Free Web NovelChapter 116: The Great Robbery
[Aperture Laboratories – Mines of Moria]
Accompanied only by her faithful goat/steed, Lilith, Sadako wandered through the facility’s corridors in search of something to entertain herself with, and although her expressionless face did not show it, she was feeling very sad.
It was all the fault of the new purple-haired girl who had recently joined the group: Entrapta.
Sadako clenched her fists tightly just from thinking about her. Only a few days had passed since her arrival, yet she had already stolen everyone’s attention, attention that rightfully belonged to Sadako.
The other girls no longer spent as much time with her as they used to. Now they spent their days locked away in the laboratories, experimenting and creating things that Sadako genuinely could not understand. Lately, they seemed far too busy watching plants grow, making orcs scream, and disposing of their bodies once they finally stopped screaming.
But that was not even the worst part.
Sadako pulled out her Scroll and held it up high, waving it from side to side as she tried to get a signal. It was a completely futile effort, since there was no CCT tower nearby, though that was something Sadako still did not know.
She continued walking through the facility, hoping she would somehow be able to contact Daniel and tell him, or rather write to him about, all the hardships she had been suffering through.
It took her only a few hours to accept her harsh reality.
She put the Scroll away with a defeated sigh. She was completely cut off from the outside world.
"Ahh..."
A sad sigh escaped her lips as she lowered her gaze, finding Lilith’s sweet expression looking back at her. A faint smile appeared on Sadako’s face as she knelt down and wrapped her arms around her.
"At least I still have you..." she whispered.
"BAM!"
But at that exact moment, catching both Sadako and Lilith completely off guard, the cover of a ventilation shaft burst open.
Several long strands of purple hair emerged from inside before Entrapta poked her head out of the duct with an enormous smile on her face.
"There you are!" she shouted excitedly.
Sadako did not understand why Entrapta needed her, but her confusion only deepened when Entrapta used her hair to pull her away from Lilith.
"I really needed a test subject!"
Sadako’s eyes widened in alarm, but before she could react, Entrapta pulled out a fruit that looked somewhat like an apple, except it was covered in numerous yellow circles across its entire surface.
Without wasting a second, she shoved it into Lilith’s mouth, clamping her muzzle shut and forcing her to swallow it in a single gulp.
Then she quickly stepped back and pulled out a notebook and pen, ready to take notes.
Lilith remained motionless for a moment after being forced to swallow the fruit, and her first reaction was a very obvious look of disgust. The fruit had clearly not been to her liking.
However, the effects did not end there.
Lilith’s body began to change.
Sadako watched in horror as her beloved pet started to deform, while Entrapta smiled excitedly and scribbled notes at incredible speed, carefully following every single change.
The transformation lasted only a few seconds, and when it was over, the spot where Lilith was supposed to be standing was no longer occupied by a goat...but by a girl.
[Image]
Her skin was dark as obsidian, and her white, curly hair strongly resembled the coat she had possessed before the transformation. Sadako could not help comparing her to the Faunus she had previously seen in Atlas, but unlike them, Lilith retained multiple animal traits, and far more pronounced ones at that.
Such as the horns she still possessed, her ears, and her peculiar rectangular pupils.
"Hmmmm, this isn’t what I expected," Entrapta muttered, closing her notebook as she examined the result.
"I was really expecting her to turn into a werewolf..." she added with an indifferent shrug. "But I guess it’s progress."
Then, without even saying goodbye, she vanished as quickly as she had appeared, disappearing back into the ventilation shaft.
Sadako remained standing there for a few moments, staring at what had been done to Lilith, her beautiful steed and best friend.
She closed her eyes for several seconds, meditating deeply on what needed to be done, and when she opened them again, she no longer had any doubts.
Entrapta had to die.
Without another thought, she drew one of her katanas and climbed into the same ventilation shaft through which the mad scientist had escaped.
The hunt had begun.
But while everyone else left, Lilith remained on the floor, now completely alone.
She examined her new body, raising both hands before her eyes. She did not show the slightest trace of fear, concern, or confusion. On the contrary, she saw an opportunity.
She tried to move the way she was accustomed to, but quickly discovered that walking on all fours with her new body was extremely awkward and inefficient.
With no other option and with some difficulty, she forced herself to stand on two legs, wobbling several times while keeping one hand against the wall to avoid falling.
Even so, she learned quickly.
Little by little, she adapted, correcting her posture as she moved down the corridor. Each step was steadier than the last.
It did not take her long to reach a point where she could walk almost naturally, nor did it take long for her to arrive at her destination.
Before her stood the room that housed the book that constantly called to her.
Confidently, she raised a hand and used her fingers to enter the code she remembered seeing the robot input earlier.
To her satisfaction, the door opened without difficulty.
Lilith entered with arrogance, walking with her head held high until she reached the book with the face on its cover waiting for her on a shelf.
She quickly took it into her arms and left the room clutching it against her chest, eager to receive her side of the bargain.
—/—
[City of Argus]
Inside a hotel room, Pyrrha slept peacefully. The previous day had not exactly been her best.
After Daniel revealed her identity, the restaurant patrons had not taken long to surround her, asking for autographs, photographs, and one fan, with a particularly unusual fixation, had even asked for a lock of her hair.
Naturally, Pyrrha refused as politely as she possibly could.
But the nightmare did not end there.
The rumor that Pyrrha Nikos was at that restaurant did not take long to spread, attracting more and more people. Ironically, that also ended up being the reason she managed to escape.
Thanks to the growing crowd, law enforcement arrived to control the situation and help her leave the area, something she silently appreciated.
Once away from all the chaos, finding a hotel to spend the night in was not difficult. Pyrrha planned to stay in the room for at least a week, or until things calmed down a little.
She had wanted to yell at Daniel for putting her on display like that, but unfortunately she could not, since she had foolishly forgotten to ask for his number.
But that did not matter too much anymore... Although she would have liked to talk with him a little more, and with Aegis as well, on second thought it was safer to keep some distance, because Daniel did not exactly seem like the most mentally stable person.
She yawned softly as she settled into bed, determined to sleep for a few more hours.
At least, she tried to.
Bip! Bip! Bip!
The persistent sound of her Scroll made her squirm irritably beneath the sheets. Reluctantly, she forced herself to pick it up and looked at the screen with a slight frown, wondering who could possibly be messaging her.
Her eyes flew open when she saw that she had several messages from her mother.
She immediately opened them, though not without some concern, hoping nothing serious had happened.
[Have you seen the news yet?]
[Turn on the TV.]
[You need to watch this video hahaha]
Pyrrha blinked in confusion. The messages did not make much sense, as if they had been sent in a hurry, but at least it did not seem like anything bad had happened.
"Ahh..." she sighed in relief, allowing herself to relax a little.
Though she was now far too awake to go back to sleep, so she got out of bed, grabbed a bottle of water, and opened the last link her mother had sent her.
"What could possibly be so important?" she wondered as the video started playing.
"Major robbery at the Argus Museum!" the news anchor announced.
Pyrrha immediately spat out her water.
"Yes, you heard that correctly!" the woman continued. "Late last night, our beloved city became the victim of a museum robbery!"
"No way... no way... no way..." Pyrrha repeated under her breath, panic setting in.
It could not be true. The robbery was supposed to be just a joke.
"This is not a joke!" the presenter exclaimed, slamming her fist against the desk.
Pyrrha felt a knot form in her stomach.
"And that’s not all! We have exclusive information proving that the Argus military base was assaulted by the very same perpetrator!"
"Stay with us to learn more about this shocking story involving what may be either the greatest or the dumbest thief in history... after a few commercials."
Pyrrha tightened her grip on the Scroll.
"Damn commercials!" she shouted, shaking the device while repeatedly trying to skip them, internally cursing herself for not paying for the subscription.
After several painfully long minutes, the video resumed. The presenter was gone, replaced by footage from a security camera outside the Argus base, showing a guard standing at his post.
Everything seemed normal until, to Pyrrha’s horror, a figure stepped out of the shadows.
A guy wearing a cardboard mask with Pyrrha’s face drawn on it, dressed in an outfit identical to her Huntress uniform, appeared on screen. Before the guard could even react, he struck him in the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious instantly.
"As we can observe, this young criminal is a devoted fan of our beloved three-time champion Pyrrha Nikos," the narrator commented.
"AHHH!" Pyrrha screamed, pausing the video immediately.
The guy was obviously Daniel. The mask covered his face, but his green hair was unmistakable.
"And why the hell are you dressed like me?" she demanded, glaring at the Scroll in frustration, even though she knew perfectly well it was not going to answer her.
Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha resumed the video, this time skipping the segments where the presenter was talking.
The footage showed Daniel sneaking through the facility with silent movements, almost like a ninja. He knocked out every guard who crossed his path and then carefully arranged them into comfortable positions, as if they were merely taking a nap.
Pyrrha had to admit it: he was extremely good for someone who was not using Aura.
The video continued, showing Daniel infiltrating the hangar and boarding a Bullhead. Pyrrha was surprised to realize that he was following, more or less, the same steps as the plan she had shown him.
However, it was impossible for him to be following it exactly, because she clearly remembered that her original idea had been for Aegis to pilot the aircraft...
Her mind went blank when the Bullhead’s security camera showed Daniel pulling Aegis out of a bag, also wearing a miniature mask with Pyrrha’s face on it, and placing him directly in front of the controls.
And, to the surprise of both Pyrrha and the entire world, Aegis began piloting the Bullhead.
Pyrrha buried her face in her hands.
"God... why...?"
She could not decide whether it was incredibly stupid or incredibly clever.
Against all odds, the Bullhead continued on its way and left the base without any problems.
Pyrrha could not help wondering how it was possible that nobody had noticed.
"What happened to security...?" she muttered to herself, frowning as she wondered why no other Bullheads or personnel had seen or heard it take off.
But she did not have much time to think about it.
The video changed, now showing the interior of the Bullhead at a great altitude, hovering motionless, probably already above the Argus Museum.
Inside stood Daniel, equipped with a parachute. Without hesitating for even a second, he jumped out of the aircraft.
The footage switched angles again, now showing a security camera from a nearby building overlooking the museum. From there, Daniel could be seen falling toward the roof... or at least trying to, because a powerful gust of wind pushed him several meters off course, causing him to crash spectacularly through one of the museum’s side windows, shattering the glass.
Pyrrha covered her mouth in concern.
The reporter in the video, however, was laughing hysterically at the scene.
The museum’s interior cameras showed Daniel getting back to his feet amidst rubble and shattered glass, brushing fragments off his outfit.
Pyrrha let out a small sigh of relief when she saw that he was still alive, though clearly battered.
"And there we have it. What an entrance!" the presenter commented between fits of laughter. "Although it seems nobody told this master thief that the museum is open twenty-four hours a day and doesn’t even have guards! Hahaha!"
Pyrrha felt a small stab of guilt.
That was something she had known... and probably should have told him.
Daniel continued running back and forth through the museum, passing through the same hallways over and over again. He was obviously lost.
The video sped up to x5.
The scene repeated for what could easily have been nearly an hour, until he finally found the meteorite exhibit.
The footage showed Daniel rummaging through his bag.
Pyrrha broke out into a cold sweat the moment she realized what he was looking for.
"No, please..." she begged the video, as though that could somehow change anything, hoping he would not pull out what she thought he would.
Unfortunately, he did.
At that moment, Daniel produced what was unmistakably a stick of dynamite.
"Goddammit!" Pyrrha shouted.
"Why did I have to tell him to use dynamite?!" she cursed herself while gripping the Scroll tightly.
"Don’t do it!" she pleaded with the Daniel from the past as if he could somehow hear her. "You don’t need to...!"
The door he was attaching the dynamite to was literally made of wood. It was something he could have kicked down without much effort.
In fact, even that probably would not have been necessary, since the door was very likely unlocked.
But Past Daniel did not listen to her pleas.
He placed the dynamite, and moments later the door exploded into splinters. The building trembled slightly from the blast.
With the entrance reduced to rubble and the museum’s structure mildly damaged, Daniel wasted no time entering and beginning to throw the moon rocks out the window that, very conveniently, someone had forgotten to close.
He had to hurry, because while he worked, police sirens could be heard in the distance, approaching at an alarmingly fast rate.
Rock after rock disappeared through the window, and after tossing out the last one, he quickly jumped out through the same opening himself.
The video cut off at that moment and returned to the presenter.
"As you can see... the best thief in history, or the worst? That’s a decision you’ll have to make for yourselves," she said with a laugh, though her expression gradually became more serious.
"Unfortunately, the thief, the military Bullhead, and more importantly, the moon rocks have not been recovered despite an extensive search conducted by the authorities."
"The authorities are offering a generous reward for any information leading to the capture of the now-infamous cross-dressing thief..."
Beep!
Pyrrha abruptly shut off the Scroll, unwilling to hear another word.
She sat in silence for several seconds, processing the situation.
"Am I an accomplice?" she wondered.
Sure, she had given him several ideas for the heist, but it was not as if she had actually thought he was going to go through with it.
A cold sweat ran down her back when she remembered that her handwriting was in the notebook. That could make her look at least somewhat complicit if anyone ever decided to examine it.
A dozen questions began flooding her mind.
Should she turn him in? Should she ignore it? What was someone even supposed to do in a situation like this?
"Why me...?" she complained as she hurriedly got dressed.
Without giving it much thought, she left the hotel, determined to find Daniel, convinced that she could talk some sense into him, convince him to turn himself in, and return the rocks.
—/—
Pyrrha ran through the streets of Argus wearing a jacket and a face mask that concealed much of her face, while one hand held a reasonably decent sketch of Daniel.
"Have you seen this guy?" freewёbnoνel.com
"Have you seen this guy? x2"
"HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GUY?! x3" she repeatedly asked the pedestrians passing by.
Most simply shook their heads and continued with their day, sparing her no more than a brief glance.
"Grrr..." she growled in frustration, cursing herself for not asking for his number earlier.
She kept moving, person after person, always receiving the same negative answer. And even if someone actually had seen him, they probably would not have told her. At the moment, she looked rather suspicious herself.
She continued searching the places where she thought he might be. She checked restaurants, bars, and even looked beneath a bridge, but found nothing.
"Where are you...?!" she shouted desperately, startling several passersby.
The worst possible scenario was already beginning to form in her mind, one where Daniel had already left Argus with the moon rocks.
"What am I supposed to do?" she wondered, lost in thought and no longer paying attention to where she was going, until suddenly...
Bam!
She walked straight into someone and fell to the ground.
"I’m sorry," said the woman she had collided with, offering her a hand to help her up.
Pyrrha accepted the help and took her hand, lifting her gaze to look at her.
"No, I’m sorry. It was my fault..." she began to reply, but stopped midway when she recognized the woman.
Purple hair, a friendly smile, and incredibly large breasts.
She was the owner of the restaurant that the wolf had dragged her into a few days earlier.
"Oh, what a surprise to run into you again," Kirio said, recognizing Pyrrha despite the disguise, though she did not seem particularly interested in her.
Something Pyrrha sincerely appreciated.
For a moment, she wanted to immediately ask whether she had seen Daniel.
However, her attention drifted to the enormous box of dog treats the woman was carrying in her arms.
She shook her head.
She could not afford to get distracted. freeweɓnøvel.com
Quickly, she held up the sketch.
"By any chance, have you seen a Faunus boy? Green hair, dark skin, and carrying around a mantis shrimp?"
Kirio studied the drawing for a few seconds before shaking her head.
"Sorry, I haven’t seen him."
Pyrrha was about to thank her and continue on her way, but before she could, Kirio raised a hand to stop her.
"By any chance, have you seen the nice wolf who was accompanying you the other day?"
Pyrrha froze for a moment, her gaze drifting back to the box of treats.
"Wait a second. Are those treats for the wolf?"
Kirio nodded as she cheerfully lifted the box. "Of course! I have a feeling he might like these."
"Why are you looking for the wolf?" Pyrrha asked in disbelief.
There was a theory that even though the wolf had not appeared during the last few days, he was still somewhere in the city. Even so, she could not think of a single reason why anyone would try to lure him out with dog treats.
A slightly mischievous smile appeared on Kirio’s face.
"Hmmm... personal business."
Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "That’s a very suspicious answer."
Kirio’s smile faded slightly as she maintained eye contact with Pyrrha.
"I see..." she replied, tilting her head slightly toward her. "Then tell me, why are you looking for the Faunus boy?"
"Personal business," Pyrrha answered, a little defensively.
A brief silence followed in which neither of them said anything.
In the end, they both implicitly decided that the other’s reasons were none of their business. Even so, they exchanged numbers in case either of them happened to find the person, or animal, the other was searching for.
Pyrrha’s search continued for several more hours. She questioned countless people and checked numerous establishments, but despite her efforts, she found no useful leads.
Eventually, she gave up and collapsed onto a bench in a park.
"Ahh..." she sighed tiredly as she slumped into the seat, clearly disappointed in herself.
For a moment she simply stared ahead, not really knowing what to do next.
"Young lady, would you mind if I sat beside you?" asked an elderly woman as she approached with slow, measured steps.
Pyrrha nodded without much enthusiasm, far too exhausted to offer a more energetic response.
The woman smiled and sat down beside her. "You look very worried. Is something wrong, dear?"
Pyrrha opened her eyes slightly and glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
"It’s nothing important..."
The old woman nodded several times. "It seems important to me if it’s left you in such a state."
Pyrrha looked away, uncomfortable.
"Thank you for your concern, but I think I’d better go," she apologized, realizing that her gloomy appearance was attracting too much attention. "Sorry for the trouble."
She stood up and began to walk away.
The elderly woman tore off a piece of bread from a bag and tossed it toward a group of nearby pigeons.
"Are you sure it’s nothing?"
Pyrrha felt a faint sense of unease as she continued walking, bothered by the old woman’s persistence.
"I see," the old woman commented calmly. "And here I thought your concern stemmed from being an accomplice in the theft of the moon rocks."
Pyrrha froze in place.
Slowly, she turned her head and watched with growing horror as the elderly woman continued feeding the pigeons .
"I didn’t help with the robbery..." she tried to justify herself, feeling her heart begin to pound in her chest.
The old woman interrupted her before she could continue.
"Didn’t you suggest the dynamite and provide several important details for the heist?" she asked calmly.
"How could she possibly know that?"
The little old lady rose from the bench with slow but steady movements and walked until she was standing directly in front of her.
Pyrrha instinctively took a step back.
The old woman’s eyes met hers. "It’s me, Pyrrha," the elderly woman whispered, her voice changing completely.
It no longer sounded like that of an old woman, but rather a masculine voice that Pyrrha recognized instantly.
"No way," she said in shock.
The little old lady, or rather Daniel, smiled at her with amusement.
"The Argus authorities are looking for a green-haired guy, so I disguised myself as a little old lady!" he explained with a laugh.
Pyrrha simply stared at him, speechless. She had far too many questions, chief among them how the hell he had managed to get such a convincing old-lady disguise.
"Guess where Aegis is!" Daniel continued, pointing toward the pigeons.
Pyrrha followed the direction of his finger. At first, she noticed nothing unusual, only birds peacefully pecking at food, but after looking more closely, she spotted one pigeon that seemed slightly different, far too rigid and motionless.
Then she realized it was Aegis in disguise.
"Give me bread or go to hell," he growled irritably at a child who would not stop staring at him.
"MOM!" the child screamed in terror, his eyes wide with panic as he ran toward his mother after hearing the supposed pigeon speak.
Pyrrha watched the scene for several seconds in complete silence.
Then she closed her eyes, feeling that this was a very good moment to faint.
—//—
Author’s Note:
Just to clarify: Pyrrha doesn’t know his name is Daniel. As far as she knows, the MC’s name is Aegis. I didn’t write it that way in the Chapter to avoid confusion, I hope that came across clearly.
What will happen to the goat? Will Sadako achieve her goal? Will I remember all the other subplots?
Questions I can’t answer because it’s past midnight and my brain has already clocked out.
Anyway, leave a comment.
Hugs and kisses. Goodbye!
