Primate Murder: Reforged

We walked into what March called the 'central area' though I have no clue if that's what this place was actually called. We parked ourselves right in front of a hologram with words I couldn't read.

"So we'll take that elevator on the central platform to go down to the master control zone." She pointed to the elevator in front of us, on the other side of this large gap. I walked up to the edge, whistling as I looked down. 

"Don't want to fall, it's a long way down." March nodded, looking left and right. "Do you know the way?" Hearing her say that, I felt the urge to start clicking my tongue repeatedly. I resisted it and just shook my head no, returning to the hologram and her side.

She let the silence hang in the air for a moment, mulling over her words if her eyes were to be trusted. "Um, I notice that you're not wearing the space station staff uniform. Do you really work here?" She finally asked, rubbing her arm and shifting from foot to foot.

"I dunno, maybe I do, maybe I don't." I shrugged, I really had no clue. And that bothered me, I frowned as I looked at the projector part of the hologram built into the floor. "I just woke up with a headache and basically no actual memories."

I could feel her gaze on me, searching for more in my answer.

"Right…" She cleared her throat, letting herself project that joyful aura of hers as she grabbed my hand and started to pull me away. "Let's go, I'll take you to the safe zone~"

We walked over to the platform relatively quickly, it was a quick 30-second walk over a platform before we stood in front of the elevator-

I pulled March back, moving her out of the way of a projectile. "Enemy Forward!" I don't know when my staff disappeared, but I appeared back in my hands, instantly. I angled it to let the enemy's arm blade slide off, and retaliated with a quick strike to the sternum.

"My turn~" March pulled back on the string, letting another arrow fly. I followed suit, ready to stab the Reaver with my blunt instrument of death.

"Zwei!" I pushed off the ground, flipping head over heel above the lasers and projectiles coming for me. I moved to intercept the Reaver again as it went for March. I twirled the staff around myself, blocking another projectile and slamming the end into the stab happy one before I got too far away.

"Let's move!" I yelled as I rushed back in, March let loose another arrow and I followed, moving under it again. We worked in sync together, making quick work of the enemies despite their protests. They weren't any stronger than the last group, though it might have turned out worse if I hadn't pulled her away from the first one.

We walked up the elevator, ignoring the miniature holes in space eating the remains of our enemies. March instantly went for the terminal standing next to it as I looked it over, my eyes roaming the surrounding architecture with wonder and amazement.

Her hand pressed against the smooth glass, getting a beep from the device. "Ah. I knew it…" March sounded disappointed, like she expected this to not work in the first place. "Something wrong?"

"Nah." She turned to me, straightening up. "The elevator's broken, I think. I pressed all the buttons, but nothing happened." She turned back to the panel and started inspecting it closer. She sighed after a moment. "Too bad Dan Heng's not here. He's like a walking encyclopedia…"

I looked to my right, a gut feeling causing me to. "He knows a ton of complicated stuff — maybe even elevator repair…" Dan Heng was walking towards us, though he seemed more like a ghost with the fact that his steps weren't making any noise.

"I don't know that one."

"Whoa!" March's head whipped around to stare at him for a moment before she took a step back. "Why are you here!?" She shook her head and returned to standing normally. "... And how did you get here before us?"

I chuckled, it felt funny, really. "You were just too distracted to hear him walk over." It was the perfect setup to tease her. What with how she wasn't paying enough attention to her surroundings.

"I took another route to the upper level, and I saw you guys from up there." Dan Heng was calm, and I had this itchy feeling in the back of my head that I've seen this happen before. I knew he would look up and to the left before he even did so.

"Arlan is in the control room. He's been injured, but not fatally." She smiled at the news. While I started to frown, my hand coming up and cupping my chin as that feeling of déjà vu grew deeper and deeper.

"You found him! Will he know what to do about this elevator?" She gestured to the elevator for a moment.

"I suppose as the head of the Security Department, he should know."

Dan Heng and March looked at me weirdly, having not expected me to say that.

"Sorry, just…" I looked back to the elevator, that feeling slowly lessening. "Major déjàvu from this. Like I've gone through this very day before" I turned around, starting to speed walk towards the place Dan Heng was looking at earlier.

===

"Hey... you're all together?" Arlan was… Different from the others. Not just in colouration, but height as well.

I don't think it would be wrong to say he was vertically challenged. Considering he was, like, 3" shorter than me if I had to guess. And his eyes were a vibrant pink. He has white hair with black tips, with some tied into a small ponytail.

I had to admit, I was a little jealous of how good his hair looked, though that just made me question what mine looked like now that I thought about it.

"Yep, we're from the Astral Express~" March smiled and took the lead, like… Why does that feel normal? Should it feel normal?

"Oh... Did Madam Herta send you to help?" Hope dawned across his face, though I had a feeling things weren't as they seemed.

"Not as far as I'm aware." He barely glanced at me, clearly not recognizing me. Though I wouldn't say for sure that ruled me out as working here. Different departments and all that jazz. Though, how do I know about that?

"It's just a coincidence." Dan Heng spoke up, taking the reins. "We came to deliver the rare relic Herta trusted us to find... We didn't expect to arrive during an invasion." Who would inspect an active invasion from evil forces when they visit some place on an errand to drop something off?

"Why is the Antimatter Legion targeting you guys?" That's a good question, March. "It seems they just ignored the surface of the planet and came straight to the space station." So they normally target planet's? Could it be that they attack places and destroy them?

I only just now noticed how I cupped my chin again, even crossing my arms and resting like this felt natural and comfortable. Is it weird to be just… Okay with not knowing things and somehow still knowing them as they just… Pop in out of nowhere? Like, I'm just sitting there with a jigsaw puzzle, I have all the pieces, but I can't put them in the right places, and I am working on both the centre and outside at the same time.

Arlan looked concerned, glancing at a nearby console. "I... have no idea. The Legion came at a very suspicious time — almost right after the security system suddenly failed." Huh. The security system suddenly failed, and they just rolled on in? 

"Lady… Lead Researcher Asta immediately began to organize the evacuation." Arlan stood proud with determination in his eyes, but that soon gave way to self loathing as he relaxed. "I was supposed to cover everyone as they evacuated, but... I didn't expect to end up failing in this task."

"Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Don't be too hard on yourself."

Arlan looked at me again when I spoke up, though March elbowed me for basically saying what Dang Heng said at the same time. "Your leg and dominant hand were injured. It was a wise decision to hide here and avoid a head-on encounter with the Legion."

And I had to agree, as head of Security, it was most likely his responsibility to ensure that people go to safety. And if he went down fighting? Did he even have a chain of command that could pick up the slack from his passing?

"Yeah! Most of the staff have been evacuated safely, so right now our highest priority is to return to the master control zone and plan a counterattack!" March continued to be chipper despite the situation we appear to have found ourselves in.

"So... do you know how to use the elevator?" I asked before she could. 

"After the evacuation was complete, the elevators were all shut down to keep the Legion away from the master control zone." He looked back at the elevator as he spoke, clearly eyeing it, before looking back at Dan Heng. "Since Lady Asta sent you to look for me, I assume she must've given you the encryption key for accessing the elevator system?"

"Oh, right, she did give me some sort of card…" I resisted the urge to facepalm.

"...March…"

"...March…"

Dan Heng and I looked at each other again, it was weird to continually say the same thing as him at the same time… And I think it didn't creep just me, but everyone else out. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence.

"But where did I put it…" She started opening her pockets and reaching inside, rummaging around for presumably a rectangular shape.

"You…" Even Arlan looked disappointed in her.

"Ah! Here it is!" I smiled.

"I…" This felt good, like a missing piece of the puzzle was starting to reform in my head.

The encryption key looked a lot like the key card Arlan was wearing, and I could guess from the cautious gaze he cast at it that it's not only used for unlocking levels of authorization but also as proof of someone's identity if the way he glanced at his own said anything.

Or it might be because I'm pretty sure that's the exact same type of card he was wearing but for a different person named Asta. And if I remember correctly, that's the lead researcher's name, yes?

"... Now that we found the key, we should get going." Arelan walked over to a console like the one standing in front of the elevator outside the room. "We can use this console to unlock the elevator."