Picking back up from where StrikerStanding692 left off in Chapter 2….
Chapter 3: Memories We Left Behind
Part I: The Shadow Lord and We
Sometime, Somewhere
Collapsed Universe 13, Former Multiverse Eha
Collapsed Universes were dreary places. Even worse when an entire Multiverse is such a place. Multiverse Eha was once a thriving Multiverse, with a wise and benevolent being as its goddess. Then, everything changed when the Shadow attacked. Now, with its goddess slain, the entire Multiverse destabilized into its current state. It is here where everything just hangs suspended in a sort of mix between catatonia and euphoria. Whatever had been built when the area was thriving still stands, never decaying or collapsing. Any and all living things are trapped in a perpetual state of Temporal Fracture – Time itself was perpetually broken in places like these – here and there, one can see the objects, animals, and people all moving erratically and out of sync, as if caught in a laggy videogame. There is no concept of day or night – everything is kept illuminated by some sickly twilight emanating from everywhere and nowhere. The sound of a wind's rush could be heard, but there is no evidence of its effects on the landscape. It was hardly a place to call home.
And yet, a solitary being found herself strolling through the streets of some unnamed city.
Shadow Sayaka wended her way through the many humans frozen in Time, dodging some that moved erratically in the Fractured Timestream; she had just come from destabilizing yet an entire other Multiverse, Kekyona, in just two minutes, rendering it another version of Eha. Once or twice, she found herself tripping and falling up thanks to the strange gravity, but she soon found her way to the specified meeting spot: a solitary park bench overlooking a Time-frozen river. She sat down and waited, as waves and ripples shimmied and moved out-of-sync with each other.
In no time, a large plume of Shadow gathered in front of her, and Umbra Dominus, the Shadow Lord himself, materialized from it. He stared at Shadow Sayaka, who stood up at his arrival. With a respectful bow, she said, "Our lord, it is very gracious of you to see us." Even though you are the one who told us to come here in the first place, she silently said in her head.
The Shadow lord nodded, "You have done well, my child. The powers you now possess would be extremely advantageous to us. We can now spread our influence even further, quicker, and more potently than previously. Soon, all of the Existence will be within our grasp." He held up a hand and clenched his fist at this point, laughing sinisterly.
"Yes," said Shadow Sayaka. However, within her raged a battle she tried very hard to stifle; a heavy deluge of Memories from her original self relentlessly assaulted her conscious. She saw worlds that held both beauty and terror in their depths, war-torn lands slowly recovering and returning to their original grandeur, families that previously were torn apart getting back together and rekindling old relationships. Surely not things she'd like to see erased. But as a Shadow, she was obligated, nay, created, to carry out the deeds of the Shadow Lord.
The Shadow Lord continued, "However, there seems to be one who still stands in our way."
"The Cosmos Sailors? We have already taken care of them. They are of no threat to us, and will not be for some time."
"I am not talking about the Sailors. They have help. One who also can travel through rifts, like you now can. And they have contacted her. She will be a great obstacle to us. She needs to be dealt with."
"Yes, our lord."
"The Junistera Multiverse is a new Multiverse. Twenty new Universes, without any god or goddess, ripe for our taking. But before they can be taken, we must remove all obstacles. That is where you come in. Find this rift traveler, and deal with her."
"As you wish, our lord."
"Be vigilant, my child. The Sailors, and their ally, are still in that vicinity, and they are still dangerous obstacles."
"Yes, our lord. With your guidance, we shall succeed." Shadow Sayaka got up and bowed once more; then she disappeared in a flash of dark gray static.
Part II: Waking Up In 2287
Morning, 2287, Japan, Tokyo, outside Rising Sun Industries Vault A-113
Earth, Amida Galactic System, Universe 1, Multiverse Junistera
Azusa felt the warm slimy smoothness of a dog's tongue running all across her arms and legs. The sting of saliva shot her awake. "Wah! Aaaaaagh…" She stood up. Her own dried blood was caked where scrapes and bruises dominated her arms and legs. She shielded her eyes from the sun, looking around at a decimated cityscape. "Where am I…what happened here…?"
"Aruff! Ruff!" Azusa heard the sound of a dog's bark somewhere nearby. She found an Akita dog staring at her from behind a bush. "Ruff! Ruff!"
"Hey, there, buddy," she said, "It's okay, I'm nice." She crouched down, and held out her hand, both with great effort and stinging pain.
The dog approached cautiously, watchful of any sudden movements. Suddenly, a spasm of pain shot up from Azusa's shins, and she fell back to the ground. Surprisingly, instead of running back behind the bush, the dog ran right up to her, trying to grab her fingers in its jaw in an effort to keep her up. Unsuccessful, it instead headbutted Azusa, pushing her back and trying to get her to stand again.
With the dog's help, Azusa got her feet under her, and she tried her best to stay that way. She took stock of her injuries. "Guess I'll need to see if there's anything we can use to heal these, huh? Probably means we'll have to go back in there." She gestured to the Vault on the hill.
Azusa walked over to where the pistol fell, picked it up, and stuffed it in the waist of her pants. Then, she found a stick, and used it as staff to climb up the hill; her new canine companion was close behind her. It wasn't too long of a hike up, but Azusa's injuries did nothing to make it go any quicker; by the time they were in front of the Vault's big door, she was exhausted and hurting. But the dog urged her on, so she continued inside.
Part III: Welcome to Project Mother Goose
Still Morning, 1943, Funafuti Airfield, Nanumea, Gilbert Islands
Earth, Universe 20, Multiverse Spokoystviye
The commander of the base's squadron looked over Sayaka's documentation and credentials. Or more accurately, he was looking over Sayaka's slip of Psychic Paper, which appeared to be showing her documentation and credentials. "Well, I can see why people don't believe you at first. You say you're 23, Flying Officer?"
"Yes, ma'am," said Sayaka, "I stopped growing at age 16, so that's why I look this way. But that does not impede my ability to pilot aircraft."
"Uh huh," said the commander, thinking, "Never seen a woman be a pilot. Only witches." After a while, he said, "Well, looks like you check out. Welcome to the 26th Bombardment Squadron and Project Mother Goose, F/O Bishop."
"Thank you, sir," Sayaka stood at attention, and saluted. She was still in her red dress, with the hibiscus still tucked in her hair. It made for a pretty comical sight. The commander and Zamperini were trying their hardest to keep down their laughter.
"Now, if you'll follow me, you little cutie," said Zamperini, "I'll introduce you to the crew."
"Thanks, Captain Zamperini," said Sayaka.
"Hey, I told ya, call me Zamp."
"Okay, Zamp." Sayaka followed Zamp outside.
The two walked over to a makeshift hut a couple buildings down from the CO's office. On the way, Zamp explained the Mother Goose Project. In a nutshell, it took bombers, namely B-24 Liberators, and modified them to carry, launch, and dock up to four witches. It may have lost its ability to drop bombs, but it was able to carry a small escort formation for a bomber squadron, or carry out its own strikes with its witches.
The South Pacific heat and humidity threatened to melt them, but when they stepped inside, it was only marginally better. Sayaka seemed to have an easier time with the heat, considering the dress she was wearing. Inside were a group of USAF officers, three more witches and seven men.
"Everyone, meet the new pilot," said Zamp, "Her name's Flying Officer Sayaka Bishop, a transfer from Britannia. F/O Bishop, meet your new crew. 'Cup' Cupernell, your copilot, Mitchell, your navigator, your engineers Douglas and Pillsbury, who are also a couple of your gunners, Glassman, your radioman and belly gunner, and your gunners and Striker engineers Lambert and Brooks. Fellas, this is your new pilot, Flying Officer Sayaka Bishop."
"Hiya, boys," said Sayaka with a smile, "Just call me Sayaka."
"What's with the dress?" asked Cupernell, "What do you think this is, a vacation?"
"Ehehe," Sayaka chuckled sheepishly, "I, uh, well, we are in the South Pacific, are we not?"
"Pfffff," snorted Mitchell.
"I'll say this, at least," said Brooks, "You look fine in that dress."
"Hehehe, thanks," said Sayaka with a blush. She shook hands with her new crew.
"Well, that's your crew," said Zamp, "Now, meet your Geese."
"Geese?" asked Sayaka.
"Yep. The witches you'll be carrying," said Zamp.
"Oh."
First to get up was a rough-and-tumble-looking girl, dressed in a Marine Corps witch uniform. "Colonel Greta Boyington, VMF-214, Marines. Pleasure to meet ya." She and Sayaka shook hands.
"Nice to meet you, as well," said Sayaka.
Next was another Marine Corps witch. "1st Lt. Roberta M. Hanson, also VMF-214. Call me the Butcher."
"Pleasure to meet you," said Sayaka.
"Nice to meet you, too."
After Roberta was a witch in a USAAF. "Hi ya. I'm 1st Lt. Alana Russell Phillips, 26th Bomb Squadron, Army Air Force. Just call me Alana."
"Pah! Army," said Greta, "Stands for 'Ain't Ready to Be Marines Yet'."
"Tch," said Alana.
"And ya already know me," said Zamp, "Captain Louise Zamperini."
"I take it you're the ranking officer of the witches?" said Sayaka.
"Yep," said Zamp, "Come on. I'll take you to Super Man, our plane."
Suddenly, someone walked into the hut, and said, "We've got a mission! Get to your plane and get going."
"Yes sir," said Zamp. She turned to Sayaka. "Well, guess we'll be heading there anyway. Let's go."
Everyone scrambled out of the hut and to their plane.
Part IV: VIOLA
Mid-Morning, 2287, Japan, Tokyo, outside Rising Sun Industries Vault A-113
Earth, Amida Galactic System, Universe 1, Multiverse Junistera
Azusa and her new canine companion slowly made their way around the Vault; since it was designed to withstand multiple nuclear attacks, it had no windows, and was only dimly lit by emergency lights. It turned out to be quite a maze; Azusa was sure she'd get lost without a map. Yet, she couldn't find any sort of map. Thankfully, the dog seemed to know its way around, and served as Azusa's guide, until they finally made it to the infirmary.
"Wow! Good, uh, girl!" Azusa congratulated, checking to confirm the gender of her new friend.
"Aruff! Ruff!" barked the Akita proudly.
"Now, let's see if I can't find some First Aid supplies…." Azusa rummaged through a container, and finally found some wraps, gauze, and Hydrogen Peroxide. She got to work cleaning her injuries; the Hydrogen Peroxide stung something fierce. "Gaaaaagggggghhhhhhh…" she winced in great pain.
"Why don't you try using the StimGel?" said a voice.
Azusa jumped, and the Akita began growling. "Who's there?" Azusa said, scanning the area with her pistol.
"Calm down, will ya? I'm trying to help."
"Why don't you come out so I can see you, then?"
"I'm over here."
Azusa turned her head.
"Nope. Here. Keep turning. Keep turning. Over. Oooooover. Aaaaand, right here!" A display lit up, showing the head and upper torso of a girl who looked like Ellen from The Witch's House; she had the same violet hair, yellow eyes, red bow, and dress as the character. "Hey there. Name's VIOLA."
"Viola?" asked Azusa.
"Yep. 'Vocalized Interface Oaxaca, Localhost, All-mounted.' Or just VIOLA. I'm a MobiCom AIOS, or 'Artificial Intelligence Operating System.'"
"AIOS? MobiCom?" Azusa was confused, and had a great deal of questions.
"I'll explain later. Right now, we gotta deal with these injuries of yours. Third cabinet on the right. Blue plastic box. Open the latch, and you'll see a jar of blue gel-like substance. That's StimGel. Open that up, and apply lightly to the injuries. You should feel better in no time."
Azusa followed VIOLA's instructions. The StimGel acted fast, and gave off a soothing sensation as it worked. In no time at all, her wounds were healed up; not even a scar showed, nor a hint of pain stung. "Wow. Thanks." With that, Azusa got up to leave.
"Now, hold on, wait a minute. Aren't ya gonna take me with you?"
"How can I? You're a computer system."
"Well, yeah. But I'm a MobiCom, a Mobile Computer. I can help you out a lot. Please? You won't regret it. And you don't have to worry about charging me, 'cuz I have a long-lasting solar-charged battery. Plus, I go right on your arm, like a watch. Please, please, pleeeeeeease?" VIOLA clasped her hands together, pleading and begging as best as an AI could.
"Alright, let's go," said Azusa. She picked up VIOLA.
"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you~! It's so quiet and lonely here! But now I can explore the world again!"
Azusa chuckled a bit as she slipped VIOLA onto her left arm. VIOLA's kind of cute when she acts like that.
"Hey, ma'am, got a name? Something I can call ya?"
"Azusa. Azusa Nakano."
"Well, Ms. Nakano, I can also double as a light." At that, she increased the brightness on her screen, illuminating the area around them. And shedding light on the giant cockroaches surrounding them. "Well, shit…."
Part V: Super Man, Super Crew
Almost Noon, 1943, Approaching Nauru Island, Micronesia
Earth, Universe 20, Multiverse Spokoystviye
The drone of no less than 20 Liberators reverberated through the Pacific sky. These great green flying whales flew in a neat Combat Box formation, some carrying bombs, others carrying witches and their Strikers. Flying in the lead element, Super Man was one of those carrying witches, with its new pilot F/O Sayaka Bishop at its helm. She and her copilot Cup kept the plane at a steady speed, while the gunners scanned the skies for any Neuroi aircraft. Of which, they had yet to see any. This elated some but concerned others; there may not be any Neuroi now, but who's to say that they aren't waiting to spring an ambush on them?
Thankfully, no ambush seemed to occur, and pretty soon, a solitary island appeared in the distance. It was mostly flat, with a series of Neuroi Hives dotting it. Sayaka tapped Cup's shoulder to get his attention, and pointed dead ahead; believe it or not, she was still dressed in the red dress she arrived in, and the red hibiscus was still tucked in her ear, now squashed by the headset. "Looks like we're here."
"Altitude 8000 feet," said Cup, "Get ready, everyone."
Throughout the plane, everyone tensed up; one could almost feel the increased alertness. Lambert and Brooks began running through last-minute checks on the four Strikers in the bomb bay, and made sure the bombs on Zamp's and Alana's Strikers were ready. The Liberator Strikers had a bit of harder time launching from their Mother Geese – they'd often lose a control surface or two upon dropping. Nonetheless, Zamp and Alana kept to their Liberators diligently.
The two bomber witches sat with Greta, Roberta, and Mitchell in the nose section beneath the cockpit. Mitchell scanned outside through the glass nose, a position originally taken up by the bombardier.
"Get your cameras, boys and girls," said Zamp confidently, "I'm gonna light that Hive up like Christmas!"
"Do that, and drinks are on me," said Roberta.
"I'm gonna have to pass on that, beautiful," said Zamp, "Every time I go with you, all the men go for you, not me."
Roberta laughed.
"Alrighty, witches," said Mitchell, "Get ready to mount your brooms! Navigator to crew, launch bay doors open." Mitchell pulled a lever, and the doors to the launch bay slid open, letting in more light and a view of the ocean.
"Lowering geese to Launch Phase 1," said Douglas. He pulled some other levers, and the four Strikers lowered down a bit, to the point where the witches could sit on a bar and put their feet in. Mitchell gave the sign to mount their Strikers.
"Okay girls," said Zamp, "Let's go!" She stood.
Nodding, the other witches stood up and made their ways to their respective Strikers; Zamp and Alana to their B-24 Liberators, and Greta and Roberta to their F4U Corsairs. Stepping up a small ladder, they sat down on a bar, and put their feet into their Strikers, feeding magic into them. Once they were ready, they gave a thumbs-up to Douglas. Douglas returned the gesture, and sent them down, one by one.
First was Greta, and then Roberta; the fighters launched first to secure the airspace. Then, Zamp and Alana launched next, each carrying a payload of bombs for the Neuroi. "All geese launched," said Douglas.
"Roger," said Sayaka.
Suddenly, Nauru came alive as hundreds of thousands of Neuroi laser beams erupted from its surface. Super Man and the other Liberators found themselves enveloped in a spider web of lethal red energy. One bomber got grazed by a beam, tearing a gash in its nose section. Another bomber took a hit directly to the bomb bay, and it exploded in mid-air.
As for Super Man, a couple lasers nicked the flaps, and put a couple holes in the launch bay doors. So when Mitchell attempted to close up the bay doors, they got stuck. "Navigator to pilot, launch bay doors are stuck," he reported.
"Gotta get those doors closed," said Sayaka, "Drag's gonna slow us down."
"Roger." Mitchell moved to crank the back-up levers.
In the cockpit, Sayaka increased the throttle, and banked over as she witnessed her four witches lay waste to a Hive. The Hive disintegrated into thousands of tiny white specks. "Just like Christmas, indeed, Zamp," said Sayaka, "Now, hurry on over and get back here, so we can get out of here."
Suddenly, black dots appeared in the horizon off to their left. "Yo! Neuroi inbound! 10 o'clock, level!" Sayaka shouted, "Zamp, you better get your arses back here now! Boys, call them out, and gun them down!"
Super Man's machine guns barked to life as every crewmember ran to their gun station and opened fire.
Part VI: Hook, Line, and Sinker
Sunset, Present-day, A country town, Japan
Earth, Universe 16, Multiverse Tteolllida
Mato Kuroi's school let out with the tone of the bell. After waving goodbye to her friends, Mato continued on home alone. She skipped a bit, tired but happy to finally be on her way home.
Somewhere behind her, a lone shadowy figure watched her going by behind a book, listening to whatever was playing in their earbuds. Once Mato rounded a corner, the figure closed her book, and followed from a distance.
Pretty soon, Mato made it home, and she closed the door behind her. Across the street, the figure twirled the end of her long right-side ponytail, smiling. "Yes, this is perfect."
Shadow Sayaka walked right up to Mato's door. And with a Time Blast, she blew it open, and stepped inside. "Hide! Because the world is no longer yours!"
She saw Mato staring at her wide-eyed; she walked up to her and grabbed her by the collar, standing her up. Shadow Sayaka then back-slapped Mato, and she careened into the wall.
At that moment, Black Rock Shooter, Mato's other-dimensional counterpart, appeared and saw the commotion. She lunged for Shadow Sayaka and pulled her away from Mato. She and Mato looked at each other and nodded, both thinking the same thing. They combined, and Rock stood to face her attacker. Rock moved to attack again.
Shadow Sayaka threw up a Time Field around Rock, suspending her in Time. With her stopped, Shadow Sayaka landed a spin-kick to Rock's face, knocking her out of the Time Field. Following through with her movement, Shadow Sayaka pulled out a Desert Eagle and fired off a few rounds. Rock dodged these, and went on the offensive again.
With the elegance and grace of a dancer, Shadow Sayaka avoided Rock's attacks, and threw another spin-kick. This time, Rock did dodge this one, and landed a hit of her own, sending Shadow Sayaka into a wall. "Hm-hm," Shadow Sayaka chuckled, "This will be a bit more of a challenge than we thought." She stood up and dusted herself off. "But enough games."
Shadow Sayaka completely stopped Time this time, instead in a small Field. With a swift movement, and without touching her, she sent Rock flying through the ceiling, up to the second floor, and then back down onto the floor. Then, she had Rock stand right in front of her.
With another swift movement, like Tai Chi, she palm-struck Rock in the chest. Somehow, this strike severed Rock's connection with Mato, and she separated out of Mato's body. Still caught in frozen Time, they both froze mid-fall. Shadow Sayaka unfroze Time, and as they were falling, she took the opportunity to possess Rock's body.
Mato lay unconscious on the ground.
"Hey," she heard Rock say, "Hey. Wake up."
Mato woke up, and said, "Where's that girl that attacked us? Did we deal with her?"
"No," said Rock, "She has possessed you."
"Eh?! What?!" Mato freaked out.
"And the only way to expel her…" Rock pointed her Rock Cannon right at Mato.
"R-rock…?"
"We are sorry, Lady Kuroi. But this is the only way."
"What? W-we? L-lady Kuroi? Why are you t-talking like that?"
Rock ignored her. She pressed the Rock Cannon against Mato's head.
Shadow Sayaka did not make Rock pull the trigger. She just stood there, reveling in her quick success. Suddenly, she felt a kick to her back, and she fell away from Mato. She turned to see Janeth arriving through a rift.
"Janeth!" said Mato, relieved.
"Lady Janeth Maria Ferrano," said Shadow Sayaka/Rock.
"Turning friends against each other is a dick move," said Janeth, "But since you're here already, I'll end this here and now." She pulled out her Strike-Umbrella, and pointed it at Rock. "Come out of there, Shadow bitch! And fight me properly."
Shadow Sayaka/Rock laughed. "We are afraid that is impossible. But do not worry. We will not kill her. It was you we are after, anyhow."
"Tch." Janeth rushed forward, converting her Umbrella into her Strike-Rapier.
Shadow Sayaka/Rock casted a Time Field to try and trap Janeth, but Janeth was already ready, and used her Magic to counteract it. Janeth pressed her attack, lunging with her Rapier. At the last possible moment, Shadow Sayaka/Rock sidestepped to the right to dodge. And then, she pointed her finger at Janeth, freezing her in place with Psychokinesis.
"What the hell?" said Janeth, "I can't….move."
Shadow Sayaka/Rock sighed. "This was supposed to go somewhat more peacefully. But you forced our hand. Why did you decide to intervene? This would never have happened if you didn't."
"Fuck…you!"
"Hm. Well then." Shadow Sayaka/Rock began psychokinetically tossing Janeth around like a rag doll, much like she did to Rock just earlier. "How about now? Do you yield?"
"I….can do this all day…"
"Okay." Shadow Sayaka/Rock grabbed Janeth by the neck and tossed her to the far end of the room. Then, she took aim at Mato with the Rock Cannon again.
"No!" Janeth got up and tried to stop what was about to happen. But she was again psychokinetically lifted off the ground.
"Now, you can only watch as your friend is killed," said Shadow Sayaka/Rock, "But you can stop this, right here, right now, if you would only surrender." She spoke slowly, confident in herself.
Janeth said nothing, trying all she could to squirm loose.
Shadow Sayaka/Rock rubbed her chin. "Hm…if watching it being done will not get you to talk, then, how about….?"
Janeth suddenly found herself moving without her control. She summoned her Cannon-Rifle against her will, and pointed it right at Mato. She grimaced. "No…please?"
"We do not here any surrendering." Shadow Sayaka made Janeth's finger slowly apply pressure on the trigger.
Janeth and Mato began crying, tears streaming down their faces. As much as they wanted to fight it, as much as it pained them, there was nothing more they could do. At the last second…
"Alright!" Janeth shouted, "Alright…."
"Alright what?" said Shadow Sayaka.
"I…" Janeth struggled to utter a word she never once said in her life.
"You. What?" Shadow Sayaka, still possessing Rock's body, slid up close to Janeth. "I-want-to-hear-you-say-it," she said slowly.
Janeth felt her finger press more on the trigger. "I g-give up! Fucking stop this already!"
"Good girl," said Shadow Sayaka. She knocked Mato unconscious, and left Rock's body, thereby rendering her unconscious, as well. She stood to face Janeth, still floating off the ground. "Unfortunately, we are not done yet." Shadow Sayaka turned into black smoke, and then entered Janeth's body. "Loose ends must be tied," her voice echoed in Janeth's head, "We must ensure that you do not return to interfere in the future."
Janeth felt a great deal of darkness welling up inside of her. "Haaaaaaahhhh~," Shadow Sayaka made her say with pleasure, "So much power! So many memories~!" With the knowledge of the locations of all of Janeth's versions, Shadow Sayaka broke into her constituent Shadows, and sent them to each version.
In each World, wherever a Janeth existed, Shadow Sayaka's Shadows entered her mind and possessed her, sucking the light out of her Soul Gems, and sapping her of her Powers. Once the task was completed, all of the Shadows reconvened together, and Shadow Sayaka rematerialized.
Janeth, drained of both power and energy, collapsed onto the floor. She stared blankly at her Soul Gem, now completely devoid of color and light. "H…how…why? I already said I surrendered…why did you do this…?"
"You know, Sayaka wondered similar things when we materialized out of her." Shadow Sayaka knelt down in front of Janeth. "Silly girl. We know you all too well. If this version of you did not attempt to thwart us, it is likely that one of your other versions would. But now, our job is done. Leave us be. Attack us, continue to try and stop us, and it will end worse for you."
With that final warning said, Shadow Sayaka grabbed Janeth by the hair, and punched her square in the face, knocking her unconscious and breaking her nose. Then, she turned and walked away. With a wave of her hand, all the debris was cleaned up, and all the damage was repaired. Soon, the only hints that there was a battle were the three unconscious and bloody girls lying on the floor.
[End of Chapter 3]
The image of Ellen is credited to the game The Witch's House, and its developers. I take no ownership. Also, I'm taking heavy inspiration from Unbroken and Fallout. Be sure to check back with StrikerStanding692 for the next chapter. And from he's been showing me, it's looking pretty good.
