*ABC* = Korean
[ABC] = Russian
"ABC"/"ABC" = Japanese/English
VVVVVVV
Executive Sector
Communications Department
Gerome took a look inside a clip of a discarded submachine gun before putting it back down after finding no ammo for it. He and his dark elf friend, Mare Bello Fiore, have been hiding out in one of the Shelters in the Communications Department. But food supplies were running low, and they had to leave the safety of their Shelter. Gerome glanced at the dark elf boy, who had been silent as of late. He still remembered what happened four hours ago. The Oldest House had been known to mess with most modern technology, but there had been a new set of hiccups among the magic-users as of late. Magic in general would not work properly within the building, either with it going in and out, backfiring, casting a different spell than intended, or more permanently, limited usages. If it hadn't been for the former Marine, Mare would have been taken by the Hiss. Unfortunately, he and the little druid were running on fumes in terms of ammunition and magic, respectively. Especially on magic, since there was little to no plant life for the boy to find and interact with.
"…" Though he was silent, and looked calm, Gerome could tell that the young dark elf was not okay in any way. The Hiss had almost kidnapped him to who knows where, and the only things that protected him and the elf were the HRA vests. "Are you doing okay?" Gerome inquired softly as he did an ammo count on his M1911A1.
"…I-I'll be fine. W-We just need to find the others a-and we will be safe." It was a miracle that Mare did not immediately cry after almost being kidnapped by Hiss-controlled Bureau agents. But it still left the former Marine concerned for the young elf. For the first time since they had left the Shelter two hours ago, the Hiss began trying to kidnap Mare. For whatever reason it could be, he might never understand until later.
"Okay, if you say so." Gerome held on to Mare's hand as they walked cautiously through the ominously empty hallways of the Oldest House.
At the Hotline Chamber
"Something feels wrong with this place, Geronimo," Mare whispered. They were currently resting at the Hotline Chamber, where an Object of Power currently resided. He and the Nazarick natives were warned multiple times to never touch the phone, or they could die from psychic trauma. The interior of the chamber itself was ridiculously huge for a room. At the center of the room was the O.o.P., an old, red Bakelite telephone called the Hotline. There was usually a bridge that connected the long corridor to the platform/room that contained the phone. However, there was nothing there but the black abyss down below. Not that Gerome could gain access to the phone anyway. Directors are the only ones allowed to use it, after all.
Recently, the human soldier and the dark elf boy have been stalked by a certain floating Hiss-corrupted agent. That agent was once someone named Alberto Tomassi, who, according to the ID tag left on a counter in the Mail Room, was the Head of Communications.
God damn it, he mentally grumbled. Just when I needed you, you just upped and died, becoming Hiss in the process.
"Going somewhere?"
Near Gerome and Mare was the Hiss-corrupted Tomassi. The boy gasped and hid behind the former Marine's back. While the man's pants were still on, the shirt was in tatters. Frankly, there was only one thing left to do for Gerome and Mare.
"RUN!" He grabbed the druid's hand and zoomed back towards the Mail Room.
Just outside the Mail Room
For the new Director of the FBC, she felt that having a power you were not born with was unnatural. But because her magic was connected to nature itself, it was difficult to even use it at all in an environment mostly made of stone, metal and marble. So to make up for it, she had her human companion, Jesse Faden, to push the Hiss out of an Object of Power and bound it to her. The O.o.P., a flat square thing called a Floppy Disk, gave her the ability to levitate any surrounding objects towards her and launch them at a great distance at high speed. Jesse had the Floppy Disk bounded to her as well, giving her the same "Launch" power.
Using Launch was something Crusch needed to get used to.
Beep! The doors to the Mail Room were unlocked. They went through and were met with a gruesome sight. Dead bodies were spread throughout the room. Blood was splattered on the floor and walls, at least on the bottom floor.
POW! POW!
They froze at the sound of gunfire. Then came the sound of quick footsteps as two figures appeared from the other side of the Mail Room.
"Help!" the running man shouted, holding the hand of a young dark elf. A Hiss-corrupted agent floated behind them, chasing them.
"Give me the child!" said the corrupted agent. "He belongs with us!"
Immediately, the man fired at the agent at the same time as Crusch. "Lulu! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" It was Geronimo. A miracle had appeared in the form of a human soldier. "Dodge as you shoot! That should take him down."
Hotline Chamber
15 minutes later
The floating, dodging Hiss agent, who turned out to be the Head of Comms, Tomassi, was a pain to get rid of. While he was gone, Hiss-Tomassi was not dead. Crusch, Jesse, Gerome and Mare were at the Hotline Chamber looking at the gap between them and the Hotline.
BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!
BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!
The phone was really loud and was beginning to annoy Gerome so much that he wanted to shoot that stupid thing. He didn't care if it was an Object of Power, he wanted to shoot at it.
"'Remember the rule of Three'," Jesse read a sign to Crusch, who was struggling to read English. Doing as it said, the Director pulled the light switch cord above her three times. At the third pull, she disappeared.
Oceanview Motel & Casino, Montana
She remembered the words of the previous Director back from before she pulled the cord three times.
"Oceanview Motel & Casino…dream logic…the light switch cord…the door with the Black Pyramid…"
On both sides were doors that, she assumed, lead to stranger worlds other than hers and the world Geronimo came from. She found the door with the upside-down Black Pyramid, but like all the doors, it was locked. The light switch cord was nowhere to be seen, meaning that the female Lizardman will have to push forward on her own. She walked to where there was the most light. To her left was a door to the outside, furniture, and pictures of nature. To her right was the front desk, similar to those seen in inns, shelves and a door with the words "CLEANING MAN" in her language. It confused her because throughout her time in the Bureau, everything was in English.
Shaking her head, Crusch stood in the lobby, deep in thought. She was stuck in some puzzle, sure, but there had to be a reason why. And suddenly, it hit her.
"The Rule of Three! It must apply to this place as well. Jesse did read to me that the "Rule of Three applied" to something."
She began doing whatever came to mind and did it three times. She tried jumping, tapping, clapping, stomping, blinking, knocking, and even walk in circles. Nothing worked. "What am I missing in here?"
She saw a bell on the front desk. She walked to it and rang it.
Ding! Creak…
The Chieftain of Red Eye looked to her left and saw a door had opened the moment she rang the bell. She rang it two more times.
Ding! Creak…
Ding! Creak…
She walked over to the third door and found a key chain. It had a Black Pyramid and key attached to the chain. Happy with her result, she grabbed the key chain and walked to the door with the Black Pyramid.
She struggled to unlock the door, but finally managed to do it, open the door and enter the room. The light switch cord was there again and a painting of the Hotline Chamber with a bridge to the Hotline. She pulled the cord three times.
Hotline Chamber
The bridge was there the moment she was back in the Bureau. Her friends behind her were freaked out about what had happened. It seems that what felt like thirty minutes to Crusch was only ten seconds for her friends. She walked the bridge to the ringing O.o.P. with nervous deep breaths. She was told by Emily Hope that the Hotline was a special kind of communication device, because unlike the phones used outside of the Bureau, this one made connections to other dimensions, usually to the Astral Plane. In Hope's words, it was a direct link between the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control and the Board. And to top it off, it was a private link, meaning the Hotline is for Director's ears only.
She was now in front of the Hotline, the phone constantly ringing. Crusch picked it up, making the ringing stop, and lifted it to her ears—
Astral Plane
The Hotline/Seashell is a Transmitter/Bridge
Directors can call the Board/Long Distance
There wasn't much obstacles, other than the hostile beings within the Astral Plane. Other than that, it was pretty easy and she got to the Hotline and heard more from the Board.
Well Done/Dialed, Director!
You can contact Us/Past Selves
In the Hotline/Collectibles Menu
We expect compulsive/weekly calls
Crusch picked it up again and she was back in reality. She could hear Trench again, but this time, with clarity on what he was saying.
"A Director needs a team. My management team."
While Crusch Lulu was using the Hotline, Gerome, Jesse and Mare were facing another lingering problem, which was standing ten feet away from them. Standing at the end of the hall was Aura Bella Fiora. And she had her back towards them while emitting a heavy amount of Hiss resonance. Mare had almost called out to his sister before having his mouth covered by the human soldier. He could not believe that a human was bold enough to not let him talk her, even though she was clearly "infected" by the Hiss.
"I'm done. Let's head back to—"
The female Lizardman stopped in her tracks and raised her Service Weapon towards the infected dark elf girl. Aura stood still.
"Aura? Are you alright?" Gerome said.
Aura said nothing.
"Lady Aura, can you hear me?" asked the Director.
She said nothing.
"Miss Aura? Are you okay?" Jesse asked in concern.
She stood still.
"A-Aura?" Mare spoke up.
…Aura turned around. She looked the same as before, but her eyes were no longer green (right) and blue (left). Instead, they were yellow (left) and red (right).
She smiled at first, seemingly at her brother, but then froze when her eyes settled on someone behind Mare. Specifically, Jesse Faden. Her small childish smile warped into a sneer as she said, "You? YOU!"
The dense red Hiss resonance around the dark elf girl became denser and more intense as she levitated two feet off the ground. In her rage, she shouted, "YOU ARE THE ONE WHOM WE LET LIVE IN THIS WORLD, AND THE ONE BEFORE. YOU, THE ONE AND ONLY CHILD OF A COPY. TRAITOR. LIAR! INFIDEL! AGENT ORANGE! PEST! SNAKE! SNAKE! SNAKE! ORAnge peel."
She landed back on the ground, took a deep breath and looked at the group as the Hiss resonance around her simmered down a little. Her yellow and red eyes glared at the human parautilitarian before settling her eyes on Mare.
"Forgive me, dear brother," she apologized with a creepy small smile. Gerome assumed that it was meant to be endearing. Her eyes certainly showed something that should never be in a child, 78-years-old or not. Her soft monotonous voice was not doing her any favors. "I was not in my right mind. The moment I saw that whore of a woman standing behind you…"
The way the word was spat out was not missed by anyone. Aura grinned sadistically and narrowed her eyes at Jesse before softening her expression to how it was before when looking at her twin brother. "…I just felt this rage overflow and I got carried away. So again, forgive me if the way I show my love has unnerved you."
Mare looked pale and was left speechless from how…different his sister was acting. But before he could say a word, the beast-tamer raised her arms forward. "For the sake of everyone's curiosity, I am surrendering to the Bureau. In exchange, I want you, brother dearest, to walk along with me until the agents lock me up."
*Freeze!*
Gerome jumped at the sudden word coming from behind Aura as muzzles of a Type 88 assault rifle and an AKS-74U carbine appeared, aimed at the little dark elf. He glanced at the owners of the firearms.
*You have been a pain in our asses. If we were in my country, you would be shot dead. We won't even cremate your body, not even a burial.*
*Easy Hae-min. We have to go through this together. Until then, we must work with the Americans.*
Shirokova wore a grey outfit that consisted of sweatpants, a T-shirt, an HRA, and sneakers. Hae-min wore what was left of her KPA uniform, wearing only her dress pants, boots, and blue and white striped undershirt. She also wore an HRA.
*Fine,* the KPA woman grumbled. *But when we give them her, they better give her what she deserves for dodging us like that.*
*You know they don't work like that,* the vampire spy chastised her comrade.
*Yeah, I know. It doesn't hurt to dream, right?*
*Excuse me, ladies,* they both turned their heads to Aura, who looked amused at their discussion about her. *I appreciate that you are all "arresting" me, but I am already turning myself in. I'm just waiting for my brother to be with me.*
Gerome wasn't sure on what to do. One, Aura has been corrupted by the Hiss. And two, she wanted her brother for a short time in exchange for surrendering to the Bureau. He was so deep in his thoughts on how to handle the situation calmly that he didn't notice Mare put on his best brave face and walked to his sister, despite all the warning signs.
Central Executive
In the end, the dark elf girl walked to where more of the remaining agents of the FBC had set up camp, or something, with her twin brother and company in tow. She hummed a happy tune as she held on to her brother's hand with such intimacy. Mare showed discomfort, but kept a solemn face on, if only for everyone's safety, including his. The security guards immediately raised their weapons at her as they approached her. Though reluctant, Aura released her brother's hand and walked with her hands up. The guards promptly took her away to an upstairs room where they would keep an eye on her until an HRA cage is built. Crusch and Jesse walked to the conference room to talk to Hope while Shirokova and Hae-min were searched for additional weapons and documents on their person. Gerome took Mare away from everyone and sat him down on a bed inside the Shelter. He sat beside him, in hopes of comforting him. It wasn't working.
That was Aura? It can't be her, Mare thought, blocking out all sounds. He was in total disbelief that the girl he held hands with recently was his sister. He felt that he, the humans, the Lizardman, the communists, and whatever that thing was around Ms. Faden, wouldn't stand a chance against her, due to the sheer amount of Hiss she had within her. If what Director Lulu said about the Hiss was true, Aura was as good as gone. Or worse, she was still in there and she has no control on her body or that the Hiss was slowly corrupting her mind, hence the flirting. He hoped that it was the first issue and NOT the second.
Aura stood still, unfazed by all the guns aimed at her. She kept her newfound "ability skills" hidden away from them. The Hiss had given her something more than what the Supreme Being, Ainz Ooal Gown, could ever give her. But the Bureau has her brother. They HAVE her beautiful, girly brother. They have something that could NEVER be replaced. For now, however, she must comply with the human agency and fake surrendering to them. Meanwhile, she had something planned for them, in the name of the Hiss.
Facing away from the human guards with a smirk much too sinister for an elf child, she murmured, "Do not fear, dear brother. The time of Man will end. The time of Elves will end. The time of ALL living things will end and you will become one of us. No, on second thought, I'll keep you for myself. Then we will be happy together…"
"Hush it, little lady," one of the security guard grunted.
The dark elf Ranger clenched her teeth in fury as she began to think of many ways to torture, and then kill, the Bureau, and her ex-companions, for the sake of love.
It is all to protect my dear brother, was what she thought as she sighed deeply and held her hands together. And no one will stop me.