About five weeks later…
=RVB=
Asuna woke up in her hospital bed feeling quite elated. Today was the day that her rehabilitation was finished, and she could finally go home. As she thought of it, she could remember the times that she had struggled to move, then stand upright, then walk.
Kazuto was by her side every day he could, and when he wasn't, Church cheered her on. As she slowly changed into the clothes her father had brought her yesterday, Church appeared via his hologram.
"Morning, Asuna." he said. "Ready to head out?"
"I just need to get changed." Asuna replied. "Can you give me some privacy?"
"Oh, right."
Church blinked out as Asuna changed, and got out of bed. Then, she held up her phone to the Nervegear. Attached to it was a small, rectangular device with a blue-colored lens. This was Kazuto's newest project, a small hologram projector that Church could appear through at will. The project had taken about two weeks of time to achieve completion.
As Church transferred himself into the 256-gigabyte storage unit in the projector, Kazuto entered the room with a smile.
"Morning, Kazuto." she beamed. "I'm ready to go."
"Good to hear. Your folks are waiting downstairs." Kazuto replied, offering his hand. Asuna took it and held gently, and as they did, Church appeared as Asuna retreived her Nervegear.
"All set and good to go." he said. "After you."
As the three of them headed out through some staff members bearing well-wishes, Asuna and Kazuto entered the Yuuki's spacious car after exiting the building. Kazuto stowed the Nervegear on the floor, and Church appeared again.
"You know, I've kind of forgotten how nice it is to not be shot at on a near-constant basis." he sighed. "You can blame the Reds and Blues for that."
"Was your time with them always so filled with violence?" Kyouko asked.
"Well, kind of. They were idiots, but they could fight. Plus, it helps that they stood around and talked more than they did shooting people." Church said. "I mean, they did kill The Meta and take down Project Freelancer, so you tell me."
"And who's The Meta?" Kazuto asked.
"That's complicated." Church said. "The Meta, or as he was formerly known, Freelancer Agent Maine, was probably one of the more...frightening people we had to deal with. When I was fragmented, Maine was given the Sigma Fragment, which represented Alpha's ambition and creativity."
"Wouldn't that be good?" Shouzou asked.
"Not if you were Sigma." Church replied. "Apparently to him, being creative meant being completely malvolent and evil. He basically wanted to unite the other AI Fragments into a "Perfect AI", but not in a good way."
"Sigma brainwashed Maine, and he started hunting down the other former Freelancers and killing them before stealing their AI Fragments and equipment. The Meta probably would've gotten me too if Tex, Wash, and the Reds and Blues didn't stop him."
"How'd they do that?" Kyouko asked.
"Tucker stabbed him in the chest with his Energy Sword while Sarge, Griff, and Simmons tied him to a car, and then sent that car off a cliff into a below-freezing temperature ocean." Church said. "He drowned, and most of the AI fragments I knew were destroyed earlier by a Micro-EMP that we set off."
"Problem was, the same guy that pardoned the Reds and Blues for taking down Project Freelancer, one Malcom Hargrove, somehow recovered his armor." Church continued. "And while we were trying to stop him from basically taking over an entire planet, he kept the armor like a trohpy. Which was also related to how I died.."
"When we were trapped by Hargove's forces, we geared up with whatever we could find in his trophy room on his ship. And somehow, Tucker managed to fit into the Meta's old armor. I couldn't power or run it as Epsilon...but I could if I further fragmented myself and erased my memories. I sent my last words of wisdom to the Reds and Blues via the Delta Fragment's record function...before I died. Then I woke up in ALO. You know the rest."
"I see." Shouzou said. "Do you have any regrets, Church?"
"Too many." Church replied. "But I'm alive, and now I'm here."
Then, Shouzou hit the brakes at the sight of the Tokyo Police cordoning off an area near the Imperial Park. That wasn't what made Shouzou stop, however.
It was the massive blue orb that was arcing electricity and raw energy in the middle of the cordoned area that made him stop.
"What is that?" Asuna asked.
"Oh no." Church groaned, causing everyone to look at him. "That's a slipspace rupture. The UNSC uses them for faster than light travel, but...it's emitting readings I don't understand…I need a closer look."
As Kazuto and Asuna got out while Kyouko and Shouzou stayed back, Church began to scan the rupture from behind the police barricade and the crowd of onlookers.
"Why's it here?" Asuna asked.
"I don't know." Church said. "But it's a slipspace rupture, all right. However, those readings are...temporal distortions, cracks in time itself."
Then, Church flinched.
"What now?" Kazuto asked.
"I'm getting a radio signal." Church said. "And it's coming right at us."
Then, the rupture fully opened...and expelled eight human-shaped figures wearing various-shaded Red and Blue sci-fi armor. As Churchthrew his holographic sniper away, he screamed in pure, unbridled frustration.
"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!
Then, the heads of all eight figures immediately snapped to focus on Church. As Asuna came forward, Chuch held up his hand.
"Asuna, I have one chance at this, so I'm going to do this right."
Church let out a sigh as he looked at his friends, the Reds and Blues, before speaking three words.
"Miss me, assholes?"
There was silence from everyone, including the onlookers. Then, a loud cry.
"YOU SONUVABITCH!"
Then, one of the figures, currently wearing teal armor, jumped forward with his hands out, landing facedown on the pavement.
Then, there was another cry of delight.
"YAY!"
Then, another one of the figures, with a different-style helmet, did the exact same thing. As the rest of the Reds and Blues approached while Tucker and Caboose got up, Church turned to Asuna and Kazuto.
"You know...I should've seen that one coming."