["This is a forest full of hearts. No matter how many he cuts down, the forest still remains dense."]
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3rd POV

X laid awake in his bed while staring at the ceiling with an unreadable expression. Ever since he had gotten into bed last night, not once had he moved from his spot. One of his arms and legs dangled off the edge of the bed due to him falling backwards onto the bed with zero effort put into actually sleeping.

For hours he had laid awake in the deafening silence of his room with only his thoughts and the constant whispering in the back of his head to keep him company. He didn't want to hear what they had to say, and yet he still heard it regardless. Telling him to run, to escape, and to tell someone—anyone—of the shit that was happening here.

Frightened and stupefied were words that he felt could somewhat describe what he was feeling. The nervousness and paranoia kept him awake throughout the entire night while the expectations and stress made him want to pass out. Despite his calm look, his back was covered in sweat and his heart continued to beat at its fast pace that only increased the more he thought about what this new day had to bring.

He didn't know how long he could continue doing this. The pressure, the responsibilities, the expectations, the constant presence of the guillotine his head was in, all of it was just too much. The fluctuations between what his morals wanted him to do and what he needed to do was only making his mental health worsen by the day as well. If he were to be honest, the entire place was making his mental health worse and worse as the days go by, and there was nearly nothing that he could do to alleviate it.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

X didn't flinch at the high pitch noise coming from his night stand. In fact, he didn't even register the noise at all as he filtered out everything around him and focused on his worries. As the alarm continued its duty of waking up its owner, a knock came from the door. When they received no answer they knocked once more, only to receive the same result. Having no other choice, the visitor unlocked the door with their privileges and walked right in.

Of course, the visitor was Angela who immediately took notice of the Manager's state as the man hadn't even acknowledged that she was there. Nothing that she wasn't used to, but that was besides the point, because this time it seemed to be caused by something else. Since the day couldn't start without the Manager, she knew what she had to do to get the day started and over with.

Forcing away a sigh, Angela stepped forward and made her way to him. She stood by his bed and then leaned her body so she was hovering over his face. Blinking, X grew confused when there was two glowing orbs looking down at him. The Manager didn't know when two golden light bulbs were adding to his ceiling, but he most definitely remembered the lights being off.

"Good morning, Manager. Unfortunately, the time for rest is over."

Hearing her voice fill his room along with the alarm in the background, X finally became aware of who/what was in his room and what time it was. For several seconds they both stared at each other as her abrupt presence slowly registered in X's mind. With a sudden spring of energy, X sat up from the bed just as Angela stepped back to avoid a collision.

As his wide eyes slowly blinked the surprise away, X finally became focused on what was around him and slowly got off from the bed. Angela made room as she awaited for him to finish up his preparations. Noticing that she wasn't leaving, X found himself nervously turning to her before clearing his throat while glancing at her every now and then.

"Khm....I would....appreciate it if you gave me my privacy."

Not needing to be told twice, Angela simply nodded before exiting the room. With no one to creepily watch him undress, X quickly fetched new clothes and took a much needed shower. Once that was done, he quickly clothed himself and stared at his reflection through the steam. A foggy face stared back at him, copying his movements as he tried to look past it. It's features indistinguishable from the mist that served as its background.

"Who am I?"

Was the question that came to him as he contemplated his entire existence. He had nothing; no memories, no knowledge of his parents or friends, no origin. If there was anything that he could call his own and use it to identify himself, it would his experience, his title, and the letter 'X'. Because despite how ridiculous it may sound... he had grown fond of the name, it simply stuck to him now.

He couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not and he didn't want to know either, because it would simply take what little he had away from him. If he wasn't 'X', then who was he then? Manager; someone who could be easily replaced like the last one? The thought chilled him even through the steamy room he was in.

Taking a few deep breathes to calm himself, X walked right out of his bathroom and straight for the entrance on his room. His moist hair dripped droplets onto his clothes as he walked and the chilly temperature made his still-moist body shiver a tad bit more. Ignoring it for now, however, X opened the door and stepped right out.

Not surprisingly, his assistant stood right there ready to walk him through another day in Lobotomy Corporation.

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3rd POV                   

Training Department

The clerks seemed to notice something odd about Hod's smile today. They couldn't tell if it was because of the overwhelming brightness of it or simply the way it was starting to stretch a little too wide. Or maybe.....it was the fact that she hadn't spoken to them about counseling like she usually does, and if THAT wasn't an indicator that something was up, then they didn't know what was.

Nonetheless, the clerks could only put up with the strange behavior of their Sephirah as none of them had the courage to voice their thoughts and complaints.

In her more than "chipper" mood, Hod stood directly in front of one of the entrances while awaiting the arrival of her boss and the boss of her boss. Though if one were to look at her twiddling fingers, they would've noticed the slight anxiousness that she was feeling regarding today's confrontation.

"It'll be fine! The Manager will surely realize just how great these programs I'm doing are!" Trying to reassure herself, Hod quickly went over the ideas and proposals she had so she wouldn't forget them. "Greet him, smile to uplift the mood, and then show him all your hard work, Hod!"

After a few nerve-wrecking moments later, the moment she has been waiting for all this morning had arrived. The entrance door let out an audible clicking sound before opening to reveal the Manager and Angela right behind it. Maybe it was due to the anxiety and anxiousness she was feeling, but the greeting Hod had practiced to give came out more like a shout than anything.

"G-Good morning, Manager!" The Manager was startled to say the least and winced under the sudden volume. Seeing the disapproving look that Angela gave her, Hod's confidence took a huge hit. "Oh, ummm......Hi..."

The Manager didn't seem to be in the mood for pleasantries, now more so when he was more occupied with other thoughts. Getting no response from either of them, Hod strained smile turned meek as she frowned nervously.

"You're not.....angry, are you?" She asked quietly as she didn't want to risk angering her boss anymore than she already had. When the Manager simply shook his head with a sigh, Hod regained some of her confidence back. "Khm! Then allow me to properly introduce myself. I'm Hod, the Sephirah in charge of the Training Department."

"X, the Manager."

He responded in kind, but obviously lacking the vigor that Hod had. Nodding her head, Hod stepped to the side to let them in. With them following her while she acted as a sort of tour guide, Hod led them into her Department. Much like the greeting, however, she was struggling to speak her words. Despite the amount of times she had practiced her words, she was struggling to say what she wanted to say under the pressure of both her superiors.

"We're....umm......what we do here is....You know accidents happen in the company, so we....umm..."

Releasing a sigh and stopping dead in his tracks, the Manager turned to face the Sephirah before waving her to stop. Ignoring the scared look she had, the Manager simply wanted her to say what she needed to say and be done with it.

"Hod...organize your thoughts, please. I don't mean to come as rude, but this charade is simply wasting our time."

His words did inflict some damage to her confidence once again, but one look from Angela was enough for Hod to steel herself and move forward.

".....F-From the reports we've received from Yesod, the accidents that I've mentioned before are usually preventable if the employees simply showed more initiative.....at least that's what Lady Angela noted to me."

Both the Manager and Hod gave Angela a quick glance before turning back to each other. Angela didn't seem to mind as she simply stood where she was a few feet away from them in silence. Almost as if she wasn't a part of their conversation.

".....So the Training Department provides employees with work manuals and sufficient training. To, you know, try and reduce the number of accidents." She seemed quite proud regarding that last portion, something the Manager noticed but didn't comment on. "Despite not being....skillful in many areas.....I try to not be a hindrance and have even been giving counseling to my employees."

The Manager quirked an eyebrow at this as his interest was piqued. When Hod was going to continue onto another subject, the Manager quickly cut in and stopped her by raising his hand out.

"Apologizes for interrupting, Hod, but I would like to know more of this counseling that you are providing."

If the passion and pride she had before was comparable to a flame, then this was an inferno as she all but gleefully closed the distance.

"Oh! You want to know more about the program?" Seeing the Manager nod his head, she gathered her thoughts and quickly straitened herself out. "Of course! The counseling program that I've implemented has us come together as a Department or even individually to discuss and let out our worries. Despite the mandatory check-ups we do for our employees, many still tend to lose their sanity due to the company being quite......demanding."

The Manager wanted to nod his head along with her in agreement, but refrained from doing. His instincts told him to avoid doing anything that would damage his image in front of Angela. Taking the time to listen to Hod's explanation, X found himself seeing it as something quite beneficial. After all he, himself, could use the one-on-one discussions and letting out his worries and stress.

"I've been thinking of adding a new program for my Department that can also be implemented in other Departments. Although I don't know how it will go, I can only hope that the employees will like it and find it helpf—"

Hod stopped mid-sentence when a woman with long black hair in her early-twenties walked up to them with a cheerful smile.

"Sephirah Hod! It's all thanks to you!" X and Hod turned to the newcomer, the former with a confused look while the latter was smiling back at them. Angela didn't even seem fazed at all by the interruption and seemed to be absentminded. "I feel so much better after talking to you as you suggested. I'm finally free from all of those horrible thoughts that used to haunt me every morning!"

Her words only caused Hod to smile even brighter as she waved off the praise. Giving the employee a kind smile, Hod placed a hand on their shoulder as if she were a friend who needed calming down.

"No, no, it was your courage to bare your heart to me that really solved the problem. I just showed you where to start."

The woman didn't seem to be budging as she shook her head and gently removed Hod's hand from her shoulder.

"No really, I mean it. I'd probably hung myself by now if it wasn't for you. Anyway, Sephirah Hod, you really did save my life. I was fortunate to have had you as my Sephirah! You're a really, really good person!"

The Manager felt his blood run cold at the statement that seemed to have been glossed over like it was nothing. What made it worse was the fact that the person herself was still smiling as if she didn't mention such a depressing and horrific thing. The Sephirah didn't seem to have been disturbed by such a notion as she beamed a brighter smile at the worker.

"Thank you, Tiffany! I'm so glad to see you getting better. I heard you'll be transferring to the Reserves tonight, I hope you do well! Please make sure to not forget the conversations we had."

The employee, Tiffany, nodded as she began to walk past them.

"Of course, Hod! I won't!"

With that last declaration, Tiffany walked out of the Department while they watched her leave. X noticed several employees in the distance either giving Hod the stink eye when she wasn't looking or solemnly staring at the door Tiffany left through. All of which sprung red flags in the Manager's mind, but he didn't have the chance to think it thoroughly.

"You see that, Manager? My counseling's really working!" Hod turned back to him after Tiffany left the Department. Although X failed to notice the emotions in her eyes due to him feeling conflicted with what just occurred, Angela did but merely ignored it as she found no reason to mention it. "I want to be as helpful a person I can be here....because the harder I try, the more lives I can save."

"......I believe it is time for us to head back, Manager."

Angela spoke out grabbing his attention before Hod could continue her obviously one-sided conversation. X looked and found that she was correct, and they had only around twenty minutes or so to make it back. Hod seemed surprised that time flew as quickly as it did before she cooled her expression and waved a goodbye.

"Let's do our best, Manager!"

"......."

Simply waving a goodbye, X took the lead and made his way back to the elevator with Angela right behind him. Much like every other day, they both traveled to the office with not a word spoken between them.

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Manager's Office

It was ten minutes before eight o'clock, X was nose-deep into the manual that he had brought with him the previous days. He was slowly but surely progressing deeper and deeper into the contents within the pages. His free hand, that didn't hold the massive book, wrote down small notes that he thought to be important. Things like the proper procedures for when an entire Department became incapacitated and tips on how to limit the use of the TT2 protocol.

These were all helpful and undoubtedly useful to know for the future, but none of them were things he actually wanted to know at the moment. His eyes repeated the motion of rapidity scanning the sentences from left to right, over and over until he reached the bottom of the page before doing the same to the next.

This cycle continued for a while before X stopped when a slight tremor caused the room to shake. He barely missed it but the slight vibrations of the water in his bottle made him aware of it. Despite only lasting for several seconds, in the dead quiet room it stuck out like a sore thumb.

"What was that?" He asked no one in particular as he glanced up from his manual. Seeing that the shaking caused the cactus on his table to move, he quickly placed it back in its usual spot before turning in his chair to look at Angela. "Was that—? Should I be worried about that?"

A slight frown made it's way onto Angela's expressionless face as she searched the facility's network to find the cause of it. When she did find it, she flattened her features and calmly stood up.

"Apologies, Manager. A situation seems to have occurred that requires my attention." X was quite curious as to what the "situation" was but dismissed it as something not that serious judging by Angela's indifferent tone. "It will be only for a moment."

The Manager was already back to his manual by the time she reached the door and left. As soon as the door closed, however, he slowly glanced over the massive book and took a peak at the door to see if she really did leave. Seeing that she was actually gone, X immediately dropped the book on his desk before laying his head down on top of it.

'This is too much for me this early in the morning.' With all the air in his lungs that he could muster, he released all of his emotions in a loud sigh. Slowly, he picked his head up from the desk before resting his chin on it while gazing at the small cactus. 'Have you been growing?'

It's only been a few days since he's been keeping it, but for sure he noticed the subtle growth of it. Grabbing it by the pot, he brought it close to him before watering it slowly. He didn't even know if it was actually alive or simply a fake, but it served as a nice pastime. Maybe gardening was a hobby of his?

"Get nice and big, little guy."

He whispered while watching the twinkling clear water fall and be absorbed into the soil. Finding himself curious if it was actually alive, he raised his index finger and brought it close to one of its needles. Just as he was about to prick his finger, a knock came at the door causing him to scramble and make himself as presentable as he could be. With the manual back in his hands and his face hidden behind it, he cleared his throat before speaking loudly.

"Come in."

With his approval, the guest for the morning entered in slowly. Their footsteps were slightly hesitant, something that X found odd, but after a few more steps it became more confident. Still not being able to see who had visited him, the Manager could only guess as to who was standing right in front of his desk. He could only hope that it wasn't one of the Sephirot with more work for him.

"Whatcha reading there?" The relaxed voice of Y/n was both relieving and questionable to X. Seeing that it wasn't a Sephirot, X slowly lowered his book and come to see Y/n standing with his hands in his pockets. "Uh, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt or anything."

".....You're fine.....I could use a small break." Hearing that, Y/n smiled before he sat at the edge of his desk. "Though I do have to wonder.....Why are you here?"

"What? Can't I visit a friend?" Sending a teasing look at him, X simply responded by frowning a bit. "Umm, okay. No jokes then." He dishearteningly chuckled with a strained smile. "Anyways, X~ In all seriousness, I did come by to discuss something personal with you."

"Personal?"

"I mean I would think it is, pretty sure names are pretty personal. Are they not?"

Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Y/n decided to elaborate a bit more. He glanced around the room and motioned with his hands for X to look around.

"Let's leave the pleasantries and formalities to the side. Angela isn't here, so there's no need to keep face in front of each other. What is your real name? Not that codename, your actual name."

For a moment, X stayed silent as he rummaged through his mind to find an answer to his question. When nothing but the name he was given popped up, he shook his head with an unreadable expression.

"I....I don't know."

"You.....don't know?" Seeing the Manager shake his head once more, Y/n's confusion was apparent on his face. "So, what? Your parents just decided to name you 'X'? Yeah, I'm not buying that."

"Of course not....but it's not like I would know either way." He whispered the last potion to himself. "Though I have to wonder as to why you would ask such a question."

"I'm pretty sure anyone would question the absurdity of naming a person a letter. Besides, the only reason I asked was because it didn't feel right calling you that. Since we're friends now, I would've thought that we could've been on the first name basis."

Although X didn't particularly understand why Y/n wanted to be friends with him, he did find himself wanting to have someone to speak with. Even if that someone was the person he didn't feel particularly certain in putting his trust in.

".....Then keep it for when we are alone......Y/n..."

X didn't know why, but he felt himself get nervous for a bit. Seeing the smirk that Y/n had only made him glance away embarrassingly. That action alone was more emotion than what Y/n had seen from him. Hiding away a chuckle, Y/n stood up and made his way to the wine cabinet.

"Sure thing, Xavier."

His words caused X to snap out of his state as he confusingly gave him a glance. Y/n fetched a few glass cups and a bottle before turning to him. When he noticed the look he had, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"What? I'm not going to keep calling you X, so the best thing would be to just make a name up if you couldn't remember." X hesitantly accepted the offered glass that Y/n poured him while he mouthed the name. To his surprise, the more he repeated it the more he seemed to like it. "I take it that you like it?"

".....It's better than what I could've came up with, that's for sure."

"Great! Plus, it also lets you keep that 'X' thing going if you want to keep using it~"

The Manager, X—now named Xavier—, nodded his head while absentmindedly sipping his cup. When the strong taste and smell of the alcohol finally registered in his head, he choked on it as he struggled to spit it out.

"Woah, woah, woah! You okay?" Y/n asked as he set aside his own cup and started slapping Xavier's back in order to help him. After a coughing fit, he finally was able to breathe again before he sent Y/n a glare. "What? It's not my fault you can't hold your liquor."

"It's not the liquor that's the problem, it's the fact that you're trying to get us intoxicated before the start of the shift. Pretty contradictory with what you scolded me about yesterday.....and don't think I forgot about that slap."

Because no matter how the events went yesterday, Xavier indeed wanted to bring that up during their discussion. He just didn't want to be the one making a big deal about it. Y/n rolled his eyes at him while waving off the glare sent his way.

"Oh please, I only gave you that wake-up call because Angela was there. I could care less what you do, but in front of Angela? It would be best for the both of us to be cautious."

Xavier found himself hesitantly nodding along. From the beginning he already had a bad feeling about the AI, so having someone else with the same thought process was reassuring in a way.

"After the meeting yesterday.....I had a private discussion with Angela." Y/n took a shot of the wine before sitting on the edge of his desk once more. "She's my superior/boss and I'm the worker/employee, so I trust her enough to respect some of my opinions."

And now that small feeling of camaraderie was now gone from that statement alone. Xavier couldn't really fathom as to why the man before him was placing any form of trust on a machine that had no issue of "retiring" them. But seeing that Y/n still had more to say, Xavier decided to let the man finish before voicing out his displeasures.

"Which, unfortunately, seemed to be one-sided as she didn't quite like my inputs." He sighed while shaking his leg subconsciously. "Other than that, I've found out quite a bit actually. Ten years of service, that's how long I've been working here. That includes both before and after becoming a Captain." Y/n's expression grew blank as he rummaged through his vague and inconsistent memories. "Funny thing is, I sometimes feel like I've been here longer: my entire life even. I can't explain it, but it's like this is all I've ever known, you know?"

Xavier indeed know what he meant, those dreamless nights where even when he wished to to be far away, he couldn't help but picture himself being here. It was like this was the only thing they had or knew to do, and in a way it was true for him. Slowly, Xavier reached for the glass of wine and drank it. Y/n turned to look at him before smirking a bit.

"Sorry, I kinda sounded like Netzach there for a bit. Speaking of him, guess I'll let him know that he has someone else he can ask to accompany him."

"Tch....I'm not making this a habit. It's a one time thing."

Despite saying that, the Manager had already finished the sweet alcoholic drink and had to refrain from frowning. Just as Y/n was going to pour another glass for him, the faint sound of something beeping could be heard within his desk. For a moment, they both froze while trying to discern what it was, but Y/n's eyes widened as he assumed what it could've been.

"What's tha—"

Xavier didn't get to finish his sentence when Y/n suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and tossed him halfway across the room. Y/n wanted to mentally complimented himself for not knocking over the cactus that BongBong gave to the Manager as a gift, but now wasn't the time for such thoughts. He wasted no time to dash after Xavier.

With the air knocked out of him and a blurry vision, Xavier tried to sit up and glance around to see what was happening, but something suddenly loomed over him. As the muffled beeping noise continued to increase in volume, Xavier finally saw that Y/n was the one looming over him while using his own body as a shield against the supposed danger.

"......"

"......"

When nothing happened for a few seconds, Y/n slowly got up from over Xavier. Offering a hand to the Manager, Y/n smiled awkwardly as he pulled him up. Xavier glared at him as he rubbed the back of his head where it impacted with the floor while hissing every now and then.

"S-Sorry about that! Thought it was an explosive! You can never be too sure, you know~"

Trying to play it off did not help with the Manager's irritation, but it did make him lose his glare. Despite how unrealistic that sounded, Xavier still nodded his head appreciatively. Just when he was about to walk back to his desk, Y/n stopped him as he shook his head.

"Manager, it would be best if I go first. Not to sound self-centered, but imagine what would happen if you got injured or killed and I left this room unscathed? I'd rather get blown to bits than have Shina go through torturing me for supposedly killing you."

Seeing his point, Xavier stepped aside and let Y/n investigate the wooden furniture. Pulling out drawers and looking underneath the desk itself, they were beginning to think that the source was within the desk itself rather than on it. And that was proven right when Y/n accidentally felt the bottom portion of the drawer move unnaturally.

'I just found a secret~' Pulling out a pen from his breast pocket, Y/n slid his hand over the bottom portion of the drawer before spotting a spot near the back where a tiny wedge was made. 'Bingo!' Carefully sticking the pen in between, Y/n slowly lifted the layer up to reveal the source of the noise to be a small transmitter.

"Have any idea what this is?" Picking it up and showing it to The Manager, Y/n relaxed as the device didn't look big enough to be an explosive. When Xavier shook his head with a thoughtful look, Y/n sighed before setting it on the table. "Then let's just leave it be for now. I could try t—"

Both of them turned when static suddenly sounded out from the device. The constant beeping was gone as the devices hummed lowly before projecting a hologram of Lobotomy Corp's logo just above itself. The static began to clear up before it went dead silent, as if it connected to something. Just when Xavier was about to speak, someone else's voice rung out from the device.

"H—H—Hello? Is anyone there?" The static resumed for a moment before the voice of a man cleared its way through. "Can you read me? I repeat, is anyone there?"

Y/n placed a finger over his lips as they stood quietly. They dared not a make a sound lest they wished to notify the person on the other end that they were there. Despite not receiving a response, the man, who sounded too tired for his own good, continued to speak.

"Good. It seems I've made it through. You may call me 'B'. I am......an insider. Someone who knows a lot about the company."

Whether the person could be trusted or not was not up to question. Both Xavier and Y/n were not gullible enough to believe the words of a person who snuck a transmitting device within the Manager's Office. With such a declaration, it was especially no surprise that both of them were cautious on what they were listening to.

"Please understand that I cannot reveal my identity. I am going to tell you three truths that the company wishes to keep hidden over the following days. But before I do that, I must ask you this. Tell me, please, why do you think the company hired you?"

Once again, they received no reply. The two sole occupants of the room kept their silence as they thought over the question. Unfortunately for the both of them, they neither had the recollection as to why nor if they were even specifically chosen. Taking their reluctance to answer as something else, the person on the other side of the line sighed before continuing.

"You're silence is quite telling........I wish to ask and tell you more, but I am against time at the moment. Our future discussions will need to be brief as contacting you for long periods of time can be quite dangerous. Let's work together for a brighter future.....Manager."

Xavier was about to speak and ask for answers, but Y/n quickly grabbed his wrist and shook his head. With that final farewell the hologram dissipated before the static of the device came back once more. Not a second later, Y/n grabbed it and scanned the entire device before finding the off-switch and turning it off. Once it was off, Xavier slowly closed his still open mouth before frowning at him.

"Who do you suppose that was?"

"......No idea. But I doubt that they are trustworthy enough if they were able to plant this thing in your Office."

"Would Angela know something about this? She is after all.....in charge of my security."

Y/n went into thought while rubbing his chin. There was certainly a high chance that Angela was already aware of what had occurred due to the fact that she's connected to the network across the entire facility. But the man named 'B' mentioned that long exposure would be 'dangerous', and Y/n could only assume that he meant dangerous as in being found out.

"I wouldn't be surprised. In fact, it would be best to assume that she is already aware of this discussion right now....Though that wouldn't explain why she would let someone, especially an 'insider', enter your Office without your notice."

"........Nevertheless, let us both keep this to ourselves....."

"I wasn't planning on mentioning this to anyone anyways."

Coming to an agreement, the two took notice of the time and realized that the shift was close to starting. Pouring the two of them another drink, Y/n gulped it down in one go before handing the device to Xavier. Seeing the look on his face, he rolled his eyes.

"Keep it. Judging by how this 'B' person only mentioned you, I would assume that it was only meant for your ears. Just make sure not to mess with it or let Angela see it."

Xavier nodded his head before taking his own swig of wine. Smiling, Y/n quickly bottled up the wine and placed it back in its cabinet along with the glassware.

"I'll keep in touch with you, Manager. Have a nice day!~"

Y/n spoke in his usual carefree tone while taking his leave. The Manager simply waved at his retreating figure while taking a seat in his chair. Closing the door behind him, Y/n stepped out into the hallway before stopping when he noticed a silhouette in the corner of his eyes. Surprised as he was, he couldn't help but be disappointed that he didn't expect her to be here already. As an AI with the duty of assisting the person in the highest position within this facility, it was no surprise that she didn't like wasting time.

"......Was the situation dealt with, Angela?"

The AI assistant stood leaning against the wall right by his side. Her silent demeanor made it so that he almost couldn't feel her presence. Despite not seeing her fully, Y/n could feel those golden bright orbs of hers were staring directly at the back of his head. He  was expecting the silent treatment to continue much like yesterday, especially after their discussion last night, but to his surprise she responded.

"Of course. Such a trivial matter is of no issue to me." She responded in a monotone voice that gave nothing away. The clicking of her heels against the metal floor echoed in Y/n's ears as she made her way past him to the Manager's Office. "Though I would advise you that if it were to happen again, there will be dire consequences."

Entering the room, the door closed behind her while Y/n stood alone in the middle of the hallway. He released a breath that he didn't know he was holding before rubbing the bridge of his nose. After a moment he nervously chuckled to himself while slowly walking away with his hands in his pockets.

"Maybe blowing up the storage room wasn't such a good idea."

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With the day already started, the Manager booted up his monitors while nervously trying to keep himself calm. His eyes darted back and forth between the monitors booting up and the AI siting without a care in the world just behind him. She hadn't spoken a word when she entered the room, and yet Xavier could tell that she was in less than a happy mood.

Which made it even more difficult to keep his composure as even the tiniest of slip ups could bring her aggression onto him. Not that she would do such a thing as he was the Manager as she his assistant, but he didn't necessarily know that. When his computer finished its start, his attention was brought to the fact that the usual bar that represented the amount of energy he was required to make was now showing a vastly bigger number than yesterday.

Hesitantly turning in his seat, Xavier cleared his throat which grabbed Angela's attention. Turning in her seat she tilted her head to the side, obviously asking him what was the issue.

"I can't help but notice that the quota for today is exponentially larger than yesterday......Is there a particular reason as to why?"

In response, Angela opened her eyelids causing Xavier to glance away. He still wasn't used to her piercing gaze.

"Unfortunately, yes. Due to a.....malfunction.....within one of the storage containers, there has been a leakage." For a moment, Xavier caught her eyes glancing at the doorway before setting themselves back on him. He fought the urge to shiver from the coldness she had in them. "Repairs are already underway, your responsibility today will simply be to replace whatever has been lost."

Turning back to her seat, she went back to dutifully performing her role as his assistant. Xavier slowly turned back as well while subconsciously clutching the device in the pocket of his lab coat. A notification alert from his left monitor sounded out, bringing his attention away from the device as he noticed an exclamation mark appearing in the box for reports and Sephirot-related business.

Clicking on it, a tab appeared that quickly moved to his center monitor. A still-image of Y/n holding out a piece of paper while giving a closed-eye smile at the monitor was shown. The usual 2-D representation of the Departments was there as well but the text at the bottom of the screen was what caught his attention.

——————————————————————————
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
——————————————————————————

——————————————————————————
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
——————————————————————————

Confused and surprised, the Manager stared at it for a moment. Unlike how he usually went with expanding the Sephirot's Departments, there was no specific indicator as to what the Reserves was representing or what benefits he would have in doing so. Though it sounded more like a benefit than a demerit the more he thought about it.

Not seeing a reason not to, the Manager simply clicked 'Confirm' and watched as the opened tab instantly disappear like it usually did whenever he approved for expanding the other Departments. For some reason, he had expected something a little more......dramatic to occur. With his interest now gone and time continuing, he sat up in his seat and began giving out orders to the awaiting agents under his command.

——————————————————————————

The Reserves' Dormitory

Within the countless rooms in this part of the facility, numerous sounds of notifications coming from wrist watches sounded out in each room. Their owners snapped out of their sleep before seeing the abrupt notice and began moving to prepare. Suits were adorned, firearms were cleaned, ties were tightened, and spirits were steeled.

The nights/days before this will never compare to the ones they will have to face. They knew that, all of them except a few did. The new additions to their ranks were left confused and disoriented as they hadn't expected such chaotic yet oddly fluent coordination from a vast amount of people. Few words were spoken between any of the clerks and agents, and even fewer sounds were made.

Out of the few who didn't understand what was going on, one of them was Tiffany. Her hair was still a mess as she had just woken up from the very short rest that she got. Her eyes were in a similar state as they rapidly glanced around the hallway that she was in while following the crowd that seemed to be simultaneously moving in one direction.

There were plenty of rumors that went around regarding the members of the Reserves. Some state that being a part of it was worth more than anything the world had to offer as they had the luxury that no one could ever have. Others stated that joining was equivalent to being the best that the entire facility had to offer and that they received the most profitable of privileges. These were the good, and most definitely exaggerated, rumors.

The not-so good ones varied depending on what position you were talking about. Clerks were said to have mountains of mountains of work to finish within a single night. Agents are said to be sent into containment rooms repeatedly non-stop until the end of the shift. Some say that the casualty rates at nearly double—triple—that of the day-shift.

Despite these rumors, Tiffany decided to apply and register into their ranks in hopes of finally being free of hell that she experienced daily here. She thought that by joining the Reserves she would have made her already hellish life a little easier to live in. That she wouldn't have to deal with any annoying Sephirot or the probability of dying in her sleep.

Following the large crowd of agents and clerks into a massive room, Tiffany looked to see a small podium at the other end. There, standing on top of it with the lights shining down on them, was Renold, the man who she specifically asked to join, with a neutral expression. Due to the already quiet atmosphere, his voice and words reached even back to where she was.

"Permission from the Manager has been given to initiate Protocol IE: 01. This will begin tonight at eight o'clock p.m. sharp. If any of you are not present during that time, you will be 'retired'. That is all."

Without another word he stepped down from the podium and made his way out. Most of those within the audience took his words to mind before leaving to prepare for the night, while others were still confused. Unfortunately for those who just joined, especially Tiffany, they will find out that the moment they joined was the moment they forfeited any rest from this hell called Lobotomy Corporation.

——————————————————————————

Y/n's POV

"Hod.....I think that they might need to take a rest."

It has been an hour since the shift started. Currently, I was watching the various amounts of employees struggling to keep up with the Sephirah. At first it was amusing but now it was just sad. Or maybe it was depressing, because around halfway through first of many passed out from exhaustion.

"But Y/n! There are still plenty of concepts and topics that we need to go over! If they just push through just a bit more—"

"Hod......Half of them are already passed out."

Following my finger, she turned to see that I was indeed correct. Seeing that her oddly cheerful mood was now taken down a notch, I sighed before stepping forward and getting their attention.

"Alrighty then! How about we take a ten minute break?~ how does that sound?~"

Groans and curses were the responses I received as they all stood up to leave or laid limp on their desks. Turning to the side to speak with Hod I noticed the disheartened look she had. I fought back a grimace in seeing her down like that, I didn't necessarily want to make her feel bad.

"Hey, it'll be fine." Rubbing her shoulder soothingly, she turned to give me a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You're doing great! It's just.......how about taking it slow for a while? Try to let the slow-learners catch up a bit."

"B-But Y/n! It's for their own good. Results need to be made if I want the Manager to approve of this program." She titled her head down before she stared at her feet with a small frown, not willing to look me in the eye. "I-If I don't show that this wor—"

The buzzing of my watch interrupted her as I brought it up to my eyesight. Despite wanting to comfort my temporary Sephirah, I knew better than to test the waters that I've dunked my fists into twice already. I was lucky that the minor explosion I made only took out a small section of the storage containers.

"Sorry, Hod. Duty calls. We can talk about this later, but at least give what I said some thought."

She seemed like she wanted to say something else, but after glancing at my watch she reluctantly didn't. Giving me a sad smile, she waved me off while I left to the Abnormality's containment hallway.

"Alright, let's see what I'm dealing with........F-05-32.....Instinct work."

I noticed that the PE-Box counter on the console next to the door was much larger than previous Abnormalities. Meaning that it had the potential of producing exponentially more energy and be more dangerous. Keeping that in mind, with a clipboard in one hand and my pen in the other I quickly made my way into my assigned room. Once inside, I was for sure correct in assuming it was far more dangerous.

The Abnormality was a giant made of rusty steel that was coated in moss. Its width was nearly double than mine while the height was more than triple. It leaned on the containment's wall for support while its arm was raised to bring down its mighty axe in its hand. It's chest compartment was open to reveal an abyss that reeked out a stench of rust and rotted meat. The vague dark crimson color that filled its interior was nearly unnoticeable if I hadn't squinted my eyes at it.

Not even three steps in, it released an audible creaking sound as if it were moving. Yet, never once did it seem to move from its spot as I never stopped making eye-contact with it. When the noise ceased, I glanced at my clipboard and started the usual procedures for Instinct work.

Taking a few more steps closer, I took small notes of its size and condition. For about ten minutes or so I continued to do this all the while making sure that I wasn't in the path of its axe, in case it were to take a swing I would have at least a small chance of avoiding it. Other than the small headaches and feeling a bit tired mentally, there was no issues I had noticed.

 

"7 PE-Boxes acquired"

 

"Wow, aren't you a tough guy to please?~"

The Abnormality didn't respond, not that I expect it to. Writing down the last of my notes, I turned my back and walked to the door. Though I stopped and swiftly turned around when the creaking noise once again sounded out from the Abnormality. I had expected it to have moved at least an inch or so, but to my surprise the steel giant hadn't done so. In fact, it was still in its original place.

"....."

Furrowing my brows, I wisely made the decision to simply close the door and try not to think about it too much. Walking back to the main room of the Training Department, the alarms suddenly blared out as the intercoms came to life with it.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Foreign Entities detected within the Facility!
Suppression is advised!"

 

Walking to the nearest clerk who was working on a surveillance monitor, I quickly leaned to their ear sot hey could hear me amidst the chaotic noises within the room.

"Can you check to see if there are any within our Department?"

The clerk was surprised by my sudden presence but they immediately calmed themselves while switching between cameras. They stopped when they came upon the scene of the armored worms jumping within one of the hallways.

"South-Eastern Hallway, Sir!"

Giving them a nod, I turned to several nearby employees who seemed like they had nothing better to do. Slightly unamused by that, I shouted to get their attention.

"You four! With me!"

Though surprised by the sudden call to attention, they immediately followed behind me as I dashed out of the room. Making our way to the supposed area of breach, we froze at the stairwell when we noticed the Foreign Entities already hopping up the stairs.

"Go back up! Go back up!" Their sudden appearance was alarming, but the fact that they were in tight quarters was even more so. The dim lighting of the stairwell wasn't helping either. "Refrain from using your firearms, the bullets will just bounce of them."

Though shaking in fear, they nodded as they brought out their batons. Knocking back a few that tried to lung at us, we were able to make it back to the floor level and hold our ground by the doorway.

"W-What do we do?!"

"H-How am I supposed to know?!"

"I-I only came because he told us to!"

"Y-Yeah! Hey you! What do we do?!"

I was starting to think that maybe getting their help wasn't the best of ideas. Keeping my the doorway within my line of sight, I huffed in frustration.

"Keep your calm. Focus on what's ahead and worry about the rest later."

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Fragment Of The Universe has breached containment!
Suppression is advised!"

 

"W-What do we do about that?!"

Before the others could panic, I sent them a glare while banging my baton on the wall.

"What did I just say?! Focus on what's happening right now. That's the other Department's problem, this is ours!"

Noticing a blur coming through the doorway, I swung at it and knocked the Entity to the floor. The four near me took a step back while the Entity hissed in pain, it's armor cracking from the blunt force. Not giving it the chance to lunge again, I smashed its head with another swung.

"Wait for them to lunge and then attack!"

Taking their preferred stances with their batons, we readied ourselves for the impending onslaught to come. Not even a moment later it came as a horde of these worm like slugs lunged from the darkness. The first wave was about six of them, two were easily dealt by me with a few swings and stomps. The others were so lucky as one had immediately gnawed off a portion of the employees arm. The sight was enough for the others to panic and freeze in place.

 

"Attention to all personal!
Qliphoth Meltdown in progress!"

 

Gritting my teeth, I pushed one of them away just as another lunged from the stairwell. It barely missed both of us as it flew and landed behind us. Their screams mixed with the hissing and the blaring alarm was making this difficult for me to focus. Knocking another out the air, I turned to instruct the four with me, only to realize that two were already limp on the ground dead while the other two were desperately flinging their arms in hopes of killing their attackers.

The sight caused me to lose any hope in receiving their help. Steadying myself and taking a much needed step back, I found myself confused as to why I received an assignment in the middle of a predicament such as this before remembering that a meltdown was in progress.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Fragment Of The Universe has been suppressed!"

 

Despite the slightly good news I didn't find myself relaxing at all. Taking the time to dodge our of the way from being eaten alive, I felt my radio buzz as a clerk barely spoke out.

"Captain! Support from the Information Team is on the way! The Manager wants you to handle F-05-32!"

"On it."

Doing a complete 180 degree turn, I sprinted to the Abnormality's location while leaving the two employees behind. Although it did leave a sour taste in my mouth to leave them like that, they were no doubt goners the moment they gave in to their fear and hesitated.

Clearing my head of such thoughts, I focused on simply getting into the containment room and completing my task. Once there, I paused to catch my breathe for a moment before grabbing the handle and opening it. Before I could step in, however, I paused as the looming shadow over my figure caught my attention.

Gone were the lights that shined on me when I first entered the containment room earlier today. In its place was the mighty giant of rust and moss, already in the motion of bringing down its tool for harvesting logs. My eyes widened as time seemed to slow down with me taking a step back.

My eyes wouldn't move from the blade that was coming directly for me. Ever in a slow motion that was certain to connect. In less than a second, the loud crash of the blade hitting the floor resonated across the hallway. I stumbled back and fell on the ground while trying to process what had just happened.

Bringing my head up from the ground, I glanced at the containment's doorway to see the door open.......with the entirety of my left arm hanging onto the handle. My mind went blank as I slowly began to feel the sensation of my shoulder beginning to burn painfully. I ignored the Abnormality trying to push through the door in favor of glancing at my shoulder in disbelief.

The fabric of my suit was cleanly cut apart with blood gushing out of my body and spraying itself onto the metallic floor. I could feel my body start to lose the burning sensation as a cold and numb feeling was starting to take its place. It was at this moment that I realized that the gradually aching of my throat was due to me screaming.

"GAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

I didn't know how long I had been screaming, or even when I had started to spasm on the ground, but I could only let it happen. No matter how much I tried to force my body to move and to get me to stand, I simply clutched my shoulder while wailing. The coldness of my body was growing ever more apparent as a shadow loomed over me.

The Abnormality hovered over my corpse before raising its axe-less arm. I was confused as to why it wasn't going to finish the job, for at the moment I was certainly expecting it. But my confusing turned to horrification when it thrusted its metal fingers into my chest and scooped out the entire left portion.

My last breath was gone as the air in lungs and throat was replaced by blood and bile. I could feel my eyelids start to lose their strength while forcing me to witness the Abnormality chucking my scooped up remains into its compartment.

The void was growing within my sight, the cold turning to numbness. The deafening sound of silence was now taking the place of everything that my ears once heard. Just as the darkness was taking over the entirety of my vision, the last thing I saw was a heart made of meat and flesh rapidly growing within the missing space of the Abnormality's chest.

——————————————————————————

3rd POV

"Attention to all personnel!
Agent Y/n has perished!
F-05-32 has breached containment!"

 

The reactions to this grave news were mixed. Some didn't care as they didn't even know who the person was. Others froze in shock that a person they were starting to get to know was now dead. There were even some who had already taken a plan of action to see for themselves if this news was true...........And then, there were the few who simply stopped whatever they were doing as they stood frozen in place.

Shina was one of those.

She stood completely still in the middle of one of the Safety Department's hallway. The day should've been an easy one where all she had to worry about was doing her rounds around the facility and hopefully not run into any of annoyances. She should've guess that nothing would go her way, it almost never did.

The one who she was devoted to, the one whom she would come to his beck and call at a moments notice, was now gone. He was her beacon, her goal, a shining light within the dark the void. When she was down on her knees, abandoned and left to rot, he came to her and offered her a purpose.

And now?

Now her purpose, her entire reason for living, was gone and snuffed out. She could only stare blankly ahead while the words bounced around in her mind. Her mind that refused to accept that such a thing happened to the one who she could not compare to in terms of combat and cunningness.

In the middle of the hallway, dark chuckling could be heard. No announcement had voiced out any employee losing their sanity, and yet anyone would guess otherwise if they saw the state Shina was in. Despite how much she wanted to clutch her head and curl up into a ball right there, she knew she had unfinished business to attend to.

She turned and immediately made her way to the Training Department.

——————————————————————————

BongBong's POV

BongBong must move faster and faster.

Faster than when she played tag, faster than when she was in trouble.

BongBong always followed the rules and did her best to make Y/n happy. A good and happy Y/n was a good and happy BongBong. BongBong always did her best to listen and carefully understand what people say because people couldn't understand her. She must be a good girl.......

But right now, BongBong was a bad girl......she didn't want to listen.

She didn't want to listen to the robot voice tell her that Y/n was the p-word. That was a no-no word in BongBong's book of no-no words. Y/n wasn't the p-word! The robot voice was lying to everyone! Just this morning BongBong gave him a big hug and he gave BongBong headpats! So he couldn't be the p-word!

But it's getting hard for BongBong. These worms keep getting in her way! They keep jumping and trying to eat her! BongBong isn't food so why do they keep trying? But it's okay, BongBong can just put them to sleep like Big Sis taught her.

A deep, deep, deep sleep.

One that they will never wake up because they'll dream a dream that will be too good to wake up from!

....

....

....

....

BongBong is getting tired.

BongBong can't find Y/n anywhere.

Maybe he's playing a game of hide and seek with her.

Yes, that's right!

Y/n knows how much BongBong loves that game!

He must be hiding! And BongBong will be sure to find him!

....

....

....

....

....

....

BongBong found you, Y/n!

You must have been trying so hard to hide from BongBong that you got tired and went to sleep on the floor!

BongBong doesn't think that's healthy, you're the one who said that it's bad for your back!

It's okay.....BongBong will take you to your room to sleep!

Picking you up is very hard! BongBong feels something get in her eye making her not see good. But it's okay, BongBong will make sure you make it to your room to sleep a goodnight's rest!

Making her way out of the hallway, BongBong was having a hard time seeing. The wet stuff keeps getting into her eyes! BongBong hugs you close to keep you warm, you are really cold!

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

BongBong isn't a good girl.......she's a bad girl.....BongBong always said she would listen to you, but this time she didn't listen. Y/n told her to always be happy for him. To always be herself, to be strong, and to never cry. BongBong wants to apologize to Y/n when he wakes up......because for some reason......she can't seem to stop crying......

——————————————————————————

Shina's POV

A blue blur ran right past me as I continued walking towards the Training Department. The small trail of blood that was left behind by it was enough for me to guess who it was.

"......"

Following the trial of blood, the scent was enough to let me know who it belonged to. Despite wanting to rip apart this entire place and leave nothing but ash in its place, I kept it bottled in.

He was dead......there was nothing I could do about it.

No matter how much it hurt me or tore my mind apart, I had to accept the fact that he was dead. Fortunately, I hadn't been there to witness the scene myself, because I would've for sure lost myself if such a thing were to happen again.

BongBong, however.......she's always a wildcard for these situations. I shivered as the image from a specific event came to mind. The extent of which a child would go for something they hold dearly.......even I couldn't compete with that.

"I will be sure to take over her duties so she can have more free time later."

With an ever aching soul, I marched my way into the origin of the blood trial. Stomping at the end of the hallway got my attention as I walked towards it. A giant made of metal appeared before my eyes, and with it came the familiarity.

"It was you wasn't it." Less of a question and more of a statement of fact, I coldly spoke to it as it continued to march towards me. Gripping the handle of my knife from my suit, I pulled it out while keeping a firm grip on it. "You were always a sore to deal with. No doubt, you'll be one this time around as well."

My eyes glanced at its opened chest that revealed the beating heart of flesh and meat. I didn't care for such a thing, what I was looking for was something entirely different. Once we were meters away from each other, I spotted the thing I was looking for. Just barely sticking out of the mess of a heart was the golden pointy end of a badge.

"That doesn't belong to you."

At the end, I knew this was all pointless, the Manager would surely reset the day. If he didn't, then Angela surely would, but if in one in a millionth chance that even she didn't, then I would sure as hell give them a reason to.

But for now.....my only goal was to bring hell upon this thing.

——————————————————————————

Xavier's POV

Everything had just gone to shit in less than ten minutes of the new Abnormality breaking loose. The entire Training Department was taken out while the other two had only a few agents left. A majority of the clerks were wiped out, leaving no one for me to contact or maintain their respective Departments.

The initial shock of finding out the man I had just spoken to hours earlier was now dead, was replaced by disbelief of how quickly the situation got out of hand. From a single Abnormality no less. I gulped the non-existent saliva in my mouth while keeping myself from shuddering from the morbid images that my imagination came up with.

The cartoonish filter on his monitor made it so much easier to see this entire thing as a simple game. And I hated myself for thinking such a disgusting thing. These were people, actual people, that had lives, families, goals, and dreams to achieve. Just because I couldn't see them or a stupid filter was placed over them didn't make me disregard their lives.

"Angela, take us back several hours."

Without another word, I waited as the TT2 Protocol began its process. I won't let myself become some heartless bastard. I don't know how the previous Managers handled their shit, but I'm going to do my damn best to get us all through the day.

——————————————————————————

3rd POV

Y/n suddenly blinked as he stared at the entrance of F-05-32's containment. For moment.....he simply stared at the door as if he was waiting for something to happen. It was only the start of the shift so he didn't know what he was expecting to happen. No breaches, no meltdowns, and no Foreign Entities had occurred yet so he didn't know why he was on edge.

Subconsciously he moved his hand to his left arm and touched it. For some reason, he felt as if he shouldn't have had it. But that was crazy......why wouldn't he have his arm attached. Maybe it was due to the having such a crazy morning, or maybe he was just now realizing how dumb it was of him to blow up the storage room.

Regardless, Y/n shook his head and took a step into the containment room. Upon entering, he took notice of the Abnormality's size and just how troublesome it would be if it were to breach. Of course taking it into account, Y/n kept his distance while filling out paperwork for Instinct work.

 

"8 PE-Boxes acquired"

 

"You're a tough guy to please, aren't you?~"

When the Abnormality didn't respond, he sighed and took his leave. Though not before noticing the creaking noise it released as he left. With that task complete and out of the way, he walked back to the Training Department before taking a seat at a nearby desk.

There was an unnerving atmosphere that starting to make itself known once he looked around. The clerks were on edge as they kept looking around or switching between the cameras. The agents-in-training were far from the tired and mentally exhausted people they were this morning. Instead they were restless while working on their manuals to keep themselves occupied. It was as if there was something that was meant to happen.

"Attention to all Personnel!
Foreign Entities detected within the Facility!
Suppression is advised!"

 

Nearly everyone in the room jumped or flinched at the noise, even Y/n himself. Just as quickly as it came, everyone dispersed and began to diligently find the hostile entity.

"Found it! It's in the Western Hallway!"

A chorus of confirmations came as the clerks Mae sure to stay clear of that hallway and the others ran to get rid of it. Y/n was one of them, but his mind was preoccupied to think about the sudden changes in those around him.

"It? Why does it.....feel like there should've been more...."

Arriving at the hallway, he and the small group of trainees with him stumbled upon a massive machine that nearly reached the ceiling. It's two metal legs groaned as it's upper body turned to face them. The saw blade that it had for an arm spun as it roared to life while its single red eye looked them all over as if deciding whether or not it should use it. It's other arm hung loosely before hoisting itself up with the end of its barrel turning to them.

It's opposing group of employees had only a moment to act when suddenly it started blasting rounds at them. The machine's footsteps caused the floor to screech as its legs carried it over to them.

"Well this is new."

Y/n thought to himself as he hadn't seen something like this in his time working here. Though that was most likely due to the gaps and blurry fragments he called memories.

Taking cover from the oncoming barrage of projectiles, the group of employees could only wait for it to either stop or run out of ammunition. Yet, the more they waited the closer the machine's footsteps seemed to get louder. When the barrage finally stopped, the group took a deep breath before sprinting out to confront it.

Brandishing their batons and firearms, the fight had started.

——————————————————————————

3rd POV

Manager's Office

"Again."

The Manager commanded to his assistant for the eighth time today as she initiated the reset once more. When he first restarted the day, he thought that he was ready since it should've been the same events. The key-word was "should've", because no matter what he did to change and prevent the previous events of the reset, nothing changed.

Nothing changed, in the form of his entire staff dying or the Abnormalities breaking loose. The same results.....different circumstances. No matter what, each reset was different from the last, making all of his knowledge useless. He thought that if he knew what would occur, he could advise or warn those in danger of it.

But no.

Every time he thinks that he has it down, another breach occurs, or another Abnormality has a meltdown, or a different type of Entity makes its way in the facility. This is the ninth time that he has had to go back a few hours. A full day was the limit, and unfortunately the Manager had already used up 17 hours of that limit.

Some resets were two hours. Some were simply thirty minutes. The length didn't change a goddamn thing. Everyone is dying, over and over and over again.

What was he doing wrong?

What was he not seeing?

Should he just take the losses this time around and move on with the day?

He was beginning to see how........No.......

Xavier stopped that line of thinking. He wouldn't let himself stoop as low as Angela where she could causally advise or even suggest sacrificing the lives of others like it were an everyday thing. He knew he could do it, he knew that there was just something that he was missing.

......

......

And then, a crazy idea just made its way into his already stressed mind.

If the Abnormality wanted to escape that badly, why not just let it?

——————————————————————————

3rd POV

Two large groups stood at both ends of the hallway to F-05-32's containment. These groups consisted of agents and clerks from all Departments. Their numbers were quite large and some were forced to stand in the stairwell on either end. None of them dared step closer to the containment's entrance as they were explicitly advised not to stand anywhere near it unless told otherwise.

They had just finished eliminating the last remnants of the wormlike slugs when the Manager ordered them to come and gather here. So it wasn't a surprise that some of the employees were already exhausted.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Qliphoth Meltdown in progress!"

 

The intercom voiced out causing everyone to become alert. Several buzzes rung out within the groups, coming from the watches that the agents had on their wrists. Dexter and his team nodded to themselves while taking the lead of their side while Dana and her's did the same. Y/n was the one had revived the actual order to "manage" the meltdown, making him the one to open the containment's door.

The Manager had told him, repeatedly, to stay clear of the entrance after opening it. Taking that to heart as he felt like Xavier knew something he didn't, Y/n stood with his back against the wall while having his hand on the handle. Taking a deep breathe, he yanked down the handle before immediately taking a distance.

No sooner did he do so did the area in front of the entrance become dented and torn apart by the sharp end of a woodsman's axe. Y/n nervously gulped as he looked at the place he was originally at.

"If I was just a tad bit slower.....things would've gone real different."

The Abnormality bursted through the wall in an enraged state while making its presence known with its inhumane cry.

The metal giant angrily turned to face the nearest person. It's desperate attempt to fill itself with a beating heart made it move on instinct towards them. Just as it was about to take the life of its first victim, a scolding hot projectile exploded on its shoulder and forced its back.

Roxie sighed in relief as she aimed true while reloading her cannon again. Unfortunately for the Abnormality, the moment it walked out of its containment it was destined to be executed by firing squad.

The clerks and agents simultaneously pulled their triggers as a barrage of lead imbedded itself into all of its sides. The damage wasn't catastrophic, but it was enough to disorient its aggression. Not one to waste an opportunity, Dexter dashed forward before slashing his spear, at its leg and brought it down to its knee. Vinera arrived with the follow-up and swung her hammer upwards getting a direct hit at its head. Not to be outdone by her colleagues, Bella ran and climbed up onto its back before firing multiple shots into the opening of its helmet.

The others watched in fascination and awe at their aggressiveness. The Control Team, however, were very worried and surprised that such wild tactics were actually working. If the Control Team relied on teamwork and synergy between members to achieve their goal, then the Information relied purely on skill and brute force.

"T-They're insane....." Mike commented while watching the Information Team ruthlessly attack the staggered Abnormality. When he saw that Bella still had the clown thingy from yesterday on her hand like a puppet, he corrected himself. "No....they're absolutely mental."

"Oh don't say that, Mike! They just have a different way of doing things than us." Dana lightly scolded him before nudging his elbow with a smile. "But come on! Let's go join them!"

Although he was finding himself concerned that she was treating this as some sort of friends' night out, Mike still followed along and went with her. Roxie smiled on the side before signaling that she was ready.

With Mike and Dana on the frontlines as well, the others were able to safely reload their weapons. Taking notice, Y/n signaled for them to duck before ordering the next volley.

"Fire!"

The Abnormality didn't have the chance to counter attack as it was once again barraged on all sides. In a last ditch effort, it swung with all of its force before throwing its axe at one of the two groups. Most were able to see it coming, but the few unlucky ones to have been too slow were bisected and killed on the spot.

Thinking that they now had the upper hand now that it didn't have its weapon, both Teams of agents charged once more. Dexter thrusting the spear at its chest but the machine blocked it with its forearm. Trying to pull it out, his eyes widened when the spear seemed to have gotten stuck.

"Oh shit!"

He braced himself while letting go of his weapon just as it threw a punch at him. The impact tossed him across the hallway before he hit the wall with an audible thud. Luckily, his suit was able to protect his bones from being pulverized, but not from the concussion.

"Dexter!" Vinera called out before turning with anger in her eyes. "God damn hunk of metal! Just die already!"

She swung with an overhead downward swing, but it was abruptly caught as the Abnormality lifted her in the air and threw he against the wall. The E.G.O. suit she had on was able to take the force, but she was still knocked unconscious due to it.

The last member of the Information Team knew she didn't have a chance, so with the help of the Control Team serving as a distraction, she was able to fetch Vinera without any trouble. Checking in them, she was relieved that they hadn't died.

Unfortunately, similar to the other group, the Control Team was now having difficulty in dealing with its more aggressive state. The Abnormality quickly learned of their tactics as it made sure to keep Roxie in its line of sight. When it saw Mike coming towards it, it turned and quickly caught Dana who was going for a sneak attack. Grabbing her within its palm, it began squeezing her in hopes of crushing her to bits.

Trying to save her, Roxie fired a shot at its arm, but the Abnormality was ready as it grabbed tossed Dana at her while picking up Mike as a meat shield against the fast projectile. Roxie couldn't understand what she did before she was slammed into the ground by Dana's body.

Mike cried out in pain when the Abnormality was doing the same to him as it did Dana. But before it could apply more pressure, it's arm was suddenly severed and dropped to the floor. Mike gasped in breathe while clutching his aching sides, the giant however, turned to face the one who took its arm.

But just as it turned, it came faced with Y/n swinging its own axe at its other arm. Not wishing to have its limbs cut off, it stalked forward before giving the Captain of the Reserves swing of its fist. Y/n stopped his sprint just as the fist slammed into the ground before jumping on it and using it as a ramp. Climbing its arm, Y/n dragged the giant metal axe with him before using all his strength to swing it upwards, successfully severing its remaining arm.

He wasn't finished, however, as he used the momentum of his upward swing and gravity to turn and spin another swing. With gravity and the weight of the axe being carried with the swing, Y/n lopped off the head of the Abnormality to reveal emptiness within its interior.

Despite there being nothing to prove of the fatal blow other than the helmet being cut clean, the Abnormality still froze stiff being going limp. Y/n released the heavy axe before dropping down before the corpse of metal could hit the floor. Once it did, everyone released a cheer while gushing at how it felt to be a part of an event such as this.

Not one to celebrate too early, Y/n began ordering the able to help with the clean up. With everyone dispersing and tasked given out Y/n and several others helped the agents from the other Departments get to the infirmary.

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Xavier's POV

"YES! YES! YES! OH FUCK YEAH!" Xavier mentally cheered as he abruptly stood up from his seat in full happiness. "WE DID IT! I DID IT! THEY DID IT! IT WORKED!"

Because he was too caught up in celebrating, he hadn't realized that he was actually expressing how he felt as he was smiling a full blown smile. He wanted to simply jump in joy and run out to the participants of that suppression and celebrate with them, but alas he still had a job to do.

Despite his joy-high that he was on, Xavier was still able to feel Angela's piercing gaze on him. He slowly turned to her with a blank expression.

"Is there something the matter, Manager?"

She asked with a raised brow like she wanted to know what he was doing. Xavier fought the urge to hit himself for making himself seem like a weirdo while also trying to come up with an excuse for nearly yelling in joy. Though embarrassing, he simply used the first excuse he could come up with.

"I need to use the restroom."

Ironically, he nearly did piss himself earlier when Shina began racing towards his Office in one of the resets.

".....Then I shall put all orders on hold in the mean time."

When Angela said that and simply nodded, Xavier sighed in relief that his lame, but reasonable, excuse worked before he made his way out. Once out in the hallway, Xavier walked his way to the nearest bathroom and stared at his reflection. Then, in a rare moment that even he couldn't believe, he was able to smile once more and pump his fist excitingly.

"YES!"

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Tiffany's POV               

<Night Shift>

Confusion was all I felt.

I thought that I was able to escape and finally be free of those tormenting task of working with those....things. But no, here I am, lined up with the rest of these people like a pig ready for the slaughter.

This was nothing like I had expected.

I had expected it to be different. Different from the day-shift, different from the nightmares I've been having for the past week. And more importantly,......different than OUT THERE. This was supposed to be an opportunity for me to live without being in fear of dying in the middle of my sleep. Without having to worry about whether it was best to die at the hands of a monster or by the tightness of a rope. I could feel my breath shortening with each passing second I spent here.

Besides the small hour or so sleep I got earlier today, I had yet to get some proper rest. We were supposed to have been resting during the day-shift but ever since the Manager gave permission for the Reserves to do whatever Renold mentioned, we had been doing nonstop training and discussions.

Right now was the first time we were given permission to stop, but that was because it was eight o'clock; the designated time Renold had "requested" us to be here. From the moment we started the day, I have been getting non-stop chills.

I feel like I shouldn't be here.

Yet, I couldn't only blame myself for the situation I was in now.

Renold once again took a stand at the podium with something in his hands. What exactly it was, I didn't know.

"Protocol IE: 01 will begin in a short moment. Pay close attention to what I'm about to say because I will not repeat myself. Each of you will be split into groups with a set of tasks that will need to be completed within a certain amount of time."

I glanced around the large room in hopes of seeing someone else who was unsure of this. But I was quickly brought to the realization that this wasn't something I would be able to refuse.

"If you are not able to complete these task, you will be decommissioned along with every other member of your group. If a member of your group decides they think otherwise, they will be decommissioned on the spot. "

I could feel my heart drop the moment he said that. It was stressful enough to work along with these monsters, but now we had to do so within a limited time? I....I wanna go back....

"A new set of assignments will be given to you at an hourly rate, you will not request for changes, you will not receive more time, and you will not be able to receive help from other groups."

Renold then showed the object he had in his hands: a gas mask.

"Clerks to the right, agents to the left. Each group will have a senior as indicated by their armband. Groups shall be organized now, don't forget to put these on......now let us begin."

I fumbled to grab the mask that I was given upon entering here while glancing at the others around me. None seemed to be against this as they all fitted their gas masks and started forming their groups.

I don't think the reality of this was situation was quite reaching me as i watched my fingers shake continuously. It seemed like at any moment I would just crumble to the ground in tears. Before I could do just that, a voice called out behind me.

"Beta 596?" I shrieked and turned quickly while taking several steps back. The man who had blonde hair and brown eyes stared at me with a stoic look. "Beta 596? Is that your name?"

The slight heat in his words made me frantically nod my head despite how much I wanted to say no. He nodded his head before gesturing me to follow. Following behind reluctantly, I noticed that he had an armband, making him my senior. Taking the chance while I could, I decided to find out what this was all about lest I find myself being assigned as food.

"W-W-What are we doing?.....T-That is if you can tell me!"

I squeaked our in fear as he turned around. Glancing at me from head to toe, he scoffed before signaling other people to come. Most likely other members of this group.

"It's simple training. For some it's to grow and have some experience, for others it's simply a warm-up to make sure they don't lose their touch."

I simply nodded my head despite him not being able to see me. I was about to ask about what specifically we did for "training" but it seemed he already knew what I was going to ask.

"The tasks range from simple report filings to various tactics needed to suppress Abnormalities. With the help of the Extraction Department and the Disciplinary Department, we are able to conduct 'controlled' simulations for us to learn first-hand on how to deal with unknown Abnormalities......"

I hesitantly nodded my head as I didn't know that there were other Departments aside from the Control, Information, Training, and Safety Departments. Ignoring that for now, I walked a little faster when I noticed him picking up his pace.

".....Although I said 'controlled' simulations, it is not uncommon for accidents and incidents to occur......A word of advise, stay clear from the Extraction Team. They're nutcases, all of them."

Once again, I hesitantly nodded my head while stepping into the large elevator shaft that we and several others were taking. He seemed to be in deep thought before snapping out of it and pulling out a few documents. Handing several of us around him a piece, he nodded to us before giving a final statement.

"It seems you all lucked out. The assignments aren't as difficult, but not as easy as the others. It's doable, but be cautious. I'm responsible for keeping you guys in check, not keeping you alive."

A sense of dread filled my chest as I slowly turned the document around to see my task.

"<Repression on WAW Abnormality>     <20 Minutes>"

If I wasn't sure that I had made the wrong decision in joining before, I was sure of it now.

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