"Minato? Wake up! Are you up?"
Minato's eyes opened slowly. He could see a girl he didn't know looking down at him with concern. Wait, no. He did know this girl... sort of. She lived in the same dorm as he did. Her name was... Aigis, right? Why was he here though? And why she here with him.
He looked her up and down, dressed in a light blue sundress and with bright blonde hair that stood out so much he wondered why he hadn't noticed her more.
She was really pretty, Minato realized, and briefly wondered why he hadn't noticed her more. He groggily moved to sit up... except he was firmly tied to the bed he was in. He looked around at where he was, and it wasn't his room. The bed he was on was a medical bed and the entire place looked like some sort of bunker or science lab, the kind of thing he used to see on shows like Kamen Rider or Featherman.
"Aigis? Your name is Aigis, right?" Minato said, grogginess subsiding and panic setting in. "Where am I? What's going on?"
"Affirmative." Minato had never heard Aigis speak much, so the stilted way she spoke took him off guard. She sounded mechanical, but behind that there was a steely determination. "We are in one of the S.E.E.S. emergency underground labs. It is a mile beneath the surface to ensure protection in case of an... apocalyptic catastrophe. I'm working on finding an antidote to apathy syndrome and hopefully a way to counteract the coming catastrophe."
"Shadows? S.E.E.S.? Aigis, what are you talking about? You're not making any sense! Please let me out of this."
"I can't do that, Minato-san." Aigis replied. "You have to stay here. The experiment needs to run, and if I remove your restraints I know tha you will once again- that you will attempt to escape, and you are needed here. I think if you understood the gravity, you would understand why... you did once, after all."
"You're not making any sense Aigis. What's going on?" Minato was pushing against the restraints as hard as he could in attempt to escape. "Please!"
There was a pause as Aigis seemed to stop moving for a moment, then she responded, her voice sounding more cold and mechanical than before. "Minato-san, please stop struggling. You will only succeed in harming yourself. I need a healthy subject to combat the apathy syndrome."
"What the hell is the apathy syndrome?!" Minato said, anger replacing panic. "Why do you need me?"
Aigis, turned around to look at Minato, anger in her face. Minato was surprised at the way Aigis was looking at her. She had never looked at him that way before.
Not that she had looked at him much before... right?
"If I show you what I am trying to do, will you cooperate?" Aigis asked and her firm face wobbled. "Promise me that you won't run away from m- from the lab again."
This was ridiculous Minato thought, but it was the only way to get out of these chains. Minato thought of making a break for it, but he knew somewhere inside that he wouldn't be able to escape from her, and then getting out would be that much more difficult.
"All right." he agreed. "I won't run."
Aigis nodded and came over as she gently unshackled Minato, taking special care not to bruise him or cause him discomfort.
"Do you need help getting up?" she asked, not unkindly.
"I've got it." Minato said, deliberately not making eye contact with his kidnapper.
"Oh, I see." Aigis said. "Come with me. I'll explain it as we walk." and Aigis led her down the hall of the lab.
"Apathy syndrome is... an anomaly of some sort... neurological I think. Its name is self-explanatory, the victim is stricken with complete ennui to the point where it is a stuggle even to perform basic functions. It is also a harbinger of an -as they say- apocalypse."
"And you've been trying to stop this disease?"
"Not at first. At first, I tried to respect your wishes." she explained. "I would abide by the world you decided to create, but after what's just happened I could not stand by and let it happen idly."
It was then that Minato decided to stop walking. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "My wishes? World I created?"
"You don't remember of course. That was part of the agreement." Somehow, that stoic, placid voice sounded like it was about to cry. "But yes. What's happened is your fault. Please come on." She started walking again.
"Are you saying my memory was erased?" Minato said. "Why? And how?"
"Affirmative. I had hoped that you would notice by yourself. Times when you felt ill for no real reason, friendships that you aren't quite certain how had been formed. I had hoped dearly, but every time that it looked like reality might have cracked through the fog, you reverted. I will not lie. It was quite difficult to watch."
They came to the end of the hall to a door that said 'Patients 001 and 002' on the front of the door.
"Admittedly, this was harder." she said, as she opened the door.
Minato went inside, wondering what he would see.
It was Junpei and Yukari. They were both sitting in their beds, leaned against the wall, mouths agape as they stared into space.
Two of the most recent victims of the apathy syndrome.
Minato turned to Aigis and grabbed her by her dress. "What did you do to them?!"
"This is apathy syndrome." Aigis said. "This is what I'm trying to save the world from, after your choices."
"You're insane!" Minato said through gritted teeth. "I don't know what sick thrills you get out of-"
"I'm insane?!" Aigis shrieked, barely a hint of the mechanical deadpan voice left. "I'm not the one who ran away! I'm not the one who decided to let the world die! I'm not the one-" Aigis paused, her knees wobbled and tears began to flow. "I-I'm not the one who left you!"
It made no sense what she was saying, but even so Minato let go of her and couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. What she said made no sense at all.
So why did it hurt so much to hear her say that.
Aigis was on her hands and knees, sobbing. "We had come to a decision... as a team. As friends. We were going fight as a team. We would live or die together. We would always be there for you, Minato. I would always be there for you."
Minato didn't know why, but he found himself kneeling down and wrapping his arms around Aigis. At that moment he knew Aigis was not just some insane kidnapper, and Aigis had not hurt anyone. He knew Aigis needed someone. Needed him.
"I'm sorry. I don't really know what for but I'm sorry."
Aigis looked up at Minato for a moment, eyes wide, before tackling him to the ground. She lay there sobbing in his chest.
"Minato... I-I've missed you so much. I was alone again, I had no one else. I-I was alone again, but it hurt so much more this time. It was so frightening. A world alone. I won't let it take you Minato. I swear I won't!"
Minato nodded. This entire situation was just too surreal... too emotionally draining. He looked up at Aigis, who was much heavier than she looked like she would be, but he moved to stand up and Aigis recognized the body language and stood up himself.
"That dress..." Minato said, getting up. "It looks... familiar."
"So you remember?" Aigis asked, unable to hide the hope in her voice.
"Not really." Minato said. "But you're right. There's just... too many holes for things to make sense. The more I try to remember things. The more I realize it's a blur, and too much is missing."
"That is good to hear." Aigis said. "Perhaps I should have kidnapped you earlier to save ourselves time."
Minato was a very quiet.
"That was a joke, Minato..."Aigis said. "Though clearly not a humorous one..."
That was when klaxxons began to blare around the base.
"What's going on?" was Minato's first question. "What's that noise."
"We've been breached!" Aigis said. "But who would be coming here? Why would anybody want-" then she realized, the Kirijo group!
Ikutsuki probably still had people left over who had the same agenda as him. They had realized she had gone rogue and wanted to get rid of the last loose end.
That's when a voice was heard over the speakes. "Seventh Generation Shadow Suppression Unti Aigis! This is the heiress to Kirijo Company, Mitsuru Kirijo! You have been infected with corrupted data that has made your A.I. go rogue. Stand down and you shall be repaired and repurposed for peaceful means. Honestly, a robot army to recreate Japan's military. I don't know what my father was thinking. Resist and you shall be terminated. The base is being stormed by military trained Kirijo mercenaries that have all been briefed on your abilities. Escape is not an option. You have two minutes to comply."
Minato was now looking at Aigis suspiciously. Fear gripped Aigis' heart as those words course through her mind again. You're insane. Minato still didn't fully trust her and now he would run away again, and be lost to her once more. Worse, he was hearing it from Mitsuru of all people... Mitsuru, the woman she would have loved to call her sister was now leading the last remnants of Kirijo, duped by Ikutsuki's pawns into ensuring the world was destroyed.
That's when Minato took her hand. "What do we do, Aigis?"
Aigis looked from the hand holding hers to Minato's face repeatedly. "Y-you stil believe me?"
"Like you said, more and more things aren't making sense!" Minato said. "Straight-laced student council Mitsuru leading a mercenary team? A military force made up of robots? It just doesn't add up, and besides..."
"Besides...?" Aigis asked.
"Besides, you still need to explain to me why that dress is familiar." Minato said.
Aigis smiled, fear and relief simultaneously taking over her. "I do not wish to confront Mitsuru-san. I think we should go and attempt to reason with her. It worked for you, hopefully lightning can strike twice, as they say."
Minato nodded and followed her down the hall, back to where he had been lying.
There stood Mitsuru, dressed in combat gear with ten men standing, kalishnikovs drawn.
"Minato? What are you doing here?" Mitsuru asked.
"Aigis brought me here." Minato answered. "She says you're being tricked!"
"Tricked?" Mitsuru said. "Minato, listen to yourself! I've read the briefing! She's a war machine! She exists for destruction and deception!"
"That's a lie!" Aigis yelled suddenly. "I was built to have a personality! To have feelings! We've worked together before, Mitsuru. You've seen it. Remember? Those nights we worked together? I know you still have those memories somewhere! Look to those nights you cannot recall? Those little things that don't make sense!"
Mitsuru's eyes grew wider, and her queenly poise slackened. The truth of the words was sinking into her too.
"Don't listen to it, Kirijo-san!" one of the soldiers barked. "It's built to get into your head. To strike at vulnerabilities."
"Y-yes, of course." Mitsuru said, steadying her voice. "Aigis, comply now!"
"None of this makes sense to you, does it, Mitsuru-san?" Aigis continued, ignoring the commands. "Think about it, please! Do you think your father was the kind of man who would contract for a military? Was he a man who would profit off of death?"
One of Ikutsuki's cronies wasn't taking any chances. "Enough!" he cried, raising his gun to fire at Aigis.
"No!" Minato cried, diving at Aigis and shielding her with his body.
"Minato, don't! I can-" her words were struck short as the thunderous sound of bullets came and a dozen pieces of lead piercing the sound barrier flew through Minato.
"Oh my god, Minato!" Mitsuru said, hands held over her mouth.
Aigis said nothing. She simply stared at the dying body of Minato. He didn't look sad or afraid. Aigis looked into his eyes. They were the eyes of someone who was thankful that they could protect someone important to them. Aigis would never know if Minato remembered now, but he didn't remember in time.
Idiot. She could have dodged those bullets easily. If only she had told him what she was, if only he had known what she was capable of.
If only he had remembered.
Finally, Aigis pulled out the strength to say three words she hadn't said in a long time.
"Entering Orgia Mode."
"Kirijo-san! Please stand back! It is becoming volatile!" Mitsuru complied, she might have been doubting what these people were saying, but still realizing the prudence of leaving the battlefield.
The men raised their guns. It didn't matter. She had faced more difficult creatures than them nightly. It had been awhile, but it didn't matter, she danced between the hail of bullets and served her own, along with some of hellfire fo good measure.
Three men went down easily, either from being too inexperienced or two cocky or both. Aigis didn't care. She just wanted them all dead. She dove away from the fire of another and responeded with a bullet that sheared off his jaw. The soldier spent a good deal of time flailing around trying to scream without a lower jaw before he died of blood loss. As she dodged from fire from one of the soliders, another tried to come from behind and shoot her point black. Aigis provided a quick roundhouse kick and turned around to shoot him point blank. She then jumped up into the air and set the man who had firing at her aflame while he was reloading.
Three left.
"Bring in the prototype! Now!" One of the men shouted. It was the one who had killed Minato.
"But sir! We don't know what it will do!"
"Well, we know what what that damned machine is going to-" he was cut off by a bullet through the throat. Aigis didn't bother to deliver another shot. He could die slowly.
That was all the incentive the other soldier needed. "Deploy the prototype! Now!" He died a moment later.
That was when Aigis heard someone coming, sounding like they were propelled by rockets and she had barely any time to duck from a blade that was coming for her.
Aigis quickly turned to see what was coming after her as the flying thing landed on the ground. It looked like a girl, like her. It had long silver hair, and carried a large battle axe. Prototype. So this was one of Aigis' successors. The most noticable difference was that half of its face had been torn off to reveal circuitry, wires, and chips. Aigis mouth twisted.
It had been lobotomized.
"Destroy the rogue bot!" cried the last remaining soldier. The voice was heard from far away. Clearly, it had decided discretion was the better part of fighting Shadow Suppression Units.
"Understood." the other robot had said. How odd, a kansai accent.
Aigis did not have the time to think further as her predeccesor charged forward, swinging her axe once again.
Aigis strained to dodged, but the axe caught her leg, a show of circuitry and sparks coming out. Orgia mode was spent. Aigis' body was slow and sluggish now. She scrambled away, activating her jets and running down the hall away from the other robot.
"Coward." It spat emotionlessly.
Aigis simply continued fleeing sluggishly. Her rockets were meant for hovering, not for high speeds. The other robot was catching up but fortunately did not know the layout of the area.
Finally she came to the motherboards of the computer. Large monoliths to hide from her eyes and all the electricity around the area would confuse her sensors.
"Hiding is simply delayin' the inevitable." the other robot said.
Aigis didn't respond. Fortunately, its ability to goad was hindered by its lack of autonomy. Aigis reached down for one of the many cables connecting the computers, and switched from her guns to her utility knife and slashed one open. The lights across the place dimmed.
"Foolish choice." the robot said. "With fewer electricity my scanners can find ya more easily. Ah. There y'are."
The other robot looked at Aigis, standing precariously and charged at it. To the robot's surprise, Aigis charged as well, wielding not a knife or gun, but that cable she ripped loose.
And as she felt the axe bite ino her arm, chopping it off, the other arm lodged the cable into the robot's mouth.
Sparks flew and the robot spasmed repeatedly. The circuitry on the robotic side of its face burned, popped, and exploded until she fell to the ground.
Aigis let herself fall as as well, staring at the other robot. Aigis' damage was severe but not life threatening. She just needed to recharge.
That was when the other robot began to move again. It arms jerked and twisted as it reached for the cable and forced it out. Then the robot looked at her.
"I-I'm so sorry." it said. "I didn't want to! I didn't wanna hurt anybody nomore, but they got inta my head! I couldn't stop them! I didn't wanna to fight any a' you. I'm so sorry."
"It's alright." Aigis said, and she meant it. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. You're my predecessor aren't you? My 'big sister' as it were?"
"Yeah, I guess I am." Labrys said slowly. "I can't believe it. One a' yous actually got out. You don't know how happy that makes me. I'm Labrys."
"It's nice to meet you, Labrys..." Aigis said, tears flowing yet again as she saw Labrys' eyes fade away. "Sister..."
Aigis just lay there, despair taking hold of her. She wished she were susceptible to the apathy syndrome. She wouldn't have to feel like this anymore. In less than half-an-hour, losing the man she loved and losing a sister she never knew she had. Her sundress was ripped to shredds from bullet holes and axe swings.
And now Minato would never remember where he had first seen it.
She just lay there, waiting for the recharge she didn't want to happen to come. To rebuild herself and continue her research. To do what needed to be done.
That was when she heard footsteps. She turned her head to see the final of the men, gun in hand walking towards her slowly.
"Robot bitch." It snarled. "You put up a hell of a fight, even took out one of our best weapons. Still, last loose end tied up. Time to take you out. Time to end this nightmare."
"I agree." came a voice as a rapier went through the man's chest. The man looked down at the rapier briefly as it slid back out. He fell to the floor, revealing Mitsuru behind him, a contorted look of rage on her face. She began jamming the rapier in him repeatedly.
"Lie to me!" she screamed between jabs. "Stain my father's name! Murder my friend! And use me to do it!" Tears were flowing down her face too as she turned to Aigis.
"I remember it. I remember everything, Aigis." Mitsuru said, as Aigis finally had recharged enough to at least stand up. "Can you ever forgive me Aigis. Can you? I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt Minato."
Aigis looked at Mitsuru, a dead look on her face. "I don't know." Aigis picked up her torn-off arm and she walked away.
If Minato could do it before, why couldn't she?