Downtime

Mori and Kiara sat at a nearby bench near the battleground. Many armored trucks with the Cover Corporation logo were parked in the street, surrounding the area. Uniformed guards blocked off access and only authorized personnel were permitted to enter the area around Takeshita Street. Paramedics tended to any wounded people who were caught in the conflict. The phoenix spotted the little girl she rescued earlier, reunited with her mother, who was crying and embracing her. The little girl turned to Kiara and gave her a thankful grin, which she reciprocated. The mother and daughter walked away, hand in hand. Mori spotted Jenna approaching the two after speaking with some guards.

"How're you two holding up?" she asked.

"We're doing alright," Mori replied. "So what's going on right now?"

"I had to call in some guards from the corporation I work at. Can't have the general public finding the bodies of two unidentified creatures."

Mori raised a brow. "You're saying a corporation has its own private SWAT unit?"

Jenna chuckled. "I know, crazy, huh?"

"Well, that's one way to describe it. So what's gonna happen to the corpses?"

"We're taking them in for further study."

"And the Japanese government is allowing this?"

"We're an international organization, we've got clearance from governments to do these sorts of things."

"Sounds like your corporation is really important."

"Important's kind of an understatement, but you're right."

"So what brings you here, Jenna?" Kiara chimed in. "I haven't seen you in years."

"I got a job offer to work for Cover as an assistant manager."

"I thought I remember you saying that you didn't want to get stuck at a dead-end office job a while ago."

"Times change. Staying up in Heaven day in and day out signing paperwork and keeping guard for new residents can be pretty boring. Coming down here feels like a fresh breath of air, like I can finally do something fun."

Mori chuckled. "And your idea of fun is working in an office?"

"It may sound boring, but there's a lot off hands on work in my job. Besides, I also took the job to help an old friend."

"An old friend?" Kiara asked.

"An old college buddy of mine. She's kind of cold, but she sure is reliable. One of the hardest workers I know."

"That's nice. Where is she now?"

"She's gathering info for our mission. Speaking of, care to explain what you two were doing here? I told you my side of the story, so why don't you tell me yours?"

"We were both just buying clothes and hanging out here. Those monsters came out of nowhere and attacked," Kiara explained.

"Was there anyone strange around?"

"Come to think of it we did see someone, right Calli?"

Mori nodded. "A masked man in a coat. He had smiles all over his face. Kiara got a headache when he passed by us."

Jenna's eyes widened. "Where did he go?"

"Didn't you chase him down, Calli?"

"Oh right, sorry about that again Kiara."

"Well, at least you came back to help. So did you follow him?"

"I did. When I left you, I ran after him. He was one fast guy, but I kept up with him until I cornered him in an alley. I asked him who he was but he wouldn't answer. He gave me a choice, to keep chasing him so I could find the truth or to go back and help you. Well, we know what happened in the end."

Kiara smiled smugly. "Awww, so you let our only lead escape because you felt guilty for leaving me?"

"W-well, it's not like I did it to only because of you. I also wanted to help the people too."

"And here I thought you said reapers don't meddle in the affairs of humans."

Mori bashfully looked away. "Whatever, I can make exceptions."

"Let's get back on topic. What's this truth the masked man was talking about?" Jenna asked.

"If I have to guess, it would be the location of the person I'm looking for."

"Who's this person?"

"A detective. A girl by the name of Amelia Watson."

"Amelia Watson...where have I heard that name before?" Jenna wondered out loud. "Anyways, what's your deal with that man? Why did you decide to chase him?"

"I got into an...accident a week ago. I saw that man that night before I was rescued by Kiara."

"You met the masked man?"

"I wouldn't say meet, I was really banged up and barely conscious."

"So do you have any idea where he went?"

"None. As soon as I turned tail to help Kiara, the man was gone."

"So he got away from us again..." the manager muttered.

"What's your deal with that man anyway?"

Jenna hesitated to answer for a moment, seeming to weigh her options. "Well, now that you've met our mystery man, I guess the higher-ups wouldn't mind if I filled you in on a little about our mission."

"Go ahead," Mori nodded.

"We're trying to find that man. He stole something valuable from us, the mask he's wearing. We've been trying to find leads all week, but we didn't find anything until some of our agents saw something suspicious in the area."

The reaper and the phoenix turned to each other, realizing they had an opportunity.

"You're also looking for the masked man? Then let's work together," Kiara offered.

Jenna was taken aback. "Huh, you wanna join us?"

"We're also looking for the masked man too," the phoenix explained. "He might have information that could help us out on our mission."

"Hmm..." the manager crossed her arms. "The extra help would be nice."

"So it's a yes?" the reaper asked.

"I'll have to check with my boss, of course. C'mon, I'll take you to our main office and talk to the big man."

The two nodded. Hopping inside a car Jenna called over, they drove from Harajuku to the Cover Corporation office building in Shinjuku. Mori was no stranger to skyscrapers, but she felt awestruck by the size of the building, reminding her how far human technology had come since the beginning. She turned to Kiara, who seemed as excited as she was. Entering the building, the manager showed her ID card to the secretary. When the woman at the front desk inquired about the two newcomers, Jenna told her that they were with her. Cleared for entry, they proceeded into the elevator and up a few floors. Kiara tapped her feet to the cheery, poppy elevator music which reminded her of some idol songs she liked to listen to a lot. The three arrived in a fairly busy office. Businessmen and women worked in cubicles and some carried stacks of paper across the room. Jenna walked to the secretary's counter, asking if the boss was available at the moment. After being told that he was in a meeting, the manager notified the two.

"We might need to wait a little. Get yourselves comfy for a bit, I'm not really sure how long his meetings go."

"Is there a restroom nearby?" Mori asked.

"Oh yeah, it's down this hall past some rooms and to the right."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

The reaper made her way through the office rooms, seeing the doors to the restroom appearing. Before she could turn the corner, however, she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, you."

Mori turned to face whoever addressed her. Her eyes widened at the sight of red hair and an eyepatch. Houshou Marine stood in the hallway to her left, close by. The reaper switched to her combat gear, staring Marine down.

"Didn't expect to see you here, captain."

"Same here. How did you get in?"

"I'm on the search for a certain detective. Any chance you know where she is?"

Marine scoffed. "And why would I tell you that?"

"Because you know what'll happen if you don't tell me."

"That's cute. Sorry, but I haven't seen them since the island."

"Really now? I think you might be lying."

"Believe whatever you want."

Mori's eyes narrowed. "Last chance."

"I already told you, I haven't seen them. Now, I think it's time for me to get rid of an intruder."

The reaper sighed. "It was worth a try."

Mori shot forward, tackling Marine by surprise. They both tumbled to the floor, the reaper on top of the captain. Before Mori could throw a punch, Marine delivered a swift jab to her face, knocking her down. Getting back up, the captain picked up Mori, pulling her up by her collar to her feet. The reaper kicked Marine's shin, making her stumble over and lose her grip. She grabbed the captain and threw her into one cubicle. The man working inside was startled to see an operative slam into his desk. Growling, Marine sprung up, charging into Mori. The captain pushed the reaper into the cubicle on the opposite side, into the desk of a sleeping girl with long, blue hair. Mori's head collided with the table, knocking down empty bottles of sake. As Marine raised her fist, the reaper head-butted her, stunning her. This gave enough time for Mori to switch sides with Marine, slamming the captain's head on the table and choking her out.

"Oi, Lamy-chan!" the pirate turned to the sleeping woman, struggling through breaths.

She stirred awake, wiping her eyes. "Marine-senpai?"

"Mind if I borrow something?"

"Oh, of course."

Marine picked up an empty glass bottle laying on the desk and smashed it into the side of Mori's head, sending her into a daze. The captain returned the favor, slamming her head against the reaper's head, knocking her back. With one kick, Mori flew back into the hallway. As she got back to her feet, her sight was met by the captain's flintlock pistol, which she unloaded into her chest. The force of the bullets blasted her back through the door leading to the next room. The only thing that stopped her was some chairs and tables littered throughout the room. Shaking her head, Mori looked around, seeing two girls sitting at the table to her side. A brown haired girl with dog ears and a light purple haired girl with cat ears were enjoying some onigiri from a little bento box. Mori assumed this place was a break room of sorts, judging by the many tables and chairs, the dimly lit vending machines, and the kitchen that seemed to be occupied as the reaper heard the sound of someone cooking inside. The girl with dog ears looked down at the reaper with curious eyes, while the other girl seemed to ignore Mori's existence altogether, instead focusing on her half-eaten rice ball. Marine stepped into the room with her gun at her side.

"End of the line, Mori."

Mori growled and lunged at the captain, unsheathing her scythe. The pirate aimed her pistol, as the reaper drew closer. Before Mori could swing, she saw a flash of blue light from the corner of her eye and heard a loud explosion. She was lifted off her feet, knocked into the wall which cracked upon impact. Thoroughly annoyed, she stood up from the mess of tables and chairs she crashed down on. A girl with snow white hair wielding a long wand stood at the other side of the room, at the entrance of the kitchen. She brushed some dust from her navy blue uniform that fell from the ceiling because of the blast. Marine turned to Mori, aiming her gun once more, only to be held back by another woman with short, silver hair. Though Marine was defiantly struggling against the woman, she was strong enough to keep even the captain in place. She disarmed the pirate despite her demands to let her go.

"Jeez, Marine, relax!" the woman shouted.

"Let me go, Noel, that girl's an enemy!"

From behind the two, Kiara and Jenna ran inside. The phoenix rushed over to attend to Mori's wounds, which were beginning to mend themselves.

"What happened?" the manager asked.

"Me and Okayu were eating here when this woman came flying in," the brown haired girl explained. "Marine came in after."

"Oh god, you alright, Calli?" Kiara asked, helping the reaper up.

"I've been better," Mori supported herself on the phoenix's shoulder.

"She'll be alright," the girl with the wand assured. "I didn't cast a strong fire spell on her."

"The hell is she doing here?" the captain asked.

"Huh? I let her in," Jenna replied.

"W-what?" Marine sputtered. "Don't you know who this woman is?"

"Not really, I just met her this afternoon."

The captain shook herself from Noel's grip, pointing at the reaper. "That's Mori Calliope, haven't you read our reports?"

"Oh, those reports..." Jenna chuckled awkwardly. "I may or may not have read them."

"Eh, are you serious? I spent valuable time writing that report, I skipped our usual izakaya trip to write them!"

"Haha, sorry. I'm not the type of person to look at those," the manager explained, flustered.

"Can't blame her," Okayu took a bite out of her riceball. "I'd rather take one long nap than read any of those."

"So does that mean you don't read my reports?" the dog-eared girl asked, a nervous look on her face.

The cat girl looked to the side, her face reddening. "Of course not. You know I always read yours, Korone."

"Oi, knock it off Okayu," the white haired girl whacked the cat girl on the head. "Always read those things. Remember the last time you went on a mission without reading past reports?"

"I know, I know, Fubuki-senpai." Okayu rubbed the top of her head.

"You're lucky it's just me and not Mio who heard you. You know how she is."

"Yeah, yeah..." the cat girl muttered.

Korone giggled, finding her teammate getting lectured amusing.

"Oi, oi, let's get back on topic here," Marine crossed her arms.

"You shot her?" Noel asked, looking over Mori's wounds. "I heard the gunshots."

"Oh yeah, that was me."

"Why the hell did you shoot her?" Jenna demanded.

"What, it's not like she actually got hurt. But you would know that if you read the report." Marine snarked.

"Why the hell did you fight her in the first place?" Kiara asked.

"Hey, don't look at me. I wasn't the one who started it."

"Calli?"

"I thought she knew where Watson was."

"I told you twice already, I have no idea where they went." The captain turned to Jenna, "I swear, why'd you have to bring someone here who tried to kill me here."

"That's a lie, I didn't want to kill you."

She chuckled incredulously. "Oh really? Maybe I should've taken my ship getting shot at by a laser beam and my crew getting beat up as a friendly gesture."

"You wouldn't listen to me!"

"Then you think I should've followed you so you could take Amelia and kill her?"

"Huh? Kill?" Kiara asked.

"What're you talking about, Marine?"

"This girl is looking for Amelia Watson so she can kill her."

"Is this true?" the phoenix turned to Mori, who was staring at the floor.

The reaper declined to answer. She knew how bad it sounded.

"Tell me at least you know who Amelia is, Jenna."

"Well, I'm starting to remember a little from Emma's report."

"She's trying to prevent the end of the world, and this girl is trying to stop her."

"If I recall correctly, we don't know too much about Watson either, so she's just as untrustworthy as Mori."

"Seriously? If you at least read Emma's report, then you should know Amelia could help us."

"Look, I'm just being realistic. Helping Watson isn't our goal right now, it's retrieving the mask. Mr. Yagoo designated this mission a level five. We'll need all the help we can get and Mori's willing to help us find our masked man. I know you both trust Watson, but we need to think about what our mission is right now. We can talk about this after we find the mask."

After a moment of silence, Marine sighed. "Fine, I'll leave it up to you."

"Well I'm glad we've come to an agreement."

But," the captain approached the reaper, face-to-face, "if you even try to kill Watson, I won't hesitate to strike you down."

"Just try it."

"Tch," Marine turned to Jenna. "Emma isn't gonna be happy about this."

"She'll come around."

"Good luck with that," Marine turned to leave. "Oi, Noel, let's wake up Lamy and get Flare. I need a drink."

"Sure, we could stop by the grill. I'm kinda hungry."

The three were left with Korone, Okayu, and Fubuki having their own conversation.

"I'll get someone to clean this mess up," Jenna muttered.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," Mori announced, walking out of the room.

Kiara followed the reaper as she entered the elevator and ascended to the top floor. Climbing up the stairs, the two reached the roof of the building. Mori walked out into the helipad, Kiara a few feet behind.

"Is what that pirate said true?"

The reaper took a deep breath. "Yes."

"So you're really trying to kill Watson?"

Mori winced at the word. She had no idea why she reacted this way, but hearing Kiara ask her shook her.

"Why, Calli?"

"I...I have no choice."

"What do you mean? You don't need to do this."

The reaper snapped around. "I have to, Kiara, she's the only way I'm going back home!"

The phoenix wanted her to keep going, Mori could see it in her eyes. She looked to the side.

"I was banished from my home years ago."

"Why?"

"It was during the Fall of Atlantis, centuries past. Thousands of souls needed to be taken to the Reaper's Domain. The Grim Reaper wanted me to go to the palace to retrieve the souls of the royal family and as his apprentice, I complied. As my comrades took care of rounding up the wandering souls of fallen Atlanteans in the sinking city, I made my way to the palace. I found the family, still alive."

"What did you do?"

"Fate is absolute, I knew their time would come soon. So I followed and waited. They had a child with them, a little girl. They were running with her somewhere while the place was crumbling. I followed them down to a dock area, where they placed her inside a submarine. Some rubble fell on them, pinning them to the ground. The little girl was calling for help, trying to pull her parents from under the debris."

"Did you do anything?"

"I did. It was a decision that changed my life. I walked out, making my presence known. Though they were scared at first, I assured that I would help them. I asked them what I needed to do. They told me to take their daughter inside the sub and get her into one of the pods. All I needed to do was press the button and power the sub. The girl was scared of me at first, but she held my hand tightly after I told her everything would be alright. We went inside and I helped her into the pod. I closed the door and pressed on the button. A white mist filled the pod and after a few seconds, she wouldn't move."

"So she was frozen...what happened next?"

"I activated the sub and climbed out. The girl's parents were clinging to life by the time I got off the sub, they were severely injured from the rocks. I told them I did what they asked and they were glad. I had never seen anyone that happy on the brink of death before. They thanked me and passed soon after. I snatched their souls and me and the reapers returned to our home. The Grim Reaper wasn't pleased with me. He watched everything. Being his apprentice didn't help things either. I didn't return with the entire family's souls and I was punished for it. I was cast away from the Reaper's Domain and I've been exiled on Earth for centuries."

"What?" a look of outrage was on the phoenix's face. "You just helped a young girl survive!"

"It doesn't work like that, Kiara. Reapers cannot interfere with fate whatsoever. I broke that sacred rule and now I'm paying for it."

"But that's not fair! You're being punished for saving that girl's life? Shouldn't your master know how young she was?"

"Fate doesn't discriminate between the rich and the poor, good and bad, and especially not the young and the old."

"It must've been hard for you, being away from home for years."

"I managed. After a few decades my punishment was lightened and I could go back home every five years, but I spent most of my days here gathering lost souls and sending them to the Reaper's Domain."

"Have you run into any reapers in your travels?"

"Yes. They always look at me with disappointment and pity. It reminds me why I've always regretted what I did that day."

Kiara shook her head. "No, you shouldn't. It's bullshit, what happened to you. All this, just for saving the life of one little girl?"

"You wouldn't understand."

The phoenix sighed. "So why are you trying to find Watson?"

"Two weeks ago, the Grim Reaper came to me. He gave me a proposition. A time traveling detective escaped death and he wanted me to catch her. If I successfully completed the mission, I would be let back home."

"I still don't think it's right, he doesn't want to get his hands dirty so he'll use you to do it."

"I have no choice."

"That's what you think. But this is your life, do what you think is best for you. Do you know where that girl you saved is now?"

Mori remembered that night at Tokyo Bay. When she aimed her scythe at the submarine, a wave of uncertainty hit her. She pushed past it and shot it anyways, obliterating it. The reaper thought of nothing when saw Amelia's friend dropping to her knees. When she turned around to glare at Mori, the reaper could remember stopping in her tracks. Those eyes, she thought she had seen them before. Though she was caught off guard, she continued to fight, gaining the upper hand after the shark girl began her attack. That feeling of familiarity lingered in the back of her mind and it was abruptly drawn out as the shark girl's sobs echoed in the night after she was defeated. Remorse overcame the reaper without explanation and all she could do was apologize.

"No," Mori replied.

A radiant green flash of light shimmered in the sky, blinding the two for a second. The reaper and the phoenix looked up, seeing the once clear, blue sky now dark as night. A green rune was the only source of light, not even the moon was hanging above the city. There were no lights in the city, as if a blackout swept the entirety of Tokyo.

"What's going on?" Kiara watched the rune revolve, its symbols rotating in the sky.

Mori heard a door slam open and saw Jenna coming out. Just as baffled as the two were, she watched as the city was plunged into complete darkness. Green lightning streaked across the sky, thunder rumbling the ground beneath their feet. A deep voice echoed across the city, making Kiara and Jenna shudder.

"Heretics of the Order of the Crawling Chaos, surrender to us now. Non-believers, repent. Soon, the Dark Mother will descend upon the world and judgement will be dealt onto those who try to resist the creation of her garden. In order to usher in her arrival, Tokyo will be covered in eternal night. May the Mother's salvation come to all who worship her."

As the voice ended its speech, the lights in the city flickered back on. The three looked at each other, unable to explain what just happened.

"What the hell was that?" Mori asked.

Jenna shrugged. "You think I know?"

The reaper spotted Kiara with her hand on the side of her head, slowly kneeling to the floor. She seemed to be in pain and the two helped her up.

"You alright, Kiara?" the manager asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to take a seat."

"We should go back inside," Mori suggested.

"Definitely, we've got to assemble in the mission control room. We'll need to mobilize the operatives for recon."

The three headed back inside, going down the elevator to the bottom floor. Jenna pulled out a small key from her pocket, plugging it into a keyhole in the elevator's control panel, and turning it. An extra button appeared at the bottom of the others and the manager pressed on it. The elevator went down another floor. Outside was a narrow corridor where bulky sliding doors, which Jenna used the ID card on her lanyard to enter. The doors slid open and the three stepped into the control center. There was a long table with several rolling chairs tucked inside. A large monitor in the wall displayed live broadcasts of the situation outside.

"How's it looking out there?" the manager asked.

"Fine for now," Fubuki replied. "I already sent Korone and Okayu to check out what's going on in the streets. Aqua left with them. I wanted to stick back here and wait for you before I went."

Jenna put on a headset. "Marine, are you there?"

"I hear you, loud and clear," the captain's voice echoed across the room.

"What's the situation?"

"Nothing yet, me, Noel, Flare, and Lamy are looking around. It's chaos here in the streets."

"Tell every civilian you see to go home and stay put."

"Alright, got it."

"Jenna, you should check this," Fubuki called the manager over.

The news broadcast showed live footage of the situation from a helicopter. As the reporter commented on the situation, the cameraman panned over the city. A dome of thousands of wriggling black, inky, tendrils covered the entire city.

"Could this be the work of the person you're looking for, Kiara?"

The phoenix shook her head. "I don't feel her presence. The aura here is...different, more threatening. This is something completely new."

"Damn it, this situation is getting out of hand. We need to make a quick response. I'm gonna have to talk to the boss about this. Fubuki, you should go help out your teammates ."

Fubuki placed her hand on the manager's shoulder. "Right, good luck."

As the fox girl left the room, Kiara and Mori approached Jenna.

"What's our next step?" the reaper asked.

"Well, we'll first need to assess what's going on out there, then we have to get to the bottom of this. Sorry, but our search for the masked man will have to wait."

"No problem," Kiara nodded. "We need to stop this before people get hurt."

A phone rang and Jenna picked up her phone, pressing it to her ear.

"Emma?"

"Jenna, thank god."

"Where are you, have you seen what's been going on?"

"I'm still in the city. I'm going to figure out what the hell is going on."

"Let's meet up, my friends can help you out."

"No, there's no time to wait. Jenna, we'll need info and fast. We should call Coco."

"The dragon lady?"

"Yup, her connections are gonna be useful in piecing this all together."

"Hold up, you want to bring the yakuza into this?"

"They know the city better than any of us, we'll need their help."

"Fine, I'll call her."

"Stay safe, Jenna."

"You too."

"What now?" Kiara asked.

Jenna began to leave, the two following behind her. "We're meeting another operative."

-

Atop the Tokyo Skytree, the masked man stood with his shoggoths. He overlooked the city, with the revolving green rune hanging above. The dome surrounded the entire area, blocking any means of escape. The howling wind pulled back his long coat.

He smirked under his mask.

"The Children of the Dark Mother are making their move, huh? This'll be fun."