CHAPTER SEVEN

A Man, His Legacy, The Hidden Weapon

The team then goes to the mountains, and a traveler meets them at the cliff high above the summit. "Are you the one known as Medici?" she asks Filia.

"Why, were you asked to meet us here?"

"Precisely." The person lowers her hood. "The name's Julia. Julia Chang. We need you to come right away." She leads the five girls to the hidden lab. "Avian's been wanting to see you, Cerebella, Fukua. But, if you haven't heard, there's a virus sweeping the mountainside."

"What does it do to hurt people?" Sienna asks.

"It deteriorates the nervous system and causes cmplete shutdown on the major body systems, besides severe hallucinations, and in the worst cases, death. Most of the scientists, save for a few of our best, had scattered, afraid the disease would take their lives. Ever since it had broken loose, Avian has become increasingly paranoid, thinking, fearing, that if the virus had went to him, he would be unable to protect any of the projects in Lab 8."

"How does this affect the work he creates?"

"Well..." As they get to the lab, they go to the back, and behind a curtain, lay an old man, hooked up to life support. "This is what's left of Dr. Avian. He was stricken with the disease about three weeks ago. He's been like this for most of that time."

"...Please... Julia, I need time, with the two I asked you for..." Dr. Avian says weakly. Filia, Feng, Nadia, Sienna, and Julia step out and close the curtains behind them.

"Well, what's wrong?" Cerebella asks the doctor.

"Have you been told of my fears?"

"Yes. You should know, we'll always give you our support, regardless of the situation, Dr. Avian," Fukua answers. "What are you planning on leaving behind?"

"Two lone projects... Peacock and Big Band... they were older projects that I was asked to scrap, but I never did." He groans in pain. "Where I failed, I hope... no, I pray... That Julia will pick things up for me..."

"Please, don't say anymore, sir. You need to rest."

"No... If I don't tell you... I will never be able to... Please, give me the gear on the table."

"What's it for?" Cerebella gives him the gear.

"It allows you and... the Medici to access all of my... data... as well as... activate them... Those who can use... it wisely... the are the ones... who can change the fate... of this, war..." Cerebella and Fukua watch as Dr. Avian places his finger on three specific markings, in a sequential code, and he says finally, "Selene... and Vitale... would be very... proud..." He draws his last breath, and the EKG meter goes flat with a sustained beep. Cerebella shuts his dead eyes and rises.

"Avian was well known for his skilled reanimation work. Athough I may not have known him like many others have, I've definetely known him through his work. We need to honor him, and we need to respect the passing of one of the Medici's finest."

"She's right. While there's no sort of knowledge of his projects, there is something that we have." Fukua pulls the gear out and then ties a thin string through one of the holes, turning it into a makeshift necklace. "His special control. Whenever we press the three inscriptions in order, it allows us to access his data. This could prove valuable in the upcoming power struggle."

"She's right. I was funding the projects myself. These two are incredibly powerful. They were not created for war; they were made for something much, much bigger."

"Like what?" Filia asks absentmindedly.

"Well, the legend of the Skull Heart still haunts the world. Have you heard it before?" Filia shakes her head. "Perhaps maybe your Parasite can shed some light on the situation."

The back of Filia's head moves. "She's right," it says. "These were created as Anti-Skullgirl weapons."

"But what is a Skullgirl, Samson?" Filia asks.

"Legend has it, that there is an artifact that can grant the wish of a woman, should they find it, known as the Skull Heart. Now, a Skullgirl, is a twisted being who, from the Skull Heart's judgment, is unworthy of making said wish, is corrupted and turned into a ruler of the undead. The Skullgirl is immensely powerful, and can even cause an apocalyptic undead uprising. Did you hear about Nancy Renoir's story?" Samson explains.

"How she went mad with power and nearly destroyed the enitre Canopy Kingdom?"

"Yep, that's the one. She did as much damage that she did with the power of a fully awakened Skull Heart. But Princess Parasoul had to strike her own flesh and blood down, to save the kingdom, when it mattered the most. Now, twelve years later, the Kingdom is where it was before Nancy took possession of the Skull Heart."

"So, these were made to counteract the possibilty of another Skullgirl rising from the ashes of the legend?" Feng asks Cerebella.

"Yeah. I came here a few times myself, Feng, and Dr. Avian used to be in the back with Julia working on the ASG weapons," she answers. "The projects were right about done after my last visit, two years ago. But I haven't seen these projects since."

"I kept them shrouded in mystery, and the insiders, the Zaibatsu, nobody found out about them. I never let them. But after having them collect dust for the past couple of years, let's turn them on before we do anything else."

Carefully executing the inscription sequence, Julia lets the others look on as the gear lights up and a light displays the available options from the menu. "View, projects," Julia says clearly. The status on the two projects were shown on a clear display. "Activate, Project ASG-001." She turns around as the room is saturated in white light. "I would advise stepping back."

"What's going on?"

"It begins. The weapons are online."