Day 4

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[" 'Do you remember this melody? The professor used to play this song when the students were sleepy. Happy Birthday.' "]

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I walked through the abyss that surrounded me. My footsteps were muffled and could barely reach my ears. No other sound was present as I made my journey to wherever this place led me, and yet my body shivered from the occasional gaze that I knew followed me.

I turned my head back and saw nothing.

But I wasn't naive to think just that, something was following me as I ventured into the unknown. I didn't see it....but I knew it was there.

Nevertheless, I continued as if it wasn't.

Not once did I falter in my walk.

Not once did I ever drift off course.

Whatever was following, could simply follow me to the depths of nothingness. The only question was.....

"How far will you accompany me?"

I stared into the abyss...

...and the abyss stared back from all sides.

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BongBong's POV

{She thinks in 3rd Person though, sorry if it gets annoying :)}

BongBong wasn't tired, so she stayed up.

BongBong was chilly, so she got dressed.

BongBong was hungry, so she ate some food.

BongBong was bored, so she left her room.

BongBong knew that she wasn't supposed to, but BongBong didn't like staying in her room since it was dark and lonely.

BongBong only liked to be in a dark room if Y/n was with her.

If Y/n was with her, BongBong could do anything!

Even sleep in the dark!

But BongBong was alone...so she left in search of something.

What exactly that something was, BongBong didn't know nor care. BongBong simply wanted to play.

The people BongBong usually plays with are boring. They get tired too fast and are too mean whenever BongBong asks to play again.

Usually when Big Sis and Big Bro are busy, BongBong goes to Y/n for whenever she wants to play....but Y/n is sleeping right now! BongBong should be too, but Big Sis said it was fine as long as he didn't find out!

BongBong liked walking down the hallway in random motions. The big open space let her freely move and let her imagination run wild.

While BongBong was playing, she accidentally ran into someone! But luckily she caught herself before she could fully fall.

"What the hell?!"

BongBong looked up at the man once she got herself steady. She didn't know who it was before they turned around.

"Bong!"

It was one of the people she played with yesterday and the day before and the day before that! Did he want to play?

"BongBong!"

"Shit, it's you again? What the hell do you want from me? I've already done the training regime for yesterday!"

BongBong didn't understand why he was so mad, she just wanted someone to play with.

"Bong!"

"Little piece of shit! I'm telling you to leave me alone! Or are you too stupid to understand that?!"

BongBong likes her group. Y/n and Big Sis are never mean to BongBong! Big Bro does get a little mean. He scolds BongBong a lot, just like today, and it makes BongBong sad.

But she remembers that Y/n said it was for her own good! So even when Big Bro gets mad, BongBong still likes him.

BongBong doesn't understand a lot of things...

Like why people always stay away from Big Sis....

Or why people always stay away from Big Bro...

Or why people always stay away from BongBong...

Or why the square people always keep Y/n alone...

BongBong isn't that smart...she knows that...

BongBong isn't that strong...she knows that...

BongBong isn't that brave...she knows that...

But BongBong knows that she isn't one thing!

BongBong isn't stupid!

Y/n calls BongBong clever and quick-witted.....BongBong doesn't know what they mean, but it definitely means something good if Y/n is calling her that!

Everyone thinks BongBong can only say one word, but BongBong can actually say two words!

But...

Big Sis and Big Bro said to never say that word or Y/n will be sad. BongBong doesn't want Y/n to be sad even if that word is a special word for Y/n!

"Well?!"

BongBong tilted her head at him, what did he want from her if he didn't want to play?

"That's it! I'm tired of all this shit! First the Backstreets, then this Company, then the fucking training! If you want me to train so much how about I use you as a punching bag, huh?!"

BongBong doesn't like this man no more. He's too loud and makes BongBong feel like she did something bad. If BongBong does bad, then Y/n will be mad!

"BongBong!"

BongBong wants to go to her room now. She doesn't want to be in more trouble than she already is.

A hand, however, stopped BongBong from going to her room.

"Oh, so now you wanna leave me alone?! Yeah, no, I don't think so!"

"Bong!"

"Shut the fuck up with that already! Can you say literally anything but that?!"

BongBong couldn't breathe as the Scary Man picked her up by her suit. BongBong was scared, she wanted to start crying but remembered her promise to never cry and BongBong never broke her promises! So she kept the feeling inside her and blankly stared at the man.

"What's with that look! Huh, let's see you keep that up when I—"

The Scary Man stopped yelling as he suddenly froze and let BongBong go. BongBong stumbled back but was able to stand and take a few steps back.

"What do we have here?~ Were you just about to strike a fellow employee?~"

BongBong raised her hands up in celebration! Scary Man wasn't so scary anymore because Big Sis was here!

Big Sis swung her toy across the man's back as he fell.

"Bong! Bong! Bong!"

Scary Man down! Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!

"Hehehe~ Calm down BongBong~ You know we wouldn't let anything happen to you."

BongBong stared blankly at Big Sis. Big Sis still gave BongBong head pats, BongBong is happy!

"How about you go back to your room? Wait for me and I'll come by to tuck you in, alright?"

"Bong!"

BongBong knows when to listen, and now was the time for her to sleep! BongBong gave Big Sis a big hug and then ran to her room.

3rd POV

BongBong's footsteps gradually became quieter and quieter as she left. Shina's smile gradually became flat and empty as the sound of her footsteps decreased. Soon the only sound in the hallway was the man's gargled attempts to speak words. A wrong move since it only made Shina turn her head to look at him on the ground.

She didn't smile.

She didn't grin.

She didn't laugh.

She didn't even feel excited.

Shina didn't show anything on her face as she stared directly into the agent-in-training's eyes.

"You're probably wondering why you can't move." She said after a few moments of the man crying. "It's because of this little thing right here." Shina pulled out her knife that was coated in his blood and waved it in front of his eyes. The blood fluidly dripped down the blade as it shined a crimson glow.

"Auughhhh!!! Aksnhnbbb!!!"

Tears fell down his face as he struggled to move, to do ANYTHING that would help him get away from this woman.

"Seems like a simple knife doesn't it? Funny how appearances can deceive you. Ironic, since that little girl you were planning on turning into a punching bag would have turned you into red paste if we told her to."

"Ahhhhab!! Uuugaahhhe!!"

"You know...I've had a long day....could you not make it anymore distasteful for me?"

When the man wouldn't stop making noises and crying, Shina emotionlessly stomped the man's head against the floor knocking him out.

If it were any other day, she would have been ecstatic about this situation. But the fact that her day started on a high note and just gradually plummeted downhill only made feel her numb to this. Her day had long been ruined ever since a certain AI decided to meddle in her business.

Shina mentally clicked her tongue in annoyance when she imagined the smug look Angela probably had when she watched her run around the entire facility like a maniac. She could have dismembered her and turned her into a tool box for her "equipment" if she wanted to.

And she most certainly could.

Shina could have easily just ignored her assignments and kept Y/n to herself. But if she could have, why didn't she?

Because she already had...countless times.

Each ending with the same result.

Was it worth it in exchange for her life?

Depends on her mood honestly.

Shina wasn't new to dying, and she certainly wasn't new to killing most of the "permanent" staff. But as time went on and she spent more and more time with Y/n, she started to think twice about killing people who got in her way.

Now, if she had to choose between killing someone who got in her way and dying as a result, or sucking it up and living longer with Y/n, Shina would choose the latter one hundred percent.

Shina thought back to the countless seconds, minutes, hours, and even days she spent with Y/n. She smiled to herself as she imagined all sorts of scenarios that could happen in the future. Not all were as extreme as you would think, some were simply just them having coffee together with BongBong and Renold along with them. Just the four of them laughing and enjoying each other's company.

Renold would keep his tough and distant attitude, it wouldn't have discouraged any of them from bringing him into the conversation, and soon he would be engaged into their talks about work and E.G.O. equipment. BongBong would run around their table as she played around, she would soon get tired and sit on Y/n's lap as he fed her cookies. Y/n would be sitting back as he watched us, his smile always bringing up their spirits and mood. And Shina would, quite simply, be animatedly talking about killing someone or just staring at Y/n.

The image of them all together without a care in the world burned into her mind.

As Shina's imagination continued to fuel more and more of that special feeling inside of her, she was suddenly interrupted by the groaning of the employee she just stomped on. Her mood plummeted back to zero as she was reminded of her job and expectations.

"So annoying..."

She effortlessly grabbed his foot before dragging him to the "Interrogation Room" near the Information Team Department. It didn't take long to drag him into the room, the stairs helped keep him unconscious. Once there, she simply strapped him to the lone metal chair within the room and stuffed his mouth with some rags and strapped it to his head.

"You'll make a fine replacement for the other stress reliever. However, I'll deal with you later, BongBong needs to be put to bed."

She spoke to the unconscious body before leaving and heading straight for BongBong's room. Once there, she opened the door and entered the bright room only to find BongBong with her head sticking out of her blankets. The covers were brought to her chin as her two hands held it in place.

Shina chuckled as she looked at the adorable little girl.

"I guess you already tucked yourself in?"

"Bong!"

BongBong nodded her head vigorously and patiently waited for a reward for being a good girl. Shina simply smiled kindly at her before removing her coat and shoes.

"BongBong, I'm pretty tired *yawn* Do you mind if I sleep here?"

BongBong had already jumped out of bed and pulled Shina with her by the arm.

"Bong!"

Shina laughed as she landed on the soft bed with the little girl right beside her. It was only after they got comfortable that Shina noticed the lights were still on.

"BongBong...the lights are still on..."

When she didn't respond and simply snuggled up to her chest, Shina simply sighed.

"Come on, let me just get u—"

Right when she was about to get up, she was interrupted when BongBong suddenly sat up right and smacked her in the face with a pillow. The force behind it was so strong that her head instantly caved into the pillow under her. No damage was done other than being stunned for a few seconds.

Shina groaned as her mind tried to process what happened. But as she opened her eyes, her vision was met with darkness. It seemed BongBong had already turned the lights off, which meant that she should have been back in bed by now.

Shina was going to call out to her when she noticed a figure coming at her midair. She hadn't noticed it because of her dazed state but now that it was just right on top of her, she could with certain see that it was a little girl.

Uncaring of Shina's tired and dazed state, BongBong all but jumped onto the bed and landed on her.

"GAH!"

The force was enough to make Shina sit up right again, but BongBong, once again, grabbed the same pillow and swung. The two opposite motions, Shina sitting up and BongBong swinging towards her, was enough to knock Shina out.

Her unconscious body landed back on the bed.

BongBong, uncaring of what she had done, simply pulled the blanket over them and snuggled close to Shina. Her head laid on the nape of Shina's neck as BongBong closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around her a tight hug, and slept peacefully.

The dark seemed less scary when she had something to hold on to.

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The Manager wasn't having the greatest of mornings. He had stayed up most of the night trying to sleep.

Trying being the keyword as the stress of yesterday simply wouldn't leave him alone. With having no success in getting a wink of sleep, X decided to simply spend the night studying the manual since he didn't want another scenario like yesterday to happen.

The manual from the previous Managers was.....interesting. X didn't know whether to be irritated or fascinated with how much information was in it. The manual itself was close to 7 inches thick with each page filled to the brim with notes and diagrams.

It was no surprise that X only managed to read about 10 pages in one night with how much info was packed onto each page. But with those 10 pages alone he was able to understand multitudes amount of topics. They ranged from Ordeals, Meltdowns, how to deal with panicking employees, and even how to manage the Departments better. X didn't know if this would help immediately, but it didn't hurt to try them out today.

Another thing that he was able to learn was the remaining members of the Reserves. Although there wasn't much information regarding them, he at least learned their names and their positions.

Y/n was the Captain of the Reserves...that's all he found out about him.

Lieutenant Shina was an Enforcer....X didn't know if that was supposed to be a joke or some miscalculation by the Founder. There was a literal note on the side that stated that she had personally killed, tortured, and harmed employees with no repercussions under the pretense of "Eliminating Traitors". X shivered as he remembered yesterday's events, he wasn't going near her ever again.

Lieutenant Renold was the manager of the E.G.O. equipment that are handed out to agents and employees. There wasn't anything to note aside from his brashness and cold attitude. He seemed like the one X would most likely get along with the most.

Lieutenant BongBong, who was a literal child, was a Trainer for Agents. X didn't know how to feel about having a child working in such a dangerous place, but the Founder was the one who implemented the group so he doubted he had any say in this.

The rest of the manual he would have to read later, though he doubted he would even finish half of it.

Soon X checked his watch and found the time to be 6:48....

X rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to keep himself awake.

He simply wanted to have a break from all this madness. Of course, he couldn't just hold up in his room for the rest of his time, even if that's what he wanted to do. He certainly didn't want to get "fired" from his job, so he got up and dressed himself in the standard lab coat and black dress shirt, pants, and shoes.

After dressing up he left his room and headed for his office.

Strangely, Angela hadn't greeted or came to fetch him this morning. It gave him time to relax and take things at his own pace without the thing judging his every move. But it still unnerved him that it wasn't here, making him cautious of whatever the day had in store for him.

He was just about to enter his office when the intercom came to life.

"I have an announcement to the Sephirot of the Upper Layer."

X almost tripped as he missed the door handle to his office. The sudden voice of Angela through the intercom was enough to disrupt any of his future thoughts or actions.

"The Mental Corruption levels of the Control Team's employees had exceeded the maximum threshold yesterday. And just what did the other Sephirot do in the meantime? Sit and watch?"

The Manager simply stood stiff as he tried to process what was happening. This was clearly a reference to the panicking employees that Shina had caused. So why was Angela putting the blame on the Control Team and the Sephirot?

"The Control Team is unlikely to be able to handle any future Ordeals. That task will instead be given to the Manager. Staff and equipment shall be redistributed appropriately."

X simply stared at the door to his office, his clenched fists tightened to the point where his nails dug into his palms.

His job just got a whole lot more complicated.

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One Of The Rooms In The Control Team Department

(20 Minutes Prior)

Currently in a room within the Control Team Department there were three people talking amongst each other. Since it was extremely early, the room was barren of employees, making their conversation loud and clear. Of the three occupants, only one was smiling without a care in the world.

"Malkuth...In all honesty, you cannot suppress the future Ordeals with the current employees at your disposal at the moment. As the head of the Information Team, I am fully aware of your employees' current conditions."

Yesod, Sephirah of the Information Team, informed as he had a frown on his face.

Malkuth didn't lose her smile as she continued looking through her clipboard. The third occupant, Hod, had a small frown on her face when Malkuth brushed Yesod's concern to the side. But that didn't stop Yesod from continuing his reasoning.

"Even with Captain Y/n in your department, the risk is far too great and the mental health of your employees will be in critical condition if no precautions are taken."

He crossed his arms and looked at the distracted Sephirah.

"But Yesod, we only need to consider the morality rate of the agents and the possibility of the Abnormalities breaching. With Y/n in my department, there have already been improvements to both of those!"

Without looking up from her clipboard, Malkuth simply responded back. However, neither of her fellow Sephirot were in agreement with her answer. Her constant replenishing of night-shift staff spoke for itself.

Hod's frown became more worried and apparent as she couldn't handle it anymore and spoke up.

".....Malkuth.....Lady Angela said that one crazy employee is capable of killing ten others....."

Malkuth finally looked up from her clipboard. Her head turned to look at Hod as her eyes bored into hers. Hod felt a chill go down her spine as her fellow Sephirah's eyes gave her a bad vibe.

"I am the Sephirah of the Control Team. I may make outrageous mistakes in all other aspects, but believe me when I say that this role is one that I know better than anyone else."

Yesod frowned in displeasure while Hod's worried eyes glanced at him from occasion. Neither said anything as they allowed Malkuth to speak her mind.

"I know how to handle employees on the verge of insanity. I even wrote a code of conduct for it. But honestly, it feels like I'm the only one who follows the guide. Am I wrong?"

Their silence was all the answer she needed, causing her constant smile to widen a bit with a small amount of pride.

"Please tell me if you happen to need it, I can always share a copy with you. I even have one right here."

She started to look through her clipboard before Hod interrupted her.

"I-I-I'm fine!.....But that code of yours...how should I say it... it doesn—"

Hod was interrupted as Malkuth turned her head back towards her. An icy cold smile plastered on her face.

"I don't need weak employees in my Department, Hod. Weakness means elimination, the death of their place in my Department. To work for my Department that leads the corporation, signifies that they should be more capable than everyone else."

Hod simply grimaced. But neither Yesod nor Hod were ready for what Malkuth was going to say next.

"In fact, that's precisely why I've submitted a transfer form to the Manager to have Y/n permanently assigned to my Department."

Yesod almost flinched back after hearing that, but was able to keep himself composed. Hod, however, clearly showed more distress and shock as it was apparent from her trembling figure.

"Someone as capable as him should be under my supervision, and I doubt he would want to work with anyone else other than me!"

She had a smug grin as she looked at both Yesod and Hod. She didn't comment on how they looked utterly horrified or shocked, she simply chalked it up to them being jealous.

"....."

Yesod's frown had turned into a blank look as he stared silently at the grinning woman.

"...Y-Y-You can't p-p-possibly be serious Malkuth! W-W-What do you think Lady A-A-Angela will do once she finds out?!"

Hod on the other hand was freaking out as she glanced around the room for any sign of her superior watching them. Although she was scared of what Angela could do, Hod couldn't lie and say that she didn't feel jealous of the slight possibility of Y/n staying with Malkuth. Though it was kept deep within her.

"Angela? Hmph! She knows not to interfere with matters regarding employees! She's the one who said it herself, 'A line must not be crossed. That applies to both us and them.', is that not what she told us?"

When neither responded, she tried to reinforce her reasoning again.

"This is merely a business endeavor as Y/n is a major improvement to my Department! So it should be valid that he stays with me, right?"

When neither of them confirmed it once again, Malkuth simply looked back and forth between them.

"Can either of you say anything?"

"...."

"...."

For a brief moment, Malkuth's smile faltered when neither had backed her up. But that was quickly replaced by another smile as she spoke with a cheer as if it didn't bother her.

"Well, thanks so much for visiting me! It's made me so happy!"

She then turned to walk to the exit with her clipboard under her arm.

"We should meet up again sometime, all of us Upper Sephirot!"

With that, Malkuth left the room leaving Yesod and Hod alone. They didn't say anything to one another, because Yesod was deep in thought while Hod was having anxiety as she constantly glanced around the room. It was clear who she was looking out for.

Just then the door opposite of where Malkuth left opened causing the two Sephirot to turn and see who it was.

"Man, that was one of the best nights of sleep I've ever had."

Y/n said as he walked in while stretching his arms. Hod's worried frown immediately turned into a bright smile as she all but ran towards him.

"Y/n! Good morning!"

Y/n looked around before his eyes landed on the two of them.

"Hey, if it isn't Hod and Yesod! Good morning guys!"

He waved at them, Yesod simply nodded his head while Hod cheerfully waved back.

"What brings you here, Y/n?"

Hod asked once they had grouped together. Y/n wore the same clothing as always, but Hod would occasionally glance at his armband as if it would magically change. Yesod decided not to comment on it and simply put his attention on the man.

"Nothing really, just decided to take a walk before the shift starts. Though now that I'm here with you both, I've got some things to talk with you about."

Both Sephirot looked at him curiously as they wanted him to continue.

"I'll start with the easy stuff. Hod, how are the trainees coming along? I doubt with Renold and BongBong helping that it won't be any much longer till the Reserves need to be filled again."

"U-U-Umm, they are doing their best! A few have been able to pass and have been moved to one of our Departments.....though speaking of Renold, would it be possible for you to speak with him?"

Y/n looked at her confused.

"Speak with him about what? Surely he's not slacking off?"

Hod shook her head.

"No, no, it's far from that. It's actually the opposite, I think it would be best if he took a break or maybe took part in my counseling...I had already asked but he refused."

Y/n nodded his head, nothing new there. Renold was just that dedicated to his work.

"S-So I was wondering, i-if it doesn't bother you of course, if you would convince him. I-I'm worried that he might be struggling without us knowing."

"I see.....well, I don't necessarily know if he will, but I'll see what I can do."

Y/n gave a reassuring smile that made Hod relax. He then turned his attention to Yesod.

"Yesod, I've been meaning to tell you something about my next Department rotation."

Hod stiffened as her eyes worryingly glanced between the two.

"And what exactly would that something be?"

"Since I've been assigned to the Control Team for a total of 5 days, a new arrangement has been made where I'll spend the exact same amount of time in the other Departments, including yours."

Yesod simply nodded his head. Hod, however, was extremely ecstatic but tried to keep it from showing.

'5 days with Y/n?! W-W-What brought this on?!' Hod mentally questioned even though Y/n just gave the answer a few seconds ago.

'O-O-Oh what am I going to do?! I-I don't think I'm prepared for that! O-O-One day was nerve wrecking enough, b-but 5 days?!'

The giddy smile she had and the pure happiness in her mental voice went against with what her words were saying. None of this was noticed by the other two, allowing her to continue on rambling in her head.

"I'm mentioning this now since I would like to know if there would be any problems with this arrangement."

Yesod tapped his chin for a moment before shaking his head.

"Give me the next few hours or so to run a diagnostic on our Departments. I'll notify you the results by the end of the day."

Y/n nodded his head before Yesod gave his farewells and left. Hod, who was now daydreaming of something, and Y/n were now the only occupants left.

Y/n was about to speak before the intercom came to life, snapping Hod from her daydreaming.

"I have an announcement to the Sephirot of the Upper Layer."

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Roxie's POV

Mornings weren't my thing. From peace and quiet to sudden loud and inaudible noises, mornings were simply not for me.

The intense sound from the intercom dying out echoed within my head, causing me to wince a bit. Sometimes I disliked having enchanced hearing, but I'm still glad to have it either way since it's one of the things I'm proud about.

I was dressed and ready for the day with my standard clothing.

The new equipment I got from my Sephirah was a coat that smelled strongly like ash or smoke. It was rough in texture and had a striped pattern that adorned the entire thing.

The large weapon that came with it was hard to hold, but luckily the coat came with an attachment at the back that my Sephirah helped me attach it too.

With my arms free from the burden of carrying it, I was able to walk out of my room. My Sephirah was clearly in a rush as she left immediately after helping me. The announcement also caused her to say some....interesting things under her breathe. Only thanks to my hearing was I able to hear it.

Nonetheless, I didn't make any indication that I heard, I'm pretty sure that she's still mad at me for teasing her during my first day here. If she wasn't mad at whatever the announcement was about, then I was certain she would've turned that rage to me.

I breathed out a sigh as I walked out of my room. I slightly opened my eyes and was greeted with the usual blobs that represented the world around me. Seeing that nothing changed, I closed my eyes and walked to the main room of my working place.

Memorizing the layout was easy due to the fact that the Captain had explained everything very thoroughly. The only issue was climbing up and down the stairs, as I usually get lost in them from time to time from over-counting or undercounting the number of floors.

Luckily, today I seemed to have made it without any issues if the sound of muffled footsteps was any indicator.

I reached out wearily before finding the button to open the door. The muffled sounds from within were now crystal clear as they reached my ears, almost making me flinch. I stepped in and soon heard the giggling and laughter of my two co-workers. Following it, I was then greeted by them when they noticed me.

"Hey, Roxie!" Dana's voice sounded from just ahead of me.

"Hey, Roxie." Mike lazily said soon after.

Judging by how their voices are to the front and left, there is a seat to the right that is certainly open. Moving towards that direction, my toes of my feet soon hit the legs of the chair and I grabbed on to it and sat down.

"I still don't know how you can do that." Mike said as I imagined him shaking his head in exasperation. I merely smiled smugly towards his direction and heard a playful scoff in response. Dana giggled from the side as something was slid across the table in my direction.

I took a guess and merely moved my hand to grab what I think was a coffee mug. My deduction was correct as my fingers traced the handle before I grabbed it and took a sip.

"So do either of you know why our Sephirah is all bitchy today?"

I merely shrugged my shoulders in response to Mike's question.

"You dummy, didn't you hear the announcement? " Dana asked.

"Nope~" Mike responded as he put an emphasis on the "p".

"*Sigh* Apparently that incident from yesterday made us seem incompetent. The higher ups announced just minutes ago that the Manager will be in charge of dealing with certain future stuff."

"And what's that got to do with our Sephirah? Pretty sure it was that purple haired woman's fault." He said with a hint of fear.

"How am I supposed to know? It probably reflected bad on her or something. I mean, it was in her Department after all. Plus you were part of the issue!~" She playfully said at the end.

"Oh, lay off me! What else are you supposed to do when you see an angry woman running at you with a look that could kill."

"....get on your knees and apologize?" Dana said unsure.

I smiled at her answer before nodding my head and pointing at Mike's direction.

"W-What?! I'm not getting on my knees for anyone! I'd rather fight that woman to the death instead of asking for forgiveness. Not that she looked like she would give me any!"

I smiled in amusement once again.

I slightly opened my eyelids and looked at the scene in front of me. Two globs of dark colors were animatedly moving up and down, matching the laughing that came from both of my co-workers. Their figures were less disfigured than the surrounding area, giving me a vague idea of what they probably looked like.

Slowly, I closed my eyes again and chuckled along with them.

This morning didn't seem that bad actually.

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Y/n's POV

"Announcement in Progress:

To all personnel, the start of the day has been initiated,

Please report to your designated area."

The jingle of the intercom music started to play as I walked through the hallways looking for Malkuth. The announcement this morning from Angela was a sign that something was wrong, and Hod had also told me of their conversation prior. Though she seemed to be keeping some stuff to herself since she got a little nervous when I asked for all the details.

But that's for another time, at the moment I needed to see the current state of Malkuth. Angela had told me when we were discussing last night that a majority of her employees had suddenly become more vulnerable to mental scarring and damage.

At first I was worried that she had figured out about me testing the pills on some clerks, even if I didn't know their effects. I had tried my best to be discreet when slipping them into the cups of coffee I distributed out. But all of that worrying was for naught once Angela mentioned it was the night-shift that suffered severe the casualties.

It seems the Reserves will be shrinking in numbers once again

...and more paperwork for me to fill out.

The effects of the pills that Angela gave me is still up to debate. There weren't any physical or behavior changes to the people I gave it to. They seemed normal and behaved normally as well.

Last night, Angela had basically forced me to consume another pill under the threat of disciplining me for disobedience. She gave me a weird vibe when she said that so I didn't resist. I don't know the effects of it but at least I know it's not immediate or visually apparent.

I sighed before putting it to the back of my mind. For now I should focus on finding Malkuth.

I continued my search before finally finding her.....

....in the Main Department of the Control Team.

I dryly chuckled to myself as I finally realized why I didn't notice her.

The reason was because of the vast amounts of paperwork that surrounded her, making her blend in with the clerks and such. She was entirely focused on writing that she didn't even notice me walk up to her desk.

I glanced over her shoulder and looked at the work she was doing. She was completing them pretty quickly, making me impressed since I couldn't write that fast even when I took my work seriously.

Not wanting her to overburden herself, I pulled aside a chair and got to work like usual.

3rd POV

Malkuth wrote and wrote.

Never once stopping.

She needed to vent off her frustrations.

Anger, despair, desperation, and many other emotions all mixed into one big jumble of a mess inside her.

Her fingers trembled. So she pressed her pen harder.

Her hands were unsteady. So she wrote her words faster.

Her arms shook. So she moved and fetched the next page quicker.

Her entire body wanted to spasm. So she hunched over her desk.

Malkuth was angry—no infuriated—to say the least but she was also scared and extremely desperate. The Sephirah of the Control Team was in a predicament that she knew was framed upon her.

Her work was up to standards and even beyond that! The weak-willed employees were to blame for the incidents yesterday, and surely Angela and the rest knew that! She wasn't in the wrong, she did her best and the best is all you need!

She only hopes that Y/n thinks that too.

The man himself was sitting right next to her and was working on correcting her finished work. Since she was too distracted, Malkuth had barely noticed his presence as she unknowingly handed him the papers one by one.

'Wow, she's really going at it!' Y/n thought amusingly as he received every paper she handed to him.

Dana and Mike had passed by every once in a while to greet him, but they clearly wanted to stay away from Malkuth. After three hours or so, the mountains of papers were moved to one side as completed work.

"Yes! As expected of myself!" Malkuth cheered as she stood up and looked at her work with her hands on her hips. Y/n chuckled in amusement causing her to turn and finally notice him.

"Y/n?!" She nearly shouted as she stepped back to fully look at the sitting man.

"Hey Malkuth, I saw you working and I gotta say I'm impressed."

Malkuth froze a moment before she processed his words. Then her mouth turned into a bright smile as she nodded her head vigorously.

"Of course! What else would you expect from me!"

Y/n chuckled again before standing up and getting his stuff organized.

"I'm proud of you, Malkuth. Don't know why you're suddenly proactive in doing this but don't stress too much alright? I'm worried you might be overworking yourself and your employees."

Y/n tried to bring up the sensitive topic of Malkuth being too commanding of her employees. Her high expectations for them also didn't help their stress, luckily that only applied to the night-shift, for some reason.

After cleaning his desk up, Y/n turned to Malkuth since he was wondering why she didn't respond. The answer was clear as Malkuth all but froze as she stared at him with a smile on her face. Her eyes were dazed as a slight pink color adorned her cheeks.

"Malkuth? Are you alright?" Y/n asked.

Malkuth simply continued to stare at him.

"S-S-Say it one more time...." She suddenly asked him as she breathed out a shuddering sigh.

'Only Y/n notices my hard work.' She mentally noted. 'I-I-I want him to notice me more.'

Y/n looked at her confused.

"Say what again? I'm proud of you? Or I'm worried you might be stressing yourself and your employees?" He asked as he didn't know what she was asking him to say.

"Y-Yes..." She simply answered back as her voiced quivered.

'Praise me...Praise me more...'

Not knowing which part to say, he instead decided to just say both just in case.

"I'm proud of you, Malkuth. I'm worried about you an—"

"Say it again..." She interrupted him as she latched her hands onto his and stared into his eyes. Her brown dull eyes stared into his gray ones, there was a look of desperation in them.

'Care about me more....Praise me more....Care about me more...'

"I'm proud of you, Malkuth. I'm worried about you a—"

"Again...." She said as her face gained a distant look.

'Care only about me....Praise only me....Look only at me...'

"Is there any point to this, Malkuth?" Y/n asked as he was getting tired of it in all honesty. Though he didn't want to make her upset.

Not caring about what he was thinking, Malkuth merely brought him closer and due to their height difference she had to look up at him.

"Again....please...." Her mind was all but focused entirely on the warm feeling inside of her that she desperately wanted to know. It was similar to what she felt when she wasn't herself, and that alone just made her more entranced by it.

Y/n sighed as he placed his hand on her head. He already knew the exact words she wanted to hear since she kept interrupting him.

"Malkuth, I'm proud of you and all the work you've done, but I'm worried you might be working too much." He put as much care and kindness into those words, he only hoped that this would be the last time he would say it.

Unbeknownst to him, his touch and words only made Malkuth's mind blank even more, and soon she unconsciously wrapped his other arm around her waist. She then wrapped her own arms around his chest and hugged him tightly.

Something seemed to crack in Malkuth's mind, but she didn't care at all. She only wanted to keep this feeling to herself and never let go.

Y/n didn't see any problems with it and simply hugged her back. He needed something to take his mind off of the stuff going on in his head and this seemed to be doing the trick.

Their moment of calm was interrupted, however, when his watch began to buzz to notify that he was assigned work.

Malkuth didn't seem to have noticed as she continued to hug him while nuzzling her head into his chest. Y/n check his wrist and saw that it was a 60 second long assignment on T-09-09.

A new Abnormality most likely.

Y/n tried to pry the dazed Sephirah off of him but found no progress.

It was only with the help of Roxie and Mike, who had both saw his distress, did he finally escape her clutches. Though her retaliation was unexpected.

She wasn't expecting for the warm feeling to suddenly be snatched and ripped away from her. Her eyes dulled an ominous look as she frantically looked around.

"Who did that?!" She shouted as she looked at the two of them holding her back by the shoulders. "I'll show you why I'm the Sephirah of the Control Team!!"

"U-Ummm, sorry Miss Sephirah! But the Captain needs to do his assignments!" Mike said as he quickly made some distance between him and her.

Roxie on the other hand simply stepped away calmly and went back to her seat.

"Malkuth!" I called and got her attention before she could lash out. "It's fine, I'm merely going to do an assignment."

Her breathing seemed to calm down as her eyes gained back their original look. She turned her head and looked back at Y/n who was sheepishly smiling at her.

"I-I apologize! That must've been very unprofessional of me. Though don't worry, Y/n! I'll make sure to work extra, extra hard from now on!" She said as her iconic smile returned.

Y/n nodded his head. "Yeah I'm sure you'll do just as great as always. Though try not to overwork yourself or your employees okay?"

Malkuth didn't say anything except smile at him.

Having no more time to waste, Y/n made his way out of the room towards his first assignment for the day.

Once he left, Malkuth stared at the door and simply sighed contently. She then stood up straight and slapped her cheeks with both hands.

'Come on, Malkuth! Let's get to work!' She mentally pumped herself up.

She turned around before addressing everyone.

"Alright everyone! Let's get to work!" She grinned at them.

The clerks and agents of her Department were unaware of the Hell that they were going to be put in for the rest of their duration here.

'Maybe Y/n will praise me more when he comes back!' We're her last thoughts before she began giving orders out.

——————————————————————————

Y/n's POV

I didn't understand why Malkuth was acting weird, but I did have a hunch. Though I hope it wasn't true since it would only break her heart...and mine too. Maybe if it were under different circumstances then it would work out. But in the mean time, I'll just keep her entertained until I can let her down without hurting her much.

I made my way past Scorched Girl's containment and into the next hallway. This was T-09-09's containment hallway and it was just up ahead.

I checked my wrist for the fifth time already just to make sure I knew what I was doing. There wasn't a specified work assignment so I didn't know what exactly I needed. With so little information, I did the only logical thing.

"Please specify work assignment." I said as I tuned the radio in my hand to the Manager's signal.

After a few seconds, the rough and indifferent voice of the Manager responded.

"Seems like a music box. What I'm asking should be obvious."

His voice sounded emotionless, something that always made me feel nostalgic for some reason.

"Thanks, I'll get it done." I responded calmly.

"You better."

With that, the connection went dead.

I dryly chuckled before stepping into the containment room, and just like what the Manager said, what looked like a music box was in the room.

Nothing else was present in the room as I walked in and looked around. The intercom was silent as the only sound was my footsteps getting closer to it.

Though it didn't seem like much, I nonetheless had my guard up. Anything could happen with Abnormalities.

I twisted the key a few times as it cranked up slowly. When I finally let go, the top portion with the ballerina attached began to move up and down slowly as a jingle played.

I didn't particularly like it that much since it was missing a few notes and skipped all around.

It wasn't even 5 seconds after listening to it that I felt a sudden pain in my head.

*static*

A fuzzing feeling came over me as I leaned against the wall for support. Soon it was gone. The jingle continued on as I tried to fight off whatever was left.

Another 5 seconds.

*STatic*

I clutched my head as the pain worsened and I had my back against the wall. Through the pain, I made note that it was in 5 second intervals. Meaning that I would have to experience this ten more times.

15 seconds.

*STATic*

The pain was only getting worse as I felt my head throb. The longer I listened to the song, the more I felt like something was tearing my mind apart.

20 seconds.

*STATIC*

This was the worst of the four as I kneeled on one knee and repeatedly smacked my forehead on the wall to try and get rid of the static noise that increased in volume as the seconds ticked by.

I was close to almost bolting out of the door when suddenly it all ceased.

25 seconds.

.....

30 seconds.

I got up confused as I rubbed my forehead. It was as if nothing ever happened.

It was then that I noticed that the jingle to the music box was more calming now. I unconsciously relaxed a bit and starting humming a tune that I didn't know. But I was too relaxed to care about that at the moment, I simply swayed my head side to side in match with the beat.

——————————————————————————

3rd POV Manager's Office

The Manager watched as Y/n'a model simply stopped struggling and started swaying side to side. Cartoonish music notes came out of his mouth and floated into the air, symbolizing him singing or something similar.

All of this just irritated the Manager even more. He had sent the man under Angela's suggestion since it was a new Abnormality. He shouldn't have been surprised to see him making a fool of himself within the containment room once again.

The Manager shook his head and coldly gazed at the screen before changing from the scene to the Control Team Department and managing his other Agents.

Angela sat at her usual desk with a small content smile as she watched Y/n through the security camera.

——————————————————————————

Y/n's POV

50 seconds.

I hummed notes that the music box seemed to be skipping over, creating a sad flowing melody that just calmed me down. I didn't really seemed to notice time fly by.

60 seconds.

As the melody finally died down, the words came out of my mouth without me knowing.

"Happy Birthday, Theresia....."

Before I could question how I knew or why I said those words, the door let out an audible *click* before the intercom spoke.

"Task Completed"

Not needed to be told to leave, I stood up straight and walked out.

"Report."

My radio sounded out. I grabbed it from my hip and spoke.

"Standard music box. While music is playing, physiological damage is done in a 5 second interval to a maximum of 25 seconds, in which it will cease."

There was a deafening silence as I waited for him to respond. In the mean time I grabbed a report and started filing information regarding T-09-09, or Theresia as I'm calling it now.

Theresia

———————————————

Classification: TETH

Observations/Tips:

"Employees who enter must be mentally stable and have a high mental fortitude.

Abnormality causes psychological damage at a 5 second interval while the melody is playing. This proceeds until 25 seconds in where it will cease. After which, employees may feel a calming effect from it.

No other action is needed aside from listening to it."

———————————————

Though it wasn't much, it was all that employees needed to know in order to deal with it.

"That is all for now."

The Manager suddenly said. I gave back a simple "Alright" and left for the Control Team.

——————————————————————————

Roxie's POV

My watch buzzed and a small robotic voice gave me my next instructions.

"T-09-09 for 25 seconds...turn right."

I turned right and followed the given path to the containment room. I almost tripped on the stairs on several occasions, but the walk was mostly uneventful. The clerks that I passed by simply ignored me and moved on.....nothing new there.

"You have arrived at your destination. Work hard now!"

I wasn't amused by how the device was treating me like a child, but I ignored it for now.

Entering the silent room, I could barely make out what this was. There was no sound of breathing or slight movement, just the sound of me.

Taking my next few steps carefully, I walked and made my way more into the room. It was after a few steps when my feet hit something. The sound of a wooden table dragging across the metal floor let me know that this thing wasn't even alive.

I moved my arms in front of me cautiously until I grabbed onto what seemed like a key. Noting that it was nothing else, I twisted it a few times before a weird melody played out. The missing notes and sudden skips made it sound like gibberish.

10 seconds.

For a while, nothing happened. The song played out and somehow I seemingly felt my mind become calm and clear.

15 seconds.

And yet why did it feel like the longer I listened, the more something was going to happen.

16 seconds.

The melody was the same, and yet it felt more empty than before.

17 seconds.

The parts where no notes played seemed to be getting more noticeable and more stagnant. My ears took in the emptiness and it felt like I was being dragged in.

18 seconds.

My legs shook as it felt like something was going to happen any millisecond now. I wanted to run but I couldn't, not when it would seem like I was disobeying orders.

19 seconds.

It was then that I made my choice, if I was going to get fired or be punished, then so be it. Putting all of my strength into my legs and arms, I bolted to the door and grabbed the handle.

20 seconds.

"Task Compl—"

The door opened as the lock released and I immediately ran out and slammed it shut.

I could feel my mind becoming less distressed and my breathing calming down. I didn't even know that my hands were shaking and my legs had already given out as I sat on the floor. The weapon on my back served as a back rest for me.

After a minute or two, I calmly got up and made my way back.

The question that was on my mind was, 'What was the point of all that?'.

——————————————————————————

Dana's POV

The day had been a delight!

We were all becoming accustomed to the assignments we've been doing, even Mike has grown bored of the Abnormalities. Now, we usually spend time with one another whenever we aren't assigned an assignment. The coffee could be less bitter for my taste, but the mood that comes with us three talking makes up for it!

Roxie has become more expressive lately! She had this cute smile whenever she's sitting with us, not that nonchalant one that she usually has. She's even started to joke with us and I can tell she's the teasing type if Mike's irritated groaning was an indicator.

Speaking of Mike. I'm so happy he has opened up to us a lot! He didn't explain much about his past, but I'm happy nonetheless.

Though the same can't be said about me..... I feel that I, myself, haven't been all that open with them. Mike did say that it was my own business and that I wasn't obligated to share, but I still felt like I should at some point.

I mean...isn't that what friends do?

Share their stories? No secrets between one another?

Before I could dwell into my thoughts, I received a new assignment.

'T-09-09? Oh, oh! Will I be able to name it again?! Oh I'm so excited!'

I cheerfully waved goodbye to my two friends and left the room.

It didn't take long for the room for my assignment to be up ahead and just when I was about to enter, I noticed a report on the side panel.

'Oh, man...I guess I won't be able to name it....'

I thought depressingly before I grabbed and checked the report.

'Theresia? I wonder why they named a music box that? Well, whatever! I just need to hold out for 25 seconds like the Managers asked!'

With that I out the report back and entered the room. I immediately noticed how eerily quiet it was inside, even the iconic music from the intercom didn't play. Seeing the music box in the middle, I walked up to it and saw some barely legible writing carved into it.

'Do you remember this melody? The professor used to play this song when the students were sleepy. Happy birthday.'

"Aawwww, that's so sweet!"

Seeing nothing else written, I twisted the key and the ballerina slowly moved up and down.

"U-U-Umm it's not that great....but I bet you used to sound amazing before the years hit you." I said to no one in particular.

5 seconds.

I was enjoying it even if it had a sad tone and was missing several notes.

10 seconds.

My mind was clearing up a bit and I started noticing the jumbled skips it had. Maybe there was a pattern to it.

15 seconds.

'Hmmm, is there a reason why there's a ballerina on it?'

20 seconds.

*Giggle*

The sound of a young girl giggling caused me to look around.

21 seconds.

"Hello?" I asked as I glanced around the room.

22 seconds.

*Giggle*

The giggling came back but this time sounded much closer than before.

23 seconds.

For some reason that voice sounded familiar.

24 seconds.

'No, no, no! It's just this music box playing with my head! There's no way—'

All of my thoughts were halted as my eyes darted to the figure in front of the exit.

Their short brown hair that reached their shoulders was adorned with a crown of flowers. They had a blue dress and some white knee socks. Blue slippers shined as the light was reflected on them.

My heart felt like it hadn't been beating for a while. My body felt cold and my mind felt like I just had a concussion. My lungs burned for air as I had held my breathe for a while.

Ever since my gaze fell upon the young girl in the room with me, my entire reality felt like it shattered.

Because standing right by the exit was my little girl who had long been one of the deceased.

"A-A-Amy?"

25 seconds.

"Hi, mommy!"

My little girl looked at me playfully like she used to when we played in our home. Her brown eyes stared into mine as she winked before turning and running out of the room.

"Let's play, mommy!"

I reached out with my hand as no words left me. For what felt like an eternity, I simply stared. That was until I felt something snap in me.

"AMY!!"

——————————————————————————

3rd POV Manager's Office

X was currently nervous.

Why?

Because of the announcement that had just rung out and the alarm that blared right after.

"Notifying all personnel!

Agent Dana's Mental Corruption has reached 100%!

Suppression is advised!"

It completely caught him off guard. He hadn't expected such a thing from the music box. He had taken Y/n's word for it and even made sure to study Roxie's reaction to the thing. At first it seemed like nothing was going wrong, but then Roxie bolted out of the room, making X feel like something was up with the music box.

So in order to find out what it was, he had sent Dana in with an assignment several seconds longer than Roxie's.

It was a mistake, one he realized too late. Perhaps it was his curiosity that caused him to do such a thing. But either way, he was now paying the price.

X stared at his monitor as Dana's model ran through the facility while murdering the occasional clerk that walked by her.

Where she was heading? He didn't know.

Roxie was doing an assignment on Beauty leaving only Mike to his command.

Having no other choice, X clicked on Y/n's profile and turned on the connection to his radio.

"Captain Y/n, assist Agent Mike in suppressing Agent Dana."

The Manager had expected a nonchalant answer but instead received silence.

"Captain Y/n, assist Agent Mike in suppressing Agent Dana."

He tried once more, it was after a few moments when the connection responded.

"No can do, Manager. Malkuth's got me pinned between a pile of paperwork and a chair. And I mean that literally."

X felt his eyebrow twitch as he rubbed his nose.

"Then tell her that it's a command from the me, the Manager, that you will assist in suppressing Agent Dana."

Another silence was his response before X simply sighed and focused on Dana.

It was at this point that his eyes slightly widened, because on his screen her model was trying to forcibly open Scorched Girl's containment.

"Agent Mike! Get there immediately!"

"On it boss!"

——————————————————————————————

3rd POV

Mike ran as fast he could down the stairs. His prosthetic leg would occasionally cause him to trip, but his grip on the side handles kept him steady.

Clerks were screaming and running past him as he made his way to the hallway.

"AMY!!"

He heard Dana's shout which was soon followed by the sound of metal being banged on. Wasting no time, Mike sprinted towards the sound of her voice and found her frantically banging her weapon on the door of Scorched Girl's containment.

Mike's eyes widened as he called out to her.

"Dana what the hell is wrong with you?!"

She didn't seem to hear him as she lodged the E.G.O. weapon from Beauty into a gap in the door.

"AMY!! PLEASE COME OUT OF THERE!"

The metal door creaked as it was somehow being slightly peered open, smoke starting to come out of that small opening.

"Shit!"

Mike ran and, begrudgingly, swung his cross shaped weapon at Dana. His swing only caught air as she suddenly dodged to the side and aimed her weapon at him.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!" Her eyes glared at him like a maniac would as she lunged at him with the spear like weapon.

Mike stepped to the side and swung again. This time it connected with her midsection, but it did little to nothing as she merely brute forced it off and lunged again.

"LET ME SEE AMY!"

A panicking clerk was unfortunate to had ran in her path and ended up being impaled by the grotesque weapon.

'Who the hell is Amy?!' Mike asked himself as he witnessed the death of their fellow employee.

Mike bit his lip as he wasn't feeling at all up to this fight against his new friend. Nevertheless, he took the opportunity to swing at her again as she tried to remove the corpse from her weapon.

Her body flopped against the wall as her head took the full blunt force of his attack. Worryingly, Mike glanced to see if she was dead but found that there were no physical indications that he had hit her with the weapon.

He carefully walked up to her limp form as he began to question how it was possible.

Unfortunately, since his mind was wondering off course, Dana was able to successfully swung her weapon and cut off Mike's prosthetic leg causing him to fall.

"Fuck!" He shouted as he landed face first to the ground. He turned and expected to see Dana trying to finish him off but instead found her peering open the containment door once more.

"W-W-Wait stop that!"

His shouts did little to hinder her progress, and soon the door swung open from its hinges as she glanced inside.

"Attention to all Personnel!

Scorched Girl was breached containment!

Suppression is advised!"

"AMY! WHERE ARE YOU!"

Mike was struggling to get up from the ground, his weapon was too far for him to reach as he had dropped it when he fell.

The smoke was becoming more apparent as it flooded out of Scorched Girl's containment room. Mike noticed the Abnormality itself walking towards them both and as he struggled to crawl away.

'Shit! Shit! Shit!'

Dana paid no mind to either of them as she suddenly turned and looked at the end of the hallway.

"WAIT AMY! COME BACK!"

She suddenly dashed towards the stairs frantically and disappeared, leaving Mike alone.

"Fuck, come back Dana!"

Scorched Girl was slowly walking out of the containment room and glanced at him.

"S-Stay the fuck back!" He yelled out as he tried to reach for his weapon to defend himself.

Scorched Girl simply walked closer to him and ignored his frantic yelling.

"*Cough Cough* I'm telling you to stay back!!"

The smoke was growing and starting to fill the hallway he was in. The heat radiating from Scorched Girl was also causing him to feel faint.

Just when he finally was able to pull his weapon to his grasps, Scorched Girl was already upon him. Seeing that, he swung with all his might and managed to knock her to the side.

Mike covered his mouth to avoid choking on smoke and took notice that the Abnormality had stood back up. When he sat up and was about to get ready to defend himself, he noticed that she wasn't even looking at him and was already walking past him towards the direction Dana went.

"Oh shit...." He said as he finally realized that it wasn't even after him.

It was at this moment that he realized he should've tried to have kept its attention on him. Scorched Girl was already walking far away from him.

"Shit! Wait, come back!" He called but to no avail as the little charred girl kept walking and disappeared into the stair well.

Mike cursed under his breathe before yanking out his radio.

"Captain Y/n, Scorched Girl is on the loose in the Western stairwell!" He notified in hopes that the Captain of the Reserves would go after it.

"No can do. I've got my own problems to deal with unfortunately."

Mike had to hold himself back from vocally cursing him. He breathed in and out and tried not to sound angry with the man.

"And what exactly is it that you're dealing with that is more troublesome than an Abnormality escaping!" He tried. He really did try to keep his anger down, but with the life of his friend and many others on the line, he just couldn't.

"How about a Sephirah with a bone-crushing grip, who has me pinned to a desk until I finish a mountain of paperwork?" Y/n nonchalantly answered, though his voice did have a tiny hint of annoyance that came through.

Mike slowly came to the realization as he then mentally cursed his Sephirah. Not only was she now being bitchy and more bossy, she was now piling work on everyone too.

"R-Right, my apologies Captain....I lost my cool there for a minute." He apologized as he realized that it wasn't in the Captain's nature to kid around like this.

"Apologies accepted Mike, I'll notify the other clerks about the Abnormality, though. Good work." He surprised Mike with how sincere he sounded at the end. Though he didn't feel like he did a particularly good job, he still felt good about the praise.

But that good feeling was gone after he realized how useless he felt now. Soon his thoughts turned to his new friends and fellow employees. When his thoughts led to waking up the next day alone in the Department, he slammed his fist on the metal floor.

'Nothing's changed!'

He repeatedly punched the floor with his bare hands.

'Is it going to happen again?!'

He bit his lip to the point he tasted iron.

'.....Just why am I....so.....useless?!'

He stopped his assault when his fists felt numb and his knuckles were stained red. Mike closed his eyes as tears started to build up before he dropped his cross-like weapon, laid back down on the floor, and silently cried.

No one was there to comfort him.

No one was there to tell him it would be alright.

——————————————————————————

Dana chased and chased after her daughter's figure that always seemed just within reach. Yet, she was never able to latch on to her. Amy's laughter echoed in her head, her smile flashed before her eyes, and her voice whispered into her ear.

All of this only caused her to run faster.

Run more frantically.

Run more carelessly.

She ignored the shouts that tried to block out her little girl's voice.

She ignored the random blobs within her vision that tried to block her path.

She ignored the tiny portion of her brain that told her to "Let go."

The clerks around her started screaming and bolted towards the exits. They thought they were safe. They thought that an insane person wouldn't rationally think to use their ID to open the doors.

Oh how wrong they were.

The door opened just like it would normally, and yet it was to the occupants in the room, the most foreign thing to happen.

Dana walked in slowly.

Step by step, the sound of her footsteps made the employees flinch and cower behind one another.

She mumbled something under breath but the others didn't hear nor care. As she got closer, they backed away just as much.

"W-W-What do you want from us?!" The clerk at the front shouted at her as his legs shook in fear.

Dana stopped and stared at them. Her eyes were dilated and her head would occasionally twitch from time to time.

"Amy....Amy...." She mumbled.

The clerks all looked at one another before the person farthest away from Dana at the back spoke.

"WHO THE FUCK IS AMY?!"

Everyone turned to look at her, causing the clerk to flinch.

"W-What? We were all thinking the same thing!" They all glared at her before the sound of someone chuckling made them turn back around.

Dana stared at them as she chuckled darkly.

"She's right there." She pointed her index finger behind them. They all turned and saw nothing before a sickening crunch was heard behind them.

*Gargling*

They turned back to see the clerk nearest to Dana dead with the red tips of her weapon sticking out of his mouth and forehead.

Everyone screamed as Dana yanked the spear out of the corpse allowing the body to fall before she pointed it at them.

"GIVE ME BACK AMY!!"

She lunged at them with a snarl and decapitated another. The others took this chance to run away as they ran down the hallway. Dana ignored them and continued to repeatedly stab the corpse on the ground.

"GIVE HER BACK!"

*STAB*

"GIVE HER back!"

*STAB*

"GIVE her back!"

*STAB*

Slowly her stabbing was coming to a stop as her words died out. With a final stab, her legs gave out as slumped while leaning on her weapon.

"Just give her back to me..." She whispered as she released a shuddering breathe. Tears flowed out of her eyes that were still filled with insanity before she rested her head on her spear.

She sat on her knees tired both physically and mentally. She didn't even have the strength to turn when the sound of footsteps came just a few feet away from her.

"What's wrong, mommy? Are you tired already?"

Dana slowly lifted her head and saw her daughter looking at her with a smile. That alone gave her enough strength to reach her hand out towards her.

"A-Amy.....my little girl...come here." She all but begged through her tears as she reached out for her.

She didn't move and simply smiled at Dana.

Dana had left her weapon behind as she started to crawl to her. Her legs were simply too numb for her to stand on, so she dragged herself with her arms.

"Please!.....Just come back!..." She once again reached out for her, and just when her fingers seemed to have been an inch away, air was all that her fingers clutched onto.

Dana stared at the empty and dark hallway as the red flashes of the alarm blaring overhead reached her ears. She was frozen as she simply stared at where her daughter once was.

Slowly, she lowered her stretched out arm and then hugged herself.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" A wail full of sorrow and despair echoed in the lonesome hallway.

Every second that passed, her mind continued to crumble and refused to accept the reality that she was in. She hunched over and hugged herself tighter to try and find some warmth. The darkness and the crimson color of the alarms only reminded her of what she wanted to escape from.

The door behind her opened, but she paid little mind to it and continued to scream as her throat ached. Suddenly, something hit the back of her head causing her to fall onto her stomach on the floor. She felt her consciousness start to fade and glanced behind her enough to see a blurred figure standing in the doorway before falling unconscious.

The blur turned out to be Roxie, who had changed from her new equipment to One Sin's. Saying nothing she raised her cross-like weapon and swung at Dana's head, much like she did to Mike yesterday. It didn't cause any physical damage, but it was enough to ensure that Dana's Sanity was put back together.

Roxie simply stood over her friend's limp body before falling to her knees. With her enchanted hearing, she had all but heard everything Dana had spoken and done. If she focused her mind onto her ears, she could even hear the distance wallowing of Mike on the floor just below them.

Roxie didn't know what this was all about...but she was starting to hate the Afternoons now too.

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Main Room Of The Control Team

"Attention to all personnel:

Agent Dana had been suppressed!"

The surrounding working clerks all let out a breathe of relief. Though it was quickly stopped when one of the doors opened and a blast of heat coated the room. Instantly everyone looked in the direction of the intense smell of smoke and soon found the charred figure of Scorched Girl standing there as she occasionally sniffed.

Some of the veteran clerks had already pulled out their side arms and started blasting it with no hesitation. The others, less experienced, merely hid under their desks to avoid being caught in friendly fire.

Out of all the people within the room, only two were ignoring the ongoing events and focusing more on their paperwork. These two were obviously Y/n and Malkuth.

Malkuth was more focused on enjoying her time with him while filing work.

Y/n, on the other hand, simply wanted to finish the paperwork to finally be freed from her grasps. That was their deal after all.

'Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?' He calmly questioned as he tugged the collar of his suit. He glanced at Malkuth who was having no trouble with the increase of heat. 'Guess it's just me.'

*BANG* * BANG* *BANG*

Bullets continued to blitz and pierce through Scorched Girl's body, it seemed like it did nothing as she started walking into the room.

"Oi! Y'all fresh meat better start blasting it before I blast you myself!" A female veteran yelled while keeping her eyes on the Abnormality.

That seemed to do the trick as the other employees pulled their handguns out and started shooting, though most weren't skilled enough to hit their mark.

Scorched Girl continued her walk before everyone realized where she was heading.

"C-Captain Y/n!" Everyone shouted as they tried to get his attention.

The man himself was just tiredly writing on a report regarding the casualties in the Departments. They had just received recruits several days ago but it seemed like they would need some more.

It was when he finished scanning the report that he noticed the heat was more than just him as it was coming from right behind him.

"Hmm?" Y/n hummed as he turned his head and was greeted with smoke that caused his eyes to water. "Ah! What the hell?!"

He rubbed his eyes and glanced around to see a bunch of clerks waving at him from across the room. Y/n simply ignored them and focused more on why and where this smoke was coming.

*Sobbing*

The sobs of a young girl made him look down and notice Scorched Girl just a few inches away from his seat with her arms out. In her tiny hands was a similar match from yesterday.

"I was wondering when you would show up." Y/n before sighing and grabbing the match. He placed one leg in the other and then struck the match to life with his shoe. "There, now scram. I've got a ton of work to do and you're not burning all of my hard work."

Scorched Girl didn't seem to acknowledge what he said as she stared at the flame as she walked away.

The other clerks didn't know whether to continue shooting at it or to just let it go to wherever it was going. Y/n, however, picked up his radio and turned it to the channel for the Reserves.

"Shina, BongBong, Renold, are any one of you free at the moment?" He calmly asked as he started writing again.

"Sorry!~ I'm kinda busy at the moment!~ I've got this....special person I've got to take care of for trying to strike another agent~"

Shina said as she quickly disconnected.

"That's fine, take your time then."

"BongBong! Bong!" BongBong cheerfully said.

"No." Renold stated before he cut the connection.

"Alright then, can I get you to watch over Scorched Girl, BongBong?" He asked as he noted the Abnormality heading towards the way the came.

"Bong!"

Y/n turned off his radio and simply started working again. After a few moments the intercom came to life to announce two announcements.

"Attention to all Personnel:

Scorched Girl has been suppressed!"

The cheerful jingle of the usual intercom music began to play.

"Announcement in Progress:

The day shift has ended,

thank you for your hard work."

Almost everyone simultaneously cheered and stretched. The only ones who didn't were the veterans who simply walked out, Y/n who was still struggling against Malkuth's hold, and the Sephirah herself who hadn't noticed the end of the day.

Y/n merely waited a bit for Malkuth to finish her work. As he did, he saw Roxie drag in an unconscious Dana before setting her on a chair. She didn't stay that long as she walked right back out. Moments later she came back with Mike using her as support. His prosthetic leg was missing and he generally looked like he's seen better days.

Y/n would've went to check up on them if it wasn't for the hand that Sephirah cheerfully unaware of her grip on him. But since the shift has ended, Y/n decided to simply end her charades for today.

"Malkuth, you can let go now. The day shift ended."

"Hmm? Oh, I guess I was too focused on completing my work to have noticed!" She said proudly and nodded her head causing Y/n to merely shake his head before breaking his arm free from her when she loosened her grip.

"Although, yes you did do a good job," she grinned even more, "you prevented me from completing my tasks assigned by the Manager. As a result, what could have been prevented within your Department couldn't have been."

Malkuth didn't say anything except smile more when she heard the first part. Seeing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with her, he simply told her farewell and quickly left while he could.

"W-Wait! Y-Y/n!—" Malkuth's call for him was cut short as the door closed and he walked away.

He walked down the stairs that smelled of ash and made his way down to the Information Team Department. Since the Manager was going to start managing this next portion of the facility, it was fixed up and in pristine condition.

Y/n walked past the leaving clerks who looked exhausted and simply bored out of their minds. He reached the main room and entered, he found Yesod standing in the center while looking at a console of a computer.

Not wanting to scare him, Y/n simply greeted him before he made his way.

"Yesod, good evening!" He greeted the Sephirah who had turned to look at him.

"Greetings, Captain Y/n. You have arrived just as I finalized the reports." He said before turning back to the console and turning it off. Yesod then grabbed a few papers and held them in his hands.

"Perfect, let's see what it's about." Y/n said as he reached his hand out. Though he raised an eyebrow when the Sephirah didn't hand it to him and merely looked at the papers.

After a moment, Yesod looked up at Y/n and spoke.

"Captain, how about a night stroll as we discuss this?" His sudden request did cause Y/n to be surprised but it slowly turned to one of amusement.

"*Chuckles* Sure, sounds great. Just give me the details and I'll see what I can do." He answered back.

Yesod nodded as they both started walking out side by side. While they talked and discussed, Y/n was too busy taking in the information to notice the small content smile on Yesod.

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