Chapter 25: Umbra

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"Your new... Master?" you repeat in confusion, "What?" "Indeed," Umbra replies.

"Hey, isn't this the AI that Ryoken and Misaki told us about?" Goro inquires. "Yes, he is," Ryoken responds, "Umbra, how did you find us?"

"Find you? On the contrary, you came to me!" Umbra states matter of factly, earning him confused glances from everyone, "Ah, I see that I need to properly explain the situation to you. If you'd all follow me."

"Follow you where?" Ichigo asks. "You'll see," Umbra answers as he starts walking.

"Hey, can we really trust this... thing?" Zorome whispers. "Well, he saved Ryoken and I from APE, so I'm willing to at least hear what he has to say," Misaki answers before Squad 13 collectively follows Umbra towards one of the nearby skyscrapers.

"You see, it was expected that you would arrive here," Umbra elaborates as you walk the city's streets, "At least, I calculated the probability to be 99.98%, resulting in an acceptable margin for error." "Can you be a bit more specific?" you request.

"Let me answer that with another question. How exactly did you discover and decide to settle here of all places?" Umbra responds. "Well, we analyzed the maps in the library at Plantation 13," Ichigo begins, "And-" "This place seemed perfect because it was far enough away from the Plantations but not so far that you would run out of fuel before reaching it, correct?" Umbra interrupts her.

"How did you know?" Ichigo asks perplexed. "Dr. Franxx, my creator, put the maps there you know," he explains, "To help your little rebellion along." "Wait, he knows of our rebellion?" Hiro interjects. "Of course, the two of us have been helping you out behind the scenes when necessary this entire time," Umbra continues, "After all, the goal is the downfall of APE."

"So, why did you decide to show up now and not when we first arrived?" Zero Two inquires. "A good question," Umbra replies, "I was tasked to observe until you were deemed ready for the next task. In other words, I had to see that you could survive on your own out here and resupply yourselves with raids on other facilities. That way- Ah, we're here."

You enter the lobby of one of the skyscrapers. A few centuries ago, it might have looked really impressive with its modern style. However, now it's mostly covered in dust and rubble lying around wherever you look at. Umbra walks up to the elevators, then presses a button on his wrist. Two elevators open in response, their interiors, in contrast to the rest of the building, are in very good shape.

"Hop in," Umbra announces, "I've called two since we won't fit in a single one."

You split up into two groups before entering one of the two elevators. The trip downwards is accompanied by an awkward atmosphere due to the elevator music that is playing during that time. Finally, you come to a halt and the doors open before you step out.

You're greeted by another lobby that looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie. A sleek design colored in white and blue with many intricacies on the walls along with a terminal in the center that is currently on standby with several doors leading further into the facility. You can also spot a human standing in front of the terminal as if to welcome you here. He wears an extravagant black suit complete with a royal blue tie. His dark hair is neatly combed to the back and upon closer examination, you can see that his eyes seem somewhat unnatural. They give off a faint light blue glow and look more technical than organic.

"Who's that?" Kokoro asks shyly as you exit the elevator. "That is also me," the Umbra unit next to you answers, "This body, my finest work, by the way, is just one of thousands that I can control simultaneously. In fact, this entire facility is run by me."

"Thousands of... bodies?" Ikuno repeats. "Of course, there are many different models for different purposes, that's what happens when you have decades of time to pass by like I do," the Umbra unit in the suit elaborates while the other one goes back into the elevator, "That one is one of my earliest combat models and is now used as a scout in this city. Now, if you'd come closer to the terminal, I can give you a rundown of this facility and its purpose."

You come closer and gather around the terminal, then a hologram appears on it. It looks to be a layout of this facility with a red dot on the top level showing where you are right now. This base goes really deep underground. It has ten levels, including a medical bay, a production facility, a cryobay, a hangar for aircraft and a docking bay for up to twenty Franxx.

"Wait, was this where you brought Misaki and I before we went into cryostasis?" Ryoken asks. "Correct," Umbra replies, "You were discreetly transferred shortly before you woke up to successfully infiltrate APE's parasite ranks under new code numbers."

"But back on topic," Umbra continues, "The purpose of this facility, and my mission, is to help you and your rebellion overthrow APE."

"Wait, the doctor knew that this would happen?" you interject. Umbra nods, "There was no guarantee that you would, but the probability was very high. However, you were not the first test team as you may well know. The doctor hoped that the first test team he created, Squad 42, would start the rebellion against APE, but unfortunately they were drafted into Operation Gjallarhorn and that plan was thwarted. So a new test team was created, Squad 13."

"Where is Dr. Franxx now?" Goro asks.

Umbra blinks twice before answering, "He should be on the way to Kosmos station and according to my directive, when that happens, Code 023 '(Y/N)' becomes my new Master."

"So, you mean that I am in charge of this facility now?" you ask to make sure. "Affirmative, I am at your disposal, Master," Umbra assures you before addressing the rest of the squad again, "There are quarters in this facility that you can use, however, if you wish to continue camping on the surface that is perfectly fine too. Now that I've gotten into APE's system, their satellites are just running looped footage of this city. They don't have a clue what's actually happening down here. With that being said, you can store your Franxx inside the facility for maintenance as well. There is a Franxx sized lift hidden in the city so that one Franxx at a time can get in or out."

As he says that last part, another Umbra unit, similar to the first one outside but more sophisticated, enters the room, "This unit can show you the way to the lift, but before that, we should determine our next course of action."

"In other words, what is the best way to take down APE?" Hiro states. "The fastest way would be to eliminate the entire APE council. Killing only Papa would leave a power vacuum that the rest of the council, most likely the Vice Chairman, would just fill," Umbra elaborates, "Furthermore, I was unable to determine their ultimate goal. There are numerous mentions of two projects, one named 'Hringhorni' and the other named 'Valhalla' in their system, both of which I was unable get any details on. My theory is that they keep the details on that on a separate server or system, most likely on Kosmos station."

"Valhalla was also mentioned in that newly given order from Papa when I looked into the system of the S-Planning site," you remark, "Something about preparing the adults inside the Plantations for the transfer." "That is what I could find as well," Umbra adds before the hologram in front of you vanishes, "Well, you must be tired. I suggest you bring your Franxx in for maintenance and get some rest before we formulate a plan to find out what these two projects are for. If you have any further questions or need help navigation through this facility, feel free to call upon me through any of my units and I will be happy to assist you."

The group unanimously agrees before heading up to the city again to store your Franxx inside the base. The entrance turned out to be a platform on the edge of the city that was covered by dust and rubble which functions as a normal elevator for Franxx. Once that was done, everyone turned in for the day, everyone except you because Umbra called you to come to the tenth sublevel, alone. Zero Two, though a bit suspicious, agreed to wait for you at your shared room.

The elevator comes to a halt just as you arrive on the designated level and the Umbra unit in the suit is waiting for you just outside the elevator.

"Alright, what's so important that you had me come down all the way here alone?" you ask, stepping out of the elevator. "There is something Dr. Franxx wanted me to give to you when you arrive here," Umbra says as he motions for you to follow him. "And what's that?" you respond, walking next to him. "Knowledge," Umbra answers.

After a short walk, the two of you arrive in front of a very heavy reinforced door that looks like the vault of a bank, next to it is a keypad to insert a number to enter the aforementioned vault. Umbra walks up to it and enters a password at an inhuman speed that is so long that you lost count after the first twenty numbers.

He looks back at you after he finished, "Is something wrong?" "How long was that password just now?" you ask bewildered. "A 64-digit code for maximum security," Umbra replies casually. Then, the door opens with a hiss. "After you," he adds.

You enter the room, which looks rather strange compared to the rest. It is a circular room with a singular white pillar in the middle and the walls are lined from top to bottom with cables and circuits that emit a faint blue glow.

"What is this room?" you ask Umbra and just as he steps in, the white pillar sinks into the ground to reveal that it was protecting what was inside it, a metallic sphere roughly the size of a basketball that is floating mid-air.

"This is the central core that governs this facility," Umbra states, "This room serves as an amplifier. In other words, Master, you are standing inside my brain."

Not creepy at all.

Umbra walks towards the wall and pulls out a datapad out of what looks to be a hidden storage space hidden between the machinery. "The doctor asked me to give this to you," he says, handing you the datapad, "All you have to do is place your hand on the screen for it to recognize you."

"What's on this datapad," you ask. "Knowledge, as I have stated before," he replies.

You place your hand on the screen and it unlocks. You see dozens of files appear with even more sub-files.

History of APE, The Plantation Project, Magma Fuel, Klaxosaurs, The Parasite Program, Franxx, and Special Operations and Projects.

"How you use that knowledge is entirely up to you," Umbra continues, "Is what the doctor's words were. I will devise a plan for our next potential target until tomorrow if you don't mind."

"Yeah... you do that," you reply while scrolling through the files. "You should get some rest, Master," Umbra adds while walking towards the exit, "There will be plenty of time for you to read through this later."

XXXXXX

You skim through a bunch of files on your way back to your room, learning about how APE came to power through the introduction of magma fuel in the old world. At the time, magma fuel was the most efficient source of power for basically everything, and so the governments quickly gathered around APE to get a piece of the pie. Extensive research revealed later that it is also the key to immortality at the cost of the ability to procreate. Of course, only the richest people could afford it at the time.

At some point, the planet's environment began to degrade. Dr. Franxx's theory suggests that it is because of the relentless magma mining. However, it continued on until the world was on the brink of ruin. It was at this point that the Klaxosaurs started to emerge from the earth below and wreak havoc wherever they went. The first successful kill took place in eastern Australia though it required several nuclear missiles to bring the monster down.

Then, APE came up with the next idea, the Plantation Project. Giant moveable domes that would become humanity's ark against this new threat. Unfortunately, time and resources were limited, and so once again, only the wealthy could manage to get a spot among the 100 Plantations. The rest of humanity was left to die either by the hands of the Klaxosaurs or by the harsh environment.

Even with the Plantations, the Klaxosaurs were still a formidable threat to humans, so APE tasked Doctor Werner Frank to develop a weapon to combat them. This weapon, after decades of rigorous testing and development, would be known as the Franxx. Ironically enough, it could only be piloted by male-female pairs with functioning reproductive organs. And since almost every living human has given the ability up in exchange for immortality, APE was faced with a new problem.

And so, the Parasite Program was born. Cloning facilities were constructed to create humanity's Franxx pilots. At the Garden, the children are raised for the sole purpose of killing Klaxosaurs, nothing more, nothing less. If one Plantation squad perishes, another one would take its place.

You find a special file regarding the Nines. Upon opening it, you discover that they are failed attempts at cloning Zero Two. Since she is the strongest parasite to this day, APE wanted to have more of her caliber. Unfortunately for them, it didn't work.

Scrolling down, you find a list of over 1000 failed cloning attempts. There were only eight surviving specimens, now known as the Nines, but even they could never reach the same level as Zero Two like APE had wanted. Realizing that the cloning attempts were futile, they ultimately shut down the project.

Everything that's written here debunks nearly everything that parasites are taught from the moment they transfer into the Garden. And I already have a good idea about what to do with this information...

Your thought process is interrupted when you notice that you've already arrived at your room. You put away the datapad and open the door. There, you find Zero Two, seemingly asleep and leaning against the bed with several drawings spread out on the ground around her. You silently walk over to her and kneel next to her, taking a look at the pictures.

The picture book is coming along really nicely.

You look over to Zero Two and observe her for a moment. Until your trance is broken when she whispers, "Darling, you pervert." You've become accustomed to her teasing by now and just roll with it, "I can't help it though, you are so beautiful." She raises her head a little and you're pretty sure that you can see her smirking.

"Come, let's get some sleep," you remark as you hold out your hand. She takes it and you help her up. She then moves her other hand to your head and brushes some of your hair aside to reveal the pair of horns that are still growing on your head. The tip of the horns are already colored in blue.

"They've grown bigger..." Zero Two mutters, "It must be because you rode with me... or ingested my blood when we were little. I've turned you into the same kind of mons-"

You have a feeling what she's going to say next and before she can finish that sentence, you lean in and touch your horns with hers, stopping her mid-sentence.

"I'm actually happy," you say to her, "Because I'm the same as you now." "Darling," she replies with a smile. You lean in for a long and passionate kiss as the two of you slowly walk towards the bed...

XXXXXX

APE Central HQ Council – Lamarck Club

"Hringorni has successfully launched and is ready to be docked to the frame," the analyst over the screen announces.

"Proceed," Papa orders.

The entire APE council has their seats turned into one direction to watch Hringhorni dock with the massive frame just outside the window of Kosmos station. The massive grey and purple lance moves slow and steady towards a frame to hold it in place, which is also equipped with thrusters to move it around the planet with minimum effort.

"Contact with the frame in 3... 2... 1..." the analyst remarks just before the lance comes to a halt, "Docking successful, locking superweapon in place and running diagnostics."

Just then, the door to the council chambers opens and in walks Dr. Franxx with an APE officer and two soldier escorts.

"Ah, Werner," Papa says before turning to the screen next to him, "Give me the diagnostics report later." "Yes, Papa!" the analyst replies on the other end before the communication ends.

The council's chairs move back to their standard circular position before Dr. Franxx speaks up, "So, what is so important that you called me all the way here?"

"Don't play dumb, Werner," Baboon replies, "We all know why you are here." "Oh, you mean the disappearance of the children?" Dr. Franxx says innocently, "I have already tasked the corresponding forces to find them."

"Not disappearance," the Vice Chairman adds, "Outright rebellion." "Oh?" the doctor responds.

"We have received a report that Squad 13 attacked an S-Planning site and stripped it of what resources remained there, including the precious magma fuel we were going to withdraw tomorrow. Care to explain, Werner?"

"Well, how am I to know what goes on in the minds of the children these days," Dr. Franxx muses, "Back in my time, kids used to play games like hide and seek or something. Raiding S-Planning sites may be a weird new trend."

"Is this some kind of joke to you?" Marmoset scoffs. "Honestly, I don't know what you expect me to say," Dr. Franxx retorts, "Do you want me to tell you where they are? Do you want me to explain their motives and goals?"

"I want you to explain how it was even remotely possible for this to happen, Werner," Papa speaks up, "This test team, Squad 13, was under your jurisdiction. There must have been a complete and utter failure in their monitoring if they managed to stage something like this. More importantly, they could have never taken down our network like this for hours, despite Code 023's knowledge with systems. Which means, Werner, the only person that did this or knows who did, is you."

"Ah, a valid point," Dr. Franxx replies, "However, I barely have any spare time to mess around with the network, much less to coordinate something like it."

"Either way," Papa continues, "The fact is that we are running out of time, and with Code 002 now out of reach, we are forced to take more... drastic measures."

The doctor is not a fool.

"Werner Frank," Papa continues.

He knew this would happen, which is why he was preparing for this.

"... For treason against humanity and APE..."

Calculating... Unable to buy more time.

"... You are hereby sentenced..."

Unable to access servers from this position. Two guards behind this unit and approximately another 50 between this unit and the most likely location of the server. This unit possesses insufficient weaponry and ammunition to kill all of them. Engaging Contingency Protocol... Loading Combat Profile.

"... To death."

A smirk grows on "The Doctor's" face as he lets go of his cane and straightens his back, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room.

"That's where you're wrong, Meatbag," he replies in a completely mechanized voice.

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