-----------------------Tyler's POV (an event that happened right before Riku went into the real world)
The remaining members of The Organization sat a large, round white table. Xehanhort, of course, had the largest seat, while Saix, Luxord, Zexion, and I had seats of about the same height. The meeting hadn't started yet, but everyone stayed quiet. For some reason, the room was colder than usual that day…I was glad to be wearing my heavy black cloak. Xehanhort's eyes were fixed on a report he had in front of him, then suddenly, his eyes narrowed. At that moment, we could all feel a new, unfamiliar presence in the room.
"You can come out now Riku. We won't bite." Xehanhort chuckled darkly.
I looked in the far corner of the room and saw the dark figure of a tall, cloaked man. It was hard to see his face, but then he entered the light, and his facial features became more evident. Icy, cold blue eyes and gray hair, like the color of the clouds during a fresh thunderstorm. In his hand, he held a purple blackish blade that looked like a bat's wing.
"I see you were expecting my arrival. I don't trust you Xehanhort, but we have a common goal." Riku replied, in a cold, detached voice.
"Please, take a seat." Xehanhort smiled evilly, gesturing to the seat across from him.
"No thanks." Riku replied.
"So why are you here Riku? To make a bargain concerning Roxas? We all know of the misfortunes with your friend, Sora. Yes, very sad. But, why should I help you…or Sora? Sora would just ruin all my plans…"
"According to my research, the real worlders are already successful at ruining your plans. I'm sure that if you had the mastermind behind those watches, you'd be able to take worlds at a faster rate than you are now." Riku stated, smirking.
"Roxas could still be of use to us…after all, he has the power to wield the key-blade. But I've already replaced Roxas with Tyler, who also has the ability to wield a key-blade. Having the scientific genius of that one real worlder would be better than just having the power of the key-blade." Xehanhort said, thoughtfully.
"Here's my proposal. I'll bring you Alex, but in exchange, I get to keep Roxas. The Organization will no longer interfere with Sora's Restorative Process."
The room went dead silent. Xehanhort and Riku stared at each other for a while, but neither one said a word.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Xehanhort responded.
The door opened slowly, until a girl of a small frame appeared. She wore a bright white dress, had light golden hair, and deep haunting blue eyes. So slowly—as if hesitating—she walked over gracefully to stand at the front of the table.
"Everyone, this is our replacement scientist. Her name is Namine. She has the ability to alter, re-create, and erase memories." Xehanhort introduced.
Zexion rose from his chair and pointed to himself, "But I thought I was your scientist!"
"Saix, Luxord; Remove him. Oh, and Namine, why don't you give everyone a demonstration of how your powers work? Don't worry Zexion, erasing your memory shouldn't take too long." Xehanhort chuckled.
"No!" Zexion screamed and thrashed, as Saix and Luxord grabbed both of his arms. They dragged him over to Namine, who still stood frozen with a blank, emotionless expression. They kicked Zexion's legs out so he had to fall to his knees before Namine.
A part of me couldn't believe this was happening. I mean, just yesterday Xehanhort had been commending Zexion for all his hard work concerning the watches.
Why would Xehanhort betray an ally? Could he have easily tossed me aside too? No, it was Zexion's fault.
Zexion had been too weak and slow. If he was truly a successful scientist, then he already would have de-coded the watches. The Organization couldn't afford to have any weak links. Besides, Xehanhort didn't trust anyone. It's not like he had any emotions of justice or loyalty to us. He didn't have a heart. And none of us truly felt any loyalty to Xehanhort either—just to the cause we fought for: contaminating worlds with the heartless/nobodies, and opening Kingdom Hearts. Xehanhort could have easily tossed me aside, but due to my real-worlder background, he probably thought otherwise.
She put her hand on his forehead, and her body began to emit a dark purple aura. In an instant—for at least five seconds—Zexion was screaming like his mind was being literally ripped apart, then he went unconscious.
"Send him to another world before he wakes up." Xehanhort dismissed with a wave of his hand.
Saix, Luxord, and the unconscious Zexion left the room.
Riku's cold, bored expression hadn't changed from a few minutes ago, but he was looking at Namine now. It was hard to see what was lurking behind his cold, apathetic mask.
"Tyler, go with Namine to the Lab to receive the report on the watches." Xehanhort commanded.
I nodded, and rose from my seat to join Namine at the door.
As we walked out into the stainless white corridor and closed to doors behind us, I overheard Xehanhort talking to Riku, "You have a deal. Since you're on our side now, I'll tell you about Operation Bridge."
When we were far enough down the corridor that no one could possibly hear me, I asked Namine a question that had been bothering me since she erased Zexion's memory.
"So you can erase anyone's memories, and give them new ones?"
"Yes." She muttered.
"So, if someone has a person that they hold very dear to them, you can make them forget about that person completely?"
"Yes, I can make them forget about their special someone. However, if the bond they share with their partner is strong enough, they can reverse the amnesia process." She replied, quietly.
"Thank you, Namine."
Would it be possible to erase a person's memory of someone they care about…and make them only love you?
----------------------Roxas' POV (back to the present)
The laser gun let out a beeping screech as it started up, and suddenly, the Lab was engulfed in a blinding flash of light. Alex, Riku, and I were wearing protective goggles, so it wasn't completely overwhelming. As the light dissipated we took off our goggles…and Axel's form emerged.
"Am I human now?"
His fiery, red hair had become bleach white, but his eyes were still the exuberant green I'd always known them to have. Other than his hair, everything about him was the same.
Alex took a mirror out of his back pocket and said, "Take a look. Changing your genetic structure from DATA to DNA has a different effect on everyone. Roxas' hair turned from blonde to black."
Axel's mouth dropped when he looked in the mirror, "What the hell? How did my hair get this freakin' white?"
When we last fought with Tyler, the lab was a mess! But that had changed completely now…as soon as Zack and Jess left, we got to work fixing the Lab. We threw out the metal debris and scraps that were in the attic and the basement, and organized the majority of his failed experiments on a bookcase in the corner of the room.
Directly across from the bookcase—in the other corner—were three green, furry bean bag chairs. Alex had moved some bean bag chairs from his room to the basement. Alex said Zack would probably think it looked hippie, since next to that Alex put a small, orange lava lamp beside the chairs.
Opposite the bookcase and the small lounge area--lining the other side of the room—was a long, brown table. Three computers were spread across the table in a row (each with a keyboard), and the floor underneath the table was completely covered in multi-colored wires. A massive, flashing computer tower—Alex described it as, "the manpower behind the machines"--stood on the table.
Lastly, in the corner across from the station of computers were the giant silver plates that Alex had used to transform me into a human, and a small laser gun that rested on the floor. Axel was standing next to those plates now.
"I don't feel any different. But I won't disappear now, right?" Axel asked, scanning his hands for signs of change.
"You're all human now Axel." Alex replied confidently.
Riku groaned and interjected, "Are we just going to stand here and talk about HIM?" He pointed at Axel coldly, "The longer I stay here, the more power I'm losing, so let's get this over with!"
"Oh yeah, the longer a person with a DATA structure stays in the REAL WORLD, the more energy they lose. Eventually—if they stayed here long enough—they would die. But it works the other way around too. If Roxas and I went to the virtual world and stayed there long enough, we could die too from energy loss. Because we're DNA, and their world is DATA." Alex added, as he typed the details about Axel's transformation into a report on the computer. Then, he sat in one of his bean bag chairs.
Axel yawned as he took a seat in a chair beside Alex, and stretched his long legs on the other seat. Riku and I stayed on our feet.
Riku began, "Ok, enough with the long explanations, let's talk about business. As you already know, the Organization's new plot is Operation Bridge. They're using ALEX'S technology to hack into the global network and open up portals around the world. In about 16 hours, they plan to use every device—PDA, cell phone, computer—anything that's connected to the Internet as a gate into the real world."
The room suddenly grew silent as everyone absorbed what Riku had just said.
Zack's voice suddenly came out of nowhere, "So we have less than 24 hours to save the world?"
He was at the bottom of the staircase, but he wasn't alone. By his side, hiding slightly behind him, was Becky.
His mouth agape, Alex rose from his seat to talk, "What is she doing here, Zack?"
"She's a new member of Team REAL WORLDER." Zack replied, unaffected by Alex's discontent.
"Didn't we talk about this earlier? You were supposed to—" Alex replied, slight aggravation in his voice.
"This was the best course of action." Zack said, determinedly.
"What's wrong with you? Are you out of your mind? She doesn't belong here! She'll just get in the way!" Alex raged.
"You're not the leader! You don't have a right to decide who belongs here or not!" Zack yelled, matching Alex's ferocity.
"I'm the leader 'cause I designed ALL OF THIS, and GAVE you your powers! Plus, I'm the only person here who is smart enough to save the world! I don't see you on that list, and judging by what you've done, it's clear that you're not responsible enough to do anything right!" Alex replied harshly, burning Zack with his words.
Zack paused, and then replied, "We can trust her, and I believe I was meant to tell her. We can't just leave people close to us in the dark about everything. Becky's a caring, responsible friend and she deserves to know the truth. I don't care what you think, but if you're SOOO smart then why don't you save the world on your own? I'm out. Let's go Becky." Zack snapped the platinum-hued watch off his wrist, and chucked it at Alex's feet on the floor. He stalked up the stairs and slammed the door shut behind him.
Becky, who hadn't moved yet, turned to face Alex. "I'm sorry. He really didn't want to tell me, but I sort of forced it out of him. Don't blame him. He asked me if I was willing to take the risks of knowing, and I told him I was. I want to help you all. I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble Alex. Please don't blame Zack though." Becky smiled, and then ran up the stairs to go after Zack.
The whole room was silent as Alex picked up the watch. He stared at it for a while thoughtfully, running his thumb across its silvery smooth surface. Then, he fell back into the bean bag chair and sighed.
I walked over to Alex and attempted to smile, hoping it would ease him. I nudged his shoulder, "Hey, don't worry. Zack will come around, and everything will work out between you two."
Riku, who was apathetic of the situation, continued to drill at Alex, "What do you plan to do about Operation Bridge? Are you going to infiltrate their hideout? I have a map of their place, and we can go in together."
"No, that's a bad idea. It could be a trap." I replied.
"Roxas is right. That wasn't my plan anyway. We're not going anywhere." Alex affirmed.
"What! Your world is at stake, and you're just going to sit here?" Riku boomed.
Alex slowly got up and walked over to the computers, "There's not much we can do by going there. They probably have heavy security around there anyway. I know they stole those two watches a while back, but even if we managed to bring those two watches back, it wouldn't change their plans.
They probably decoded the watches' technology already, and their scientists have probably developed the virus that's going to hack millions of active devices around the world.
They probably have a count-down for when the virus is gonna strike too. The only way WE can stop them…is to hack them first, before they hack everybody else."
Riku stood frozen in place, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Alex coldly.
"Do you need any help Alex?" I asked, going to stand by his side.
Alex replied, "I'm going to insert a virus into their system that multiplies itself simultaneously. That's gonna stall them for a bit. Then, while they're distracted, I'll steal some files from the watches (thus screwing up their data coding). When they try to activate the watches, the watches won't be able to function correctly."
As Alex started typing away at the computer, I backed away and went over to the lounge area to sit by Axel. Axel was snoozing away on the two bean bag chairs, his chest rising slightly as he let out a light snore. He was probably tired from the transformation process.
Alex turned towards the room and announced, "The first virus is about to stall their system, I'm going to activate the second virus now. This requires a lot of power—since I'm hacking a computer that's in another dimension. If the electricity acts weird, don't worry--everything's fine. But we might even have to use the back-up generator…"
Suddenly, Riku teleported in front of Alex and punched him in the stomach! Alex let out a sharp exhale of air as Riku pivoted behind him—twisting his arm behind his back!
Alex groaned, "Riku, what are you doing? I thought—"
Riku interjected, "Well you thought wrong. The scientist is coming with me! That was the deal, and nothing's gonna change that!" Riku smirked.
"Alex!" In an instant I was on my feet, the key blade in my right hand. Axel fumbled up from his sleep dazedly, unaware of what was happening.
A whirling, ebony spiral of darkness appeared behind Riku. He shoved Alex inside, and then stepped through himself.
While the gateway was still open I hurled myself through the darkness and followed them. The light of the basement shrank as I traveled further into the abyss, eventually fading entirely. Then, a new light appeared and became larger and larger…until finally, I had reached the end of the portal. I stepped through as the ribbons of darkness dissipated, and found myself in a familiar place.
---------------------------Zack's POV
I lay back onto the soft bed in Alex's attic (technically Roxas' bedroom). It was pretty much empty now, after the others had cleaned out the scrap metal earlier. The only thing that remained was the portable space heater and the twin-size bed on the other side of the room. I couldn't stop thinking about Alex's words since I had got upstairs.
Did he really think that I couldn't be trusted? DID he trust me?
"He's such a smart-ass sometimes. He really annoys me." I moped, spread out on the bed. Becky was sitting at the edge of the bed, and had been listening intently to my venting for about ten minutes.
"I explained to him that he shouldn't be mad at you. I did sort of force you to tell me." Becky consoled, patting my leg.
"But he should trust my judgment! He always looks down on me, and he's the short one! The kid's like 11 or 12 years old!" I complained.
Becky smiled, but just as she was about to say something, Axel's head popped up through the opening in the floor.
His hair looked more spiky than normal (besides the fact it was white), and he was out of breath, like he'd just had a panic attack.
"Oh, hey Axel. By the way, nice hair. Sorry I didn't comment on that earlier." I said, giving him a thumb up.
"Your cousin just got sucked into a rip portal! Riku betrayed us! He's in the virtual world now, and Roxas is too!" Axel yelled.
I looked at Becky—who was equally surprised—and shot up from the bed, "Did he carry out the second half of the plan? You know, activate the second virus? He told me about it when we were making the 2nd version of the watches."
"No, last I heard he was only stalling their system with the first virus." Axel replied, urgently.
I bolted down the ladder and quickly descended the staircase to the first floor. Axel and Becky followed closely behind. "We need to carry out the rest of the plan, and someone needs to go to the virtual world to get them back." I declared.
"I have a tracker on Roxas at all times, so wherever he is I'll teleport there." Axel added.
Finally, we descended the basement stairs and I immediately went to the computers. When I started typing away at the keyboard to begin the next sequence of the operation (Virus #2), Becky nudged my shoulder, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"I've been hanging out with this kid for a few months now. Actually, I saw how he developed the viruses when he was building the 2nd version of the watches. I pretty much remember what he said…something about screwing up the coding in the watches." I replied.
Axel appeared on my other side, "When should I go get them?"
"Once the second virus is activated. It won't be long." I replied.
--------------------------Roxas' POV
I was on the white, grand balcony that branched off from my old bedroom…the bedroom I had when I was a member of the Organization. The glass balcony doors were locked, and Riku and Alex were nowhere in sight. I looked off the balcony to see if Riku had jumped to the white platforms far below, but all I saw was the ominous, black city in the distance. The towering, condensed city surrounding the Organization's hideout obscured the horizon in a gritty, numb kind of way.
A familiar deep voice spoke behind me, "Welcome home Number 13."
I turned around, ready to attack, "Where's Alex?!"
Xehanhort smiled.
Suddenly, another voice emerged, "You won't find him. He belongs with us now."
Tyler stepped out from a black portal, his black key-blade in hand.
"Where's Jess?" Tyler grinned as he asked.
"None of your business." I replied, angrily.
Tyler smiled dazedly like he reminiscing about something, then replied, "I really miss her… Have you ever kissed her before? She just tastes soooo--" I threw my key-blade at Tyler's head before he could finish, but he dodged it. The blade sparked as it ricocheted off the glass and landed back in my hands.
"I'll let you handle this Tyler. Other matters call my attention." Xehanhort said, disappearing into a rip portal.
Tyler smirked and gestured at the dent in the glass, "You have anger issues."
I laughed, "When Xehanhort's done using you, he'll throw you away too."
Tyler lunged at me. In one foul swoop, our blades met for a second--sparking crazily as they connected—then parted as we both stepped back. My back was still facing the end of the balcony. But two things suddenly became clear: (1) Tyler was there to distract me from the bigger issue. I needed to find Alex and get out of there. (2) Staying in the virtual world for a prolonged period of time could possibly kill us. I needed to get to him before I lost all my strength. Fighting Tyler any longer would only diminish my powers further.
"Hey, what's that thing behind you?" I said, pointing to a random spot on the glass door.
"Where?" Surprisingly, Tyler looked back and curiously stared at the glass. While his back was turned, I propelled myself off the balcony and landed on the hard, white platform below.
"You cheated!" Tyler whined, looking down at me from the above balcony.
"No, you're just stupid. No wonder why Jess doesn't like you!" I shouted back.
The entrance to the platform was open, revealing a long, wide white corridor. Luckily, this was all familiar territory. I sprinted down the long expanse, passing a series of white doors. But the one that led to the Lab was a floor below me. At the very end of the corridor was a wide spiral stairwell. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tyler shakily land on the platform on the other side.
He smirked, "I know every corner of this place. You CAN'T escape!"
He started running towards me as I descended the stairs. I rounded the corner at a breakneck pace, but I had to quickly stop short! Who else should appear at the bottom of the stairwell than Riku himself?
I aimed my key-blade at his chest, "Where is Alex?!"
Tyler appeared a few feet behind me, so I tilted my guard slightly to ensure that I was facing both of them.
"I'm taking Roxas. That was the deal!" Riku yelled.
Tyler laughed, and replied in a fake, kind voice, "Your help was very much appreciated, but nobody cares about your needs. Before he goes anywhere I'm getting my revenge!"
"No! He must be in top physical and mental condition when he returns with me!" Riku growled.
He darted toward me to grab me, but Tyler tripped me so I fell back and he took my place. He maneuvered through the first several blows from Riku, and then pushed Riku back forcefully with his blade. They stood frozen in their stances, both fighters poised to carry out the next attack.
Had Tyler just defended me?
"I honestly want to kill you Roxas!" Tyler said enthusiastically, like it was the only thing that mattered to him in the world. "But the Superior wants you alive, much to my disappointment." He added.
Tyler and Riku lunged at one another once again. Riku parried one of Tyler's attacks and nearly got him in the arm. Tyler dodged just in time as Riku's key-blade struck the floor where he stood with an ear-splitting screech.
They were so consumed in their sparring that they didn't notice me slowly inching down the stairwell. Tyler rolled onto the floor, avoiding a dark energy blast that Riku catapulted at him by inches. Then, Riku started doing this attack that made pools of darkness open up from the floor and flare up toward the ceiling, hurting anything it touched. Weak from Riku's other attack, Tyler fumbled to his feet and barely avoided the pools of darkness as they erupted from the floor. The flare-ups were so large that one part of the hall was completely covered in darkness. I took this opportunity to sneak down the hall and slip into the second door…which led to the lab.
I locked the door and turned to the massive, white room before me. A giant Master Computer was in the center of the room, and the key-board was so large that it stretched from one side of the room to the other.
I spotted Alex, unconscious, tied up in a chair.
At the keyboard, was a slender, young girl with golden blonde hair. I'd never seen her before.
She muttered in a small voice I could barely hear, "All programs are stalled? This doesn't make sense…"
Suddenly, she froze, as if she had sensed my presence too. She took her hands off the keyboard slowly. Then turned in a slow, graceful motion to face me, her white dress moving very slightly.
She seemed cold and detached--her eyes empty. Yet, she attempted to smile and went to stand beside Alex.
In a voice that sounded like the soft whistle of wind over grass blades, she said, "So, you must be Roxas? I've always wanted to meet you."