Chapter Text
"Everyone else is dead, Monika... maybe you already know that. I'm sure you do, actually..."
"But... it doesn't have to be that way, right?"
"Well, there's a lot of stuff I don't understand just yet...I don't know if it's even possible for me to understand it, ehehe... but I know this won't be our only story. I can see that now. Really clearly."
"I think everyone else has had the same kind of experience. Some kind of deja vu."
"It's the Third Eye, right, Monika? Side effect of the Neuromods?"
"..."
"Anyway... I could be totally wrong about this. But I really think you might be able to do something. I think you might be able to go back... or however you want to put it..."
"...to go back and tell them what's going to happen."
"Yeah. If they know ahead of time, then they should be able to avoid it. They should... if they remember their time with us in the other worlds... they should remember what I tell them."
"I really think this might be possible. But it's up to you."
"Monika, I'm sorry for always being... you know..."
"...nevermind. I know that's wrong. This is MY story. It's time to be a fucking hero, Sayori... all of us."
"Maybe Talos Station wasn't the best idea ever."
Sayori and Monika sighed in exasperation as they watched over the daily regulation of the station, with the intercom blaring commands for the day to all of the workers inside. Security hadn't been relenting on them for underproductiveness, which Sayori is, no doubt, a particularly obvious subject to it.
Monika knew that much, anyway.
"Why can't we just take a single vacation now...?" Sayori whined, leaning to her mop to support her body weight. Thankfully, for Talos Station, the handles were made from smooth titanium instead of cheap metal or low-quality wood, so Monika didn't have to worry about minor injuries when Sayori does that...aside from the fact that the mop could just slide and cause Sayori to fall.
"It is what it is, Sayori. We just have to deal with it until our guard permits come in." Monika muttered.
Time flies for the janitors of Talos Station, at least. Most of their grunt work involves keeping the ornate decorations and valuable assets of the wings they're designated to well-maintained along with the normal cleaning routines given.
Monika had been working with Sayori ever since they were employed inside the station three months ago. Was it three months ago? Monika can't quite recall the time at all. It was March 25, 2035, so surely it's been three months since they were employed.
She didn't enjoy the indirect constant overwatch of the station's director, Alex Yu, but regardless of her standing with him, she would have to put all her effort to something she had dreamed of joining for a good while. It didn't help that she had also made a good amount of friends in the station;
Yuri Ikaruga; who works as one of the station's high-ranking executive inside the Operations sector, Natsuki Hibari; a particularly infamous cook who never really lets go of her "adorable" and abrasive personality, Sayori Sachio; her childhood friend and a rather peculiar yet dense trainee employed in the station, and Morgan Yu; a bland individual who doesn't speak much in the way of socializing.
She was curious about Morgan, out of all people. They never really spoke much during their encounters and scheduled room cleanup, despite the logs showing them as a calm, intelligent, and talkative person. The contrast between two personalities was strange -- at least, to Monika. As if there's another layer to Morgan that she couldn't quite crack.
Looking at Morgan directly at the eye during one of the times where she coincidentally met up with them did give Monika a strange feeling of deja vu, like she was looking out to another world, a truly realistic world, something that felt coherent, but broken...
"Um, Monika?" Sayori asked, breaking Monika from another series of thoughts.
"Oh! Uh, yes Sayori?"
"We already finished cleaning this floor since an hour ago..." Sayori giggled nervously as she looked around, watching the crystal clear chrome flooring and well-decorated walls clean of leftover dust specks. "I'd say we did a pretty good job though."
"Ahaha- yeah... I guess it's time to move on now?" Monika asked. Sayori scrambled through her bag and took a notebook out, checking their supposed schedule for the day. A long day at that.
Sayori pouted after she looked at the next few objectives on the list. Monika looked over to Sayori's notebook, and what she read wasn't something that she can even dismiss as something pleasant in the slightest.
"Sewage Control and Typhon Research, three hours..." Sayori whined.
"Can't say I'm interested, but at least lunch is after that." Monika tried to sound enthused about the subject, but instead earned a frown from Sayori.
She didn't even expect that.
"Come on, do you really want to put up with that meanie Alex? I can't even bring myself to look at his overweight body..." Sayori objected, voice showing tinges of annoyance hinted towards her disdain.
"He's the boss, though."
"Still a meanie."
The two exchanged glances before they burst out into laughter at how strange the conversation was. Feeling like they've wasted enough time, Monika ushered Sayori to go back to their routine, cleaning the designated rooms until their shift's over and lunch time arrives.
As they arrive at the mess hall, they were greeted by Yuri, who nodded towards them and did a gesture, telling them to come over to the table she's in. Eager, Sayori jogged towards the woman, while Monika resorted to a small walk for an approach.
Yuri was pleasant to talk to in everyone's opinion, barring Natsuki. Her timid personality and reserved attitude challenges that of a person devoid of emotions while still retaining said complexities, and that in itself was what scared Monika the most. Yuri wasn't to be messed around with, since Monika knew that she could think clearly even when she's under pressure. Her only trouble is only at socializing, and Sayori's there to help her out with that. God bless that girl, Monika thought as she smiled at Sayori.
"We still need to take out our food now. Natsuki's waiting, you know!" Monika reminded Sayori, who was still talking to Yuri about something, which she imagined was literature.
"Oh right! Be back in a bit, Yuri!" Sayori excused both of us to take our food while Yuri gave a sad smile and a nod as a response. "We're in no rush. Take your time."
Monika walked over to the usual counter, where they waited for someone to bring their ordered food out. Sayori was giddy when Monika glared at the door, hoping it would slide at any moment, which it did.
A short, pink-haired girl walked out with sterile trays, each containing the food Sayori and Monika was waiting for. The food itself is nothing more than regular civilian ration standards, with mass-produced rice, cooked meat, and other miscellaneous meals delivered from Earth to the station in a monthly basis.
The station's task to preserve those logistics for a little bit over 240 staff was impressive enough with deep freeze chambers, combined with extensive sterilization process, it was a miracle how those rations did not run out after two weeks without any supply transfers.
"Hey, Nat. How's the hustle?"
"Did good, had to deliberately fool the overseer into thinking I'm going to eat too even though it's just another vegetable-only meal for Monika." Natsuki commented with a dismissive tone. Monika wouldn't count on Natsuki's oft-brash excuses towards her overseer just for the sole purpose of specialized meals, but there's really nothing Monika could do to handle her own vegetarian diet all by herself in an organized environment.
"Nice one! Thanks for the food again!" Sayori beamed, her expression turning to that of an appreciative person. Natsuki scoffed as a response, but Monika noticed a slight tinge of satisfactory smile behind her facade.
Couldn't be that bad to keep her optimistic, Monika giggled. Sayori and Monika walked back to Yuri who is idly staring at her phone, dead-set on reading an e-book while she waited.
"Yuri, we're back." Monika greeted Yuri, causing her to jolt back into reality and looked around in shock as she was inadvertently dragged out of her own safe space.
"Ah! What- who- oh..." Yuri sighed, relieved that it was nothing substantial. They really never knew when their position would be revoked by the station's authority, and it causes everyone to have this air of uncertainty hanging around them in expectation of the worst. Yuri seemed to have taken the realization of that occurence heavily, and even Monika can't bring herself to not sympathize with the scenario of a timid girl being dismissed from her job only to fester and rot as trash somewhere outside the station.
"We got three lunchtrays now...! Or is it three trays of food? Three food trays?" Sayori spoke up again, causing Yuri to flinch out from her flustered look.
"Three?" She asked, although her quiet voice didn't help Monika and Sayori at all in realizing that the two of them had made a deliberate attention-gathering scenario.
"Yeah! Monika's under a strict vegetable diet, so we got bonus food for her! Isn't that right, Monika?" Sayori cheerfully looked at the other two girls, who only stared at her in confusion, in Monika's case, and bewilderment in Yuri's.
"Oh, no no no, our stockpile's off-balance now, how can we manage this..." Yuri whispered to herself while Sayori happily sat down on the desk and began eating her food. Monika, trying to be a responsible figure, sat down next to Yuri and offered her the regular food tray while she took the vegetable-filled tray for herself.
"Here. It's for you, actually. I didn't see you eating your lunch, so I decided, why not help you out a little? You could go with extra energy in your work."
"Oh- ah- well... I don't think I would need any. I could go by with food every two days, so I try to conserve energy with only... tea... and regularly-scheduled sleep..." Yuri spoke up, clearly not wanting Monika to give her the time of day when it comes to breaking the station's status quo.
"But you need to eat too, Yuri. Going by with irregularly spaced food consumption can be bad for your health." Monika pushed the tray a bit closer to Yuri, to which she only looked at with a conflicted look on her face.
"I know you're hungry, so don't push yourself."
"... I... I suppose. Many thanks, Monika."
Yuri wasn't accepting of Monika's gesture, but on the other hand, her stomach already fought against her at the sight of edible food after a day of not having any food at all before. It felt as if her life was a perfect loop that had just been broken. It felt...wrong, in a way, but she digressed.
Taking the fork, she dug into the food slowly, sneaking glances towards Monika and Sayori every so often just to see them talk to each other happily regarding their upcoming job premises. After a while, she took a spoonful of food into her mouth, the food tasting like it was possibly the best thing she had even consumed, even though it was just lukewarm ration. She couldn't care less at this point, she had something to finish.
Savouring every bite and chew that she does, she absentmindedly looked around her, noticing the lack of...something. She couldn't place her finger on what it is, but hte absence of said something definitely unnerved her.
"Something's wrong. Monika?" Yuri asked Monika, who's still munching on a mouthful of beans.
"Hrm?" Monika hummed, voice muffled by the food.
"Have you noticed that something's... amiss?"
"Mrh- no, not at all, actually." Monika swallowed her food, looking at Yuri with curious eyes.
"Monika, something's missing from the mess hall..." Yuri whispered, obviously trying to get Monika to look around by the way her eyes darted around the room. Monika raised an eyebrow and looked around like Yuri did, trying to pin down what had been gone from the environment.
Monika had made it a clear point that Yuri's always correct when she notices something, be it glaring details or something that even she, an observant person, can't realize, when they were looking for clues regarding someone who went missing as part of a Typhon hybrid experiment... Libitina, she remembered the subject's name.
They finished the investigation as a rag-tag team faster than the station's security could, completing most of the grunt work in tracing where Libitina had gone to -- the morgue, where she was horribly deformed into a husk -- in only forty hours. Monika had acted as the semi-useful brawn while Yuri was the brains behind most of the operation, considering Monika had offered to hold Yuri's sidearm to act as a guard while Yuri gives her full concentration towards examining possible clues.
Monika tried to put her all in looking for the object or person Yuri mentioned, but she never really paid attention to even the smallest details, as it's not her job to. She was sure something's off when Yuri points to the general direction of an... ordinary trash can? Wait, no.
She blinked again as she adjusted her view to the object she's trying to point towards, which should have been a simple cup prop which used to be there to promote whatever the new drink was for the station, but is no longer there by the time she pointed to it.
Nobody had any particular reason to take it either unless someone was diagnosed with kleptomania inside the station...which Monika and Yuri doubted. Everyone in the station was perfectly sane and mentally stable, or at least, should be, since they had allowed Sayori in without any prior notice.
"Objects don't just disappear like that here." Yuri sharply pointed out the flaw, and Monika realized the primary rule of station decorations; unless it's for sanitary reasons, being clean or not, props are not to be touched or moved away from their exact position. This time, it's just completely gone.
"You're right, actually. Sayori, what-" Monika was interrupted by a loud snoring noise, which was coming from Sayori herself, deep inside her own sleep oblivious to anything that's disturbing her. She looked at Yuri again with an annoyed expression, signaling to Yuri that she doesn't know what else she could do outside of the station security's jurisdiction aside from the Libitina investigation.
"Yeah...this is going to be a problem. Pack your valuables, Yuri, we're going to head to the station's civilian armory. Better armed than barehanded." Monika furrowed her brows as she quickly finishes her food, drank her coffee and hefted Sayori's sleeping frame up, walking away towards the mess hall's doors.
"Where are you going?" Yuri questioned, bewildered by Monika's sudden change of act.
"To someplace a little bit safer and more private."
"...Crew Quarters. I'll meet you there."
"Gotcha. Stay safe."
Monika fled the mess hall, leaving Yuri contemplating the next steps of their plan in unveiling what happened to a single cup. Despite the sheer laughability of the situation, she can't help but feel that something's wrong with the random occurrence. Nothing had happened out of the ordinary until... today. All the occurences started today.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling having to hold a gun again just to unravel a mystery that could possibly threaten the entire station's population, but there weren't any other choice, and she knew by heart that Commander Dahl would just kill everyone without remorse upon finding a Stage 3 conflict in the station.
Like all the other military pawns, she supposed.
She took out her notebook, feeling the authentic texture of paper brush against her skin like it's a rarity inside the station -- which it is, due to the fact that she hadn't been so relenting on using fabricated papers and stuck around with organic ones, the ones that are fine on a molecular and atomic level.
She closed her eyes. Her mind eases itself in this state, keeping her focused on the now, with one task to finish and a plan to develop. She inhaled. She realized the plan will involve violence in some way or another, and she embraced that for the safety of Talos I. She exhaled. She accepted the fact that she has the chance to keel over and die in this mission if it ever turns into a disaster, and she even embraced that fact as is.
She opened her eyes, and began writing down her plan.
Hours passed as she stayed in the mess hall, Natsuki accompanying her for a while to talk about the discovery and plan, while Yuri continued to think of ways to conduct the most flawless plan ever, much to Natsuki's dismay. Though Natsuki had accepted the fact that Yuri could never be swayed in her way to perfection after a good few years of being friends and colleagues.
They both remained in the cafeteria for a while to talk a little bit about the forth comings of the plan in private before forwarding it to Monika and Sayori, and after finishing their talk bid their goodbyes to each other, not before they agreed to meet up at Monika's crew quarters.
Yuri went back to her office, aptly preparing various items she needs for the meeting that will be held in a few hours time. During her time setting up her grand plan, she can't help but look back at the golden shotgun, propped up on an antique display with the word "Margray" written on the display's front. Approaching it, she felt a tinge of sadness and remorse building up on her.
"I am terribly sorry that it had come to this, Iori..." She muttered, eyes clouded over as memories returned to her one by one -- ones she didn't want to remember. The hunter against the hunted. And the hunted won... although with a cost. She looked at an object below the gun, and her memories returned at an alarmingly fast pace. An unpleasant feeling washed over her, and for a second she almost thought of wiping her memories clean like a slate with her Neuromods.
The empty shell below the gun served as a reminder of the shot she was forced to do after she watched the gruesome, merciless scene in front of her, and she can't help but throw herself back into the past to make do for the future -- it's in her blood. She realized that not everything had to be memorized for a while now, but she would never want to forget something that truly had built who she is now -- a reclusive, timid woman hiding a sharp, sophisticated upbringing behind her veil.
So she continued, aware of the fact that she is a pragmatic justicar, trying to find solace in a location that will be her undoing unless she finds a way to snake out of that again, just like old times.
She opened the display, letting the weight of the gun sink in to her hands while she tried to heft the majority of it. Taking a comfortable grip on the gun's handle, she lowered it down and looked around for ammunition -- shells, and while it's not in her protocols to store ammunition in her own room, she can't help but do the exact same thing just to keep her paranoia at bay.
Checking her safe, she found a cartridge of shotgun shells, and she counted them. A total of thirteen shells, blunt buckshot rounds. She smiled at the sight of lowered violence rating. It wasn't the best option to reduce casualties, but if she has the option of going through the station while carrying a shotgun, then she might as well have these rounds ready.
She lifted the shotgun up, loading the shells one by one into it before taking a grip of the barrel and cocking it, loading a shell into the gun's chamber. She aimed the gun around, trying to get a feel of its weight and reliability -- which was enough for her to use, but not too much that it felt like she was hefting innumerable weights.
Holstering her weapon and getting her bag on, she went out of her room, filing an investigation report to the station's Human Resource handlers before embarking on her trip to Monika. Needless to say, she expected Natsuki to go too.
Still, something felt wrong. She looked at her clock, the device showing "14:22" in bright white numbers. She shuffled to the date next, and was unnerved at what she saw.
"3 25 2035"
Sayori woke up, Monika beside her, catching her breath after tirelessly working on cleaning her quarters for the others to participate in the discussion. She had an unpleasant dream, a rather terrifying one, for the lack of words to describe it being a pain in Sayori's back. She looked at Monika with half-sleepy eyes, trying to mutter out words that can be comprehensible given the time. Monika looked at her expectantly as well while keeping herself nearby, silently inquiring her to speak up.
"Monika?"
"Yes?"
The two looked at each other for a while, gazes unbroken by the silence that loomed around them. Sayori fidgeted on the bed, finding a comfortable position to sit down. Monika nodded repeatedly towards her, practically begging her to tell what's in her mind. Seeing as she has no other choice, she spoke up as honestly as she could to her friend.
"I keep having this... dream..."
Today is March 25, 2035. And thus, today marks the day Monika sold her soul for their own survival.