The Surface warriors.

Meanwhile in the central government….

???: Sir Burningum~ your nikke is here.

Burningum: papillon, there is something you must do for me…I mean for the ark. Are you up for it?

Papillon: Of course, how can I help?

Burningum: the commander andersen is so fond of…follow them up to the surface. See what they are up to and find out if they meet with a nikke by the name of marian.

Papillon: up to the surface….?

Burningum: Can you do it? You are my one and only nikke.

Papillon:....of course. Anything for you. After all, I am your one and only nikke.

Meanwhile…

Yuni scratches at the dirt floor with a broken pipe.

*crunch*

Yuni: again….saved them…

*crunch*

Yuni: didn't save yuni…or mihara. (i am glad the commander could save them…..he has changed the ark, just like he promised. We have to do everything we can to help too!)

*crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch*

Yuni: why didn't they save mihara…? Mihara…! Why…why!!

*clang!*

Yuni hits the floor with the pipe.

Yuni:...

Crow: doesn't that hurt your hand?

Yuni: (finally made contact!) who's there!?

Yuni holds the bend pipe.

Crow: easy there, tiger. Drop the weapon, will ya?

Yuni: you…!

Crow: aren't we both a part of missilis? We're on the same team. Don't waste your energy. We're both hunks of junk to syuen.

Yuni:...(isn't she the one who….shot the commander? Hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate)

Yuni puts the pipe down while looking at crow with eyes full of hatred.

Crow: great, it seems you have plenty of reason, so do you want to continue with what you were saying? You looked pretty peeved off. That's one hell of a way to vent, I must say.

Yuni: i…cannot express anger, even if I am angry.

Crow: Is it? I think otherwise. From what I hear, you're like a sort of jailor that locks up raptures…is that right?

Yuni: !!

Crow: By the look on your face, I'd say I'm correct. Then I'm even more confused. What's a nikke like you doing letting off steam like this?

Yuni: What is it you want to say?

Crow: you're a jailor. You lock raptures up. Tell me, does it have to be a rapture?

Yuni: So what is it? Can I capture something that isn't a rapture? Is that what you're asking?

Crow: Of course.

Yuni: What is it?

Crow: human.

Yuni: !!

Crow: well? Can you or can't you?

Yuni: no, I cannot do that. My NIMPH forbids me from attacking humans.

Crow: That won't be a problem. Our hero will make sure of that.

Yuni: hero? Who? (you dare to use my commander efforts for evil….hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate)

Crow: don't pretend like you don't know. It's someone you're very familiar with. The hero who saves all nikkes. All except your dear mihara.

Yuni:!!...commander?

Crow: they went up to the surface today. I'm certain they went to look for that vapaus again. I want you to lock up Syuen.

Yuni: the commander went to look for vapaus? For Yuni?

Crow: That's right. They are willing to do anything if it's for a nikke. I'm sure they regret not being able to help you. They probably went to look for vapaus to remove your NIMPH.

Yuni: will the commander get rid of my NIMPH?.....then….can i make Syuen feel pain?

Crow: of course, as much as you want.

Yuni: Hehe….hehehe! Hehehehe! I see, so that's what was happening! That's a relief. Yuni and mihara were not abandoned. The commander has loved us all along! (he's always done!) hehehehehe!

Crow: yes, so quit playing with dirt and get ready. Your commander is going through hell for you. How can you just stand around?

Yuni: yes. I won't stand around. I'll do everything I can. But….i don't know what to do.

Crow: Is it? Perhaps you'd like to hear what I have in mind?

Yuni: !! i will, i want to do something. What must I do? How can I help the commander?

Crow: make the ark…..your prison. Your prey will have nowhere to run. Vengeance will be yours. Just as your precious commander wishes.

Yuni: Yes, I will make the ark his.

…..

Back on the surface.

Rapi: clear.

Anis: It's a clear shot to the research facility from here. We're to the brim with supplies, we have new equipment, things are looking great. There is something, however, that I'm curious about. Are nikkes allowed to engage in operations on the surface without a commander?

Neon: huh? I don't remember ever doing that…

Anis: Then what about conducting corporate espionage to spy on another squad?

Varakiel: If I remember well, it's completely forbidden.

Anis: So they say. Anyway, what's our next move, rapi?

Rapi:...commander.

Varakiel: *sigh* I know, show yourself. If you're not out here by the time I count down to zero, my squad will open fire. Three.

???:....

Varakiel: two.

Papillon: ugh, what a killjoy. I was going to come out when the timing was right. Not when there are all these irksome bees buzzing about.

Anis: hey, aren't you the one always trailing behind burningum?

Papillon: That's me! Thanks for noticing.

Varakiel: I see, so, what are you doing here?

Papillon: as if you had to ask! I'm here to lend a hand, of course.

Neon: if you want to help, how about paying for the repair your superior laid waste to?

Papillon: Sorry, I'm afraid that's out of my purview.

Anis: didn't burningum put a hit out on us before? You oughta compensate us for emotional distress.

Papillon:....i'm very disappointed in you all. We're all paid employees working for the same. You really ought to be more trusting of me. Honey, everybody's ganging up on me. Why don't you put a stop to them? I thought you'd want to defend my honor….

Varakiel: Sorry, I know when to not get into a women's fight.

Rapi: What are you really doing out here? Are you conducting surveillance, or trying to turn up information on marian?

Papillon: *sigh* now now, don't get your stinger in a tangle, busy little bee. Fine, I can see none of you are in the mood for repartee. You asked if I wanted information. That's precisely what I'm after. If not that, then what else? At this point, it's about all of you can offer me. You don't have a problem with that, do you? After all, sharing information isn't a one-way street.

Varakiel: get to the point.

Papillon: let me put it this way. If you scratch my back, i'll scratch yours. If you do that, you might be able to receive some top-secret information about a certain deputy chief in the process. So let's say…..what's a good example…ah, got it! The "fact" that there are zero survivors on the surface. That's a bald-faced lie. In truth, there's a lost utopia where humans have gathered and are living quite happily. Were you not aware of this? The suits at the ark have known about it for a coon's age.

Anis:...

Rapi:...

Neon: you mean someplace other than the amusement park?

Papillon: amusement park? What's she on about?

Varakiel: Eden, isnt?

Papillon: !? h-how di-

Varakiel: infiltrating the ark's library was a piece of cake, i know everything in and out~.

Rapi: !!

Anis: !!

Neon: !!

Papillon: !!

Varakiel: There's no secret from the ark for me, like the fact that the ark abandoned and kicked out the goddess squad from the ark.

Rapi, Anis, Neon: what!?

Papillon:...it seems sir burningum finally found an adversary stronger than andersen.

Varakiel: I don't want to sound rude but, there's nothing you can offer me, the only thing you can do is leave, I don't want anyone knowing the nature of this operation.

Papillon: You realize I can easily say all of this to the government do you?

Varakiel: and you realize i can reveal everything to the ark before anyone can capture me, i am sure if you tell burningum, he will left without words unable to do anything…..but if you want to keep going for your mission i don't mind *shrug*.

Papillon: what?

Varakiel: Like I said, there's nothing on it for me, but if it can help you, well, welcome aboard, just don't disrupt and provoke anything we find ahead.

Rapi:.....

Anis:.....

Neon: Well, that's master for you, if it's for a nikke he will do crazy things…

Papillon:.....

…

Anis: rapi, how much further until we reach the re…i mean, sewage?

Rapi:...about, 1.2km.

Neon: nearly there.

Papillon: *sigh* Is all of this really necessary?

Anis: absolutely. Security is of utmost importance.

Papillon: Let's not do this. How about an open exchange of information? Both sides. One question, one answer. What are you all looking for? No, wait! First, tell me about "sewage".

Neon: it's where sewer water flows from.

Papillon:...are you for real right now?

Anis: it's a place where heretics are created.

Papillon: what…? Is that true?

Anis: nope. It's actually an engineering lab where they've managed to replicate the corruption codes for raptures.

Papillon:..!! You're not pulling my leg again, are you?

Anis: yep.

Papillon:....*sigh* fine. Let me just ask one thing. Did you really manage to hack into the ark's library?

Anis:....

Neon:...

Varakiel: Yes, I read everything and anything I could find, even about the intel you wanted to exchange with, the survivors of the surface, the people who managed to thrive in this environment, fighting raptures for decades.

Papillon:...

Varakiel: I bet burningum asked you to come here to get any intel about marian, but i can tell you this, marian is far away, a place that the ark would never be able to reach with it's current capabilities.

Papillon:....is that true?

Varakiel: I swear it.

Papillon:....

Varakiel: And the reason I can't tell you where we are going is because, if burningum knows where we are going he will try to take away what we find there, and possibly make a new enemy for the ark. Tell me would you be willing to become enemies with the pilgrims on the surface.

Papillon:....even if that happens, it would all be in mankind's best interest!

Varakiel: i would prefer to side with the people that managed to survive to the raptures by fighting for decades to side with the people that survived by hiding from the raptures and sacrificing those who didn't need anymore, but alas, most nikkes reside in the ark, so i can't pick a side, so i have to create a new possibility.

Papillon:....

Varakiel: If it wasn't because of the nikkes on the ark, I would have left a long time ago.

Neon:...master.

Anis:.....

Rapi:.....

Papillon: You know you could be executed for this right?

Varakiel: yeah what about it?

Papillon:....

Varakiel: i never had hope for the ark, i only have hope for nikkes. They are the ones fighting this war, while the citizens mock them, hate them, look down on them, like it was granted to them the protection of the nikkes. If they want to execute me, then they'll have to go over the pain nikkes has suffered.

Papillon:...

…..

Papillon:...hey.

Neon: hmm?

Papillon: this thing you guys are after, is it vapaus?

Neon: yep…what? Drats, did I just reveal something I shouldn't have?

Rapi: no, you're fine. You seem to know an awful lot about vapaus already.

Papillon: Honey, come here and look at this. Unlike some people, I'm willing to share certain information.

Varakiel:hm?

In papillon's hand is a tattered piece of paper. It is a research report.

Papillon: here.

Papillon grabs varakiel finger and points to a certain paragraph. 

Papillon: check this out.

—

Test Subject: 1 Rh X (tentative name) blood type holder.

Conclusion: A Unique Substance has been extracted from the Subject's blood. Injecting the aforementioned substance into the heretic anachiro resulted in the eradication of all nano substances inside the subject's body. This substance has been named vapaus.

—

Anis: sounds like we're in the right place.

Neon: heretic…anachiro. So modernia isn't the only heretic in the world?

Papillon: of course not.

Neon: !! How many more are there?

Papillon: Nice try. You're not getting anything out of me until you cough up some information first.

Varakiel: the ark estimated there's around 1000.

Neon: 1-1000 how are we going to get that much vapaus!?

Varakiel: (haha, she really knows how to pretend.)

Varakiel keeps reading the file.

—-

Sample Extraction: 10ml, a total of 12 samples. Storage location: Research center, building 9, room 503.

—-

Rapi: building 9…that's close to us.

Varakiel: Yeah, let's keep moving.

….