After Mina calmed down a bit, and wiped the tea that splurged out of her cup, she decided to make us follow her to a remote location in the Basilicom, which she called the "Control Room".

It was a massive, circular room, filled with monitors on the walls. Something instantly bothered me about it, like something wasn't as it appeared. The light felt wrong, the monitors everywhere looked fake... Like a bad sci-fi movie, actually.

But I didn't dare say anything, so I just awkwardly waited behind Ram, who was fidgeting in her worry and badly concealed thirst for blood, as Mina did something with the monitors. It lasted for about a minute, which I took to further heal myself with another healing pod (and what a surprise, almost out of them too!), and just as Ram started to move more erratically, Mina got up, and started speaking.

"Rom is moving towards the Global Expo. I will be waiting on the Eastern exit in case whoever took her decided to flee that way. Gyone, stay behind for a second, I have something to tell you."

As Ram shouted that she was going to grab her weapon and to meet her at the Eastern exit, I tried, and failed, to keep eye contact with Mina. After a few tense seconds, she grabbed my shoulder, looked at me right in the eyes, and told me with the frostier tone I've ever heard, "The kidnapper better be alive when you get Rom back, or I will seek someone else to vent my anger to," and then left.

I waited for a few seconds, stunned, before suppressing a shudder and heading back. I'd better not lose Ram, or else there's no way in hell I'm going back to the Basilicom, mission be damned.

Ram and I met up at the city's eastern exit, as we told each others, and we didn't spare a second before heading east, towards the expo. Luckily, it was really near the city, as we could already make out its outlines, and as Ram explained, as far as dungeons go, this one was safer than safe because it was 'one of the last "Basilicom controlled" dungeon'.

I didn't really know what that meant, but didn't have time to ask, as we sped up toward the expo. It would do us no good if Rom's kidnapper fled before we finally blocked the entrance.

We arrived in less than five minutes, and Ram promptly sent a freezing spell to block the entrance behind us. "Now, the only way for that stupid meanie to flee is through Mina!", she told me happily. And yeah, it wasn't that bad of an idea.

So we started exploring the Expo, with Ram insulting every robots we came upon, which made them stop on their way or get away. It reminded me of my time in Midcompany, actually- the robots there didn't attack because Linda also told them not to. Food for thoughts, maybe there's a link.

Suddenly, we heard people yelling not far from our position, followed by a maniacal laughter. No, not really... More like... A really cliche, bad villain laugh?

As we got closer and closer, we could finally start to understand what the voices were saying. Once we could get a good look at the kidnapper, we hid behind conveniently placed crates, to wait for a good opportunity.

"It seems this is a dead-end! So here's how it's going to end. Number one! I keep the child! Número dos! You stay riiight here! And finally, numéro trois, we all forget this kidnapping happened as we got back on our merry way!"

I think I know that stupid voice... At my side, Ram adopts a poker-face, before whispering to me "Hey, isn't that the idiot that tried to kidnap me and Rom before?"

I thought for a second, before nodding. "I knew I recognised that dumb voice-"

"Hey you! Behind the crates, here! I know you're here, so come out or the kid gets it!" Smerlums (because it could only be him) screamed at us. As I risked a look, I saw his hold on Rom tightening a little, hurting her a bit.

I grabbed Ram before she could run to hit him. "I'll come and stall for time, while you strike him from behind. Okay?" She nodded, and I left our hideout, gun in hand, pointed directly at him. And indeed, it was...

I smirked. "Sulius! Damn man, I didn't expect you to be up so soon after I broke your face in half!"

His grin disappeared in a flash, replaced by a scowl. "MY NAME IS SU- Oh, you... Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this. As you can see, I hold one of the Candidates! The other is sure to fall in my laps soon enough. And after our fight, I'll even be able to bring the Wild Card to the boss! Oh, this is sure to bring me even higher..."

Damn, he just can't shut up, can he? As he continues his monologue, I look behind him to see Ram getting closer and closer. Once she's just behind him, she raised some sort of big hammer, and I wince knowing what's going to happen.

"Heh, I know that this is gruesome, but I've yet to- GUH!" he says, as he fall to the ground. Apparently, Ram is strong enough to be able to knock someone out with one hit, when she's holding a proper physical weapon at least.

Ram and Rom starts embracing each others, before I remember that Subius was talking to other people before he got distracted by me. So I turn around, intending to thank them...

And lay my eyes on purple stuff and her merry band of joyous fighters. Nepgear and... the others. Come to think of it, we never learned their names.

"You!" screamed Nepgear. I barely resisted the urge to answer 'me!', and merely brought my gun closer to me.

And then I was saved by Ram, who got to my side before asking "And who the hell are you?"

Rom got her sister's side, before muttering "They tried to help me, just before you came..."

I made a show of putting a hand on my head. "Seriously, they just went to someone with an hostage and... What? Expected to be handed said hostage?"

Inside, of course, I knew better. They're ASIC lieutnants, so there's no doubt they wanted to kidnap Rom themselves to keep the bonus.

"Yeah, well that just show that they suck! They're a buncha failures!"

The girl with a blue coat just winced. "Yeah, can't deny that..."

Nepgear then took a step forward. "Excuse me, but would you two be Lowee's CPU Candidates?"

"Yeah!" said Ram, before jumping a little. "I'm Ram, and this is my sister Rom! Lowee's awesome twin CPUs!"

Rom replied with a more subdued "Yay...", but I could see a little smile on her face. She's just adorable, I want to hug her.

"That's awesome! See, I'm Nepgear, Planeptune's CPU Candidate, and I wanted to ask..."

"Ain't Planeptune the Nation South-West from Lowee?" I interrupted. At this point, I was running on borrowed time. I needed to somehow make the twins hate those girls enough to not believe them, but how?

"Yes," Nepgear replied, "I'm also trying to save our sis-"

She was interrupted by Ram. "And that means that you're our enemies!"

What?

"What?" Nepgear echoed my thoughts.

"The other CPUs wants to steal our shares... I read that somewhere." muttered Rom, before Ram took over, yelling "We're gonna kick their butts! Gyone, you're with us!"

I blinked, before scowling. "Hell no, I don't have to remind you that I'm already half dead here, right? Plus, what if they capture you? Who's gonna gather shares if you're kidnapped, or even dead?"

"And what do you propose we do?" yelled Ram. "We're not gonna let those meanies leave, if that's what you think!"

"One of us could go and get Mina..." whispered Rom. "The others could stay here and keep them busy..."

"I'm not letting one of you out of my sight! I can't let you both fight them while I run away, and I can't let one of you alone to get Mina, she'd kill me."

Ram then lightly bonked my head with her staff, and an icy feeling coursed through my body. It took me a second or two to realise that I didn't feel as much pain as before anymore.

"We're gonna get Mina, so you better not die here without us, you dummy!" And with that, the twins fled, leaving me alone with the fake Candidate and her posse of yes-men.

"You..." growled the blue coat wearing girl, before Nepgear transformed into her supersoldier form, while her entourage started wielding their weapons.

I sighed. "Shoulda never woke up this morning, this is too much pain..." before raising my gun. I never fought with it, I don't know how it works, but it shoots freezing bullets. Can't be that hard.

I looked at my opponents. Nepgear, of course, the main threat; followed by a nurse wielding a large syringe, the blue coat-wearing young girl, and the chinese brat. All girls. All probably strong enough to break my spine without flinching.

I shoot at the chinese kid, and to my wonder strange white energetic bullets fly towards her. She manages to dodge some of them, but she's hit by two of them, which makes her wince and take a step back. Blue Coat is on my case soon enough, trying to hit me with her katars, but I dodge by jumping backward and shooting her instead. All my bullets hit, and she cries out, taking a step back. I take this opportunity to throw a kick at her face, but she manage to dodge before getting back to her allies.

Behind her, the nurse is doing something to the chinese brat, and she definitely looks like she's less in pain. So the nurse is able to use healing magic, meaning she's my priority right now...

Before I can finish my thoughts, Nepgear just rushes me, gliding on air, as she attempts to stab me with her weird beam sword. I dodge the first slash, deflect the second by hitting it (somehow) with my gun, but get hit by her third one, before a final slash just throw me away like some ragdoll.

I grab a healing pod in my bag, and notices that once again, I have used them all. I feel some anger growing, before it fades just as quickly. Ram may have made a good job of making my pain go away, but she didn't heal me completely. And now, I can feel the blood loss taking its toll, as I feel myself growing colder.

But I won't die here. And if I do, I'll bring at least one of those broads with me.

I yell "Absolute Zero!", and as I press the trigger, a blue beam just obliterate my opponents - or at least, it looks like it.

After a second or two, the beam disappear, and I feel something is empty inside me. I look at the battlefield, ready to gaze on my downed opponents. And if not defeated, then at least weakened enough for me to finish them...

They looked fine. Aside from bluer skins, some ice sticking to their bodies, and a general sense of exhaustion, they looked fine.

They looked perfectly fine.

The healing pod having finished its job, I decide to leave it behind and just run at the lieutnant, who, surprised, didn't move a finger as I jumped on her and knocked her on the ground. As I laid on top of her, I started punching her again, and again, and again until something tackled me and threw me away. I groaned, but managed to get up, and came face to face with Blue Coat, who was panting heavily, and Nepgear, who managed to get up but had released her transformation. Behind them, the other twos raised their weapons.

So close to raise the counter again~ How disappointing.

This irritating voice again... I pushed it out of my mind, and prepared myself as Blue Coat started running towards me, before stopping suddenly. I noticed Nepgear had grabbed her.

"IF, Stop! We should leave and go to the Basilicom before the twins say something to the Oracle!"

Blue Coat (IF? What kind of name is that?) snarl, but grab some things in her coat, give one to Nepgear, before throwing some to her two friends and then disappearing. It crossed my mind that she used Eject Buttons but I couldn't care less.

"Hum... I don't know why you believe we should be enemies, but you're clearly not working for ASIC. Right?"

I didn't say anything. I knew I was on borrowed time anyway, I couldn't feel my muscles anymore.

Nepgear continued talking. "Why are you so distrustful of us?"

I groaned. She clearly didn't want to leave me alone. Might as well answer her.

"Linda said you're bad. I trust her. More than you."

I sounded so pathetic. My voice was cracking, and I was taking deeper and deeper breathes.

Nepgear didn't say anything, merely used her Eject Button and left me alone. Finally. Now, to wait for Rom, Ram and Mina.

I don't know how much time passed, probably five minutes, but I could hear footsteps and a voice coming my direction. Were they finally here?

"Well well well... Look what we got here."

I groaned, and tried my best to get up, before turning to face the new arrival. Or rather, the old arrival.

"Sblevu," I muttered, feeling like I would fall if a breeze grazed me.

He gasped for a second, before stomping on the ground rather angrily and shouting "MY NAME IS SULEIMU! SULEIMU, FOR FUCK'S SAKE! WHY CAN'T NOBODY REMEMBER IT?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but someone beat me to the punch. "Cause your name sucks!"

And then, Jluvius was on the ground again, and I was face to face with Ram, who stopped grinning as soon as she saw me.

I looked down, and noticed that I was in rather poor condition. My clothes had a huge red stained gash, I was pale, and trembling without end.

"Mina! He's here! We need help!" she yelled, before trying to grab me to make sure I didn't fall.

The next minutes went by in a blur, but I knew Ram, Rom and Mina managed to bring me to the Basilicom. I mean, I know it because it's now probably the next day, and I woke up on my bed, with a note saying I needed to keep the blood bag attached to me and to grab something to eat as soon as I woke up.

I tentatively took a step, then another, and when I was sure I could walk, I started heading towards the dining area of the Basilicom. I didn't notice it before, but I was hungry as all hell.

On my way, I stumbled upon Rom and Ram, and both quickly agreed to follow me to grab food, and then eat together. I didn't show it to them, but I was really happy.

They were not Linda, true; what's more, they were kids. But they were really good friends.

So we went to the kitchen to grab some food (apparently, they need someone- usually Mina- to accompany them to be allowed to get food) and then we sat together, with them in front of me, before they started asking me about what happened during the fight.

When I started talking about my freezing beam, Ram beamed, and Rom started explaining what happened. "Your gun allows you to... Do magic-focused skills."

"Yeah, and since your first spells were of the ice element, that means you're definitely a good match for Lowee!" Ram followed, before she started eating again.

I gazed at my own food, before shrugging. "I liked fighting with my lance more, but I'll definitely keep the gun if it allows me to use magic."

After that, I finished the tale, and we ate in relative silence after that, before suddenly Ram started coughing, and in between coughs, said "Rom, left".

Gulping, I looked at my right, and my blood froze.

It's them.

The four girls were alive and well, and were talking to Mina, who was approaching our table.

I grabbed my plate and my blood bag, and got up so suddenly that my head started spinning, but I didn't care. I wouldn't stay here with them near me if I could help it.

Unfortunately, Mina had other plans. "Gyone, could you sit with us please? We need to speak."

I turned to look at the twins, who were silently saying no and shaking their heads at Mina, and turned back at Mina, who had that smile- that damnable, "you can say no if you're brave enough" kind of smile.

Sighing, I sat back. "Quick then, I have a lead for another base and I'd rather go out and explore soon."

I didn't, of course. I wanted nothing more than to sit down on a bed and sleep for centuries, but I wanted to stay here with those broads even less.

"Absolutely not! You are still recovering, and I am not letting the twins go out with you if you'll be a liability. And since they will follow you no matter what I say, then you'll stay here no matter what you want!"

Letting out a little "eep!", I coughed and went back to eating. "So, what's the problem?"

Mina sighed, before she started speaking. "Our guests told me this is not the first time you fought them. Nepgear seem convinced you're not working with ASIC, and after your work at the N Labo I am inclined to agree with her... But it is concerning you'd fight with a Candidate like that."

I shrugged. "She's not a Candidate. I'm pretty sure she's a fake."

I continued eating, while looking at Nepgear, ready to defend myself should she try anything. But before anyone could do anything, Mina spoke again. "And why would you believe something so stupid?"

"A friend I trust told me so. As far as I know, those four are probably working with ASIC."

I rose from the bench, grabbed my (now empty, thankfully) plate, my blood bag, and started heading out. "Now, if you want to believe in them, fine. But I'm not leaving the twins alone with those two, and if it was up to me they'd be kicked out of the Basilicom already."

I was quickly joined by the twins, and after ten seconds of tense silence, Ram asked if I wanted to train my magic.

And I'd lie if I said I wasn't grinning.

Author's footnote

Late, yeah, I know. Late everything, actually; it's 11 where I am. I should be sleeping. I have classes to do tomorrow.

Anyway, we're back on track with the plot! At least until it's broken again. Oh well. You probably noticed, but we're following a somewhat unstable MC. With growing insanity. And who distrusts mostly everyone. That's totally not a recipe for disaster.

Next chapter should probably have no fight scenes. It should also contain an healthy dose of Nepgear! I promise nothing, tho.

Review Time~

Ace-Of-Weeb: Sadly, no Underling for now. Another underling has taken her place, because of her fast progression through ASIC ranks. It's actually rather maddening, because I keep engineering some ways for them to meet while she's working, but it just doesn't make sense because why would a CFW's assistant be on the field without its boss? And there's no way in hell I'm making Trick, Judge, or Brave appear this early for no reason. Magic would be even worse.