over the cracked wall she laid against. Rapi and Anis looked on in indifference and sadness as IF broke into loud Sobs while Suskian hugs her. Ryu wraps up Marian's head and took a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, IF. I…" Ryu told her as he glanced over at IF, but she shook her head as she looked up at him.

"Don't. It's… A part of life," IF said softly, "All I ask is if you honor her memory for me… She was like family to me. I don't want to ever forget her."

"Despite everything… I still don't like how Nikke aren't treated equal. From what you told me, Rapi… Nikke aren't human. But, from the reaction IF had and what Marian said… That can't be far from the truth for me. Yeah, you're more robot than human in body… But, not in heart and soul. You still feel… You still love… You still think on your own. You have ambitions, hopes, dreams… Any being that have these exist as human in their hearts," Suskian told the girls, "I can tell you feel the same, right… Ryu?"

"All life is precious, no matter what or who it is…" Ryu said to Suskian, "I don't want something like this to happen and break someone like this." He looked at IF, who clenched her fists.

"You men are special… Both of you," IF said with a sad smile and looked back at Marian, "Goodbye, Marian. It's been an honor." Everyone left the area, leaving behind the lifeless body of Marian. But, unfortunately… Fate has other plans as a black mist hovered out from the dark alleyway and seeped over to Marian, covering her body and taking it away… Seems this is only the beginning…

End Prologue Mission