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Aya always considered herself a lucky girl. She wasn’t born into a spectacular life but things kept seeming to turn out her way. It was little things, really. Getting a few extra pieces of food in the dining room at school. Finding money on the walk home. A strong gust of wind saving her from a falling tree branch by knocking her over. That sort of thing. Still, she felt like a lucky girl. Perhaps she could have chosen her place of work better but things worked out in the end. The Spark Office was founded by her and her classmate Hopkins. No-one really liked Hopkins due to his attitude but he was an ideas guy. Way too egotistical for his skill level but his plans generally did work. He knew what he was doing. He just got ahead of himself. It was him and her at first doing odd jobs as Fixers. Find a missing person in the forest. Deliver a parcel. Their first big job was cleaning a gang of Rats from a building some Nest guy wanted to buy that the Shepherds Office, District 4’s top Fixer agency, dumped on their lap. That was another lucky break. But the luckiest break was when L Corp exploded right in front of her. It meant they were the first on the scene and they got a major bump from that, enough to get them to Grade 8. But, more importantly, it was when they met Yuri.
Yuri was a strange girl. She was a fallen feather of a wing so she wasn’t really welcome. Aya had to really pull Hopkins arm for him to let the girl in. He only agreed due to the strong gear she wore when escaping the collapsing building. Aya looked after her though. She could tell Yuri was going through a lot. She lost everything. Her friends. Her work place. She blamed herself for it. Aya knew it wasn’t her fault and she had tried to help her dig through the rubble before the Shepherds cordoned it off for the safety of the people. Hadn’t stopped the dregs from the Smoke War breaking in and inhabiting the old lobby or bandits from pilfering the tech as far down as they could go though. Yuri was a big help though. She had an eye for detail, able to pick apart enemies they faced. She didn’t talk much about what she actually did in L Corp but the experience made her a pretty exceptional fighter. In the end, her suit became useless. L Corp’s tech needed repairing with L Corp tech so her stuff became a lot worse over time. In the end, Hopkins bought her a uniform like theres for the Mors Industry workshop they pawned stuff off. Red unlike theirs. Aya swapped belts with her so she knew she belonged.
Their third lucky break was when a new start-up group hired them as a guide to the old L Corp facility. Limbus Company, they were called. Aya hadn’t heard of them and neither had Hopkins but Old Elias, the head of the Shepherds, said it’d be a good opportunity for them. Since they knew the most about the old facility, they were the best option. Aya had a feeling he was looking for a way to get rid of them since they’d been steadily rising, both in reputation and a couple new hires, but Hopkins accepted wholeheartedly. He sent Yuri out to meet the bus of people that were meant to come while they were to meet them outside. The mission never said they had to go in the L Corp but Hopkins saw it as an opportunity to get ahead. If he could recover the tech L Corp used to make their attires they’d soar ahead of anyone else nearby. Even if he couldn’t, they could sell the tech for a high profit, get themselves something even the Shepherds couldn’t afford or so he said. They’d heard from the bandits that there was a gas leak stopping them going further than the upper floors of the facility. They’d made it to some containment units but there were signs of monsters down there. Yuri had called them Abnormalities. When Limbus Company had arrived, Hopkins wasted no time licking the boots of their leader, some legendary fixer Aya had never heard of. She met with Yuri instead. “ Hello, Ri.” She said happily. “ How’d it go?”
“ Uh. Pretty… well, actually.” Yuri admitted. Aya smiled brightly. Yuri seemed a little happier than usual.
“ Cool.” Aya smiled. “ So, are these those… uh… Bus guys?”
“ Limbus Company, Aya.”
“ Yeah.” She nodded. A few of them looked over at being addressed. A blond looking boy with an axe way too big for him, some guy with glasses and bug arm like the G Corp vagrants, a woman with fiery orange hair and a person with a clock for a head. THe clock headed person ticked. Aya leaned closer to Yuri. “ Was I meant to understand that?”
“ I don’t think so.”
“ Good.”
“ Manager Dante asked who you were.” The boy asked. “ Are you Yuri’s co-worker?”
“ Yup. I’m Aya. Nice to meet you.”
“ I’m Sinclair. Yuri helped us get here.”
“ With some difficulties thanks to our driver.” The red haired woman sighed. “ Ishmael, by the way.”
“ Driver?”
“ Charon.” Yuri nodded. “ Sinclair and I have been trying to teach her how to read a map. She’s… a work in progress.” Aya chuckled.
“ I get the feeling. Hopkins is a work in progress too.”
“ Heh. Sounds like you’ve got some interesting work buds.” THe bug armed man said. “ Names Gregor. Nice to meet Yuri’s pal.”
“ You too. Are you from G Corp too?” She asked.
“ Yeah? How’d ya guess?”
“ Oh. We have people with bug arms living in our woods from G Corp. Old Smoke War veterans. Seems you’re doing better though.”
“ Heh. I wouldn’t exactly say better.” He sighed.
“ We just had to deal with some of them outside.” Sinclair said. “ Are there many more?”
“ There’s a nest in the lobby.” Aya told them. “ Most of them just live in the woods though. It’s rare they bother people though.” Gregor seemed troubled by that. “ Wel, we’ll be coming in with you so I hope we get along.”
“ We have?” Yuri asked. Aya nodded.
“ You don’t have to come.”
“ N-No. It's fine.” Yuri said, trying to keep a brave face. “ It’s… the mission, right?” Aya smiled sympathetically. Yuri was a brave girl. She hoped she’d be alright in the graveyard she’d escaped from.
***************************************
Seeing Dante’s power in action made Hopkins’ mind whir in greed. Aya just sighed. There it was again. Hopkins fatal flaw. His ambition. He was totally looking to pilfer that head of Dante’s. From the nervous shuffling, she felt like Dante noticed it too. “ What an amazing clock.” She said, watching as the injuries that the G Corp vagrants and the wierd flower and branch things had inflicted on the Limbus group. “ I haven’t seen that type of technology anywhere.”
“ That has to be on the level of a S-Singularity.” Hopkins said, almost salivating at the opportunity in front of him. “ Which Wing could be behind it.” The manager seemed to wipe it’s clockface as if checking for sweat. Aya glanced back, noticing Yuri trailing behind them, eye darting around. Looking around herself, she noticed the ground and walls were covered in vines. Nature had taken back parts of the facility. Though it was strangely localised.
“ What’s up, Ri?”
“ I-It’s…” She hesitated. “ I don’t think we should be here.”
“ Don’t be such a coward.” Hopkins huffed. “ We can’t fail the Red Gaze. Come on. Guide us down, Yuri.”
“ Don’t be mean, Hopkins.” Aya said, somewhat sternly. “ Still, these wooden things seem weirdly sharp. Well, I guess it means getting stabbed through the chest with one would be pretty instant. It’d be a lucky way to- Woah!” Yuri pushed her down. A second later, one of the roots she’d been looking at sailed over her head. Around the corner of the corridor, a figure loomed over them. A large creature with a rotting apple for a head, it’s arms made of gnarled roots while wrapped in a purple dress.
“ What is that thing?” Heathcliff shouted.
“ It is an abnormality, one of the ones housed in this facility.” Faust explained. “ If we wish to advance, we must suppress it. Manager?” The clock ticked in a way that almost felt like a nervous stutter. As the Sinners went to work, Aya sat up.
“ Hey. You saved my life I think.” She said. “ Thanks, Ri.”
“ It’s… fine. I just… I knew what was coming… From working here. That’s the Ebony Queen’s Apple. It’s a very strong abnormality usually housed in Training. It must have crossed over to…”She winced in pain, clutching her arm.
“ Are you alright?”
“ J-Just a flesh wound. I’ll recover.” She reassured her. “ So many people died down here. I couldn’t let you die too.”
“ Hey. No need to worry. I’m all good. No major injuries.” Aya beamed before hopping up to her feet. “ Now then, we should probably-”
“ Stay back.” Hopkins ordered them. “ Let them deal with it.”
“ But-” Hopkins shut Yuri up with a glare. Aya huffed. Even after she just saved the life of his partner, Hopkins couldn’t move past his hatred of her.
“ She’s trying to help, Hopkins.” Aya said. “ She knows this place more than either of us. Listen to her for once.”
“ Why should I?”
“ You’re asking her to guide us?” She said. “ We need her. If there’s more of these things in here, she might be able to tell us how to win. Especially when we reach the gas and-”
“ Gas?” Yuri asked quietly. “ What… gas?”
“ You didn’t tell her?” Hopkins flinched.
“ We talked to the bandits that ransacked this place. They told us they couldn’t get further than they did due to high levels of toxins around a certain floor that causes intense bleeding to people who inhale it. So, I went to the Mors Industry and bought some gas masks. In return, I’d deliver them some of the tech we’d find. We’ll keep the lion's share, of course, but they get something for their trouble.”
“ That sounds like the anti-Abnormality gas grenades.” Yuri mused. “ But… if that’s the case then… Everyone here…”
“ Will die. Yes.” Hopkins shrugged nonchalantly. “ Though since that manager can revive them, there’s no reason to worry. The Red Gaze picked some special underlings.”
“ Were you… expecting Yuri to die too?” Aya asked, frowning. “ You told me she knew!”
“ Oh, don’t act like she’s indispensable.” Hopkins snapped. “ Just because you’ve decided to care for a stray dog doesn’t mean I have to care about it. If it happens to get put down, then it’s no fault of mine. A fallen feather is bad for reputation. Think about the office. It’s for the best she leaves. You should stop giving special treatment to such dead weight!” Aya opened her eyes. Hopkins scuttled back in fear as he saw the shining blue lights glowing dimly.
“ Give Yuri your mask.” She said sternly.
“ W-What?”
“ We’re going down further. You're not. Give Yuri your mask.”
“ B-But our deal. If we can’t pay Mors back then-”
“ That sounds a lot like your problem. Not mine.” Hopkins scowled. Then he pulled the gas mask off his belt and hurled it at her.
“ Fine! Do what you want! Just don’t expect either of you to be welcome back after this!” With that, he ran away back down the hall. Aya sighed, handing Yuri the gas mask.
“ Damn it, Hopkins. He went too far this time.” Aya gave Yuri an apologetic look. “ Sorry, Yuri. If I had known what he was trying to do…” She shook her head. “ I trusted him.”
“ It's alright, Aya.” Yuri told her gently. “ I don’t blame you. He’s right. I am just dead weight. I can’t even fight without my EGO suit. I’m too weak.”
“ No you’re not.” Aya told her. “ You’re my friend. I don’t want you ever calling yourself that again, OK?”
“ Bad time?” The two looked up to the Sinners returning from battle. Yuri looked confused.
“ You beat it?” She asked. “ A-Already?”
“ It was weaker than it looked.” Rodya beamed.
“ Due to the Qlipoth Deterance system being so high.” Faust said. “ I would expect it to be far weaker than normal. We were lucky.”
“ Heh. Guess my luck rubbed off on you.” Aya smiled.
“ Where’s Hopkins?” Sinclair asked.
“ He’s not coming.” She said, annoyed. “ You alright to move, Ri?”
“ Yeah.” She nodded. “ Usually, we’d need to return the egg to the abnormalities’ containment unit but… I guess that’s not an option anymore.”
“ Probably not.” Gregor nodded. “ Sure you girls are alright? We can probably go the rest of the way on our own. No need for you to put yourselves in more danger.”
“ Hey. We’re your guides.” Aya said, smirking. “ Let’s guide. Oh, and be careful. There’s a gas leak below.”
**************************************
Dante had to revive the sinners after making it through the leak area. The two had to pull the others' bodies to a safer place so Dante could do their thing. “ So Yuri. Where are we at?” Aya asked.
“ This should be the lower level of my old department. If we can find the elevator, we can reach Central. Assuming the elevator actually works. We can cut through the cafeteria. It’s the fastest route.”
“ Sounds like a plan.” Ishmael nodded. They headed inside the room. Aya noticed it was surprisingly orderly despite everything. Perhaps this is where some survivors held out. She noticed some shattered stone masks on the ground. Before she could ask what they were, she noticed a body lying against the wall wearing one. Approaching it however, she realised that, whoever they were, they were still breathing. They slowly raised their head. Still breathing but there wasn’t much life left in them.
“ Hi…” The said in a croaky voice. “ Are you… here to… draw your lot? Gather all your IDs… Give them to me… Then we’ll find the winner…” Yuri looked at her, shaking in fear and horror.
“ Alex…” She breathed. Aya furrowed her brow. Yuri had told her about Alex a few times. She had been her closest friend in Lobotomy Corp, having been one of the people to help her when she first arrived and the two had worked like partners in their roles as department heads. She was also the person who’d gotten Yuri out, pushing her forwards as the ceiling collapsed. Aya was the only other person who knew about Alex in their office. She knew the heavy guilt Yuri felt over her sacrifice. Seeing her here, still clinging to life but clearly having lost her mind in the process. Aya could only imagine what Yuri had to have been going through. Sadly, not everyone got the hint.
“ Those thickos killed each other in a fight.” Heathcliff told Yuri. “ They drew lots for who’d be sacrificed to that abnormality. The one who got picked prolly fought back, bashed someone elses head in and dragged them in in their place. I’d do the same. Better them than me, aye?”
“ And the last survivor put on a stone mask belonging to the Abnormalities minions believing it would save them from being sacrificed.” Ishmael concluded.
“ That can’t be! Alex isn’t the kind of person who’d kill just so she could save her own skin!”
“ How do you know that?” Heathcliff asked. “ You can’t even be sure that’s Alex or not.” Aya could see Yuri shaking, trying her best to hold herself together. Of course she’d know that. Alex saved her. That was what she was thinking. Aya stepped forwards, walking over to the girl and taking the mask off, revealing a woman with tanned skin and messy, long red hair and dead looking green eyes. Yuri looked away, pained.
“ Welp, nothing for it.” Aya said. She tapped Aya in the back of the neck with her weapon, catching her as she fell. “ Oi! Bat Man! Carry her, would you?!”
“ Eh?” Heathcliff exclaimed. “ Have ya lost the plot?”
“ Well, we can’t just leave her here, can we?”
“ This ain’t a search and rescue mission, lass!”
“ Well, it is now. We’re making sure everyone gets out of here. Right, Yuri?” Aya smiled at her. Yuri looked at her in disbelief before wiping tears from her eyes.
“ Please…” She begged. “ Manager Dante. Save Alex.” Dante looked at her for a few seconds before nodding slowly, ticking something. Meursault stepped forward wordlessly before lifting Alex over his shoulders. “ Thank you. Thank you so much.” Dante gave her a thumbs up. As the others moved on at Outis’ order, Yuri turned to Aya. “ Aya. Thank you.”
“ Hey. A friend of yours is a friend of mine. Or at least she will be.”
“ Heh. I hope so.” Yuri smiled a little. “ I think you and her will get along. You’ve got a similar sense of humour.”
“ I’ll look forward to it.” Aya said with a smirk. “ I’m sure the three of us will go further than we ever did with Hopkins scheming behind our backs.”
***************************************
Reaching the bottom of Branch D-02 wasn’t as easy as going down an old elevator shaft and finding a hole in the floor to find the treasure that Limbus was seeking at the bottom of the Central Command Center, though that was what ended up happening. Instead, they were led through an illusionary war zone that took up the entire central department, created by this Golden Bough Limbus Company was so desperate to get their hands on and resonating with Gregor. Apparently, he was an old war hero and the star of a bunch of propaganda posters from G Corp. Aya had heard of the smoke war but she was in school half way across the City when it happened. Seeing the sky filled with bug soldiers that mutated horrifically in the middle of battle, the air choked with thick smoke, was almost too much for even her to bear. She didn’t know which parts were reality and which parts were imagination. She hoped most of it was imagination but, having seen the G Corp veterans in the woods and in the facility’s lobby, she knew it wasn’t all fake. The thought scared her a little.
Eventually, they broke free of the illusion and were met face to face with a third Abnormality, a large golden apple. Aya and Yuri hung back with Dante and the still unconscious body of Alex as the Sinners went to work. Yuri paid closer attention to it than Aya did, muttering things. She didn’t know what it was. That was surprising. How could a new creature appear down here while the facility was sealed away? It didn’t make much sense. In the end, with a last piercing strike from Gregor’s bug arm, the creature’s apple-like shell cracked. Yuri took a step forward. “ I’ll go check it out.” She said. Aya placed a hand on her shoulder. “ Aya?”
“ Hang on. Something’s stinky about this.” Aya said. “ Shouldn’t it have done that thing where it turns into an egg if it’s really done?” Yuri looked at her blankly. She closed her eye and shook her head.
“ I’m so stupid.” She muttered. “ I’m sorry. That abnormality. The light it emits. It’s a draw in.” She told him. “ When someone gets close, it’s going to strike. When I saw it, I felt I needed to get closer. I… I should have known.”
“ Well none of us have a ranged weapon.” Heathcliff grumbled. “ What are we gonna do? Chuck rocks?”
“ Well, you guys might not have range.” Aya said, charging energy into her rifle. “ But I do. Just say when, Clock Man. I’ll pull this apple off its stem.” Dante nodded. With a squeeze of the trigger, an arc of lightning trailed through the air, piercing the apple. It writhed in pain, breaking out of its shell as a mass of rotting flesh, flailing around before angrily smashing the ground.
“ I should have known. The Infestation Mimic.” Yuri said. “ It transforms itself into different beings to lure in its prey and consumes them. It must have consumed the Bough you’re looking for, Manager Dante.”
“ Ew. I’m going to be sick.” Rodya groaned.
“ Keep your stomach.” Outis commanded. “ Now its true form is revealed, we can slay the fiend. At your orders, Manager.” The clock ticked, sending the Sinners back into the fight. Aya wondered how they fought together. It was clumsy but they worked surprisingly well despite not communicating, especially with some of their personalities. She figured it had something to do with the clock but, even if they were what was giving them commands, it was weird that none of them were refusing the orders. Was it mind control? Were they being black mailed so they had to follow the clock's commands? Without being able to hear them, Aya had no idea. Maybe they were just secretly a great strategist with the absolute loyalty of their group. Maybe they’d just drop dead for real if they ever refused. Either way, they worked decently well.
Aya’s ears perked up at a slight squeaking of a boot against the concrete. “ Yuri!” She shouted, pushing her down just in time to save her from a sword swiftly piercing through the air. The man above her, with dark hair and a purple uniform, clicked his tongue.
“ Luck…” The man muttered.
“ Well, I’ve always been a lucky girl.” Aya said snidely.
“ Why you-”
“ Brother?” Aya took the distraction to pull Yuri back and take cover. It wasn’t just the man but two other figures, an older woman and a man with glasses. She winced in pain as she tried to stand back up. Looking over, the man had torn through her arm with that slash.
“ Are you alright, Aya?” Yuri asked.
“ No worries.” She laughed, raising her injured arm. “ Look. We match now.”
“ Don’t joke about that. You could have died.” Yuri said seriously. “ I… don’t want anyone else to die for me.”
“ Was I just meant to let you die then?” Aya asked, tipping her head quizzically.
“ N-No. I just… Look after yourself more. Please. This building… It… It’s taken a lot from me and I… I just don’t want it to take you too.” Aya’s smile fell.
“ Right.” She said slowly. “ Sorry, Yuri. I didn’t mean to worry you.” She looked up. The other group had forgotten about them and were instead in some kind of argument with Limbus Company. “ Who are those guys anyway?"
“ I don’t know.” Yuri said. “ But they’re not good news whoever they are.” Near them, Alex groaned. Yuri knelt next to her as her eyes slowly opened. “ Alex? Are you alright?”
“ Yu…ri…” She groaned. “ Leave me… behind…” Yuri gasped.
“ I… I couldn’t… I know that’s what you wanted but… I’m not strong enough.” Yuri sighed. “ She asked me that when she saved me.” She explained. “ Even now…”
“ Hey, it’s alright Ri.” Aya comforted her. “ We’re not leaving her here. You may have lost a lot of things in this dump but you won’t lose anything else. I promise.” Yuri’s eye teared but she wiped it.
“ Right.” She looked back down. “ I won’t leave you, Alex. We’re getting out together.”
“ Out…” Alex muttered. “ There’s… no way out… Bring… your IDs… to me… It’s… almost time…”
“ I’ll prove you wrong.” Yuri promised. The sound of footsteps distracted them. Aya went for her gun only to see Faust looking over them. “ M-Ms Faust? Where… did those people go?”
“ They left.” She said. “ However, they were able to take the Golden Bough from us by disabling Manager Dante. The mission was a failure.”
“ Sorry we couldn’t help.” Aya said.
“ It was your duty to guide us. Not to engage hostiles you had no hope in defeating. Faust does not blame you for the failure. For a first mission, the results were disappointing though within expected parameters. You shall still get your payment as we discussed.”
“ I’m not worried about that.” Yuri said. “ Everyone… Is everyone… alright?”
“ They will have to be.”
“ Little cold.” Aya said. “ Are you like Hopkins? Hemorrhoids?”
“ Please do not be so crass. Faust has no such illness.”
“ Hopkins says the same thing but you both act like you’ve got something stuck up your ass.”
“ Aya…” Yuri said warningly. “ Sorry, Ms Faust. But um… You guys are… leaving after this, right?” She nodded. “ Oh. So… We won’t see you again.”
“ Unlikely.”
“ I erm… C-Can you at least help Alex? The way she is… I don’t think she’ll last long without medical aid. Medical aid way better than we have in the backstreets. If there’s any way you can please just… save her.” Faust stared at her for a few seconds. Then she closed her eyes.
“ I will try.” She said before walking back. Aya smiled.
“ Come on. Let’s go with her.” Aya said. “ I almost forgot what the sun looks like down here.”
*********************************************
Aya thought everything was over with the departure of Limbus Company. Aya could tell Yuri wanted to go with the bus team but she wasn’t allowed. Hopkins was apparently killed somehow after they met up. Aya assumed the purple suited group had done it as they followed them through the old facility. After two days of figuring things out with the rest of the rest of the Spark Office. Alex was taken by the LC-CA, the After team dedicated to cleaning up after the bus team, which Faust had apparently organised. Taken for medical attention alongside the eggs of the abnormalities within. At least they didn’t have to worry about them escaping anymore. She expected that to be that. Just wait for the money to be wired in and continue life as usual. But then they got a guest.
Moses was an odd duck and her companion, Ezra, was far odder. She sat in the meeting room with a cup of the best coffee they could buy on their budget and explained it. Faust’s report had recommended the two of them join Limbus Company. Aya’s natural demeanour and Yuri’s expertise with the abnormalities made them a good fit for the LC-D, which Moses ran, and the LC-E, which handled the abnormalities, respectively. It would also mean they got to support the Bus team in a few ways. Maybe they’d meet again. Yuri accepted immediately before back tracking a little when Aya held back. Working for a company like Limbus was way better than they’re work as Fixers. They’d never beat the Shepherd’s like Hopkins had always wanted. Sure, they’d have to leave District 4 but Yuri wasn’t from there and, while Aya still had parents here, she could always visit on breaks. Her worry was her subordinates. They’d lost one leader. They couldn’t survive without both. So Moses compromised. Limbus was a relatively new start up. Two more employees would be useful. The entire Spark Office was integrated into Limbus Company.
Aya worked with Moses in the LC-D, handling distortions around the city. Her old gun had been reinforced far beyond what she’d have expected, firing arcing streams of lightning at high power at a target though it kept the old problem of over heating. At least it was more regulated. Her new uniform was similar to her old one just far better defensively. The Mors were good but whoever made her new tech was better. Moses, Ezra, Vespa and Aeng-Du who later joined following a run in with the bus team were all fun to be around.
Yuri in the meantime worked alongside the dour old doctor Hohenheim and his assistants Alyssa and Marton. She got close with the doctor, seeing as both had survived the fall of Lobotomy Corporation and Yuri’s eye for detail made working out how an abnormality worked a lot easier for them. She’d even been gifted a prosthetic eye that tied to Limbus’ Abnormality database and her old EGO back, Eye of the Storm collected from the essence of the Thunderbird, Yuri’s old work project. She kept her old sword but, with the power back in it, it returned to that brilliant shade of purple Aya remembered when they first met the day L Corp fell. Aya was happy to see Yuri get her confidence and joy back while working there. She’d even gotten to meet the bus team again but sadly Aya was out on a mission that day.
Alex’s recovery was slow. Excruciatingly slow for Yuri. It took her three months before she could say a cohesive sentence. Six more before she could leave her bed for an extended period of time on her own. She was weaker now than Yuri had ever known her. But she was alive. She was pulled back from the brink. Her sanity recovered gradually. Yuri apologised to her and she apologised back. They mourned their friends that were lost to the fall. The other captains of the respective teams. The comedian Loki. The nervous Harriet. The Index follower Leanne. All of them. But she was alive. She was fighting. For Yuri, it made all the difference. Besides, she was right. Aya really liked her. It often sounded like she was struggling to get the words out but she had a good sense of humour. She eventually began working for the LC-E, not as an agent due to her weakened body but as a researcher, helping to give back to the people who saved her.
The day the power died, the three of them were together in Alex’s room. Aya looked around in confusion. The thing that tipped her off that whatever Hohenheim was doing later that day hadn’t tripped a breaker was the horrified look from both her friends. “ That’s… not a natural power outage, huh?” She asked.
“ Yuri…” Alex said.
“ I know. It feels like that day.”
“ You… don’t mean…” Neither answered. Then, there was a loud banging from outside. The sound of screaming. The tearing of flesh and bone. Aya stood up, drawing her rifle. “ Welp. Time to earn our wages. Can you move, Al?”
“ I can manage.” Alex nodded. The three left the room and started trying to figure out what was happening. They ran into some kind of zombified corpses in the hall that fell easily to her and Yuri’s attacks. The corridors of the LC-E were torn to shreds, the doors hanging open for any of the inmates to wander freely. A lot of the abnormalities were content to remain indoors but some of them had left as Aya realised as she heard a snapping of twings beneath her feet.
“ Aya!” Yuri shouted, shoving her down in time to avoid a vine piercing just above her head. Emerging from the shadows was the Ebony Queen’s Apple.
“ Huh. Deja Vu.” Aya muttered before standing up. “ You good, Ri?”
“ Ugh. Caught my arm. Don’t worry. Eye of the Storm is sturdier than our old uniform. Not even a flesh wound this time.”
“ Hee hee. Good.”
“ Look out.” Alex called weakly. A second later, a massive explosion rocketed over them, blowing the Abnormality back. Aya looked up as Alex began coughing, leaning on a massive canon she must have picked up from one of the dead agents near her. The two women stood back up with the opening. “ I still wonder how Harriet could handle her so easily?”
“ It likes people who obey.” Yuri said.
“ Welp. That’s not happening.” Aya said. “ If I remember what the bus team did, we have to go for the head, right?”
“ Not advisable.” Yuri told her. “It usually makes it lash out in anger if you destroy the apple. The Qlipoth Deterrance isn’t weakening it like it was when Dante’s team took it on. We should aim for the roots first to stop it tangling the ground. Then we can break its arms and head freely. I’ll take point. Aya, hit its blind spots where you can. Alex, warn us when you can fire.” Aya nodded. Seeing Yuri in her element made it hard to believe she used to be the nervous girl who tripped over herself whenever Hopkins would order her around. She always knew Yuri was better than she thought she was and this proved it. An analytical fighter with a mind like a trap, unafraid to help guide others to victory. Aya liked it. Besides, she always preferred following orders. Much less of a headache.
Aya wasn’t used to fighting Abnormalities but her experiences against some of the Distortions that she’d been tasked to deal with alongside Moses and the other leaders of the LC-D had made her pretty decent at knowing how to deal with monstrous opponents. Between that experience, Yuri’s expert guidance and Alex’s big ass cannon, the three were able to overcome the abnormality, returning it to its egg. Aya breathed a sigh of relief. Almost as soon as it was out however, footsteps reminded the three of their predicament. One Abnormality was slain but they were still under attack. However, who turned the corner weren’t more enemies but friends Aya hadn’t seen since they left District 4. “ Oh. Hey. You’re late.” She waved at the bus team.
“ Ms Aya.” Sinclair exclaimed. “ Ms Yuri too. And… Was it Alex?”
“ That’s right.” Alex nodded, leaning on the EGO weapon she’d been using. “ This is… our first time really meeting, isn’t it? I hear I have you to thank for saving me from the ruins of L Corp.”
“ Now’s not really the time for thanks.” Ishmael told them. “ We followed the sounds of explosions here. Was that you?”
“ Yep.” Aya said cheerfully. “ Just roasted an angsty apple. Man, this really is Deja Vu. Ruins of a lab fighting apples with you guys again.”
“ And another group coming in to steal our hard work.” Yuri sighed. “ That’s… actually a bad comparison.” Dante ticked at them.
“ The manager wishes to know if you know where Doctor Hohenheim is.” Faust asked.
“ No, but I have an idea.” Yuri admitted. “ We have a few places we’re meant to hold in place of an emergency. They’re well defended and well supplied so we can hold out there until the LC-A arrive. The closest one to hear is thankfully the comms room. If they’re not there, we can radio into the other strongholds to see if the Doctor has arrived there and take it from there.”
“ You know who’s attacking this place?” Aya asked. “ Usually you guys attract some strange people.”
“ As much as I’d love to disagree there…” Gregor glanced at Ryoshu.
“ Spiders.” She said.
“ Aw. I hate spiders.” Aya frowned. “ They’re creepy.”
“ They ain’t real spiders.” Heathcliff grumbled. “ Let’s just get outta here. We don’t have time for a chin wag.”
“ Hee hee. Chin wag.”
“ Come on. I’ll lead the way.” Yuri nodded before the group headed down the corridor hoping their new friends would be safe.
**************************************
“ Haaaaa…” Aya sighed, collapsing into a chair in a cafe in K Corp’s nest.
“ It’s not like you to sigh like that.” Yuri said. They’d been given a week's leave after the House of Spiders Invasion. Aya and Yuri worked with Moses and Hohenheim’s teams respectively while Alex remained back to help support. It was a tiring experience but they somehow made it out alive. With a colour fixer on her squad, Aya had no doubts she’d be fine but she worried for Yuri who only managed to outlast the Nursefather of the Ring due to timely interference from a time traveling Sinclair. The LC-B were helping with construction so it left the two of them time to recover on Moses’ order.
“ It’s been a long few days.” She said. “ I’m gonna sleep for the week.”
“ I wouldn’t put it past you, admittedly.”
“ I’m… glad we made it.” Alex said. “ I’ll admit. I was scared it was going to be another L Corp situation.”
“ Yeah. Me too.”
“ Hey. I promised you two wouldn’t go through that again.” Aya said. “ It’s my job to protect my juniors.”
“ In this job, aren’t you the junior?” Alex asked. “ Me and Yuri have the experience.”
“ Huh?” Aya gasped. “ But my role is the cool and dependable big sis. Don’t tell me you’re outgrowing me.”
“ Sorry Aya. You can be the younger sister now.” Yuri teased.
“ Aw…” Aya pouted. “ Well, maybe that won’t be so bad. Should I start calling you big sis?”
“ A-Ah. Don’t go that far.” Alex and Aya laughed at how flustered Yuri got at that. “ Guys. Please.” She whined. Aya smiled softly. She stared out over the city, the people going about their day and the fixers protecting that piece. Somehow, she felt like she was a larger part of it all now. It was weird to think about. She wondered if this was how the feathers of the wings felt, helping the city run. Something about it made her fill a weird sense of fulfilment. Her work hadn’t really changed. She was just a Fixer with a badge as part of the LC-D. Despite that, her world felt brighter even after emerging at the end of a massive tragedy like the House of Spider’s raid. Perhaps it was because she felt she had purpose now. A larger part to play than she had as Hopkin’s minder. To think all of this came from a chance encounter with a start up company in district 4.
“ Are you alright Aya?” Yuri asked.
“ Yeah. Just thinking.” She said. “ I really am a lucky girl.”