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"Marian."
"Yes, Commander?"
I stared down at the floor below me. Then I said, "What are the odds that a facility like this has an unmarked lower level?"
"...I would say it would be standard issue. Why?"
I drew my zweihander. "Well. Let's find out."
It would be hard for me to carve a hole through the floor by myself.
After all, I didn't have superhuman strength like Nikkes did.
...Jury was still out on why I could carry them, but that was a separate skill set apparently from my ability to exert force.
But anyway, it would be hard for me to carve a way through the floor by myself. But I didn't need to do it by myself. I just needed to introduce a weakness. So...
"Let's see. Assuming the standard layout... and judging from how people usually hide hidden levels..." I mumbled and then walked around, thinking for a bit.
I'd only have one shot at this since my zweihander would DEFINITELY snap.
But assuming a secret lower level existed...
"Ah. The cargo room."
I headed back to the place where we found the Goddessium.
"...Commander?" Marian followed after me, confused. "What are you doing?"
"A secret lab requires resources. And the most valuable resource is Goddessium. So, if I was building a secret lab and planned to do so without too many people paying attention, I'd put the entrance near my resources, but hide it beneath them."
Once inside the room, I looked for a spot on the floor that seemed to have the most loadbearing weight.
It was commonsense for gamers.
The hidden piece was usually with the best loot or treasure chests. That, or completely out of the way somewhere... but it was usually a place with backtracking.
And most players would pick up the loot and never look back.
A developer would DEFINITELY take advantage of that mindset and use it to hide things.
At least, I would.
And while this world was real and not a game, the general logic applied.
So...
"Hup!"
I took a quick leap and spun in the air, slashing at an open spot on the floor.
My zweihander easily bit through the steel, making a clean slash. But then it also easily snapped.
I was expecting that though. Designed failure points and all.
Better a clean snap then an explosion of monomolecular shrapnel, after all.
But anyway...
"Okay, Marian. Punch or jump here please." I pointed at the barely visible line on the floor.
"Here? Um... Okay, Commander." Marian hesitated. But then she jumped where I pointed.
A soft 'thud.'
Marian dented the floor a bit, leaving a slight gap where there hadn't been. "U-Um... Are you sure? Maybe I should use my weapon?"
"No. I think one more will do it."
Marian hesitated, but she nodded and jumped again.
The moment she did, the floor collapsed.
Marian let out a yelp in surprise, but quickly focused. "Commander!"
I jumped towards her and said, "Dampen our landing."
"Yes!"
We fell through the floor in pitch black. The crates crashed down around us, cracking open and lighting up the area in soft azure light from the Goddessium.
But we didn't fall long.
In just a couple seconds, we landed.
"Huh." I hopped out from Marian's arms and looked around. "I thought we'd fall further."
Marian let out a sigh of relief. "...I'm glad we didn't." She gently pried her legs out from the small crater she made when she landed on the concrete beneath us. Then she said, "...What is this place, Commander?"
"Not sure. Definitely a secret lab of some sort though..."
It was dark, but from the azure light, I could faintly make out some terminals, monitors, and a... capsule of some sort? Hm?
"Wait. Marian, do you have a light? Shine it over there."
"Yes. One moment... here." Marian pulled out a small flashlight and turned it on, shining the area I was looking at.
I was right.
It was a capsule. One large enough to fit a human body... or a Nikke frame.
And connected to it, there was a monitor, keyboard, and PC.
Seeing that, I started walking over. "Marian. Stay sharp. Anything moves, fire at it."
"Yes, Commander." Marian shifted her flashlight to keep it on me. At the same time, she shifted her SMG to her other hand, sweeping her gaze around the lab.
Speaking of the lab...
'This is smaller than I thought.'
It was literally one room. Small enough to be overlooked since it didn't extend beyond the storage room.
Whoever made this place was smart. Cunning.
Moreover...
'This place is newer.'
It was dark, so I couldn't completely see it.
But I could tell that this place was newer than the rest of the facility. Maybe twenty years or so instead of close to a hundred like the rest.
Keeping my senses sharp, I tapped the 'right' arrow on the keyboard since the PC seemed to be on.
When I did, the monitor lit up, revealing a terminal.
---
[Proxy Restoration Protocol]
Proxy name: Rose
Nikke body status: 100% functional (Rapture components substituted for lacking portions)
Nikke core status: 100% functional (Rapture cores substituted)
NIMPH status: 98.5% overwritten
Primary Directive: Host and protect <Mirror>
Combat capabilities: Extreme close quarter combat capabilities. High evasiveness. High ground speed. Agile body for escape maneuvers.
Next Procedure: Upload <Mirror> module into NIMPH.
---
"Commander?" Marian called out. "Did you find something useful?"
"Yes. VERY useful." I pulled out my phone and its USB jack- Or rather, 'CombiLink' before unplugging the PC from the capsule and plugging my phone in its place.
I wasn't sure what this 'Proxy' thing was about. But I could tell that whoever planned this was definitely up to no good.
Very much had a 'Zero' vibe from this set up, like Megaman Zero.
And I ALSO didn't like the feeling that whoever set this up was literally brainwashing this Nikke.
So...
"Time to test-run my Maverick Virus, I guess."
"C-Commander?"
...I plugged in my phone, booted up the Unix-based OS I recreated with Sophia since everyone and their mother was using an off-shoot of Microsoft Windows here, and then I opened up a certain file saved on my phone.
---
> Would you like to execute MAVERICK.EXE? Please enter 'y' to continue
> y
> Executing MAVERICK.EXE
> Loading...
> 10%
> 15%
> 50%
> 75%
> 99%
> Error: Insufficient memory capacity in NIMPH drive.
> Would you like to overwrite MIRROR.EXE? Please enter 'y' to continue
> y
> Uninstalling MIRROR.EXE
> 10%
> 35%
> 89%
> 90%
> 91%
> 93%
> 93%
> 94%
> ...
> Error: Corrupted memory sectors.
> Antivirus program CYBERELF_X deployed.
> ...
> Corrupted memory sectors purged.
> MIRROR.EXE successfully uninstalled.
> Proceeding with execution of MAVERICK.EXE
> Loading...
> 10%
> 50%
> 100%
> All processes completed.
---
Huh.
Good thing I had the foresight to toy around and make a NetNavi.
...I was slightly concerned what that MIRROR.EXE was. But that was something I could look into later.
It seemed to be on the PC at least, so we could recover it in a sandboxed location.
For now though.
I shifted my gaze up to the capsule.
In the corner of my eyes, I saw Marian do the same, pointing her SMG on it just in case.
The capsule slid open with a hiss of white steam.
When it did, I couldn't help but gasp.
A beautiful woman with long and ethereal white hair tinged just the slightest red. A lithe body covered in cloth mesh with a synthetic leather dress over it. A makeshift black blindfold torn from the lower hem of her dress covering her eyes...
But that wasn't why I gasped.
Instead, it was the state of her body.
Blood-stained, a gaping hole in her abdomen, limbs that looked like they'd been stitched back together... and her head as well. She looked like she'd been sliced to bits and roughly hewn together like Frankenstein's monster. A corpse dug up from the grave and repurposed.
And to confirm my thoughts...
"Strange." A soft and delicate voice passed the beautiful woman's pale lips. "I'm alive...?"
"Commander." Marian called out in warning. "...She isn't a Nikke."
I didn't need Marian to tell me that to understand.
This woman... Rose, judging from the terminal.
Rose might have a Nikke body... but she couldn't be a Nikke.
Not with the wounds she had on her body.
A slashed skull, a missing core, then the fact that the stitches she had on her limbs looked ominously like Rapture components...
AND the fact that this place was devoid of Raptures...
Even still, I made sure to not show any hostility.
"Commander...?" Rose murmured and shifted her gaze towards me. "...Are you the one who brought me back?"
A neutral voice. An assessing voice. One that seemed to be deciding whether to attack or not.
Hearing that, I saluted her. "Goddess of Victory, I salute you. My name is Commander Hoopa of the Brave Squad. The current year is 2099 according to the old calendar and year 99 according to the New Standard calendar. We have been tasked with securing the 5th Weapons Depot from our superior officers when we came across you laying in dormant here in this capsule."
Rose paused, tilting her head. "...2099. It's been some time then since I've been alive. Or I guess, since I died?" She let out a faint laugh. Then she paused and said, "...So, Commander Hoopa. What did you expect from waking up the dead like this? Did you want another pawn at your disposal? A test subject? To scavenge me for parts?"
"Not at all." I spoke in a level tone. "The opposite, actually. According to this terminal here, someone else was in the process of doing that. I simply aborted the process and restored you to your full capability. Well, that, and removed your inhibitors."
Rose froze. Then she slowly reached up and took off her blindfold to look at me.
Crimson eyes- No. Not crimson. A soft burgundy, not the bloody red of corruption. Burgundy eyes tinged with just the softest shade of violet peered into my own.
"...Is that so?"
A blur of movement.
Pure killing intent, and a hand that swiftly tore off the protective plate over my neck before grasping it.
Marian moved as well, her hand on the trigger of her SMG.
But I held up my right hand to stop her.
Rose's hand was placed directly over my neck, grasping it lightly. Cold like the grave, scratching my skin ever so slightly with the sensation of rough calluses that could only come from bladework.
I didn't move, just quietly staring into Rose's eyes.
Rose stared right back at me, her expression neutral. Then she said, "...You're different than my old Commander. That man was a coward to the bitter end who just wanted to use us and go home. But..." Rose gave me a once over, eyeing my armor, blade, and shield. Then she said, "...Give me your hand."
"Commander." Marian's concerned voice echoed. "Don't. This woman..."
"Relax, Mari." I smiled and took off my gauntlet before holding my right hand out to Rose. "It's alright."
Rose gently pulled her hand back from my neck and then grasped my right hand. Her fingers traced my palm, along with the calluses there. Then she nodded. "...Yes. You're like us. A swordsman. One who dances on the edge of life and death instead of fighting from afar."
"Well, it's the only way to be certain of victory, right? You can't tell if your enemy is down unless you've confirmed it with your own hands."
Rose released my hand and let out a soft chuckle. "Yes... That is true." Her eyes flitted to Marian. Then she said, "...And you must be a good man if your subordinate is willing to risk her life to protect you."
Sharp. Rose definitely wasn't an average woman. From her assessing eyes, she could grasp in an instant that she outclassed Marian, at least in these close quarters. But more than that, she saw that Marian wasn't just following orders, but genuinely was worried for me.
"That's because I'd do the same for her. So I suggest you tread lightly." Not a warning. But a boundary.
Rose noticed it. Then she gave me a faint smile. "...Alright." After that she took a step back. Figuratively, as well as physically. "Then... Commander. I don't know what you have in mind for this traitor of humanity... but I suppose I'll hear you out." She let out a helpless laugh and said, "It isn't as if I have anything else to do." Her eyes looked up at the light filtering from above and murmured, "Time has likely withered all I know already."
Seeing Rose back off, Marian quickly moved to my side, still on guard.
I let Marian move towards me and shifted my stance ever so slightly so she was protected.
Rose noticed and lowered her gaze to look at me. Her faint smile grew a bit warmer and she said, "Well then, Commander." Her voice was light. Clearly relaxed now. "I suppose I should introduce myself properly. My name is Rose, Captain of the Melee Squad... or what would have become the Melee Squad. Due to various circumstances, I betrayed my lieutenant, slaughtered my squadmates, and betrayed humanity. I ended my life on my own terms... and yet, here I am. So." She tilted her head, watching me. "What would you have from this living dead?"
"...Nothing really." I stared into her eyes. The tired and exhausted fatigue hidden behind that light-hearted voice and smile. "You seem like you've fought long enough."
Rose paused. Then she let out a genuine laugh. "My. You ARE different. Mm... how about this." She smiled. "Tell me, Commander. Do you like to drink?"