Chapter Text
Ranko walked down the parking garage of the Creature Moe building to meet the unknown man who spoke to her on the phone. She was anticipating whatever was going to happen to her and was prepared to fight anyone who attempted to kidnap her. The veteran maid stopped and spotted the man who was standing next to her black 2nd-generation Honda CR-X.
It was Morgan Everett. Not Bob, nor Oddjob.
Morgan had a choice. To avoid having to go back into the cryopod and suffer while being trapped in there, he would have had to take orders from Bob, and that was heading to Akihabara to meet Ranko face to face, and he obliged, and his obliging was on purpose. Bob's former mentor intended to take advantage of the order behind Bob's back, which was an idea Morgan had in mind.
While the veteran maid stayed cautious, she felt her concealed Smith & Wesson Model 10 in her holster while standing in front of her car.
"Who are you?" Ranko questioned him while she felt suspicious. "And who sent you?"
"I can't reveal the identity of the individual who ordered me to travel here to meet you, but my name is Morgan Everett." He answered.
Ranko blinked her eyes as she slightly let out a gasp. "Morgan Everett? You were a member of the Illuminati, weren't you? News sources say you were killed in the United States, inside a home that was invaded."
"Yes, that was true, but the public wasn't informed that a decoy of me was killed," Morgan told her. "We can't talk here much longer; we must get going. We'll be leaving Japan."
"Leaving Japan?" Ranko said as she placed her hands on her hips, giving Morgan a serious look. "What the hell is this? Am I being arrested?"
"No, Ms. Mannen." Morgan reassured her. "I can't reveal too much."
"Then get out of my way," Ranko demanded as she stepped towards the driver's side of her car. "You're wasting my time, and I have a life to focus on."
"Please, listen to me." Morgan stopped her. "You must travel with me to our destination, because this involves a female you had a history with."
Ranko's glare formed at Morgan as she pulled out her Model 10 revolver and aimed it at him. "Did Uzuko send you here? Did she escape the prison she was sent to decades ago, and hire you to kill me?"
"Put the gun down, Ms. Mannen," Morgan told her nonchalantly. "Uzuko Minagawa isn't plotting anything against you, I can assure you."
Ranko slightly widened her eyes as she felt surprised that Morgan had said Nagi's real name. "How do you know her full real name?"
"The Illuminati had files on her, one being the queenpin of Akihabara, then losing her position in Creatureland Group, and disappearing. Sources say she was presumed dead, but recently, we, my superior and I, were able to find out where she's located." Morgan explained.
Ranko was astonished by this. She never thought that the Illuminati had documents about Nagi, and finding out where she was located.
Ranko looked at him as she pulled the barrel of her revolver. "Okay, I'll bite. This is to test your honesty. Where is Uzuko located?"
"Finland," Morgan answered. "Inside a private prison facility, and it's being raided as we speak."
"Bullshit," Ranko replied as she kept her defensive glare on her face. "If Uzuko is going to be involved in this, then kill her. You cannot trust someone like her."
"My superior suggests we should free Nagi from that prison you sent her to," Morgan told her.
"To do what? Kill me?" Ranko questioned.
"No, to make her see what the future will look like, coming soon," Morgan answered, keeping some things hidden.
Ranko lowered her gun and began to process this entire conversation that was completely unexpected. She didn't know what was going to happen to Nagi, not that she cared; that grudge was still there. But she couldn't stop herself from wondering if her former sworn sister was in danger.
"I need to know all of the details, Morgan Everett," Ranko told him as she looked at him. "Otherwise, get lost."
Morgan breathed as he wished this conversation wouldn't reveal too much, but he knew he had no choice, and he knew to keep this part of the conversation behind Bob's back.
"Robert Page." He said Bob's name to the veteran maid. "Have you heard of him?"
"Yes, that's a very familiar name." Ranko nodded. "He was also a member of the Illuminati, then exposed them, and faked his death, then was killed last month in Brazil after the public believed he was truly deceased last year."
"He's still alive, but that's a conversation for another time," Morgan responded. "But in short, Bob created a clone of himself before the invasion of his hideout in the Atlantic Ocean, then stayed hidden during the attack, and his clone was killed, but then was rescued from his death because of time travel. That's all you need to know."
"No, there's more to tell," Ranko remarked. "What does Robert, or Bob, want with Uzuko exactly?"
"Bob has some abnormal ideas, violent, abnormal ideas," Morgan told her. "He never gave me the full details, so I cannot give you answers, but again, Bob wants Nagi to witness the future that will begin eventually. But don't think about asking him about Nagi, because he'll believe I revealed too much info to you, and that's not a good ending to have. Now, please, Ms. Mannen, follow me to the limo outside. People are expecting us."
"And if I refuse?"
"Nagomi Wahira's life is on the line. There are people outside the building where Oinky Doink is located posing as foreign bystanders and will eliminate Nagomi and any witnesses."
Ranko widened her eyes as she gasped. Hearing Nagomi's name made her grit her teeth in front of Bob's former mentor. To learn that the maid she became close friends with had people plotting to kill her made her sick.
"You bastard!" She said to Morgan as she restrained herself from escalating her rage. "If you or Robert touch Nagomi, I'll kill you both slowly! She needs to be left out of this!"
"I'm not going to lay a finger on a woman who's bound to a wheelchair after getting severely shot by the former Wuv-Wuv Moonbeam maid, who was later killed moments after that," Morgan told her in response.
"You don't need to give me a history lesson on what happened that year," Ranko told him. She later sighed. "Fine, let's go. But I need to know if Nagomi is doing okay. You cannot allow Robert or anyone to kill her, including her friends."
"I can't make any promises because Bob is determined to get people killed, no matter what the circumstances are," Morgan warned her. He then swallowed. "He's a monster that I created."
Inside a building that was formerly a rundown building, now renovated in a respectful, meaningful, and practical manner. Originally, the entire building wasn't clean and functional, and concerns grew as customers who took an elevator that led to a hall where Oinky Doink was located were cautious of how the elevator functioned and were scared that the elevator would break and fall violently to the surface.
Sure, Ranko could've relocated the maid cafe to a different spot in Akiba, but she believed that this particular spot was where it all started for her and Nagomi. She didn't want to erase all of that, and she didn't want Nagomi to be erased from life altogether.
Ranko stepped out of the elevator and found the entrance of Oinky Doink down the hall. Her eyes noticed the closed sign on the door, and she deeply exhaled as she closed her eyes. She knew time was limited and didn't want to make a mistake while talking to the one maid she cared for deeply, and that was Nagomi Wahira. She knew she was inside there, she hoped.
She entered the cafe and saw no customers inside, except for a few people: Nagomi, who was sitting in her wheelchair, and the Ace Maid Trio. Ranko was relieved to see them all, her sworn sisters.
The group of four maids saw her and smiled as they were happy to see her.
Nagomi said her name first. "Ranko!" She smiled.
"How's it going?" Cat asked her.
"Got anything planned for us, Ranko?" Bear looked at her.
"We're planning to throw a birthday party for Nagomi's employee." Cow told her. "Wanna be there?"
"Thanks, but I can't," Ranko told her and the rest. "I'm going out of town for a while."
The group of four flinched at what she said as they were surprised. Nagomi was the first to respond. "Out of town? Why?"
"I need to cool my head off." Ranko lied. "I felt stressed out while I was in my office, and today has been one of those days."
"Normally, you're the calm and collected type of maid," Cat remarked.
"Something doesn't add up." Cow believed. "Is someone bothering you? Do they need a violent hoofprint?"
"No, Miyu." Ranko shook her head. "No one needs a violent hoofprint. I'm letting your four to take charge while I'm away, and don't worry, everything will be fine."
"Ranko," Nagomi said her name as she rolled her wheelchair towards her. "What's going on? You're not sick, are you?"
"No, I'm fine, Nagomi," Ranko reassured her. "I have not been diagnosed with anything, no cancer, tumors, nothing. I'm still the physically healthy maid. I just need a break. That's all."
"Okay." Nagomi nodded as she held Ranko's hand. "Be safe, Ranko. I love you."
"I love you too, Nagomi." Ranko held her hand. She almost broke down crying, but knew she needed to restrain herself from crying.
The Bear Ace Maid stepped forward. "You're seriously gonna go alone? You should let me, Satsumi, or Miyu come with you, just so you can have someone to talk to."
Satsumi was the Cat Ace Maid's real name, while the Bear Ace Maid's real name was Shino.
"Thank you, Shino, I appreciate that, but I must go alone for this," Ranko replied. "Don't worry about me. And nothing tragic is going to happen. I can guarantee that you will not hear news about me committing suicide. And I'll be back as the Ranko Mannen, you know." She bowed to them to say her last words to them before she left Japan. "Take care, all of you."
"We'll miss you." Cow told her. "All of us will."
"Me too," Ranko responded. She turned her body around and left the Oinky Doink Maid Cafe.
After she left, the four maids were stunned at what had just happened, as they all felt worried about what was going on with Ranko.
While riding inside a black limo, Ranko made no eye contact with Morgan, who sat next to her, since her eyes stared at the buildings the limo drove by, including maids and regular people walking.
Morgan looked at her as he spoke. "I promise, Ms. Mannen. Nagomi Wahira will be safe from harm.'
"For your sake, Everett," Ranko replied. She gave a serious, intimidating expression to Morgan. "She'd better be safe. She and other maids who were with her were getting concerned when I told them I'll be leaving town to cool my head off for a while."
"They'll believe there's nothing to be concerned about." Morgan believed.
"How do you know that?" Ranko looked at him. "Don't be surprised when they get obsessed with finding out what's going on with me."
"I won't be, but I know they won't go that far in getting involved with something that could put them in lethal danger," Morgan replied. "God forbid for that to happen because of Bob."
The limo ride continued in silence and drove down a street. What the people inside the limo didn't know was that someone was hidden behind it as it was driving by.
That someone was Cat Ace Maid Satsumi. She volunteered to follow Ranko to see what she was up to. She witnessed her entering the limo and riding inside it. This was a huge shock to her as he assumed Ranko travelled to the maid cafe in her Honda CR-X during the night, not a limo. And she knew Ranko didn't need a driver to take her to places, and knew she would travel on foot to the cafe during the day.
She looked at her phone to watch the footage she filmed and was suspicious. "This doesn't make any sense. Is she in trouble?" She said to herself quietly.
The ace maid knew she wouldn't get any answers right now. The next thing she did was to head back to Oinky Doink and have the maids watch the footage she filmed.
Back inside the maid cafe, Nagomi was perplexed and stunned after she saw the footage of Ranko entering the black limo and driving away while inside it. She knew Ranko wouldn't keep secrets from her or anyone.
"This doesn't make any sense!" Nagomi said in worry. "Ranko...she's not someone who keeps secrets from us!"
"I guess we'll never find out who was in that limo with her until we speak to her, if that ever happens," Bear replied as she crossed her arms.
"It'll happen." Cow believed as she nodded. "Besides, we all know who Ranko is, and she's never a liar. If someone in that limo hurts her, all of us will give them a hoofprint."
"No doubt about that." Cat agreed as she nodded. "If she doesn't come back in like a day or so, we should spread missing posters of her. Because none of this is making any sense."
"You're right." Nagomi nodded as she frowned while thinking about Ranko. "It doesn't."
Finland
Inside the snowy mountains of Finland, with a gray sky above, was the private Phantom prison facility where many criminals and others who committed the most unforgivable sins were held for years. Just like what Nagi had committed.
The former ruthless maid sat in her cell room on the bed and hugged her knees. She couldn't believe she had been held up for 27 years now. During that moment of getting sent away from Japan, she wasn't too surprised when Ranko found out about her being the mastermind of Michiyo's assassination. She knew someone told her. And that someone was Okachimachi. That was the only maid now mascot she suspected since she hired her to kill the mentor.
Nagi made no wishes for Okachimachi to die. She did, however, hire a hitman to kill her because she was a loose end, but the former rival maid ended up killing the hitman and lay low for a while, thus causing her to hide her identity inside a panda outfit, and working for Oinky Doink sometime later.
Nagi felt remorse for everything since the day she was held here. She never forgot that day of her having a panic attack and getting sedated by the soldiers who escorted her out of the Creatureland building.
FLASHBACK
Akihabara
1999
As Nagi faced her ultimate defeat while getting escorted out of her former building in Akihabara, she and the Phantom soldiers were outside the building and walking towards a military van.
Panic and anxiety were building up in her as Nagi moved towards the van. As she got inside, her body was placed on the seat, then the doors closed. Inside the van with her were armed Phantom soldiers, sitting next to and across from her.
The van started to move and drive down the street in the night, Akiba. Nagi breathed, then again, and again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again
"NOOOOO!" Nagi screamed out. She started to have a panic attack after she breathed rapidly. "No, I don't want to go! I don't want to get sent away to some foreign shit hole!"
"Ma'am, settle down!" A soldier told her.
"NO I WANNA GET OUT OF HERE!!!" Nagi shouted at the top of her lungs. Tears were released, and she was breaking down. "PLEASE! Please...don't send me to this prison...I'm begging you!"
"You're expected to arrive there." A soldier replied to her. "Those are the orders we're following."
"I can..." Nagi sniffed. "I can pay you all quadruple the amount that Ranko paid you all for....please let me see her and beg for mercy....." She couldn't release any more words since her emotional breakdown was too strong for her. But she was able to say a few words. "...I don't....I don't want to die....alone......"
She continued to cry, then cried herself to sleep, because a soldier sedated her to calm her down.
Ranko... That name gave Nagi memories of viewing her as a sworn sister and became close to her since she never had a sibling in her life. Nagi never grew up with her parents and lived her life in an orphanage as a child, until a woman named Michiyo, who was a maid, took her under her wing, and motivated Nagi to become a maid like her and succeed her.
Michiyo had a violent personality and would use it in certain situations during the 1960s, but sometime later, she started to change. She started to get less violent and become a pacifist, and this started when Ranko appeared and met Nagi.
Nagi and Ranko bonded and became close like they were sisters, but then everything changed. In 1985, Michiyo was killed. Nagi felt betrayed when Michiyo's stance on violence changed and blamed Ranko for it. To ruin the latter's life, instead of killing her too, she framed Ranko for the murder of their mentor.
Ranko served time in prison until 1999, and after that, her personality changed to what it is now.
While having a moment of reflection throughout the years of being locked up in Finland in the private prison facility, controlled by Phantom, she started to feel regret, regret for murdering Michiyo and framing Ranko. This started years ago when she started to have nightmares about it and voices of Michyo and Ranko that spoke to her in her head, causing her to have an emotional breakdown.
She also felt regret for killing anyone who was in her way, and believed that in an alternate universe, she wouldn't be locked up in a European country far from her home country, and would've been a close sister to Ranko in her alternate universe life.
Moments later, Nagi started to hear the alarms go off outside of her cell, including gunshots, loud footsteps, and yelling.
A loud male voice came from a Phantom soldier. "Go, go, go!"
Outside of the cell were Phantom soldiers, who were wielding Heckler & Koch XM8 assault rifles and ran down the hall as the alarms went off. They were dressed differently than they were before in 1999. They were now wearing dark blue, futuristic, armored outfits.
"We have hostile intruders inside the facility! Kill them on sight!" A voice said on the Phantom soldiers' headsets.
Nagi slowly got off her bed and moved to the cell door. She heard more gunshots, then screaming and yelling. This started to spook her. Footsteps came closer to Nagi's door, which made her go against the wall and slide down. She believed this was going to be the final moment of her life. Whoever it was at her cell door, and was there to kill her, she would let them do it quickly.
"This is the one!" A male voice said to someone.
"I'll go in, you all stay." A male voice replied.
Nagi blinked her eyes as chills ran down her spine, making her swallow and pant. This gave her flashbacks of Ranko kicking the double doors down in her office and entering with the soldiers she hired.
KICK!
The cell door kicked open violently, which made Nagi flinch. Her eyes saw the man who kicked the door open.
She saw the bowler hat man.
Oddjob.
Oddjob saw her and approached her. "Nagi, or Uzuko?"
Nagi trembled in fear. "Y-yes." She gulped. "That's me. Who are you?"
"You're coming with us," Oddjob replied, not answering the question. He forcefully grabbed Nagi and held her with a firm grip as the two exited the cell.
While walking down the corridor, soldiers from behind who were wielding Heckler & Koch G11s followed them. The soldiers worked for Bob and were dressed in black armored outfits with black helmets/gas masks with red eyes. Nagi saw them, but her head was forcefully turned away from them by Oddjob.
"Don't look at them!" He told her. "Look forward!"
"W-where are you guys taking me?" Nagi asked them in fear. "Did Ranko Mannen send you all here? I suffered enough! Just kill me already!"
No reply from any of the people with her was received since she was ignored. She saw the corpses of the Phantom soldiers and their dropped XM8s.
Nagi witnessed Bob's soldiers killing the inmates. "Why are they killing other inmates?"
"Orders are orders," Oddjob answered. "No more questions."
They were outside the cave and were now on a bridge. In front of them were helicopters that were on helipads. Oddjob approached one of them and placed handcuffs on Nagi and forced her into the helicopter.
On the helicopter were soldiers who restrained Nagi from escaping and forced her to sit as they tied her up.
Oddjob looked at Bob's soldiers. "Keep her restrained. If she escapes, hunt her down and execute her when necessary."
"Yes, sir!" A soldier obliged as he nodded.
And with that, the soldier closed the helicopter door, and the helicopter flew away.
While riding on the helicopter, Nagi didn't know what was going to happen next. But she was going to learn that the world, not just Akihabara, had changed while she was held as a prisoner for 27 years.