4. Ur-Machina

I. Auron

   This was inevitable. If it were not this creature before us, it would have been something else. My entire life and un-life has been spent combating such monstrosities, and they seem to be in unending supply. I lower my shouldered blade, and Tidus, taking the cue, raises his own sword. The creature's back is to us, and on the other side of it, Rikku protects two of the white-robed meddlers who are to blame for all of this. She wears a harrowed expression, one I last witnessed when Guado were razing Home. I debate whether to call to her and coordinate our efforts, or remain silent and take the creature by surprise—

   "H-hey! Rikku! Over here!" Tidus shouts, waving. She brightens, reciprocating. The creature turns, at least, it rotates its head to face us. It resembles a man, and would be indistinguishable from one expect for the slight dents left by its feet in the metal floor. The ground shifts at its slightest motion.

   "You guys had better run!" Rikku calls.

   "No way! What makes you think we can't take this?" Tidus says. He seems elated with his freedom, despite the situation that's led to it.

   "Uh, there's something you should know first…" she starts, but the creatures interrupts her by lunging forward. It is every bit as clumsy as its apparent weight would suggest, and its blow is artless. It misses by a foot as Rikku leaps back. Perhaps, though, its aim was hindered because its face was still turned toward us.

   Tidus runs forward and strikes at it. His sword slashes across one shoulder, slicing open the creature's tunic and scattering particles of flesh. The wound resembles nothing so much as a scratch. The creature surveys him idly and throws up one hand, catching him in the chest. He's catapulted backwards, striking the wall and falling full length.

   One glance is enough to assure me he's alive. I return my attention to the creature, which is plodding toward me, and cast Scan. Seemingly random words and images flash before my eyes, among them a few intelligible phrases. I know the creature is called Legion, that it is vulnerable to nothing and that it is at full health.

II. Tidus

   Nothing has ever, ever hurt so much. I can't breath or see or anything and I think I'm dead but if I were then it wouldn't still hurt would it? How could such a little guy do that? Something wet runs from my mouth and eyes, tears and blood, probably. And of course Yuna's not here to heal…

   Somehow, I'm on my knees, but it still hurts to move. "Auron," I gasp, and he turns to throw something at me. I almost dodge before realizing it has to be some kind of potion. The liquid runs down my face and neck, sinking into my skin and healing the wound. It still aches, but I can stand.

   "Stay well clear of it," Auron says. He and Rikku are backing away from whoever hit me.

   "We've just gotta slow it down enough for us to get out of here," Rikku's saying, breathless, as she reaches into a pouch of her belt, "I'll explain later." The next instant, something leaves her hand and hits the guy in his face, dead center. A grenade. He never even tried to dodge. The flash makes me blink, and by the time I can see again, the guy's standing still with no smoke pouring out of his face.

   "Now!" a familiar voice yells, "It will not last long, we have to…" Auron is already gone. I try to run after him; the pain in my chest explodes again, and I almost fall but Rikku runs to help, caching me by the arm. I try to smile at her.

   "Hurry!" The familiar voice again.

   This guy, whoever he is, is sort of twitching now. I'm not surprised: if he can punch like that, why shouldn't he be able to survive a grenade in the face?

   Rikku and I are almost to the open door. The sky is outside is a deep red. Two of the Al Bhed workers are waiting, one of them with a gun. I recognize the other. He opens his mouth to say something, but this horrible screech like metal getting torn apart comes from behind us, stopping him. Then we're out, still running, dirt under our feet. Rikku slams the door behind us.

III. Rikku

   "It has long been conjectured that the highest evolutionary stage of all life was an omnipotent being…a god. That Yevon is not separate from us, but our destiny or point of origin. Either we evolved from him or will eventually evolve into him. Our ancestors, the ancient people of Bevelle, believed this to be true to some extent. Legion is their dream, and their legacy. He is the god of machina." Figures even now Bli could find it in himself to be so long-winded. I want to scream at him to get to the point, but Auron beats me to it:

   "Never mind that. All we need know is how he can be stopped."

   "Legion is nothing more or less than a concentration of matter, with a fixed shape, but nothing else. His mind is only a set of algorithms. His density is malleable, as is his component material…you see? His current form is constructed of flesh, but he could easily replace it with any solid, steel or rock…I have never seen him do this on any large scale, but I know it to be possible."

   "And if this form is destroyed, could he simply take another?"

   "I…I do not know. He has…never been pressed to such an extreme. And we were hesitant to test him, for fear of damage…we did understand the technology entirely, as it was not out own." Bli looks a lot older now. I can guess why.

   "Hm. A certain Besaidian I know would say this was your punishment for tinkering with such forbidden things," Auron says.

   "And I would say to this Besaidian of yours that he is an idiot!" cries Pacco Koning. "There is nobody to forbid us anything. Now, five of us were responsible for the salvage of Legion, only four of whom survive…therefore we can conjecture that one of them was responsible for…"

   Bli interrupts. "No time, no time! We will worry who is to blame later. Listen: Legion will not be likely to pursue us. I think we have put up significant resistance. Since his current objective is presumably to destroy the compound and terminate its staff, he will seek out simpler ways of doing so. We know this much of his programming."

   "So now what?" says Tidus. "We just wait for him to come kill us? Yuna and Kimahri are still in there, and I don't know if you people care about all your colleagues, but…"

   "Do not assume that the pursuit of logic has done anything to stunt my empathy," Koning snaps, "Far more of my friends are on the other side of this door."

   "We have nothing to gain by bickering. Please, Blicero, continue your story," says Auron. What would we do without him?

   "Yes…the nature of Legion. He has some control over matte directly connected with himself. Very slowly, he is able to absorb it, to increase his own density or repair injuries. However at a certain point he cannot grow any denser without risk of collapse. He is currently in this state. If we can reduce him to significantly below critical mass…"

   "But…can't he just heal himself while he fights?" asks Tidus.

   "It takes some concentration. I doubt he can heal and fight at once. And I also doubt his intellect is sophisticated enough to consider retreat…and when most of his physical incarnation has been destroyed, it may be possible to contain whatever remains. It may be."

   "Wait!" I say. I've seen something he hasn't, I can't believe it. Just maybe… "What if…you said that he's at critical mass, right? That if he gets any bigger, he'll collapse, right? So why can't we just force more stuff into him?" I watch, smirking, as that sinks in. I can tell Bli's trying to come up with some reason why that wouldn't work, but he can't.

   "Hm." Koning speaks for him. "Not unfeasible. Although Legion does not automatically assimilate anything in contact with him…if something were fired into him with sufficient velocity…"

   "Do we have any projectile launcher capable of that?" Bli asks her.

   "Not that I know of. Unless…when Veigel was conducting his experiments with magnetic polarity, he had Ribbentrop construct that…'photon gun' for him, did he not? To measure the effect of magnetic forces on moving objects. I thought it was absurd at the time, but something as insubstantial as a photon should be enough to do what this girl suggests, and the speeds attained by Ribbentrop's machine were phenomenal."

   Tidus, having no more clue as to what she's talking about then me, has turned back to the building. I wonder: would Yunie know what to do if she came up against Legion?

IV. Yuna

   No bodies. No wreckage. There is almost trace of whatever has caused this disturbance, creating the impression that it must be lurking somewhere nearby, waiting to pounce on us

   "Anyone!" I call for the thousandth time, "Can you hear us? Is anyone out there? Can you hear us?" So far no one has answered. No bodies, but no survivors, either. We pass through several hallways. This place is a terrible maze, since every hall looks exactly like the next.

   Now, though, we come upon a distinguishing mark. All along this hall, something has left tracks deep enough to split the floor, tracks that almost resemble…human footprints, the marks of shoes… "Legion," Kimahri announces. "He has been here, no-smell everywhere…"

   "But I had thought he was the protector of this place…" I say. I have never known him to be wrong, but…

   "Un-man protector of none. Enemy of all."

   Then, as his words fade and I stare at this impossible trail, another sound rises from somewhere nearby. It's faint at first, nothing more than a hallucination, but grows louder by the second. Laughter. The reckless, mad laughter Tidus (where is he in all of this?) and I used to ward off depression in Luca.

   "Hello?" I call, cupping my hands to my mouth. The laughter grows louder in answer, and presently, its source comes into view. The girl Rikku identified as Niner.

   She grins widely as soon as she sees us. "Ah-ha-hah! Oh…isn't this wonderful? Look at it…oh these fools brought it all on themselves!" I think at first she must have lost her mind, but aside from reveling in this destruction, she seems well enough.

   "Please…can you tell us? Have you seen a man…not much taller than me, yellow hair…yellow uniform, with…"

   "Me? I've seen a lot of people…not that they ever knew. 'Niner, fetch this. Niner, carry that. Gooood girl, Niner.' They all thought that since I didn't know all about science I was some half-wit. Oh I played along, did just as I was told, tried to act the part…and it was all worth it! Just for this…" She collapses in another fit of laughter. Perhaps I was mistaken about her sanity.

   "Do you know where the thing that has done this has gone?"

   "Who knows? Who cares? Not around here, I can tell you…"

   "What about the Pacco, are they safe?"

   "They're all dead! They're—all—…well, maybe not all of them…only three of them I know for sure. But the rest will be dead soon."

   "Do you know who was responsible for this?"

   "But that's the best part! It was their own fault there, too, since it was Legion who did it, their own salvage, their masterpiece, and it was one of them that put Legion up to it…I saw that, too! Didn't try to stop him, of course." Her voice takes on a conspiratorial tone. "Tell you what. You want to see where he went? If you could stop him, then they would all be finished, even the traitor! Perfect, just perfect…"

V. Auron

   So we wait. I estimate an hour has passed since Legion began its rampage, and half of that since we made our exit. How long will it take before it sets his sights on us once more? Strangeways is not a large place.

   Pacco Koning has returned to the building, to retrieve the device she spoke of. She would make an excellent Guardian, and I suppose she is, in service of her own ideals. Rikku volunteered to accompany her, but I managed to convince them that no one of us was capable of taking on Legion. If Koning encounters Legion, she will not be able to fight no matter what the circumstances, and it only takes one to flee. So we stand, facing the door, and wait.

   "It occurs to me," says Blicero, "That if Legion truly wished to destroy the facility…he could have done so by now. The labs are full of combustibles; only a small fire would mean the end of the place. And it is decidedly unlike him to be inefficient." No one answers.

   "Umm…" Rikku says, "Koning said something about the people who salvaged Legion…"

   Blicero shrugs. "Before my time. That would have been at least twenty years ago, when I had never heard of Strangeways."

   "But who was here then? I mean, don't you know about how old everyone is?"

   "I see. Well…Koning herself, Salverson, who Koning said had been killed…Stel, who I know for a fact came here very recently…that lunatic Veigel would just be old enough…and Dominus, who seems to think he has some blood-relation to me…Pacco Reil, he often seems paranoid, it would be just like him to implement some sort of override device in a salvage he was responsible for…" Listing the names seems to comfort him. Such a simple, predictable exercise must offer some solace in his current situation.

   "Hey! Don't call Veigel a lunatic, he's the guy who let us out of our cell, we might be dead otherwise!" Tidus protests.

   Blicero doesn't seem to hear. "Lamacht! I would bet my life it was Lamacht. He detested his co-workers, he was always saying that one day…" In mid-sentence, a tremor of unprecedented magnitude strikes the island. Blicero is shaken almost off his feet.

   "What in the name of…" Tidus shouts. From deep within the compound comes sound of metal being torn asunder, eerily resembling a human screech. Rikku yelps and clutches at her ears, while Tidus looks seriously ill. Blicero looks remarkably calm. I brace myself.

   The door is thrown open, and I expect to see Legion. Rather, Koning dashes out, already to trying to shout to us. The cacophony from within the compound drowns her out, which seems to be getting constantly louder.

   As she comes within a few feet, I can make it out: "Something…went wrong…" Naturally.

VI. Yuna

   Propped against the wall by a stairwell, we find the first body. In truth, I haven't seen very many before. Whenever I was called on to perform a sending, the corpses were always wrapped and decorated before I set eyes on them. This man went out horribly. Something hit him in the shoulder, with enough force to stave it in. At least that's what I think; I look away almost immediately. Pyreflies have already begin to settle around him, blurring his outlines. I try not to even think about it, as I always have, but I can't help it…what could that have felt like? I can't imagine such pain. Did he have a wife, children? What was his name? Did he have a name?

   "Well, well, well, well…if it isn't Reil. You bastard, you can fetch your own meals on the farplane. And you have to worry if they're poisoned since you'll already be dead!" Niner walks right past him. I know I have to send him, and signal for her to stop.

   I thought I would never have to perform the dance again. The motions are almost instinctual. His body pales, then becomes translucent. The Pyreflies disperse. "There," I say quietly, when it's done.

   "Hurry," Niner warns, "The traitor may be gone by now!" She vanishes down the stairs. Kimahri stands aside, waiting for me to follow.

   The door at the foot of the stairs is enormous, more than twice as high as Kimahri. There are no warnings or signs forbidding entry. "This is one of the sealed subterranean labs," Niner says gleefully, "Even if the entire compound were blown to bits, this place would be fine. Only the elder supervising technicians can get in. Well, and whoever happens to bring the supervising technicians their food…" Niner walks up to the door and presses her hand against it. I think she really must be delusional, but then the door yields, sliding to one side to reveal another layer of metal. This separates into two halves, which swing outwards.

VII. Auron

   "I shot him…there was…a pillar of steel and smoke, from floor to ceiling, pulling everything toward it, equipment, pieces of the wall…" Koning gasps. Her face is slick and red, from a thin cut across the bridge of her nose. She doesn't appear to notice.

   "Talk sense!" cries Blicero. "Exactly what has happened? Has he been destroyed?" Koning can't answer. I look past her to the compound, knowing that he can't possibly have been destroyed. Any minute now he will come through the door or the rift in the wall, impeccable as the day he was created…

   The shrieking reaches a crescendo, and the entire compound begins to tremble, until it looks about to fall in on itself. The walls boil. Steel bubbles and froths like liquid, running into the ground and sending up great plumes of smoke. A sheath of sparks erupts from the door, followed by a flood of molten metal as though Strangeways were vomiting. I tense to run, but instead of surging towards us, the melting compound seems to shrink in on itself. Then, over the yawning door, ten perfect, human teeth form from the metal.

   "This…" Blicero's voice is a scream. "Not…can't…how…but…what…no!" I admit the spectacle is disturbing. Strangeways is clay under the hand of some unseen sculptor. A massive nose juts from its veneer, then eyes are hollowed out to either side of it, dead eyes staring fixedly at some point offshore. The door becomes a gaping mouth, set between contoured cheeks. I recognize the broad face of Legion. A single, groping hand protrudes to one side. The sound that heralded this metamorphosis continues, fluctuating, sometimes forming garbled words. We all stagger back. All except for Blicero, who falls to his knees, sobbing.

VIII. Yuna

   The moment the door opens, a rifle is thrust in Niner's face. The vague fear of an unseen menace that's been following me all this time finally comes to a head, and I bring up my staff, ready to fight. Kimahri has been ready to fight all this time, and barks some war-cry in Ronso.

   The only menace, though, turns out to be an ashen-faced Pacco and several of his compatriots huddled behind him. This is only a small antechamber, they must have taken refuge here when the attack began. I expect Niner's shrill laugh, but instead, she pales. Her mouth shrinks to a pinpoint. Muttering apologies, she bows deeply to the Pacco. A slight man wearing goggles, he looks immeasurably relieved.

   "Oh. Miss Niner, I had no idea…I had thought you were Legion, come for us." he says.

   "Pacco Ribbentrop, my apologies." she says meekly, and bows again. Then, Ribbentrop looks past her, instantly recognizing me.

   "Lady Yuna!" He exclaims, and bows in turn. It hardly seems fair.

   "Ribbentrop, have you been into the labs?" Niner asks.

   The Pacco shakes his head. "We're safe enough here. We saw no need…"

   "Then there is something in there that you may want to see." She seems to regain some of her confidence as she walks past the group of Pacco. I glance over them as I follow; none of them are familiar. Blicero and Veigel must be elsewhere.

   "Follow me," Niner says, more in the manner of a suggestion than a command. Nonetheless, they hesitantly do so.

IX. Seymour

Words reach me.                  

What has he  done to you?

I know it to be Veigel. His voice was the last thing my mortal ears must have heard, assuring me, as he would a child, there would be no pain…and there was none, then…but now…

The man is sick. Almost as bad as you.

"…Yes, Legion. A low prank, perhaps, but it purchased me necessary time…and besides, it seemed a fitting prelude for what is to come. I have no desire to pontificate now. Merely think of me as a stern but loving parent—my actions may seem harsh, but you will thank me one day."

Hello? Are you even there?

-Another voice…Yuna…

   "…Seymour? Pacco Veigel, what is all of this?"

-Veigel again.

   "He was once Seymour. The augmentation process is not yet complete…but you force my hand. Ladies and sirs, allow me to present the only boon that the hollow faith 'science' will ever offer to the sorry people of this world! Your savior, Seymour-Redux!"