Chapter 4
Sonia stepped into the foyer of AMAKEN and approached the main desk. "Excuse me, is Mr. Boreal in?"
While the receptionist called Boreal's lab, Sonia looked at the gray-tiled floor. It had been only a couple days since the concert; news had gotten out, but there were no major complaints, and her next concert was still set for just a few weeks from now and selling well.
Hooray.
She had already been moved to a new hotel and had been told to get back to practicing. Still, there wasn't much her manager could do to keep her in the hotel when she and Lyra could Wave Change, so she had snuck out and come to AMAKEN in the hopes of clearing her head a little.
The receptionist hung up. "He's still finishing up some business, but he said you can come up right away."
Sonia gave her thanks and went up to the lab. When she stepped in, she saw Boreal standing next to his desk in the far corner, talking to a tall, middle-aged man in a brown trench coat. He had black hair, and there was a peculiar antenna sitting on top of his head.
Who is that?
She noticed Geo sitting along the wall near her. She waved, and he nodded in response.
"How have you been?" she asked.
"Alright, I guess. Did you come to see Mr. Boreal too?"
"Yeah, I thought I'd pay him a visit. Hopefully nothing weird happens this time, haha!"
The man in the coat turned around. He strode towards the kids, asking, "You there. You are Sonia Strumm, correct?"
Her muscles tensed. "Yes?"
"My name is Bob Copper. I'm an officer of the Satella Police, investigating the incident that occurred at this lab."
He looked at his Transer. "My word, the Z wave levels have gone up exponentially again!"
"Sorry, Sonia," Boreal said, his eyes fixed on Copper's back. "This might take a little longer than I thought."
"Oh, that's alright, I just wanted to say hi and see how you were doing," Sonia said.
"Hold on," Copper interrupted. "I'd like to ask you some questions as well, Ms. Strumm."
"Huh?"
"You were here at AMAKEN on the day of the incident, were you not?"
"Yes, I was."
"And in addition, was there not a strange occurrence at your most recent concert?"
"Well…yes, there was."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was AMAKEN who set up the equipment for this concert, was it not?"
"Now hold on!" Boreal said. "Just what are you implying, Mr. Copper? AMAKEN has done nothing wrong!"
"Oh, no, I didn't mean to imply otherwise, Mr. Boreal. But, given these circumstances I think it's reasonable to say AMAKEN is a target."
"Target?" Sonia repeated.
Copper nodded. "You see, at both incidents, high levels of Z waves were detected. These waves are a very powerful type of radiation that is bad for the human body, and the Satella Police have decided we must locate and destroy the source. It is for the good of public health."
"Oh, I see."
Boreal cleared his throat. "Maybe you kids should come back another time. Mr. Copper seemed to have a lot more to discuss with me."
Sonia and Geo left the lab before Copper could protest. As they made their way to the elevator, Sonia wondered, "That man seemed a little strange, don't you think?"
"A little," Geo agreed. "I hope Mr. Boreal will be oka—"
Suddenly Geo's left arm jerked forward, dragging him along with it. "Hey, hey!"
Sonia stopped walking. "Um…are you alright?"
"Ah, yeah, this is just, um…"
That was when another voice spoke up. "Hey. We should be far enough away now, don't you think?"
Lyra was the one to respond. "Goodness, could it be? You're one of the last ones I expected to make the trip."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?!"
Sonia put on her Visualizer. Lyra was out of the guitar, floating next to her; floating next to Geo was an animalistic mass of green light, with blue armor over its chest and head.
"You…you have an FM-ian with you?"
Geo put on his Visualizer as well. Apparently it was now active, for he jumped upon seeing Lyra. "You too?"
"So, what brings you to Earth, Omega-Xis?" Lyra asked.
"That's Mega," the other alien replied. "And you know exactly why I'm here! I'm not letting you keep the Andromeda Key!"
"And that's what surprises me. You never seemed to care much for the FM King—why are you so eager to get the Key back to him?"
"Who said I was taking it back to the FM King? I don't want it in his hands, but I don't feel good leaving it in yours either. Once I've got it, then I can be sure that no one will use that thing ever again."
"Oh, is that it? Why don't you just put a little faith in me, Mega? I promise I don't plan on using it for anything terrible."
"Yeah, like I'd believe that!"
Sonia put one hand to her head. "Hold it, hold it. Just to be sure, you're another FM-ian, and you're staying with Geo, but you aren't possessing him?"
Geo shuddered. "Possession?"
"Relax, kid," Mega said. "Yeah, I came to Earth from Planet FM and Geo here was kind enough to let me stay in his Transer."
"Oh yeah, that's how it happened…"
"And that one there, kid, is the person I told you I was looking for. She stole something that could destroy this entire planet if it's unleashed, and I'm taking it off her hands to make sure that doesn't happen."
Sonia turned to Lyra. "You have what?! Is that what that Key everyone's been talking about does?"
Lyra glared at Mega. "That's what it is intended to do, yes, but I don't plan to destroy any planets, I assure you. All I need it for is…leverage."
"I still don't like the sound of that," Mega said. "If you won't hand it over, then I guess we'll just have to fight for it, fair and square."
"What?" Geo exclaimed. "I've only been fighting viruses—there's no way I can fight a person!"
"If you can convince your partner," Lyra said, "I'd be happy to oblige. But, this place is no good if that man can detect Z Waves."
Mega nodded. "Come to Echo Ridge, then, and we can settle things there."
"Echo Ridge? What a coincidence, we just moved to a hotel near there. We can defeat you and be back home before dinnertime."
"Why you…! Alright, kid, let's go."
Geo looked at him. "But, Mega, I'm still not—"
Mega returned to his Transer, and Geo's arm dragged him forward again. "Ow! Fine, fine, I'm going!"
After Geo got in the elevator and left, Lyra said, "I suppose I've never seen what Mega can do when Wave Changed. Regardless, he's neither the sharpest nor the strongest, so I don't expect he'll give us much trouble."
She turned to Sonia, who was staring straight ahead. "…Sonia?"
"You should have told me."
"Hm?"
Sonia looked her in the eye, making her recoil. "You should have told me that was why they were following you. I never thought it was because of something like this."
"…Yes, well—"
"You said you wanted to have something analyzed, and that you wanted to see our weapons technology. You're trying to find a way to use that Key, aren't you?"
Lyra turned away.
"That sure doesn't sound like a good thing to me."
"As I said, all I need is leverage."
"But what do you mean by that?"
"I need to have a talk with our ruler, the FM King. He'll be much more open to what I have to say if I show him I have the power to control Andromeda."
Lyra returned to her guitar. Sonia started towards the elevator again. Neither said anything as she pressed the button and waited, but once she was inside and the lift began to descend, she spoke up.
"I told you that I was going to show you the good, Lyra, and I still mean that. You should have told me about this sooner…but I guess I can understand why you didn't. So I guess it falls to me to convince you not to use that Key."
The elevator doors opened.
"It shouldn't take us long to get to Echo Ridge, if it's where I think it is. If you can come up with a way to make Mega give up on getting the Key from you in the meantime, I'd really appreciate having to go through one less fight."
Sonia looked down from the Wave Road to survey Echo Ridge. It was a small town—only around a dozen houses were visible from here—and the only store she could see was a large ocean-themed building with a small open area next to it. A school could be seen a few blocks down, and she thought she could see a pathway leading past that, but she couldn't be sure from this distance.
She wasn't waiting long before Geo approached. Wave Changed, he wore a dark blue jumpsuit with yellow lines on the sides of his torso and legs, a lighter shade of blue coloring his greaves, arm guard, and chest armor. His left hand was replaced with Mega's head, still glowing in a blaze of green light, and he wore a blue and white helmet with an open back and a pink visor.
"Wait…you're Harp Note?" Geo said. "You're the one who saved us at AMAKEN."
Sonia nodded. "Yeah, that was me. Listen, Geo…I really don't want to fight you."
"I don't want to fight you either. Please, just give us the Andromeda Key."
"Not a chance, dear," Lyra replied. "You had best just turn around and leave."
"I don't think so!" Mega said. "Whatever you're planning, if it involves that thing it can't be good."
"Oh? Didn't you 'plan' on taking it for yourself?"
"To keep it from being used!"
"As you said. And as I said, I'm not going to destroy any planets. Seems there might be a few plans involving the Key that aren't so bad after all, hm?"
"Well…shut up!"
Geo lifted his arm so he could look at Mega. "Maybe we should listen. If she isn't going to use it, then there isn't really a reason to fight her."
"Don't let her trick you! She'd destroy the Earth in a second if she thought it served her purpose."
"So you don't trust anyone either," Sonia sighed. "…Alright. If we battle, maybe that'll calm you down. Are you okay with that, Geo?"
Geo gulped. "Um…"
With a smile, she added, "Don't worry, we'll go easy on you."
"You'll what?" Mega growled.
After hesitating for another moment, Geo said, "I guess it would be the easiest way to get Mega to let it go. Okay."
They both took up a battle stance. Geo pointed with his left arm and Mega opened his mouth, spitting out a blast of energy. Sonia sidestepped and played a few notes, sending Geo on the run, constantly turning to keep him in her sights. Suddenly Geo stopped. He faced the next note and shot it, the two attacks cancelling each other out, and then fired a rapid stream of bullets. Now Sonia was on the run, but she managed to close the gap as she dodged and launched a quick note from Geo's side. He pivoted and crossed his arms, summoning a shield of solid green light to protect him, and when it disappeared he pointed again.
"Plasma Gun!"
Mega's head flashed and became replaced with a glass orb filled with electricity and sporting a barrel on its end. Sonia was too surprised to dodge the bolt that flew out of it, leaving her paralyzed for a short time.
"Cannon!"
The orb became replaced by a block-shaped gun that fired a powerful shot, sending Sonia skidding back across the Wave Road.
"Aren't those Battle Cards?" Sonia asked. "I didn't know you could use them like that."
The Cannon disappeared quickly. As Mega returned, he taunted, "Scared yet? You can give up whenever!"
Sonia aimed the neck of her guitar. "Don't be ridiculous."
Strings flew out and grabbed Geo, allowing Sonia to get in a series of hits with her notes. Before too long, though, Geo was able to transform his hand into a Sword and cut himself free. He panted and watched Sonia closely.
"It's impressive you can use Battle Cards that way," Sonia said, "but it'll take more than that to scare me off. Let me show you why!"
She summoned two speakers and prepared to play. That was when Geo vanished, reappearing a second later right in front of her, and slashed her with another Sword before returning to his previous location.
Lyra remarked, "That was a cheap shot, Mega."
"You shouldn't have left yourself wide open," Mega said.
"Was that some kind of teleportation?" Sonia asked.
"That was our Mega Attack. Once I acquire a target, I can instantly transmit myself to their location so that there's no escape!"
"Wow…combined with the versatility of Battle Cards, that's pretty serious."
"Hah! Maybe now you want to give up?"
"Of course not."
Sonia sent out another note. Geo was able to dodge, but he ran right into a note from one of the speakers. While he was stunned from the hit, Sonia snagged him with her guitar strings and pulled him closer to the speaker, so that each note she played not only travelled down the strings but also came from the box for a second hit.
"Augh! Uh, Ice Meteor!"
Sonia saw three chunks of ice falling from above. She cut the strings and flipped out of the way; her speakers were destroyed, but she was able to get clear and hit Geo with another note as he was recovering. He shook his head, looked right at her, and used the Mega Attack to get in front of her, only to be struck once again before he could even form his weapon. When he returned to his previous location, he fell over and rubbed his head.
"No way!" Mega shouted. "Did you always have this much power?"
"Heheh, I guess you just weren't paying attention, dear," Lyra said.
Geo stood up. "Like I said, Mega, we've only been fighting viruses. I knew it'd be a lot different fighting a person. Winning the Key from her when I'm like this isn't very likely."
"Hey, the battle's only just getting started!" Mega stated. "Pick your best cards, kid—we can still show 'em!"
"Are you even listening?"
Sonia raised her arm high. "Maybe this will knock some sense into him."
Before she could attack, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. "Geo, get down!"
She dashed forward and played a note. It flew past Geo and farther down the Wave Road, colliding with a flying energy ball and making it explode. Beyond that stood three identical figures: tall humanoids clad in brown and black armor with spikes on their shoulders and arms, black visors that covered nearly their entire faces, and antenna on their heads that each sported a ring of eerie red light.
"You missed!" one of them said.
"Hey, you were the one who said we should attack while they had their backs turned," said a second.
"W-What do we do now?" asked the third.
"Such dreadful timing," Lyra said.
Sonia looked at her guitar. "Who are these creeps?"
"Those would be Jammers. They're the result of a virus Wave Changing with a material being, in this case humans."
"What? Now viruses can possess people too?"
"Sorry, dear, the FM-ians have a lot of nasty tricks up their sleeves. Are these some of yours, Mega?"
Mega scoffed. "Don't insult me. I've never been one for lackeys."
One of the Jammers heard him and angrily shook his fist. "Hey! Who are you calling lackeys?"
"If you deal enough damage, the virus will be deleted and the human will automatically return to the Real World," Lyra explained. "They can certainly be a nuisance, but they're far easier to deal with than an actual FM-ian."
Sonia nodded. Turning to Geo, she offered, "Truce?"
"Truce," Geo agreed. He ran to Sonia's side and aimed Mega.
One of the Jammers declared, "Alright then, we'll just have to fight them head on! It's three against two! We can take them!"
As they were about to charge, Geo called a Heat Ball to his hand and lobbed it. A cloud of fire consumed the Jammers, preventing them from seeing the notes Sonia sent after them . One of the Jammers ran at her; he punched, but she leapt back and retaliated before he knew what hit him. Geo warped in front of the other two and swung a Wide Sword, slicing them both. One tried to punch him in return, but he warped back before the blow could connect. The first Jammer transformed his arm into a gun and shot a series of bullets at Sonia, who jumped up to dodge and then sent down a note, slamming the Jammer against the Wave Road. He groaned, and Geo turned towards him.
"Ground Wave!"
A white shockwave moved along the ground towards the Jammer, knocking him back towards Sonia. As she continued to attack him, Geo turned back to the other two and used an Air Spread card, hitting them both with one blast.
"We need to split up!" said one. "You move in, I'll give you support from here."
"Why do I have to move in?"
"Just do it!"
The other Jammer reluctantly moved down the Wave Road, shooting his blaster as he went. Geo threw up his shield and waited. When the Jammer paused, he lowered the barrier and attacked with a blast from Mega. Unfortunately, this gave the other Jammer a chance to shoot him in the side.
"Fire Ring!"
A wheel of fire spun towards the far Jammer. Geo turned back to the closer one, rolling to avoid his punch. When he sprang up, he attacked with a Sword, and then looked at the distant foe again. He used the Mega Attack to jump over and blast the Jammer with a Cannon. When he returned, however, the other Jammer was prepared for him, and he found a gun being pointed in his face.
"Geo, look out!"
Strings entangled the Jammer and pulled him away, making his shot miss Geo by a mile. Sonia reeled him in and threw him into the Jammer she had been fighting, stunning them both. She raised her arm high once again, and when she brought it down on her guitar, it emitted a large shockwave that sent both Jammers flying. When they struck the Wave Road, they both disappeared in a burst of light.
"Uh…thanks," Geo said.
The last remaining Jammer staggered back. "Uh-oh!"
He turned to run, but Geo paralyzed him with a shot from the Plasma Gun. Sonia played a few notes for him, and then he too blinked off of the Wave Road.
"Are you okay?" Sonia asked.
"Yeah," Geo said, "I'm fine."
"Hmm, this is a bit foreboding, don't you think?" Lyra said.
"I hate to say it, but you're right," Mega responded. "If there are Jammers about, then another FM-ian must already be here, waiting for an opportunity."
"Say, Mega. I think it would work to both our advantage if we set aside our differences for the time being, don't you?"
"Come again?"
"Even if you'd rather keep the Key yourself, it's at least better that it stay with me than be taken back to the FM King, yes? So it wouldn't be in your best interest if I were to lose it."
Mega blinked. "…You're not really suggesting that we team up, are you?"
"Oh, don't be so sour."
"Actually, it does make sense," Sonia said. "If more FM-ians are on their way, then we'd have a much better chance of stopping them if we worked together. How about it?"
Geo looked down. "...I don't get it."
"Huh?"
"I don't get how you can be like this."
"I'm sorry? Did I do something wrong?"
"Before, didn't you say that it's only been a few months since your mother went to Heaven?"
Sonia stared at him. "…Yes."
"Then how can you be like this? How can you still act happy and try to make friends with people? Isn't it painful for you?"
She stopped to think of a response.
"What is this 'Heaven'?" Mega asked.
"Mega, shh!" Lyra scolded.
"What? I just want to—"
"Mega. That's what humans say when one of them 'passes on'."
"…Oh."
Sonia shifted her weight.
"Months? And you're still so cheery?"
"Mega!"
"Sorry for underestimating you, girl. You're tougher than I thought."
Sonia looked at him. "What?"
"It takes a lot of strength to act the way you've been so close to a loss like that. I don't think I've ever seen someone who could do it before, and I've seen a lot of people out there."
Mega glanced at her guitar for a moment, and then looked back. "Fine. I don't like leaving the Andromeda Key in Lyra's hands, but someone like you…well, you might actually be more suited to hold it than me. Hey, Geo. It's not what I had planned, but maybe for now we should stay on their side."
Geo shook his head. "But…I can't. I can't get close to someone again."
Sonia felt like she was spinning. She took a moment to steady herself, and then, after a deep breath, she put a hand on Geo's shoulder.
"At AMAKEN you said you didn't want friends. Is that because you're afraid of losing someone you care about again? Like what happened to your dad?"
Geo didn't answer.
"I know how much it hurts to lose someone. But even still, nobody can do everything by themselves. I don't know if the pain will ever go away, but…I think if you dwell on it, it can only get worse. If you keep making friends and sharing your life with people, though, it'll give you something else to focus on. Something a lot better."
She stepped back. "You don't have to decide now, but please let me at least give you my contact info. If you ever want to talk to me, about anything, don't be afraid to get in touch."
Geo looked up at her, and slowly he nodded. "…Okay. Thank you."
Sonia sank into the bench next to the bus stop, sighing heavily. "That went pretty well, I guess."
"I'm impressed, Sonia," Lyra said. "Mega never struck me as one to listen to reason. Getting him as an ally was a real long shot, but you managed to pull it off."
"I didn't do anything, really."
"Nonsense. He was right: you're a very strong girl. I think you'll really be able to help that boy out."
"I hope so."
Lyra waited a moment, and then continued, "But, Sonia, aren't you worried you might spread yourself a bit thin?"
Sonia sat up. "What do you mean?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you really didn't have a whole lot of time to grieve for your mother, so you must still be carrying a lot of pain around."
Sonia leaned forward.
"On top of that, you're still pursuing your singing career. That's enough stress without the atrocious manager, not to mention that it seemed to me like you were getting a bit anxious about that last performance."
She scratched her head.
"And of course there's this whole situation with the FM-ians."
Sonia closed her eyes. "Which reminds me, about that Key—"
"And now, in addition to all that, you want to take the time to help this boy. Strong as you are, Sonia, a list like that is going to exact a fierce toll on anyone."
"If I have a chance to help people, I want to take it. That's why I'm helping you, and that's why I want to help Geo."
"And the concerts?"
Sonia sat back again. "I don't want to let them down. They want to hear me sing, and they've said that my songs mean a lot to them. I don't want to take that away from them."
"Alright. But, what do those songs mean to you?"
Sonia bit her lip. "…I…wrote them for my Mama. When she was sick. We spent a lot of time together. She always seemed so upset. She tried to hide it from me, but I could tell something was on her mind. Probably her illness. When I started singing, I could see her forget about it. She brightened up, she looked happier than I'd seen her in so long. So I kept singing. I signed up for an audition because I thought it would make her happy. She did seem happy, but I got to see her less when I became a singer, and when she…"
Sonia turned in her seat, putting a hand over her face. "I don't want to let my fans down. But…sometimes I worry that I'm betraying Mama. These were her songs, and now all they do is make money for my manager. Doesn't that cheapen them? Take away their meaning?"
Lyra thought, then asked, "Is that what you think it does?"
"Maybe. I don't know."
"Well, perhaps it would be better for you to take the time to find out."
Sonia shook her head.
"Just a suggestion. But while it is admirable to take care of others, you can't forget to take care of yourself as well, Sonia. If you become overwhelmed, you won't be able to help anyone."
A few quiet seconds passed.
"Lyra," Sonia said, "really, about the Key—"
"Oh, I think I hear the bus approaching. Come on, dear, we should head back, don't you think?"
Sonia sighed and pushed herself off of the bench.
