I've been meaning to ask you this; What would you do if you were met with a decision that could change the way you see the universe? Would you accept the change or would you keep it unchanged? If I were given such a choice, I think I'd probably choose not to alter anything...
A childish thought indeed.
But perhaps one day someone might have wished me "Well then, how about changing the past?" Perhaps they had done so without even thinking about it. To be honest, I cannot say I understand the meaning behind these words very well. But right now, at least, the world feels like an ugly place full of confusion, conflict and turmoil.
But right now, at least, the world feels like an ugly place full of confusion, conflict and turmoil [https://img.wattpad.com/95ad63326c3815111e43dfa6cb47232f5160dad5/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f745939716d7778457667307059413d3d2d313333343031383639302e313735353866313964323834313836613337373737393132323931382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
March 23, 2065
POV: Nazuki Mihara & Andrei Feng
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The planning was long overdue. Andrei was busy sorting other things out and caused the planning to go underwater for a couple of days. It wasn't easy. The plan was to break out Natsuha and finally end her tie to the Dark Infinite Project, as well as save her little sister, who was most likely kept hostage for Natsuha to continue being held on a leash.
Saving two people in the most heavily fortified tower in the world was something where people would think that the planner was crazy for even trying to attempt it. But now was their chance—and they had no choice but to give it a try. They are so close, yet so far. Because their biggest obstacle was yet to come. And if they didn't deal with it in time, then there wouldn't be anything left of them or those he... loved.
A chill ran down his spine, which was odd given how hot he felt in this environment. He ignored the sensation and continued walking while running through what actions he could take right here at present. He had already texted Nazuki to meet up in Teatime Cafe once more to look through the plan once more and then hit. He called her too just after that and told her not to show herself around before arriving in order to avoid any attention. After finishing all of that, he figured out that he couldn't do much else than wait until Nazuki arrived.
Andrei sighed, the anxious feeling almost taking over. "... This needs to work... This needs to work." He kept muttering under his breath. What scared him the most, was that he would be labeled a criminal in Ultima City. This stupid and impossible plan that he has been working on could easily land him in jail, or worse, death. Ultima City was known to be not so forgiving to criminals that dared to harm the lives of the higher-ups.
"I can't lose more people... I can't." He constantly tried to reassure himself that this would work, and the fact that Nazuki was several minutes late didn't help calm Andrei down at all. His breathing became faster as his thoughts began racing. The door opened with a click, revealing someone familiar to Andrei standing. Their eyes were concealed by the hood. But even though they were perfectly concealed, Andrei knew who they were.
"Thank god, you're here." Andrei said, finishing off with a relieving sigh that eliminated almost all of his fears. His body would ease up, losing the tensity that it once had. The concealed person - who was Nazuki Mihara, sat down in the same table they sat a few days ago.
"Sorry for being late..." She responded. "...You look worried..." She observed while noticing how he had started sweating and looked tense despite not showing any sign of fear in his voice tone or facial expression. "Are you... scar-"
"I heard that line before, don't hit me with that now." Andrei sighed even more after hearing his own line being used on him.
"Okay." Nazuki simply replied after blinking at him with her usual dull expression. He watched as she removed her black hoodie to reveal her grey and white striped sweater underneath along with her normal white hair half obscured by her beret. She had fashion sense, Andrei knew that—but why would a fashion specialist be so shy? That's what Andrei didn't get.
Nazuki initially worked as a clothes seller. She recently got a promotion to be a fashion designer. It was her dream job. She would usually help a certain friend out, who is a model, with making and selecting just the right clothes to land her a big break in the modeling industry.
Nazuki took her beret off, knocking it on the table over and over, removing the wetness of it. She had walked from the Eastern District all the way to the Centre, which was about an hour with public transport and an additional 30 minutes of walking. This wasn't a walk that she enjoyed too much given that she had to avoid meeting anyone around here, but she did make it.
Andrei broke the silence. "I've planned it out. You know what you have to do, right?" Andrei looked straight at Nazuki, who was preoccupied with her beret.
"...? Oh? Yeah... I know what to do." Nazuki replied almost instantly.
"Good." Andrei gave her a nod in reply. "You'll stay outside until I call for you. If anything goes wrong... even if it's something small... run and don't look back." He instructed her after looking back down in his pocket for his phone. "The guards will be fixated on me once I enter the building. There is a certain keycard that opens the backdoor of the tower, and that is where you'll enter from. Whatever you do, do not engage unless I say so."
Nazuki listened carefully to every word of the plan before replying. "...Got it..." She quietly mumbled.
"I have no teleportation abilities, but I know how to escape. Like I said, if anything goes wrong... just keep running as fast as you can towards the exit doors at any cost." Andrei put more emphasis into his words when he spoke them next time. After giving her everything they need to know, Andrei stood up, putting his coat on and pulled his hood up, concealing his eyes. He had a mask on.
"..." Andrei looked at Nazuki, who was reluctant about all of this. She continued sitting down and stared at her beret. Andrei noticed that Nazuki was shaking a little bit. Andrei initially wanted to ask Nazuki if she was okay, but then he realized that Nazuki was scared about the entire operation.
"... You still have time to refuse, you know?" Andrei assured Nazuki that she had a choice, so she didn't feel like she was forced to do this.
"... No... It's fine... I'll do it." She answered with barely audible voice. And once that statement was made, there would be no turning back—no going back from here on. That was clear enough.
Andrei felt relieved with his decision being taken care of, and that left him with one thing to focus on: getting inside the tower. The only way to enter the tower without raising suspicion was to use the CARD Hi-Quad keycard that could grant him free passage to the main entrance of the tower.
Generally, only CARD Hi-Quad members are allowed to enter the tower, with a few exception of Hi-Quad Elites of other branches such as CALIBER, VOID and BREAKER. Andrei is the little brother of the late Jian Feng, who was a Elite Member of CALIBER. Jian Feng was once a temporary member of the U.C.I.S, and therefore Andrei was well trusted by CARD members.
"..." Andrei thought as he grabbed his bag and headed for the exit. He stopped along his tracks for a second and looked back to see if Nazuki was following him. She was, and that was enough for Andrei to realize that Nazuki was ready. He proceeded towards the exit door, which was located at the side of the building, not too far away from where they were sitting.
But right now, at least, the world feels like an ugly place full of confusion, conflict and turmoil [https://img.wattpad.com/95ad63326c3815111e43dfa6cb47232f5160dad5/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f745939716d7778457667307059413d3d2d313333343031383639302e313735353866313964323834313836613337373737393132323931382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
POV: Andrei Feng
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Andrei made it to the entrance of Heaven's Fall, which was the huge tower. It was practically a windowless building, giving off the feeling that it was indestructible. It was however, and it's indestructability was witnessed by a large number of SPECs. Any ability used to attack Heaven's Fall was instantly nullified. What was it protected by? A stronger form of SPEC... or perhaps a different kind of supernatural phenomenon?
Once upon a time, people would theorize what phenomenon the building was being protected by. A large number of people accepted that it was just the work of Ultima City's latest super technology, but some people did not buy it and believed in their own conspiracy, stating that the building was protected by a form of Magic.
Others had even more outrageous beliefs. However, one thing became common knowledge: The mysterious place called "Heaven's Fall" was not just heavily guarded and surveyed by Hi-Quad members... but also the members of the U.C.I.S. This didn't come as a surprise to the young man who claimed he could find his way through this seemingly impossible task.
"How am I going to do this..." He pondered aloud as he walked closer to the front garden of the tower. Surprisingly, the garden wasn't protected by walls, fences or anything. It was a free walking spot for everyone. It even acted as a park for tourists. "I would atleast assume that there would be a lot more guards than usual, given that it's rush hour." Just like normal, crowds of people were wandering around outside. Some stared towards the building, while others merely looked up into the sky. All they saw was nothing special happening here.
After several minutes spent pondering on how he should tackle this situation, Andrei decided to go along with his own plan. "Trust the plan, Andrei." He talked to himself, constantly reassuring himself that he can do this. A path of freedom and happiness stood along his path. He knew it. Nobody would need to die anymore.
He began walking calmly and steadily forward... and when nobody noticed him and made any sort of attempt against him... And just before he entered Heaven's Fall... he suddenly stopped in place. He began having second thoughts. If something goes wrong... what will happen then? His eyes fell downwards as a frown came across his face.
"Come on, Andrei... what are you so scared of? You're not a pussy!" He self-deprecated, realizing he was starting to lose confidence now that his body was near the tower. He took a sigh, then another sigh. "It's time." He said, pulling out his borrowed CARD keycard and opening the huge entrance of the tower.
For people with a special keycard, there was no need for verification, such as stating their name. For foreigners or for visitors, it was mandatory for them to state their name, pull out their ID and probably their visa too. Think of it as two-step verification, but in real life. However, since the security system was run by Hi-Quad and the U.C.I.S, this rule didn't apply to the latter. This particular method had been invented by VOID, and it was the primary method ever since.
Not wasting anymore time, Andrei entered the tower and looking around the lobby. The experimentation rooms were in the basement and the laboratory was at the 22nd floor, as seen in Andrei's borrowed blueprint of the tower. None of those rooms were his designated place to go, however. He was looking for the place where they kept Natsuha Inose's sister locked up.
"Think, Andrei... you've went through the blueprint. You remember it... now, where would she be?" He thought, almost walking in circles. "The labs are upstairs..." He thought initially. "Knowing how inhumane scientists of Heaven's Fall can be, they would probably lock her up there. I can't shake off that idea." His hand moved down to his pocket and felt a certain item within. He came prepared with a smoke grenade and a couple flash grenades. After a few moments, he decided on taking both items out and throwing one after another towards a random direction. Both grenades exploded immediately afterwards. With this action, he made sure he could get into any room on the building without getting caught by anyone else.
He would make a run for it to one of the elevators, pulling out his keycard and opening the doors of an exclusive elevator. He had brought a spare keycard that was exclusively meant for Jian Feng, but now that she died, Andrei Feng held it. He had access to the U.C.I.S... and the room where a certain project was ongoing.
"Rggh... I'll check the laboratory first!" He said, finally moving in the right direction. As soon as the elevator arrived at the lab, he jumped straight inside and got ready. The place was filled with corridors leading to rooms where Tsuki might be kept hostage. The only problem? There were cameras all around the place. They were connected to each other so no blind spots existed. It didn't matter anymore anyway, considering that the elevators were locked down too.
Andrei had no more time to think. Every second he wastes could lead to a potential disaster that he clearly wants to avoid. He began running down a corridor, hoping that there wouldn't be anybody here or something like that. After several seconds of running, he turned a corner and saw two people ahead of him. He tried to hide but it was too late. The guards had already spotted him, locked onto him with big guns.
"Freeze!" One of the men yelled out and pointed his gun towards Andrei. He put up his hands while taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. "Put your hands where I can see them and do not move a single inch!"
Andrei took a look at the man, loaded with a big gun. He knew what it was. It was an Anti-SPEC weapon. He heard of those guns before, but Hi-Quad rarely uses them. Those guns are filled with bullets that causes a SPEC's O.C.R to glitch, making them unable to calculate certain formula to materialize supernatural abilities on the real world.
The guard noticed that he was not obeying, and fired a shot into the ground, scaring Andrei. "I said, hands where I can see them!!" The guard yelled once again, this time getting closer. Andrei was at a disadvantage even though he was loaded with smoke grenades and flashbangs, but the bullet of a weapon is faster than any explosive device known in human history. He had no choice but to obey for now... But:
"No..." Andrei said calmly. A large hole was dug in the ground near where he stood. This bullet had been intended for him, he knew that. He also knew that he would die if he didn't comply... but he dared not to obey the ones that helped out with the project... the torture of Natsuha Inose.
"I won't obey the very people that dare to hurt my loved ones." He said with eyebrows furrowed, taunting the guards.
"Last chance! Hands behind your fucking back!"
But Andrei did not move at all. The guard grumbled for a moment as his finger slowly pulled on the trigger. It was then in this moment that Andrei would risk his life.
He would use his ability to imagine he was touching a surfage. In this instance, he imagined touching the railing just behind the guards, moving at insane and unimaginable speeds. To the guards, it seemed like Andrei teleported away.
"What the-" The guards were perplexed and waved their gun around, trying to search for him. Suddenly, the guard on the left would feel something pressurizing on his neck, forcing him to the ground. Andrei had kicked him down from behind.
"Gwah!" He would let out a grunt, before hitting the ground. He would drop his gun in the process, allowing Andrei to take his gun and shot at the other guard, narrowly missing the Anti-SPEC bullet the other guard discharged at the same time. The guard would fall to the ground with a gaping hole in his chest. Blood spurted out of his mouth while his half-destroyed heart was visible.
"F-Fuck!" Andrei would curse out loud, shocked that he just about avoided the bullet by about half an inch. He knew that he had no time to process what just happened. More guards could come in any second, and he still hasn't found Natsuha or her little sister, Tsuki. He had to continue moving forward, no matter what happened.
He would begin running again, dashing into a room as he saw it on his blueprint. It was the only place that wasn't locked. The door was opened and the guards that entered were knocked out on the floor, without a single scratch on them.
"What the?" Even Andrei was confused. Who came in here before him? The guards of this building would never have left the laboratory unlocked. He would approach the table and began checking the computer's screen, seeing if there were any files that contained anything related to the project. There were several documents and blueprints. One particular file caught his eye, however. The file name was called;
-U.C: H.F-SElog: C.11sh1ftsubjectNatsuhaInose.bin-
The file was just compressed binary, protected by an encryption code that looked like only the higher-ups of the city had access to it.
"Fuck..." He muttered under his breath as he reached into his pockets. He could've sworn that he brought something like a encryption bypassing USB stick with him. He pulled out a small device which looked like a USB stick and inserted it in. In the meantime, alarms started to sound over the building. He foresaw this however. The only thing that he wanted to question is that why it took so long for the alarm to start sounding, especially in a highly fortified tower, where even the greatest hackers and intruders seemingly cannot survive once inside.
"Damnit! Am I too late?" Andrei's pessimism started to take over him. The device that he inserted inside the computer couldn't complete the decryption process. "Fuck! Worthless fucking stick!" He threw the stick out of the room in frustration. He would then take a deep breath, taking out his phone in a desperate manner and opened up his contact menu. After doing some digging, he found the name and number of Nazuki Mihara, whom was still waiting for his orders.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The call would be forwarded after 30 seconds of dialing. Nazuki would pick up and was immediately greeted by a desperate yelling Andrei.
{C}: "Nazuki! Now's the time! Go inside!"
Nazuki {C}: "R-Roger!"
{C}: "Remember what I told you! Use the CARD keycard that I gave you to open up the backside entrance!"
Andrei heard footsteps from the phone, which meant that Nazuki was on the move. He would take another deep breath, and then exhale all of his adrenaline and fear away. Nazuki's shy and introverted personality made Andrei skeptical of Nazuki's usefulness at times, but she has proven herself useful many occasions in the past. There was currently no one that he could trust this mission more on, except Nazuki.
Andrei took another deep breath, before speaking through the phone again.
{C}: "We'll switch places. You go do some more digging upstairs. Look for a decryption device somewhere. There should be tons of them in a place like this! The backdoor of the tower has a secret entrance that leads to the floor I'm in right now. Get up from there!"
Nazuki {C}: "R-right! W-what will you do?"
Andrei hesitated for a moment after Nazuki asked him what Andrei was planning. He thought about this for quite awhile before deciding on it. He knew one hundred percent that saving Natsuha was the sole purpose of this mission... but he also couldn't forget what he promised her.
Nazuki {C}: "A-Andrei...? Andrei!?"
Nazuki yelled over the phone, becoming impatient due to Andrei's silence.
{C}: "...Anyway! I will meet up with you soon! Just do what I said and don't fuck up, please! This is the only chance we've got to save Natsuha!"
Nazuki would remain quiet until she finally spoke again. Her voice sounded much calmer than when she first picked up the call.
Nazuki {C}: "Roger..."
She spoke like she was a soldier, which put Andrei a bit more at ease for some reason.
Nazuki {C}: "Nazuki out."
The call ended, and both were now branching out into their respectful missions.
The call ended, and both were now branching out into their respectful missions [https://img.wattpad.com/fa86c750bf274487869e2bb99dd02887c2f0f514/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f7a385a416430637157584d5045413d3d2d313333343031383639302e313735363332313837666261363065353230333735333739383131362e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
POV: Nazuki Mihara
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"Hhh... hhh... hhh..." Nazuki panted as she went up the stairs in a tight corridor. She was headed for the 35th floor, where the laboratory was located at. Andrei told Nazuki that one of the corridors in the floor had a series of rooms where test subjects were likely locked up. Nazuki was almost certain that Natsuha was holed up in there.
"Hhh...hhh...hhh..." The panting never stopped, she never took a break going up the stairs too. Elevators were shut down and alarms kept sounding. She made it to the 35th floor, kicking the door down and entering a series of corridors. It was filled with guards and she needed to pass through them, but how? "Hhh! Hhh!"
She could only grunt unintelligibly now, so her thoughts were scattered about. Nazuki was a shy person, but she knew how to think in desperate situations like this. After all, what other choice did she have if she wanted to save Natsuha from captivity? She used her SPEC to teleport into one of the corridors leading to where Natsuha's room would be, not raising any suspicion and being free from the sight of guards lurking around.
After checking a map of the lab on a terminal, she saw that the place she was heading for should've been close. And indeed, after passing several halls, she found a hallway with a lot of doors. There were many of them.
"Hhh... hhh... hhh..." She muttered again. This was incredibly hard. The rooms had no nameplate, which made Nazuki think that she had to check every single door one by one. But then there was another problem—after checking one of the doors, she realized that it was locked, which also meant that all the other doors were supposedly locked too.
"...Shit..." She expressed her frustration and started thinking aloud. Her hands felt numb and sweat covered her back. After thinking for 30 seconds, she realized something else.
"Wait..." She reached into her pockets and took out the keycard Andrei gave to her. Fortunately, the doors had a security system that required a card in order to open them. Nazuki would smile uncontrollably, finally able to shake off the need to find a lock. She may smile now, but what if the card didn't work? What if the doors were only to be opened with a card unique to people actually working here? She bit her lip and tried to stay optimistic. "Okay... let's see... hhh..."
She slowly approached one of the doors.
"Hhh... hhh..." She swiped the keycard down into the card reader and evidently did so correctly as it worked without any issues. With trembling fingers, she unlocked the door. After opening the door wide enough for her to get through, she closed it behind her once more. There was no sound from inside except for her heavy breathing. She turned on the lights of the room and then confirmed that the room was empty. No one was here.
"... 74 doors to go." She became frustrated, exiting the room and closing the door behind her. She still had a long way to go to find Natsuha in this seemingly endless hallway of many doors.
There are many things you can do when locked up alone in a dark prison cell: cry your eyes out, or become angry at everything, including yourself; have nightmares about being tortured; fantasize about what could've been if there weren't such problems; imagine all kinds of possibilities. Nazuki started to feel even more worried, thinking that this is what Natsuha must be thinking about right now. The thought of it alone made Nazuki work harder than before. But unfortunately, she also came across several dead ends and had to restart the search. She repeated the same steps countless times—locking and unlocking the doors—trying to get a little closer to where Natsuha may be held captive.
After about 15 minutes of going back and forth, she noticed a door that was the odd one out from those other rooms with its own set of keys next to them. This particular door was stained with fresh blood, which probably gave Nazuki the feeling that this room was recently opened. Maybe Natsuha was inside? Could that be Natsuha's blood? Is she okay? Is she hurt? Nazuki spiraled into the horror of her own thoughts, but quickly regained her focus after realizing that the search wasn't over yet.
She swiped the keycard through the card reader, and unlocked the door... but. The door was already unlocked prior to Nazuki coming here. The fresh blood was a dead giveaway, but Nazuki had no time noticing small details. She opened the door slowly, and turned on the lights.
"...!" Nazuki let out a shocked gasp.
In front of her, were piles of corpses. All of them wearing the same uniform. It looked like they died horribly, as their faces bore expressions of fear. Some of the bodies were burned as well. This room was also surprisingly bigger than all the other rooms that she had checked.
She shook her head, and tried to ignore the pile of dead bodies on the floor, and walked straight. The lights itself were unstable, as it went on and off, giving off the feeling that this was like something out of a horror movie. The dim light only made it worse. Nazuki took a deep breath and continued forwards.
In the distance, she sees someone standing amidst the dead bodies. That was her. It could only be her. That body language, brown, slick hair, flowing over the shoulders—her bright galaxy-like blue eyes. It was her - Natsuha Inose.
[https://img.wattpad.com/068b8e05f0be968895ba15bfb8fd9990cddefa0e/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f796e74365f4f347a326b4e786a513d3d2d313333343031383639302e313735363336333733373038343962353333323534303234313830392e706e67]
Nazuki stopped along her tracks. She finally saw her. After weeks of constant worry, she finally saw her again.
"NATSUHA! NATSUHAA!"
She yelled, running up to her. The closer she came to Natsuha, the better she could see. After each stride, her facial expressions became more and more shocking. Natsuha was wearing something which resembled a hospital gown. She was drenched in blood and sweat. Her hands were bloody, her legs were bloody, her clothes were stained with fresh blood. Her eyes... weren't as galaxy-like as before. It was dark and gloomy.
"N... Natsuha..." She stopped again, looking at her. Natsuha herself didn't avert her gaze ever since she noticed Nazuki. She just stared at her. To Nazuki, it felt like Natsuha's gaze pierced through her body. It was scary.
Natsuha then started talking. "What... are you doing here?" She asked what could've been the stupidest question ever asked. If her friends were here in the same room, then obviously it was to save Natsuha and help her escape... right? Natsuha's eyes regained colour the more she questioned Nazuki's presence here. "What... why are you here?" She walked up to Nazuki, looking at her.
"... Hhh..." Nazuki took a deep breath, and suddenly her facial expressions became serious.
"We're here... to save you."
Nazuki could see Natsuha's eyes widen up to such a point where it could fall off. "What?" There was shock on her face. It almost looked like she couldn't believe her own ears. Was this really happening or was this all just in her mind now?
"Me and Andrei came to break you out! We don't have much time... Come on! Andrei is waiting for us downstairs!" Nazuki said, extending her hand, desperately waiting for Natsuha to take it and go with her. But... Natsuha didn't budge. She stood locked in that position ever since Nazuki came here. She stood like a lifeless robot in a lifeless pose with lifeless bodily expressions that almost belonged to a psychopath.
"...Natsuha! Come on!" Nazuki grabbed Natsuha's hand, pulling hard to break her out of that position. Despite using all of her strength to pull on Natsuha's hand, Natsuha still didn't budge. Her body was stiff as well. It was as if she wasn't even human anymore. "...Come ooonnn!"
But she refused to move no matter what. No one had heard their voices from the outside because of the alarm systems going off and everything being dead silent due to the emergency lights flashing away nonstop.
"Natsuha! What ails you!? Come onnnn! Hngggg! HRNGNG!!!" Nazuki tried and tried, but nothing seemed to work. Unfortunately, this room had SPEC dampeners, so using her ability was out of the question. She have been able to use it without any problems before getting into this room. Nazuki was able to just teleport outside of the tower when she got ahold of Natsuha's hand... but she couldn't as long as Natsuha and Nazuki herself remained in this room.
Nazuki's desperate pulling started to tire her out. Natsuha opened her mouth and started talking;
"...You need to... get out of here......."
Nazuki stopped pulling for a second, processing what Natsuha just said. "...Huh? W-what do you mean by that? You're coming, too!" She pulled on Natsuha's hand again. Natsuha jerked forwards for about half a step, almost making it look like she was dancing in place. This action was probably caused by how hard Nazuki was tugging at Natsuha's hand. It was hard enough to make someone with sturdier fingers and wrists flinch or cringe in pain.
"RGGH... Nats...uha... Why.... won't... you budge!?!?" She grunted and groaned, using every ounce of her strength to save her. The more she tried though, the more she thought about the worst case scenario... What if Natsuha didn't want to be saved? What if she didn't want to leave this room?
"You... need to get out of here... before it's too late..." She said, almost as if she was threatening Nazuki. Nazuki looked around the room, noticing all of the bodies on the floor. Did Natsuha kill them? It didn't matter to Nazuki. All that mattered now is to try and get Natsuha out of this room. "I won't leave without you!" Nazuki yelled, trying harder and harder. But-
Natsuha forced her hand off Nazuki's grip, staring at the ground. Her eyes were obscured by her hair, and she was twitching. Was she crying? Nazuki couldn't tell.
Nazuki was in shock. This was the time! After this, Natsuha can return back to her normal life... but why didn't she budge? And why is she refusing to go? "I can't... I can't go with you... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Natsuha sobbed, falling onto her knees.
"N-Natsuha!? Natsuha! Get a hold of yourself!" Nazuki grabbed Natsuha's shoulders, looking straight at her. "Wasn't this what you wanted!? Didn't you want to return to your normal life!? Didn't you want to be free of this torture!?" She asked all those questions but she didn't get the answer she hoped to get.
"... This is all I will be..." Natsuha remained deadbeat. There was no change whatsoever. She still hadn't moved or changed her expression at all. Why did she refuse? What could make her do such a thing? The more that thought crossed Nazuki's mind, the more frustrated that got.
"Why would you say that!? We were going to save you! Don't you know that!?" She screamed, grabbing Natsuha's shoulders.
"..." Natsuha was completely blank.
"Natsuha! Please, snap out of it!"
"...It doesn't matter anymore..."
"What does that mean!? Tell me!!"
"...It means that it's pointless."
Nazuki fell silent too now. She stared into Natsuha's almost colourless eyes, her sour look pinching Nazuki's heart even more. Was this what became of her friend now? Natsuha wasn't Natsuha anymore, she was someone else.
"...If I come with you... they are going to kill my sister..." She said, leaving Nazuki even more shocked.
"Wh-wh-wh-what are y-y-you saying!?" Nazuki was trembling, unable to believe her ears. She felt her body shaking, her vision blurry, and her breathing erratic. Natsuha's words were slowly eating away at her. Natsuha then looked straight at Nazuki with bloodshot eyes. She was crying. "Please! Leave me alone and go! Get out of here before they kill you!" Natsuha yelled.
"N-Natsuha! I am not going anywhere without you!" Nazuki cried. Nazuki grabbed Natsuha by the arms, trying to pry her away from the floor, but nothing happened. Her body was limp as a rag doll.
Nazuki was confused. How could Natsuha say such things? Why wouldn't she listen to her? What was wrong with her? And then she realized something: The reason Natsuha wasn't responding to anything was because she didn't have the willpower to respond.
She isn't thinking clearly anymore, either.
She isn't herself anymore.
Nazuki let go of Natsuha's arm and fell on the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sat there in silence with a blank expression on her face. "Why... Why why why why why!? Why why why why why why why why why why!?!?!?!?"
"..." Natsuha remained silent. Any thought of wanting to escape made her feel even more worried about her sister's safety. If she even stepped one foot out of the room, her sister would be killed. Her sister was the one being held hostage, not Natsuha. Natsuha was forced to do this project not because out of her own interest, or that she was forced to...
It all narrowed down to a simple truth: If she was saved, her sister would die.
Natsuha's parents died when the suburbs of Ultima City was blown away by an explosion. It was believed that Natsuha blew it away when she awakened. An awakened Class 10 has about the same firepower as a potential Class 11 in it's weakest form. This has caused Ultia to take her in, but she knew that it would not work without a little incentive.
"..." Nazuki was silent.
"..." Natsuha was silent.
No sound took over the room. It was so silent that both Nazuki and Natsuha could hear their own heartbeat easily.
But then-
Both of them would hear footsteps. The footsteps were loud but felt light. The footsteps became gradually louder and after that, some humming echoed over the hallway. Then, the footsteps stopped next to the door of Natsuha's room. Who could it be? Nazuki looked at Natsuha, which stared directly at the person behind Nazuki with wide open eyes.
The person stepped into the light, revealing themselves. It was her. The one who started all of this-
Alice Ultia.
The Chairwoman of Ultima City.
Nazuki turned around, seeing Alice Ultia staring at her with an impish grin that soon downgraded into a sadistic smile. "I admire your courage to infiltrate Heaven's Fall with the sole purpose of breaking your friend out. However... I cannot allow you to do that." She said coldly. Her voice sounded sophisticated, elegant... but evil.
Ultia looked at Natsuha, then back at Nazuki. Nazuki looked back at Ultia. ". . ." Nazuki was silent. She was scared. She tried to speak, but all that came out of her was a pathetic wheeze. Ultia looked around the room for a second and then formed an energy blade around her hand, holding it around Nazuki's throat.Natsuha was quick to react, standing up and yelling out: "NAZUKI!"
"AGH! GG! LET ME GO!" Nazuki tried to resist, but couldn't break free from Ultia's robust arms.
"Tell your other friend to stand down." Ultia said, her voice enough to put Nazuki in extreme stress. Nazuki looked at Natsuha. "I might consider letting you and your friend go if you do as you are told." Ultia forced Nazuki to contact Andrei. "Do you understand?"
Nazuki was silent and looked at her phone, which was in her hand. She would then look back at Natsuha, who would then say:
"Please... just do it..."
Nazuki gritted her teeth and dialed Andrei's phone.
Andrei {C}: "Hello?" He answered immediately.
{C}: "Andrei. It's Nazuki..."
Andrei {C}: "What's up? Did you find Natsuha?"
Nazuki looked at Ultia, who still had her energy blade at her throat. She nodded slightly and closed her eyes in despair.
{C}: "I... I couldn't find her..."
Andrei {C}: "Shit!" Andrei yelled over the phone. Gunshots were heard from his end, indicating that he was fighting some guards.
{C}: "Andrei! Just stand... down!"
Andrei {C}: "What? Why!?"
{C}: "..." Nazuki was silent, hoping that Andrei got the gist of what was actually happening. Andrei then gritted his teeth, which was loud enough to be heard from the speaker of the phone.
Andrei {C}: "Alright... Alright, I will. Be safe..."
Nazuki sighed softly as she hung up the call. She then looked at Ultia, whose gaze was filled with sadism.
"There... we surrender!" Nazuki dropped her phone and put her hands up. She then looked at Natsuha, who just stared at the two of them.
Ultia smiled as she released her energy blade from Nazuki's neck, causing a slight amount of pain in the process. She then picked up Nazuki's cellphone, disintegrating it. Ultia would then go up to the door and close it, trapping Nazuki and Natsuha in the same room.
"Wait..." Natsuha was the first one to realize. "You... you told them that you would let them go if they stood down!" Natsuha yelled at Ultia.
Nazuki looked up at Ultia in horror. Ultia would then let out a chuckle. "You are strong, but you're not so smart. I have never said that I would let them go. I only considered that possibility if they complied with my orders." She said, looking back at Natsuha.
"B-but... they did, right!? Nazuki surrendered! Andrei did too!"
"Wait... wait..." Nazuki questioned what was happening.
"Do not take me for a fool. Do you really think that I would believe their surrender just from a phone call?" Ultia's glare shut Natsuha down. "I know that your friend is still on the move. I know everything."
"..." Natsuha was silent.
"You are a good girl, but your friend is bad news." Ultia said as she began to walk towards Nazuki. She would then look at Natsuha, smirking, before telling her to:
"Kill her."
Natsuha looked at her. "...What?"
Ultia walked forward until she was inches away from Natsuha's face. She then looked into Natsuha's eyes while smiling sinisterly. "Kill her."
"..." Natsuha fell silent again. She was frozen stiff in fear. She couldn't move an inch no matter how hard she tried. Her mind was blank, her thoughts scattered, and her body paralyzed like a statue. Her lips wouldn't even budge when she tried to talk. All she could do was stare into Ultia's eyes and shiver in terror.
Nazuki looked at Natsuha in fear. Was she really going to die?
"Kill her." Ultia repeated herself in a whispering tone. Her breath was hot against Natsuha's skin, making her shudder uncontrollably. "If you won't kill your friend, then perhaps Tsuki Inose will make up for that lost spot."
"!" Natsuha jerked upwards, looking at Ultia in the eye now. "Y-you bastard! I will never let you-" She lunged toward Ultia to punch her, but Ultia forced her to the wall with just a wave of her hand. "NATSUHA!" Nazuki yelled, clearly concerned for her friend. Ultia was miles stronger than the second-ranked Class 10... No one could calculate just how strong she was. Not even the First-Ranked came close.
Natsuha coughed and fell onto her knees, quickly accepting of the wide power gap between her and Ultia. She could never kill Ultia.
"Now, let's try this again." Ultia said calmly, walking over to where Natsuha was collapsed on the ground. She knelt down and grabbed hold of Natsuha's head, lifting it up gently so she can look straight into her eyes.
"Kill her."
Ultia threw Natsuha just in front of Nazuki. Natsuha rolled on the floor, clutching her stomach in pain as she screamed out in agony. But she would get back up soon after, coughing violently. She wiped off the tears flowing down her cheeks and turned around, glaring at Ultia once more. "F...Fuck you..." she said with a soft yet firm voice.
Ultia just smiled, showing absolutely no mercy or sympathy whatsoever to Natshuha Inose and the situation she was currently in. "Will you kill your friend? Or will you kill your other surviving family member?"
Nazuki's eyes were wide open. "...N...Natsuha..." She whispered out in shock. Natsuha stared at Nazuki's eyes. Natsuha didn't want to kill her, but she also didn't want to die. If one of the two happened, then Tsuki was going to die. Either she had to stay alive, kill Nazuki and prevent Ultia from killing Tsuki and continue on with the experiments until she is satisfied... or refuse to kill Nazuki and have Ultia kill Tsuki.
She thought about committing suicide right here, right now... but that would also result in Ultia killing Tsuki. Natsuha stood up and cried more. "Nazuki... I'm sorry..." Nazuki looked at Natsuha in horror... Now she knew. Now she knew who Natsuha became. She was a dog put on a leash... a tragic character in a tragic story. That was all she was.
"Natsuha... I... I don't... I don't want to die... Please! PLEASE!"
"PLEASEE!"