Chapter 10: To Bring Peace
The team didn't say a word as they followed the girl into the FSDC, and went towards the door device. She seemed to know the place rather well, but she was rather wary of something - the Shadows, most likely. When they got to the teleportation room, the girl looked at the code on the right hand side.
"I'm Aimee Davenport. I swear, I'm not part of the Holy Cross!" she said, sincerely. "But if you want to fight them, please listen to what I'm about to say. You know what this device is, right?"
"Yes. So far, we've been using it to go between our world and this one. Or rather, between different realities." Nathan said.
"Different realities? What do you mean?" Aimee asked. Understandably, she looked confused. Nathan gave a long explanation of everything that had happened so far. During this explanation, he introduced the others.
"And that's everything so far. That must have been a lot of detail to absorb at once." Nathan said.
"He means he couldn't make this shit up if he tried." Blaine said. Nathan glared at him, and Amara sighed. They're from different worlds...metaphorically speaking.
"Um...I think I get it. It's hard to understand, but I think I believe you. So your New Motus City is free from Shadows?" Aimee said, amazed. "That's - never mind, we'll talk about that later. These devices can all connect to one another, using codes. This device's code must lead to the one in your world. Perhaps they're the exact same one. They're called 'NDD'. Neo Dimension Door."
"Cool name. We're really confused about what happened ourselves. We know Aeternus was at a convention ten years ago and there was an explosion that killed a lot of people." Amara said. "After that, Aeternus fell apart. Only a handful of employees came to the event, but all of them died."
"Amazing..." Aimee took out a black notepad, and wrote down the door's code. "If you use this code, you should be able to get back to your world with any NDD. Don't worry, it'll reset after you go through. Now, we're going to go somewhere else!" Aimee pushed some keys on the NDD, and after a beep and a flash, she went through.
"You sure we should do this?" Blaine said, scratching his head. "I mean, what if she is one of the Holy Cross?
"Well, it might be risky, but I think we can trust her for now." Amara said. "Let's go!"
With Amara leading the way, the four of them went through.
|Mystery Basement|10:15 pm|
The location was a basement of some kind, but there didn't seem to be any way upstairs. Plainly decorated, with just a few tables and chairs, the place's only noteworthy feature was a giant computer system, which seemed to be constantly running operations.
"So, where are we?" Serena asked. "Your secret headquarters?"
"Actually, yes!" Aimee said, cheerfully. "It's not much to look at, is it? It's hard to get supplies with the Ornatu Legion constantly hunting for Persona users like us. Still, it's somewhere safe."
"How many of you are there?" Nathan asked. Staring at the bare light bulb on the ceiling, he seemed concerned at the lack of light.
"Five, including me. All four of them are training outside. Don't worry, they're professionals. The Ornatu Legion's never managed to catch us, much to their Commander's chagrin." Aimee said, still cheerful. "Still, there's not a lot we can do at the moment. Since you're new here, let me tell you what happened to our world."
"Right." Blaine said. "So Shadows came here ten years ago?"
"Yes...at the convention you speak of, the six members of Aeternus that gathered revealed they had discovered dark monsters during their experiments. They claimed they had tried to stop them from coming, but to no avail. So using their Personas and other technology, they were able to attack them."
"Whoa!" Amara said. Try as she might, she couldn't remember any of this. She was definitely there that day, though. If bizarre, paranormal equipment blew up then, though, anything could have happened.
"Pretty much the next day, the Shadows were everywhere and Aeternus were the only ones who could stop it. The government pretty much gave up and let them have the city. Soon afterwards, the city was locked from the rest of the world, and all outside contact was lost." Aimee said, looking serious. "No one argued, because they thought Aeternus were the heroes trying to stop the apocalypse."
"They're lying! We know they are!" Nathan said, angrily.
"I know. I found that out after the convention, with all the people screaming at the sight of the Shadows. I managed to sneak past the Ornatu Legion with my brother." Amara noticed Aimee's face got sad, but kept quiet. "The six of them, hidden away, discussed their plans. I didn't understand most of it, but they were the ones who were using the Shadows! They wanted to seal the city away from the rest of the world and take it over, to one day have enough power for something. And I think it involves the entire world." The others gasped.
"Really? They just wanted to rule the world?" Nathan said, thinking. "With such powerful creatures, and so few able to fight them, it makes me wonder what would take them so long to take over the world."
"I've been wondering that since then. Anyway, they caught us, so they sent some Shadows at us, and disappeared. My brother…he didn't survive. He gave me enough time to run away. Soon after that, my parents…" Aimee said, tearfully. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you all sad. This world must be a massive shock to you."
"Don't worry about it." Amara said, putting her hand on Aimee's shoulder. "We're here now, right? So we're going to help you guys out in anyway we can. We can't just ignore this now!"
"Yeah." Blaine said. "But we're just newbies. If we hang out with these guys, we'll get stronger! So count me in!"
"It wouldn't be honourable to ignore this situation. I'll help you too, Aimee." Nathan said.
"This is so cool! We're joining an underground resistance!" Serena said, excitedly. "Do we get codenames?"
"I don't think we'll need those! That'd get confusing!" Aimee said, looking more lively. "So if you guys are sure you want to join us, please come back tomorrow. It's a bit late tonight for you to meet the rest, they won't be back until midnight."
"I suppose we're coming back tomorrow, then." Serena said, looking depressed. "Well, if it's just to meet the others, then that's okay!"
"Well, then let's head straight here next time. It might be good to stay out of the public eye in this world for a while, anyway." Nathan said.
Nathan, Serena and Blaine said farewell, and left the NDD, using the code for the real world. "Oh!" Aimee said, as Amara was leaving.
"What?" Amara asked.
"If you really are from another reality, then the versions of you four in this world may have Personas too. So look out, okay?" Aimee said. "And please, be careful! If any of the others are jealous of your world, I'll tell them off."
"Thanks, Aimee." Amara smiled, and shook hands with Aimee. Despite all the battles Amara would face, she was glad to make new friends. Hopefully, the other four members would be nice. How long would this last, though? Would she be doing this for months? Years? It wasn't just a hobby, it was a serious commitment. Amara would have to wait and see how this would turn out.
|June 9th|Solar Ray Mall|10:43 pm|
Amara, excited for tonight, was delighted when her father called and invited her over for dinner. Ever since she moved out, the only company he had was work colleagues and the housemaid. Still, she made it a ritual to come over for dinner at least one a month. Looking for a new outfit in Rosa Candida, she soon gasped at a woman looking at the blue floral dresses. "Karen!"
"Oh, hello Amara! We're already on first name basis, then? Good girl!" Karen said, with a huge smile. The two discussed their weekends - yet Amara left out most of the truth. She might still tell Stella the intricate details, but Karen would never understand. "So I haven't told anyone else this, but I'm getting divorced soon!" Karen said, very happy.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Amara said, not sure if this was something to celebrate or not.
"No, it's great This husband turned out to be a total asshole. Like the other three." Karen said. "Not one of them was anything like - oh, sorry, that's just me rambling." Amara and Karen discussed Karen's previous marriages, and laughing off Karen's claims marriage was 'like a death sentence', they went their separate ways. With a new dress, Amara started to go home, when she saw a flower stall outside the mall.
Maybe I should go get Dad some flowers. Amara was feeling spontaneous, and looked at the stall more closely. The name of the stall was 'Bianca's Garden', and the lady there, presumably the eponymous Bianca, was an attractive lady. She had lovely fair skin and black hair tried up in a bun. From the flower hairclip, Amara could tell Bianca was quite the flower aficionado.
"Hi there! Welcome to Bianca's Flower Garden! How can I help you?" Bianca asked, with a genuine smile. The aroma of each flower was soothing, and took Amara's mind off the Shadows completely.
"I'll take some of the jasmines, please." Amara said. Those were her father's favourite. The last gift he gave to Amara's mother was a single jasmine, which he said was the most beautiful one in the world.
"Nice choice! Then again, I'd say that no matter what you picked. Hehe..." Bianca said.
After buying the flowers, Amara left, eager to see her father's delighted face.
|Kanaloa - Gregory Street - Blaine's House|11:32 am|
"Boy, what a night." Blaine said, as he went into his house's living room. Despite the faded wallpaper, it was one of the less foul homes of the area. It was small and quaint, but that suited Blaine and Dan, his best friend, fine. Dan was sitting in the living room right now, watching the morning news.
"Oh, there you are! Thought you'd never wake up. Where'd you go last night, anyway? I was lookin' all over!" Dan said, mockingly shaking his head. "You should have called, you know."
"Sorry, Dan..." Blaine said, yawning. He didn't get much sleep, after all the chaos of the previous night. His plans of getting wasted over the weekend were foiled too, as he'd have to go back to that weird world again. To think he'd have to spend his evening with those three again. Two girls too young and too good for him to hang around, and a preppy man from Nova Albion.
"So, last night. What happened?" Dan asked.
"I...just got to a bar in Farawell. Had a lot on my mind." Blaine said, with a gnawing feeling in his stomach. Blaine considered himself a lot of things - rude, violent, reckless - but he never lied to people. Yet if he told Dan any of this, people would just think he was crazy. Only Amara, Nathan and Serena knew the truth. Maybe they had to lie to their friends, as well.
"Really? You had something on your mind? That's a first!" Dan said, chuckling.
"I do think about more than just girls, you know!" Blaine said.
"Yeah, booze and motorcycles. You're such a scintillating person to talk to!" Dan said jokingly.
"Speak for yourself! " Blaine said. "So, doing anything today?"
"No, not really. There's nothing good on TV, except that weird antique auction crap." Dan said.
"Figures. C'mon, let's go out for a ride. Now that my bike's fixed, I'm ready to go!" With the prospect of spending another evening in that other reality, Blaine would relish this moment of normality, just racing Dan all over town. From today onward, life wouldn't be normal.
|Nova Albion - Furaha Household|18:00 pm|
"It's good to be home." Amara said, as she went inside the family home. Despite the house being rather grand on the outside, with large sprawling gardens and elaborate fountain features, the inside felt warm and inviting. So many relics of her homeland were here…and so many memories. Her father, Rudo Furaha, often put work aside to enjoy his weekends, and usually spent Sundays on the phone with his pride and joy. Today, she was finally home.
"Amara, is that you? Come in here and say hello to your father!" Said the kind voice from the living room. Without any hesitation, Amara ran inside and hugged her father.
"Dad, how have you been? " Amara said. "Here, I brought you something!" Giving him the flowers, she was delighted to see her father's joy.
"It's beautiful. It's just like you - radiant and full of life! Thank you, Amara. Now tell me all about the Real People job!
So over dinner - a three course banquet - Amara told her father everything she could, about her co-workers, her boss, her duties, and she even talked a little bit about Stella. However, she didn't go into any detail about the other world. How could she tell him about her Persona power, or the others? Especially Blaine. Her father disliked people of his sort.
"This Stella character sounds interesting. You should try to get to know her, understand her somewhat." Rudo said, eating the roast beef. "You two may seem completely different, but there must be something that you can bond over."
"Maybe there is." Amara said, without thinking. "I-I mean, yeah, I'll talk to her tomorrow! She's a bit quiet, but her psychic powers are pretty cool. Thing is, she lives in Kanaloa."
"Oh. Well, I would never risk going there. Do you have any idea how dangerous that place is? I had to go through there once, and that was enough. I nearly got robbed, five times! Of course, I was wearing my best suit at the time." Rudo said. "Also, Thomas was asking about you."
"Aww, that's nice! I'll have to catch up with him later. Tell him everything's going great for me!" Amara said. "Wait, I'll give him a call myself." Thomas Weiken was her father's business partner, and had become a family friend.
And so the evening went perfectly. Normally, this would have just been another dinner at home for Amara, but now it was a lovely break from fighting those monsters. And yet, she could not tell him the truth.
When it was time for Amara to go, she thought she head the floorboards creaking? "What was that?" Amara asked, concerned. "You think someone's up there?"
"Surely not! If they tried to get in, the alarm would go off. It's never failed before. It's better than that smoke alarm we used to have." Rudo said, laughing. "Don't worry about a thing. You just go home and have a good week, okay? Talk to you soon!" After a long and tight hug, Amara said goodbye and left the house, and headed towards Farawell.
"Is this going to be a routine? Maybe I should put this in my calendar..."
|Secret Base|21:00 pm|
"Hey, good to see you guys again!" Aimee said, running over to the gang as they came out of the NDD. "Most of the others are still busy with stuff, but Kyle's here! Say hello!"
"Hello." A young boy, in a wheelchair, was typing on the huge computer with an incredible pace. His black hair was long and untamed, and he had a green headset on. He had glasses, and was wearing a dark yellow and black jacket. He turned around to stare at the team, with a cold glare.
"He's shy." Aimee said, ignoring the tension.
"Wait...Kyle?" Serena said, in shock. "Kyle McHale?"
"That's correct. But how did you know my name?" Kyle shouted, in confusion.
"Aimee told you about us being from a different reality, didn't she? We're friends in our world. You have the same eyes, the same face, and you're in a wheelchair!" Serena said, staring closely at Kyle. "It's definitely you, Kyle."
"Then who are you?" Kyle asked, still cold.
"Serena Agnethe." Serena said, gazing into Kyle's eyes. The others introduced themselves, but Kyle looked at Serena intently. "We met two years ago, in the library of our high school. We've been hanging out since then. I suppose we never met over here."
"Of course not. I haven't attended school since I was ten years old. It's reassuring to know my other self appears to be doing well. I bet he doesn't have to worry about the government hunting him down every day."
"I..." Serena said, but she couldn't bring herself to respond to that. To see the face of someone so close to her being so cold and distant must have been hard on her.
"Serena, are you alright?" Aimee said, concerned. "Don't worry about him. Sit down, everyone. Tonight, we actually have a mission for you all. It's nothing too major, just recon." The team sat down, intrigued.
"Recon, huh? Sounds stealthy. Give us a briefing!" Blaine said, getting excited. Kyle sighed, but when he saw Serena look away, he seemed to soften a little.
"Well, everyone, the Ornatu Legion are a group of Persona users designated to protect citizens from Shadows. There's a lot of them, and the majority are kids my age. The schools of the city are used to 'train' kids, mentally and physically, to prepare them for the Ornatu Legion. Only the best of the best are given the special artificial Personas. Hence their red aura, compared to our natural blue hue." Kyle said, and images of the Ornatu Legion in uniform appeared.
"The city adores them, because they're keeping the Shadows at bay." Aimee said, as Kyle displayed photos of the Ornatu Legion destroying the dark monsters. "However, the artificial Personas are really unstable. Early tests caused the victims to go insane, and die. Even now, there's always a risk of mental damage...as well as physical." Aimee said. "Kyle's tried hacking to find out more, but to no avail."
"Why are the artificial Personas so dangerous to use?" Nathan asked, staring at the Personas on screen. The current one, a strange elephant with one eye called 'Girimehkala', was rather grotesque, and the user, a young girl, seemed to be in distress from using it.
"I don't know for sure, but the most likely reason is that natural Personas are reflections of a person's soul, and thus don't cause problems for their users. After all, 'I am thou, thou art I'. Yet, when it comes to these fake Personas, they're made some other way." Kyle said. "That way, we're going to find out tonight."
"How?" Amara asked.
Kyle, typing on his computer, brought up the image of a school with white walls and large gates. It had an old look to it, and Serena gasped upon the sight of it.
"Your goal, ladies and gentlemen, is to break into Lucille Valley High School and investigate the facilities."