In this chapter we address things that should be addressed way earlier, resulting in a total mess.

Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Aftermath

Blanc slowly opened her eyes. Her eyelids felt like they were made out of lead and weighed a ton, but they slowly yielded and allowed the CPU to see. The first thing she saw was a ceiling.

"I recognize this ceiling."

She was in her own room, in her own Basilicom. Her body begged for more rest, but her mind demanded answers.

"Die like the monster you all are."

A sharp gasp, followed by a series of rapid, uneven breaths left Blanc's mouth. Her hand tried to touch her wound, but something prevented it from moving. The CPU of Lowee looked to the side and found Rom sleeping besides her, her arms wrapped around her own. There was also Ram sleeping on the other side.

"Blanc?" Rom softly asked. Blanc mentally cursed when she realized that she accidently woke her up. The CPU was unable to rub her head, so she just whispered "Go back to sleep." and closed her eyes.

It was an old trick, but it did its job. Blanc kept her eyes closed until Rom fell asleep. Once Rom's breathing slowed and softened, Blanc opened her eyes and checked her surroundings - at least as much as she could without waking up either of her sisters.

It was night time, but the CPUs eyes were already accustomed to darkness. This was definitely her room and her bed they're sleeping on. Despite those years in captivity Blanc still remembered her bookcase, the books and the computer that she spent so much time either working or writing novels. Her eyes followed a red beam coming out of her, and she found Compa's Quick-Fix attached to that pole they often use in hospitals to distribute those bags of fluids.

Any other points of interest were overruled by one simple fact that Blanc just realized.

The mercenaries saved her sisters.

Those dumb, insane maniacs were the reason why her sisters are safe, why she's now snuggling with them, instead of worrying what that perverted bastard might do to them.

This was enough for Blanc. The CPU laid her head on a pillow and fell asleep, a smile present on her face.

When she woke up again, it was already morning. With a light groan Blanc begrudgingly opened her eyes.

"You're finally awake!"

Compa was next to her, fiddling something with the Quick-Fix before she heard the CPU waking up.

"How long was I out?" Blanc groaned.

"Just 3 days. Rom and Ram are safe and are playing in their room."

Blanc inhaled and nodded. 3 days. 72 hours she could've spent on something productive like working or writing her novel, instead she was forced to spend this time resting because-

"Die like the monster you all are."

Compa didn't miss Blanc's sharp but quiet gasp, nor the face of terror present on the CPU. "Is everything alright? Are you okay?" The nurse asked.

Like a flick of a switch Blanc snapped out of her terror and looked around before her eyes settled on Compa. "Yes, I'm fine." Blanc said while getting off the bed, but Compa didn't buy her lie. The nurse could easily see how hard Blanc's hands were shaking, a fact the CPU didn't seem to realise herself.

The nurse took a step forward. "Blanc, you should rest more-"

"I'm fine!" Blanc said. "What happened to Trick?"

Compa continued to stare at Blanc, her gaze was unbearable for the CPU. Both of them knew that Blanc was lying about her mental state, but neither wanted to say anything. Eventually Compa backed off. "Trick is dead. It was a long and grueling battle, but the mercenaries eventually killed him. We had to evacuate you pretty early because… you know."

Blanc raised her hand to her chest, touching the place where the blade left her. She can still remember the shock she felt, the pain that came after… and that haunting voice whispering into her ear.

"Die like the monster you all are."

A hand clamped down onto her shoulder, breaking the brunette out of her nightmare. "Please rest a little longer." Compa said. By her tone it wasn't a suggestion but rather a demand.

Blanc swatted away her hand. "I'm fine, there's no need for-"

Before Blanc realized she found herself lying on the bed, with Compa already covering her with a blanket. There was a sweet, slightly smug (only in Blanc's eyes, it wasn't smug at all) smile on the nurse's face - however Blanc could only focus on trying to understand how she got there.

"What the hell just happened?"

Blanc asked, but she received no answers from the blonde nurse.

IF lied on the ground, covered in sweat and panting heavily. The brunette had no strength to even lift a finger, and the heat IF felt didn't help with her exhaustion.

Meanwhile Mina sat on a chair and was pondering what IF was doing wrong. The skill that IF was trying to learn wasn't anything new to Mina, the Lowee Basilicom even had a book for this skill, albeit in poor condition.

The name of the skill was "Flame Awakening". It's a high-level transformation ability that temporarily changes the person's elemental affinity, giving them power to conjure, control, and even become one with the flames themselves. Usually sorcerers are physically unfit for the transformation spell - they would prefer simpler and more effective elemental spells, while those who could benefit from Flame Awakening usually flock towards, again, simpler and more effective physical skills that doesn't require as much sweat and time to learn.

However those who did bother to learn this technique can be very… very powerful.

IF stirred and slowly raised herself to a sitting position. Mina handed her an SP Charger and spoke while IF gulped the bottle down. "It is amazing how much progress you've made."

"It doesn't feel like I'm doing much."

"Oh trust me. Lighting yourself on fire on your first attempt is already much better than most others can manage."

IF blushed and said nothing. Her first attempt at using the Flame Awakening has ended in her bra and shirt catching on fire. Because of this IF now trained only in her panties, her bare chest for all the world to see…

But the doors are locked (Mina checked them twice) and they're on twentieth floor. So most of the world won't be able to see her naked. At first IF felt awkward and embarrassed about being just in her panties in front of Lowee's oracle and current effective ruler, but those feelings passed through those 3 days of training.

"Alright, I think I'm ready for another run."

Mina nodded and watched. IF closed her eyes and focused on herself, without visuals it was easier to focus on her other senses. The warm air brushing against her skin, the sensation of a carpet against her bare feet, her own and Mina's steady breath.

The Guild agent tapped into her SP and used it to increase her heat, slowly and gently to not go into shock. Her body responded by opening its sweat glands, but IF kept raising the temperature. She had to become one with the heat, to survive the raging inferno.

Once IF reached the required temperature she tapped into her SP again, and used it to change her affinities. It was a hard and dangerous part that required trial and error. She increased her fire resistance in exchange of cold resistance.

IF shivered. The warmth that once she felt against her skin disappeared, her arms and feet grew cold. Too cold. As if she covered them in snow. IF increased her heat to compensate, but her body kept getting colder.

She had to do something.

IF cupped her hands in front of her and summoned a flame. She heard Mina's quiet gasp, but the Guild agent ignored her. Her attention was solely focused on the small fireball dancing in her hands, fighting back against the cold in her arms and legs.

Warmth, she felt warm. It was good.

In her hands was a small spark of life, fighting against the outside world with all its might. The heat it emitted was like a blessing in this harsh, cold world. This little spark was her only friend; she had to keep it alive, so it could keep her warm in exchange.

...Hold on a second. The flame is in her hands, then why are her legs-?

"I-IF!"

The Guild agent's snapped open and she turned towards the Oracle. Mina was pointing at her feet.

IF looked at the floor.

"Uwah!?"

She yelped and jumped back. The flames that somehow appeared underneath her feet ate where she once stood before they died. For a second no one said anything before Mina clapped her hands. "Congratulations IF, you've transformed!"

"Eh?" IF blinked in confusion.

The Oracle of Lowee pointed at her head. "Your hair." Then she pulled out a hand mirror. "And your eyes. Look for yourself."

The Guild agent looked at her reflection. True to Mina's words, she has definitely transformed. Her hair was no longer brown - now it was white. And her eyes lost their green color and were red instead. IF looked at the bow in her hair with fascination. Her green leaf that held some of her hair in a ponytail was now red and black. While the changes in her hair and eye colors could be explained by the transformation, why had her clothing changed?

"Also, you're burning the carpet again." Mina pointed out.

IF flinched and stumbled back. "S-Sorry!" Her back hit the wall, which immediately caught on fire as well. "Ah!"

Mina sighed and froze the room solid before IF could burn down the whole Basilicom.

Without any flames IF's body shivered from the cold. She hugged her bare self, but that didn't change anything, it was too cold.

"IF, I think this is enough."

"Yeah." Said the Guild agent. She tapped into her SP and resetted herself back to normal. Her hair turned brown, and her eyes returned to their initial green color. While transforming into this… fiery mode was hard, going back to normal was much easier. IF already had much practice in that regard.

"Much better…" IF sighed in relief. "Still cold, though."

"Here are your clothes." Mina handed her clothes, already folded so they won't be wrinkled.

"Thanks."

While IF was busy readying herself, Mina thawed out the room from ice. With just a wave of her hand, and a short, quiet mutter, all the ice broke into small fragments and disappeared. Not even a drop of melted ice remained and nothing was wet from being frozen in ice.

"Woah." IF breathed out.

Mina smiled and turned back towards the Guild agent. "I think we'll stop here. You've already made considerable progress, so you've earned some rest."

The true reason was that Mina didn't want to see IF burning down the Basilicom. They'll have to continue in a different room - where everything is fireproofed.

"I see. Thanks for these lessons."

"It's no problem. Just be careful when you transform - While using Flame Awakening you'll be safe from flames, but it doesn't apply to others."

"Yeah…" She grinned sheepishly. "Uh, sorry for burning down the carpet… and the wall."

There was a big hole left in the carpet, obviously IF's doing, while the wall had a smoldered imprint of IF's silhouette after she stumbled into it. Mina looked at the damage the brunette caused, and she couldn't help but to sigh. "I'll notify the staff, but our next lessons will be in a place more resistant to fire. We'll also start transforming with your clothes on."

"I can't wait." IF responded, smiling.

That smile fell when the two of them actually left the room.

Pyro was on its knees, its body bowed and its forehead was touching the floor. It was mumbling something, but it was too quiet to even hear it properly. IF had no idea what Pyro was doing and neither was Mina, but "Is he… praying?"

IF shrugged at Mina's question.

Pyro raised its head and looked directly at IF. The brunette was unnerved by its stare, but Pyro was just sitting here and mumbling to itself.

"Uh… Pyro?"

Pyro didn't respond as it continued its prayer.

After a moment, Pyro again bowed and returned to its initial position.

"Ooookay then..." IF said and walked away, trying hard to not think about this and remove the memory from her brain.

Pyro meanwhile kept praying.

Saxton Hale hummed in thought, his hand subconsciously scratching his chest. Two idiots- I mean mercenaries, Engineer and Medic, patiently waited for the CEO's response.

"I dunno, guys, I think I'd rather keep it." The Australian finally answered. Engineer's shoulders fell in defeat while Medic forced a smile.

"Zhen how about 90,000?"

"...Make that 130,000."

The corner of his smile twiched, but the doctor maintained his posture. Engineer sighed and clapped his hands. "Mr. Hale, sorry but we can't go any higher than 110,000." He told him.

The CEO of Mann Co. shrugged at the offer. "Alright, s'fine. See ya later, morons." He slowly turned around and walked a few steps away from the pair of mercenaries. He bent his legs in preparation for a Brave Jump before…

"Vait! Mr. Hale, vait!"

Saxton Hale turned around, a wide smile was plastered on his face. "Yes~?"

Medic huffed. "Fine, ve vill pay zhe 130,000…" Engineer reluctantly placed a bag full of money onto the table, which was taken by Saxton Hale. "Pleasure doing business. So, where do you want those?" The CEO asked while counting fat stacks of money. In less than 3 seconds Saxton Hale already went through half of those unmarked and legit bills.

Medic eyes looked around the room, they were in their Ginger House on the first floor. The room with the fireplace didn't seem to have any room, but the kitchen...

"Zhe refillery should go to zhe kitchen, and zhe solutions would be… in zhe attic? Is zhis right Herr Engineer?"

"Yeah."

"To zhe attic, zhen."

The things the mercs were buying were the necessary equipment and supplies to use the Power-Up Canteens. The refillery would be able to fill their canteens with all 5 flavors of solutions. Saxton Hale just finished setting up the refillery - which looks like a coffee machine - and now he was moving towards the attic to deliver the promised solutions.

The mercs didn't comment on the fact that Saxton Hale pulled the coffee machine out of his chest hair.

So from now on, the mercenaries can finally use the Power Up Canteens that they got in… uhh… 'Ceasefire Break'… that was 30 chapters ago.

Wow.

Engineer and Medic also went with Saxton Hale, both to show him where the attic was and where to put the solutions. With two of them gone, the Ginger House's first floor was empty.

At least until Sniper came in.

The australian closed the entry doors and walked into the kitchen, quietly whistling a tune to himself. He was about to go to the fridge in search of a tasty snack, when his eyes spotted a coffee machine waiting on the table, just waiting to distribute some godly nectar.

Sniper thought 'Why not.' and grabbed some bread and a mug and put it in the machine. He found 5 unmarked buttons that made him frown, but didn't discourage him from pressing a random button - which made the machine pour hot, clear beverage into Sniper's mug. That definitely wasn't coffee. Tea maybe?

Sniper raised the mug and sniffed, the fluid had no smell. With a shrug the australian downed the whole mug in one go…

...And suddenly disappeared.

The mercenary blinked, his body perfectly still. He was no longer in the kitchen but somewhere with a brick wall. He could see a resupply cabinet put against the wall and several small items that belonged to his teammates - Heavy's dumbbells, Scout's calendar, Engineer's scrap metal. There were even spawn doors and teleporters placed outside of the room.

He was back in the hotel.

"...Bloody hell."

That definitely wasn't coffee, or tea.

Back in Planeptune's Basilicom, Histoire was deep in work.

She was replying to emails, signing up papers or writing more herself. It was the usual, mundane work that she would normally think nothing of, but for once her duties filled her with great relief. The riots in Planeptune had left tons of work to do, but Histoire has found her days pass without any distractions or sudden problems arising. Life was peaceful and quiet once more. ...Perhaps too quiet.

While she felt suspicious about this time of peace, she felt reassured that one quick call will bring the group of mercenaries ready to defend her. After all, she's only two teleporters away.

...But at the same time, Histoire wished that the mercs had stayed here in Planeptune. Their antics - while they've caused her numerous headaches- also enriched her day to day life, she had to admit. Things happened to break up her daily routine, and a part of her missed fearing what Soldier or Pyro might do this time, or if she's going to learn about another of Medic's disturbing experiments, or if some other nonsensical phenomenon would occur, as they had a habit of doing whenever the mercs were around.

In a way, it reminded her of Neptune.

...Let's not open this can of worms. It is a good thing she is safe - Histoire even visited her once - but this wasn't the time to think about her CPU.

Taking her eyes off the computer, Histoire took a sheet of paper and scanned its contents. It was a report from the Guild about the analysis of Judge's armor.

Just like she and the mercs previously speculated, the Felon was coated in a newly created metal that resembles silver, but with a few special properties. The ASIC dubbed it Neptulium, and the Guild found no information about it being found naturally anywhere in Gamindustri, so they speculate that this is an artificially created alloy.

One thing they found out was that this metal affects shares. Because none of them were CPUs, they weren't able to find out how exactly this material affected shares, but Histoire has a few guesses. Neptulium was very durable, but also easily adaptable under the right circumstances. This metal can also transform itself into different states or forms. The Guild can see many uses for this kind of metal, but they weren't able to recreate it, and all attempts of getting the recipe from the ASIC have failed.

In the post scriptum they also reported a weird phenomenon. Apparently a normal human has some sort of resistance against weapons coated with Neptulium. Blades made out of this metal will have a harder time cutting through a human's flesh than blades made out of anything else. Scientists are still scratching their head around it.

Histoire saved the report in her desk for later, Engineer or Medic would want to take a look at this.

While it wasn't anything useful for their next encounter against the CFW, it's nice to know what they're up against, and that the ASIC had plenty more. The only problem is how they can protect the CPUs from the metal, metal that could make Nepgear willingly throw herself into a fire and could probably do much worse.

They need to create some countermeasures.

Without any warning a pop-up appeared on her screen, it was her receptionist and secretary calling for her. Histoire accepted the call.

"Yes? What is it?" The fairy said.

"Uhh… Lady Histoire, we've received a letter addressed directly to you. There's no addressee signed, but the contents, uhh… you might want to see this."

Histoire frowned. A letter? Addressed directly to her? What could it be and who could've sent it? More questions plagued the fairy's mind, and a small part of her thought that this might be, as Neptune would put it, some sort of plot progression.

"Is it safe?" The Oracle asked.

"Yes. We couldn't find anything dangerous in it. The content of this letter suggest that this might help us help Lady Nepgear and Lady Neptune. They even mention them in the letter."

At first Histoire was surprised, then hopeful, and then suspicious. More and more intrigued by the letter, Histoire called it to her office.

"I see, please send it to me."

"Yes, Lady Histoire. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The receptionist ended the call, and left Histoire waiting for a courier. The Oracle quickly found herself unable to do any more of her work, as her mind was focused on figuring out the questions that this letter has created. How did this person know about Neptune's rescue? That wasn't publicly announced. What sort of thing required them to send a letter instead of an e-mail like a normal person?

A Basilicom Staff knocked on her doors and Histoire invited her in.

"This is the letter, Lady Histoire." She gave the fairy the envelope and Histoire examined it. Like her receptionist said: there was Histoire's name and address written on the envelope, but not the addressee. It was already opened, but her receptionist had the bright idea of sealing it back with tape, preventing the courier from reading it.

"Thank you, you may leave."

"Yes, Lady Histoire."

Once the Staff Worker closed her doors, Histoire cut the envelope open and read the paper. The first thing she noticed was that the handwriting was neat and easily readable. The person who wrote this must've spent a lot of time polishing their penmanship.

The second thing she noticed were the Shares attached to this letter.

A lot of shares.

Way more shares than Planeptune had in its history.

A few more questions appeared in Histoire's head. Why was there a Share Imprint on the paper? Why did this Imprint have more shares than all the nations currently combined?

Histoire began to read.

Dear Histoire

First of all, Falcom is fine and you don't need to worry about her. Me and her are currently in Leanbox, trying to fix it and chase out the ASIC stationed there. We have this handled, and I'll make sure to send you the Mascot once we get into finding her.

...We do have a few more urgent matters to take care of first, you see.

Also I've heard that you and the mercs have rescued Neptune. Good work. She will certainly help with matters in Planeptune. All that's left are Noire and Vert, and I know in which nation they're hidden:

Vert - Lastation

Noire - Leanbox

I'll handle finding Noire, while I'll be leaving Vert to you. Keep in mind that Gray Mann is there (Ask the mercs, they'll know who he is) and he has Uni, Kei and Nisa backing him up. I don't think you'll be able to go there without a fight.

Lastly I'm sure you're having troubles waking up Nepgear and Neptune, much less keeping them alive at this point. Fortunately I have a solution that may or may not work. I've sent you a letter instead of mail because it's harder for someone to spy on it, and because I've rubbed this paper all over myself. I'm sure I've left a hefty Share Imprint on it. As you know, Share Imprints are usually pretty useless, right? That's because the CPUs here are too weak to leave imprints strong enough to actually do something.

But I'm pretty sure my imprint can't be classified as 'weak'. I'm certain you haven't seen anything as strong as this. You might even be able to create a Sharicite out of the shares left on this paper.

If you do manage to actually create a sharicite then DO NOT give it directly to Nepgear or Neptune, instead transfer the shares to Planeptune's Share Crystal. That way you could artificially increase Planeptune's shares and give a little more life to both CPUs using 1 sharicite.

If you couldn't create a sharicite from this letter, just use Lowee's shares. It should work too.

Your ah, The Mysterious Benefactor

Otherwise known as Samantha Neikan.

P.S: Yes, I'm a woman.

Once Histoire finished the letter she closed her eyes, placed the letter in a plastic bag and wiped her hands on her dress which she'll burn later.

Who in their right mind rubs a letter over themselves?! Which parts did she use?! For how long?!

The grossness aside, it appears that she learned the name of the woman that sealed Falcom's… wait, Falcom said that it was a man who put a seal on her, but here they addressed themselves as female… Almost as if they knew that Histoire would think they're a man.

...Their gender is irrelevant. What mattered was how this person had access to information that were a secret to everyone, how she managed to leave a share imprint this potent (gross method aside), and why she so conveniently sent something that could be called a package of shares when they needed it?

Why?

Although this mysterious woman (Histoire decided to just go on most recent information) pointed out a pretty good idea. Using a Sharicite on the Share Crystal could raise the shares of both CPUs instead of one. The problem would be creating a Sharicite strong enough to raise Planeptune's shares to safe levels. Lowee certainly doesn't have that many shares.

Histoire eyed the letter.

The Share Imprint was the same as the one left on Falcom, except this here had way more shares left on it. Miss Neikan was right saying that this was the strongest Share Imprint Histoire has laid her eyes on. In fact, the paper itself could almost be classified as a Sharicite.

This could actually work. Histoire couldn't sense any malicious energy within the shares left on the paper… it's safe.

At the same time, it's possible that this was some sort of an elaborate trap. Miss Neikan seems to know way more than a normal person - Histoire didn't even think about using the Sharicite on the Share Crystal.

She could booby trap it in ways that Histoire didn't realize.

The Oracle could simply use Lowee's shares, but Histoire doubted they would have enough. She would be simply trading Blanc's, Rom's and Ram's lives for Nepgear and Neptune. From both moral and business standpoint that wasn't a good deal.

Once again Histoire checked the shares on the letter.

The shares were exactly like the ones left on Falcom, although their quantity was concerning. How did she manage to get so many shares? Was there a 5th nation that no one has heard about? Some sort of technique to artificially create shares?

None of that made sense. Histoire flipped the letter to see if there was something more, however all she found was an empty page.

With every moment Neptune and Nepgear were at even more risk of dying from share deficiency, and now here it was: a convenient package of shares simply waiting for her to use. Yet that package could also hold something that would make Histoire regret ever using it. It was cruel, like giving a thirsty person a bottle of water, however the water inside was poisoned.

Histoire checked the paper for a 3rd time, but found nothing. No traps, no tricks, no malicious energy hiding to destroy the world. Just a package of needed shares exactly when they needed it.

All of a sudden something hit her on the side of the head. Histoire looked down and saw a paper plane lying on the floor. The fairy blinked. How did it get there? There was no one else in this room and the windows were closed… how could this paper plane get here?

"Spy? Are you there?" Histoire asked, but no one answered. There were no indents on her carpet, so no one but her was in the room.

Weird…

Then Histoire noticed that the paper plane had a short message on it. However the handwriting was different - it was neat and elegant as the Samantha's note, but the handwriting was visibly different.

Verification code: 2-2-3-5-4-1-T-C

Cipher: Mother

Protocol: -

Query: "Just do what the letter said."

Histoire read the text, and her eyes widened. The code, the cipher… it answered everything!

"Your word is my command."

Histoire took the plastic bag and left her office. The fairy's destination was underground where they kept the Share Crystal.

It was time to wake up Nepgear and Neptune.

This has been a horrible weekend for her.

In fact, this has been a horrible weekend for the entire organisation.

And because of that, CFW Magic was not having a good time.

In fact, their losses were so great that they were actually a threat to their plan as a whole.

The leader of ASIC huffed and impatiently tapped her foot. Any second now and he'll show up - she told herself. Despite his behavior, he was still a CFW and a leader of ASIC. He'll come.

Tap tap tap tap

Magic's impatient foot was breaking the silence.

Any second now…

The doors clicked and CFW Magic rolled her eyes and bit back a comment… only because she saw the state CFW Brave was in.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the only reason why he was still whole, was the duct tape and the blessing of their CPU. His armor was broken, even missing in a few places. The paint was scratched off and black residue covered a few places on his chest. His visor was cracked and Magic wondered if he could still see anything. The sword he held was broken in half, only the handle remained and it was still damaged.

Magic's eye widened. "What… What happened to you?"

"An assault." CFW Brave said. He took a step forward and a few bits and bolts fell from him, but despite that he still made a show to stand tall and proud. "Lastation's Candidate and her friend gathered an army of robots and attacked our outpost. They recovered the Leanbox CPU."

Magic closed her eye and nodded. Things had gone from bad to worse. "I see. This means that all the CPUs are free now."

"What do you mean?" CFW Brave inquired.

"Someone, somehow stole Lastation's CPU from me. What's worse is that I was actually on site, and I didn't notice a thing."

"They stole a CPU right from under your nose?"

"Yes. And no one saw anything, no one missing, no dead bodies, not a scrap of evidence."

"..."

CFW Brave fell silent as her colleague sighed and rubbed her face. This was honestly the most expressive he has ever seen her, it was like she was a different person altogether. "To make matters worse, I've found out that someone's usurped our control. Roughly half of our forces in Leanbox were conscripted by a so called 'Miss Pauling'. They were given deals, blackmailed and manipulated into working for her."

"This is outrageous!" CFW Brave exclaimed.

"I am aware. But no matter how we cut it, our forces in Leanbox have been compromised."

CFW Brave huffed and took a few steps around the room. Ever since Nepgear escaped their plans have been crumbling at an alarming pace, their prisoners freed, their allies killed or turned against them. Their hold on Gamindustri was diminishing, as were the shares they've gathered for Arfoire. "All of the CPUs are free and those in Leanbox have betrayed us. While we have gained back control in Planeptune, it won't be long until the CPUs become active. And then it will be hard for us to gather the necessary materiel to revive Arfoire."

"Yes, I do admit it we've been backed into a corner here. Histoire's Secret Staff has already killed two of our own. For our own safety, and for the sake of our goal, we should avoid fighting them again."

The other Felon was surprised by Magic's proposal. She just admitted that those men that Histoire hired were stronger than they are. Brave felt insulted. "Are you suggesting a few humans are stronger than us, the Four Felons?"

CFW Magic shrugged. "The score is 0-3 in their favor, take it as you want."

That silenced CFW Brave.

CFW Judge lost twice. The first time those men found a way to incapacitate him and break through his impenetrable armor. The second time a man even stronger than they are curbstomped Judge in a one-on-one fight.

Meanwhile CFW Trick…. It was as brutal a kill as it could get.

In all of these fights, the mysterious mercenaries had lost their lives only to come back swiftly. Death seemed little more than a mild inconvenience to them, and they were willing and able to simply throw bodies at an enemy until their inevitable victory. CFW Magic must've noticed that, and decided direct combat was futile.

"Still, there's only so many of them. If we don't engage them, it'll be awhile before they can threaten our hold on Lowee. We should use that time to fix our problem in Leanbox." Magic said.

"We?"

"Yes. You aren't capable of doing anything in this state, and I could use some company. What do you think?"

CFW Magic's answer was Brave's shoulder plate falling off. The Felon cursed, but he didn't do anything to retrieve it. Magic did it instead, taking the plate and giving it back to CFW Brave.

"Just let me get my repairs." The robotic leader said as he took his shoulder plate from Magic's hands.

Magic caressed her lip as she spoke. "Oh, we can do better than that. I'm sure we can find you some upgrades while we have the chance."

CFW Brave… liked the sound of that.

Inside the Basilicom of Lastation a mature woman sat by a round table, surrounded by other people. The woman had blonde hair, blue eyes and was wearing a green dress that showcased her… assets. She was a beautiful woman who would make any man's head turn.

Her name was Vert, and she's the CPU of Leanbox.

And Vert could only fold her arms and sigh, as the news of how the world has progressed without her or the other CPUs reached her ears. They were bad, with one worse after the other.

"Oh my, this is… I honestly don't know what to say about this."

"I can relate. If it wasn't for hard evidence that Mr. Gray Mann has given to us, and also Nisa's testimony, we would also have a hard time believing it." Said Kei.

"But it's true, we've been there so we know it's real." Added Uni.

"And the same danger that is threatening us, is also threatening this world." Said Gray Mann.

"So we all must step up, and defeat this evil. In the name of justice!" Finished Nisa.

With how corny all of that was, Vert couldn't help but to release a very unladylike snort. It was like characters from a JRPG-game were about to fight the main villain of the story. Unfortunately Vert failed to hide her amused snort and that earned her a confused stare from Nisa. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." The CPU of Leanbox said. She cleared her throat and addressed everyone in the room. "I understand that many things have happened while we were gone, but do you know anything about the other CPUs or what is happening in my nation?"

"Umm… we know Nepgear and Blanc are free, but nothing about Neptune… or my sister." Uni's shoulders visibly fell and her voice died down in her throat, while Kei did her best to not look affected.

"I see. Don't worry, I'm sure sooner or later we will hear something about Noire. I doubt that the ASIC will be able to keep her hidden the entire time." Vert reassured. "And what about the nations? This… Miss Pauling person, where is she?"

"In Leanbox, unfortunately." Kei answered. "However she has her forces all over the world. Mr. Mann? Could you?"

The man, who Vert thought was too old for this, nodded and placed two maps on the table. Vert recognized one of the locations on the map as Gamindustri, while the other one was unfamiliar to her.

"We've confirmed that the Administrator has control over three out of four nations in Gamindustri." Gray Mann said. Vert winced at these words. One woman taking control over the majority of the world? Her influence must be surreal.

The CEO then took a set of red colored figures and started placing them on the maps. "Leanbox, where Miss Pauling is currently residing - that's where her grip is the strongest. Planeptune, where she has her mercenaries working closely with their government. Nisa here can testify that they are working for their Oracle."

Vert predictably turned her head towards the heroine, who nodded her head. "That's right. Histoire have hired those… mass murderers to kill and slaughter workers of ASIC."

Vert's eyes widened. "Histoire did what?!"

Vert heard her words clearly… but Histoire of all people?

"There were riots all over in Planeptune because of it. There's no doubt that Histoire had some hand in that." Kei added.

Vert felt sick. The world must've really fallen if Histoire is ordering murder, much less purges. The stern but usually peaceful fairy… hiring mercenaries. Is this hell? "What about Nepgear?"

Nisa released a sad sigh. "Firmly within the mercenaries' grasp. She never leaves their sight, and they're already on friendly basis."

"Add to that fact that these are Helen's own mercenaries, and it's obvious on whose side they stand on." Gray Mann said and placed another piece on the nation of north. "And finally, Lowee. We don't have much intel on how things are there, but they publicly announced an alliance with Planeptune."

"So there's a chance of Lowee not being under this Administrator's control?" Vert asked.

"...I doubt it. Their CPU was rescued in Planeptune, and they're already in alliance."

The situation sounded worse by the minute. It truly felt like it was just them against an entire world… But it wasn't just Gamindustri.

"And how are things in your world, Mr. Gray Mann... Earth, was it?"

The CEO nodded while taking a deep breath. "On Earth, the Administrator… has dirt on every major player in the world; there's no one who can escape her reach. There are no CPUs there, only mortal men. And those men are dancing to her tune."

"Even you?" Vert asked, earning another nod from the CEO.

"Even me." He sighed. "She found out my secrets after my army's debut at Dustbowl. She's a master at collecting information, you see. And she knows how to use it to her advantage."

...Vert didn't know how well he could keep his secrets, so this didn't say anything about the Administrator's skill. But she knew that they were at a disadvantage in this war.

"I see, she truly sounds like a terrifying woman."

So there were 2 people that are preventing peace from returning. One is CFW Magic, who's strong enough to defeat 4 CPUs and a Candidate in direct combat. She's a very powerful foe that they can't underestimate, but once she's defeated she'll cease to be a threat.

And the other is the Administrator, the complete opposite of CFW Magic. She apparently doesn't fight, but rather takes on the role of mastermind. She moves her pawns and orders them to fight for her. Depending on those pawns she could be either a small threat, or much bigger than even CFW Magic. Vert will simply have to see for herself.

"There's still something I don't understand. What is their goal? Magic's and the Administrator's."

"Well, the ASIC has been working hard to collect shares these past 3 years. We know for sure that their goal is to revive the Deity of Sin, Arfoire." Kei explained. "As for the Administrator… we don't know."

They… don't?

"I don't think anyone knows her goal, even her own people." Gray Mann added.

Without knowing about her goal, they can't do anything to prevent it...

"I see… In that case, I'll gladly join you."

Nisa and Uni's eyes lit up at her words. The Heroine of Justice stood up from her chair and raised her fist. "Great choice, CPU! Together we shall crush the evil doers in the name of justice!"

Vert chuckled at her enthusiasm. Kei however immediately went to creating a plan of attack. "In that case, this will allow us to strike two nations at once, while not leaving ourselves open. Uni, Nisa, we need intel on the state of Lowee. Go there and try to make contact with Blanc or her sisters. Keep in mind that the Administrator's people can hide themselves within the crowd, and the fact that the CPU may already be an enemy."

Nisa snapped a salute. "It shall be done!"

Uni however blinked in confusion at her Oracle. "Won't you need help managing things here?"

Kei shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. Just go with Nisa and keep yourself safe."

"In that case, I shall return to Leanbox and try to regain control." Vert said. "Chika should still be there, so she can help me."

"Be very careful. I don't know what Miss Pauling will do once she realizes that someone is taking out her inside people." Gray Mann warned.

"I thank you for your warning, however I must point out that I am a CPU. I would be a bad leader if I couldn't handle some corrupted bureaucrats. What about you, Mr. Gray Mann? What are you going to do?"

"I'll handle keeping this nation secure. Any of you just give a word, and I'll have a Carrier Tank sent to help you." The CEO answered.

The meeting was adjourned, and they had a new member on board. Pieces on all sides were moving and their plans were being drawn. There'll be a clash, just give it some time.

Blanc heard two knocks on her doors, and she couldn't help but to sigh in annoyance.

"It's open."

"Coming!"

Compa - the source of Blanc's annoyance - entered her room with a tray full of food. Blanc bookmarked her book and put it on the drawer next to her. Compa placed the tray on the bed, and Blanc began eating her meal.

At least the food was delicious. Blanc could recognize the dish as the Basilicom's Chef's speciality that she only cooked on special occasions. Apparently Blanc's recovery counted as one.

While Blanc allowed herself to be immersed in a delicious meal, Compa thought that a small talk might cheer up the CPU of Lowee. Hint: it didn't, especially when it was coming from her.

"So how was your day?" Compa asked.

'Can I beat you up for forcing me to do this?' Blanc asked herself as she swallowed. "Boring. Can I leave?"

"Mr. Medic said to not let you out of this bed." Compa answered.

Blanc clicked her tongue. "I'm feeling fine now. My wounds are healed thanks to… this." She nodded towards her Quick-Fix. It wasn't a lie. Blanc checked her chest and there wasn't even a scar on her skin. The injury she sustained last fight disappeared without a trace and she's not feeling tired anymore. The CPU of Lowee was forced to spend the majority of the day simply tucked in her bed, with only a few books to kill some time.

"Histoire said there may be some lingering effects, so Mr. Medic said to keep you here so we can quickly heal you if something happens." Compa explained, helping Blanc (against her will) to sit on the bed so she can eat her food.

"I don't feel anything though." Blanc responded and started eating. The deliciousness helped dull the annoyance.

"Please, just wait until the doctor checks you out. We don't want you to be hurt." Compa said while looking at Blanc.

"...I have two little rascals as my sisters, your puppy eyes don't work on me." Blanc deadpanned.

Compa's shoulders fell after learning that her weapon wasn't effective. However the conversation between them was cut short by an upbeat and catchy ringtone. "Huh?" Compa blinked and rummaged through her purse.

Blanc raised her head and looked at Compa, while she pulled out her phone and checked the caller. It was Histoire.

"Yes?" Compa asked?

"Ah, hello Compa. Could you check on Nepgear and Neptune right now?" Histoire said.

"I was planning to, but I'm with Blanc right now. Did something happen?" Compa asked.

"I've been given a way to wake up both Nepgear and Neptune. I need you to keep a watch on them and inform me if anything happens."

Blanc saw Compa's expression going from shocked to happy to ecstatic in a single moment. She raised a curious eyebrow at the nurse, but said nothing and kept eating her food.

"Really?!" Compa shrieked, making both Blanc and Histoire wince.

"...Yes. Please call me when you have time, I've already prepared everything. Goodbye Compa."

"Goodbye Histoire! I'll call you soon."

The call ended and a wide-eyed Compa kept staring at her phone. Compa's mouth was frozen into an open smile, and the nurse couldn't believe this conversation actually happened.

"Well?" Blanc asked, breaking Compa out of her shock. "What was that?"

"Histoire just found a way to wake up Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge!" Compa announced. Blanc's fork briefly stopped before the CPU forced it to move. Blanc took a piece of food into her mouth, chewed it and swallowed. Once her mouth was empty, a single "Oh." left her mouth.

That was… fast. Honestly Blanc felt like there would be way more build up to this, but it was just a simple phone call. It's good news though, that cheeky brat could finally do something about Nepgear, or her own nation.

...Nah, she won't do anything.

Compa meanwhile was already getting ready to depart. "I have to go, Blanc. Be a good girl and stay in bed, if you need-"

"I get it, just go!" Blanc shouted.

The nurse looked as if she wanted to say something more, but to Blanc's happiness Compa just ran out of the room. Finally at peace, Blanc could finish the rest of her meal in the comfort of solitude.

Nepgear and Neptune were lying on a single bed, holding hands as they slept in their coma. They looked exactly like Compa had left them, with Kritzkrieg and Vaccinator keeping their healing beams trailed onto the CPU sisters.

Compa hurriedly pulled out her phone and dialled a number. "Histoire? I'm with Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge and ready to watch."

"I see. I'll now start adding shares to the Planeptune Crystal, this will only take a moment. Please don't hang up, okay?" Histoire answered.

"Okay!"

Histoire took the freshly-created Sharicite, and used it on the Planeptune's Share Crystal. At first Compa saw no changes. Neptune was still deathly pale and breathing heavily, and while Nepgear looked a bit better, she still was weak.

Was… was this bad?

"Nothing is really happening." Compa reported.

"...That's because I didn't put anything in yet, I have accidently dropped the Sharicite." Histoire said.

Compa said nothing, but inwardly she was sighing from relief. She was getting worried that whatever Histoire did wouldn't work and they might have to search for a different way.

"Okay, now I'm ready," Histoire said. "Transferring shares… now."

It took only few moment to see the changes. At first they were subtle; like a calmer, more rhythmic heartbeat or breathing, but then more visible effects appeared. Their expression calmed - they didn't look in pain now, and their skin was slowly regaining color. After being on the verge of death for a couple of days, these positive changes were like a miracle.

Compa was quick to report.

"It-it's working, Histoire! It's working! They're looking better!" The nurse cried into her phone, and Histoire smiled on the other side.

"Thank goodness, I was getting afraid that this might be a bad idea."

Then Nepgear opened her eyes. "Mmh?" the candidate murmured, looking at the nurse in confusion.

Compa was immediately by her side. "Ge-Ge? Are you alright?" The nurse crouched by the bed, but Nepgear still looked confused.

"Khompa? Wuh-?"

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

"Uwah!?"

"Ah!"

Both Nepgear and Compa freaked out when Neptune suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs. The CPU swung her arms and legs around until she fell face-first into the floor. The room became silent.

Nepgear, who was now wide-awake, stared wide-eyed at her sister - whose face was still on the floor and her legs were high above her head, propped by the bed.

"Was-Was that-?" Histoire asked but Compa ignored her. Neptune didn't move an inch from her position, a fact that made Compa concerned. The Vaccinator was still trailed on the CPU… but why wasn't she showing any signs of living? Even Nepgear was fully awake by now.

Compa swallowed and ignored this foreboding sense of doom rising in her gut. "...Are you okay, Nep-Nep?"

…

…

...

"Yup! Never felt better!" Neptune said while bouncing to her feet. The CPU gave them a victory sign and exclaimed. "I feel da powah! Muhahaha!"

"What a relief." Compa breathed out. Neptune closed and opened her palms as if to test them, and was satisfied with the result. "What in the world did you do to me? I've never felt this powerful!"

Nepgear couldn't wait much longer. Tears build up in the candidate's eyes and so the lilac-haired girl launched herself at her sister, crying into her shoulder. "Neptune!"

Neptune's eyes widened from the force of Nepgear's hug, but the CPU beared it. "Ah don't cry, goofball. We're both fine, right?" Neptune patted Nepgear's back, but that just made her cry even more.

"N-Neptune!" Nepgear tightened her embrace.

"Histoire, Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge are awake! It worked!" Compa reported into her phone, but she didn't get any response from the Oracle. Compa could see Neptune's willpower giving out, and had to tag out from the hug.

"Nep- Nep Jr. Can't- breathe." Neptune groaned, rapidly patting Nepgear's shoulder. "L-Let go... please…"

"Ah! Sorry! Sorry!"

Nepgear recoiled in shock and released Neptune, letting her take a step back and a draw huge breath of air. The CPU was shocked by her little sister's strength, but once she filled her lungs Neptune again invited Nepgear into an embrace.

Finally Compa could hear Histoire's response.

"...I'm so glad."

"Hold on a second."

Neptune's brows knitted into a frown. The CPU of Planeptune paced around the room, much to the witnesses' confusion. Her purple eyes darted from spot to spot as if she searched for something, but couldn't find it.

"Umm… Ge-Ge?"

"-Shh!"

Neptune quickly sushed Compa with her finger, which then traveled to Nepgear who also wanted to say something. The CPU checked the rating, then the tags and the Author. Although to other people it looked like simply looking around the room.

"M rating with a humor tag, no romance. Hmm... Harmless Orange as the author, and what is Team Fortress 2?" The CPU mumbled to herself, confusing Nepgear and Compa even further. The CPU stroked her chin in thought, as if this will bring her the answers she seeked. However nothing came to her.

"Sis… are you feeling alright?" Nepgear asked.

"Nepgear…" Neptune turned her head towards the Candidate. Nepgear has never seen such a confused, betrayed and serious look in her sister's eyes.

"Why did we wake up in a fanfiction? That already has 41 chapters?!"

Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Aftermath

In this chapter we've finally added Neptune into the group, in the last chapter we've reached 300k words. Those are pretty big milestones there, all that's left is for this fanfic to get its own TVTropes page and getting a cover image that isn't my profile pic.

To be honest we're pretty far into the story. Once I finish stuff with Leanbox and Lowee, we'll reach the final arc of the story.

So roughly a year, or year and half until the end.

Responses:

So someone to balance out Saxton Hale, huh? I have few ideas, but I don't promise anything.

YORCHspartan117

...oh my god, that's +2k words review.

Fun fact, the Adventurer Start-Up thing I was planning to include in a sequel, and not in this fanfiction… plans have changed as you can see.

Also I'll add Fay earlier than in a final fight. Because I want to show her character and her relationship with Samuel/Samantha.

...Also I actually put Machias there on a whim. At first I wanted to kill him and have Falcom and Sam become the bodyguard in his stead, but I couldn't figure out a way to do it. So we have our Cave doppelganger.

Don't worry, I already know how I'll use him.

kerrowe

5pb had to wake up early tomorrow, and Machias reassured her that he'll be fine as he had Samantha at disadvantage. Because of his biological enhancements Machias is physically stronger and more durable than Samantha.

TF2Neptunia Fan

Don't forget that Merasmus is in Lowee too.

This halloween will get interesting.

Guest

I think this chapter answered all your questions.

doom2099

Well, thank you for your kind words.

Please do play TF2 and/or Neptunia. The former is a classic free-to-play shooter (one of the most balanced too) while the other is a pretty solid jRPG with cute waifus.

As for the way the story is going, "the plot thickens" as they say.

Also there are pretty good harem stories: Date a Live or DxD Highschool for example.

- Harmless Orange