Chapter 149 - I'm Calling Your Names
Though you can't see it from the warehouse where your equipment has been set up, the sun has begun to dip in the sky. The bright light it casts down on the city doesn't make its way in, leaving no hint of the world outside. It's a bit nostalgic, to once again be surrounded by machinery and separated from the sun.
Your mother, Carmen, had loved the sunlight. The City has only sparse spots of nature, and they are all kept penned and controlled by the groups that own them. It's not too different from Mitakihara, really. It may not be the City, but it is still a city. It wouldn't be hard to find a spot of untamed nature, if you particularly cared to. It would be a short walk at most. But at the same time, you don't really care to. Ayin never shared Carmen's affection to nature. He only ever cared about spending time with her. When she died, he couldn't so much as bear sunlight. Fortunately, you haven't inherited that particular tendency. Instead, you just… watch the world. Note the state of the sky, memorize the scenes that should probably spark some emotion beyond mild appreciation in you. You remember the first time you saw the sun with your own eyes. It's not a special memory.
You dismiss the sudden bout of introspection. This is hardly your Facility; it's an empty building Kyubey bought for you so you could build things without being interrupted. Currently, all it does is house you, the Incubator, and Argalia as you review the situation at hand.
"I went through some effort to track them, but Miss Miki's parents have totally disappeared. Unfortunate it may be, there really is only one clear explanation." Argalia's voice is like a melody even through the telepathic network. Though it doesn't find its way into his tone, there's a certain sharpness to his cyclopian gaze when he glances over at Kyubey's puppet body sitting in the opposite end of the room.
You resist the urge to sigh. It's exactly the answer you were expecting, but you had hoped that maybe there wouldn't be any further complications added to the situation. On the other hand, your current plans don't need to change at all to accommodate additional hostages. It would've been short-sighted not to expect something like that, considering who you're up against. Predictions aside, though, there's still room for a little more possible clarity here.
"Have you heard anything about that, Isabeau? I'm not sure how much fanfare the Adult would put up around hostage-taking, but if it was anything of importance I would assume she'd have said something to you."
Your final conversation partner's heavy laughter seems to echo in the dimly-lit room, despite the impossibility of such a thing. "I believe you're overestimating our relationship. Sadly, our mutual friend doesn't see fit to inform me of anything that doesn't directly affect me."
Unfortunate, but that was about what you expected. "I'm not sure if I can call them a 'mutual friend' at this point. After what happened today, there's no chance I'm simply going to let the Adult Who Tells Lies be. Which brings us to the most important question at hand..." You pause for dramatic effect. Drawing people's attention was more your mother's forte than your father's, but learning how to work a crowd in your lifetime was inevitable. Not to the level of anyone else in the room, but you have other levers to work with besides sheer charisma. "Where will you stand in the coming conflict, Isabeau? Even if they haven't been as courteous as they maybe should've been, they did bring you back from the dead. If you feel that demands some loyalty in exchange, I would be understanding."
Isabeau's decision, whatever it is, will decide how the upcoming assault will be structured. The best case scenario would be for her to agree to work alongside you. You're open to suggestions on how to improve your plans, especially from somebody living in the place you're planning to attack. More than that, the impression Isabeau have when you met in person was… intense. Between that and the Adult tolerating her not as a subordinate but a partner? Even if she can't fight on the level of an Aleph-Class, she's at least stronger than you or any of your allies individually. She could draw the Abnormality's eyes away from Madoka for long enough to sneak in and spring her from her imprisonment.
Even if you can't convince her to work with you, simply guaranteeing her neutrality is enough. With what her children want from you, you have the leverage necessary to get what you need from them without ever involving the former Queen of France. As long as you're not asking them to actively oppose their mother's will, what you'll be requesting should be entirely reasonable compared to what they're asking of you. There is always the possibility that Isabeau stands with the Adult, yes, but…
"Loyalty?" Isabeau laughs. "It earned goodwill, nothing more. And I feel that goodwill has been thoroughly spent by now, wouldn't you agree?"
That was never really on the table. One conversation with Isabeau was enough to tell you that.
"Will you be assisting us, then, Miss Isabeau? Your help would be much appreciated." Argalia proposes.
"That depends on what you mean by assisting. I wouldn't be opposed to ensuring my displeasure is made perfectly clear by way of a little friendly cooperation." Isabeau says. "But first, I would prefer to know where we all expect to be standing afterwards."
You toy with the trigger of your new rifle, Magic Bullet. A cold azure glow burns just under the timeworn wooden frame, pressing itself against the weapon's walls to meet your touch. Another tool added to your arsenal, another weight in the scale. "You already know my plans. I have children to look after. They can all probably take care of themselves, but I'd rather make sure before I leave."
It's not the Queen who responds to your answer, but Argalia. The Color Fixer leans forward, eye focused into a single wispy point as he stares at you. There's no hostility to the movement, but an intensity is present all the same. "And after that? Children grow up quickly, or so I'm told."
Realistically, you know you won't have much time left after that. Two years is a long time, but for a lifespan? It doesn't leave a whole lot of room. You'd also like to spend as much of it as you can with your children. Adopting them wasn't a whim, and you refuse to falter in your commitment. A good parent should at least be present for their child while they're growing, and independent they might be all of your kids still have growing to do. Aside from keeping an eye on them? "Some loosed Abnormalities still need to return to containment. That is my responsibility as Manager. After that, I owe my sister some favors. That means plenty of work back home. Around here, I don't expect to have much free time. My expertise is always needed someplace or another."
Your work is never over. That rule, above all else, dictates your life. At first, it was simple. You only had the Facility, and you did your job until it was over and accepted the ending that came after. But now? The whole world- not just one, but two, and who knows how many more in the future- are available to you. You have two years, and a responsibility to do what you can with them.
"I presume Argalia will be on the hunt for more new Distortions?"
The Color Fixer nods, then vocalizes his agreement. You're not sure how you feel about that. Having Argalia around has been stressful but helpful, and your stress would not be reduced by him having left your area of influence. Once he's left, you would- well, you were going to say you would have trouble finding him again, but that's not true in the slightest. Emotion sense-guided tracking aside, Argalia wants something from you. Even if he leaves, you can expect him to keep in touch.
"Excellent. That only leaves one. What will you do, Incubator?"
Kyubey's proxy body is statue-like. Only their tail, cooling back and forth like an inverted pendulum, indicates the creature is alive in any sense of the word. "We'll continue as normal. Once the Abnormality is no longer a potential problem for our operations on Earth, what else is there to do?"
Isabeau's laughter again fills the telepathy channels. "I meant about me. You interfered with my rule last time. Do you plan on repeating that little scuffle?"
"No. Circumstances have changed since then, and modifications have been made to the Incubator Network to remove any unacceptable breaches. You aren't an issue anymore."
As Kyubey speaks, they turn their head to face you. Just like the Adult Who Tells Lies, Isabeau de Bavière is too big a threat for you to leave alone, and they know this. Why would the Incubators have to act when somebody else is there to clean up their messes for them?
That implication is lost on Isabeau, whose smile you can picture perfectly just by the tone of her voice. "Then I have no objections. Let us rejoice at a prosperous partnership for the future!" Left unsaid is that if the once-Queen of France feels you are no better a partner than the Wizard was, your temporary alliance will end the same way theirs did. That's fine with you. Every good manager aspires to keep everyone happy.
"Glad to have you with us. This is what I have planned so far…"
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The Library is undoubtedly cozier than the empty warehouse your recent meeting was held. The warm light floating through the air illuminates furnishings carved with an impossible care and precision. In spite of this, the atmosphere feels like a dark, heavy cloud filling the room. Mami sits calmly beside Kyoko, who makes no effort to conceal her nervous energy. She frowns as she shifts back and forth in her seat, tapping against the lacquered wood surface of the table. You can feel a thick haze of heat rolling off her body even through the newly-refreshed disguise. Mami is far less visibly disconcerted, but the constant shifting of her posture and occasional toying with the fringes of her clothing give her away. Sayaka is off the the left, already in her Magical Girl uniform. Her hand keeps drifting towards her sword before drawing back into a poor imitation of Mami's own posture. Between them is Homura, unaffected as always. Angela hasn't bothered restoring her disguise. Unlike Kyoko, Homura has never had trouble controlling it, but the damage she received earlier was enough for the jury-rigged spell to fall apart.
Standing at the edges of the room are three people you hadn't expected. Gebura leans against a wall, the last gasps of a cigarette on her breath, flanked by Malkuth and Hod. The three exchange a series of looks with Angela, who stands slightly behind you, before abruptly cutting off.
"And where are Yuma and the Shizuki family?" you ask.
"Yuma is currently with the Librarians of the Floor of Language, while the Shizukis are enjoying Chesed's hospitality along with two of the Magical Girls." Angela reports. You dismiss another sudden flash of nostalgia.
"I trust everyone's had time to rest and ready themselves?" you ask. A round of affirmations of various levels of confidence answer your. Unideal, but you don't have the time to wait for everyone to be completely ready.
"And not that I'm opposed to your company, but Malkuth, Hod, why are you here? Gebura I can see having a few words to put it, but you…" you lean back in your seat. "This isn't usually your scene."
Hod is the first to answer you. The short brunette's voice is steadier than you're used to from her. Even with everything going on, it makes you smile. They've all grown so much.
"We don't have much to do in the Library anyways. If there's anything we can do to help, I want to be here."
"It feels like we haven't done enough to help. After everything that happened back in the Corporation, we deserve to be able to rely on each other moving forward." Malkuth adds. There's a fire in her voice, calm as she is now. The feeling of warmth inside you grows.
"Speak for yourselves. I've had plenty of extra work thanks to you." Angela complains without any real heat. You stifle a laugh and move on.
"Yes, I'll be sure to pay you back. But all that aside, I'm afraid I have to deliver some bad news first. Based on Argalia's investigation, it appears likely Sayaka's parents have been kidnapped by the Adult."
The words are barely out of your mouth when Sayaka erupts. Her hand darts for her sword for a moment before she realizes the futility of the action. Absent a real target, the Magical Girl's hands crash against the table. It creaks pitifully under the force of the impact. Mami reflexives reaches out to her, mouth open, but no words come forth.
"We've gotta do something? Do you know where they are? I-"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Kyoko interrupts, a sharp spike in temperature punctuating her speech. Sayaka freezes, anger withheld as the air cools. "X has a plan, and she wouldn't just leave them. But you can't run off like an idiot or you'll just make things worse."
"Kyoko…" Mami's voice trails off as she winced at her sister's harsh words. Sayaka's fists tighten, but she looks away from the other children and breathes deeply. Gebura steps forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright to feel like this." the legendary Fixer says plainly. "But you've gotta channel those feelings. Don't let 'em be used against you. Besides, your friend was right about one thing. You've already got a plan, right Manager?"
"I had already accounted for the possibility of additional hostages and planned around it. Your parents will be safe, Sayaka. I can promise you that."
Sayaka struggles to say something, then releases a heavy sigh and collapses onto the already-abused table. The energy that had filled her evaporates in an instant. When she speaks, her voice is weak and unsteady. "Right, I… yeah. You'll fix this. Everything's gonna be fine."
"Maybe we should get to that plan?" Malkuth proposes, shifting uncomfortably from side to side and eying the collapsed Sayaka.
"Of course. To put it simply, the rescue effort will rely on Homura's abilities. With the power to manipulate time, combing the Emerald City and extracting any hostages will be drastically easier."
"Not to poke holes, but we saw what happened when Homura tried to do that earlier today. And it didn't go all that hot." Kyoko chimes in. Homura herself remains silent, only glancing over at the other Distortion before returning her attention to you.
"I know, and I've accounted for this. Our first objective in this attack won't be pursuing any of our real objectives, but destroying the countermeasures placed in the Emerald City that prevent Homura's large-scale time manipulation." You've stood up by now, and your voice has taken the same authoritative, professional tone normally reserved for announcing orders. "As checked by multiple outside sources, including a Magical Girl previously employed by the Adult who has chosen to rebel," you continue, proceeding past the confusion and curiosity sparked by your offhand mention of Isabeau. You'll save speaking more about her for later in the explanation. "there are only a few markers placed throughout the Emerald City that serve this purpose. Four, to be precise, since the magic that establishes them is far more complicated than the spell that was applied directly to Homura, and creating too many would've risked damage to the Emerald City. These markers have all been placed in the highest-security locations possible."
"So we get rid of all of those, and then we can save everyone?" Sayaka says. You nod sternly.
"Yes, but we will need to be careful. Once one goes down, the Adult will quickly realize our goal. If that happens, there's nothing stopping her from either replacing the missing markers or implementing a new defense that will be less easily disrupted. If that happens, we'll have to retreat and identify a new angle of attack." Everyone knows what that would mean: more time for Madoka and the Mikis to be held captive. More time spent at the Adult Who Tells Lies' mercy.
Unacceptable.
"If I may ask, what will we do about the Abnormality themself? We-" Mami cuts herself off. "We were not able to confront them even without the disadvantage of fighting on enemy terrain."
Again, you nod. "That will rely mostly on the dissenting Magical Girls. Due to certain unique circumstances, they will be able to hold the Adult long enough for us to work. Once Madoka and Sayaka's parents are out along with any other innocents, we will be able to reinforce them." It's really closer to letting Isabeau and the Adult fight and then tackling whoever wins, but that will require a little more explanation. If that fails, there's always to option of challenging the Adult's trials explicitly. Rigged as they may be, you believe in your children. The Wizard's Trials have been beaten before, and overcoming them again may be enough to claim victory from the jaws of defeat.
You've prepared as best you could. You have planned, and you have worked, and you have fought. And soon, you will know whether or not you have made a mistake.
"Here's what I have so far. If you have a suggestion, don't hesitate to make it known."
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The Assault On The Emerald City
Organize yourself, Argalia, Homura, Kyoko, Mami, Sayaka, and Leonie into teams to attack the four markers. All four markers must be destroyed at the same time, so four teams are a must. Format all plans as plans for simplicity's sake.
-[] The Rumor Mill
"This place is the source of a good chunk of the Adult's forces, not to mention where she cloned the Reverb Ensemble from. Most of those copies are already dead now, and the remainder are scattered across the Emerald City, but we can expect at least one here. Plus, it's a location actively worked by some of the Adult's Magical Girl forces."
-[] The Observation Tower
"This place isn't actively staffed by people, but one of the Magical Girls I've contacted checks up on it occasionally. It's crawling with Puppets and special Familiars disguised as Magical Girls, plus there's no nearby entry point. Expect a long trip with plenty of traps and disadvantageous battlefield conditions."
-[] The Wizard's Court
"The dead center of the Emerald City and the Wizard's main workshop. We've got no solid information on this place's defenses, but it's the Adult Who Tells Lies' seat of power. It'll be a reflection of the Abnormality herself- full of tricks and traps meant to hurt you in the worst ways possible. But at the same time, getting in there would give a chance to sabotage her work."
-[] The Black Forest
"The territory of another Abnormality sharing space with the Emerald City. The Adult's failed a few pushes here and eventually gave up on extracting them. As for the Abnormality that lives there… my only advice would normally be to keep as wide a distance as you can, but that's not going to be an option. Whoever steps into that forest will have no choice but to face judgement for their sins."
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Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED
You finally got that gun you wanted! There you go, my gift to you!
Format votes as so:
[] Title
-[] Location A
—[] Team A
-[] Location B
—[] Team B
-[] Location C
—[] Team C
-[] Location D
—[] Team D
But on a more serious note, it's been a while since this Quest started. This is our second year together, and I never even thought I'd last one. Human Resources has been the highest-rated PM Quest on the site for a while now, and is currently the second most watched Madoka Magica Quest that's still actively updated, only behind Adfligo Systema. When I first started this, I never thought people would care about what I wrote, much less to this degree. I know that if it weren't for all of you, I wouldn't have found the strength to keep this story going. You all have brought me so much joy and happiness, and I can only hope that I've been able to give at least a little of that back to you.
Thanks you all for everything, from the bottom of my heart. I hope you all have a lovely Winter.
