Chapter 5: Wonderland

Test, test. Do you copy?

Hey Anis, catch!

Holy moly! How'd you end up with such a big snowball?

The bigger the better!

No, no, you've got it all wrong. It's not the size that counts in a snowball fight,

it's how many you can make. You've got to crank those suckers out as quickly as possible.

So... like this?

Ah!

Hahahaha!

Ohohoho!

...

Terribly sorry to spoil all the fun, but does anyone copy?

Yes, this is Rapi. Over.

Good, at least Rapi's decided to acknowledge me.

The density of Alva Particles in the north is very low, so I won't commence the purge sequence.

There shouldn't be any obstacles on the way to the research base, and the route is simple enough.

The problem is the ice and snow.

I'm unable to give you an estimate on just how much of it there is.

So you have to be careful, particularly of the ice.

Well... because...

Because us Nikkes aren't exactly lightweight. There's always the danger of ice breaking underneath our feet.

A sentence no girl should ever have to utter...

Then let's go.

Anis, Neon. Enough with the snowball fight. It's time to...

...

Bullseye!

Nice shot! You didn't use to play baseball by any chance, did you?

Nope, natural-born talent, baby!

... Commander, let's go.

...

Hmph.

Crunch, crunch.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch...

What are you doing?

I like the sound the snow makes when we step on it, so I'm imitating it.

Hey, is this your first time seeing snow?

I've seen artificial snow before, but the real thing is so much different.

How about you, Commander? Is this your first time seeing snow?

How are you feeling?

Right?

That's why I feel like the surface isn't so bad sometimes.

You're no fun, Commander.

Most people born in the Ark will never get to experience this.

Humans living in the past must have been used to all this.

Guess so.

Now they're not so lucky.

That's the reason why we exist.

We're here to help bring them back to those times.

Oooh, that's a good line!

I'm gonna use that the next time someone asks me.

...

Commander. How's your leg?

I'm not surprised, considering it's an exoskeleton courtesy of Elysion.

You should be able to walk with it in a cast without any issues.

Impressive. Why did they cease production?

It was originally made for Nikkes.

Turns out it's more efficient to simply make a new leg than wait for a Nikke's bones to heal up.

... Has technology really advanced so much?

Yes, it's no exaggeration to say that they've taken Nikke production about as far as it can be taken.

Nikkes can be produced on any assembly line with lightning speed and using the bare minimum of materials.

...

...

...

... Umm.

Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything.

It's all right.

We're just relieved

to hear that there are enough substitute materials to go around.

Rapi.

Our com signal seems to be weakening. Anything we should be aware of?

Looks like the snowstorm is really kicking up. Our visibility is short.

I'm picking up a bunker in your vicinity. It should be visible on your map, can you see it?

... No, I can't see it.

Then I'll give you the direction and distance. Start heading northwest.

Got it.

... Commander, are you all right?

Your lips are turning purple. You don't look fine to me.

Neon.

What?

Take off your clothes and snuggle up to the Commander.

...

What?

You need to use your body to get the Commander's temperature up.

It's just that when you put it like that, it sounds a little...

Anis, must you give me a hard time with every little thing? Why can't you just do this simple task?

Forget it, no way Jose.

Why not? It's a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Are you kidding me? How do you expect me to do something like that? How embarrassing!

How would it be any less embarrassing for me?

If you don't want to do it, then just say so! Or is it that you dislike the Commander?

Absolutely not! You're the one who doesn't like them!

As if! I adore the Commander!

...

...

Let's pick up the pace.

We've found the bunker. Heading inside now.

... Shifty, do you copy?

...

Communications are officially cut off.

Commander, let's go inside the bunker and wait out the snowstorm.

Let me check the inside of the bunker first.

Why bother? Look at the size of this entrance. No way any Raptures are getting in through there.

Raptures aren't the only thing we should be worried about.

...

I'll be right back. You all stay put...

... Huh?

...

Raptures spotted up ahead!

... Who are you...?!

Damn! We didn't spot them because of the snowstorm!

Encounter!

Rapture remnant 1!

Everybody get back! It's gonna blow itself up!

Gasp...!

What is that sound? It's deafening!

... Ra-Rapi! Anis!

What is that?!

It's an avalanche!

Everybody get into the bunker! Move!

We can't! It's too far!

Commander!!

What's your name?

Commander? Haha, that's a weird name.

How'd you end up in here?

You're sick? Well yeah, I figured that, since this is a hospital.

I'm sick too. They said it's... I can't remember. Something to do with my brain.

Oh, I haven't even introduced myself.

You can call me...

My Queen,

Is that someone... sleeping over there?

... Huh?

You can't sleep here. Get up.

... Huh?

I can't believe it. They're still alive!

Alice, let's move them out.

Yes, my Queen.

You take that end. I'll get the other.

Um, Alice... you really should be a bit more delicate with them.

That's it. Just grab onto them right there.

No, not there! That's a bit of a... sensitive area.

There we go. All right, let's move.

You're finally awake.

I wouldn't sleep out there again if I were you. You're likely to catch a cold.

You're in the frozen world of the Queen of Hearts.

Alice, start making preparations.

My Queen?

They've discovered this place, too. We have to move quickly.

Yes, ma'am!

You. Tell me your name and who sent you.

Just as I expected.

From now on, you are to serve me.

Tell me, who you do think is at the top of the totem pole? The Queen, or a Commander?

Do you really believe that?

Are you serious?

Do you really think a Commander is higher than the queen?

So it's settled, then. You shall be my servant.

Oh, happy day! Congratulations, my Queen!

We've already talked for too long. Let's get a move on.

I'm sure you have many burning questions.

Allow me to explain.

We are Unlimited.

We are on a quest to defeat the evil Queen of Hearts.

This place was originally full of grass and trees, but then the Queen of Hearts brought about a snowstorm,

and threw the entire land into turmoil.

We are looking for companions

willing to help us bring down the Queen of Hearts and create a wonderful new world!

But who are you? What brings you to such a place?

... Phew.

!!

You... my Queen! At long last, we've found one. Another companion for our quest!

Calm yourself, Alice. I'm the one who brought them here.

You did?

Yes. The time where we finally reclaim this land from the Queen of Hearts's evil clutches is nigh.

Neato!

But I must ask, why did you come here alone?

You came with others?!

Of course! I wouldn't send for just one person to go up against a foe as formidable as the Queen of Hearts.

You truly are wise, my Queen!

But these snowstorms are really throwing a wrench in the works.

The people who came with you, are they human like you?

If they are, then I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for them at this point.

... Oh? They may still be alive then.

Very well. Alice! We're going to search for the servant's teammates.

Yes! My Queen!

The snowstorm seems to have subsided, so we should have no problem finding our bearings.

Let's go.

Hey, one of your legs is different than the other. Pretty cool!

It's an exoskeleton. Have you broken your leg?

You don't say?

You can use that to take down the Queen of Hearts!

But of course, do you think I would recruit any ordinary person?

...

My Queen, could they be the Rabbity?

What makes you think that?

I don't know, I just feel it. I mean, what are the chances of us crossing paths with a human who just happens to possess a legendary weapon?

Well, why don't you just ask them then?

Um, excuse me... are you... the Rabbity?

The Rabbity who is destined to help us topple the Queen of Hearts and take us to the world of Elysium?

!!

Finally! I've been waiting for so long!

Together we'll go to Elysium!

Yes!

There's a bunker up ahead.

You must be tired. You can rest there for a while.

How are you feeling, Rabbity?

They have just come here from another world. I'm sure they are exhausted.

They need to rest.

You're so considerate of others, my Queen.

And don't you forget it!

All right, let's walk for a little longer then.

This place is teeming with Raptures, some of whom are Lords. Stay frosty.

Nice digs. Better than I expected. You should be able to rest here.

Alice, I have something I want to discuss with my servant.

Could you excuse us for a moment?

No problem, I'll see if there are any of the Queen of Hearts's underlings nearby.

Thank you.

...

Not at all. Alice can take care of herself.

Allow me to reintroduce myself.

I'm Ludmilla. My squad goes by the name Unlimited. The girl with me is Alice.

We're responsible for rescuing Nikkes who are lost on the surface and sending them back to the Ark.

You could say we're sort of like pathfinders.

If you ever find yourself lost on the surface, go north. I'm sure you've heard that old chestnut.

Well, that's because north is where you'll find Unlimited.

However, this is the first time we've saved a human.

Anyway, didn't you say you were heading to a research base?

I don't know what your goal is, but that place is a no-go.

That research base now belongs to the Raptures.

That's why we've been reduced to becoming wandering nomads.

No, something different. They've... changed it.

It's been changed into something else entirely.

Why?

That doesn't sound like any ordinary mission a Commander would be overseeing.

Why are you looking for the Pilgrims?

...

Was this friend a Nikke?

So you consider Nikkes to be your friends?

The relationship between a Commander and their Nikkes couldn't be any clearer. Master and slave.

Tell me, do you refer to them as your friends just so you can get more use out of them?

Or are you so arrogant that you actually believe they're honored that you address them in such a way?

...

Seems that you're quite serious about this.

All the information on the Pilgrims is inside the research base.

If you can manage to reunite with your teammates and recapture the research base, you'll find all the answers inside there.

I want to know, just how strong are your teammates?

Good answer!

... There's one more thing.

Alice...

...

Haha. If we were in a movie right now, you'd make for one hell of a good villain!

Alice! Let's go!

Huh... Wh-what? Oh, yes, ma'am!

Guess I woke her up.

My Queen! There's someone up there!

Sure enough. Looks like... two of them.

Are they your teammates?

How's this?

Fine, then. Let's get a little closer.

Master!! Where are you??

Commander!!

If you hear us, please respond!

Commander!!

Master!! We're over here!

... How about now?

...

...

They seem rather... interesting.

My Queen! The Queen of Hearts has sent her men!

Considering that racket those two are making, it'd be a wonder if they didn't come.

Wipe them out.

Yes! My Queen!

Master!

Commander!

I can't believe my eyes! I thought you must have been frozen to death!

We dug up all the snow we could.

No, we're glad YOU are okay.

She...

Rapi is dead.

She couldn't outrun the avalanche...

Don't mind her, Commander, I'm fine.

Bah...

I'm sorry. If I had reacted more quickly...

Thank you.

You're really something, Master. You survived an avalanche!

I knew I was right about you!

...

...

... Who are they?

We're Unlimited. So you're the teammates we've heard so much about.

We'll save the introductions for later. Right now, we've got to keep moving.

Those creatures will be on top of us any minute now, thanks to all that noise.

What noise? What could make so much noise in a place like this?

Neon... try and use your brain for one second.

Who do you think, you doofus?

I have to say, your teammates are quite the cast of characters!

... I see what's going on here.

We're going to take back the research base, right?

Are we going to have to sneak in again?

If we are, I suggest you go ahead of me this time around, Commander.

It won't be that easy. That place is sealed up tight. Nothing gets in or out without them knowing about it.

You're sure there's information about the Pilgrims inside, right?

Absolutely.

Let's do it then.

Are you the Rabbity's teammates?

... The Rabbity?

Yes, my Queen's servant! The one who will help take me to Elysium.

No, we're the Commander's subordi...

...

Why... Yes, yes, we are the Rabbity's teammates.

Wow! So does that mean you've got legendary weapons as well?

Yes... of course we do.

What are they? What are they? Let me have a look!

...

...

!

Mine is my eye.

It can shoot a light beam that torches everything it comes into contact with!

Wow!

Mine is this pair of gloves.

One punch while I'm wearing these, and my opponent is down for the count.

Neato!

What about you? What is your legendary weapon?

... I...

Rapi's legendary weapon was sealed because it is too powerful.

Holy macaroni! Really?

Yes, it's been sealed away in a chest.

And only the Com... the Rabbity can break the seal.

Please show me!

As you're well aware, Rabbity,

you can release the seal by undoing some of Rapi's buttons.

...

... If-if I break the seal now, this entire area will be reduced to ash.

Such is the almighty power of this legendary weapon.

Sweet mamma jamma, that's one heck of a weapon!

... Yes. So we must use it sparingly.

Got it! Wow, so all you guys are super powerful.

*Sigh*

Yes, I'm afraid it cannot be broken here.

Oh, so you're saying we can do it somewhere else?

...

Th-the seal can only be broken once a day.

So we can't do it now.

Oh, I see! That's one heck of a weapon!

... That's right.

Heh heh...

Ha ha ha ha.

See that building off in the distance?

That's the research base.

Looks more like a fortress to me.

That's because it was originally designed with its own self-defense system.

Until recently, it had never been invaded by the enemy due to how many armed guards they had protecting it.

Now that it's fallen into enemy hands, all of that artillery is pointed straight at us.

How did it happen? Do you know?

It all started with a glitch. This is a fairly old facility, and they didn't keep their equipment up to date.

Whenever there was a small fault in the system, they'd overlook it. But before you know it, things started to pile up.

By the time people realized, most of the center had already fallen to the enemy.

Was it hacked?

Most likely. There was no sign of any intrusion from the outside.

Do Raptures know about hacking?

It wouldn't surprise me if they could. After all, they can apparently talk now, remember?

... Anis.

... Whoopsie.

It's okay. I'll just pretend I didn't hear that.

... Thank you.

... Thanks.

Anis is right. There are indeed unique individuals like Chatterbox.

However, hacking is a quintessentially human technology.

I can't imagine Raptures wrapping their minds around such a thing.

I'm positive.

I believe they targeted the research base

so that they could gather information on the Pilgrims.

Although the objective of this operation remains unchanged, this is something you should keep in mind.

This may sound crazy, but this is my first time going up against an entire building full of enemies.

I can't wait.

Time to see just how strong my firepower is.

If I can destroy that building,

I might as well be invincible!

Although it'd be a bit of a shame reaching the top of the mountain, as it were.

What is she talking about?

Ludmilla, does this place have any weak points?

Despite my stature as a noble Queen, I've never been in this kind of situation before.

... So do we just waltz right in?

There are some joints that support the external frames. If we destroy those, the entire building should fall like a house of cards.

Okay, let's give it a shot then.

Is that the Queen of Hearts?

No, Alice. That's just one of her men.

The real Queen of Hearts is stronger.

Okay. I'm not afraid of her!

Not with all these legendary weapons we're packing!

You got that right.

Then let's do this.

Encounter.

Status: Inoperable.

So we brought this baby down to the ground after all. It's official. I simply can't get any better than this.

Master.

I'm going to become a teacher.

I've reached the pinnacle. There's nowhere else to go at this point.

!!

Now we're talking!

I shouldn't be so full of myself! Gotta keep my nose to the grindstone!

Yes!

... This won't move again, will it?

Guess not.

I'm more worried about what's inside it.

How about we take a peek?

Let's do it.

I just hope the records are still intact.

My Queen, have we found our way back home?

Yes, Alice. Thanks to the help of my servant and their companions.

It's all thanks to them.

Wowww! You are the best, my Queen!

Permission to enter, Commander.

Yes, Commander.