Chapter Text
“It’s heading back towards Welfare, Chesed, sir. Disciplinary is still trailing after it, but they won’t make it there in time if you just leave it be.”
“We’ll try to keep it here while they catch up.”
On Chesed’s monitor, the hazy shape of Big and Will be Bad Wolf was weaving its way from Information and back down towards its home Department. News of its breach had caused the Asiyah Layer Departments above to all but desert their main rooms, only the Captains staying behind to catch the beast for a moment and slow it down for Disciplinary to catch up. But the Briah Layer had everyone on high alert. While causing Little Red to breach wouldn’t necessarily be a world-ending catastrophe for the Facility, no one wanted to risk a clerk accidentally killing the wolf before her. The fewer Abnormalities running amok, the better.
Besides, Disciplinary and Welfare could easily handle it together. As long as a certain Sephirah didn’t order her Agents to mow down his own in pursuit of the Abnormality.
Time was of the essence to ensure minimal injury and death, and Chesed intended to see that this situation came to a close sooner rather than later. His team was patched in through the speakers.
“Alright, everyone. Head into the main room and give it all you’ve got. Aside from your lives.” He could see them on his screen, turning towards the hallway’s camera as his voice came in through their earpieces.
His Captain nodded to him and began to march towards the main room’s entrance. She almost resembled the Wolf itself, how her E.G.O gear was like a shadow in the hallway, only the bandages of Justitia ruining the illusion that appeared on Chesed’s monitor. But the red already staining that stark white, slowly blooming out from wounds garnered in a graze with the Wolf upon breach, was repairing the imagery by harkening to those deep scars.
Through the feed’s audio, Yui’s voice rang out to her. The woman followed after her, sending her gear’s pastel violet petals fluttering with her hurried steps. Her polished black shoes drowned out the barely-audible sound of the Captain’s own footsteps, light and practically silent, like that of a rabbit. “Rei! You’re already bleeding, you should stick back. At least swap weapons with me. You can keep your distance then.”
Javier and Beck brought up the rear next, the former of the two scoffing. “Um, hello? Cap there is wielding ALEPH gear. I think she can handle herself. Hell, she could probably beat that Wolf’s ass herself.” Holding down the push-to-talk button, Javier spoke to his Department Head directly, “Should we just sit back and let her take care of this?”
“Best to get as much damage in before Disciplinary arrives to make the suppression go by quicker,” Chesed replied. And so this might be over before Gebura can turn you all into indiscernible piles of gore, he left unsaid.
“Aye aye, Big Cheese.”
Quite frankly, he didn’t like the sound of that particular nickname. But there were more pressing matters at hand.
As the four Agents returned into the room, Chesed’s whole body was tense. He was sure that sparing a glance from his screen would reveal his knuckles white around his mug’s handle. Big Bad’s shadowy form had twisted and turned through the halls of Central Command and was now rapidly approaching the Welfare Department’s main room, tracked via a rudimentary display that offered very little detail about anywhere outside of his own Department. Even without the system before him, the beast’s rampaging footsteps and smoky silhouette thundered throughout the Facility like a tempest over ocean waves.
Reizei would be able to catch up on maybe a bit more healing before it rematerialized, but with the generator running so slowly, it would hardly make a difference. Sixty-six percent on her vitals would surely be enough to face the Wolf safely.
Although, if he were to be realistic, Captain Reizei’s condition was the least of his worries. While Javier would certainly be the one to carry out the majority of damage, being the one equipped with the escaped Abnormality’s own gear, Yui would be in extraordinary danger if she were to get too close. Not to mention Beck’s baseline low Fortitude and the weak E.G.O gear he had been given, as a new hire.
Whether Disciplinary was close at all would remain a mystery until they stepped into the sights of Welfare’s cameras But he would hope for their swift arrival until then.
“Aren’t you a diligent Sephirah today, Chesed?”
Rather than the Control Team Agent in his ear, a new voice entered. As the Wolf entered his Department, Agents lunging forward, Chesed could practically sense her behind him.
Of course, she wasn’t truly there. Lady Angela hardly ever left the Management office during working hours, save for meetings. But her presence suddenly taking up space in his mind was such an unnerving sensation. Perhaps it was worse than if she’d simply lingered around physically. It felt as if she could read his thoughts when she spoke to him like this.
“I’m simply doing my job, Lady Angela.” A desperate struggle continued in the main room. Were it not for his own, he would have been trying to dutifully tend to directing his Agents.
“But with much more vigor. Has something sparked your passion again?”
Outside of his office, there was wild snarling and howling. The sound of slashing and shooting, munitions flying and boots scuffing against metal. Bodies hitting the floor and shouted orders that were muffled by the thick walls and windows. One of Chesed’s displays showed his Department’s Qliphoth Deterrence steadily lowering. Administrative control.
“No, Lady Angela.” Her presence retracted from his mind. The Deterrence returned to its normal levels. Chesed’s attention honed back in on the feed that recorded just outside of the very room in which he sat.
Within those few moments, the situation was quickly turning into a disaster. While Rei and Javier continued whittling down the Wolf’s health, it had concerned itself with their newest Agent, teeth digging in past his gear and into his skin as he swung his rake too close to its snout. Beck’s arm was bitten clean off, his weapon swallowed alongside his limb. The man stumbled back, face going pale as he screamed. His vitals were plummeting faster than the generator could keep up. Seventy-eight percent. Sixty-one percent. Forty-nine percent…
Yui practically threw her weapon down and rushed to Beck, trying to drag him away to safety, but Big and Bad had already set its sights on its weakened prey. Spittle flinging, its jaws clamped down around one of Beck’s flailing legs and dragged him away before his coworker could reach him. Red streaked dark and stark against the Department’s cool blue floors. And the hue only spread as the Wolf promptly tore into him.
Just then, Disciplinary began to pelt the thing with attacks from all sides. Everyone had been so fixated on Beck that they hadn’t even seen them enter.
With Captain Xin at the front of the charge, it was over within seconds. Rifles’ gunshots splitting the air with fire and smoke, and the Captain’s very own merciless assaults against the Abnormality. Big and Will be Bad Wolf collapsed practically where it stood, muzzle still buried in Beck’s shredded remains. It began to shrink, past its usual size, into a small core, ragged with blue-gray fur and red scars. Disciplinary’s Maritza was the one to pick it up and cast a sympathetic look at the wreckage left in Welfare.
“We’ll… put this back for you.”
As quickly as they’d arrived, Disciplinary left. Chesed realized he was certainly expected by his Agents to enter the scene. Despite the numbness that had washed over his legs, the Sephirah stood. The coffee mug was like a stage prop in his hand, too cold to be enjoyed anymore and far too casual for what he was about to walk into.
Still, he exited his office, out into the carnage left behind.
Very little of Beck had lasted intact. The Abnormality had managed to gulp down mouthfuls of the man before being suppressed. Smeared blood and viscera marked where he’d been, alongside bits of bone and torn organs, all sawed by uneven teeth. Perhaps in the coming hours, they’d find a finger or his ear elsewhere around the room. But the rest of his corpse was mauled beyond recognition.
Yui was inconsolable, hunched over the gore and sobbing until the sound mixed with gags that surely resulted from the stench. Her stomach was visibly heaving even from under multiple layers of clothing. But no one stepped forward to comfort her.
Rei only stared with an unreadable expression. Despite being his Captain, Chesed could never understand what was going on in her mind, even after reading her employee file multiple times. Regardless, he didn’t want to understand. There was no point to it. Beck was proof of that.
Javier clicked his tongue as he leaned over the mess, his reflection mirrored in the pool of blood that was still steadily growing. “That’s gotta be a record. Anyone ever met an Agent who died within a week of their first Department assignment? I mean, maybe a clerk, yeah, but…”
Chesed saw Yui’s entire body jerk with rage as she turned up towards Javier, tears still streaking down her face. “Could you stop being so horrible for once in your life, Javier?”
A brief bout of relief bloomed in Chesed’s chest when he heard someone speak for the sake of peace. Only after a few moments did he realize it was his own voice. So practiced and routine that the process was completely detached from himself. “Let’s not argue, hm? What matters is you all did your best and no one else died.”
This hardly consoled his Agent, as her gaze turned towards him with so much pain welling up inside that his own expression furrowed in response to the ache it caused. Not that she could tell.
“Did our best?” Her voice was a ragged whisper. Not entirely audible under the sound of Rei retrieving the clean up gear from the supply closet not too far away. Javier joined the Captain, whistling to himself. “Beck is dead!”
“Yes… But we managed to suppress the Wolf before it could kill anyone else. You all did very well, considering the circumstances.” Rather than actually taking steps forward, it was more akin to the world pushing itself in front of him until he reached Yui. Feeling more like muscle memory than a deliberate action, he put a hand on her shoulder. “You ought to make sure Parker doesn’t come in yet. It’ll be better for him to hear the news rather than see it.”
Though her dark eyes were still brimming with tears, she nodded. But he could tell his words were hollow comfort to her. She turned back towards the hallway where they’d all been just a few minutes ago, leaving to find their clerk without a word.
Chesed tried to take a deep breath, but his circulation system seemed to be stuttering. The gulp of air was unsatisfactory and left his chest aching. Within moments of noticing, he was able to supply oxygen to himself more plentifully. Machinery doing its job, without him being completely aware of it.
The other two Agents were already doing their parts to ensure that the wrecked body of Beck wouldn’t be left out to rot. Javier helped wheel around the industrial sized bin as Rei gathered the remains in pieces, donned with rubber gloves. He trusted them to do their jobs well, so he started back towards his office.
“No need to worry about an autopsy,” he called to them. “A simple clean up job should be all we need to do~”
“No problem, boss!” Javier gave an enthusiastic thumbs up and carted the bin to the next closest pile of Beck.
Chesed forced a smile (why even bother?) before walking in and the door hissing shut behind him. Measured steps back towards his desk. Then his head fell into his hands.
Beck had been a promising young man. Chesed had projected him to survive for at least four months, with a few outlier possibilities estimating that he could serve the company for a year or more. With the right on-the-job training to raise his Virtues, he should’ve had a long and successful career as an Agent of Lobotomy Corporation.
But Chesed’s nature had overtaken him at the absolute worst moment. A slip up in composure that cost someone full of potential his life. His fingers curled into his hair and gripped tight, pulling at the cobalt strands. Pulling hard. Like teeth in flesh. Pulling tendons torn from bones. Pulling limbs from their sockets. Pulling potential from a passionate young man.
He wondered what his Agents would’ve seen if they’d walked in then and there. A rigid box tilted over a desk with his claw-like hands curled over his plating. Shuddering breaths coming out as loud whirring from his cooling system. The mental image had an anguished scream crawling up his throat.
Yet he swallowed it down. He straightened his posture. He breathed deep and forced his systems to take in as much air as possible.
The ceramic of his mug was cold against his palms as he brought it to his office’s sink. It swirled down the drain, dark and definitely bitter. But he’d never really know. Would only ever be supplied by his fond memories of the taste bathing his tongue and the warmth in his throat.
Looking out the windows of his office, he watched as Javier and Yui were surely arguing again. Rei continued to work, mopping up the blood as if she were a clerk. The actual clerk was still nowhere to be found, but Chesed wasn’t going to start issuing orders like a real Sephirah. Certainly not after a death as violent as that.
He’d have to begin drawing up the death certificate papers. Send an update to the Record Department. Just as he had done for the Agent that Beck had replaced, not even two weeks dead. The grief made his heart heavy, yet his cursor began routing to the file with the certificate template. The weight was shoved down with the rest of the pain.
Wings, please let the next Agent last longer than a month.
———
“Well, Amphi, you did really well during your training period. Captain Micaela gave you high marks for your simulated work too!” Sephirah Hod stood behind her antique desk in her warm, almost homely, office. The walls were painted an orange hue with darker accents that contrasted vividly with the potted plant life strewn about, feeling more like a therapist’s office than one belonging to an AI. And such a departure from the industrial halls outside. By no means was it unwelcomed though.
Across from the Department Head was one of her newest graduates. Distinguishable by their messy dark-brown hair, a cowlick standing tall at the edge of their hairline; bright brown eyes that never seemed to dim; and an old scar running across their left cheek. Such an appearance felt hardly fitting for the black suit and tie uniform meant for all recruits. Amphi fidgeted in the sole seat across from their Sephirah, settling their nerves by expelling some of the physical energy they generated.
Warmth spread in their chest upon hearing that their beloved mentor had reviewed them so well. Not only did it serve to alleviate some of their performance anxiety, but it gave them further hope that they’d be placed well within the Facility. Perhaps they could stay in Training, work side by side with those they’d connected with. Or Information, where they could keep in contact with their recruit buddy, Raika.
Nerves began to creep back in as the anticipation built within the new graduate. Amphi straightened their posture and gave a dazzling smile that was no less sincere than it was also eager. “Thank you, Miss Hod! I really did learn from the best though. The Training Team has some fantastic Agents.”
A digital giggle from the robot’s speakers, uncannily human past the auditory artifacting. “Of course we do! It’s up to us to give every new Agent and clerk the best chance to succeed here in Lobotomy Corporation. Just like Malkuth, we have a duty to the whole Facility to work so well.” She looked back down at Amphi’s evaluation and straightened the papers in her metal digits. “Now, given how quickly you picked up on things during training week, Lady Angela and I agreed that you’d be wasted here on the Upper Layer!”
Her recruit blinked, almost disbelieving. Their heart sank. “So… I’m going to the Middle Layer?”
The antenna on her head bobbed as if she were nodding, her orange eye curving into a content shape. “Exactly! And because of your high Prudence, we’ve decided to assign you to Welfare!”
Amphi stared for a heartbeat, then another, then leaned back, gaze averting from the Sephirah’s. “...Oh.”
Hod’s pleasant demeanor shifted into something more crescentfallen. It was as if she were really frowning as she spoke. “Were you hoping for somewhere else?”
After hesitating, Amphi met Hod’s eye and saw how worried she looked. The Sephirah had always been so caring and attentive to Agents, clerks, and recruits alike. They would always hold her in a special place in their heart for all she’d done to ensure their success here. So they took a deep breath and sat back up.
“I was hoping to stay in the Upper Layer, with all of you. All of you here do such important jobs, and I want to help where I can.” Eyes pleading, Amphi held Hod’s gaze. “Are you sure I can’t be reassigned?”
But Hod’s antenna drooped sadly. “I’m sorry, Amphi. Lady Angela and Department Head Chesed have already signed off on the decision. You’ll be heading there after the weekend.”
Their disappointment couldn’t be more obvious as they once again looked away, at their folded hands in their lap. “I see.”
A silence stretched on for a few seconds as Amphi collected themself. True, this wasn’t the outcome they’d hoped for. And being in the Middle Layer meant that seeing any of their former teammates in Training was going to be less and less likely. But that didn’t mean there would be no chance. Multiple times had Middle Layer Agents come up to help with some training seminars, and they knew for a fact that Egle had been assigned to Disciplinary. Based on what they’d learned for the test as well, they knew Welfare was somewhere they could help many at once.
So they lifted their chin, pushing away that dejected feeling and determined to adapt. If this would be their new path, so be it. “What’s Welfare like?”
Hod perked back up in time with Amphi in an attempt to match their newfound will. She reached into a drawer behind her and retrieved a cobalt-blue pamphlet to hand to her recruit. On its cover was somewhere that looked dark, but not unwelcoming. Employees at desks and scattered around in what looked to be the main room, cyan caustic light bathing the whole space. Text was sprawled above the image: Welcome to Welfare!
They opened the whole thing up to find a map and paragraphs of text explaining each room’s use and the Department’s function. With the goal of preventing epidemics and secondary infection caused by Abnormalities, the Welfare Team puts preventative measures into action and works on programs that benefit the physical fitness and mental health of employees…
“Welfare is like a bigger version of the Safety Team up here!” Hod likely had a digitalized version of each Departments’ information stored in her memory to explain upon recruits being assigned and asking questions. “Whenever someone needs help in the Middle Layer, it's the Welfare Team who are called in. It’s faster than Safety taking the elevators and rushing all across the Facility.”
Amphi hummed, particularly interested by the graphic of Welfare’s Sephirah on the side. His paint was more complex than that of the AI before them currently, marked with not only a cool dark gray base, but accents of a darker blue and pale gray. The way his LED eye was positioned made him look grumpy or tired, maybe disinterested. But most distinct to them was that he was carrying a coffee cup.
They knew that the Sephirah could (somehow?) ingest liquids, with Netzach constantly dripping with fluid, but somehow, coffee never seemed to enter the realm of possibility for them. And Netzach was putting a chemical in himself that his systems surely knew how to process, since he was able to become inebriated. What function did coffee serve in the Sephirot’s systems? Did it work the same for them as it did for most humans?
“What is Sephirah Chesed like?”
“Oh.” Hod paused, as if the question had caught her off guard. Amphi didn’t comment on it and opted to let her formulate a reply without rushing. Hardly any time passed before she did give an answer, but something about it rubbed them the wrong way. “I think you’ll really enjoy being under his supervision.”
Rather vague. Guess they’d find out on their own. “And my duties?”
“That’s what the Agents will teach you down there! We’ve given you basic training that will serve you in any Department, but as for specialized duties, you’ll be learning on the job.” Hod didn’t sound too thrilled about that last part, nor did Amphi at the idea, but they decided not to voice their nerves in the case of possibly strengthening any anxiety their Sephirah might already be feeling on their behalf. So they simply nodded and gave a basic hum. “Anything else you’d like to know?”
Amphi looked around the office and combed through their mind to search for anything that might spark an important question. But nothing came up, so they shook their head and tucked the pamphlet into their trousers pocket. “Nothing that I can think of.”
Hod offered her three-digit hand across the desk for a shake. Amphi stood and took it with a smile that they felt Hod was returning in her own way. “Then you’ll begin on Monday as an Agent of Welfare!”
Her recruit’s eyes widened and their jaw hung agape. “An Agent? Already?” Most of their other friends had been made into clerks, to be promoted if deemed worthy of the position.
“Welfare recently lost one and their clerk declined the position. Even if he did want it, he doesn’t have the Virtues for it. So we had to pick someone from the recruits to fill in the position! You were by far the best suited.” Hod’s voice softened with kindness and empathy that sounded so nearly human. “You underestimate yourself, Amphi.”
“I just don’t want my head to get too big for my shoulders like a certain Control Team Captain.” The two were able to share a laugh before finally departing. Amphi wished to linger in the office, knowing it would likely be their final time seeing Hod for some time, but they forced their legs to carry themself towards the door. But not without a glance back over their shoulder. “Thank you again, Hod.”
Was it possible for a Sephirah’s eye to look so gentle? As if it had rounded further with care and appreciation? “Of course, Amphi. You’ll always have friends here in Training.”
They departed with a smile to offer as another thanks. Then they stepped back into the main room, where Agents – soon, their former coworkers – were doing their daily work while the recruits from a different batch were studying a tape about the Facility. On the screen, Captain Micaela herself was joined by Hod to explain the Facility map in detail.
“Connecting the Upper Layer to the Middle Layer is this elevator in the Information Department. Taking it down to Briah, you’ll be in the Central Command Department. To your left will be Disciplinary, and to your right…”
Welfare. Amphi had memorized the map for the training period final exam. Stepping out of the elevator and heading right would take them straight to Welfare’s second floor.
They took the pamphlet from their pocket to open it up and study the spread again. Agents, a clerk, and a new Sephirah. Amphi’s finger traced the outline of the silhouetted people and the unique shapes of Sephirah Chesed’s casing. All of it was so foreign compared to Training. And despite their nerves, the thought brought a smile to their face.
I can’t wait to meet you all.